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Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions legislation such as Original Legislation to Give TSA Employees a Raise, members such as Al Green.
Issued
April 23, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextUnder the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Green of Texas was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.)
Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. Speaker, and still I rise and still I rise, and I rise today as an unbought, unbossed, and liberated Democrat. I rise today to speak in the name of we, the people, Mr. Speaker, who believe in liberty and justice for all as presented to us and as we pledge in the pledge of allegiance: liberty and justice for all.
I rise in the name of liberty and justice for all, Mr. Speaker, because while there are many people in this country who are not receiving the justice for all, I will focus today on one group of people. I assure you this could go on endlessly if time permitted, but I want to focus on one group of people today because they have been treated unjustly.
us, to assure us that when we board a plane and when we are at 35,000 feet, at 500 miles per hour, we will be there safe. We will be secure. There is nothing more important than the structural integrity of that plane when you are at 35,000 feet, moving at 500 miles per hour.
I rise in the name of justice for the TSA workers, Mr. Speaker, and I rise in the name of justice for the TSA workers for many reasons, a multiplicity of reasons. Today, I have to focus on just a couple: One, as I made my way through the airport in Houston, Texas, when we were having the shutdown, as it were, and I made my way to my gate, my destination was Washington, D.C. As I did this, one of the TSA workers approached me, and her words to me were words that penetrated really to my heart. She said: “Help us, help us.”
I want her to know I have not forgotten her. I have not forgotten the TSA workers. I have shown my solidarity with the TSA workers by withholding payment to me until they get payment for themselves. I actually asked the payroll department here in the Congress to withhold my pay. I want to be in solidarity with them because this is an injustice being perpetrated upon them, and I want them to know that I stand with them.
but I want to focus on them today because of a commitment that I made to this worker. I told her I wouldn't forget them, and I want to help them.
am not sure who knows when—but at some point, we will restore the proper pay to them at the proper time. However, that will not eradicate the injustice that has been perpetrated upon them and that is being perpetuated even as I speak now.
workers. In so doing, I have concluded that not only should they get their salaries restored and paid at the proper times, but they should also get a raise. The TSA workers deserve a raise.
I have a chart with me. Many of you are familiar with my cane. I have a chart with me, and I use my cane as a pointer. This chart will validate what I say about the TSA workers being underpaid. They do a tremendous job. They protect us. They cannot make a mistake. They have to be right 100 percent of the time. That one time that they miscue can cause someone to be harmed or possibly a life to be lost at 35,000 feet, 500 miles per hour.
I have examined their salaries, and here is what I found: That the salary first year for a TSA worker is $40,000. Well, I juxtaposed that salary to a firefighter in Houston, Texas: First year, $59,000; Houston police officer, $78,500. These salaries, as you can see, exceed what the TSA worker receives first year, first-year salaries.
I have gone on to show second-year salaries, ten-year salaries. I am proposing, pursuant to a bill that I have already filed, H.R. 8411. I shall read what it says under the title of the bill: “To increase the annual rate of basic pay for career employees of the Transportation Security Administration”—that is the TSA—“and for other purposes.”
It goes on to say in section 2: “TSA employee pay increase.” That is the style of the section. The language of it under (A) reads in general: “Beginning on the first day of the applicable pay period”— some things bear repeating. “Beginning on the first day of the applicable pay period, the annual rate of basic pay for each career employee shall be increased by 15 percent.”
percent, but I am going to say 15 percent now because I have got to start someplace, and I am juxtaposing their salaries to the salaries of Houston firefighters and Houston police officers.
mind. First year again: TSA officer, $40,000 now, 15 percent increase, the raise will take them to $46,000 first year, $6,000 pay increase. They earn every penny of it, and I would defend this anywhere, anytime, anyplace in the presence of anyone. They earn every penny.
Houston firefighters first year are at $59,000, police $78,500. Well, they will be at $46,000. As I said, I think that it should be more; but I am juxtaposing, and I am going to use this as my starting point.
The second year, they will have $56,000 from $49,000. That is the increase, again to $56,000, and the firefighters are at $62,000.
{time} 1120
By the way, the firefighters earn their money. The police officers earn their money. This is not to say that they should not have what they have. It is to say that the TSA officers are underpaid, that they have not been treated justly. They have not been treated fairly. We are talking about liberty and justice for all. Well, that has got to include these TSA officers.
The second year is $56,000 with the raise from $49,000. The firefighters are at $62,000 approximately. All of these are approximations. The police officers are at $80,000.
Again, I think the TSA officers merit more. This is a starting point.
I then take us out to 10 years. In 10 years for a TSA officer you have approximately $72,500. With the raise it is $83,000. That is the raise of 15 percent in each of these classes that I have called to your attention. The firefighter is at $71,000, and the police officer is at $103,000 to $140,000. This is in Houston, Texas.
By the way, I think these police officers merit this pay. They earn this pay. I think the firefighters merit the pay. They earn the pay. I also think that the TSA officers earn the pay, and they deserve more pay.
I am here in the Congress of the United States of America. I have the ability to lobby on behalf of them, to speak on behalf of them, and to speak on behalf of we the people. I believe that we the people would want to see a 15 percent raise for the TSA officers who serve us with great distinction across the length and breadth of our country.
This bill has been filed. I filed this bill just recently on April 17. Again, it is H.R. 8411. It is a bill “To increase the annual rate of basic pay for career employees of the Transportation Security Agency, and for other purposes.” And I will add now to increase that pay to 15 percent.
This is justice. This is what justice looks like.
airports, and we understand now that when they are not properly paid and the airports are understaffed, we understand how that impacts us personally. We see what justice looks like. We see what the injustice perpetrated upon them looks like. And we see how that injustice has also been filtered down or filtered to—I don't know whether it is up or down, but one way or another—the flying public because the flying public then finds themselves missing planes. Planes are delayed.
We need to do more. Let's have them back to work with the pay that they are receiving currently, and let's have them get it timely, but let's also do this: Let's give them a 15 percent raise.
This is where I stand. This is where I stand, and I stand on these words. The person who is to be quoted is not known to me, so I cannot give proper attribution, but I can tell you they are not my words. These words are important, and I think they speak well of what we must do.
Some measure their lives by days and years. Others by
heartthrobs, passion, and tears. But the surest measure
under
God's Sun is what for others in your lifetime have you
done.
let's do it as soon as possible so that we can make a difference for them in their lifetimes.
I conclude on this topic, Mr. Speaker, but I now move to another place to embrace another topic.
We the People
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, once again I rise. Once again I rise to address we the people. Once again I rise to address we the people. Those who believe in a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Those who believe that all persons are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We the people believe in liberty and justice for all. We the people believe in something as simple and as basic as fair play, as respect, being respectful, showing the proper courtesies, showing the country that we understand that if the country is to have harmony within, we the people have to respect each other within. We the people. I rise in the name of we the people.
I am the Al Green who is not only unbought, not only unbossed, not only unafraid, not only liberated, but also censured. I was censured but not silenced; censured but not silenced.
session of Congress, reminded the President that he did not have a mandate, a mandate to cut Medicaid, to cut Medicare, and Social Security. Many members of the press will print that I said he didn't have a mandate. They are being inaccurate, and they are misleading. I think it is done with intentionality because they would want it said that I said he didn't have a mandate, and then there would be a big debate about it. I said he didn't have a mandate to cut Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, and I still stand on this. And the President went on to impose one of the biggest cuts on healthcare ever seen, and we are still suffering from this today.
the cuts that were made. I have had an experience with one of my constituents, a constituent who needed a double lung transplant, a constituent who saw his premiums go up exponentially to the extent that he could not afford to pay for that premium that would allow him to have the double lung transplant.
I rise on his behalf. His story is a story that needs to be heard and needs to be told. That story is an important story—double lung transplant. I rise on his behalf to show the injustice in what occurred when I took my stand and called it to the attention of the country, the injustice that occurred after I called it to the attention of the country, and the country and the world paid attention and noticed that the injustice took place. We exposed the injustice. It was exposed right here in this House.
transplant, we had to help him to make sure he got his premiums paid, and we did. He came to our office for help. We wanted to make sure that he got that double lung transplant. I am proud and honored to say he has received the double lung transplant, and he is doing well in spite of, not because of, this President—in spite of.
healthcare. This is a human right. This is a right that all people should have, especially in this the richest country in the world, good healthcare.
The disrespect doesn't end there. It doesn't. This is a President who has portrayed himself as the Pope. The President of the United States of America has the audacity to portray himself as the Pope.
{time} 1130
The President published this depiction of himself as the Pope. I have on this poster, I trust that it can be read at the bottom, but for fear that it cannot, I will hold it up: Donald Trump is not the Pope.
We know this, and he should not depict himself as such, as the Pope. I don't know why it would surprise us, to be quite candid with you, Mr. Speaker, that he would do this after the way he has disrespected the Latino community. He disrespected the Latino community by defining persons who are here undocumented as illegals in such a way as to cause all persons who are Latino, look like they are Latino, or caught speaking Spanish, all persons, to become suspect. Under ICE, these persons who have been suspect have been treated disrespectfully.
Mr. Speaker, you don't have to treat people in an inhumane way to police them. You don't have to do it, and you surely don't have to kill them. You don't have to kill them while they are kneeling or face down, Mr. Speaker, shot, many times. You don't have to kill them as they are driving past you in an automobile, Mr. Speaker. You don't have to do that.
This is a disrespect for human life that this President is showing. It is a disrespect for human life. I am not sure that it should surprise us to see his disrespect for the Catholic Church and for people who are the followers of Catholicism. It doesn't surprise me that he would do it, but he shouldn't.
holds the title of President of the United States of America. It is unbecoming, but he didn't stop there.
disgraceful, and disdainful way. He has refused to apologize for a video showing the Obamas as apes. I didn't bring the actual picture. I have it.
People are very sensitive, and they don't want to see that. However, we have to talk about that because this is disrespect for people of color. Regardless as to who you are, it is disrespectful. It is disrespectful of people of color. This is the same level of disrespect and indecency that was utilized to enslave people in this country, the United States of America.
justified the enslavement of human beings because in their theology, the human beings were closer to apes than they were to the Homo sapiens, the human beings that you and I happen to be a part of, that class of human beings. This President went out of his way, it seems, to do this and to disrespect the Obamas.
He didn't stop there. This President has the audacity and the unmitigated gall to do something that is absolutely inane and insane. He has portrayed himself as Jesus Christ. He has depicted himself as Jesus Christ. You will see on this poster, Mr. Speaker, that I have noted: Donald Trump is not Jesus.
after he has done this and try to convince some people: Oh, no, I was just pretending to be a physician. I was trying to show myself as a physician.
as they are standing over a patient. They don't have what looks like an eagle flying, planes flying through the air, and the Statue of Liberty. They don't have persons looking in awe as the physician lays a hand on a patient. They don't have what appears to be a person or an image of someone that is humanlike, perhaps an angel with wings, above.
Mr. President, people are not so low of IQ, as you would say, as to believe that you are not representing yourself as Jesus. You use that term low IQ so you think all of us are low IQ people and all of us would think you are a physician. Mr. President, we are not. People are not. We the People are not, and We the People, Mr. Speaker, find this disgraceful. We find it unacceptable.
acknowledge that you were wrong. You don't have to apologize. Just say you were wrong to do this, but you won't. You won't. That is because you find yourself to be above all and above the law, and, in this depiction, above humanity.
Mr. President, I want you to know that there will be a record for posterity. There will be a record for posterity. Earlier I talked about legislation that I have already filed. Now, Mr. President, I am going to mention a resolution, legislation that I will file. I will file legislation, Mr. President, so that those who look through the vista of time will know that at least one person, there may be others, I am not
speaking for anybody but myself, so I say at least one person. There may be many others, I don't know.
I do know what I will do. I don't speak for any political party. I speak for myself and everybody who agrees with me, and I believe that We the People have among us many who will agree.
I have this resolution that I will file.
Permit me to read the style of the resolution.
It reads: Resolution condemning President Donald J. Trump— condemning—resolution condemning President Donald J. Trump for his disgraceful, despicable, and disrespectful social media posts depicting himself as Jesus Christ, diminishing the dignity of the Presidency, and bringing disrepute to the office.
It would seem to me, Mr. President, that you knew or should have known that this would be unacceptable. You knew or should have known.
In fact, I have made a few points with that language. Here in the resolution, I have language that says: All who hold public trust, especially those who hold the Nation's highest office, bear a heightened responsibility to uphold respect for the diverse religious beliefs of the American people within our population.
All of us, especially those who hold public trust.
Then I go on to add in the resolution: The President of the United States of America knew or should have known acts by the President of the United States of America that trivialize or exploit any religious symbolism for personal or political purposes are inconsistent with the spirit of mutual respect and dignity that underpin a pluralistic society.
I go on to say: The President of the United States knew or should have known that respect for religions by the President is essential to maintaining unity and mutual understanding among the people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States of America.
He knew or should have known.
{time} 1140
I am going to move now to what will be one of my last comments. The President of the United States knew or should have known that the Presidency is an office intended to embody the highest standards of respect, integrity, and seriousness. Conduct such as this undermines the essential qualities of dignity and respect and erodes the respect for the office of the Presidency—the respect that the office is intended to command.
Presidency in the eyes of the world. It is not just a little thing. It is not something of, “Oh, that is just Donald. He is just misbehaving.”
he did, and we didn't stop him when he depicted himself as the Pope, and we didn't stop him when he disrespected Latinos, he has now devolved into this. This devolution is harmful to the Presidency.
have: It is resolved that the House of Representatives condemns President Donald John Trump for his disgraceful, despicable, and disrespectful Truth Social post depicting himself as Jesus Christ on April 12, 2026, diminishing the dignity of the Presidency and bringing disrepute to the office.
one. It is also resolved that Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America, should state publicly that his depicting himself as Jesus Christ was disgraceful and offensive—disgraceful and offensive, not just to those who are Catholics but to all persons of all religions.
It doesn't just end with this depiction. This is the genesis of it. There are revelations yet to come as it relates to this. The President knew or should have known that this kind of disrespect is not something that we should tolerate, and I will not. Others may. Let them do what they may. I do what I must.
This is why I will be filing this resolution. I will be filing this resolution to condemn the President for this distasteful, disdainful, and disrespectful behavior.
I could only say to this country: We have to stop him. I don't mean physically, no. There are proper political and legal methodologies by which he can be stopped. He has to be stopped.
He is out of control. This is a supreme, superb example of how far out of control the President of the United States is. He has to be stopped. He has to be stopped.
If we don't stop him, he will do what we all perceive he will do. We the people know that this is what his plan is. His plan is to stay on beyond his term of office. How do you know? Because that was his plan at the end of his first term of office.
He incited the insurrection. He incited the insurrection. He incited the insurrection. He intends to stay on, again, beyond his term of office.
We the people can stop this. We can stop it before he causes harm that is irreparable to our country, the image of the country, and the people within the country.
We can stop it. There is one means that we have available to us that we can employ, and I believe we the people must use it. I tried several times, and I plan to try again. That is to impeach him.
that allows we the people to remove a President who has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. Yes, we the people can do it.
today, but I will tell you this: When Andrew Johnson was impeached, in Article X of the Articles of Impeachment against Andrew Johnson, a high crime and misdemeanor—or high misdemeanor as it was called then—was his speaking ill of Congress. For speaking ill of Congress, Andrew Johnson was impeached.
We the people decide what the high crime and misdemeanor is. There is no appeal to any court when the President is impeached. We the people make that determination.
empirical evidence to conclude that impeachment is necessary. We but only have to have the will to do it. The way is there.
This level of disrespect is indicative of where he is going. We the people can stop him with impeachment. This is indicative of where he thinks he should be. He has no problems with the word “authoritarian.” It does not really offend him.
reelected to office—doesn't always succeed. Given that he does this, it appears that he wants to be classed and ranked and styled as an authoritarian. The truth is, that is devolving. He has no problems with that. He is devolving into a dictator in the United States of America.
Someone would say that is impossible, not in this country. It is possible if we don't use the political tool of impeachment. It is entirely possible. He has command of the military. He commands the military in ways that are impeachable, but we have not done so. When I say “we,” I really mean we here in the House of Representatives.
We have the empirical evidence. I am not going through the articles that we might levy against him, but I want you to know that the empirical evidence is there. We only but have to have the will. The way is there.
into a might-makes-right military. Might makes right by whatever means he chooses—by whatever means he chooses—to accomplish the goal that he chooses.
If he chooses to go to war without Congress, go to war. Might makes right. It has been said by the Secretary of what I would like to call Defense but is now the Secretary of War that we negotiate now with bombs. That is how we negotiate, with bombs.
then, at the end, he says: Look at what I have done. Couldn't have done that if I had followed the Constitution. Well, every time he does this, a little bit of
the Constitution becomes meaningless. At some point, we won't have a Constitution that people will see as meaningful. We won't see it as meaningful. We will see it as meaningless because the President walks on it daily.
Might makes right. Any means he chooses—not necessary, but the means that he chooses.
{time} 1150
This is where he is headed, from here to dictatorship. Yes, I am among the first to say it, and I am saying it right here on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Remember, unbought, unbossed, unafraid.
people I have already said that. Yes, he wants to be a dictator right here in this country, the United States of America, and impeachment is a means by which we can stop him.
We must move forward. We must stop him, remove him from office by virtue of a trial in the Senate, remove him from office by his being found guilty in the Senate. We must remove him from office, let him leave in the shame and disgrace that he has earned.
He has earned shame and disgrace, and they know it. My brethren, my friends, my colleagues, brothers and sisters across the aisle and on this side of the aisle know it. He has earned it, and we should bestow it upon him. Let him leave in shame and disgrace, that he richly should be rewarded.
expected under the Constitution of the United States of America. There are those who would say, Mr. Speaker, that you shouldn't impeach him because the Senate won't convict him.
Well, he will still be impeached, and that ought to be on his record. There ought to be those among us who are willing to stand and show and say: This is what he merits for his dastardly deeds done that are contrary to the Constitution, that are impeachable by virtue of being high crimes and misdemeanors.
Yes, let's let the record show that he was impeached again. He doesn't want to be impeached, and there are people here who want to impeach him, but they don't want to say so. I understand it. Well, I am saying so, he should be impeached. I assure you that when all is said and done, when the last word is written, after all of this kind of insidious behavior, when the last word is said and the last word is written, we the people will have spoken.
We the people will have the last word. Donald John Trump will be impeached again.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.