{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://carson.house.gov/newsroom/past-e-newsletters/prioritizing-people", "Prioritizing People", "2019-06-21", "2019", "2019-06", "Democrat", "House", "IN", "Andr\u00e9 Carson", "C001072", "carson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\nIt was another busy and productive week in Washington, wherethe Housecontinued to work hard passingannual appropriations legislation that funds important initiatives.\nOn Tuesday night, I was incredibly pleased thatthe Housepassed my amendment to the Defense Appropriations billthat increases Department of Defense funding to HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) by four million dollars above current levels. This boostin federal dollarswill help these institutions expand critical research to strengthen our national security, and willbring more studentsof color into the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields, providing much-needed diversity in this critical area. It now heads to the Senate, where I urge my colleagues there to also support this important investment in students and security.\nMy committee,Transportation and Infrastructure, was particularly active this week. On Wednesday, we heard from a panel of stakeholders regarding the recent Boeing737 MAX crashes that have killed hundreds. Through the hearing, it became even clearer that pilots were not properly trained to handlesoftware changesin these planes, with devastating consequences. We need to put moresafeguards in place to ensure these dangerous lapses never happen again.\nOn Thursday, we held an important hearing on railroad safety and the rail workforce. We learned that the problem of blocked railroad crossings is a national issue, and I'll be working on this in the weeks ahead.\nI also joined my colleagues in sending a letter to the President and CEO of Amtrak opposing reported cuts to Amtrak's police workforce. We won't stand for any efforts to jeopardize the safety of one of America's largest and mostimportant transportation networks.\nWe celebrated somenotable commemorations this week. Wednesday was Juneteenth, whichrecognizes the day in 1865 that slaves in Texaslearned they werefree, twoanda half years after Pres. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth also helpsus tofurtherreflect on slavery'spainful legacy. I'm so pleased that on that same day, the House conducted a hearing on reparations, which helpedbroaden the national discussion on thisissue. Weneed to seriously considerbold initiatives toclose the persistent gaps in wealth, health and education African Americans suffer. That's whyI support legislation (H.R. 40) that facilitates this important goal.\nFinally,on World Refugee Day,observed on Thursday, we paid special tribute to people around the world fleeing persecution and strife. America cannot close it's doors to people in need, but that's exactly what President Trump's harmful Muslim Ban does. I have co-authored the No Ban Act to overturn this policy, because, as a nation,we must not give into fear and xenophobia, but instead embrace compassion and love that can help more people achieve the American dream.\nHave a wonderful weekend!\nYour Friend,", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://carson.house.gov/newsroom/past-e-newsletters/prioritizing-people"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2413591612130404, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}