Congressman Elijah Cummings has represented the 7th District of Maryland since 1996. A former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, he is currently the ranking Democratic member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
You titled your talk at Brown, “The Fierce Urgency of Now.” What is it about the present moment that makes it so fiercely urgent?
Our nation is at a point where we either come together or become further divided. Right now, with the 2016 election, we are beginning to see [division] in both parties. On the Democratic side, many are saying Citizens United was a horrible decision. They are feeling completely left out of the political process, and have come to a point where they have lost hope in government, especially given recent crises like Flint. And on the Republican side, you’ve got Donald Trump…Here is a man who has given license for people to say their thoughts out loud with little repercussion. Now that they know a leading candidate is saying what they think but previously would never say aloud, it affirms their viewpoint. I am really afraid of them acting on those thoughts…[like when] that black young lady was being pushed [at a Trump rally]. Rachel Maddow recently did a segment where she showed a George Wallace rally with the same kind of [behavior]. We have got to make changes now. If not, we are going to suffer, and people will further be politically polarized and turned against one another.
As a member of the House Oversight Committee, how do you handle witnessing political polarization manifest itself in a committee tasked with nonpartisan investigations?
It’s about focusing on integrity. There’s a saying I love: “I don’t want to move to common ground; I want to move to higher ground.” I want to do what is right for the people…With decisions like Citizens United leading to all of this money in politics, people are spending half their day trying to raise money. When you reach that point, who are you beholden to? Are you really representing the little lady on Main Street?
What are your hopes for the “Middle Class Initiative” you are co-sponsoring with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)?
The first thing we want to do is show people that there is a problem. We want to make [business owners] realize that it is wrong when, despite the fact that the productivity of their workers is at an all time high, their workers make less money than in previous years. Many organizations, like Uber, do not provide benefits to their employees. While more people have jobs, they have no benefits. Not to mention, the necessary reform of the tax system. We want to show people that they have the power to address the issues facing them. I am trying to focus on those issues to help people keep more money in their pocket books.