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“REMEMBERING ARIKA SAMANTHA TRIM” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E594 on June 30, 2020.
The Department is primarily focused on food nutrition, with assistance programs making up 80 percent of its budget. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department implements too many regulations and restrictions and impedes the economy.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
REMEMBERING ARIKA SAMANTHA TRIM
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HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to honor and remember the life of Arika Samantha Trim, my former committee press secretary. Arika tragically passed away at the age of 29 on June 23, 2020, just a week after giving birth to her son Djai.
I first had the honor of meeting Arika shortly after I became ranking member on what was then the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Arika joined my committee staff in April 2015 as our press secretary and was later promoted to deputy communications director.
Arika brought significant experience to the Committee's press team. A native of Tobago, Arika was a 2008 graduate of Oxon Hill High School in Maryland. After graduating Lee University in Tennessee in 2012 with a degree in public relations, she interned with the Office of First Lady Michelle Obama. She then went on to join the communications staff at the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a press assistant. She was critical to communicating and amplifying the important work of Democrats on the Education and the Workforce Committee to the media and the American people. Arika played a key role in many of our key legislative successes during my first three years as the top Democrat on the Committee, including defending the Affordable Care Act, promoting the importance of school meals and child nutrition, and original introduction of the Raise the Wage Act. I will forever be grateful for her work and dedication to America's students, workers, and families.
Arika left the committee in early 2018 to join the communications staff of the American Hospital Association. I know Arika played an outsized role there communicating the needs of hospitals, most recently the impact on our hospitals of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Losing someone at such a young age with so much more to give to the world is tragic, and I cannot fathom the loss that Arika's mother Donna, family, and many friends are going through at this time.
The untimely death of Arika challenges us as policy makers to reckon with the disturbing reality that plagues far too many women, especially Black women in this country. That is, regardless of income or educational achievement, Black mothers are three to four times more likely to die of pregnancy related illnesses than White mothers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened the systemic health and social racial inequities in our nation. The Black maternal health crisis is only getting worse and has gone unaddressed for far too long. Congress must take bold action and immediately pass comprehensive legislation to address this issue, including the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act and the Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness Act or MOMMA's Act. These bills would make critical investments to support Black mothers, including 12-month postpartum Medicaid coverage, investing in rural maternal health, promoting a more diverse perinatal workforce, and addressing implicit bias in our health care system.
Madam Speaker, I hope that we can honor the life and legacy of Black mothers like Arika and finally end the Black maternal health crisis. I hope that Arika's family knows that her legacy of public service will continue to endure and motivate our important work.
Madam Speaker, I would like to include in the Record a statement from the American Hospital Association in honor of Arika Trim.
Statement From the American Hospital Association on the Passing of
Arika Trim
(By Rick Pollack, AHA President and CEO, June 30, 2020)
Starting in January 2018 until her passing, Arika Trim served as Associate Director of Media Relations at the American Hospital Association. We convey to the nation the association's expression of grief. As a communications professional at the AHA, Arika was passionate about her work to ensure that all patients have access to affordable health care. Her warm manner a gentle smile let everyone who had the privilege of working with her know that in Arika, they had found a friend. She has left us far too soon.
We grieve for her family and her beautiful new son, and that her time with us as our friend and colleague has ended. Please know that Arika will always live on in the hearts and memories of her friends at the AHA, and that our thoughts and prayers are with her family and all those who were fortunate to have known her.
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