U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives
In a December 2nd, 2025 U.S. House session, Speaker Mike Johnson set debate rules while Rep. Baird honored Vietnam and Iraq veteran Gary Steinhardt and retired Police Chief Rick Lang. Rep. Kennedy condemned a GOP bill capping federal loans for healthcare degrees at $100K, worsening shortages in fields needing 200,000 new nurses annually by 2033. Rep. Correa celebrated local food drives and sports victories while criticizing unaffordable healthcare costs. Rep. Kline praised back-to-back state championships in Virginia schools. Rep. Bonamicci accused the Trump administration of illegally dismantling the Department of Education, redirecting $17B in programs to agencies like ICE, sparking fears among students. Rep. Mann linked regulatory burdens—$3T nationwide—to small business struggles and called for reform, underscoring bipartisan tensions over education, healthcare, and economic policies. [Automatically generated summary]
Pursuant to the order of the House of January 3rd, 2025, the Chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate.
The chair will alternate recognition between the parties with time equally allocated between the parties and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes.
But in no event shall debate continue beyond 1150 a.m.
The chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Baird, for five minutes.
unidentified
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to address the House and decline my remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Gary Steinhardt from Lafayette, Indiana.
Gary Steinhardt served in the U.S. Army for 30 years and is a veteran of the Vietnam and Iraq wars.
Gary has also served as a professor of agronomy at Purdue University, focusing on soil conservation and the preservation of agricultural land.
He has been with Purdue for nearly 50 years.
Gary has been a great advocate for veterans in Tippecanoe County for years.
Gary has served in multiple positions within the VFW and the American Legion, such as post-chaplain and commander of Post 38.
He has also been very active with other Vietnam veteran organizations in the area, furthering legislation affecting veteran issues.
Gary has recently diagnosed with a life-limiting illness.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Gary and his family during this time, and I thank him for his many years of selfless service to our country, our veterans, and Purdue University.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Martinsville Police Chief Rick Lang, who is retiring from the Martinsville Police Department this month.
After over 50 years in law enforcement, he has first became a law enforcement officer in 1974 and has spent most of his life faithfully serving the people of Morgan County with unwavering dedication.
Rick Lang first served as a Martinsville Police Chief from 2015 to 2016 and took over for a second time as chief that year.
Prior to serving as police chief, Rick Lang served as a Morgan County-based detective with the Indiana State Police.
I thank Rick for his dedicated years of selfless service to our Martinsville and Morgan County committees and communities, and I wish him the best in his well-deserved retirement as he begins his exciting new chapter in his life.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate back-to-back the Indiana High School Athletic Association's 6A state champion football team of Brownsburg Bulldogs.
The Brownsburg Bulldogs once again faced Westfield High School in the state finals at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Brownsburg successfully depended and defended its title as the reigning state football champion, defeating Westfield with a final score of 38-31.
The Brownsburg football team finishes their remarkable season undefeated with a record of 14-0.
I want to congratulate these outstanding student athletes on winning back-to-back championships.
Every one of these students should be incredibly proud of their hard work, their dedication, and commitment to excellence.
I also want to thank the parents, the coaches, and the faculty who gave their time and efforts for this team.
They couldn't have won without your support.
Congratulations once again to the reigning state 6A football champions, the Brownsburg Bulldogs.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate South Putnam High School football team on winning the IHCA 1A state championship this year.
The South Putnam Eagles took on a pioneer, and after a back-and-forth battle in the first half, the South Putnam Eagles took on a commanding lead, achieved a decisive victory, and won with a final score of 55 to 29 against Pioneer.
This historic victory in South Putnam's first state football championship since 1986.
To the student athletes of South Putnam, this state championship is a testament to your dedication, teamwork, and perseverance.
Congressional Republicans Sabotage Health Care00:05:59
unidentified
You should be incredibly proud of your hard work.
I thank the parents, teachers, and coach Chuck Sorrell for your support and efforts that helped this team succeed on and behalf of the field.
Congratulations again to the South Putnam Eagles on your state championship.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today because Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are once again waging war on our health care system.
Their big ugly bill restricts access to federal student loans for advanced degrees, including in high-demand health care sectors like nursing, physical and occupational therapy, social work, and so many more.
When I went to school to become an occupational therapist, I had to take out loans.
I remember filling out those forms, hoping I'd have enough to cover tuition, books, and other expenses.
The weight of those payments followed me for years.
I took on that debt because I wanted to build a better future for my family and because I wanted to help people as a health care practitioner.
This administration wants to force aspiring health care professionals to mortgage their futures before they treat their first patient.
Worse, this move will deter them from answering their calling, taking an axe to the very system that trains them.
Because of the Republican health care crisis, our hospitals are understaffed, clinics are closing, and rural communities are being left behind.
Our nurses are burning out, therapists are stretched thin, and practitioners are retiring faster than we can replace them.
Every health care system in America is screaming code blue, warning us that the future of our workforce is flatlining before our very eyes.
This means fewer nurses at the bedside, fewer therapists helping patients recover, fewer specialists serving rural communities, and fewer mental health providers at a time when this nation is desperate for them.
It means Americans are waiting longer for care as hospitals operate with skeleton staffing.
It means communities are growing sicker, all because this Congress, under Republican control, decided that access to advanced health care education is a privilege for the few rather than a pathway to service for all.
This is a callous assault on the very people who hold this nation together.
Every prospective student who dreams of helping people in health care.
This misguided policy, which caps graduate student loan borrowing for certain advanced health degrees, means these students will be permitted to borrow only half as much in federal loans compared to their counterparts.
Not only will health care professionals be impacted, but teachers, architects, accountants, engineers, and many other professionals who will lose the ability to finance their education through reliable, flexible federal loans, pushing them instead into the arms of predatory private lenders and adding to the mountain of debt our students already endure.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that we need to fill nearly 200,000 nursing positions every year through 2033 just to keep pace.
The United States also needs tens of thousands of new mental health professionals and rehabilitation providers annually.
Cutting off our health care system's talent pipeline also is not just cruel, but it's short-sighted and it will drive up the cost of health care.
It is reckless and it further strains a health care system already in crisis.
Cutting the health care workforce will shrink the care economy and it will stifle job growth at a time when families are desperate for getting control of their lives and ensuring that they can afford their daily cost of living.
Under this thoughtless Republican rule, if you want to save lives, prepare to drown in debt.
If you want to do a job this nation needs, prepare to pay a steep price for it.
If you want to look after the sick, don't expect your government to look after you.
In the richest country in the world, Trump and congressional Republicans are saddling an already overburdened health care workforce with an even more unimaginable financial burden.
But the American people know better.
They remember the nurse who sat with their parents in hospice, the physical therapist who got them back on their feet, and the social worker who helped their family get the support that they needed.
They know that health care workers aren't to be taken for granted or pushed aside.
And they know that Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have failed them once again.
As the only occupational therapist in Congress, I will not sit idly by while Trump and congressional Republicans sabotage the very workforce that keeps this nation alive.
House Democrats will continue to fight like hell to protect every student, every patient, and every community that Washington Republicans are abandoning.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding work of Ron Howenstein, who since 2018 has served as the executive director of the Spokane Fatherhood Initiative.
Throughout my time representing Eastern Washington in Congress, I've seen firsthand the transformative impact this organization has had under Ron's leadership.
The Fatherhood Initiative has become a pillar in our community, equipping fathers with values like commitment, resilience, gratitude, and honor.
Their guiding principle and their guiding belief is simple but powerful.
When fathers are present and engaged, children do better and entire communities prosper.
Time and again, families across Spokane have been reunited and lives have been changed for the better.
One dad, one child, and one family at a time.
Earlier this month, my team had the honor of joining the Spokane Fatherhood Initiative's Building Legacy Gala, where our community rallied to raise nearly $175,000 for life-changing programs.
With weekly classes, some lasting half a year, and special outreach to men re-entering society after incarceration or dealing with drug addiction, Spokane Fatherhood Initiative is helping dads restore relationships with their children and strengthen the fabric of our region.
I want to express my gratitude and extend my congratulations to Ron Howenstein and everyone at the Spokane Fatherhood Initiative.
Their dedication to building stronger fathers is building a stronger Spokane and a brighter community for every child in our community.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Scouts Across America.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Scouts Across America.
Scouts Across America carry forward with a remarkable legacy that began with Robert Baden-Powell, a British Army officer whose simple idea was that outdoor skills, teamwork, and service could build better citizens and a better world.
Robert Baden-Powell had served with the British military in Afghanistan and the board, South Africa.
And if the ideas he saw there and the skills he saw that needed to be developed in young boys, from that grew a global movement and in our country, inspired what is now Scouting America, chartered by Congress to serve our nation's youth by instilling the values of the Scout Oath and law.
And as a proud Scout dad, I rise today to say very clearly, Scouts is an outstanding program, and America needs more Scouts, not less.
It takes real effort from moms and dads and volunteers to get kids to meetings, campouts, and surface projects.
That effort pays off in character, confidence, civic service, and self-reliance of our young people.
Eleanor and I are father and mother to three boys and two girls, and we look forward to hopefully one day being the proud parents of five Eagle Scouts.
So today, Mr. Speaker, let's honor the scouts, the volunteer leaders, the parents, and the enduring legacy of Robert Baden-Powell, whose vision still calls each new generation to duty, service, and leadership.
May we always support this movement so that more young Americans, especially the young people of Eastern Washington, can discover a lifetime of impact, purpose, guided by the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.
Today, I rise to recognize two Thanksgiving food drives held in my district last week.
The first, Santa Ana's Nicholas Academy Centers hosted a food drive for students and their families to pick up groceries and Thanksgiving meals to enjoy during the holidays.
The second, in Anaheim, the YMCA joined forces with the legendary Frank Garcia to host the annual We Give Thanks food drive.
Thanks to hundreds of volunteers and donations, thousands of Orange County families had a Thanksgiving dinner with their families.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Anaheim High's girls' school flag football championship win.
Earlier this month, Anaheim High's girls' flag football team brought home their first ever division championship.
Thanks to their strong defense, aggressive offense, and dedicated coaching staff, the colonists again earned a well-fought victory.
Congratulations, Anaheim High School.
You've again made us proud.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the retirement of my very good friend and longtime staff member, Mr. Max Madrid.
Max has worked for me as a field rep since I started in Congress and before that when I worked in the state senate.
Max is a Navy veteran, a Vietnam War veteran, who served our country for 20 years in the Navy.
And today, Max is again retiring from public service.
And I say to you, Max, I don't really think you're retiring, but congratulations and thank you for your good work, Max.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy and memory of Anaheim's true son, Gilbert Avina.
A graduate of Anaheim High School, he went on to dedicate 32 years of service to the city of Anaheim.
Gilbert also served as the president of the Anaheim Car Club, where he gave back to the community that meant so much to him.
Above all, Gilbert belonged to his family.
Married to his beloved wife, Teresa, he was a father, stepfather, and proud grandfather.
His kindness and strength and humor, work ethic, touched all of us.
Gilbert, you'll be missed.
Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deep concerns over how health care costs are rising in our communities and how they're impacting our communities back home.
Today, I want to share the story of Sonia.
Sonia is an elderly and disabled individual who relies on disability retirement and Social Security to get by.
Today, she can't afford a full-time caregiver, so her son is taking over to take care of her on a full-time basis.
But I have to ask: how long can her son take care of Sonia?
Is this how we mean to take care of our seniors in this country?
Sonia's story is not unique, and without renewing the affordable hair care tax credits, millions of Americans could face the same situation that Sonia is facing today.
The chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Kline, for five minutes.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise today to recognize an extraordinary group of young athletes from Virginia's 6th congressional district, the Perry McClure High School Boys Cross-Country Team, who have achieved a rare and remarkable feat.
This season, the Fighting Blues captured their third consecutive VHSL state championship, securing titles in 2023, 2024, and now 2025.
At this year's state meet, the team delivered a dominant performance.
Cabrille Chandler claimed the individual state title, finishing first overall.
He was followed by outstanding efforts from Caleb Cooper, who placed sixth, Josh Cooper eighth, Logan Wheelock ninth, and Hinkley Lovelace, who finished 12th.
Their combined strength, discipline, and endurance propelled Perry McClure to another well-earned championship.
They were joined by their teammates Sebastian George and Sam Carpenter, who helped make the team a success throughout the season.
This exceptional program thrives under the leadership of coaches Chris Puglucas and Jacob Zimmerman, whose guidance, training, and belief in these athletes have built a true championship tradition.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate each runner, their coaches, their families, and the entire Perry McClure community.
Their three-peat victory is a testament to perseverance, teamwork, and excellence, and it continues to make the city of Buenavista, the 6th Congressional District, and the entire Commonwealth of Virginia proud.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize an exceptional group of young athletes from Virginia's 6th District, the Broadway High School girls' softball team, who captured their school's first-ever VHSL Class III state championship.
The Gobblers completed a remarkable 23-4 season, earning Valley District, Regency, and state titles.
Their dominant run included two perfect games, 12 shutouts, and they outscored opponents 216 to 48 along the way.
This championship was made possible by the outstanding efforts of the team's players, Katherine Caffrey, Lila Deavers, April Gingrich, Annalie Grither, Sarah Grither, Kaylee Harper, Courtney Hensley, Savannah Jansen, Alexia Lambert, Emma Morris, Ashlyn Spitzer, Brooklyn Spitzer, Hannah Tinnell, and Madeline Wolfe.
Their success was guided by head coach Becky Cantrell and assistant coaches Darren Lamb, John Jenkle, Emma Earhart, Morgan Landis, and Alicia Lambert.
Special commendation goes to pitcher Lila Deavers, a Division I commit and first team all-state, and catcher Madeline Wolfe, also first team all-state, whose leadership anchored the team throughout the season.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate these great athletes, their coaches, and the entire Broadway community on a historic and inspiring championship year.
I rise today to condemn in the strongest possible terms the illegal and unconstitutional dismantling of the Department of Education by the Trump administration.
Congress created the Department of Education.
Only an act of Congress could eliminate it.
The administration knows this, so they are trying to circumvent the separation of powers by chipping away at the department until it is gone.
What a sad and terrible message that sends to the country and the world.
The administration's latest attack on the Department of Education is with six interagency agreements that will move critical programs and services out of the Department of Education to other agencies without the needed expertise, funding, or staff.
The programs this administration illegally re-signed to other departments include Title I, which provides funding for schools with high populations of low-income students, the McKenney Vinto Grant Program for Youth Experiencing Homelessness, grant programs for English learners, rural schools, Literary initiatives and more.
Programs like TRIO and Gear Up help underserved students access and succeed in higher education.
They move those too.
And they moved programs that support HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions.
These are statutory responsibilities that Congress directed the Department of Education to fulfill.
But instead of fulfilling those legal responsibilities, Secretary McMahon decided to follow the Project 2025 playbook by outsourcing the work as part of the Trump agenda to abolish the Department of Education.
These actions will make it more difficult for local schools to get the funding they need.
Now they'll have to navigate multiple federal agencies instead of one.
It's inefficient, it's unnecessary, and it's unpopular.
Poll after poll shows that the majority of parents support the Department of Education, and especially true with parents of students with disabilities.
These parents know what's at stake if schools lose the federal resources they rely on to educate every student, no matter their background or ability.
Unfortunately, the Trump administration has endangered these resources by intentionally burying them behind additional layers of red tape and bureaucracy.
There's a lot we could be doing to improve public education to prepare future students.
They need a well-rounded education that inspires critical thinking, confidence, communication, creativity, and a love of learning.
Students need arts and music education, hands-on project-based lessons that teach teamwork, and a wide range of career and technical education classes.
We must invest in, not cut, educational research, and we need to promote rather than politicize family, parental, and community engagement.
To fully learn and thrive, students need to have enough food to eat, and they deserve the best physical infrastructure in which to learn.
They need access to behavioral health care, and they need to be safe and feel safe.
But unfortunately, right now, many students across the country are terrified to go to school because ICE is in their community.
In Oregon, ICE agents are stalking school parking lots and school routes and detaining parents in front of their children.
In one instance, ICE agents surrounded two high school students at a coffee shop and pointed rifles at them.
This is beyond unacceptable.
Students as young as nine years old know these actions are wrong.
A fourth grade student gave me a handwritten letter saying she's worried that ICE will take her friends away and that her friends will go home and their parents won't be there because they got deported.
How is a student supposed to focus on learning if they're afraid that armed mask agents are going to take their family and friends?
These are children.
Unfortunately, House Republicans are taking their cues from Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and others who do not grasp the damage they are causing to children as they try to close the Department of Education slash education funding, food assistance and health insurance, but somehow managed to find and give $170 billion to the Department of Homeland Security to carry out an inhumane mass deportation agenda.
It's tragic and it's pathetic.
This administration has declared war on public education, but we are not backing down.
We will not stop fighting against the dismantling of the Department of Education and the weaponization of immigration enforcement.
House Democrats understand how much better our country would be if we had a mass education plan instead of a mass deportation plan.
Last Wednesday, the nation witnessed a heartbreaking and senseless act of violence involving two members of our National Guard from West Virginia, Specialist Sarah Bextrom and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe.
Specialist Bextrom gave her life and service to our country.
She wore our nation's uniform with honor, stood ready to defend her neighbors, and lived out the highest ideals of duty and sacrifice.
We grieve her loss deeply, and we ask God to bring comfort and peace to her family, her loved ones, and the entire National Guard community.
We also pray for the full and swift recovery of Staff Sergeant Wolfe.
He remains in critical condition, and Americans across Kansas and the country continue to cover him in prayer.
We ask for God's healing hand on him, for strength for his family, and for protection over every man and woman who serves.
Mr. Speaker, tragedies like this remind us the cost of our freedom is not free.
Neither of these men and women were drafted or forced to put on the uniform they wear.
They boldly answered the call to serve in defense of our freedom and safety, and we are eternally grateful for their sacrifice and they and all the armed forces make every day in service to our country.
Tragedies like this shake us, but they also remind us just how precious life is, how quickly it can be taken, and how much we owe to those who step forward to serve.
This violence was senseless.
It was wrong, and today we pause not to debate, but to mourn, to honor, and to pray.
Let us remember Sarah Bextram's courage.
Let us stand with Andrew Wolfe as he fights to recover, and let us hold their families close in our hearts during these difficult days ahead.
May God bless the Bextram and Wolf families.
May he watch over our National Guard, and may He bring comfort and healing to all who are hurting.
Specialist Sarah Bextrom, may your soul rest in peace.
Mr. Speaker, every year small businesses spend nearly $15,000 per employee to comply with federal laws.
American companies spend over $3 trillion a year in compliance.
I'm sure this is not a shock to anyone in this chamber, but we know that some of that cost gets passed on to consumers.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute estimates that U.S. households absorb $16,000 annually in hidden regulatory fees and taxes.
For many families in the Big First District of Kansas, that money could be used for much better elsewhere.
When this Republican majority was elected last year, the country trusted us to roll back burdensome regulations and lower costs.
This week, we have an opportunity to do so.
The small businesses that make up the Big First are often small, family-owned, and operated mom-and-paw shops.
These don't manage or run their small businesses to be billionaires or to become ultra-wealthy.
Their goals are to serve their communities, meet a need, and serve their neighbors well.
That's what they should be empowered to do, but sadly, that is not their reality.
Everyday Americans are forced to bear the brunt of that regulatory cost.
If you talk to families across my district and ask them what they could do with $16,000, the answers would be endless.
Some may say that they would purchase a used car for their family or teenage child.
Many would love to see that money stored away in an emergency fund or retirement fund.
If their family has a loved one who is aging or facing health challenges, that money could be used to assist with caregiving or medical expenses.
No matter the response, I feel confident that the vast majority of Kansas would agree that they could find a better use for those dollars than pay an additional tax to bureaucrats who want to regulate every detail about how they do business from hundreds of miles away.
This week, House Republicans will take a common sense step forward by protecting consumers and small businesses alike from these costs.
The Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act is exactly the type of legislation that this Congress was elected to enact.
It ensures that any regulatory change from the SBA does not increase compliance costs for small businesses and, in turn, consumers.
Regulations are meant to protect competition, not make costs unbearable for business owners and consumers.
We're working to right that wrong, make small businesses stronger, and give American families more breathing room in their day-to-day expenses.
Despite the distraction that the media and some of my colleagues across the aisle would love to see in this chamber, this majority is still laser-focused on delivering on our promises that we made to the country last year.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the South Almonte High School Lady Eagles volleyball team on their first ever CIF Southern Section Division IX championship.
In a hard-fought match, the Lady Eagles fell behind two sets to one before rallying back with determination and grit to take the lead.
They forced a decisive fifth set, battling point for point until the score was tied 12-12.
Senior Zaria Garcia then delivered back-to-back kills, sealing the championship for South Almonte.
Congratulations to the Lady Eagles volleyball team on this historic achievement.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the amazing victory of the South Almonte High School Eagles football team in the 2025 CIF Division 14 championship game.
The team claimed the school's first ever championship in a nail-biting 14-6 win.
Under the leadership of their head coach, Frank Gallardo, the team devoted countless hours to training this season.
Their hard work and competitive spirit carried them forward when the game was tied at six.
In the final minutes, Eagles quarterback Michael Maldonado stepped up under pressure and delivered a perfect 10-yard touchdown strike to Gabriel Conchola.
This touchdown pass put the Eagles in the lead.
With 21 seconds still left, the Eagles, Ivan Lopez, broke through the line to sack the opponent's quarterback and seal the championship.
Congratulations to the Eagles football team for their first championship.
Your hard work and teamwork shine through, and myself and our community are very proud of all of you.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the inspiring 2025 football season of the Baldwin Park Braves.
After enduring a five-game losing streak, the Braves turned their season around with determination and teamwork and ultimately secured an at-large bid into Division 11 playoffs.
In the playoffs, the Braves became a different team and dominated their way to the CIF Division 11 championship game.
This was their first CIF Southern Section Championship appearance since 1991.
Unfortunately for the Braves, the goal of a championship would end when their opponent kicked a game-winning field goal with eight seconds left on the clock.
Although they did not take home the title, their teamwork and determination reflected the true spirit of a champion and serves as an inspiration to all of us.
I applaud the Baldwin Park Braves football team on their success this season and their perseverance and commitment.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the 20th anniversary of New Life Centers, an organization that I'm proud to represent in my district.
Led by Pastor Matt DeMatel, New Life Center started as a small group working on community violence intervention programs and is now a citywide movement providing our youth with mentoring, education, sports, play, summer day camps, after-school, and peacekeeping programs.
Its community-based, hands-on approach has played a key role in driving down gun violence in our neighborhood of Little Village.
New Life Center's community care programs also serve more than 45,000 individuals in need of housing, food, and other necessities.
Its Pan De Vida Fresh Market distributes food to more than 35,000 individuals per year, filling the gaps that the funding cuts to federal nutrition programs have created.
When Operation Midway Blitz brought chaos and pain to our community, Pastor Matt and New Life Centers responded by supporting immigrant families, taking food to their homes, and helping find loved ones that ICE had taken.
The work of New Life Centers helps strengthen our community through faith, hope, and healing.
I look forward to many more years of partnership to change the lives and change neighborhoods.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great pride to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Otis P. Graves Elementary School in my district.
Its dual language model develops bilingual and biliterate students that they can succeed and be proficient in English and Spanish, opening future opportunities in an increasingly global society.
Even through the challenging moments our community has faced this year, this school has remained a safe and welcoming place for all kids and has promoted and instilled a love of learning.
No matter what may be happening at home or in the world, these kids know that they can come here to learn and feel supported.
I'm honored to represent them in Congress and I want to applaud the teachers, staff, and administrators and families that have helped build this milestone.
Congratulations, Otis P. Graves, and here's to 100 more.
Mr. Speaker, as the year comes to an end, I want to join Leiden Township in Cook County, Illinois, in celebration of its 175th anniversary of its establishment.
In addition to the unincorporated areas, the Leiden Township borders include a part of Rosemont, Schiller Park, Franklin Park, a part of North Lake River Grove, Elmrod Park, parts of Melrose Park, Park Ridge, the most western part of Norwich, and Bensonville east of County Line Road.
Leiden Township is a place where neighbors care about each other and love spending time getting to know each other.
You just have to attend one of their bingo nights to understand what I mean.
With more than 93,000 residents, Leiden Township takes care of their people.
They have a pantry for those in need, a township handyman that provides free services for seniors, and a recreation department dedicated to building a stronger community through educational and recreational programming.
Congratulations to Leiden Township on its first 175 years.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate something that began in the heart of my hometown, New Haven, Connecticut.
A city known not only for its world-class pizza, but for its big heart, its creativity.
and the way our people lift one another up when times get tough.
About a year ago, I stood here on this very floor and proclaimed New Haven the pizza capital of the United States.
Since that declaration, something remarkable has happened, not just to our pizza scene, but to the spirit of Connecticut itself.
We have witnessed an explosion of creativity led by local artist Michael Pollack, whose New Haven Pizza Club project turned our city's love of pizza into art and art into impact.
At the same time, under the leadership of Connecticut's Chief Marketing Officer, Anthony Anthony, the state of Connecticut launched the Connecticut Pizza Trail, a campaign that captured imaginations nationwide.
Those efforts drew over 15 million people, 15 billion media impressions, and helped make New Haven one of the top 10 most searched destinations in the world, according to Sky Scanner.
But in New Haven, Pizza Capital means more than great crust and perfect char.
It means community.
It means sharing warmth, care, and connection around the table.
And out of that same spirit, the same sense of togetherness came a remarkable idea, the Feeding Families Foundation.
Founded by Jeff and Samantha Dorman after their daughter was diagnosed with leukemia at just two years old, this Connecticut nonprofit was born out of lived experience.
During their long stays at Yale, New Haven's Children's Hospital, Jeff and Sam discovered something too many families learned the hard way.
While hospitalized children receive meals as part of their care, their caregivers do not.
The parents who never leave the bedside, who pour every ounce of strength into their child's recovery, are left to fend for themselves.
They decided to change that.
The idea was simple but profound.
Deliver free, nourishing meals directly to the hospital room so parents can stay where they belong by their child's side.
They built partnerships, raised funds, launched what became the Parent Plate Program at Yale, New Haven's Children's Hospital.
Soon after, they met Michael Pollack, who turned his artistic energy toward this mission.
Together with a growing network of collaborators, they built bridges between hospitals and local restaurants, bringing comfort food from the community straight to the people who needed it the most.
And wouldn't you know, it started with pizza.
Pollock introduced the Dormants to Billy Pastari, owner of Modern Abits, voted the number one pizzerie in Connecticut by the people.
Every Friday, Billy and his team make boxes of hot pies for the pediatric cancer floor at Yale.
Those pizza, those humble slices, bring comfort, warmth, normalcy, and a taste of home into the hardest days a family can face.
From there, other restaurants have joined in, lifting the mission even higher.
Together, they have transformed our state's pizza pride into something much larger, a movement that feeds families when they need it the most.
Through these efforts, Feeding Families Foundation has delivered thousands of meals to parents at both children's hospitals in Connecticut, Yale-New Haven's Children's Hospital, and Connecticut Children's Hospital.
And that small idea born in New Haven has now spread across the country.
Today, the foundation's programs are in six hospitals across five states, providing tens of thousands of meals to parents and caregivers staying with their critically ill child in the hospital.
And they are just getting started as more and more children's hospitals across the country reach out to them.
The Dormans know firsthand what these families endure, the fear, the waiting, the praise whispered over hospital beds.
They know that a warm meal, even something as simple as New Haven Abits, can make a parent feel seen, cared for, and just a little less alone.
This is about more than pizza.
It's about food insecurity in America, a problem that affects millions of families, not just in hospitals, but in every community of this nation.
When a parent sits beside their sick child, hungry and exhausted, wondering if they can afford their next meal, it's not just a personal hardship.
It is a moral issue.
The Feeding Families Foundation reminds us that food is love, it is dignity, it is what holds families together when everything else feels like it is falling apart.
And this is what Connecticut does best.
We lead the compassion.
We lead with that compassion.
We turn local pride into national purpose.
We show that even something as simple as a pizza can spark a movement, one that feeds bodies, lifts spirits, and strengthens communities from coast to coast.
So today, I invite my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to celebrate this homegrown idea and honor all those who have made Feeding Families Foundation a symbol of what is best in America.
Because what started in New Haven, Connecticut is no longer just local.
It is national.
It is spreading one meal, one family, one hospital at a time.
And that is something worth believing in, something worth supporting, and something worth building upon together.
Mr. Speaker, in today's edition of Politico, there's a story about Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman setting up systems on the border between Nassau County and neighboring New York City, ostensibly to protect Nassau residents from the criminal element coming from their city neighbors.
That's one way for a suburb to act toward the city next door, although it may make it more difficult for the Long Island Mets fans to get to City Field or the Queens fans of the New York Islanders to get to UBS Arena.
There is another way.
North of New York City, Westchester County and its border communities, Yonkers, Mount Vernon, Palomani-Rochelle, work cooperatively and in harmony with the Bronx in New York City.
New York City Bronx residents routinely visit New Rock City and Cross County Shopping Center.
Westchester residents visit and work in Bay Plaza in the Bronx.
The Woodlawn neighborhood, with associations and clubs, span the line between the Bronx and Westchester.
Westchester B-Line Public Bus System takes passengers down to Fordham Road in the Bronx and back.
The Montefiore Medical Health System has hospitals in the Bronx and in Westchester and serves clients in between both.
State Senators Jamal Bailey and Natalia Fernandez join me in representing both sides of the city-county border between the Bronx, New York City, and Westchester County.
And the brave men and women of the NYPD in the 45th and the 47th precincts work together cooperatively with police from Westchester County and its cities to deter and prevent crime and apprehend criminals when crimes do occur.
Bronxboro President Vanessa Gibson and Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins work together to advocate for the Penn Access Project that benefits commuters from both counties.
We don't need big brother intrusive facial recognition checkpoints.
We have mutual respect and civic cooperation.
Bruce Blakeman in his quest for higher office thinks that turning us into fearful suburbs that resent their urban neighbors is a way to win votes.
I grew up in Mount Vernon in Westchester County, a half a block from the border with the Bronx, and my whole life, not just my time in public service, is about finding and working the common ground that unites us rather than feeding the anger and the resentments that divide us.
Politicians on the far fringes of each side desire divisions that they believe can lead to elective office, power, and status.
It is a false and dangerous path.
The dotted line that divides the city from the suburb is man-made.
What we do on the Westchester-Bronx border and at any border anywhere is work together, and that's the prototype for the America that surely needs unity.
Think about how much we're going to need that unity, all Americans working together when we face the next existential threat to our freedom and democracy, as we did with Nazi Germany and militarized Japan.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate North Carolina State University's new Chancellor, Kevin Howell, who was recently installed as the university's 15th Chancellor.
I have known Chancellor Howell for 30 years.
He has served North Carolina State, the UNC system, and a former governor at the highest levels.
Originally from Shelby, North Carolina, Howell graduated from NC State and was the first black student body president during his senior year.
He went on to earn his law degree from UNC Chapel Hill and served as a law clerk for the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
Howell was born and raised in North Carolina and spent many formative years at NC State, developing a deep appreciation and understanding of this thriving academic community.
In 2015, his NC State family even saved his life.
Chancellor Howell's kidneys failed while he was working for former Chancellor Randy Woodson.
One of his NC State co-workers did a historic and honorable thing, donating a kidney and saving his life.
This selfless deed demonstrates the strength and unity that have defined NC State since its founding in 1887.
Chancellor Randy Woodson was an extraordinary leader who left his mark on the university forever.
I have no doubt that Chancellor Howell will excel and continue leading NC State and its students, staff, and faculty to even higher heights.
Congratulations to Chancellor Howell.
I look forward to our continued working relationship on behalf of NC State.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life of Reverend Janet Watros, who sadly passed away in October.
Reverend Watros was both a spiritual and social justice leader in our community for many years, and she was my neighbor.
She got her start in the ministry when she graduated from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1977.
When the Episcopal Church officially allowed women into the priesthood, she became a priest, going on to serve as the first woman in parishes across the country, including New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and eventually North Carolina.
Janet was often called the Energizer Bunny by her colleagues because of her infectious attitude that made everyone around her want to work hard and do good.
She led with love and light, whether it was through her diocesan work in North Carolina or serving as the president of Planned Parenthood.
Our community will always remember her spirit and the lives she changed for the better.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give an ode, perhaps a eulogy, to the downfall of Doge and to the people's movement that brought its demise.
As we say goodbye to the departing, we take solace in knowing that our democracy endures in our people and our communities.
As a centralized Department of Government Efficiency, as imagined in the insane mind of Elon Musk and empowered by those around him, which wreaked havoc on the vital programs that sustain our communities, appears to no longer exist.
In fact, the director of OPM said just a couple of weeks ago it doesn't exist.
Even Musk himself downplayed its involvement this weekend, calling it merely a very interesting side quest.
While the administration claims Doge is now integrated into the agencies themselves, its existence as a formal priority appears to finally be dead.
Even in Congress, the future of the Doge subcommittee, created by once eager and enthusiastic GOP allies on the oversight subcommittee, is uncertain.
The explosive breakup of Musk and Trump just a few months ago, and now the sudden pending retirement of the subcommittee chairwoman over the Epstein files and GOP threats and lies leave the Doge Congressional Arm uncertain and rudderless, but perhaps with the opportunity to be repurposed.
Services for the departed will not be held in lieu of flowers.
Please, America, continue to organize and fight for our democracy.
As we reflect on Doge's short but destructive life, we remember how it laid waste to vital programs despite its lofty promises of cost-cutting and efficiency.
Unfettered by the rule of law and driven by unchecked hubris, Doge unleashed chaos, illegally dismantled agencies, conducted mass firings, canceled contracts, and mined your sensitive data of millions of American people.
And the speed with which Doge brought destruction to life-saving agencies was matched only by the ferocity of the public outcry.
Americans refused to sit idly by while children went hungry, while services for veterans, families, and elders were slashed without cause.
In fact, in unison, people across the political spectrum stood up to say, hands off our data, hands off Social Security, and hands off the vital programs that keep our families alive in this country.
And they showed Elon Musk the door.
Millions marched, attended town halls, wrote letters, made calls, and demanded that Congress stop Doge's disastrous work.
And when the hypocrisy of this so-called efficiency agency was exposed in the president's big ugly bill, even Trump and Musk split up and ultimately the chairwoman herself announced her departure from this body in the wake of broken promises and threats by the administration.
The administration, while claiming to pursue savings, was cutting services for the most vulnerable, not to reduce the debt, but ultimately, as has been shown, to fund tax breaks and giveaways to billionaires and those with the most.
Even in its final moments, Doge found comfort in self-dealing and everyday grift.
As it dismantled agencies and fired workers, it seized opportunities to privatize public assets and laid the groundwork for billions in private contracts and self-dealing for the ages.
But despite the Trump administration's claims that Doge is still alive and even its own ex-page dismissing the news as fake, we all know the truth.
Doge, as the grifting scam it was imagined, is dead, and its demise is a victory for the American people.
Not only is its formal office gone, but its downfall demonstrated the strength of our unity.
Americans rejected Doge because they recognize a dirty deal when they see one.
Now, let us be clear.
We want to address the national debt, root out waste, fraud, and abuse, and build a government and programs that can serve everyone.
But when the fraudsters themselves claim to have the fix, the American people see right through it.
So yet, Doge's end does not mark the end of its work.
We know that the time to organize is now, that we must stay focused and resist the barrage of distractions designed to sap our resolve, that we must continue to mobilize like our democracy depends on it because it does.
Today I rise with profound pride and gratitude as we honor the bicentennial of my hometown, Akron, Ohio.
For 200 years, Akron has stood as a place where ordinary people dare to do extraordinary things.
It is a place shaped not only by industry or geography, but by courage, resiliency, and an unshakable belief in what a community can be.
Long before 1825, the land that would become Akron was home to native Indigenous peoples who understood its beauty and its promise.
Two centuries ago this week, Simon Perkins and Paul Williams laid out a new town on a watershed divide.
They named it after the Greek word akros, which means summit or high point.
And in that single word, they captured both our geography and our destiny.
Akron quickly grew into a city of builders and innovators.
It became known as the rubber capital of the world and served as the home of Goodyear, Firestone, and Goodrich.
Workers in Akron shaped an industry that moved a nation forward.
When those workers demanded dignity, fairness, and safety, Akron became the birthplace of the modern sit-down strike and a proving ground for the strength of solidarity.
It is also a city of justice seekers.
John Brown once walked our streets and lived in a house on the same street where I grew up.
A rabid abolitionist who ultimately died for the freedoms of enslaved people.
Sojourner Truth delivered her famous Ain't I a Woman speech in Akron as well, spurring the foundation of understanding intersectionality.
Generations of Akronites stood together to affirm that equality is not an aspiration, but it is a right, a right we continue to collectively fight for.
Akron is a city of world changers.
It has given this country legendary athletes such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Butch Reynolds, earning its title the birthplace of champions.
It has given us musicians who redefine genres including Devo, the Black Keys, Chrissy Hine, and Howard Hewitt.
It has given us actors and storytellers who brought our experience to big and small screens.
And it has also given us Judy Resnick, the first Jewish woman astronaut who reached for the stars and inspired the nation.
And it has also given us Rita Dove, a Pulitzer Prize Award winner and the first African American Poet Laureate of the United States.
The birthplace of champions isn't just a tagline or a motto.
It's who we are.
It's the people whose names you won't ever see in lights, but built an industry, led innovation, and continue to fight for fairness and opportunity.
Perhaps Akron's greatest legacy is its people.
Families come from every corner of the world to work hard, build homes, raise children, start businesses, and lift up one another.
Akron is filled with people who don't quit when times are tough, and its residents understand that a community rises by lifting others.
As someone who grew up in Akron and was shaped by its values, I stand here because of that community.
Akron taught me compassion and resilience.
It taught me that public service means fighting for working people, for fairness, and for opportunity.
These are values that Akron has carried for two centuries, and I carry these same values with me in the halls of Congress.
House Resolution 918 honors our past, but it also looks ahead to our future.
Akron continues to lead in sustainable polymers, research, entrepreneurship, health care, the arts, and innovation.
To the Congress of the United States, I am hereby notifying the Congress that I intend to designate Christian Schrenk, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, as Acting Inspector General of the Federal Housing Finance Agency in place of the current Acting Inspector General James Lyle.
Such designation will be effective no later than 30 days from delivery of this message.
The Constitution vests the executive power in the President, who has a duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.
United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, Clause 1, ID at Section 3.
In exercising that power and duty, I have determined that based on the qualities outlined in 5 United States 403A and the confidence I must place in my appointees, Mr. Schrenk is the best available person to serve as acting inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency at this time.
In my judgment, Mr. Lyell can better serve the nation performing other duties, i.e. returning to his position as the Federal Housing Finance Agency's Audit Director.
I am providing this notification as a courtesy, a show of comedy and respect between the executive and legislative branches.
It should not be interpreted as a concession that the Congress can limit my power to remove an officer because no single person could fulfill the president's responsibilities alone.
The framers expected that the president would rely on subordinate officers for assistance.
See La Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 591 United States 1972-20420.
And the Constitution gives the President the authority to remove those who assist him in carrying out his duties.
Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board 561 United States 477-513-514-2010.
Without such power, the President could not be held fully accountable for discharging his own responsibilities.
The buck would stop somewhere else, ID at 514.
Ultimately, I have determined that the priorities of my administration will be better implemented with this individual in this office.
Therefore, I am apprising you of my intention to designate Mr. Schrink as acting inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, effective no less than 30 days from delivery of this message.
Signed sincerely, Donald J. Trump, the White House, December 1st, 2025.
unidentified
Pursuant to Clause 12A of Rule 1, the chair declares the House in recess until noon today.
Today, the U.S. House is considering a number of bills, including two small business-related measures.
One would require the Small Business Administration to ensure that any agency roles do not increase costs for small businesses.
The other permanently authorizes the SBA Office of Advocacy red tape hotline, allowing small businesses to report federal regulations that negatively impact their business.
Also, this week, lawmakers will consider legislation to address how college athletes are paid by setting national standards for charging for the use of their name, image, and likeness, or NIL.
Watch live coverage of the U.S. House when lawmakers return here on C-SPAN.
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