U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives
A December 2025 House session opens with Rep. Johnny Olszewski condemning President Trump’s pardons—like Juan Orlando Hernandez and a Baltimore-area DEA-linked trafficker—as undemocratic, proposing a two-thirds override amendment. Meanwhile, an anonymous speaker links mass shootings (e.g., Brown University’s December 16th attack killing Mohammad Aziz Umarcov) to Congress’s inaction despite 90% public support for background checks. Critics like Marcy Kaptur blame Trump’s policies for Ohio’s 14.7% beef price surge and $230-to-$494 energy bill spikes, while Brigham McCown argues NEPA delays—like Keystone XL’s WWII-era permitting—threaten energy security, backing the bipartisan SPEED Act to cut red tape. The episode underscores deep divides over democracy, gun safety, and economic stability amid partisan gridlock. [Automatically generated summary]
Of younger people who are anxious, depressed, and have very dangerous and dark thoughts.
One aspect of this conversation related to the phone, I think, is the instability in the news and the concerns that we've been talking about here in terms of current events, public affairs, instability, disquieting our politics is specifically adding to the anxiety and the stress.
It's just simply not screen time, fear of missing out, and other kind of important conversations, but it's also the disquieting our politics which is driving part of this mental health crisis.
And again, what younger people are looking for from any leader, Democrat, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, whoever, is some stability in an otherwise unstable country right now.
Pursuant to the order of the House of January 3rd, 2025, the Chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the Majority Leader and the 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 11:50 a.m.
The chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland, Mr. Oleski, for five minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to invite my colleagues.
Join me in strengthening two of our nation's key founding principles: checks and balances and the rule of law.
Join me in uplifting the idea that every person and institution within a government is subject to the same set of rules, rules established by, reviewed by, and enforced by three co-equal branches of government.
Join me because these principles are under assault.
None of us should accept it as normal practice that a president, any president, use their executive pardon power to absolve convicted drug kingpins, those found guilty of violently attacking law enforcement officers, and even a money-laundering crypto magnate with ties to the president's family business.
Yet, this is exactly what President Trump has done.
On his first day back in office, President Trump pardoned 1,500 people involved in the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
Since then, he's pardoned or commuted the sentences of nearly 90 others.
Just recently, he added former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez to that list.
Hernandez was serving a 45-year prison sentence for conspiring to smuggle more than 400 tons or 4.5 billion doses of cocaine into the U.S. Hernandez was also convicted of accepting bribes from violent drug cartel members to fuel his political career, shielding them from prosecution in exchange for their bribes.
And earlier this year, President Trump granted clemency to a drug dealer responsible for putting more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine onto Baltimore's streets.
A federal agent described the defendant as, quote, one of the largest cocaine and heroin dealers to be arrested by DEA in recent history.
President Trump is using the pardon power not to correct injustices, but to absolve convicted criminals simply because he can.
He has yet to offer a compelling reason for any of these clemency cases.
These abuses are especially pronounced under this administration, but they are certainly not unique to one party.
Throughout history, Democratic and Republican presidents have used clemency to reward allies and shield those close to them.
After the Civil War, President Johnson issued sweeping pardons for more than 13,000 former Confederates.
President Clinton pardoned his half-brother, who was also serving time for drug trafficking.
President Biden pardoned his son, who was convicted on gun charges and who had pleaded guilty to tax-related charges.
Some presidents, including Presidents Trump and Biden, have issued preemptive pardons before prosecutors even had a chance to present their case in court and before the public had any opportunity to weigh the facts.
It has to stop.
These abuses erode trust in our Democratic system.
They undermine the notion that all laws apply to all Americans.
They lack the checks and balances envisioned by our nation's founders.
They are now far too common and far too brazen.
We must do something about it.
That's why I'm introducing a straightforward constitutional amendment, one that adds balance and accountability to the pardon system by giving Congress the ability to review and overturn presidential pardons and commutations.
Under my proposal, members of Congress could petition for review of pardons and overturn them with a two-thirds supermajority in the House and Senate.
This amendment intentionally sets a fairly high standard.
The goal is not to eliminate the President's pardon power, but to encourage presidents to think twice before issuing outrageous pardons.
Should egregious cases persist, it gives Congress the ability to intervene.
As ethically questionable pardons have become increasingly common, it's no surprise that public trust in government is near an all-time low.
According to the Partnership for Public Trust, only one in three Americans have confidence that their elected officials are acting in the public's best interest.
Two-thirds believe the federal government is corrupt.
One way to improve public trust is to stop the most brazen abuses of clemency.
No more get out of jail free cards for the wealthy and well-connected.
The time to act is now.
I ask you to join me in my efforts, and I yield the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary effort that brought the spirit of Georgia, a B-2 stealth bomber, back to operational flight after a serious incident more than four years ago.
During a hydraulic failure, the aircraft skidded along the runway and sustained major damage.
Many questioned whether it would ever return to the skies.
Instead of returning the aircraft, instead of retiring the aircraft, airmen, engineers, and the B-2 program team came together with the goal to save it.
Their work represented perseverance and belief in the mission.
The team removed the bomber from hazardous conditions, transported it for repair, and worked through design challenges and restoration steps.
Their determination saved taxpayers millions and returned a strategic asset to service.
On November 6, 2025, the spirit of Georgia lifted off once again, proving what is possible when people work with purpose.
This successful return is a tribute to American skill, teamwork, and resolve.
The spirit of Georgia lives on.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate two outstanding student-athletes at Augusta University.
Elise Altry, a sophomore women's basketball guard from Fairfax, Virginia, has been named Georgia's own student athlete of the month for November.
Over four games last month, she averaged 16.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.
Her leadership helped Augusta secure a road win over number two Coker, among other strong performances.
On the men's side, senior golfer Stephan Jacobs from Johannesburg, South Africa, earned the same honor.
Jacobs turned into a stellar round, turning a stellar round at the Pearl at Kuala Lugo Invitational, finishing third out of 108 golfers in a final round of five under par.
His strong showing helped the Augusta squad place third in team standings with a collective seven-under front finish.
Mr. Speaker, these two represent the very best of Jaguar athletics: dedication, discipline, and excellence on the court and course.
They prove that student athletes can achieve both athletically and academically while contributing pride to their school.
I am proud to recognize Elise Austry and Stephan Jacobs for their achievements and congratulate Augusta University for fostering such talent.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Tabby Island, which has just been named the number one winter fishing spot for 2026, according to Fishing Booker.
Fishing Booker created the top 10 ranking with factors such as winter fish activity and species variety.
It also looked at popularity, tourism, and insights from locals.
Tybee Island topped the list, even beating out larger cities such as Jacksonville, Fort Myers, and Tacoma.
Just east of Savannah, Tybee Island is a barrier island with a related charm with relaxed charm, wide beaches, and scenic Atlantic coastline.
With the cooler temperatures, redfish, black drum, and speckled trout make their way to shallow waters, creating plenty of opportunity for inshore anglers.
Nearby rocky structures attract sheep heads, a favorite for kids.
Tybee Island offers more than just fishing, with an iconic lighthouse, local seafood, and scenic beaches.
Even in the heart of winter, the island retains its coastal energy, inviting tourists and anglers to spend the season there.
Mr. Speaker, I'll rise today to recognize Colleen Lenholz, a fellow pharmacist and the president of Kroger Health, the health care division of the Kroger Company.
This year, Ms. Lins Holtz is celebrating 30 years of service with the company.
After joining Kroger as a pharmacist for the Cincinnati-Dayton division in 1995, she quickly rose through the ranks to lead Kroger's more than 2,200 pharmacy and 220 retail clinic locations across 35 states, including 334 pharmacies and 18 clinics in Georgia.
Ms. Lynn Holtz is the lead architect of the company's efforts to integrate pharmacy, clinician, and dietitian services into grocery offerings.
She focuses on food as medicine, which Kroger Health defines as a dedicated, educated, and personalized approach to eating and enjoying food.
This initiative helps customers live healthier lives and prevent chronic diseases before it starts.
In addition to her professional accomplishments on behalf of patient health, Ms. Lynn Holtz is an active philanthropic leader.
She gives back through leadership in many community organizations, including Easter Seals Redwood, the American Heart Association, Greater Cincinnati, and the Joe Burrow Foundation, among others.
From one pharmacist to another, congratulations on 30 years of bettering the health and well-being of Georgians and all Americans in the community Kroger serves.
The chair now recognizes the gentleman from California, Mr. Cisneros, for five minutes.
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Mr. Speaker, like many people on Sunday, I went to church.
I went to church and I prayed for the victims at my alma mater, Brown University.
11 kids were setting for their economics final exam and dreaming about going home to their families for the holidays when a gunman entered the room and started shooting.
I prayed for the families and those that were shot and wounded, and I hope they all have a speedy recovery.
I also prayed for the families of those that were shot and wounded.
I'm sorry, I also prayed for Mohammad Aziz Umarcov and Ali Cook, who both lost their lives to the unimaginable senseless shooting.
They were cherished members of the Brown community and had years of life and bright futures ahead of them.
And in one moment, it was all taken.
I prayed for them on Sunday and I would continue to pray for them, but it is not enough.
It will never be enough.
We have a problem with gun violence and mass shootings in this country.
26 years ago at Columbine High School in Colorado, 13 people were shot dead and 20 others injured.
13 years ago at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, 26 were fatally wounded.
And in 2018, 17 were killed and 18 were wounded at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
These are just some of the more high-profile shootings over the last 26 years.
There have been countless others at schools, movie theaters, parades, shopping centers, and even a concert in Las Vegas where a family friend lost his daughter.
From 2000 to 2022, the United States has had over three times as many mass shootings as 16 other politically similar countries combined.
But the one thing that has remained consistent during this time is that Congress has failed to act.
Mass shooting after mass shooting, death after death, Congress has done nothing.
To my colleagues in Congress, I compel you to end this tragedy.
As a practicing Catholic, I put my faith in God, but he is not going to solve this problem for us.
The prayers might make us feel good, but they are doing nothing to stop the scourge of gun violence threatening our communities.
There is not going to be a miracle from heaven that will end gun violence for us.
We need to do it.
I ask, where is he outraged for my Republican colleagues?
The president was outraged over the shooting and death of American soldiers in Syria this weekend, and he should be.
My sympathies are with those American heroes who gave their lives for our country fighting terrorists.
But all Donald Trump had to say about the Brown University shooting was, things can happen.
Really?
Now is the time for action.
It's what the American people want.
Over 90% of Americans want universal background checks.
60% support an assault weapons ban.
75% support red flag laws.
And over 83% support gun safety storage.
Some of my Republican colleagues will argue that guns don't kill people.
People kill people.
Anyone who does this must have mental health issues.
All the more the reason for the background checks and the red flag laws.
We cannot continue to act like nothing is wrong in America.
We have a problem with gun violence and mass shootings in our country, and Congress must finally act.
Will enacting these laws eliminate mass shootings, gun violence, or suicides completely?
No.
But common sense gun laws like this will make a difference, and it is a start.
This past weekend was one of the worst that I can remember.
I spoke of the Brown University shooting and mentioned the soldiers in Syria.
We also lost a great American and artist named Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle this past weekend due to an act of violence.
And I must say, I was appalled by the President's response to his death.
It was nothing more than shameful and disrespectful and unbecoming of the person who is supposed to be the leader of our country.
I also want to send my condolences to the Australian people who suffered through their own mass shooting this past weekend.
A mass shooting that was a hate crime that targeted the Jewish community in Australia.
15 people dead, including a 10-year-old girl and a Holocaust viral.
Fortunately, in Australia, they are already talking about how they can change things to prevent this from happening again.
I can only hope that there will be similar action in our own country and Congress will finally act.
But if history proves us right, I very much doubt it, and I yield back.
Mr. Speaker, as we say in West Texas, sun's up, guns up.
Our Texas Tech Red Raiders have gone through this football season guns ablazing and have taken the Big 12 by storm, posting an historic 11-win regular season with an average victory margin of more than 35 points and their best year since 2008.
Now, after securing their first outright Big 12 championship, the Red Raiders are knocking on the door of their first ever national championship.
I want to congratulate Coach Joey McGuire, his tremendous staff, and the outstanding student athletes there at Texas Tech, all of whom represent the spirit of West Texas.
Tenacious, relentless, and 100% class and character.
Mr. Speaker, Texas Tech, I would argue, is America's team.
It's a main street university in middle America made up of mostly kids from working families.
It's a heartland culture that reflects our nation's traditional faith and family values.
Like our pioneering fathers who braved the harsh elements to settle the Great Plains of West Texas, Red Raiders know how to work, how to fight, and never quit.
They don't expect anybody to give them anything.
They don't waste time complaining about being underrated or underestimated.
They know that respect is earned, not given.
And they know it's not about pleasing the crowd or the pundits.
It's about giving their best to each other and to themselves and to their university that they love.
I'm proud to be a Red Raider.
I'm honored to represent Texas Tech in Congress, and I'm fired up for the country to know more about West Texas, the food, fuel, fiber, and football capital of the world.
Mr. Speaker, as for me and my house, we'll be in Miami on New Year's Day with a lot of proud and rowdy Red Raiders cheering on America's team to win it all.
The trenches in the Donbass will not be empty, however.
Ukrainian medic stations and hospitals will not be empty.
The air raid shelters beneath Kiev, Odessa, Kharkiv will not be empty.
Mr. Speaker, this administration is sleepwalking toward the edge of an abyss that will be difficult to escape.
Neville Chamberlain once did the same.
He returned from Munich and hoisted a piece of paper above his head that bore his signature and that of Adolf Hitler.
Without consulting Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain traded a fifth of its territory in exchange for Hitler's word that he would not invade.
Chamberlain said it would secure peace with honor, a peace for our time.
Within five months, the Nazis occupied every square inch of Czechoslovakia.
Within a year, they had added Poland.
Within two years, German bombs were falling in London.
Just a few days after Chamberlain brandished Czechoslovakia's death warrant, Winston Churchill said, and I quote, the dictator, in this case, Hitler, in our case, Putin, instead of snatching the fiddles from the table, has been content to have them serve to him course by course.
Mr. Speaker, another dictator now hungers for his next course.
Vladimir Putin did not stop with his invasion of Georgia or his campaign to separate Transnistria from Moldova.
He did not stop with his 2014 annexation of Crimea, though perhaps he would have had if America and the United Kingdom honored the Budapest Memorandum.
It is foolish and dangerous to think he will stop at the Donbass.
The Russian bear is about to take its next bite, and Donald Trump is setting the table.
Trump, Witkoff, Hekseth, Vance, Rubio, they've done everything to appease Putin short of putting on a Russian uniform.
Their 28-point peace plan last month was a Russian menu.
What concessions did Trump demand from Ukraine?
That it forfeit a fifth of its territory, including the land that Russia does not occupy, to its invader.
That it cap the size of its military.
That it forego its right to join NATO, which I believe is the only measure that can truly guarantee Ukraine's security.
No requirement that Russia return the Ukrainian children it abducted.
No accountability for the war crimes Putin has committed.
Just Putin's promise not to invade again.
One he has yet to make and one he would never keep.
This administration acts as though we have no leverage in this situation, as though NATO's 1.8 trillion defense expenditures, 3.5 million troops, and combined GDP of $54 trillion mean nothing.
America is not impotent, nor is NATO, nor is the West in this fight against fascism, and neither is this Congress.
Over 300 of us in every one of 12 votes has cast its vote for Ukraine, the majority of Republicans on all but one of those votes.
We only need three more Republicans to sign on to the bipartisan discharge petition Ranking Member Meeks and I put forward to bring the Ukraine Support Act to the floor for a vote.
That legislation would undermine Russia's war machine and give Ukraine the support it needs to win this fight, actually and psychologically.
This House has taken 12 votes on pass bills supporting Ukraine.
An average of 80% of our members have voted for every one of those.
And yet we stand silent.
We have not acted.
We cannot build a peace with honor on a promise from Putin.
We can only achieve peace by awakening to our own power, to our own influence.
I ask my colleagues, each of you who has supported Ukraine continuously in the past, almost every vote, sign the discharge petition now.
I rise today to celebrate the Christmas spirit in eastern Washington.
As a boy, I remember Christmastime in Eastern Washington, sledding in my boyhood home of Colton, Washington, going on shopping trips with the family to Toys R Us in Spokane, and perhaps stopping off to go sledding in Manitou Park or visit Riverfront Park.
Indeed, it is the best of America.
And that spirit of Christmas continues in Spokane in eastern Washington with its spirit of generosity and service.
This year, Spokane has been selected as one of just 126 cities worldwide to host the light and world giving machine innovative vending machines in reverse that allow families to purchase meals, warm clothing, hygiene items, or even chickens for neighbors in need here at home and around the globe.
From December 12th through January 1st, visitors at Spokane Valley Mall can, with just a few taps, direct every dollar of their donations to trusted local charities like Second Harvest and global charities like CARE.
This is Eastern Washington's best, people coming together to serve, to give, and to care for one another.
Since their launch in 2017, the Giving Machine initiative worldwide has helped raise tens of millions of dollars in donations, and now Spokane is part of that story of quiet, everyday kindness.
During this holiday season, Eastern Washington is not just celebrating, it is stepping up to bless lives across our community and around the world.
And I am proud to represent a region that leads with generosity, and I encourage all who are able to visit the light of the world giving machine and to join in this spirit of giving.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the Spokane Christmas Bureau and their 79th year of serving Eastern Washington families and making each holiday season brighter than the last.
Coordinated by Catholic Charities Eastern Washington, Volunteers of America, and the Spokesman Review, the Christmas Bureau runs on the generosity of local donors and volunteers who give their time, talents, and treasures.
Through these community efforts, the Bureau provides grocery vouchers to help put food on the table and gather toys and books so children can experience the simple joy of a Christmas gift.
The Christmas Bureau serves folks in needs throughout the greater Spokane area, including Adams, Lincoln, Ponderet, Stevens, Spokane, and Whitman counties, making sure that no child is forgotten and that no table is empty at Christmas.
Mr. Speaker, the Christmas Bureau reminds us what makes Eastern Washington the holidays so wonderful.
Neighbors stepping up for neighbors year after year.
Mr. Speaker, over the last few weeks, many of us have walked past the familiar red kettles and heard the ringing bells of the Salvation Army outside our neighborhood grocery stores.
Those kettles are just the tip of the iceberg of what the Salvation Army does for communities like mine in Eastern Washington, not just at Christmas, but all year long.
The donations collected outside of your local grocery store are essential to funding key programs that serve our most vulnerable neighbors.
In Spokane, the Salvation Army operates emergency foster care programs like Sally's House, providing safe, loving shelter for children removed from abusive or unsafe homes, giving them stability at one of the most traumatic moments in their young lives.
This holiday season, the Salvation Army in Spokane is also leading toy drives across the greater Spokane area, collecting gifts so that hundreds of local children will wake up to a present under the tree who might otherwise go without.
I'm sure that many of you in this chamber have seen someone outside your neighborhood grocery store ringing a bell right next to a red kettle.
So, Mr. Speaker, when we all go home for the holidays, let us take a moment to thank the Salvation Army volunteers in our communities who are raising money for a program like Sally's House and that are working every day to make our communities stronger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and with that, I yield back the balance of my time.
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The chair recognizes a gentleman from New York, Mr. Kennedy, for five minutes.
Mr. Speaker, at this moment, two families of Brown University students and 15 families in Sydney, Australia are experiencing an anguish and heartbreak that is immeasurable, yet far too familiar.
Once again, we have seen hatred rear its ugly head in the form of gun violence.
This time with two students murdered and nine more injured at Brown, and 15 murdered and dozens injured in Sydney.
This comes on the heels of the 13th anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting that took 26 victims, including 20 children.
Last year, those 20 beautiful children who were violently taken from their families should have been graduating from high school.
This year, they should have been coming home for the December break, seeing their childhood friends, and telling their parents about all they've learned and experienced in college.
Those are experiences that their families have been robbed of.
We, as a society, have been robbed of all that they may have accomplished throughout their lives.
Families that will never be formed, careers that will never be, memories that will never happen.
The families of the victims of those two horrific shootings will experience that same agony year after year, decade after decade.
My own community of Buffalo knows it all too well.
On May 14, 2022, a racist, white supremacist, racist terrorist gunman drove nearly three hours to our community, the City of Good Neighbors, and opened fire at the only full-service grocery store in a predominantly black neighborhood.
Ten lives were callously and heartlessly stolen from us, with three more, including the son of a dear friend of mine critically injured.
Our city will never be the same again.
It doesn't have to be this way.
We can choose another path.
In New York State, we did just that.
We ensured that military-grade body armor stays only in the hands of law enforcement and our armed forces.
We implemented enhanced red flag laws and universal background checks.
We raised the age to own firearms from 18 to 21.
And we banned assault rifles.
We know these laws work in New York, and we know they work everywhere else.
But they're severely weakened by the flow of guns across state borders due to the lack of federal regulation.
In the United States, for far too long, some have treated gun violence as a part of life.
My Democratic colleagues and I reject that.
We refuse to accept a reality in which our schools, our houses of worship, our movie theaters, our grocery stores, our government offices, our workplaces, our parades, our malls, and our nightclubs are treated as if they haven't been the scenes of horrific, deadly attacks.
The time for action is now.
I implore this body to join me in supporting the assault weapons ban, universal background checks, stronger red flag laws, ending gun trafficking across state lines, and among others, my bill, the Lieutenant Aaron Salter Jr. Responsible Body Armor Possession Act.
I beg my colleagues not to accept the saddest quo and to fight for a safer nation.
We can and should do so much better for our children and future generations.
I pray for the lives lost this past weekend, and I pray that our country sees the light and enacts real, substantive change that will end the scourge of gun violence across our nation.
Today I rise to recognize the extraordinary achievement by a team that represents the very best of the Space Coast, our state, the Florida Tech Panthers, the 2025 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer National Champions.
With a decisive 3-0 victory over Franklin Pierce, these student athletes captured the first national title in program history.
This championship was earned through discipline, teamwork, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, values that extend well beyond the soccer field.
I applaud the players, coaches, and staff and families who supported this team every step of the way.
Their hard work and leadership exemplify what college athletics is all about.
strong competition, strong teammates, and future strong leaders.
Florida Tech Panthers, they made history and made our community proud.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Brevard County's Veteran of the Month for December 2025, Master Sergeant John J. Johnson of the United States Air Force.
Master Sergeant Johnson entered the service in 1961 and spent 20 years defending our nation, retiring at the distinguished rank of Master Sergeant.
He served as Direction Finding Controller and Morse Intercept Operator, critical roles in intelligence and national security efforts during some of the most challenging times during the Cold War and the Vietnam War.
Nearly 12 of his 20 years of service were spent overseas, including assignments in Germany, Italy, Turkey, Japan, and the Philippines.
His dedication and professionalism earned him numerous commendations, including the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, each a testament to his commitment to our nation and his exceptional service to our nation.
Master Sergeant Johnson embodies the very best of our Air Force and our country.
We thank him for his unwavering commitment to duty and for his dedicated service for decades in defending freedom around the world and here at home.
Gratitude to the people of New Mexico who have placed their trust in me and gratitude for all those who have worked with me this past year, both Democrats and Republicans, who have helped me deliver real results for folks back home.
My district is one of the largest districts in the country, larger than the state of Pennsylvania, and includes major cities, border towns, tribal communities, and rural counties that often feel forgotten by Washington.
New Mexico's 2nd District embodies the American spirit.
We are a diverse people who get up every day, work a hard day's job, and take pride in our families and the work that we do.
And this year, I set out with one simple goal, focus on the people in our district and do good by the families who call New Mexico home, regardless of their party affiliation.
That's why at a time when Washington has been paralyzed by partisan gridlock and way too much drama, my focus has remained on common sense and delivering real results.
The good people of New Mexico elected me to do a job, and I intend to do it.
Not with red or blue solutions, but practical solutions that are rooted in the real lives of the people that I represent.
And across southern New Mexico, we've seen that wildfire season is no longer seasonal.
We've seen the state's two largest wildfires ravage communities and displace generations of folks from their homes.
So I worked with my colleagues on both sides to pass a bipartisan bill that strengthens our ability to fight fires in remote and rural areas.
My Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act ensures that our communities and firefighters have more resources to protect lives, homes, and livelihoods when it counts most.
And when we talk about feeling forgotten, sometimes it's our rural communities that feel the most left out.
Places where federal support can make the difference between a school being able to stay open, between having a graded road or one that's washboarded and crumbling, and between having life-saving care that can reach your home in time.
That's why I successfully led a bipartisan push to restore $9 million in secure rural school funding for New Mexico's rural schools and our infrastructure, delivering much-needed resources to places like Catrit, Grant, Sierra, and Cebola counties.
And staying focused on common sense also meant listening to our military families at White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base.
When they told me they were going without care because of the enormously long distances that it took to get to a hospital or to a clinic, I worked on a bipartisan bill that is now law that expands travel reimbursement under TRICARE so that service members and their loved ones aren't forced to shoulder the unnecessary costs just to get the care that they need.
But serving New Mexico isn't just about passing bills here, it's about showing up when people need you.
This year, my team and I resolved over 650 constituent cases, cutting through red tape, standing up to bureaucracy, and returning nearly $4.5 million to our taxpayers who were rightfully owed that money.
For families waiting on Social Security, veterans navigating the VA, or seniors dealing with the IRS, that help was immediate and personal.
I've traveled over 5,000 miles on the road in my district this year.
From talking to students in Deming, meeting with tribal leaders in Zuni Pueblo, hosting a Carneasada with oil workers in Carlsbad, and convening roundtable with police departments in Albuquerque, this is a big district with many needs, and advocacy doesn't just start at the Capitol steps.
2025 was also a big year in the fight to protect our public lands.
When extreme proposals threatened to sell off millions of acres of our public lands, I founded the first ever bipartisan Public Lands Caucus to keep those lands public for hunters, ranchers, families, and future generations who deserve to keep this unique American birthright.
Public lands are one of our nation's best ideas, and I intend to keep it that way.
I've also worked hard to secure federal investments across New Mexico, from addressing homelessness to investing in workplace training to launching a new express bus service connecting Las Cruces to El Paso.
I showed up, listened to what folks needed, and we got to work.
These are smart investments that strengthen local economies and improve the daily lives of New Mexicans.
Lastly, my focus on bringing common sense to Washington is why I recently introduced the new plan for immigration this year.
Because as someone who was raised on both sides of the border and represents 180 miles of that border today, I know that border security is more complex than just building a wall.
I know that both parties have often gotten it wrong.
We need an immigration system that reflects our American values, that makes smart investments in security, and more legal pathways that strengthen our economy rather than undermine it.
I work for the people of New Mexico, every single one of them, whether they voted for me or not.
I'm proud of what we've accomplished together this year, but more than that, I'm proud of how we accomplished it by choosing collaboration over conflict.
And so, to the people of New Mexico, gracias, thank you for sending me here.
I will continue showing up, fighting for you, and doing the work you sent me here to do.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a Hoosier leader and a man whose service to our community has had a great impact on all of Indiana and the health care industry of our country.
After 34 fruitful years, Mr. Rob McGlenn will retire in January from Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Indiana, the hospital in which he was born.
Over the years, Rob has shown great leadership at every level he has worked, including 15 years as President and CEO.
His tenure brought some of the most transformative advancements in Good Samaritan history, including the Beacon Project, the Gibalt Memorial Tower construction, implementation of the EPIC Medical Records System, creation of the hospital's EMS program, expansion of the Family Health Center, and establishment of a residency program that now educates new physicians in southern Indiana.
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Rob has led the hospital through immense challenges, including the disastrous COVID-19 pandemic.
He is a well-respected health care advocate, having served as the chair of the Indiana Hospital Association in 2020 and this year receiving the Distinguished Service Award, which is one of the highest honors in Indiana health care.
Rob retires, leaving not only his many accomplishments, but also a legacy of compassion, excellence, and commitment to the people he served.
I congratulate him on his well-deserved retirement and wish him many happy adventures with his wife Angela and their children and grandchildren.
Thank you, Rob, for your great service to our community.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary group of young 8th District Hoosier artists from Indiana's Rockport Elementary School whose handmade Christmas ornaments are beautifully representing our great state at this year's National Christmas Tree Lighting Festival.
Each year, students from across the country are chosen to design Christmas tree ornaments that reflect the beauty and character of their home state.
This year, Rockport Elementary students in my district created wonderful ornaments that celebrate the spirit of Indiana, with some ornaments honoring our proud agricultural heritage and others displaying our state bird, the ruby-red northern cardinal, and our state flower, the elegant peony.
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Their artwork showcases everything from the Indy 500 race to our perpetual rolling cornfields and even pays tribute to Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home.
When I landed in Washington, D.C. this week, I went straight from the airport to visit our special state tree nearby the White House Christmas Tree.
I was so proud to see the artistry of our students and am inspired by their talent and creativity.
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I want to congratulate every student who contributed to this wonderful display, as well as their teachers and families that encouraged their education and talents.
Rockport Elementary has made Indiana proud, and I'm honored to recognize their achievements here today.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to a remarkable man, a pillar of the community, and a devoted family man, Richard Joseph Barber Jr., Esquire, affectionately known as Dick, passed away on December 11th.
Dick's journey was one marked by dedication, service, and an unwavering commitment to the betterment of those around him.
A graduate of Archbishop Stepanak High School, Dick went on to further his education at St. Michael's College in Vermont, followed by St. John's Law School, which launched his career in the law.
Beyond the courtroom, Dick was a successful businessman, owning establishments such as the Coachman and Harbor Marine, which served as testaments to his entrepreneurial spirit and his business acumen.
Dick's contributions went beyond law and business.
He proudly served his country as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, exhibiting a profound sense of duty.
His dedication to safety and service was further exemplified through his attainment of numerous degrees and certifications in the New York State firefighting and hazmat world, ensuring that his community remained a safer place for all over 60 years.
Left to cherish his memory are his beloved wife Marilyn, his son Richard III, and wife Elaine, and their son Richard IV, as well as his daughter, Deborah Reese, and her children, Nicole and Kimberly.
Dick also leaves behind his siblings, Patricia Spacaveno, Mary Lou Harvey, Joan Sipp, and his predeceased by his brother Thomas Barber.
He was the son of the late Richard Barber Sr. and the late Francis Magnus Barber, and his legacy will be felt not only by his family, but by the countless lives he touched.
At this hour, there is a massive Christian burial celebrated at the Church of the Resurrection in Rye, New York, interment follows at Greenwood Union in Rye.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember the life and the times of Karen V. Hill, who passed away in November.
Her accomplishments and achievements in her 72 years cannot be properly summarized in a minute or two.
She lived a life of leadership and service for over 30-plus years, serving the underserved in equity, housing, and much more.
She was appointed by the federal court to implement the desegregation of housing, was president and CEO of the Harriet Tubman Home to preserve that historical legacy.
She was appointed by Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission.
She served as program director for the National Urban League, chief executive of the American Homeowner Education and Counseling Institute, and chair of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition.
Through her sorority memberships, her faith in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Order of the Eastern Star, and the love of her large family and extended friendships, Karen Hill left her mark.
Her visitation this past weekend at Greater Centennial AME Zion Church in Mount Vernon was a time for celebration of her life and acknowledgement that she now rests with the Lord.
Mr. Speaker, in the season where Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa, our Hispanic friends await the Three Kings Day celebration.
Our friends in the Jewish community commemorate Hanukkah and the historic celebration of light, the oil that lasted for eight nights, providing the menorah with light and warmth and survival.
With the horror of Sydney fresh at hand, a father and son using their weapons to systematically kill Jews celebrating Hanukkah at a beach event, it is a bittersweet month.
Once again, we mourn unnecessary death, motivated by intense hatred fueled by the availability of weapons of death.
Over thousands of years of world history, Jews have been targeted in every land for death and for genocide, and this is just the latest such outrage.
As a Christian myself, we must let love rule, not hatred, and we must end the manifestation of that hatred and violence.
We must embrace our Jewish brothers and sisters alongside that of those of every religion, that peace and tolerance is the only way to go, and it is a two-way street.
All must commit themselves to tolerance and coexistence, and Almighty God will sort out the rest.
We mourn with the loss of the families in Sydney and all who suffer violence from anti-Semitism and hatred of any sort.
The chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Kelly, for five minutes.
Honor Of A Quarterback00:15:22
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Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise today to honor a Butler Pennsylvania native and former University of Notre Dame quarterback, a guy that I grew up with, went through grade school with, high school, went to college with.
Terry Hanratty set this standard as a precision quarterback in the 1960s, helping to usher in an era of high-powered passing under Hall of Fame coach Eric Arsigan and cementing his legacy as one of Notre Dame's all-time greats.
The Butler Pennsylvania native now becomes the 50th fighting Irish player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
A consensus first-team All-American in 1968, Terry led Notre Dame to a 24-4 and 2 record during his three years under center at South Bend, including a share of the national title in 1966.
The Irish finished the 1966 season 9-0 and 1, tying Michigan State in what has been called the game of the century.
The Irish won 83.3% of their games with Terry as the starting signal caller.
And the Irish boasted a final ranking of number five or better during all three years of his tenure.
Terry finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1968, ninth in 1967, and sixth in 1966.
Paired with wide receiver Jim Seymour as part of the duo dubbed Fling and Kling, Han Rady sent career records for past completions, 304 passing yards, 4,152, and touchdown passes 27 during his time in South Bend.
He added 16 touchdowns and 586 yards on the ground.
His 63 passing attempts against Purdue in 1967 still rank second in our school's annual.
His 159.7 passing yards per game land him number nine in school records.
His pass attempts per game in a season, 28.1 and pass completions per game 16.6 stood as the school standards for more than 25 years.
In addition to Coach Porcigian, Terry will now join teammates Jim Lynch, Alan Page, Joe Feisman as members of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Terry's also active in the community.
He served as Allegheny County chairman on the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and he participated in the Jerry Lewis telethon to support mustard scholarsrophy and as the NFL events to raise funds for children with cancer.
Terry Hanready spent his entire life helping other people and a tremendous athlete, but more than being a tremendous athlete, I think it's more important that he was a tremendous person.
He's a guy that people looked up to.
Young people have to have somebody to look up to.
Terry Hanready is certainly one of those people.
And also, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to rise today to honor a Pittsburgh Pirates legend, Mr. Vernon Law, who was inducted into the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame this summer.
I had the chance to join Mr. Law for this momentous ceremony in Pittsburgh.
Mr. Law was a key member of the Pirates' 1960 World Series Championship team, and he spent all 16 seasons of his major league career in Pittsburgh.
He also was a two-time All-Star and a Cy Young Award winner.
Off the field, faith was incredibly important to Mr. Law.
He became a deacon in the Church of Latter-day Saints, a title he first earned at the age of 12 years old.
He later became a teacher and then was ordained as a priest at age 17.
For 73 years, Mr. Law was married to his wife, Benita, who passed away in 2023.
At age 95, Vernon Law's legacy on and off the baseball field are etched in Western Pennsylvania history forever.
I rise today to honor someone who helped shape the city of Washugal for the better, former Mayor Molly Coston.
Most folks in Wash Hugo didn't call her Mayor Coston.
They called her Mayor Molly because she exuded grace and tenacity and friendliness.
She served her community for nearly a decade on city council and then as mayor from 2018 to 2021.
Molly didn't sit on the sidelines.
She rolled up her sleeves.
She was involved in every effort from revitalizing downtown Washugel to her service to local community groups, including 25 years in her local Rotary Club.
If there was work to be done, Molly showed up.
She lived a big life outside of City Hall too.
She was even a masta scuba diver.
She brought that same sense of curiosity and courage to her public service.
Mayor Molly Coston passed away this November at the age of 71.
Washoogle is better because Molly made it her home, and her impact will last for generations.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a talented songwriter from Mossy Rock, Chris Gunther.
Southwest Washington is a place that is built on hard work, mills, farms, welding loggers, small businesses, and with that comes a certain kind of music.
It's honest and real.
Chris Gunther has been carrying out that sound for decades, and this year he was nominated by the International Western Music Association for both Songwriter of the Year and Western Album of the Year for his record, Singing to Cows.
Chris, I will admit, I have sung to cows.
I have never thought about telling people I do that or writing a song about it.
And I have to ask how your cows feel about Roy Rogers' lyric, beef, sweet beef, next week you'll boil and fry.
But that's exactly the kind of people, why people connect with him.
He's genuine.
He tells the truth.
He plays the kind of music that comes from living the life he sings about.
I know he's got a lot more ahead of him, and I'm proud to recognize him today at one of the artists, keeping up the spirit of our district alive and well.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight a powerful example in my district that shows how investing in career and technical education strengthens both our community and public safety.
In October this year, students from Kelso High School's advanced welding class teamed up with the Kelso Police Department to fabricate, install, and reinforce pit bars on two decommissioned patrol vehicles, converting them to safe, durable training cars for officers to practice the precision immobilization technique.
I got to say, I'm kind of jealous of you kids.
Having kids be able to get real, tangible experience is something that cannot be duplicated in a textbook.
That's why this is so amazing about CTE programs.
You are making resources and skills available that you cannot get elsewhere.
You cannot get that online.
This is an asset for them whenever they're ready to hit the workforce.
When I visited Kelso High School in April, I saw firsthand how welding, automotive, culinary, and other CTE courses give young people a pathway to good careers.
I'm proud to represent a district that leads the hard way, the real way, with respect for how things used to be done and creativity in bringing those practices to bear today.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take this minute to rise and recognize a remarkable American hero, Mr. Harry Humeson, who turns the vibrant age of 100 this December.
Harry volunteered to join the Army in December of 1943.
He valiantly fought in World War II with Patton's 3rd Army, 5th Infantry Division, 2nd Infantry Regiment, helping to liberate Frankfurt, Germany, and towns in Czechoslovakia.
And this year's daughter raised funds to bring him to Europe and visit places that he had not seen since he was there on combat.
And he was greeted as a hero.
People remembered him and remembered what he had done for their country and the world.
After the war, Harry used the GI Bill to earn a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and went on to build missiles and rockets at the Naval Ordnance Test Station.
A true example of American ingenuity and service after service.
I've had the honor of spending time with Harry and I know him not just as a veteran but as a thoughtful, engaged public servant.
Harry is an example of doing it to others as you would like to be done to you.
Happy birthday, Harry.
May all your courage and integrity continue to inspire us all.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career and service of Humira Falkenberg as she retires from Pacific County PUD after nearly 15 years devoted to public service.
Humira has stood for reliable energy, economic self-determination for rural communities, and the belief that the small things attended to with joy and diligence are the building blocks of a more beautiful world.
Beyond her work at the PUD, Humira has brought her full self to her community as a leader for Jedi Outdoors, a ski instructor, an albanist, a ski mountaineer, and a kite surfer.
Her life reminds us that public service and personal fashion can go hand in hand.
I've worked on Humira with issues like grid capacity, support for existing power generation, and the well-being of rural communities.
I have seen her integrity, her vision, her dedication.
She helped shape our community not just through power lines, but through joy, service, and candor.
And I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking her for her service and to wish her a retirement filled with continued purpose, community, and adventure.
When the government finally opened, I and a number of my Republican and Democratic colleagues sat down in good faith to negotiate an extension of the ACA premium tax credits with reforms because we recognize that this system, as designed, is not working, that Obamacare is not actually reducing health care costs in America.
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And in fact, since it took effect, health care premiums have risen by 96%.
And we came up with several plans and compromises along the way to ensure not only that there was an extension, but that we did eliminate fraud, that we did hold the insurance companies accountable, that we did actually start to reduce cost.
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We have put those bills forward on the floor in two separate discharge petitions.
Eleven Republicans have signed on to those discharge petitions.
Now, why is that necessary?
Because House Republican leadership will not allow a vote.
It is idiotic and shameful.
And so we have been forced to sign on to two discharge petitions, and yet my Democratic colleagues will not join us, but for those that were at the negotiation table.
The Democratic leader will not release his members to sign those two discharge petitions.
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Why?
Because he doesn't actually want to solve the problem.
He wants the issue.
He wants the issue, which is precisely why Senator Schumer put a three-year clean extension on the Senate floor that was doomed to fail because it doesn't have bipartisan compromise.
This place is disgraceful.
Everybody wants the upper hand.
Everybody wants the political advantage.
They don't actually want to do the damn work.
This problem could be solved today if everybody who says they care about extending this signs the discharge.
It could be solved today.
And we could say the leadership on both sides, a pox on both your houses.
Both of you are failing this country.
Both of you are failing this institution.
And move the bill forward.
So the challenge I have for every one of my colleagues is put the party crap aside and sign the damn discharge today.
If you want this vote to move, If you want to extend these subsidies, if you want to make sure that the American people's health care premiums don't skyrocket, then go sign the discharge now.
Because we all understand one thing.
You need 218 here and you need 60 in the Senate.
We saw the three-year extension with no reforms fail last week.
So to just say that we're going to hold out and wait to see if four Republicans sign the three-year extension that you know is destined to fail in the Senate is a failure of leadership and responsibility.
So Leader Jeffries, come down to this floor, sign the discharge, and show real leadership.
Because sadly, my conference has failed to do that.
And all of us, as representatives of our own districts and our own constituents, have a responsibility to stand up.
It's why I met with my Democratic colleagues as soon as the government was reopened to negotiate in good faith.
It's why people like Brian Fitzpatrick and Jen Kiggins and David Valladéo have been leading on this issue with folks like Jared Golden and Josh Gottheimer and Marie Gluzenkamp-Perez and Tom Swazi because we understand this needs to get done and the failure of members on both sides of the aisle who know it needs to get done but they just want the issue or they don't want to do it because they hate Obamacare.
Members are reminded to address their remarks to the chair.
The chair recognizes the gentleman from California, Mr. Whitesides, for five minutes.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call for the immediate reestablishment of funding for PEPFAR and our public health support for poor countries.
I do so with a heavy heart, holding in my hand three documents that every member of this body should read.
ICE's Moral Abdication00:09:16
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One is a legal brief filed just days ago by Physicians for Human Rights.
Another is a devastating new investigation released by ProPublica.
And the third is a status report on PEPFAR from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Taken together, these documents paint a picture of moral abdication that should keep every single one of us awake at night.
I want to talk about the data in these reports, Mr. Speaker, but first I need to speak from a place that goes beyond policy.
I need to speak with you as a Christian.
Scripture teaches us that our responsibilities to one another are not limited by borders.
In the Gospel of Luke, we're told, from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
The United States has been entrusted with much.
We are the wealthiest, most powerful nation on earth.
With that blessing comes a profound responsibility to the least of these.
But today we are failing that responsibility in a profoundly immoral way.
The legal brief, I hold, warns that the dismantling of our public health support for poor countries is causing irreversible losses.
It estimates that the shutdown of U.S. AID assistance has already cost 600,000 people to die, two-thirds of them children.
The numbers can be numbing, Mr. Speaker.
So let me tell you about the people behind these numbers, as detailed in this new ProPublica investigation.
While political appointees in Washington were literally celebrating these budget cuts with a sheet cake in a conference room, a 38-year-old man named Tor Top was in a canoe in South Sudan.
He was paddling desperately, trying to keep his sick mother, trying to get his sick mother to a hospital eight hours away.
Why was he in that canoe?
Because the local clinic, funded by U.S. humanitarian aid and run by Christian missionaries, had been forced to close its doors.
The IV bags needed to treat cholera cost just 62 cents.
62 cents.
But because we cut that funding, his mother died in that canoe halfway to help.
ProPublica tells us about Rebecca Niaraka, a 28-year-old mother living in a refugee camp.
Cuts to these vital programs had stopped the sanitation services that kept the camp clean.
Overflowing latrines spread disease.
Rebecca died of cholera just days after giving birth to a son she named God Is With Us.
And it's not just cholera.
Look at this KFF report on PEPFAR.
PEPFAR is not a partisan project.
It was created by President George W. Bush in 2003.
It's perhaps the single greatest humanitarian achievement in modern history, credited with saving 26 million lives.
But the report shows that the current administration's stop work order has frozen payments and services.
They've canceled 86% of all awards for this assistance.
The result, we're losing thousands of HIV health workers in Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa.
The KFF report warns that ending this funding could result in 565,000 new HIV infections over the next 10 years in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
We are undoing decades of progress.
We are actively allowing a plague to return.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, doctors are reporting that without U.S. aid, they cannot even release MPOX vaccines that are currently locked in storage rooms.
In Uganda, babies are being born HIV positive again after years of near-elimination of mother-to-child transmission.
Some might ask, is this our problem?
To that, I answer with the words of my faith.
We are our brother's keeper.
And to my colleagues who prefer a strategic argument, I say this.
These diseases don't respect borders.
The legal brief explicitly warns that infectious disease knows no borders.
When we stop treating tuberculosis or cholera abroad, we allow outbreaks to grow until they threaten us here at home.
Our American global health surveillance was the reason the 2004 Ebola outbreak was contained, with only 11 cases ever reaching U.S. soil.
We are dismantling the very fire alarm system that protects our own house.
Mr. Speaker, we're losing twice.
We're losing our moral standing and we are losing our physical security.
Taxpayers will pay once for the dismantled programs and then they will pay again much more dearly when these preventable crises reach our shores.
We cannot be the nation that celebrates savings with cake while mothers die in canoes for lack of a 62-cent IV bag.
I urge this body to reverse course.
We must reestablish funding for PEPFAR.
We must restore our life-saving public health support for poor countries.
Let us do it because it is the smart thing to do for our safety.
But more importantly, let us do it because it is the right thing to do.
Let us not be the generation that walked away when we had the power to save millions of lives.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise today to congratulate my fellow Columbus explorer Fernando Mendoza, winner of the 2025 Heisman Trophy.
Fernando's remarkable journey began in Miami, Florida, and at Christopher Columbus High School, an institution known not only for producing elite athletes but for installing faith, discipline, leadership, and character.
Miami has long been a cradle of football excellence, and Fernando Mendoza now joins that proud legacy.
His achievement reflects the values of perseverance, sacrifice, and opportunity that define our community.
As the first Cuban American to win the Heisman Trophy, Fernando's victory carries special meaning.
His story reminds us that in America, deep faith, hard work, and determination know no limits.
Mr. Speaker, President Trump ran on a promise to the American people that ICE would go after the worst of the worst.
Well, we are now coming up on a year of this presidency, and I want to talk to the folks at home who feel disillusioned by what ICE is doing in our country.
Because what we have seen is that ICE is not overwhelmingly going after criminals.
In fact, over 70% of people currently detained in detention facilities do not have a criminal record.
So who are they going after?
They are going after six-year-olds in my district.
They are going after students and permanent residents for their political views.
They are going after Americans born and raised in the United States.
And time and time again, Trump has floated taking away citizenship from U.S. citizens based on their ethnicity.
At every point, this administration has lied to us about ICE in America, while some of the wealthiest actors in our country have tried to sell us a myth to defend it, including private prison contractors.
And that myth, that ideology, is that our immigrant neighbors are our enemies and more dangerous than us.
And they sustain that myth because if everybody believes it, they can get away with robbing all of us.
I want to remind you where the real crime is.
It's in the oligarchs taking $170 billion of our money from health care and food assistance and public programs and taking that and funneling it into a secret police program.
It's the authoritarians trying to create a black box because once it is established, they can put political dissidents inside of it.
But their hatred is a story, a myth, and we can choose to reject it.
Donald Trump and Stephen Miller want you to believe that this is who we are as a country.
And we are here to say that it is not.
We are a country that has fought and defeated the Confederacy, that has defeated a history of civil rights violations, of secret police, of fascism.
We are a country guided by a monument to freedom on the waters of New York City who shines brightly and welcomes, quote, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free to our shores.
Today, I rise with a heavy heart to honor the life of the former mayor of Canton, Ohio, Thomas Barnaby.
As a focused and committed public servant, Mayor Barnaby served the city of Canton and Stark County for more than 50 years in various capacities, but with the same dedication that drew praise and admiration from across the region.
As a lifelong Stark County resident, Mayor Barnaby graduated from Lehman High before attending Brown University and later serving his country with the United States Army in Vietnam.
Mr. Barnaby later attended the Ohio State University College of Law before beginning his long career in public service.
Tom Barnaby got his start as an assistant prosecutor at the Massilland Municipal Court, then served as Canton's assistant law director, law director, and as a Stark County Commissioner and interim director of the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority.
Canton voters first chose Mayor Barnaby to be mayor in 2015, where he served for two terms as a compassionate listener and problem solver.
When he first took the job, the city of Canton faced significant budget deficits, but by the time he left office, the city had a roughly $12 million surplus.
Mayor Barnaby championed the cause of affordable housing, helping working families across Canton realize their own American dreams while calling Canton, Ohio their home.
Before serving as Mayor, Barnaby sat on the Stark County Board of Commissioners from 2010 to 2015.
And in every role, he brought fairness, humility, and a true commitment to helping his community.
As Mayor, Barnaby worked tirelessly to make Canton better.
He oversaw the construction of Centennial Plaza and supported workforce development, after-school programs, and essential social services.
His work made a real difference in people's lives, and the city is stronger because of him.
I want to say personally, it was a privilege to work with him.
He cared deeply about Canton, and he never stopped fighting for its future.
When I saw him at the swearing-in of his successor, I asked him if he was really going to retire, or was he going to pretend to retire?
And he said, don't worry, you'll still see me around doing the work of the people.
As a Renaissance man, Mayor Barnaby repeatedly displayed his love and support for the arts, especially in 2016, as he and his wife Bebe appeared as dinner party guests in a Canton ballet production of The Nutcracker.
Mr. Barnaby also loved supporting the Cleveland Guardians, the Ohio State Buckeyes, and spending time with his dog Rosie.
Mayor Barnaby passed away on December 11th at the age of 89, just one day before his wife Beebe and him would have celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary.
His loss is deeply felt by everyone who knew him.
Following his passing, Governor Mike DeWine ordered that flags be flown at Hastaff at all public buildings and grounds to honor his memory.
This past weekend, the city of Canton had the opportunity to pay our respects to a giant, a leader, a father, a grandfather, a husband, and public servant.
And so today, on behalf of Ohio's 13th congressional district, I send my sincere condolences to his wife Beebe, his daughters, grandchildren, and all who knew and loved him.
May the memory of Tom Barnaby inspire us all to continue the work that he so believed in and so believed in in the city of Canton.
The chair recognizes the gentleman from Kansas, Mr. Mann, for five minutes.
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Mr. Speaker, the first time I spoke on this floor this year, I've highlighted the vision the nation and her constituents charged us to usher in when they elected this Republican majority earlier this year, a year ago.
The 77 million Americans had given this Congress a mandate to restore common sense solutions and get our country back on track.
The country was overwhelmingly frustrated with the open border, the Green New Deal, the heavy-handed regulatory policies from the Biden-Harris administration, and we all wanted the madness to stop.
This Republican majority has been laser-focused on keeping our promise to America, and I'm proud of all that we have accomplished in little under a year.
For years, the nation watched as radical activists targeted the right to life, the right to bear arms, and even the freedom of speech.
These rights are fundamental to who we are as Americans.
On September 10, 2025, the country saw the unimaginable happen when Charlie Kirk was senselessly assassinated for practicing his right to free speech in open debate.
That is not who we are as Americans.
Rather than allowing this evil to silence patriotic Americans, this majority recommitted ourselves to our founding values and the fact that we are endowed by our creator with inalienable rights and the government exists to secure those rights, regardless of what way the political winds are blowing.
As we move into 2026 and look forward to celebrating the 250th anniversary of our great nation, it is important that we recommit ourselves to faith, family, and freedom and continue fighting to ensure the leadership on our nation's capital supports and affirms our God-given rights.
As I talked with Kansas about the challenges here in Washington, we all agreed we need more Kansas values and common sense solutions.
While there's still a lot of work to do, we had a strong start to restoring this common sense leadership.
Over the course of the first three months of our Republican majorities in the House and Senate and President Tump's presidency, we repealed Green New Deal policies that hindered small businesses, stifled innovation, and drove up costs for everyday families.
President Trump's policies delivered the safest border in our nation's history, with customs and border protections showing a 95 percent decline in daily encounters under President Trump compared to President Biden's policies within the first 100 days.
President Trump and Congressional Republicans' policies enforce the law and work tirelessly to remove bad actors from the country.
Month after month, the data has shown and continues to show that our country is more secure now than ever.
Our national debt continues to be a concern, standing today at $38 trillion.
It is obvious that Congress needs to continue cleaning up our fiscal house.
And for once, we have leadership willing to rein in wasteful spending.
President Trump was the first president in our nation's history to do what is necessary, pause federal spending, go line by line through the federal budget, and seriously evaluate how our federal dollars are being spent.
For many leaders in the nation's capital, this was heartburn.
But for physical conservatives like me, it was welcomed sanity.
Majorities in the House and Senate supported this rollback of wasteful spending.
Rescinded $9 billion in spending for voter ID initiatives overseas, electric buses in Africa, and millions of dollars in LGBT movements around the world.
This wasn't just fiscal irresponsibility, it's highway robbery.
All of Washington should be working with Republicans to rein in our government spending.
But as far-left activists demanded free health care for illegal immigrants, federal spending lapsed and the government shut down for 43 days, putting some of our most vulnerable and brave Americans at risk.
House Republicans remained united, and we did not cave to the radical left.
We should affirm and continue to urge our colleagues across the aisle to come to the table, return to regular order, and get our fiscal house back in order.
Together, this majority has enacted policies that restore the American dream.
As a fifth-generation Kansan, I take that American dream very seriously.
For five generations, my family has farmed, raised cattle, and been involved in our western Kansas communities.
I want my children and future grandchildren to be able to do the same.
The Working Families Tax Cuts passed by Congress to help restore the American dream by making the Trump tax cuts permanent and ushering in a new era of economic prosperity for growth in this country.
Our legislation prevented Kansans from seeing a tax hike of more than $2,000 this upcoming January, made long overdue investments in strengthening the farm safety net and restored American energy dominance while ensuring affordable, reliable energy access for families across the country.
The future of Kansas families voted for this have waited for years to get a degree of relief from the historic inflation levels caused by President Biden.
Serving in the big first district of the U.S. House of Representatives is a tremendous honor, and I look forward to all that we're going to accomplish next term as we celebrate all the victories of this year.
Mr. Speaker, let's talk about a topic of vital importance: the rising cost of living in America and the rising unemployment rate.
700,000 more workers got pink-slipped.
Throughout the last year, the President of the Free World made numerous golden promises that prices would come down under a Trump administration.
Unfortunately, to date, that promise hasn't been kept.
Everywhere I go in my district, from Bryan to Defiance, from Sandusky to Toledo, I hear the same plea over and over.
Life isn't affordable and it's getting worse, Marcy.
My constituents in northwestern Ohio are struggling to afford the costs of their groceries at the checkout counter.
They're struggling to afford their costs of rent, of buying a home, and property taxes are on the rise.
In Ohio, health insurance costs, too, are set to skyrocket for over 500,000 families due to inaction to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
This July, households in Ohio saw their monthly energy bills increase a minimum of 10 percent, some more than doubled.
With AI data centers competing for land, Congress must help local communities develop plans to prevent rising bills for energy and water.
Our constituents in the White House told me that her family already saw their energy bill go from $230 a month to $494 in July.
How can any family afford that?
In my part of the country, the Great Lakes, our region's economy is intertwined with our neighbors to the north, Canada, our largest trading partner in our Great Lakes nation.
If we were a country, we'd be the third largest economy in the world.
So why is this administration and Congress hurting us?
Punitive tariffs have sent our regional economy spiraling.
The cost of lumber is up.
The cost of cars are up.
The cost of steel is up.
The cost of potash is up.
The cost of almost everything is up.
This hurts not only our consumers, but also our workers who make Toledo Jeeps or parts for other American automakers like General Motors and Ford.
Thousands of auto workers have been laid off.
Tariffs also really hurt our farmers in the field.
They've lost a major share of markets in corn and soy abroad because of reckless trade wars.
Higher input costs cripple the ability to farm the same fields their families have farmed for generations.
Cattlemen in our region are struggling to feed their herds and also get their beef to market affordably at the same time that President Trump gave $40 billion, handed over $40 billion in American taxpayer money to Argentina, whose farmers are trying to undercut the very cattlemen I represent.
One farmer called my office yesterday.
He made $100,000 less this year because of tariffs and rising input costs because of tariffs.
And he said, Luckily, Marcy, we saved some money from the Biden years, but our income has been very, very difficult to meet rising costs.
And we make some money from ethanol and biodiesel.
Keep up the work on that, Marcy.
He said, Mr. Speaker, tens of thousands of people across northwestern Ohio, 500,000 Ohioans in total, and 15 million more nationwide are at risk of losing their health insurance, being priced out of the market.
A constituent from Clyde, Ohio said, Marcy, high insurance prices will allow people to die by making health insurance unaffordable.
It was terrible for our family before the ACA.
We will band together to try to help feed our neighbors, but we aren't doctors.
We need affordable health care.
A Toledo resident told me their family cannot afford another crushing expense.
And I quote, Groceries cost more than twice what they did a few years ago.
Child care and rent are up for us more than ever.
And now, unless Congress acts, our health insurance premiums could double.
For a family like mine, that means an extra $100 per person per month, money we simply don't have.
Please extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits and protect working families.
We need relief, not higher costs.
These pleas aren't aberrations.
They come every day.
They're the norm.
Wherever I go, I hear someone suffering under rising costs.
Our neighbors are struggling to afford their groceries as states nationwide are trying to cut snap dollars for those who need them and limit what they can buy.
Meanwhile, food costs across the board are up 3.1 percent.
Beef and veal are up 14.7 percent as of the end of September.
A pound of beef costs $6.23 or more is simply just unaffordable.
That number continues to climb.
For the last year, there's been no action by the majority in this chamber, by the White House, or anyone else in power to address the affordability crisis.
Hello?
Hello?
Reckless and ill-considered tariffs have made it worse.
Let me assure you, people in Northwest Ohio are paying attention and deciding how to live.
We need this Congress and the President at the other end of this avenue to work together.
Pursuant to Clause 12A of Rule 1, the chair declares the House in recess until noon today.
unidentified
On this Tuesday, December 16th, the U.S. House is considering a number of bills, including legislation implementing stricter background checks for unaccompanied migrant children entering the U.S. Another measure allows the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to block the closure of older aging power plants.
Now, also this week, the House is taking up the Republicans' health care bill that seeks to lower costs ahead of the expiration of enhanced health care subsidies at the end of the year.
That proposal is scheduled to be debated on the floor tomorrow.
Watch live coverage of the U.S. House when lawmakers return here on C-SPAN.
Well, the U.S. gained 64,000 jobs in November but lost 105,000 in October after cutbacks in the federal government.
The Labor Department numbers show the unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent.
It's the highest rate in four years.
Both the October and November jobs numbers came in late due to the 43-day government shutdown.
National Environmental Policy Act Processes00:07:53
How close is the United States to being energy secure, or another phrase we hear, energy independent?
unidentified
Right.
We're pretty close.
And honestly, we've been close to becoming energy independent for a number of years.
And there's a little bit of fallacy with that because North America, in particular, Canada and the U.S., share some of the same energy infrastructure and connectivity.
So if we said North America, we are pretty much energy independent now.
For energy projects, and obviously there's various energy sources out there, but how long does the permitting process take for a new energy project generally?
unidentified
Yeah, so under NEPA, National Environmental Policy Act, the idea is that we get all the stakeholders together and then decide whether to go forward with a project.
Or maybe you have an idea on how to make it better.
Well, that's the idea.
What actually happens now is it can take a decade or longer to permit a project.
And when you're talking about the transmission line of 10 years from now, look outside because it's what we've got today is what we're going to have in 10 years.
If you want to talk about permitting and energy projects in the United States, a real good person to do that with.
He is with the Hudson Institute.
It's the Initiative on American Energy Security, the director there.
Here's how you can call in with your questions, your comments.
Republicans, 202-748-8001.
Democrats, 202-748-8000.
Independents, 202-748-8002, as folks are calling in.
What is the SPEED Act that's being offered by Congressman Westerman, Republican of Arkansas, and Congressman Golden, the Democrat from Maine?
unidentified
Yeah, so that's an interesting one.
It does have some bipartisan support.
The SPEED Act is just that, to try to move these projects more quickly.
And this isn't just for energy, but rebuilding America's air traffic control system, rebuilding Dolus Airport.
No matter what it is, road bridge, it's all caught up in NEPA.
And the idea is that this NEPA process reform targets a timeline.
Make a decision.
Analyze it, sure.
But we need finality of decision.
And whether it is our tax dollars going into this project or whether it's private money coming in, the only thing that's worse than speed, or more important than speed, is uncertainty.
So you're talking about federal agencies sponsor individual private sector projects?
Is that what you're saying?
unidentified
Well, in the case of roads and bridges, it's often the State Highway Department.
But where there is federal dollars coming in, then there's a federal role.
And that's another thing.
If the states are sending their tax dollars through the federal gas tax to Washington, D.C., only to get that money back in, say, Tennessee, is it even a federal action?
Why should NEPA come in at all?
Isn't this really a state decision?
Those are the type of questions that we've kicked the can down the road for a generation.
Talking at the end of the year here on energy prices, what are your expectations for what Americans can expect at the gas pump when they plug into their wall at home?
What should they expect on energy prices come 2026?
What are you seeing as you study this at the Hudson Institute?
unidentified
Yeah, that's a tough one.
I think we see marginally lower prices.
However, as we're talking about AI data center build out that requires more transmission lines, it's an open-ended question of who's going to pay for that new infrastructure.
Consumers think that the AI data center should pay for it all.
Some people think consumers should pay a little bit.
And I think that's going to be a very hot-button question.
But really, when it comes down to prices, it's a global commodity.
And we're talking global supply chains.
And adding investment into infrastructure, whether that's federal tax money or private money, can lower the cost of energy because it makes it more efficient.
But if not done correctly, it can tax all of our bills.