Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill. I rise in opposition to any effort to cut veterans' benefits.

Let's be clear. This bill raises the cost of the VA Home Loan Program during a housing crisis, and this program and this bill cuts VA benefits for current veterans who don't have them and for troops downrange right now for two of the most common conditions they may experience: sleep apnea and tinnitus.

This bill sells off more VA and veterans' care to the private sector. It continues the privatization push of the Trump administration and so many congressional Republicans. I am not going to take a lecture on fiscal responsibility or accept this argument from the Republicans and the Trump administration that you have to fund veterans' programs by cutting care or benefits for other veterans.

The same people who have funded an Iran war at the tune of billions and billions of dollars, the same people who added nearly $5 trillion to the debt through their One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which, by the way, has a new name now, I guess. We have lost track of that. That new bill, by the way, would also add $19 trillion over 30 years.

Mr. Speaker, there is no problem on the Republican side with adding to the debt when it comes time to give tax breaks and tax giveaways to the ultrarich and to corporations, but when it comes time to care of veterans, now they are counting pennies.

Let's be crystal clear about what this bill does. It says to troops downrange right now who are in harm's way that they have to have worse benefits than veterans have today to pay for benefits and care that other veterans have earned.

That is ridiculous. It is why groups like the VFW, the IAVA, and others oppose this bill. It is why I think Democrats and Republicans should oppose this bill on the floor today.

For this reason and many others, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House Rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an amendment to this bill.

The amendment would change the offsets used in the bill. Instead of reducing the VA home loan benefit and cutting disability benefits for sleep apnea and tinnitus, it takes unobligated, appropriated but not committed, funding given to the DOD in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and uses it as a pay-for.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I hereby remove my name as cosponsor of

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and memory of an incredible young man in western Pennsylvania, Arjun Kapur, who sadly passed away at the young age of 17.

Arjun was passionate about his love of country and wanted to make our country better. He had a lot of ideas about how to do that, and he acted on those.

He was an intern with my team and was part of Congressman Jamie Raskin's Democracy Summer program.

In just 17 years, Arjun did a lot. He attended Sewickley Academy and competed in mock trial, Model UN and EU, and he founded the Sewickley Law Review.

He worked hard, and he was an avid archer. He rode horses. He played guitar. He painted, and he traveled the world with his family.

He planned to attend The George Washington University this fall on a Presidential scholarship, no doubt well-earned.

Arjun's life was cut far too short, and yet still, he made a lasting impact on so many, including me.

He will be dearly missed by his family: his parents, Bobby and Jayne; his brother, Dylan; and so many others in western Pennsylvania and beyond.

Arjun would want all of us to keep up the fight to make this country of ours the shining city on a Hill that he dreamed it could be.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York.

I support the bipartisan War Powers Resolution. We find ourselves, once again, in a foolish regime change war, much like the one that my generation was sent to serve in Iraq that cost thousands of lives and a trillion-plus dollars.

I have heard lots of justifications on the other side for why this, number one, isn't a war while I heard the gentleman from New York call it a war. That is what it is. The Defense Secretary has called it a war. That is what this is.

I have seen pointing to different authorities here and there, between the laws, that might justify this.

Congress has not declared war. Congress has not provided a statutory Authorization for Use of Military Force. The third condition of the War Powers Resolution that could allow the President to do such a thing is that the United States is under attack. We, of course, were not under attack when the President started this war that we don't need to fight today.

That is the War Powers Resolution. Those are the three bases that a President can use force under the War Powers Resolution.

Let's not forget that the American people want life to be less of a rip-off here at home. They want healthcare they can afford and housing. I can go on and on.

What they don't want is Americans coming back in flag-draped caskets and billions of dollars spent overseas.

Today I asked the Trump administration officials for the cost of this war. They can't answer the question. Those are the basic things you have to know before you send Americans to fight, Mr. Speaker.

We should support this resolution and put a stop to this now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and memory of my constituent, Daniel Kinross, who passed away recently at the age of 82.

Dan loved his family, his community, and his country. He lived a life of service to them all. He proudly served our great country in the United States Coast Guard. Throughout his life, he focused on his community, serving as a Ross Township commissioner and a coach of youth sports teams.

Service was in Dan's bones. In western Pennsylvania, a life like Dan's, devoted to family, community, and country, shows exactly who we are.

Humble, proud, and always ready to do our part, Dan embodied the very best of our western Pennsylvania values: hard work, patriotism, and sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, I am holding the Kinross family in my heart as we celebrate Dan's life and mourn his passing.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for the time.

Mr. Speaker, to respond to the notion of hypocrisy, that we should rely on the Secretary of State's notification when required, we were not notified--the Congress did not receive notification--or asked for authorization before Americans were sent to fight and to bleed in Venezuela.

Seven Americans were wounded in that military operation. There is a functional blockade of Venezuelan oil. As others have pointed out here, Mr. Speaker, an aircraft carrier strike group sits nearby, poised to again send Americans into Venezuela should the President order it.

Let's talk about hypocrisy. In the 118th Congress, this body voted on two War Powers Resolutions to remove Americans from hostilities that had not been authorized by the Congress. In those two votes, 52 Republicans and 47 Republicans, respectively, thought that Congress ought to have a say about our war powers. What has changed? The party of the occupant of the White House. Be consistent, Mr. Speaker.

I support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and congratulate the many high school teams in Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District that won their WPIAL championships this fall season. Those champions are as follows:

In football, they are Aliquippa, Avonworth, and Seton LaSalle.

In boys' soccer, they are Fox Chapel, West Allegheny, and Deer Lakes.

In girls' soccer, they are North Allegheny and Fox Chapel.

In girls' tennis, they are Shady Side Academy and Quaker Valley.

In girls' volleyball, they are Beaver, Avonworth, and Eden Christian.

In boys' golf, they are South Fayette and Shady Side Academy.

In field hockey, they are Pine-Richland, Fox Chapel, and Shady Side Academy.

In boys' cross-country, they are Quaker Valley.

In girls' cross-country, they are Shady Side Academy.

Mr. Speaker, I say it a lot: We make champions in western Pennsylvania.

I congratulate all the winners. They make us proud at home.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gill) for his support.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask this Chamber to honor and memorialize a beloved western Pennsylvania community leader, local historian, and author by voting ``yes'' on H.R. 1461.

Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Cole, fondly called Bettie by those who knew her and loved her, was born in Edgeworth, Pennsylvania, on April 5, 1923.

She moved to nearby Sewickley, Pennsylvania, in 1939, where she spent the rest of her life. She was a 1940 graduate of Sewickley High School, and shortly after graduation, she married and had two daughters who she raised and nurtured.

Many years later, in 1988, she retired from Point Park College, now Point Park University, as the associate director of office services and the director of the mailing department.

While she worked at Point Park, Mrs. Cole earned her associate of arts degree in journalism and communications. She was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda, a National Honor Society for part-time students, as one of the 13 charter members of Point Park Gamma Epsilon chapter. She boasted at the time she was possibly and proudly the chapter's eldest member and nearly its only grandmother.

She put what she learned at Point Park to work for the benefit of her community, Quaker Valley, and beyond.

Mrs. Cole was passionate about the history of her family and the community in her hometowns.

For 20 years, she conducted countless hours of historic research, including interviewing more than 100 community members. In 2000, that work came to fruition with the publication of her book titled, ``Their Story: The History of Blacks/African Americans in Sewickley & Edgeworth.'' It was a one-of-a-kind documentation of a significant and often-overlooked part of the Sewickley Valley community's history and heritage.

Mrs. Cole passed away in 2016 at the age of 92, leaving behind a family and community proud of her contributions. I think those merit recognition, and what better way to memorialize Mrs. Cole and her work than by putting her name on the post office in the community she loved and chronicled. That history in Sewickley is a rich one, and Mrs. Bettie Cole is a key part of telling that shared story.

The Sewickley Borough Post Office at 521 Thorn Street is a beautiful, historical building. It would become an even more meaningful historical marker for the community if it were renamed the Mary Elizabeth ``Bettie'' Cole Post Office Building.

H.R. 1461 was cosponsored by the entire Pennsylvania congressional delegation, Democrats and Republicans alike. I thank my colleagues for their support, and I ask this Chamber's ``yea'' vote on H.R. 1461.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Colonel Raymond L. Hyland, Jr., United States Air Force, a resident of Cranberry Township, PA, who is retiring after 36 years of faithful service to our Nation and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania following his commission from Air Force ROTC at Kent State University.

After graduating from Kent State in 1989, Colonel Hyland began his dedicated service to our nation. Colonel Hyland served the Air Force in a wide variety of roles over the next thirty-six years, both throughout the country and overseas.

His active-duty years include flying assignments at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Castle Air Force Base in California, Plattsburgh Air Force Base in New York, and Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. In 1999, Colonel Hyland transferred from active duty to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard where he served in various KC-135 Operations and Maintenance roles at the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, culminating as the Wing's Commander.

Throughout his career, Colonel Hyland has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the country. He is a Command Pilot with more than 5,600 flight hours in various aircraft. His personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Air Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal (four awards), Air Force Commendation Medal (two awards), and the Air Force Achievement Medal.

I commend Colonel Hyland for his dedication to our country and the sacrifices he and his family have made. I thank him, his wife Kim, and their two children, Kathleen and Ryan, for their service and wish him blue skies as he concludes a distinguished career.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Colonel Ray Hyland as he retires from the U.S. Air Force.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Darrin Kelly for his seven years of service as President of the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council.

Darrin is stepping down in January after leading the labor movement in Western Pennsylvania. He leaves behind a legacy as a fighter, an organizer, a coalition builder, a strategist, and a fiery champion for the dignity of hardworking people and the sanctity of the union way of life.

Darrin is tough as nails. He knows when it's time to build bridges and he knows when it's time to stand your ground and fight.

Darrin Kelly embodies so much of what Western Pennsylvania is all about: hard work, the sacred labor movement, and service to country.

While his time leading the Labor Council may be ending, I know he'll never let up for a second fighting hard for workers and this great country of ours.

I congratulate Darrin for all he has done for the labor movement in Western Pennsylvania and across America. Fair winds and following seas, Shipmate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Captain Matthew J. Jerbi, United States Navy, a resident of Fairfax, Virginia, who is retiring after 30 years of faithful service to our Nation following his commission from the United States Naval Academy.

After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1995, Captain Jerbi began his dedicated service to our Nation. Captain Jerbi served the Navy in a wide variety of roles over the next thirty years, both throughout the country and overseas.

His assignments include USS Vincennes (CG 49); USS O'Brien (DD 975); USS Mustin (DDG 89); USS Normandy (CG 60); Commanding Officer of USS Independence (LCS 2); Commodore of Destroyer Squadron 7; Director of Warfare Integration; Navy Unmanned Task Force; Deputy Chief of Navy Legislative Affairs: Director, Navy House Liaison Office; and as Special Assistant to the Chief of Navy Legislative Affairs.

Throughout his career, Captain Jerbi has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the country and has always striven to expand his education. In 2001, he earned a Master of Arts in National Security Affairs from the Naval Post Graduate School. His personal awards include the Legion of Merit (three awards), Meritorious Service Medal (five awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (five awards), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (one award).

I commend Captain Jerbi for his dedication to our country and the sacrifices he and his

family have made. I thank him, his wife Kerenza, and two daughters, Isabella and Natasha, for their service and wish him fair winds and following seas as he concludes a distinguished career.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Captain Matthew Jerbi as he retires from the U.S. Navy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the career and honorable public service of Indiana Township Police Chief Steven Colucci, who retired after 29 years on the force this summer.

Chief Colucci first put on a badge in 1996 as a part-time patrolman. He rose through the ranks of detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and eventually earned the top job as chief, where he served for over 3 years.

Chief Colucci was a mentor to many. His legacy includes training a good chunk of the current force, including the new chief, Marc Myers.

I had a chance to work directly with Chief Colucci last year in an effort to upgrade a 130-year-old railroad tunnel in the community that was falling apart and was a real public safety risk. We worked together to push the railroad to make the repairs, and I got a chance to see firsthand his dedication to his community's safety.

Chief Colucci is a true public servant. Indiana Township and western Pennsylvania were lucky to have his decades of service.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Chief Steven Colucci on his well-deserved retirement. I wish him the best in his next chapter and thank him for his service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Washington, D.C.

As the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, His All-Holiness Bartholomew, is the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, including thousands living in Western Pennsylvania. Since his election as the 270th Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome in 1991, His All-Holiness has continuously worked to promote religious freedoms, human rights, and stronger environmental protections.

Through the tireless work to promote international peace and religious tolerance, His All-Holiness was awarded the Gold Medal of Congress during his visit in 1997. During this current visit to the United States, His All-Holiness will receive the Templeton Prize, the prestigious award honoring contribution in religion and science.

I welcome His All-Holiness to Washington, D.C. and I congratulate him on his great achievement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and memory of my constituent, Anthony Berosh, Sr., who passed away recently at the age of 77.

Tony was a dedicated citizen of Beaver County.

His law career spanned over 40 years and he served as the Beaver County District Attorney for decades.

One of his many initiatives in office was tackling the list of unsolved homicide cases in Beaver County.

He secured several successful prosecutions for unsolved ``cold cases,'' getting resources and justice for the families and victims of these crimes.

Following his retirement in 2015, Tony volunteered his time with numerous civic organizations and assisted with the Citizens Police Academy.

In Western Pennsylvania, a life like Tony's--devoted to family, community, and country--shows exactly who we are.

Humble, knowledgeable, and always ready to do our part. Tony embodied the very best of Western Pennsylvania values: hard work, civic leadership, passion, and compassion.

I'm holding Tony's wife, Mary Anne, his family, and his entire community in my heart as we celebrate his life and mourn his passing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and memory of my constituent, James Anthony Vitale, who passed away recently at the age of 66.

Mr. Vitale was a dedicated civic leader in Moon Township.

He was a dedicated public servant, serving on the Moon Township Board of Supervisors for nearly 18 years, holding the positions of Chairman or Vice Chairman for 11 of those years.

And he was committed to his community, representing the township on the Board of Directors of the South Hills Area Council of Governments for 15 years.

Public service was in Jim Vitales' bones.

In Western Pennsylvania, a life like his--devoted to his family and community--shows exactly who we are.

Humble, proud, and always ready to do our part: Jim embodied the very best of Western Pennsylvania values: hard work, service, and dedication.

I am holding Jim's wife, Luanne Vitale, his family, and his entire community in my heart as we celebrate his life and mourn his passing.