Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to talk about an issue that touches every community in this country, mental health.

More than one in five adults in the United States lives with a mental illness. These are our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family members. For many of us, the issue is deeply personal.

Whether one lives in a big city or a small town, almost everyone has a person in their life who is struggling. Chances are that they know someone who has struggled or that they could be struggling themselves.

In Ohio, we have seen just how urgent this crisis has become. We have only about half of the mental health behavioral workforce that we need to meet the demand. In fact, there is just one psychiatrist for every 6,000 Ohioans. That is not just a workforce problem. That is a public health emergency.

The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act would authorize hundreds of millions of dollars and much-needed Federal funding to address this crisis. It also includes my bipartisan legislation, the Mental Health Improvement Act, which provides tens of millions of dollars annually to expand our behavioral health workforce, helping to train, recruit, and retain mental health professionals across the country.

It is a commonsense solution that will bring resources directly to communities like mine and yours, Mr. Speaker, helping to address addiction, reduce suicide, and ensure more Americans get the care they need when they need it.

It is important that this program and others that are included in this bill actually reach the communities that desperately need the assistance. That is why I urge my colleagues to not only pass this bipartisan legislation but also to continue to advocate for its implementation.

Just a few weeks ago, I visited a federally qualified health center in my district. It is called the I Promise Health Quarters, which is supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation. In a meeting with the behavioral health services there, they said they don't have enough people to work for the need that is in our community. This bill would be able to help it.

While we have worked with and come up with a serious solution to this crisis, the administration has proposed cuts and fired hundreds of workers at agencies that are supposed to implement these very programs.

This is unacceptable, undermining the Medicaid program and getting people kicked off. I can't even support this really great underlying bill because of the funding mechanisms. This is unacceptable, and this is why we must show the American people that we have put partisanship aside and put people first.

Mr. Speaker, we can deliver meaningful results. We need to put programs in place that will help our citizens, save lives, and keep our communities safe.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize Lisa Gissendaner, who retired recently as the Canton Program Director for The Ohio State University Young Scholars Program as this week's Champion of the Week for Ohio's 13th Congressional District.

Throughout her career, Lisa helped and supported countless students in Canton City Schools who aspired to be the first member of their family to attend college.

Through her work, she has made a lasting impact on our community, undoubtedly inspiring many more to strive for higher education.

The Young Scholars Program fosters generational change by instilling a college-going culture in underserved areas, inspiring younger siblings and peers to pursue higher education.

For her outstanding devotion, Lisa earned the respect and esteem of many. In the wake of her departure, I know her numerous contributions will not be forgotten. I am confident that her fine character and decisive leadership will be sorely missed.

Again, I thank Lisa Gissendaner for her distinguished career serving our community and congratulate her for being this week's 13th Congressional District Champion of the Week.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to lift up the voice of Julie Robbins, a small business owner from Akron, Ohio, who is sounding the alarm on behalf of hardworking Americans across the country.

EarthQuaker Devices is a homegrown success story in downtown Akron, located in Ohio's 13th Congressional District. They manufacture guitar effect pedals, which are sold across the world, and everything from design to assembly is done right here in the United States.

EarthQuaker Devices employs 34 workers and offers premium health insurance, paid sick leave, a 401(k) match, and competitive wages.

In 2019, they were recognized as the SBA Exporter of the Year. In 2022, after decades of success, they invested in a state-of-the-art automated production line.

This is what American manufacturing should look like, and it is the kind of manufacturing that helped build the middle class in Ohio and across the heartland.

When we talk about supporting American businesses, EarthQuaker is who we should be talking about, and that is why I am talking about them today.

Today, they are facing devastating consequences. Mr. Speaker, you may ask why. It is because of reckless tariff policies.

EarthQuaker Devices imports raw materials because there are no domestic suppliers for the specialized electronic components that they need, but they export even more than they import. That means they bring in more money to our economy. They create jobs right here at home and in my district.

The President's tariffs have increased their cost of goods by $500,000. Let me be more specific. The cost per pedal that currently costs $0.02 would increase to $12.80 by the end of the year, according to an article in the Akron Beacon Journal. That is a 640 percent increase in costs.

With no relief in sight, they are being forced to raise prices, cut staff, and halt domestic innovation, all because of a policy that was supposed to help American manufacturing.

Julie wrote to me earlier this year, and she said: ``Our effective tax rate has skyrocketed, with no explanation or benefit to us. . . . Where is the relief for businesses? Does the government truly not understand the impact of their actions, or is it their goal to destroy us?''

She goes on to say: ``For the first time, I am considering offshoring our manufacturing. This had never been an option for me, but these changes imposed on American businesses make it extremely difficult to manufacture here.''

Mr. Speaker, think about that for a moment. The President's tariff policy, which he alleges is meant to drive domestic innovation and manufacturing, is causing a small but mighty business in Akron to consider offshoring their manufacturing.

This doesn't help Ohio's 13th District and the State of Ohio, and it does not help the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, let's be very clear. Tariffs are a useful tool to level the playing field, and, when properly implemented, they can create jobs and spur manufacturing. As someone from northeast Ohio, I have seen the consequences of bad trade deals and the impact of NAFTA. We are also home to President William McKinley, who the President often quotes and references in his trade policy, but it is 2025, and it is not making America great again to push American manufacturing offshore.

Ohio exports more to Canada than its next six largest foreign markets combined. This country slapped tariffs on our allies. They retaliated, and it is our workers, businesses, and communities who pay the price. Foreign governments are not paying for these taxes, as the President has claimed.

In 2023, Ohio exported over $58 billion of goods and services. That is not just trade. It is opportunity, jobs, and growth, and it is all being put at risk because of impulsive executive orders and a Congress that refuses to check and balance the administration.

If our goal is to stop offshoring and revitalize American manufacturing, why are we punishing the companies that are driving innovation, the ones who are footing the bill?

EarthQuaker Devices isn't some multinational conglomerate dodging taxes and hiding profits offshore. They are a small business that turned a passion for music and creativity into a business. They are our neighbors. They care about our community, and they give back. We should make it easier for them, not harder.

To lower costs, let's go after the price-gouging billionaires and corporate monopolies, not small business owners keeping our communities alive.

Mr. Speaker, I urge this body to listen to the voices of our constituents like Julie. Julie closed her letter to me with a plea not just for her business but for future generations and for the future of manufacturing in this country.

Let us not fail them. Let us not fail Americans.

Mr. Speaker, every time I hear the name and the title of H.R. 1, I am stunned with how childish and immature it is to name a bill the way that the majority has.

However, truly, it is the cruelty that is the worst part of this bill. When I was first elected, I told the people of Ohio's 13th Congressional District that it may be my name on the ballot, but we are all going to Congress together. I made that promise because as a Representative, it is my responsibility to make sure that my constituents' needs are being addressed here in Washington.

The people in Ohio's 13th Congressional District need lower costs. They need access to care, and they do not need this horrible, horrible bill.

I have said many times before that access to maternal health, to infant mortality reduction, to making sure that people have access to substance and mental health services is what is so important. Mr. Speaker, there was no Republican mandate to kick our grandmothers out of nursing homes.

However, the most important part about this is that when 30,000 jobs are on the line in Ohio's 13th Congressional District, Mr. Speaker, what are you going to say to my constituents?

Will you call them lazy or worthless, unworthy of food, shelter, and human dignity? I already know the answer to that.

Mr. Speaker, I have heard you talk about them, that they are not important. They are totally unworthy of this horrible, horrific, mean, cruel, and nasty bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer a resolution honoring one of the most uncompromising voices for freedom in American history, abolitionist John Brown, on the occasion of the 225th anniversary of his birth.

Born on May 9 in the year 1800 in Connecticut, John Brown was a man who did not simply believe in the cause of abolition. He lived for it. He fought for it. Ultimately, he died for it.

From 1844 to 1854, John Brown and his family lived in Akron, Ohio, where he partnered in business with Colonel Simon Perkins, the son of the city's founder. In fact, the house that John Brown lived in was on the same street where I grew up. It was just a few hundred yards away. It was a constant and present reminder in my life to fight for what is right.

John Brown was so much more than a businessman. He was a freedom fighter. His home in Akron became a stop on the Underground Railroad where he harbored enslaved people who had escaped and sought safety and a new life in a more enlightened part of the world.

Later, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Brown used his wool warehouse as another station on the Underground Railroad. He offered dignity, protection, and skills to those who escaped slavery and freed men, including how to farm and sustain themselves in a new life free from bondage.

He used his wool business as a means to travel, to connect, and to advance the cause of abolition across State lines.

However, when Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which made it a Federal crime to aid a runaway slave and compelled even free States to enforce slavery, Brown took a very bold step.

He organized the League of Gileadites, encouraging African Americans to train in arms to defend their freedom against re-enslavement. He made clear: Freedom was not a privilege. It was a right worth defending.

In 1855, Brown and his sons traveled to Kansas, a territory torn by violent conflict over whether it would enter the Union as a free or a slave State. There he joined anti-slavery forces in what came to be known as Bleeding Kansas. He believed that slavery could not be voted away or reasoned away, it had to be confronted.

In October of 1859, John Brown led one of the most daring and polarizing actions in American history.

At Harpers Ferry, Virginia, he led a raid on the United States arsenal, intending to initiate a slave revolt. Although the raid ultimately failed and Brown was captured, tried, and executed, he succeeded in forcing a divided nation to confront the moral crisis of slavery.

Mr. Speaker, John Brown's methods remain the subject of debate, but the righteousness of his cause is not. He understood what so many were unwilling to admit, that slavery was a profound evil, this country's original sin, and that waiting for gradual change meant accepting the continued suffering of millions.

The House of Representatives now has the opportunity to formally recognize his legacy. This resolution honors and commemorates the 225th anniversary of John Brown's birth and recognizes the generational impact that John Brown had on the abolitionist movement and his enduring contributions to ending slavery in the United States of America. John Brown's life reminds us that moral courage often requires action, uncomfortable, unpopular, and even dangerous action. His legacy belongs not only to our past but to our ongoing struggling for justice today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to uplift the story of a hero from Ohio's 13th Congressional District, Mariah Stacy Frederick.

Mariah is the voice and advocate for her daughter, who lives with spina bifida, a condition that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don't form properly.

For Mariah and her daughter, Medicaid is a crucial resource without which they would not be able to afford the proper care that her daughter requires for her condition.

In her message to my office, Mariah said: ``I am asking for the budget to not touch Medicaid funding. My daughter is 2 years old and is just starting to walk on her own. This is all with the support she receives at physical therapy and the Help Me Grow [program]. I would be lost without all of these resources for her.''

Mariah's story is one of heroism, but not different than many of my other constituents', a mother working hard to provide for her daughter who was born and lives with a condition that requires the care that Medicaid provides.

Mariah is fighting to make sure that her daughter is able to keep receiving that care alongside the 200,000 people in Ohio's 13th Congressional District.

What makes this even more infuriating is that this bill is robbing the working poor to pay for tax cuts to buy a yacht or a second home.

Mariah's story is inspiring, and she is not alone. Thousands of constituents from Ohio's 13th Congressional District have called and written to my offices in Akron, Canton, and here in D.C., imploring me to save Medicaid.

That is exactly what I am going to do. I am going to fight for Mariah and Ohio's 13th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the courage, dedication, and sacrifice of the law enforcement officers serving in Ohio's 13th Congressional District and to honor those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Being a police officer is not an easy job. It is one of the most difficult and most dangerous jobs in our society, and in recent years, it has only gotten harder.

As I have met with law enforcement agencies across northeast Ohio, I continue to hear the same concerns. Officers are overworked, stretched thin, and in need of better support and training to meet the demands of the job and the needs of our communities.

That is why I have reintroduced the Law Enforcement Scenario-Based Training for Safety and De-Escalation Act. This is bipartisan legislation that supports law enforcement officers by ensuring they have access to high-quality, real-world training that prepares them for the complex situations they face in the field.

This bill requires the Department of Justice through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, also known as the COPS Office, to develop and distribute scenario-based training curricula that cover de- escalation, crisis intervention, use of force, situational awareness, decisionmaking under stress, and community relationship building.

We know that when law enforcement has the tools and the training they need, it protects both the officers and the public. This bill creates a grant program to make these programs accessible to departments of all sizes, rural and urban, so that every officer in every community can benefit.

This legislation is especially urgent for my community. June 27 will mark 3 years since Jayland Walker was shot and killed by police in Akron. April 18

marks the 1-year anniversary of Frank Tyson's death, which took place while he was in custody in Canton after pleading with detaining officers that he could not breathe.

We cannot ignore these tragedies. We must respond to solutions that promote safety, accountability, and trust. That is exactly what this legislation is designed to do.

We want our citizens and our officers to make it home to their loved ones at the end of the night. That is what this legislation will do. We are already seeing what is possible when departments commit to this type of training.

I recognize the Canton Police Department for stepping up and participating in a 4-week de-escalation program following a recent high-profile incident involving use of force. Their involvement aligns directly with the goals of this legislation. By embracing immersive de- escalation training like the program offered by the Midwest De- Escalation Training Center, CPD has taken meaningful action to build trust with the community and improve safety outcomes for everyone in Canton.

This is exactly what we want to see. We want to see police departments proactively seeking solutions to better serve and protect. It shows that when officers are equipped with the right tools, training, and support, we can prevent tragedies, rebuild relationships, and ensure that both officers and the public go home safely.

The Law Enforcement Scenario-Based Training for Safety and De- Escalation Act is supported by the National Fraternal Order of Police, the FOP, and the Akron NAACP because we all share the same goal of making sure that everyone goes home safely at the end of the night.

When I came to Congress, I promised to put the people of Ohio's 13th Congressional District first. That means supporting our officers, rebuilding trust in public safety, and working across the aisle to get things done. That is exactly what this bill does, and I look forward to seeing my colleagues advance this bill over the finish line.

Again, as it is National Police Week, I thank all the law enforcement officers across Ohio's 13th District and the country for the service that they provide to protect and serve our communities.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the University of Akron Zips Women's Lacrosse team and their coach, Elaine Jones, as Ohio's 13th Congressional District Champions of the Week.

For the first time ever, this lacrosse team won the Mid-American Conference Lacrosse Championship when they took down Robert Morris University in an overtime thriller to secure their first ever championship.

With just 14 seconds left during overtime, a golden goal from Jaelyn Clinkscales propelled the Akron Zips Women's lacrosse team to victory.

The odds were stacked against this team as they were picked to finish last this season in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, but they persevered and beat the odds coming in as the champions.

This historic season was led by Coach Elaine Jones, who also won the MAC Coach of the Year Award.

Congratulations again to the Akron Zips Women's lacrosse team for this outstanding victory. This team is a shining example of why this community is known as the birthplace of champions. I look forward to cheering them on next season.

Go Zips.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the Matrix M3 indoor percussion ensemble as Ohio's 13th Congressional District Champions of the Week.

Last month, the M3 percussion ensemble performed at the WGI World Championships. After their preliminary performance left them just two points in the lead, M3 gave it their all in the finals, securing the first place prize. They are now world champions in the Scholastic Independent division after earning a final and near-perfect score.

The WGI Championship was the final competition in the Matrix M3 percussion ensemble's busy season, after competing in seven different contests across the Midwest. The group is a perfect example of why Ohio's 13th Congressional District is known as the birthplace of champions. I look forward to seeing all that they accomplish in the future.

Once again, I congratulate the Matrix M3 indoor percussion ensemble for bringing home this gold medal. Our community is so very proud of their hard work and incredible talent.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about an issue that touches every community in this country: mental health.

More than one in five adults in the United States live with a mental health illness. These are our friends, neighbors, coworkers, or family members. For many of us, this is a deeply personal issue.

Whether you live in a big city or a small town, almost everyone has a person in their life who is struggling, and chances are you know someone who has struggled or you could be struggling yourself.

In Ohio, we have seen just how urgent this crisis has become, where we have only about half the behavioral health workforce we need to meet the demand. In fact, there is just one psychiatrist for every 6,000 Ohioans. That is not just a workforce problem. It is a public health emergency, a safety issue, and a challenge to our quality of life.

When I came to Congress, I promised to work with anyone from either side of the aisle to address the challenges that matter most to the people of Ohio's 13th. That is why I have reintroduced the Mental Health Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill to provide tens of millions of dollars annually to expand our behavioral health workforce, helping to train, recruit, and retain mental health professionals across the country.

It is a commonsense solution that will bring resources directly to communities like mine, helping to address addiction, reduce suicide, and ensure more Americans get the care they need when they need it.

I hope that everyone joins me in passing this bipartisan bill. Our country demands it.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize Addelynn Ferguson as

Ohio's 13th Congressional District Champion of the Week.

Addelynn is a junior from Portage Lakes Career Center in Uniontown, Ohio, and out of nearly 50 participants, she took home the first-place prize for this year's Congressional Art Competition in Ohio's 13th Congressional District.

I had the opportunity to see Addelynn's winning piece, as shown here, and present her with the first-place prize at a community art show in Akron last week. I can truly say that her piece titled ``Lollipop'' is a captivating and creative portrait of Addelynn's beloved grandmother, Annette.

I had the pleasure of meeting Addelynn and Annette. As you can see, Mr. Speaker, she uses bright, exciting colors that showcase her grandmother's beauty and bright smile.

As the winner of our district's Congressional Art Competition, Addelynn's artwork will be proudly displayed on the walls of the Capitol where visitors from across the United States and the world can see our community's artistic and creative talent.

I personally can't wait to see Annette's smiling face each time I walk to vote on the House floor.

In addition to recognizing her exceptional artistic talent, I also thank Amy Eibel, Addelynn's art teacher at Portage Lakes Career Center.

Art teachers like Amy inspire and support young students like Addelynn each and every day, and we are grateful for their dedication and hard work in the classroom.

I congratulate, again, Addelynn on being the winner of Ohio's 13th Congressional District Art Competition and this week's Champion of the Week. I look forward to seeing what Addelynn and the other talented students in our district create next.

Mr. Speaker, we started this year on a high note.

On January 5, President Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law, expanding Social Security for thousands of Americans whose benefits, that they earned through years of hard work, were cut because of bad policies.

The Social Security Fairness Act is estimated to result in an average increase of $360 per month for more than 2.5 million Social Security recipients, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

These are our teachers, firefighters, and other public service employees who have dedicated their careers and their lives to serving and ultimately improving their communities. At a time when people have been struggling to make ends meet, these benefits could not have come at a better time.

This was a major victory for Ohio's 13th District and all of America, one that I was proud to support as a cosponsor, then by signing the discharge petition to bring it to the House floor before finally voting on it here on behalf of the constituents that I represent.

I have heard from countless people in my community, they are thrilled that they were finally able to get the Social Security benefit that they deserve and earned. There wasn't anywhere that I could go in the community: church, the grocery store, the gym, restaurants, someone always stopped me to thank me for voting for the Social Security Fairness Act and to tell me a story of how it is going to change lives.

You can imagine my disappointment as the Social Security Administration has taken recent actions to hurt, not help, the American people, including those in Ohio's 13th. From cutting phone helplines, to requiring certain services be conducted in person, to slowing down processing times, and closing offices, the American people are not getting the service they earned from the Social Security Administration.

Now, to add insult to injury, the Trump administration is vowing to withhold the benefits of Americans as a result of mistakes made by the Social Security Administration. Instead of making the Social Security Administration work better and remain solvent, the Trump administration is accusing seniors of fraud and calling their earned benefits waste.

The fraud is an unelected billionaire, the richest man in the world, who is cutting services to low- and middle-income families. The waste is the garbage coming out of people's mouths who don't care about seniors and say things like it is just a complicated Ponzi scheme. It is abuse by the Federal Government, abuse of people who worked hard their entire lives to support themselves and paid into a system that promised to one day support them.

Our seniors rely on Social Security to pay their bills, to put food on their tables, to keep a roof over their head, and if the Social Security Administration makes a mistake, it can be addressed in time. However, our seniors can't afford to foot the bill for when they make errors. With more than 97,000 residents of my district living under the poverty line and 175,000 residents relying on Social Security, these payments are, in fact, a lifeline.

In what world is this going to improve America? In what world is taking a lifeline away from seniors improving our economy, and in what world is constantly raising and lowering the hopes of some of our most vulnerable neighbors making America great again?

I have already heard from constituents who have been contacted by the Social Security Administration who are concerned about the changes and the cuts. They have been told that 100 percent of their benefits will be withheld until overpayments were paid back in full. These overpayments were as a result of a mistake by the Social

Security Administration and not the fault of my constituents.

This means that people in my community lose their lifeline to pay for food, housing, medications, and more. This means that people in my community are suffering because of bad policy and abysmal management. Let's fix Social Security. Let's make it solvent, but let's not punish our seniors.

Changes to the Social Security Administration that prevent beneficiaries from accessing their full benefits are nothing more than backdoor benefit cuts, and I will not stand for it. I will always stand in the way of these wolf-in-sheep's-clothing policies. We already know that this is just a setup for cuts, and these changes are setups to pay for tax giveaways for the richest, the billionaires, and greedy corporations.

Mr. Speaker, I hear my colleagues say that there is a mandate, but I don't think that there is a mandate to take housing, food, and healthcare away from our seniors. I ask you and all of my colleagues who I serve with to make sure that we protect Social Security, keep it solvent, and ensure that we are protecting the benefits that they have earned for hard work over several years and decades of service.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate and announce as our champion of the week North Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Wendorf on his retirement after a 40-year career serving the students of North Canton as a teacher, coach, and administrator.

Since he began serving as the superintendent in 2016, North Canton has consistently been ranked as one of the top school districts not just in Stark County but throughout the State of Ohio.

Just last year, the district received a 5-star rating, the highest, on its school report card from the Ohio Department of Education for the 2023-2024 school year.

Throughout his career, Superintendent Wendorf has led by example, demonstrating perseverance, compassion, and dedication for his community, all while supporting strong public schools.

For his outstanding devotion, he earned the respect and esteem of many students and educators alike. While his character and decisive leadership will be sorely missed, I am confident that his numerous contributions will serve as an inspiration for everyone in the wake of his departure.

Congratulations again to Superintendent Jeff Wendorf on his well- deserved retirement. He is a shining example of why this community is known as the ``Birthplace of Champions,'' and I wish him many more years of happiness and prosperity.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise during the first Bipartisan Women's Caucus of the year to stand in solidarity with my colleagues in this historic caucus as we continue the work to break ground on a Women's History Museum on Washington's National Mall.

I would like to thank my colleague and cochair, Representative Monica De La Cruz for organizing this Special Order hour. I would also like to thank the vice chairs of the Bipartisan Women's Caucus, Janelle Bynum and Representative Nicole Malliotakis; specifically Representative Malliotakis for her leadership in transforming the National Women's History Museum from a dream into a real possibility.

Women across the country have shaped and molded this society with their contributions being an integral part of the fabric of who we are, and their efforts, our efforts, and work should be recognized.

The fact that we are here today to celebrate the possibility of a Women's History Museum is incredible. First, it is incredible because why has it taken it so long, and, second, because it is time to recognize the contributions of women in this country.

Of course, the women from Ohio who are the heart of it all will certainly be very much previewed and modelled in this museum, women like Dorothy Dandridge, Nikki Giovanni, Annie Oakley, Florence Allen, Gloria Steinem, Toni Morrison, and, of course, Ohio's 13th Judy Resnick.

The process of including people from a range of backgrounds, including women, is why this history museum dedicated to women that celebrates our achievements and condemns marginalization is not only special but very much needed.

At the founding of this country, women didn't have the same rights as men, but women worked and labored for our place in this society. We couldn't vote. We couldn't buy land, and we couldn't even open bank accounts until about 50 years ago. Societal norms dictated that women were to be devalued and minimized, and it made it easy to overlook and dismiss us.

In spite of this, women have played many important roles in our country, even though they were overlooked, undermined, and in some cases rewritten, even if we were written at all.

When we as women expect to be overlooked and dismissed, it makes it easier for us just to not try at all, not to strive and dream for more, to stay in a lane that society has set for us.

Mr. Speaker, we have so many representations of women who have decided ``no.'' Like our Vice President says, we just eat ``no'' for breakfast.

Representation matters. The fact that young girls and boys will soon be able to see the contributions of women and value those contributions will let them know that they can and should dream big.

On this final day of Women's History Month, I would be remiss if I did not address the elephant in the room. No, it is not my Republican colleagues. It is the attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Including a National Women's History Museum on The National Mall in Washington would ensure that we are including everyone--women, those with disabilities, and women of color--into our national fabric and that we are not forgetting that their contributions are important to this country. They should not be forgotten because we are a part of this country and our history.

The Women's History Museum will archive the vast achievements of women and establish Americans' commitment to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive telling of our Nation's history so that young girls and boys from across the country and around the world continue to strive for greatness, knowing that their dreams are always possible in the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the University of Akron men's basketball team as Ohio's 13th Congressional District Champion of the Week.

The Zips recently won their third Mid-American Conference Championship in 4 years when they took down the Miami RedHawks with a final score of 76-74.

Entering halftime and down 34-46, the Zips played hard the second half of the championship game, tied it up with seconds to go, and ultimately came out on top for the second year in a row.

After losing five seniors at the end of the last season, there was some uncertainty at the start of this season about how successful the Akron Zips would be. The team quickly put all doubts to rest, going into the MAC tournament as the number one seed with a record of 27-6 which included a 14-game winning streak. They even made it to the NCAA tournament.

I again congratulate the Akron Zips men's basketball team for this outstanding victory. The team is a shining example of why this community is known as the birthplace of champions. I look forward to cheering them on next season.