Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5131, legislation introduced by my colleague from Alaska (Mr. Begich). This important bill will extend the public land withdrawals for several military installations that operate on public lands in Alaska, California, and New Mexico.

Our public lands do a lot. As we have already discussed on the floor of the House today, they mean a lot to the American people.

One critical function that many Americans may not know about is their role in supporting military training, readiness, and other strategic missions throughout the country.

The use of these lands, as made possible by the extensions provided by this bill, is incredibly important to the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense. I thank the majority for working with us in a bipartisan manner to ensure swift consideration of these provisions.

A version of this language is expected to be included in this year's final version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which is expected to get a floor vote very soon. This will ensure that the critical operations at each of these installations proceed without interruption.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Begich for his work on this bill. I urge swift passage, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 323. Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz was born in 1967 and was a 29-year veteran of the Rochester Police Department. He received the Rochester Police Department Life Saving Award, Officer of the Month Award, 17 Excellent Police Service Awards, and 7 Unit Commendation Awards.

Officer Mazurkiewicz and his partner were shot while undercover investigating a double homicide. His sacrifice while serving in the line of duty deserves to be honored.

I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Officer Mazurkiewicz by naming a post office in Avon, New York, after him.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 1008. Sheriff Adrian Anderson was a 47-year veteran of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office. In 1983, he was elected mayor of Pawling and served as the village's mayor for 8 years. He received five Combat Crosses, which are awarded to officers who perform acts of heroism in their communities.

Sheriff Anderson was an active member of many local organizations, as my colleague shared, serving as a board member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley and chairman of the March of Dimes.

I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Sheriff Anderson by naming a post office in Holmes, New York, after him.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1009.

Paul Piperato served as Rockland County clerk since 2006. He brought strong government expertise that began in 1988, when he joined the county's finance department and later spent 16 years as deputy county clerk.

During his tenure as county clerk, he modernized the office by implementing a digital records system and introduced new, user- friendly, and novel features to its website and mobile services for the public.

Paul Piperato remained an active part of his community, serving various local organizations and youth programs.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Mr. Piperato by naming a post office in Haverstraw, New York, after him, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 1009, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1830, the bill brought before the House by my fellow freshman and Congressional Women's Softball teammate, Julie Fedorchak, to honor Commander Delbert Austin Olson.

He is a hometown hero of Casselton, North Dakota, who served in World War II, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war as a member of the United States Navy. As part of Observation Squadron 67, while descending into a target area in Laos during the Vietnam war, his aircraft crashed in a remote mountainside on January 11, 1968, killing him and his crew.

His remains were not identified until 2002 after being recovered the year before. He was finally laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery in 2003 and received the Purple Heart and Navy Commendation Medal with Valor.

The Senate unanimously passed a similar version of this bill during the last Congress. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Commander Olson by naming a post office in Casselton, North Dakota, after him.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support for this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 2283.

Oscar John Jefferson Upham served honorably in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1896 to 1901. He earned the Medal of Honor for his valiant actions during the Boxer Rebellion in Peking, China. He was also known for firing the opening shot from the USS Oregon at the Battle of Santiago Bay in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.

After his military service, he continued his private life in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where he worked as a letter carrier for an impressive 40 years before his passing in 1949.

Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support for this legislation by encouraging my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Oscar Upham by naming a post office in Guthrie, Oklahoma, after him. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2466. This is a bipartisan bill to rename a local Illinois post office after Jay Larson, who served his community as a dedicated letter carrier.

Jay Larson was killed while doing his job, delivering mail to his community. Mr. Larson was one of four people killed in attacks that took place last year in Rockford, Illinois. He gave more than 25 years of service to the United States Postal Service.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, Congressman Sorensen, for advocating on behalf of his constituent and bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Jay Larson by naming a post office in Rockford, Illinois, after him, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Sorensen).

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 2466, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1461.

Bettie Cole was a longstanding community leader in her home State of Pennsylvania.

Born in Edgeworth on April 5, 1923, she studied journalism and communications. Later in 2000, she became known as the historian of Sewickley Valley's Black community. That year she published ``Their Story: The History of Blacks/African Americans in Sewickley and Edgeworth,'' documenting an often overlooked part of the local community. Her book was published after 20 years of research, including more than 100 interviews.

I commend my colleague, Congressman Deluzio, for advocating on behalf of his constituents and bringing this bill to the floor. I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Bettie Cole by naming a post office in Pennsylvania after her.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Deluzio).

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 1461, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2175.

During his 31 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Brigadier General Frederick R. Lopez was deployed to South Vietnam during the Vietnam war to

lead infantry and sniper units and later held leadership positions, including Deputy Commanding General for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

He earned numerous honors, including the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and Bronze Star with a Combat V, marking a distinguished military career.

In addition to his military achievements, Brigadier General Lopez worked in aerospace and defense, served on national security boards, and remained actively engaged in veterans' advocacy activities.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, Congressman Carbajal, for advocating on behalf of his constituents and bringing this bill to the floor. I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Brigadier General Lopez by naming a post office in Santa Barbara, California, after him.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Carbajal).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I urge the passage of H.R. 2175. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1372.

I offer that I think many members of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform were very interested to ensure that this bill made it in the package today, so I am glad to see it here.

Reverend Harold Middlebrook was born in Memphis on July 4, 1942. He was a civil rights activist, ordained minister, and leader in the community. Through his active involvement with the civil rights movement, he became friends and marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on more than one occasion.

Reverend Middlebrook secured the appearance of Dr. King for multiple strikes and also participated in multiple sit-ins in Atlanta while a minister at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King held a pastorate.

I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Reverend Middlebrook by naming a post office in Knoxville, Tennessee, after him.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support from all of our colleagues for

Mr. Speaker, on December 1, 2025, due to flight delays, I was unable to vote on H.R. 5348 and H.R. 4423. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 306, and YEA on Roll Call No. 307.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to raise the alarm on the Republican healthcare crisis.

Speaker Johnson shut the government down for 43 days and kept the House out of session, effectively running out the clock to find solutions to address the healthcare affordability crisis created by my Republican colleagues.

Now we have just 11 session days left before recessing for the holidays, and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have offered zero solutions.

At the end of the month, the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits will officially expire, leaving 24 million Americans who currently purchase healthcare on the exchange in an unimaginable position. While Mike Johnson may be sleeping soundly and enjoying the holidays with his family, millions of Americans will be up at night worrying about how they are going to pay for health insurance on top of the affordability crisis the Trump administration created with reckless policies.

My family knows what this feels like. My sister, Olivia, was born with microcephaly, which means her brain was small and the doctors didn't know why. Even with insurance provided by my dad's civilian job at the Department of Defense, Olivia wouldn't have gotten the care that she needed to live for 19 years as healthy as possible if it weren't for the Washington State Legislature expanding Medicaid the year she was born.

My family would have faced dire choices about which bills not to pay in order to meet Olivia's needs if it weren't for Medicaid access. Would we give up heating, groceries, school lunches?

Neighbors of mine in Washington's Sixth District are already sick to their stomachs, looking at their monthly costs. For example, a couple in Clallam County, ages 60 and 55, with a household income of $85,000, for them the least expensive plan available would jump from $127 per month to $1,485 per month. That is a 1,062 percent increase.

That same couple in Kitsap County, where I grew up, would go from paying $56 to almost $1,500 a month under the least expensive plan. That is an annual insurance bill of $24,000 without even having to go to the doctor for a medical emergency or routine healthcare.

I recently heard from a neighbor in Port Townsend who said: ``My husband is retiring in a few weeks.'' She retired years ago. ``So although we currently have a good benefits package through his work, we will be on our own for coverage soon. Only yesterday we learned of the substantial increase through Healthplanfinder. We have now determined that the best way to cover our upcoming healthcare costs will be for me to take my Social Security early.''

She says: ``It is upsetting to me that my Social Security will not be used for other living expenses or be as much per month as it would have if I could hold off taking it a few more years.''

She is worried in her last line about not being able to use her Social Security for other living expenses because she is going to have to use all of it for healthcare coverage.

Under this administration, costs are up across the board. Groceries are more expensive. Housing is more expensive. Childcare is more expensive. Gas prices are soaring. Today, the average price for a gallon of gas in Washington State is over $4, one of the highest in the Nation.

Healthcare costs are only one aspect of why millions of Americans are needlessly suffering under this administration. We don't have to keep living like this. It is time for my colleagues to get serious about solving the ACA tax credits, as serious as they were about extending tax breaks for billionaires in July, and get back to delivering on their promise to lower costs for Americans, which Trump promised to do on day one of his administration.

Mr. Speaker, as the Representative of a district full of forests, mountains, and rugged coastlines that are beautiful but often mean a long drive to the hospital, I know that preserving rural healthcare access is literally life and death in our communities.

Tribal health clinics, federally qualified health centers, rural hospitals, and independent providers are facing challenge upon challenge upon challenge. At Grays Harbor Community Hospital, I saw firsthand how tariffs are driving up costs for medical devices and supplies, adding financial strain to already stretched rural facilities.

The hospital recently invested in a new MRI machine, a critical upgrade that offers faster scans and higher resolution images, but because of tariffs, they had to pay significantly more money to purchase this machine. That is money they now can't use for other things.

Advanced medical equipment like this is increasingly expensive under the Trump administration. Add to that the Medicaid cuts in the big, ugly bill and the end of the ACA tax credits, the strain and uncertainty is challenging.

On National Rural Health Day, we should be working together to expand care, not making it more difficult for rural communities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Joel Kawahara, a 70- year-old commercial fisherman who represented the very best of our maritime community.

In August, Joel was lost at sea while doing what he loved the most, which was fishing for salmon in the Pacific.

Joel wasn't just a fisherman. He was the 2009 National Fisherman's Highliner of the Year, known up and down the West Coast for the exceptional quality of his catch.

What truly set Joel apart was his unwavering commitment to conservation. For over 30 years, he served on the Save Our Wild Salmon coalition. He would cut his own fishing trips short to attend policy meetings. The last time I saw him, while walking through the boatyard in Port Townsend, he stopped working on the Karolee to talk to me about NOAA and how important it was to protect.

Friends remember his infectious laugh at beach parties and his generous spirit. He put his family's 80-acre property in a conservation easement. He understood that caring for the land means caring for the fish and caring for the fish means caring for future generations of fishermen.

Mr. Speaker, Joel showed us that a well-lived life is one spent fighting for what we believe in while lifting up our community along the way. We honor Joel's memory and his legacy of service to our waters and our way of life.

Mr. Chair, I was going to say some nice things about rising in support of a bipartisan NDAA that supports housing, healthcare, and childcare, but I have sat here appalled at the language that we have heard on the House floor from the other side of the aisle.

I stand in strong opposition to the person from North Carolina's amendment. I have sat listening to her violent, dangerous, and dehumanizing vendetta against parents, children, and trans people trying to live their lives and trying to defend our country.

This is a pattern of the unhinged political war on trans people that this person from North Carolina, the Republican Party, and the President are waging.

Denying the ability of out trans folks to serve in our military isn't enough for these people. The person from North Carolina is trying to erase the existence of trans people from forms, from hallways, from our military, and choosing violence.