Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the Springboro Panthers women's basketball team on making it to the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Tournament.

I congratulate the girls and Coach Mike, who is in his first season with the Panthers. Coach Mike celebrated their grit and effort after the girls clenched the win in the second overtime after overcoming a 35-30 deficit in the fourth quarter.

This season, the Panthers went 23-5. This impressive record is taking them to the University of Dayton for the first State tournament match- up on Friday.

This is the second time in school history that the girl's team has made it to the State tournament, the last time being 1978.

We are wishing them luck on their journey in the State tournament, and hope that their hard work continues to pay off.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the very serious national security and global stability crisis that we face--preventing a global war in Eastern Europe and in the Middle East.

There is now a bipartisan bill that should be brought to a vote to prevent what we all know could happen because it has happened before.

It was 1938 when Hitler took Austria. A policy of appeasement was pursued. A year later, Hitler invaded Poland. Appeasement didn't work.

In fact, appeasement cost American taxpayers the equivalent of $4 trillion, over 400,000 soldiers killed, and 6 million Jews murdered.

We may not get this bipartisan national security and global stability bill because of the dangerous ideology of appeasement.

Unless folks are compromised, it is appeasement. Encouraging Putin to do whatever he wants--which are the actual words of the former President, and something that many in this Chamber believe--is shocking.

We cannot appease Putin as others did with Hitler. We must push Putin back and get him out of Eastern Europe now. We have to pass this bill, and when the Speaker brings it to the floor, we will.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in absolute disbelief and genuine disgust with what the Speaker did tonight.

He knowingly allowed a bill to fail that would have provided critical support for our troops fighting terrorism in Iraq and Syria and for critical support for Israel. He did it because he wanted to embarrass Democrats.

He also intentionally left out much-needed humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, essential support for Ukraine, and essential support for Taiwan. He chose this horrific, dangerous new brand of partisan politics over our troops, our allies, and millions in need.

The fact that Palestinians need humanitarian aid, Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin, and Taiwan needs support against China is absolutely of no interest to the Speaker.

Representative Goldman and I attempted to amend this bill to include aid for all three, but we were denied.

We will keep fighting to fund Ukraine, Taiwan, and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. This is what the American people want. It is what our global partners need. It is what this moment requires of us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bipartisan Senate bill that would strengthen our national security, secure our borders, and support allies across the globe.

The American people have asked us for solutions, and this bill is packed with solutions, solutions to address the border and the fentanyl crisis. I was at one of the busiest border crossings on Friday, and this bill gives those folks the staff and the reforms that they need and the administration and the authority they need to close the border when it is overwhelmed.

The bill also provides solutions to support our allies, to stop Putin from pulling the world into a much larger, deadlier war in Eastern Europe, to provide funds to Israel and vital humanitarian aid to Gaza. We must end this war, and we need the assurance of stability and prosperity for Israel and Gaza.

I believe there is bipartisan majorities in both Chambers for these solutions if leadership gets behind them. The American people want this. The Speaker works for us, not Donald Trump. Bring us this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about what is at stake right now, who is here to lead, and who we have to watch out for.

Last year, there was a small number of more extreme Members that took this country to the brink of default, but a bipartisan majority of us voted to stop that and to protect our economy. When the Speaker brought us a bipartisan bill to fix air travel, that same bipartisan majority of us voted to pass that, too.

Is that bipartisan majority gone? No. We are still here.

In fact, last night the Speaker brought to the floor a bipartisan bill to provide meaningful tax relief for families and small businesses, and we passed it overwhelmingly. So bring us a bipartisan budget to protect millions of jobs and critical investments in our families. We will pass that, too.

Bring us the bipartisan bill agreement to fix the border. We will pass that.

The largest majority in this House is our bipartisan majority. Bring us these bills. We will pass each and every one of them, and that is what the American people want and need us to do.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz for doing this Special Order again tonight. This is the second, maybe third time she has done this to ensure that we do everything we can to tell these stories and to convince Hamas and those who fund Hamas to release every single hostage.

I am here to speak about Tsahi Idan. He was kidnapped on the 7th. Just after his daughter was killed, he was taken from his wife and his other child. They heard the sirens. They went into their safe room. Before long, a neighbor, who had been forced by Hamas, forced their way into the bomb shelter.

Imagine being in there with him. His teenage daughter throws herself against the door to protect herself and her family--her dad, her sister, her mom. She was immediately shot and killed.

He sees this, and then is taken, and he has been held hostage for 115 days.

I go back to Israel in a couple weeks, and it is entirely possible that I will get to spend time with him if Hamas releases the hostages.

Like him, I am a father. I have a teenage daughter. I hate this war. I want this war to end. I join all of us who have called for a cease- fire. We can't end this war until all of the hostages are home.

I know that others will stand up tonight and talk about the lives, stories of others being held hostage. Over a

hundred still remain in Gaza, including a 1-year-old. It cannot be overlooked by all those pushing for peace and a cease-fire that the quickest way to end this war is for Hamas to release these hostages, to get every single one of these hostages back home to their families and to their communities.

I hope that is something we can all agree on.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the efforts to undermine women and girls. The majority brought two bills forward that most Americans would reject.

One was a bill to protect misleading antiabortion pregnancy centers that aren't required to use actual medical professionals. The second restricts campuses from using literature that does anything other than encourage women to carry a pregnancy to term.

These were bad bills. Instead, I encourage my colleagues to support two bills that we will introduce next week. One, we want to prohibit funding for those pregnancy centers that mislead women and keep them from the medical care they need.

Two, we want colleges and universities to address the crisis of sexual assault on campus. Instead of requiring pamphlets to be passed out, they should require colleges and universities to report on sexual assaults and submit plans that would end this nightmare for women on campuses across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to end these efforts to undermine women and girls, and instead, pursue policies that empower and protect all those we serve.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of bipartisanship. There are more than 300 of us in this Chamber that will support a bipartisan budget agreement. Yet, there are a few who want to see the government shut down.

A shutdown will lead to any number of awful things with our economy. It will hurt millions of workers and every single American.

There are more of us who are determined to keep this government open, but we need a bill, and that is what we are asking for, a bipartisan budget bill that we can pass.

Mr. Speaker, this is as serious a moment as it gets.

Madam Speaker, I thank my very good friend and colleague from the great State of Ohio, Marcy Kaptur, for her leadership on this. It is remarkable.

Madam Speaker, I, too, rise today in support of Ukraine and its fight against tyranny. Imagine where we would be, the global community, had the United States and Europe joined forces in 1939 to stop Hitler when he invaded Poland?

The world is watching us now, and Russia wants nothing more than for the United States and our allies to abandon Ukraine. That is the big win for Putin.

Abandoning Ukraine would give Putin and his despots like him the green light to further their wars of imperialism and expansion, and history, as I mentioned, shows us that appeasing autocrats has devastating consequences. Doing so could draw the United States and our allies into direct conflict, putting American troops in harm's way.

Ukraine is fighting for its survival. Eastern Europe is fighting for its survival. The United States in partnership with our allies must stand firm by Ukraine's side as it fights to defend its freedom, its sovereignty, and its future.

We have to pass a budget. We have to pass this much-needed investment in our global partners. We can, if and when the Speaker realizes how serious of a moment this is and decides to be serious and bring us a bipartisan bill which will pass overwhelmingly.

Mr. Chair, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 700.

Stated against:

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and to my colleague, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, for bringing us all together today.

I would just say a word or two about Doris Liber, who I met a few weeks ago. She came to the Capitol with other families who have loved ones who were taken hostage. Her son, Guy, was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7; 26 years old.

He was at a festival with his friends, and terror took over. He was shot in the arm and called his mother. That was the last time she heard his voice. We hope and pray that he is alive and that he will be released.

Every single one of these hostages must be released. Hamas must release every single hostage, and they must surrender.

They can end this nightmare, and they can end this war.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 643.

Mr. Speaker, for personal reasons, I was unable to make votes. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: NAY on Roll Call No. 592; NAY on Roll Call No. 591; NAY on Roll Call No. 590; NAY on Roll Call No. 589; NAY on Roll Call No. 588; NAY on Roll Call No. 587; NAY on Roll Call No. 586; NAY on Roll Call No. 585; NAY on Roll Call No. 584; NAY on Roll Call No. 583; NAY on Roll Call No. 582; NAY on Roll Call No. 581; NAY on Roll Call No. 580; and NAY on Roll Call No. 579.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our letter carriers in southwest Ohio and across the country.

These folks keep our communities connected. They deliver everything from birthday cards to magazines, Social Security checks, and lifesaving medication. They are also facing more and more threats and violence.

Hundreds of letter carriers across the country have been assaulted on the job. Earlier this week, in southwest Ohio, there were two armed robberies of letter carriers within 12 hours. Thankfully, they are both expected to fully recover, but this has to stop.

We need to protect our letter carriers from these assaults. That is why I have sent requests to the Postmaster General urging him to deploy enhanced training and safety measures and to the Attorney General urging the Department of Justice to prosecute these crimes to the fullest extent of the law.

Mr. Speaker, I thank our letter carriers across the country for their service. We will keep working with our colleagues in Congress to fight for them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor our guest chaplain, Bishop Michael E. Dantley of Christ Emmanuel Christian Fellowship in the neighborhood of Walnut Hills in the city of Cincinnati.

Bishop Dantley has been the senior pastor of Christ Emmanuel for over 40 years, almost 50 years. He has worked to establish a grade school and built a program for the homeless, formerly incarcerated, and men battling addiction.

He has been honored by numerous community groups, including the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, and uplifts his congregation with messages of hope and healing every week.

As you heard today, he invokes action--to act for the good of our neighbors, especially the least of these.

Bishop Dantley has been a guide and source of strength for me, inspiring me to act even when I wasn't sure I could and to act in service of those I represent, especially those most marginalized.

I thank Bishop Dantley not just for joining me today but for his decades of service to our community and our country.