Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the North Central State College Foundation will hold a ceremony in Shelby, Ohio, on April 16, 2026, to mark the induction of its 2026 Hall of Excellence class. I am honored to commend to the House and include in the Record this year's inductees:

Mrs. Zoi Romanchuk serves as president of both PR Machine

Works and Slick Automated Solutions in Mansfield. She also

leads the Regional Manufacturing Coalition, a group she co-

founded nearly a quarter century ago to support manufacturers

across a six-county area. Zoi is a member of the board of The

Ohio State University-Mansfield.

Mr. Mark Romanchuk serves the people of Ohio's 22nd

District in the Ohio State Senate, where he chairs the

Medicaid Committee and is Vice Chair of the Small Business

and Economic Opportunity Committee. Mark is the owner of PR

Machine Works and co-founder of the Regional Manufacturing

Coalition.

Mr. David Eichinger recently retired from the Eichinger-

Brafford-McClead Group of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management,

where he held the role of Senior Vice President. He was a

founding member of the Richland Community Development Group,

formed to spur economic development in the region. As

chairman of MedCentral's Board of Trustees, he spearheaded a

partnership with OhioHealth that has resulted in a major

expansion of health care services in the county.

Selection for the Hall of Excellence is a high honor accorded to only a small number of north central Ohioans each year. To be considered, individuals must demonstrate a vision for and dedication to excellence in the region.

On behalf of the people of Ohio's 4th Congressional District, I am pleased to join in the accolades for these three distinguished community leaders as they are inducted into the Hall of Excellence.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, it is all by design. It is all planned. For 4 years, it was a wide-open border, and 8 million to 10 million people entered this country.

Then, when they got here, leftwing politicians all across the country said: We are going to provide sanctuary for these 8 million to 10 million people who illegally came into the country. Eighteen cities, 11 States, three counties, and the District of Columbia, representing almost one-third of the population of this Nation, said: We will give sanctuary. We are going to tell local law enforcement not to work with Federal law enforcement when it comes to the enforcement of Federal law.

What does that mean in practice? An illegal migrant commits another crime and is in jail in a detention center. ICE sends a detainer there and says: Will you let us know if you are going to let this guy out?

Mr. Speaker, 17,864 times last year, they said: No. We won't work with you. Go get them on the streets.

What happens then? ICE goes out on the street to get them, and the leftwing agitators on the street spit on them, dox them, track them, harass them, and swear at them.

Now, what do the Democrats want to do? They don't want to pay them.

It is all by design. That is their plan for the country. The real question is: Why would a political party do that to this Nation?

I don't know, but they don't want a border, and they don't want enforcement of our Federal immigration law.

That is plain to see. We have a bill in front of us that funds everything except--everything except--ICE.

After what they put these ICE agents through on the street, after letting 8 million to 10 million people into the country, and after providing a sanctuary jurisdiction for the bad guys who did what this leader just said in Chicago to this college student, that is what these guys want.

That is what the country needs to understand, and that is what this election is about this fall.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote for this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding and thank him for his work on this bill.

As a kid growing up in the seventies and eighties who was into sports, I loved watching boxing. Title fights were a big thing. It was comparable to watching the Final Four and the World Series. There were big fights people tuned into, and some of these names have been mentioned: Thomas ``Hitman'' Hearns I remember from Detroit, ``Marvelous'' Marvin Hagler, and, of course, I loved the Sugar Ray Leonard/Roberto Duran fights that took place, especially when Sugar Ray beat him the second time, the No Mas Fight.

Nothing compared to the heavyweight title fights: Ali/Frazier, Frazier/Foreman, Ali/Foreman, Ali/Norton, all of those guys--amazing fights.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman again for the work on this bill. I particularly thank Representative Jack for the good work he has done, hoping that we can revive boxing, this great sport, in our country, and do it in a way that will expand opportunity for young fighters who want to box and want to be in this game and do it in a way that is also healthy for them, healthy for the sport, healthy for everyone. That is what this legislation does.

Again, I thank the chairman and the committee for the bipartisan work that was done. In particular, I thank Representative Jack for the good work he has done shepherding this bill through, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend to the House the memory of Martin Louis ``Mick'' Given of Sidney, Ohio. A longtime business leader and philanthropist, Mick passed away on February 4, 2026, on his sixty-ninth birthday.

Mick was born in 1957 to the late Thomas and Marvalene Given. A lifelong resident of Sidney, he was a 1975 graduate of Sidney High School and a 1979 graduate of the University of Dayton. He then began a nearly five-decade career with Ferguson Construction Company, starting as an estimator/project manager. Tapped as president in 2001, he was named chief executive officer and board chairman in 2018.

Mick's standard of work excellence was a model to all. Under his leadership and drive, Ferguson grew to become the region's fourth- largest commercial construction firm, with more than 300 employees. Mick cared passionately about helping Shelby County to grow and develop. He served as board chairman of the Sidney-Shelby County Workforce Partnership, which encouraged young people in the region to pursue careers in the construction industry. His commitment to future generations earned him honors from the Sidney City School District, which inducted him into its Hall of Honor in 2017. He was also a longtime Associated Builders and Contractors board member.

Mick is survived by his wife, Vickie; their three children, Brent, Jackie, and Leslie; and seven grandchildren. On behalf of the people of Ohio's 4th Congressional District, and in conjunction with my Ohio colleagues Mike Carey and Warren Davidson, I offer Mick's family my condolences as they celebrate his life and his many contributions to the region. We can all be grateful that good men like Mick Given dedicate their lives to serving others, giving back so much more than they receive.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, let's just step back and understand the Democrats' position for a second.

First, they were for a wide-open border. You don't have to take my word for it, just remember what we saw. Every single day for 4 years of the Biden administration, people were lining up on the southern border, camping out under the bridges in the various towns along the border, 8 million to 10 million people in a 4-year timeframe.

They were all fine with that. They lost track of 300,000 kids during that time.

Then, another position they were for was to abolish ICE. They don't want to enforce our immigration laws. No. We have to abolish ICE. Being doxed, tracked, harassed, spit on, sworn at, and attacked, and making death threats on ICE agents and their families, as if that wasn't enough, now the Democrats say we want to get rid of them altogether. That is really going to help the situation in our country.

Third, they are for sanctuary jurisdictions. We just passed legislation in our committee 2 weeks ago to deal with this in 18 cities, 11 States, 3 counties, the District of Columbia. Mr. Speaker, 31\1/2\ percent of the population of this country resides in a jurisdiction where leftwing political leaders tell local law enforcement not to work with Federal law enforcement when it comes to enforcing Federal law. That is maybe one of the dumbest things I have ever heard, but that is their position.

Guess what. Last year alone, 17,864 times a detainer was filed at the local jail, local detention center, when an illegal migrant was in that facility and charged with another crime, and ICE files a detainer and says: If you are going to let him out, give us a heads-up. Just tell us. We will come to apprehend the individual there in the jail so we don't have to do it on the street where our agents are going to be spit on, harassed, sworn at, and attacked. Just let us do it at the jail.

These jurisdictions said no, and now here we are today.

Mr. Speaker, the final one: If you find some fraudster who is a naturalized citizen and rips off the taxpayers, you can't deport them. They are, like, no, we are not going to deport them. We are going to give them, as the chairman said, sanctuary here in the country.

These are the most ridiculous positions: open border, abolish ICE, sanctuary jurisdiction, and don't deport fraudsters who are here.

This is craziness, but that is their position, and this bill is so common sense.

I thank Mr. Taylor for sponsoring this legislation. I think it was Sarah Huckabee Sanders a few years ago who said in a response to President Biden that the divide in America today is normal versus crazy. This is just normal, commonsense stuff. Every position they take is crazy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Taylor and our chairman, Mr. McClintock, for the great work they have done on this legislation, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share positive news about young people from Ohio's 4th Congressional District. Today, I am pleased to commend to the House twelve high school students who are being honored for their outstanding leadership skills and volunteerism.

On February 11, 2026, the Noon Optimist Club of Lima will recognize Andrew Baldauf, Vivian Elrod, Sheldyn Fetter, Daniela Garcia, Jackson Niesen, Emersyn Painter, Eli Pohlman, Russell Powell, Aniya Prowant, Michael Sherrick, Alexandria Weber, and Laila Woods at its annual youth appreciation luncheon. These students were each nominated by their schools for being good role models for their peers.

I thank the Optimists for their efforts to celebrate the many achievements of these students and am proud to join in the accolades to them. They have my very best wishes for continued success in their lives in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3497) to establish a medal of service for law enforcement officers and first responders, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3497, the Medal of Sacrifice Act of 2025, honors law enforcement officers and other first responders who are killed in the line of duty. This bill authorizes the President to award a medal to those law enforcement officers and first responders.

Law enforcement officers and other first responders courageously face danger to protect American communities. While others may flee, law enforcement and first responders run toward crises.

Law enforcement officers uphold public safety by enforcing laws and maintaining order. First responders save lives during emergencies despite the risks to their own safety. These brave men and women provide essential help in times of need, embodying sacrifice for the greater good. Some law enforcement and first responders make the ultimate sacrifice in serving their communities.

In 2024, the FBI reported that 64 law enforcement personnel were murdered while on duty. That same year, another 56 law enforcement officers died because of traffic-related incidents.

The National Fire Protection Association reported that there were 62 fatalities from injuries to firefighters in the United States in 2024.

The medal of sacrifice will honor these brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their communities.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast), someone who has certainly sacrificed and served our country and is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, the Medal of Sacrifice Act of 2025 is a great piece of legislation, and I hope everyone will vote for it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 988) to amend title 36, United States Code, to move the place of incorporation and domicile of the National Woman's Relief Corps to Illinois, to move the principal office of such Corps to Murphysboro, Illinois, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 988.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 988 amends the congressional charter for the National Woman's Relief Corps.

In 1883, the National Woman's Relief Corps was founded as an auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic. This nonprofit organization was founded to perpetuate the memory of those who sacrificed much, and sometimes all, in the American Civil War. Today, the National Woman's Relief Corps provides assistance to veterans of all wars and their families.

In 1962, Congress granted the corps a congressional charter under title 36 of the U.S. Code. Congressional charters often stipulate an organization's place of incorporation and corporate domicile.

In the case of the National Woman's Relief Corps, their charter requires that the organization be incorporated and domiciled in Washington, D.C. Due to changes in the organization over the years, the corps would like to move its domicile to Illinois, and this bill does just that.

H.R. 988 amends the corps' congressional charter to formally change the organization's place of incorporation and domicile from Washington, D.C., to Illinois. The bill further amends the charter by moving the location of the organization's headquarters to Murphysboro, Illinois.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost), who has served our country, not in the Civil War but in a number of capacities, and is currently the great chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 988 is a great bill. I appreciate the sponsor

and his great work. He told me that I did pronounce ``Murphysboro'' right, so we are off to a good start. I hope everyone votes for it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the House during Monday's two Roll Call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted AYE on Roll Call No. 335, S. 284 and AYE on Roll Call No. 336, H.R. 3187.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the House during today's two roll call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 333 and YEA on Roll Call No. 334.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4405) to require the Attorney General to release all documents and records in possession of the Department of Justice relating to Jeffrey Epstein, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4405.

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

Mr. Speaker, we all support holding bad guys accountable, and we are all going to vote for this resolution, but I think a little perspective is important.

Democrats have spent 6 months talking about Epstein, even though they had 4 years to do something about it.

Mr. Speaker, why would they do that? Why would they do that? Maybe

it is to go after President Trump. Never forget that they shut down the government for 43 days. They said: Don't worry about our military. Don't worry about air traffic controllers. Don't worry about our economy. Don't worry about American families. No, no, no. Close the government for 1\1/2\ months because it might hurt the President.

For the past decade, there has been one constant for Democrats: Go after Trump.

They spied on his campaign. Then it was Mueller. Then it was impeachment one. Then it was impeachment two. Then it was all the lawfare: Alvin Bragg, Fani Willis, Letitia James. Then it was the Arctic Frost investigation at the Justice Department, surveilling United States Senators and Congressmen and a whole host of other Americans. Then it was Jack Smith and his gag orders and his raiding President Trump's home. Then it was a 43-day shutdown. Now it is Epstein.

By the way, the same party that did all that, they were also the ones who were texting with Mr. Epstein during a hearing where Michael Cohen was their witness in another effort to go after the President.

Americans see through it all and, frankly, it is actually kind of sad. This obsession, this syndrome, this mindset that says, we have to go after President Trump no matter what that they have.

Actually, when I think about it, I think it is because President Trump and Republicans have accomplished so much that they told the voters they were going to accomplish in the 2024 election. We are actually doing what we said we are going to do.

President Trump said he was going to cut taxes, and he did. President Trump said he would secure the border, and he did. President Trump said he would get men out of women's sports, and he did. President Trump said he would make sure Iran doesn't have nuclear capability, and he did. President Trump said he would get the hostages out of Gaza and back into Israel, and he did. He did this all in 9 months. I don't know what causes this mindset, this syndrome that the left has, but I know one thing: It is real.

Which brings me to last week.

Let's think about what the Democrats did last week. The Democrats released an email that the Oversight Committee had obtained from the estate, an email from Mr. Epstein to Ms. Maxwell. When the Democrats released it, they redacted the victim's name. That is something we all support, something everyone supports, except in this case, no court had ordered that name redacted. No agency had redacted it. The estate didn't redact it. The victim had already went public, so why black out a name? Why black out a name? Mr. Speaker, because she had said in her book and had testified under oath that she never saw any wrongdoing by President Trump.

Let's think about what they did. In an email between two criminals, Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell, they hide the name of an individual who had went public and exonerated the President, and we know why: to distort and twist the message because they thought it might harm the President.

Their position: Cover up the names of people who are already public, but don't worry about other innocent people who the court said should remain private.

Again, I think the American people see through it. They see through what the Democrats are doing. The American people know what this is. They know Democrats have nothing else to run on because of the success of this administration.

Mr. Speaker, I say let's vote ``yes'' on this resolution, and then let's get focused on making sure we are doing what the American families elected us to do.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer), the distinguished chair of the House Oversight Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Kiley), a member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Knott), a member of our committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy), chairman of the Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from the great State of Louisiana (Mr. Johnson), the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

May I inquire as to the time remaining.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Nehls).

Mr. Speaker, Speaker Johnson said it right: Why now after 4 years of doing nothing? It is because going after President Trump is an obsession with these guys.

The best example is that John Brennan testified in front of our committee under oath and said he was not involved with the dossier. The only problem is, Tulsi Gabbard declassified a report, released that report, and it said exactly the opposite. She related a story in there where a CIA official went up to Mr. Brennan and said: We shouldn't include this in the report. John Brennan's response was: Yeah, but doesn't it ring true? Forget the facts. Forget the truth. Go after Trump. Put it in. The same dynamic is at work here.

We are all for protecting innocent victims. We are all for exposing the bad guys who did bad things, but this is an obsession with the left. For 10 years, they have been going after President Trump.

Vote ``yes'' to make sure the bad guys are held accountable. We all want to do that. Speaker Johnson is right. I think it is going to be unanimous, but understand what they are doing because they had 4 years and didn't do a darn thing.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Ohio Agricultural Council will mark the induction of its 2025 Hall of Fame class at a special ceremony to be held next Friday, August 1, during the Ohio State Fair. I am honored to commend to the House this year's four inductees:

John Linder of Edison in my congressional district served as 2020- 2021 President of the National Corn Growers Association. His leadership skills, integrity, and dedication to the promotion of agriculture led to his 2023 election as president of MAIZALL--The International Maize Alliance, which works to break down barriers to trade and innovation. He and his brother are the fifth-generation operators of Linder Farms in Morrow County, where he also co-owns a propane business. John is also famous statewide and nationally as a champion tractor puller.

The late Bill Isler of Prospect in my congressional district was a third-generation farmer and pork producer in Marion County. His commitment to innovation in the field of herd health earned him international recognition. As owner/operator of Isler Genetics, he was among the first to implement specific pathogen-free herd standards. A recipient of the Ohio Pork Industry Excellence Award from the Ohio Pork Council. Bill joins his brothers, Dick Isler and the late Gene Isler, as a Hall of Fame member.

The late Steven D. Maurer of Botkins in my congressional district was a long-time public servant both locally and statewide. For much of the 1970s, he served as Mayor of Botkins, later representing the area in the Ohio Senate for one term. He held top roles at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and led the Ohio Department of Agriculture for several years in the late 1980s. For 16 years, he worked as State Executive Director of the USDA's Farm Service Agency. Steve traveled overseas extensively throughout his career to promote Ohio products and expand our state's trade opportunities.

A native of Carroll County, John H. Davis has dedicated his life to teaching others about the importance of agriculture. After several years in the classroom in Ashtabula County, he was tapped to oversee vocational agriculture education statewide. During his 20 years as Director of Ohio FFA Camp Muskingum, he expanded the camp into a year- round education center reaching thousands of students. John is a former Carroll County Commissioner and a member of the Carroll County Farm Bureau Hall of Fame.

Selection for the Hall of Fame is a high honor that has been accorded to only 257 Ohioans since 1966. Consideration for induction is given to those who have made outstanding contributions to agriculture, Ohio's top industry.

On behalf of the people of Ohio's Fourth Congressional District, I am pleased to join in the accolades for these four remarkable inductees as they are recognized for their commitment to agriculture and their lifetime of service to others. I also thank the members of the Ohio Agricultural Council for their ongoing work to honor Ohio's agriculture leaders.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to commend to the House the extraordinary contributions made by the men and women of Honda's Anna Engine Plant as they mark forty years of manufacturing excellence.

On July 22, 1985, the Anna Engine Plant in Anna, Ohio, opened with 94 associates. Now directly employing 2,900, the facility makes engines, engine components, and EV battery packs for installation in vehicles across the Honda and Acura product lines. More than 32.5 million engines have been produced at the plant, which has grown to 2.8 million square feet and is Honda's largest engine manufacturing site in the world.

The more than $2.9 billion that Honda has invested in Anna supports not just those 2,900, but also tens of thousands employed by Honda suppliers, dealers, and servicers nationwide. As the first Asian automaker to build products in the United States, Honda has long been one of our Nation's most important domestic job creators, contributing richly to our manufacturing base.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the strong role that Honda plays in my district and throughout Ohio. I especially applaud everyone at the Anna Engine Plant for their solid record of flexibility and adaptability that has resulted in forty years of manufacturing success in Shelby County. I wish for their continued excellence in the decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce will hold an induction ceremony in Lima on July 10 to mark the induction of the 2025 Allen County Agriculture Hall of Fame class. I am honored to commend and include in the Record this year's inductees:

John and Mary Rudolph of Rudolph Foods

Walter Paxson

Jim Hefner

Allen County Agricultural Society

Selection for the Hall of Fame is a high honor that has been accorded to fewer than 50 people and organizations since 2013. Consideration is based on each nominee's contributions to the agriculture industry in Allen County.

On behalf of the people of Ohio's Fourth Congressional District, I am pleased to join in the accolades for these distinguished inductees as they are recognized for their commitment to agriculture and their service to others.