Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate a devoted public servant, Elissa DeVito of Preston, Connecticut. Elissa is retiring from teaching at Waterford Public Schools after over 30 years of dedicated service. Her decades of outstanding expertise and dedication to her community will be sorely missed.

Elissa spent her early life in Rockville, Maryland before attending Syracuse University where she met the love of her life, Michael. Elissa moved to Connecticut in May of 1991. She and Michael lived in Groton and Mystic before settling in Preston in 1994, where they have been ever since.

Elissa chose a path of public service and has dedicated her life to education and teaching. For decades, she has worked as a teacher, helping to shape the minds of generations of children. She began her career with Waterford Public Schools on November 30, 1992, at Oswegatchie Elementary School. She stayed at Oswegatchie until the fall of 2009 when she transferred to Quaker Hill Elementary School. While Elissa has spent most of her career working with kindergarteners, she has also spent a few years working with first and second graders.

Always going above and beyond to create a caring and supportive environment for the students that entered her classroom, it has been Elissa's mission to provide the next generation with the tools they need to succeed. Elissa is a natural educator and has been known as an expert at teaching young students to read. Students go from learning the letters of the alphabet to reading books by the end of their time in her classroom.

As she enters retirement, Elissa is looking forward to spending more time reading, one of her favorite pastimes, visiting her daughters, Samantha, Emily, and Alexa and going on trips with her husband Michael.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to represent constituents as devoted and compassionate as Elissa. Elissa has impacted hundreds of students during her career. Elissa will leave behind an expert skill set and enthusiasm that will be hard to replace, but her 33 years of unwavering dedication to the Waterford community will leave a legacy for years to come through each and every one of her students. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing Elissa DeVito's immeasurable contributions and congratulating her on her well-earned retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to enthusiastically honor Mr. Jon Roe, a pillar of eastern Connecticut, for his lasting contributions to the town of Vernon, Connecticut and the Tankerhoosen River Valley. His more than six decades as a resident of Vernon have been filled with selfless advocacy and dedication to the region that will be long remembered and admired for generations to come. A few weeks ago, on April 24, 2025, Jon was recognized for his selfless volunteer contributions, when he was awarded the Marie Herbst Memorial Award. This award, named after a longtime Mayor and State Senator for Vernon, is reserved for persons who demonstrate outstanding service and dedication to the community.

Jon's journey to this milestone began in the small town he grew up in, in northern New Jersey, where his family had lived for 200 years, which taught Jon the value of small-town institutions. After graduating from Pennsylvania State University in 1961 with a degree in engineering, Jon found his home in Connecticut where he worked at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, a world-renowned engine manufacturer that has powered planes and jets for 100 years. After marrying the love of his life, Janet, in 1963 they settled in Vernon's Tankerhoosen River Valley where they have built and lived their lives for the past 62 years.

Jon always knew he could make a difference when he put his mind to something. He established a deep interest in natural health and spirituality in the 1980s. After 32 years of highly skilled work for Pratt & Whitney, Jon retired in 1993. He took this opportunity to embrace new opportunities, publishing a magazine and helping holistic practitioners move into the mainstream.

Jon built on his interest in holistic health, working with the Vernon Youth Services Bureau to bring awareness to the benefits of holistic medicine to the wider Vernon community in the early 2000s. In 2004, Jon was instrumental in the creation of the Greater Vernon Holistic Healthfest, which hosted their 12th annual festival this March.

Jon has been a dedicated member of Vernon, always longing to learn more about the place he has called home for so many years. After meeting people passionate about protecting the Tankerhoosen Valley, Jon took it upon himself to learn all he could about the area and its people. The Tankerhoosen Valley is located in Vernon and Tolland, Connecticut and is one of the state's Officially Designated Greenways. The area has a rich environmental history that Jon knew he needed to share with others living in and visiting the Valley. He created a website and newsletter to help share what he learned with those around him. Working with volunteer nonprofits, Jon was also instrumental in creating the Vernon Volunteers' Collaborative (VVC) in 2014, a group that serves to preserve the community of Vernon for residents.

Finding his niche in research and sharing information, Jon has dedicated the past 15 years to writing and giving talks about the Tankerhoosen Valley and the early families that lived there. His extensive research and down to earth speaking style, infused with a warm sense of humor, made him a favorite at all his speaking engagements. He recently published a book on Vernon's first 90 years and has several other books planned to continue telling the rich story of northeastern Connecticut history.

Mr. Speaker, Jon Roe has been an exceptional leader in eastern Connecticut throughout his life. I count myself lucky to know leaders like Jon, working so hard to preserve our history for future generations. Jon's commitment to the corner of eastern Connecticut he and his children and grandchildren have called home for decades is evident in his relentless service to the community. His contributions and tireless work will continue to be felt in Vernon and the northeast region.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to please join me in congratulating Jon on his award and honoring his works.

Mr. Speaker, due to unavoidable delays in travel, I missed votes on Monday, May 19, 2025.

Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 132 and YEA on Roll Call No. 133.

Madam Speaker, for the last 5 months, across the country, people have been waiting with bated breath to see what this big, beautiful bill is that the Republicans have been working on behind closed doors, much of it down in Florida putting it together, particularly America's healthcare sector. It has been clear from the outset that the Medicaid program, the program which provides more coverage for more Americans than any other program, 72 million Americans, was a target in this budget reconciliation bill.

Over the weekend, the measure had been released and we finally get to see what, in fact, it looks like. The chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, who is a good friend and a good guy, came right out and said that Democrats are going to use this as an opportunity to engage in fear-mongering and misrepresent our bill as an attack on Medicaid.

Madam Speaker, it is not just Democrats and Republicans that have an opinion about what is happening here, it is about the people that the Medicaid cuts are going to impact, particularly our healthcare sector, particularly the hospital sector.

This morning, Politico's headline shows what their reaction has been over the last 48 hours, which is ``Hospital groups slam cuts to Medicaid in megabill.''

This is a sector that has many trade associations, the biggest one, the American Hospital Association, came right out and said that it will lead to millions of Americans losing access to healthcare and leaving many of our hospitals struggling to maintain services and stay open for their communities.

The Catholic Health Association said, Congress has a moral obligation to consider the harm that this would have for America's most vulnerable communities, cascading effects of lost coverage and cost-shifting will impact nearly every American.

Children's hospitals, who depend on Medicaid, can't cost-shift to older patients on Medicare. They have been blasting this proposal from day one and they have continued it.

Essential hospitals, which are the safety net hospitals for this country, have also said that it is going to lead to closures of hospitals as well as the private-sector hospitals.

The Federation of American Hospitals, Director Chip Kahn, came right out and said that it is imperative that congressional Republicans go back to the drawing board. Too many lives depend on it.

The American Cancer Society, not a Democrat organization, said the results of these Medicaid cuts will be devastating. Lives will be lost and State economies will suffer.

It is not too late for this Congress to finally engage in a bipartisan negotiation about ways that we can address the budget deficit and protect the most vulnerable people in our country, but unfortunately, part of this plan, this, megabill, is a tax cut, and this chart shows who benefits.

This bar here, that is the rich folks in this country, the top 20 percent; everybody else gets peanuts. That is what this cut is aimed at trying to offset, the impact, the fiscal impact, on the deficit that these tax cuts will produce over the next 10 years.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget issued their report last night and they conclude that this plan is going to add $4 trillion to the national debt. That is even with the cuts that were part of the Medicaid plan, which I talked about a little bit more. We have a bill, which is going to cut services, basically put one of our most vulnerable sectors in our economy which we all rely on, our hospitals, at greater financial risk all for the benefit of the small slice of America's population and it is going to add to our national debt, which according to what the committee said is now $36.2 trillion.

Last month, we paid $89 billion in interest on that national debt. That is the second biggest expenditure for the Federal Government. It is bigger than the Department of Defense last month in terms of what was paid, and that is what we are faced with.

This is a gut check moment for this country in terms of where are your values? Where are your priorities? Are you going to listen to the caring professionals, the people who are the nurses and the people that take care of us in times of healthcare crisis? Are we going to listen to that top 1 percent who are clamoring to make sure that their tax cuts--the Bezoses, the Musks, the Gateses--they don't really need the help. The people who are working their butts off every day in hospital wards making sure that we are all healthy and safe and cared for, they are the ones that need the help.

We need to reject these Medicaid cuts and reject this plan. Let's go back to the drawing board, as Mr. Kahn said from the Federation of American Hospitals, and do it the right way. Let's protect our values and protect our priorities, which all Americans depend on.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a stunning, dominant victory by the UConn women's basketball team yesterday over a very good University of South Carolina team by a margin of 23 points, which actually is lower than really where it was for most of the second half.

It is an amazing group of women student athletes who, again, rose to the occasion to take the UConn women's basketball program into further heights with its 12th national title. All records are made to be broken, but it is hard to even imagine any other school's team that could come close to 12 national titles.

They were led by Paige Bueckers who is going to be one of the greats in the history of college basketball. She scored 17 points and had numerous rebounds, steals, and blocks. She has had every award imaginable for a college basketball player: ESPY Award, John R. Wooden Award, and Naismith Awards, but winning that trophy which so far had eluded her is just a storybook way for her career at the University of Connecticut to finish.

She was joined by Azzi Fudd, who is a junior, 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. She was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, which is really saying something when we have a teammate like Paige Bueckers.

Lastly, a freshman, Sarah Strong, had 24 points and 15 rebounds. Over the course of the season watching her grow as a player playing with poise and maturity that defied someone of her young age was something quite striking and amazing.

Their starting line-up was rounded out by Jana El Alfy and Kaitlyn Chen, a portal transfer from Princeton University, with a really deep bench. KK Arnold came out and provided lots of energy during the game.

It was just an amazing team led by an amazing coach, Geno Auriemma. In 2006, which is a long time ago, he already was named to the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, which usually is reserved for coaches after they have retired. However, Geno just kind of keeps going on. Their last win was in 2009, and there were a lot of naysayers out there that while the UConn program has hit its peak, in 2023 in USA Today there was a headline: ``UConn's dynasty is officially dead. That is good news for women's college basketball.''

That is probably the ultimate bulletin board material for someone like Geno Auriemma, if you know him.

What is so striking about Geno is just the loyalty of his players. He had all these former stars of the UConn program who have gone on to be at the WNBA who were all there yesterday in Tampa, Florida, rooting them on. The same for the bench. He is an amazing leader and a really talented coach.

John Wooden, the legendary coach, never got 12 national titles during his time. I congratulate Coach Auriemma and the team.

We have here the college basketball capital of the world. If we add on the six national titles that the men's program has actually accumulated since 1999, its total is 18. I was there for the first one. It was like a religious experience as a UConn fan and a UConn Law

School graduate. That is the same as the Boston Celtics have in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers have 18 titles, as well.

Eighteen titles for a land-grant university in rural Connecticut defies any conventional wisdom about big, high-paying university programs. They just keep getting it done.

Coach Hurley, who coaches the men's team, was rooting on Geno and the women as loudly as anyone. It is a great university sports program that brings everybody together. We are so proud of them, particularly in the Second Congressional District. I have the honor to represent the amazing university campus and stores and also Avery Point.

Well done, bravo, and kudos to all of them. Just watching them celebrate on the court last night was really so exciting for all of us from Connecticut and from all across the country where many of these players come from.

I was texting with the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, which is the home of Paige Bueckers, and he was as happy as anyone in Connecticut to see her great victory.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the extraordinary career of Timothy Bowen as he prepares for his retirement from E.O. Smith High School at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

Tim's remarkable 26-year career as a social studies teacher and student mentor at E.O. Smith will be long remembered by his unwavering diligence, inspiring pedagogy, and the profound impact he had on the lives of countless students. Throughout his distinguished tenure Tim did so much more than teach social studies; he embodied the very essence of the subject--he fostered critical thinking, civic engagement, and a deep understanding of the human experience within his students.

Tim's dedication extended far beyond the traditional classroom setting. The innovative and engaging activities he meticulously planned for his students epitomize what it truly means to be an educator in the 21st century. He cultivated a dynamic learning environment where history comes alive, government becomes relevant, and the complexities of society are explored with curiosity and intellectual rigor.

In 2007, Tim initiated the cherished annual tradition of a farewell celebration for students on the last day of school, a heartwarming display of faculty and staff unity that sets a positive tone for the summer ahead. Similarly, his establishment of a welcoming event for students on the first day of classes in 2015 demonstrates his proactive approach to fostering a supportive and inclusive school climate. His thoughtful recognition of the school cafeteria workers underscores his appreciation for the contributions of all members of the E.O. Smith family. Furthermore, his regular participation as a faculty player in the annual Unified Staff vs Student Basketball Game highlights his commitment to student engagement and inclusive activities. Tim's consistent presence as a chaperone for extracurricular events and his enthusiastic attendance at student performances further illustrate his deep investment in the holistic development of E.O. Smith students.

A cornerstone of Tim's impact lies in his tireless efforts to promote civic education. He established an annual Voter Registration Drive in 2010, and coordinated visits from locally elected officials, providing students with invaluable opportunities to engage directly with their government. Tim initiated another annual tradition in 2007 when he invited me as the Congressman for eastern Connecticut for a ``Student Town Hall'' to engage in a question and answer dialogue on a wide range of issues. Over the many years I participated in their visits, I am still deeply impressed by the thoughtful, well informed comments and questions students posed to me. It was obvious to me, that Tim's teaching plans and skills were instrumental in shaping and forming future citizens, voters and activists in our region. Tim also has been a regular chaperone on field trips to Washington, D.C., where he organized meaningful itineraries in our Nation's capitol for students that brought the principles of American democracy to life. Locally, his coordination of field trips to the Connecticut State Capitol and Rockville Superior Court ensured that all levels and branches of our republic were included in his curriculum, which is essential to a lifetime of healthy citizenship.

Tim's passion for storytelling is evident in the way he empowered students to explore civic issues in-depth in a Civic Documentaries independent study, culminating in notable achievements such as the Quiet Corner Film Festival Award in 2017 and multiple accolades at the same festival since.

Tim's dedication to service extends to the veteran's community. His deep care for those who have served our Nation is evident in the holiday card drives he and his students coordinate at veteran's hospitals and coffeehouses throughout eastern Connecticut. He understands the importance of honoring our troops and made a point to let his students witness the Veteran Stand Down Day at the Rocky Hill Veterans Home and Hospital each year, fostering empathy and a sense of responsibility in them. His impactful work with and for veterans earned him a commendation and thank you from the commissioner of the Connecticut Veterans Affairs in 2024. His coordination of grave cleaning and flag placement on local veterans' graves for Memorial Day further underscores his dedication to connecting students with the veteran community.

Finally, Tim's commitment to student well-being is demonstrated in his coordination of student presentations of weekly Star Card drawings--an initiative to promote positive student behavior. As a member of the faculty Wellness Committee he helped to establish a ``Wellness Corner'' in classrooms--complete with reminders to help students know they are not alone in their daily struggles.

For his unwavering dedication, innovative spirit, profound impact on students, and exceptional contributions to E.O. Smith High School and the wider community, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the inspirational career of Timothy Bowen.

Mr. Speaker, candidate Trump and President-elect Trump consistently and repeatedly promised the American people that when he was elected, on day one that he would lower the cost of living for Americans. He very effectively campaigned on that issue, and I think that that was a major driving force in terms of why he prevailed on November 5. In fact, he said that in a number of interviews after the election.

However, then-President Trump was sworn in on January 20, and to this day, despite over 100 executive orders, countless rescissions that have come out of the White House, not one has been directed in terms of lowering the cost of living for Americans in this country.

In fact, last week, the Consumer Price Index was released. It showed that prices jumped again at 2.8 percent, well above the Federal Reserve's target of 2 percent, which is why interest rates are going to continue to stay unnecessarily high.

On Wednesday, a couple days from now, so-called Liberation Day, he is now going to announce another wave of tariffs that every economist of every stripe will tell you is going to, in fact, raise the price of goods for Americans.

Don't take my word for it, listen to the National Association of Home Builders, a staunch Republican organization that has warned this administration that putting tariffs on everything from steel to copper and nickel is going to drive up the price of home construction.

In fact, screws and nails, made from steel, are already showing huge increases. They have already been hit with a 25 percent tariff from one of our biggest importers of steel, our friend and ally for many years, Canada. I now suddenly sort of wonder where this White House is coming from.

Steel and lumber used in home construction were one of the biggest factors of increased prices on last Friday's Consumer Price Index. That is, again, why the homebuilders are warning us at this time of a housing crisis. We are seeing an administration that is doing everything in terms of driving those prices up still further.

There is a belief in the White House that somehow Americans are going to be inoculated from tariffed goods from other countries because we are going to have this burst of output that is going to happen, even though we don't mine for things like copper and nickel, and even though the steel industry in the U.S. will tell you they do not have the capacity to replace incoming foreign steel. Yet, they somehow believe that commodity price is not going to leak into what American importers are actually going to be paying, which is going to get passed along to the American consumer.

He has invoked a law, a 1976 law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which was put into place by Congress in this Chamber to provide the President with the ability to raise tariffs against a foreign adversary or threat. That is the law that he used against Canada, and the reason he said was that fentanyl is coming into Canada.

Last week, the Director of National Intelligence testified before the House Intelligence Committee. They released their annual threat assessment listing all the countries that are threats to the U.S. Do you know what country was not on that list? Canada. Because, in fact, if you look at the data from DEA and people who work at the border, less than 1 percent of fentanyl comes from Canada. Yet, he used that law, without Congress' approval, to strike at that nation.

We have already heard from the new Prime Minister that they are going to raise countertariffs against the U.S. This is a vicious cycle where there is not going to be a good ending unless this Congress, led by Mr. Trump's party, grabs the steering wheel and listens to the people who are out there on the front lines of our economy and says: Stop. Enough.

The Dow tanked on Friday, dropping 700 points. Futures opened today down 400 points. The warning lights are everywhere. Liberation day is just going to worsen the situation that we are seeing, not only for people who are in the stock market, which, you know, they are big boys and girls. They can handle themselves. It is really the people on Main Street who are going to feel the brunt of a tariff policy that goes completely in the opposite direction of the promises that he made on the campaign trail.

It is time for Congress as a coequal branch of government--and, Speaker Johnson, if you are listening, please, you have the ability to bring to the floor a countermeasure to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and stop the madness in terms of where this administration is taking our economy.

Mr. Speaker, last year, candidate Trump, President- elect Trump, and now-President Trump repeatedly told the American people that he won't touch Social Security. We are now 2 months into his administration, and we are finding that the opposite is true.

A headline yesterday in The Washington Post read: ``Long waits, waves of calls, website crashes: Social Security is breaking down.''

Next to me is a poster board from The Wall Street Journal. Some people may say that The Washington Post is always critical of President Trump, but this is The Wall Street Journal, an impeccable, center-right newspaper whose headline states: ``Dealing With Social Security Is Heading From Bad to Worse.''

The agency that administers benefits is cutting staff and restricting benefits as part of the Department of Government Efficiency review, or DOGE, the Trump initiative.

Let's be more specific. What are some of those intentional policies that are being put into place? We know that there was a wave of those fork-in-the-road retirements that hit Social Security and reduced staff. We know that Social Security has already announced that the workforce is going to be reduced from 57,000 all across America to 50,000.

Some may say: What is wrong with that? We should sort of downsize our workforce, make them more efficient.

The fact of the matter is, if you look at how many people are beneficiaries today, with the baby boomer retirements that are swelling the ranks of Social Security beneficiaries, it is 73 million Americans now who are receiving Social Security benefits. These are people with retirement benefits, children who have lost a parent, and people on disability.

We now have a bigger-than-ever population of people collecting Social Security benefits and a reduced staff.

To put this in perspective, in 2010, not that long ago, the size of the Social Security workforce was 68,000, 18,000 more than what the Trump administration is targeting for today, and the number of beneficiaries in 2010 was 54 million Americans as opposed to 73 million Americans today. We have more people who need help with the Social Security system and fewer staff to help them navigate it.

In just 1 week from today, they are pretty much going to shut off phone service for Social Security beneficiaries who are trying to sign up with their bank information to get on Social Security. This is something that has been normal practice, using very precise identifiers to make sure that waste, fraud, and abuse do not occur.

By the way, Social Security's accuracy is 99.7 percent. That has been verified by outside audits and by the Social Security trustees. Yet, despite that track record, what they are going to tell Social Security beneficiaries, who sometimes struggle with online enrollment in other areas of their lives, is that they are not going to have the opportunity to use a phone service, which, again, has been in practice in the past for decades.

They are also closing 47 Social Security offices across the country. Again, at a time when the number of people who need to interact and interface with the Social Security system is bigger than ever, they are shutting down offices, laying off staff, and shutting off phone service.

The wait times, in terms of people trying to get appointments in person, are going to get longer. Just in the Northeast, we have already been told that the White Plains office in New York is going to be closed, and they are telling people to go to New Haven, Connecticut, my State. That is about a 2-hour drive for people if they want to have an in-person appointment who are now going to basically have a shuttered building in a very densely populated area outside of New York.

The notion that the Social Security system, by this administration, is not being trusted, the opposite is true. DOGE is behind this, as The Wall Street Journal reported. Elon Musk, in an interview with FOX News, made it crystal clear his goal is to eliminate Social Security and get $800 billion to $900 billion of savings out of the Social Security system, which we know today is probably one of the most efficient agencies in the Federal Government in terms of the accuracy of their payouts.

The pathway ahead of us is very crystal clear. Congress has to stand up as a coequal branch of government that enacted Social Security in 1935 and for 90 years--we are celebrating the 90th anniversary of Social Security--has been a pillar of middle-class retirement security and helping children who have lost a parent.

Mr. Speaker, it is not an entitlement. It is not welfare. It is an earned benefit that people pay into. They should get that benefit when it is their turn to get the help from Social Security that we promised as Congress.

Defend Social Security. Stand up for Social Security. Don't touch Social Security.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of an eastern Connecticut legend and public servant, my friend, Danny Rovero. Danny sadly passed away on March 5, 2025, at age 87.

Danny's life was a testament to unwavering dedication, leaving behind a legacy that will resonate for generations. His journey, marked by service, entrepreneurship, and a deep-seated love for his community, stands as a beacon for all who aspire to make a lasting difference.

Danny Rovero was more than a public figure; he was an integral part of the fabric Connecticut's northeast corner, the towns of Killingly, Putnam, and Thompson. His roles as Vice Chair of the Killingly Board of Education, State Representative for the 51st District, and Mayor of Putnam were not mere titles, but expressions of his profound commitment to the people he served. To understand Danny Rovero, one must look beyond his accomplishments and see the heart of a man who genuinely cared.

Danny served as Mayor of Putnam from 1991 to 2005, the longest tenure in the town's rich history. Under his leadership, Putnam experienced a period of significant progress and stability. He understood the unique challenges faced by small towns and worked tirelessly to ensure their voices were heard--an approach to public service he took with him to the Connecticut General Assembly on behalf of the constituents he represented in the 51st District of the Connecticut State House of Representatives, where he served from 2011 to 2019. As a State Representative he was a voice for the overlooked and a champion for the underserved. His deep understanding of the region's needs, coupled with his pragmatic approach, earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

Beyond his political achievements, Danny Rovero was a successful businessman and entrepreneur. For 35 years, Rovero's Amoco gasoline station stood as a testament to his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to providing essential services to his community. His business acumen, honed through years of hard work and perseverance, provided him with a unique perspective that he brought to his public service. He understood the challenges faced by small businesses and worked to create an environment where they could thrive.

His commitment to service extended beyond his professional and political life. As a Korean Era Army veteran, he served his country with honor and distinction, spending 16 months in Korea. This experience shaped his character, instilling in him a sense of duty and a deep appreciation for the sacrifices made by those who serve.

His dedication to education was a hallmark of his later years. He understood that education is the cornerstone of a strong community and worked tirelessly to ensure that every child had access to quality education. His commitment to the Killingly Board of Education exemplified this dedication. His ability to listen, to understand, and to advocate for the needs of students and teachers alike made him an invaluable member of the board, where his presence was a source of strength and stability, and his contributions will be felt for years to come.

The outpouring of tributes and remembrance following his passing reflects the deep affection and respect that the community had for Danny. Friends, colleagues, and community members shared stories of his kindness, generosity, and unwavering dedication. His ability to connect with people from all walks of life was a testament to his genuine character. On a personal note, I was privileged to work with him during my time representing his beloved corner of Connecticut. He was a model to me of a public servant who listened to the people he represented and was always honest and ethical in his actions. He had a great sense of humor and never took himself too seriously. As the Irish say, ``He never put on airs''.

Danny Rovero was a man of integrity and compassion. He lived his life with purpose, always striving to make a positive impact on the world around him. His legacy is not just in the buildings he helped to build or the laws he helped to pass, but in the lives he touched and the hearts he inspired. He was a mentor, a friend, and a role model. He showed us the importance of service, the power of community, and the enduring value of integrity. His life was a testament to the belief that one person can make a difference.

In remembering Danny, we also remember the woman behind the public figure. He was a loving husband to his wife of 66 years, Judith, a devoted father to Ricardo, William, Jane, and Jill; a cherished grandfather to six, and a proud great-grandfather to two. His family was the center of his world, and his love for them was unwavering.

Today, I remember Danny as a dedicated public servant, an entrepreneur, a veteran who served his country with honor, and a family man who loved unconditionally. His legacy is etched in the hearts of the people he served and served with. His impact will be felt for generations to come. His life was a testament to the power of service, the importance of community, and the enduring value of integrity.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life and legacy of Daniel Rovero as the quiet corner of eastern Connecticut mourns his passing.

Mr. Speaker, we are now in the eighth week of the 119th Congress, which has distinguished itself with incredibly low productivity and low effort.

So far, we have brought up just a bunch of moldy old leftovers from the last Congress. We have been averaging roughly about two votes a day since the Congress was sworn in on January 3.

Despite the fact that we have a government shutdown looming in about 2 weeks, on March 14, the Speaker is much more focused on other things than trying to again avoid a catastrophe like that.

It appears that this week we actually are going to take up the budget reconciliation bill that again has been worked out down at the Mar-a- Lago hotel over the last 2 months or so, where a conga line of billionaires have been observed walking through, meeting with leadership of the Republican Conference, laying out their priorities, not the American people's priorities, in terms of what they want to see in that reconciliation bill.

This week, we are going to take up, apparently, according to the Speaker's Office, an actual vote on that.

Why is that being given priority over a government shutdown? The real reason that is being given priority is that the tax cuts that were passed in 2017, particularly on personal rates, are going to be expiring in 2025. For the people who benefited the most, the top 1 percent of this country in terms of their economic position, for them, that is their number one priority.

A week ago Friday, in the Budget Committee, on a party-line vote, the Republicans produced their bill, their budget reconciliation bill, which extends those tax cuts, despite the fact that it worsens our budget deficit and leaves middle-class and lower income Americans in the dust.

This chart was done by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a nonpartisan think tank, which shows again where the benefit of that bill is going to go. The top 1 percent in income--in the State of Connecticut from where I am from, that is people whose income is about $1.2 million a year--they are going to get a $70,000 tax cut. For somebody who is in the lowest quintile, which is income up to $14,000 a year, you can see on this chart they are going to get about $130. For a middle-income person who makes roughly about $114,000 a year, they are going get about a grand in terms of their tax payments.

Now, if we actually had a mature, reasonable process in this Chamber where Democrats would also be consulted in terms of putting together a plan to make sure that lower income and middle-income individuals' taxes don't go up, we could work out an arrangement, but not with a price tag of which the top 1 percent are going to continue to rake in tax cuts that were, again, shoved into the bill in 2017, lowering the top marginal rate from 39 percent to 36 percent. Again, that was just a complete and total windfall for people who don't need that type of tax relief.

Let's look again at what else the Budget Committee did with this chart, which shows how they are going to pay for extending those tax cuts. The cost of extending those tax cuts for the top 1 percent is $4.5 trillion over the next 10 years.

There were some other additions that they put into the budget, which are going to add to the deficit. To pay for it, they included a whole bunch of cuts. The big one is to cut the Medicaid program, a program which provides healthcare for 70 million Americans, such as people in nursing homes. Almost half the live births in this country are covered by Medicaid. Young, working-class individuals, because of the ACA expansion, are covered by Medicaid.

Again, this bill talks about cutting $880 billion, about 20 percent of the cost of the program, indiscriminately with no precision in terms of who it is affecting. It has work requirements. Are people in their nineties in nursing homes really going to do that? Give me a break.

There are some other cuts to higher education to help pay for this.

The bottom line is, at the end of the day, we are still going to be adding to the deficit. The deficit hawks in the Republican Party are adding to the deficit with this measure on top of the deficits that we are already running today.

This bill is fiscally irresponsible and outrageously unfair in terms of who benefits from it. It is extremely harmful to middle-class and working families of this country whose essential need for educational services and healthcare are going to be cut. They will take the hit in terms of advancing this priority.

This is an important vote for the people of this country to be watching. This is a gut check for every Member in this

House about where their priorities are because that is what budgets are about. They are an expression of people's moral values and their priorities in terms of who should get help in our country.

This measure will not help the people who need it, who are still struggling with the high cost of living, and who don't need to basically have the rug pulled out from under them with a measure like this.

Mr. Speaker, at the end of the first week of President Trump's Presidency, he announced with great fanfare that he was imposing 25 percent tariffs on our neighbors, Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The Wall Street Journal, hardly a Democratic newspaper, described this effort as the dumbest trade war ever.

It was dumb because, number one, it violated the trade agreement that President Trump himself signed into law in 2020, the United States- Mexico-Canada Agreement. Again, tariffs like that are completely violative of that agreement.

Number two, Canada and Mexico made it crystal clear that they would retaliate with tariffs of their own aimed at U.S. businesses and sectors of all sorts.

It is mostly dumb because it is going to raise prices for Americans, which I think most of us in this Chamber who were on the ballot last November can still remember that that was the number one issue that Americans had.

It is going to raise prices not just because I am saying it. The American

Farm Bureau, which represents a cross-section of American food producers all across the country, warned the minute that proposal came out that it was going to raise the cost of fertilizer input costs that was going to end up in the grocery stores in terms of higher prices.

American Home Builders, hardly a Democratic group, warned that those tariffs were going to raise the costs of building materials, whether it was wood or metal materials. That is going to translate into higher prices for new homes, the last thing we need in the middle of a housing crisis.

Predictably, February 1, the first day the markets were open, the markets tanked in response to this proposal. Within hours, the President engaged in a face-saving measure to delay those tariffs for 30 days. They are still out there and pending. We will see what happens.

Yesterday, right before the Super Bowl, the President came out with another proposal of a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum indiscriminately across the globe to any and all countries who do business with the United States of America.

I want to talk about one Nation in particular, Australia. I co-chair the Friends of Australia Caucus. Today, the U.S. economy has a trade surplus with Australia. We export more into Australia than they export back to us. They have been a signatory with a free trade agreement with no tariffs going back to 2002.

Again, as Secretary of Defense Hegseth stated yesterday at the Pentagon, when he met with the Australia Deputy Prime Minister, our alliance between our two countries, going back to World War I, is probably the most deep and strong of any other Nation in the world.

At that meeting he was also there to receive word from the Australian Government that they are making the first payment on AUKUS, the Australia, U.K., and U.S. security agreement.

Australia is putting $500 million into the U.S. industrial base to help our shipbuilding sector build more submarines, which is part of the AUKUS deal. It is a total of $3 billion. Again, the first check was delivered on Friday by the Australian Government for $500 million.

Two days later, what do we see? We see a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum products coming from Australia into the U.S. at a time when we have a surplus with Australia.

Australia is a key strategic ally for our country. They are positioned in the Indo-Pacific at a place where, again, tensions are sky-high. We need their input and their help in terms of making sure that we are going to rebalance that security environment and protect the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific.

Instead, what we are seeing is a completely needless insult to the people of Australia by raising tariffs on Australian products coming into this country at the same time we are working with them and they are buying three nuclear submarines, cash on the barrelhead, full price, no gimme, no giveaway.

Again, by all the measurements that President Trump talks about trade issues and that we are being ripped off by other countries, in this case every one of those arguments fails. The Friends of Australia Caucus is a strong bipartisan caucus that actually understands the importance of Australia.

Again, we will do everything we can to make sure that this administration changes course and treats our friends and our allies with the respect that they deserve in terms of the contributions that they are making to their national security in a critical part of the world and our national security.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Bethany Braman Foster of Ludlow, Massachusetts on celebrating 10 years of sobriety, which she achieved on January 31, 2025. This milestone, which required a lot of faith, self-discipline, and healthy choices is an achievement that her new husband Micah Welintikonas (U.S. Army, Retired), her family, and friends came together to honor. Bethany is the epitome of a community-oriented individual, leading her life with care and kindness.

Bethany was always destined to lead a generous life. Since completing her education, Bethany has pursued an extremely successful career as a Physician Assistant (PA) in Springfield, Massachusetts. As a trusted medical professional, she has provided much-needed care and treatment to patients and families in times of need. Her exceptional work was recognized in 2024 when Bethany was named one of the top 5 medical providers from over 100 clinics nationwide.

In addition to her devoted work as a PA, Bethany has found time to give back to her community in other ways. She has been a long-time volunteer at animal rescues, caring for animals and helping them find forever homes. Bethany has also been a devout volunteer for AWANA, a worldwide nonprofit ministry for children and youth.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues please join me in congratulating Bethany on 10 years of sobriety and recognize her as the exceptional citizen she has distinguished herself as. Bethany has led a life full of giving, exemplified through her selfless work in the medical field, countless community engagements, and her role as a loving mother to three children. Bethany, we congratulate you on this momentous accomplishment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and accomplishments of a long-standing public servant, Gordon John Frassinelli, Sr. of Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Aged 88, Gordon passed away sadly but peacefully on October 26, 2024, in the arms of his loving wife Barbara and surrounded by his family. Gordon led a remarkable and full life full of love and dedication to his family and community that will be sincerely missed.

Born October 8, 1936, to Lieutenant Governor Attilio ``Pop'' Frassinelli and Mildred (McLagan) Frassinelli in Stafford, Gordon was destined to live and thrive in Stafford. Gordon was raised in a close family and his father was a strong example of what it means to serve one's community. Gordon attended the Borough School prior to his tenure at Stafford High School where his strong work ethic and drive to help others became evident. In school, he served as a class officer as well as a member of the band, chorus, and drama clubs, student council, National Honor Society, history club, basketball team manager, and president of the ski team. This was only the start of a lifetime of community-based involvement.

Following graduation from Stafford High School in 1954, Gordon attended the University of Connecticut where he continued overachieving. He served as President of the Newmann Catholic Society, played the French horn, served as President of the UConn marching band, and was a member of the Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC), recognized as a Distinguished Military Graduate when he completed the program. It was during this time that Gordon also fell in love with his life partner, Barbara Boone.

Gordon graduated from UConn in 1958 and was commissioned as a lieutenant, serving his country in the U.S. Army from 1959 to 1961. In the Army, Gordon furthered his education at the Adjutant Generals School at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, Indiana and served on the staff of the school until he was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant in February 1961. His service in the Army could not keep him from the love of his life, and he married Barbara on January 2, 1960.

Gordon spent the bulk of his career working for the State of Connecticut from 1961 to 1992. Rewarded for his diligent work, he rose from the position of Trainee to the highest possible merit system position of State Executive Budget Officer in the Governor's Office of Policy and Management. As part of his work for the state, Gordon served as the architect of the state budget, always looking for the best ways to serve the people of Connecticut. I got to know Gordon during my time as a State Representative from neighboring Vernon and saw firsthand the high regard and respect Gordon commanded in both our state's Executive Branch of government and Legislative Branch. He was a true professional who made our state function well.

While Gordon selflessly served the state, his top priority always remained his family, never missing a game or show for any of his six children, and later, his grandchildren. Many of his children also became active in local politics, keeping the family tradition alive. Raising a group of athletes, Gordon was a strong advocate for athletic programs on governing boards and commissions for youth athletics including as President of the Stafford High School Booster Club where he helped reinstate football at Stafford High School in 1980 after a 30-year absence. He also spent time as the President of the Stafford Olympics Youth Football Program. While Gordon enjoyed the Yankees and Celtics, UConn sports had a special place in his heart as a longtime season ticket holder for the women's basketball team.

No matter what beheld him in his personal life, Gordon remained devoted to serving his community and enjoying time with his family. Gordon was a lifelong member of St. Edward Church, where he was baptized and married, volunteering to maintain the grounds, lecture, and share his voice as a member of the choir. Gordon also emceed at stag parties, fundraisers, and political dinners and spent time as a board member of the Italian benefit society, ``the Club.'' Always involved in supporting his local community, Gordon was also a member of the Stafford Scholarship Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee.

In his retirement, Gordon settled into his role as a family man, helping out with everything from picking up kids and babysitting to building a house with his son-in-law. Even after suffering from ischemic optic neuropathy in 2001 and becoming legally blind, Gordon

did not let anything stop him from enjoying and going about his daily life. Most of all, Gordon was always devoted to his wife Barbara, keeping humor and love alive in their relationship.

Gordon had an incredible sense of humor and was simply an amazing reflection of what eastern Connecticut has to offer. His impact will not soon be forgotten, and his legacy will live on in the lives he touched and the long-lasting effects his work will continue to have on the Stafford and greater Connecticut community. Gordon is survived by his wife of 64 years, Barbara, his six children, 17 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, sister, and many nieces and nephews. To this end, I ask that my colleagues in this chamber join me in honoring the example left by my friend and colleague Gordon Frassinelli.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn a devastating loss in eastern Connecticut, with the passing of a beautiful married couple--Dr. Neil Brooks and his wife Sandi (Silverman) Brooks of Vernon, Connecticut. Neil Brooks passed away sadly and suddenly on November 27, 2024, at age 82. He was joined less than a month later when the love of his life, Sandi, passed away unexpectedly at age 81 on December 24, 2024. Neil and Sandi's longtime marriage was truly a masterpiece that their offspring, friends, and community will forever cherish in their hearts.

Neil was born in Manchester, Connecticut to Abner and Lenore Brooks on November 17,

1942. Neil was raised in the Rockville section of Vernon, Connecticut, where his father was very active in the community in town working for a local textile company, Amerbelle Corporation, and personally raising money for the super-sized Horowitz Community Pool that generations of Vernon kids have learned to swim at--including my two children. Abner's example made a big impact on Neil's outlook on helping people and being involved in efforts to improve life for his neighbors. Neil attended Rockville High School, and then pursued his passion to study medicine, attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Hahnemann Medical School. After this, Neil came back to Rockville to practice family medicine. As a trusted doctor in the greater Rockville area, he cared for many thousands of patients and families in times of crisis and healing.

Further down the East Coast, Sandi Silverman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Lou and Mitzi Silverman on March 3, 1943. She grew up in the Philadelphia area, attending Germantown High School before studying at Temple University.

Although they grew up with lives in different places, the stars aligned when Neil and Sandi met at the wedding of mutual friends, and they were married on July 2, 1966. This was the start of a loving 58- year marriage. Neil and Sandi were partners in all aspects of life, and nothing was more important to them than spending time with family and friends. They were known as a loyal, dependable couple, always providing support in whatever way necessary. In their free time, Neil enjoyed golfing and watching movies with friends and Sandi was known as a fantastic cook who loved to feed and entertain family and friends.

Sandi joined Neil in Rockville, Connecticut, where he devoted his career as a physician to providing the highest standard of care to his patients and community. As if his work in family medicine was not all- consuming, Neil also served as the President of both the Connecticut and American Academies of Family Physicians, President of his synagogue, Medical Director at Vernon Manor, and in leadership roles at Rockville Hospital and the American Medical Association. His work involved lots of medical conferences and political work, which Sandi supported diligently, traveling all across the country.

Despite their busy schedules, Neil and Sandi always prioritized the relationships in their lives--between each other, family, friends, and anyone else who crossed their paths. I had the privilege to know them as friends and supporters in my political campaigns--which always came with lots of passionate ideas and opinions that I always learned from. Usually, those exchanges took place in a New York-style delicatessen in Vernon, with Neil and his morning coffee group solving the world's problems.

At both memorial services, their son David Brooks found the inner strength to speak powerfully and eloquently about the rich family life Neil and Sandi created. The crowds in attendance were visible evidence of the deep impact they made in so many lives. While we mourn the loss of these incredible individuals, we can take solace in the knowledge that they have been reunited with each other. And, as David stated, they left many memories that are blessings for those of us who knew them. Neil and Sandi are survived by their son David and his wife Jen as well as their granddaughter Emma, who is following in Neil's footsteps and studying to be a physician's assistant. They are also survived by nieces, nephews, and grandnieces. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in honoring Neil and Sandi Brooks and their amazing life story.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Mr. Frederick ``Jay'' Stefany for his 44 years of outstanding Federal service as a senior acquisition executive, as well as the first Maritime Industrial Base Program Manager for the Department of the Navy (DON).

Since he began his distinguished career with the DON in 1981, Mr. Stefany has held several acquisition positions. Notably, he became a member of the Senior Executive Service in March 2012. In January 2021, he was selected to serve as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, (ASN RD&A) overseeing the Navy's acquisition workforce of more than 50,000 professionals and annual budgets more than $150 billion. His service to the Navy and Nation has included a variety of key leadership positions including Program Manager for the LPD 17 Class Amphibious Transport Dock ship program, Executive Director, Amphibious, Auxiliary, and Sealift Office, Program Executive Office, Ships, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Ship Programs, and as the Principal Civilian Deputy to ASN RD&A. In September of 2024, the Secretary of the Navy selected Mr. Stefany to stand up the Navy's Maritime Industrial Base Office responsible for strengthening and increasing the capacity of the Nation's maritime industrial base to build the Navy and the Nation's needs.

As the Ranking Member and Chair of the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, I had the pleasure of working with Jay directly on a wide range of issues in his portfolio. He was the consummate professional who gave Congress good advice and information so that we could perform our constitutional duty to ``provide and maintain'' for the Navy.

Mr. Stefany's leadership of the Navy's acquisition corps was instrumental during a historic time in our Nation's history. With a rising China and resurging Russia, the imperative to grow the Nation's Navy and deliver advanced capabilities were critical to ensure the National Security of the United States. As the industrial base was recovering from the impacts of the COVID pandemic, under Mr. Stefany's steady leadership, the Navy delivered over 90 ships, thousands of critical munitions, and spurred new technologies to include unmanned and autonomous systems. Along with his leadership to strengthen and grow the maritime industrial base, his efforts have ensured the Navy is ready to compete and if required, defeat any adversaries.

Throughout his illustrious career, Mr. Stefany has received various awards for his outstanding contributions to the DON, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Nation. These include the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service, DON Civilian Meritorious Service award, and two DON Civilian Superior Service awards. In addition, he is the recipient of performance-related accolades, to include the Navy's most prestigious acquisition excellence award, the Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer Memorial Award.

Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Mr. Frederick ``Jay'' Stefany the III as he retires from Federal service.