Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply concerned about the devastating impact that President Trump's reckless tariff policies are having on our American automotive industry and its workers.

The latest financial figures from Jeep Stellantis, for example, the proud maker of Jeep and Ram vehicles--and they are so popular--paints a deeply disturbing picture. Nearly $2.7 billion in losses are tied directly to these tariffs. That translates into plant shutdowns, canceled programs, and over 900 American workers already laid off.

Similarly, the General Motors chief executive officer said tariffs cost GM $1.1 billion this quarter and that the next quarter will be worse. This is real money.

In an industry that America has been striving to bring back to full production in this country, we have lost so many jobs abroad to cheap labor and places that have no labor rights. This is what happens with tariffs when we lead with flashy headlines instead of well-thought-out trade strategy.

Tariffs without a plan don't punish China. They don't balance our trade accounts. Our trade accounts get worse. They punish Toledo. Bad tariff policy punishes manufacturing America.

These tariffs punish Ohio. They punish Michigan. They punish Indiana. They punish Illinois, America's manufacturing heartland. Tariffs punish Missouri. They punish Wisconsin.

They punish every worker on the line who is just trying to build a better life for themselves. The families and the workers who work in these plants do hard work. They deserve to earn a fair wage with good working conditions and benefits, including health and retirement benefits.

Mr. Speaker, American workers need real trade reform, balanced trade accounts, and sensible tariff policies, not gimmicks. I urge the Trump administration to stop the damage now before the bleeding gets worse.

Our chief trading partner in northern Ohio is Canada. We like Canada. Our industry is integrated. Parts pass over the border sometimes six or seven times. Tariffs make no sense in an integrated economy.

The American automotive industry needs investment here at home, on our continent, not more outsourcing. We don't need that. We need job insourcing before more jobs disappear and more families pay the price.

Our communities need economic certainty, not higher prices, not pink slips, not utter chaos, and not tariff regimes that change every couple of days. America needs a trade and tariff regime that yields good jobs, well-paid workers, and prices for cars, trucks, and consumer goods that Americans can afford to buy.

I urge Members of this House and the Trump administration to take a look at what is happening in the real economy. Let's fix it before it gets much worse. America doesn't need that.

Advancing Geothermal Energy

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the new horizons of advancing geothermal energy.

Geothermal energy is one of the most fascinating, promising, yet underused clean energy sources in our country. The problem with it? You can't see it.

You can't see it, so a lot of people, when they are walking, when they are in the woods, when they are going to work, they never think about the power of the Earth. Beneath our feet, due to the temperature differentials between the air we breathe and the temperatures in the soil, lies a constant supply of heat from the Earth's core.

In developed communities, we have vast subterranean water and wastewater lines that have been built over the last hundred years. Not just in this country but all over the world where we have more developed societies, there is waste energy that is renewable, reliable, and constantly available in those vast, underground, big pipes that run through all of our cities and towns.

Geothermal energy doesn't depend on the weather. It doesn't depend on the season or geographical conditions. It exists as a consistent and dependable source for a clean energy grid. When you go underground, generally, you have a 45- to 75-degree constant temperature all year long.

The United States has enormous untapped geothermal potential, enough to power millions of homes while slashing greenhouse gas emissions and lowering energy bills. We estimate--just think about this--Cleveland, Ohio, a big city--I had the privilege of representing part of it for a long time. There, their water and wastewater purification systems are the highest cost for that city.

The energy cost of wastewater processing is the largest cost in any city. Think about that. Every year, the purified water is thrown back into the lake when it leaves the plant. That city throws into Lake Erie the equivalent of a waste heat load of nearly 400,000 barrels of oil annually. Think about that. That is waste heat that we, as a country, could be capturing.

That is just one untapped location along just one great lake, Lake Erie. Imagine if we could add in Cleveland, Lorain, Avon Lake, Sandusky, Oregon, and Toledo in Ohio. That doesn't even count going north up into Detroit and, on the north side of Lake Erie, the cities in Canada.

There is a whole lot of energy wasted, being dumped into the lake. We have to capture it.

By investing in geothermal technology, communities across our country and the world can strengthen energy security; reduce reliance on dirty fuels; create good-paying jobs in engineering, drilling, and maintenance; and lower energy costs for industry, public facilities, neighborhoods, and all kinds of companies.

Geothermal energy has a small land footprint. It can even be co- located with other renewables or energy-hungry data centers, which so need it.

If we are serious about building a resilient energy-independent future, we need an all-of-the-above energy strategy, including unpacking the power that is already beneath us in the Earth and being wasted.

Check out Vancouver, Canada, and what it has accomplished with geothermal energy since the 2010 Olympics. They have really had a plan and strategy that is remarkable.

Check out a city in Europe called Szeged, in Hungary. That is Toledo, Ohio's sister city for 40 years.

The good news is the Trump administration appears ready to posture across America to draw forth geothermal power, and we are interested in doing exactly that, particularly in manufacturing America.

I am privileged to also represent a vast agricultural region in grain drying. It is so expensive when we have to dry corn, soybeans, and so forth. The agricultural community uses huge amounts of energy.

Let's create new jobs. Let's lower the consumer's energy bills. Let's

strengthen America's energy security. Geothermal energy holds the potential to achieve all of those goals. Let's get it done and move America to an affordable and energy-independent future for the decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for letting me put on the record the future for this country in energy, including geothermal energy.

Honoring Marigene Valiquette

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Ohio State Senator Marigene Valiquette, a towering figure in Ohio's politics and history and a trailblazer for women across Ohio and our Nation.

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Marigene broke barriers as the longest serving woman in the history of the Ohio Legislature. With her intelligence, fierce conviction, and unmatched oratory--she was a tough lawyer--she served our community for 24 consecutive years, often as the only woman in the Ohio Senate. Can you imagine that?

She was a champion for working families and labor rights, a defender of women's rights, and an early advocate for the equal rights amendment. Her work helped create the Ohio Lottery to support education. She never wavered in her fight for fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all.

Though she chose a quiet retirement, her impact will echo for years and generations to come. She was always present. She always cared. She took her family's experience and moved it into the highest levels of lawmaking in the State of Ohio.

May she rest in peace, and may her courage, her grit, and her fierce dedication inspire us all. We miss her, and we know that her work in Ohio has made a difference in the lives of our 12 million people.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of the Archbold Buckeye. This community newspaper published its final edition on June 25, after 120 years of unwavering service to Archbold, Pettisville, and greater Fulton County, Ohio.

The Archbold Buckeye held value as a small-town newspaper that has been far more than print and ink. It was part of the beating heart that is our northwest Ohio community. It has been upfront and present.

I have had the honor of meeting with the Buckeye's devoted team that included Mary Huber, David Pugh, and generations of the Taylor family. They saw and reported firsthand their commitment to truth, neighbors, and to the stories that shape small-town life in America.

From town council meetings to birth and death announcements, the Buckeye chronicled life with dignity and care. It won dozens of awards but, more importantly, earned the trust of its readers.

As local newspapers sadly vanish across our country, we must remember democracy cannot thrive without informed and engaged citizens. On behalf of myself and our northwest Ohio community, I thank the Archbold Buckeye for 120 years of leadership and service. We are flying a flag of gratitude over our capital to honor their generations of patriotic- and community-minded publishers and reporters.

Let us hope that the future will produce leaders like these to keep America informed and engaged.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a true champion from Northwest Ohio, Cassandra Wilson.

Cassandra is not only the first woman in Lucas County to bring home gold medals four years in a row for Special Olympics Powerlifting, she is also a fearless advocate who has served as the first Self Advocate from her county on the State Developmental Disabilities Council.

Since the age of five, Cassandra has been a voice for those too often left unheard. Her advocacy, determination, and unbreakable spirit have shattered barriers and inspired communities.

Even when faced with coaches who doubted her, she stood strong.

She proved--and continues to prove--that strength isn't just about lifting weights; it's about lifting others up with you.

She reminds us all that true leadership begins with courage, and true change comes from those who never give up. She is not just breaking records, she's breaking ground.

Cassandra is a living example that hard work and confidence, not gender or circumstance, defines our potential.

May her story continue to lift hearts, open minds, and pave the way for many more to follow.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Joe Szafarowicz, a true pillar of our northwest Ohio community. He is an educator, mentor, and lifelong advocate for young people.

For more than five decades, he has shaped lives, not just by teaching in the classroom but by investing in the boundless potential of every child he encountered.

From the halls of St. Agnes Elementary School to the classrooms of Toledo public schools, Mr. Szafarowicz inspired generations with his belief that every student, no matter their circumstance, deserved opportunity.

Even in retirement, he has never stopped lifting others up, using art as a tool to reach at-risk youth and guiding young minds toward hope and purpose.

His impact is evident in the voices of his former students, leaders, public servants, and community members who credit his encouragement as a turning point in their lives. At the end of March, those students gathered to celebrate Joe's 80th birthday.

We, too, celebrate his life of service, kindness, and unwavering dedication to the future of our region. May his legacy remind us all a great teacher never stops teaching, and a great heart never stops giving.

Mr. Speaker, I have the honor of representing Ohio's 9th Congressional District, a region that embodies the industrious spirit, deep-rooted history, and resilient communities of Northwest Ohio. Today, I am privileged to join in commemorating an extraordinary milestone in our shared story--the 175th anniversary of Fulton County.

Whereas, on April 1, 1850, the State of Ohio officially

established Fulton County, carved from portions of Lucas,

Henry, and Williams Counties, as well as territory once

disputed by the State of Michigan; and

Whereas, the county was named in honor of Robert Fulton,

visionary inventor of the steamboat, reflecting the

pioneering innovation and transportation legacy of the

region; and

Whereas, Fulton County was one of the last counties

organized in Ohio, emerging from the resolution of the Toledo

War and the shifting of state lines that helped shape the

boundaries of Northwest Ohio; and

Whereas, from its early seat in Ottokee to its present-day

seat in Wauseon, Fulton County has grown alongside the

railroad, agriculture, and industry--serving as a vital link

in both Ohio's past and its future; and

Whereas, its 406.8 square miles of rich farmland, flowing

rivers, and vibrant towns have been home to generations of

Ohioans committed to hard work, community, and service; and

Whereas, for 175 years, Fulton County has stood as a proud

testament to the enduring values of self-reliance, civic

engagement, and American perseverance;

Now, therefore, I, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, do hereby

recognize and celebrate the Demisemiseptcentennial of Fulton

County, and offer heartfelt congratulations to its residents,

leaders, and communities on this momentous 175th anniversary.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand to honor

Fulton County and its distinguished history on this momentous

occasion. May the legacy of Fulton County's past continue to

inspire progress, unity, and pride for the generations to

come.

Mr. Chair, as the senior member on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I am deeply concerned and disappointed by this legislation. This bill was written before the

Department of Defense submitted its budgetary needs for fiscal year 2026. Shamefully, the Department still has not provided Congress with a complete request.

Thus, we have been brought to the floor to vote on an incomplete bill, with no complete executive branch submission. This is not only out of order, it is dangerous. Their procrastination yields uncertainty for those who risk their lives in defense of this Nation.

America deserves better than uncertainty and a Defense Department that is missing in action. Our troops can't train on promises. Our allies can't fight with doubt. Our factories can't build American strength without steady support. This bill fails liberty on all counts.

This bill misses crucial opportunities to strengthen America's defense industrial base. Shipbuilding is backed up over 2 years. The Great Lakes region, a cornerstone of American industrial manufacturing, can play a major role in relieving that backup, but all of America is put on hold due to the DOD's damaging budget delays.

We must prioritize investments that rebuild our domestic manufacturing capabilities. Our military should never have to fight with or depend on foreign sources for materials, critical minerals, or key military components. Furthermore, by cutting all funding for Ukraine, this bill dangerously ignores history at our own peril.

At our founding, Patrick Henry heroically proclaimed: ``Give me liberty or give me death.'' He knew liberty's cost and our new Nation's responsibility to uphold the values that our European forebears bequeathed to us, ones that focused on representative government.

Thomas Jefferson knew America does not exist alone on the globe when he wrote the words: ``Our laws, language, religion, politics, and manners are so deeply laid in [European] foundations, that we shall never cease to consider their history as a part of ours.''

More recently, on January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address, recognized America's fierce dedication to liberty when he said: ``We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.'' Then he warned that those who ride the back of the tiger would end up inside it. He warned against that, and I hope our Nation never goes down that lonely, dark path.

In a contemporary era on June 6, 1984, President Ronald Reagan stood in Normandy, France, commemorating the day in history `` . . . when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. . . . Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history,'' and they did it together.

Mr. Chair, these quotes and sacrificial deeds of our forebears explain why I rise to express my deep opposition to this bill's irresponsible and shortsighted exclusion of any funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

Throughout generations, the fundamental purpose of our Nation is to guarantee liberty, to develop the kinds of relationships with our democratic allies who stand with us against tyranny in any form, and to fill our constitutional duty to provide for our Nation's common defense. Common defense, the Constitution says.

Ensuring that the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative is properly funded is essential to fulfilling our charge in defense of liberty on our watch. If you haven't noticed Ukraine's struggle against the spiderweb of tyranny fostered by Russia, China, Iran, Belarus, and North Korea, it is real, and it is lethal.

Ukraine is in a historic fight now, not of her own choosing but for her very survival. The poorest nation in Europe has fought back mightily against the third largest military in the world after Putin's murderous aggression that began in 2014.

Russia and its spiderweb of tyranny are a threat to liberty everywhere, and Ukraine stands on the front line. If support for Ukraine is withdrawn, Russia and its allies' assault on fundamental freedoms will spread.

May no one in this generation become swallowed by the tiger. Those who do not know and study history are doomed to repeat it.

Proper funding in this bill will boost our domestic defense industrial base and affirm critical security and mineral alliances. It supports our NATO partners. It is our privilege and, yes, duty to support our allies and the brave people of Ukraine by appropriating funds for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

My amendment would reinstate funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. I include in the Record the text of this amendment.

Ms. Kaptur moves to recommit the bill H.R. 4016 to the

Committee on Appropriations with the following amendment:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, as more Trump administration tariff news broke, heading into this past weekend, I rise to ask a genuine question: Why is the Trump administration doing this ying-yang again?

President Trump's latest 35 percent tariff threat against Canada is pure economic malpractice. It is reckless, rushed, and devastating to firms and working families across Ohio.

Canada is Ohio's largest trading partner. Over 100,000 jobs in Ohio depend on trade with Canada. Our State exports $21 billion in goods annually to our neighbor to the North, our largest fair-trade partner.

From Toledo Jeep and General Motors to the parts manufacturers in Sandusky, Lorain, and Defiance, these aren't just numbers. These are paychecks, pensions, and livelihoods.

The last time this administration tried tariff stunts, $6 trillion in U.S. wealth vanished in days. Workers were laid off, and Ohio is already among the top 10 States experiencing rising unemployment. We have all seen Trump chicken out before, and maybe Taco Tuesday will come again soon.

Mr. Speaker, people in my region want a job they can count on. They don't want ying-yang on U.S. trade and tariff policy. Let's get back to normal.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to amend the rule to make in order the amendment at the desk that protects against any cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding.

This big bonanza bill for billionaires will make life harder for the people of northwest Ohio and America.

Unemployment is already up in Toledo, hovering around 6 percent. Mr. Speaker, 1,000 Jeep Gladiator workers in Toledo are idled, and 2,500 jobs at Perrysburg First Solar are on the chopping block as the Trump administration cedes, in this bill, our glass industry and America's lead in solar energy to China.

Grocery prices are up 2 percent, yet the bill freezes SNAP, a cut for 45,000 families in my district, which is an $18 million monthly blow to local grocers.

The bill ensures billionaires get $300,000 in tax breaks every year while seniors and working people lose Medicaid and SNAP in the largest cut to healthcare in American history, cutting over $1 trillion.

The bill recklessly adds $3.4 trillion to the U.S. debt, and interest rates will climb.

Congress can create a much brighter future for America by defeating this big, bloated bonanza bill for billionaires.

Mr. Speaker, today alongside my dear friend and colleague, Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee Rosa DeLauro, I introduced a new bill called the Appropriations Compliance and Training Act. Unfortunately, this Administration has repeatedly demonstrated their lack of understanding and respect for the direction provided through the Appropriations process.

The Power of the Purse rests with the Article I branch here in Congress. That is established quite clearly in the Constitution, and it has been repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court.

We set policy, we provide direction, and we allocate funds. Then, based on those policies, directions, and allocations, the Article II branch, the Executive branch, can Execute what we, the Congress, dictate on behalf of We the People.

Instead of recognizing our authority, DOGE, Elon Musk, Russell Vought and the rest of the Executive Branch have ignored the will of the people. They withhold funds and cancel projects, they move money from one purpose to another without legal authority, and they just spend the money however they want, regardless of what Congress has directed.

Our legislation requires senior executive branch employees to complete yearly trainings on appropriations law. These trainings would include essential legal topics including: the Purpose Statute, the Antideficiency Act, and the Impoundment Control Act.

The trainings will also include a review of the direction provided by Congress in the annual Appropriations Act regarding each employee's agency so that they are unambiguously instructed of their responsibilities vis-a-vis Congress.

We must ensure that the Executive Branch follows the law and ensures Appropriated and obligated funds are used for their intended purpose.

I urge our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of a remarkable daughter of northwest Ohio, Diana ``Dee'' Heywood Talmage.

While her passing leaves a deep chasm in our community, Dee was a formidable force for good. She was a Republican, and I am a Democrat. Her patriotism, philanthropy, good sense, and elegance bestowed a living legacy that serves as an example of an exemplary life well lived.

Dee embodied the very highest aspirations for northwest Ohio. A product of Toledo's DeVilbiss High School, a proud Ohio State Buckeye, and a Toledo Rocket, she used her education to give back to the community that raised her.

Dee served on the Ottawa Hills School Board, the boards of Owens Community College and Woodlawn Cemetery, and helped guide the University of Toledo Alumni Association.

Dee always led with vision, clarity, courage, and compassion, and her inspired leadership drew from all walks of life to make a difference. She mentored generations of new leaders, many of whom sit on boards, serve in office, or volunteer today because of her example.

To observe Dee barreling down the street in her convertible, broadly smiling and waving, was to feel the heart of Toledo itself. Her love for our people, progress, and potential was boundless, and her life was not just one of service but of joyful commitment to her family--I will put their names in the record at a later time--including her beloved husband of 63 years, Brigadier General Dr. Lance Talmage, a dedicated community and military leader alongside her.

May Dee's legacy of character and commitment continue to inspire generations to come. She surely will be missed. She was one of a kind.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) from the great State of Florida very much for yielding. She certainly has educated us about Florida, among other things, and she is a proud, proud ranking member on this bill.

This bill punishes our veterans by pushing out professionals from the Department of Veterans Affairs. It promotes premature retirements, and it paves the way for private equity takeovers, leaving care delayed, denied, and diminished.

For this reason, at the appropriate time I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill.

My amendment would mandate metrics requiring a report on veteran employee separations, deferred resignations, early retirements, and contractor-driven cuts exposing employment erosion and salary shortfalls of those who have served our Nation. Veterans deserve data not desertion.

I will vote ``no'' on the military construction bill also because the underlying bill underfunds our military construction accounts by nearly $1 billion. This hurts our military readiness at a time when our enemies like China choose to invest in themselves. I also can't support a bill that paves the road to VA privatization. Perish that thought.

While I have the time, it is long overdue for the Department of Veterans Affairs to approve the request from northwest Ohio to expedite the dual affiliation of the University of Toledo Medical Center and the VA Ann Arbor Health Care System. Our VA community clinic in Toledo stands ready to support this effort, and over 83,000 veterans in the northwest quadrant of Ohio deserve the convenience of access to the State of Ohio's medical center and academic center at Toledo.

In Toledo, to level funding in this account will not allow us to grow and fully support the needs of all of our veterans.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for the motion to recommit, and I include in the Record the text of my amendment.

Ms. Kaptur moves to recommit the bill H.R. 3944 to the

Committee on Appropriations with the following amendment:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

veterans firings accountability

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for Americans to lower the temperature. Political extremism and dangerous divisions among Americans are causes for serious reflection.

As inexplicable hate is spewed out, my gratitude goes out to law enforcement in all forms working around the clock to keep our Great Lakes communities and Nation safe. Yet, rising gun violence, drugs, and outlandish behaviors, such as cars driving on the turnpike at 90 miles an hour, remain as fallout from the pandemic. They must be addressed.

The heroic police deputies in Minnesota who addressed a deranged, extreme perpetrator did their job. We applaud them for their brains and valor.

Restoring some calm to America is not a Democratic or Republican challenge. It is an American challenge.

I welcome the suggestion of Sophie and Colin Hortman, children of slain Minnesota State House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. In their children's words: ``If you would like to honor the memory of Mark and Melissa, please consider the following: Plant a tree. Visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail. Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do. Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it. Bake something--bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa--and share it with someone,'' like your local firefighters. ``Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something. Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace.''

Mr. Speaker, I hope all listening today take this message to heart.