Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, needless chaos on U.S. financial markets must be quelled. Today's continuing historic losses on top of last week's are unprecedented, totalling over $6 trillion. That is trillion. This has never happened before. America's enemies are applauding.

Congress needs to act to rein in this chaos. Trump tariffs of this magnitude equate to new taxes on everything the American people buy or own. Today, the Dow Jones and Standard & Poor's continued their nosedive with the worst 3-day performance in nearly a half a century.

These are not just numbers. They represent people losing wealth they worked for. It is evaporating retirement savings, businesses losing capital, cars not being sold, and rising unemployment that has started in industrial and agricultural America.

Our people produce real products for market, and we know what pink slips are. Too many families are fearing for their financial futures, with senior citizens unable to meet the rising cost of living, including for food and medicine.

Mr. Speaker, Congress must pass legislation to support sustained growth, not destroy wealth. The Trump extreme taxes must be stopped.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight this administration's lies to the American people about Social Security.

On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to protect your hard- earned Social Security benefits. However, now he has sent trickster Elon Musk and his flimflam government agency, DOGE, after the Social Security database.

Michelle King was the deputy commissioner for operations at the Social Security Administration for only 28 days before stepping down because she refused to grant the fraudsters at DOGE access to the Social Security database and all the sensitive personal data it holds on everyday Americans. Bravo to Michelle.

The administration got rid of her and replaced her with Leland Dudek, a man who was already under investigation for sharing highly sensitive data with the DOGE team.

While courts across our country step in to try to stop DOGE, its destabilization continues at an alarming rate. I am concerned Elon Musk wants to privatize Social Security and, through his new computer company he just bought, is going to try to be paid by the government to manage those accounts.

DOGE has created serious tech problems, gutted the staff, and overwhelmed call centers, creating much confusion in their wake.

Americans should pay attention to their Social Security. They earned these benefits, and nobody else has a right to them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Law Enforcement Training for Mental Health Crisis Response Act of 2025. This bill is a bipartisan effort alongside with Congresswoman Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma. Our goal is to ensure our officers have the tools they need to effectively and safely respond to mental health emergencies.

Every day, law enforcement officers across our Nation are called to situations where individuals are experiencing mental health crises. These moments can be unpredictable, even volatile, for all those involved.

The reality is that 1 in 10 police calls involve a person struggling with mental illness. Too often these encounters end in unnecessary harm.

Our bill will provide much-needed Federal support to train officers in crisis response techniques. It will advance their skills to deescalate situations, and our goal is to deescalate people with the care they need instead of the back of a squad car or a jail cell.

By investing in training, we protect our communities and ensure those in crisis are met with highly trained law enforcement officers.

I am proud to work along with Congresswoman Bice and our colleagues to help our country become a safer, more healthy place for all.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in disbelief at the troubling stories in ``The Atlantic'' magazine of classified attack plans carelessly leaked by the U.S. Department of Defense in a reckless and dangerous fashion.

Congress must conduct a fully independent investigation with public and private congressional hearings. The highest national security and intelligence leaders of our Nation put American's servicemembers' lives at high risk.

All responsible must be held fully accountable, including through removal or resignation from their positions. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director Radcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Gabbard, Secretary of State Rubio, National Security Advisor Waltz, Chief of Staff Wiles, and Vice President Vance were among those involved in the plans Hegseth shared against DOD policy on a Signal group chat on unsecured, nongovernment devices vulnerable to espionage.

Hegseth failed to notice that the group chat included a news editor and reporter with no security clearance. Only Lady Luck graced our Nation as their haphazard approach to war didn't result in the death of American servicemembers who could have ended up at the bottom of the Red Sea or over foreign soil. Their reckless leak risked American lives and our security.

Mr. Speaker, as our Marine Corps uncle would say: Shape up.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following proclamation:

I have the honor of representing Ohio's 9th Congressional District, a region that embodies the industrious spirit, deep-rooted history, and rich educational traditions of our great state. Today, I am privileged to join in commemorating an extraordinary milestone in our community-- the 175th anniversary of Defiance College.

Whereas, Defiance College, founded in 1850 as Defiance Female Seminary, has served as a beacon of higher education for 175 years, fostering a tradition of academic excellence, service, and leadership; and

Whereas, the institution has remained steadfast in its commitment to scholarship, social responsibility, and inclusion, evolving over the decades to meet the needs of a changing world while preserving its core values; and

Whereas, Defiance College has played a vital role in the development of Northwest Ohio and beyond, shaping generations of students into leaders in their professions and communities, and providing a rigorous education rooted in the liberal arts and experiential learning; and

Whereas, during the presidency of Kevin McCann, Defiance College experienced significant growth, expanding its campus, enhancing academic facilities, and welcoming national figures, including President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who laid the cornerstone for the Anthony Wayne Library of American Study in 1953 and returned in 1963 to deliver a commencement address; and

Whereas, Defiance College remains a distinguished institution dedicated to the betterment of society, housing the Thoreau Wildlife Sanctuary, supporting service initiatives, and providing an education that encourages critical thinking, ethical leadership, and civic engagement; and

Whereas, the college's commitment to its students, alumni, faculty, and staff has created a legacy of intellectual curiosity, innovation, and community engagement that continues to inspire future generations; and

Whereas, on this occasion of its demisemiseptcentennial, we celebrate Defiance College's enduring legacy, its significant contributions to the educational and civic landscape, and its bright future in the years ahead;

Now, therefore, I, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, proudly recognize and commend Defiance College on its 175th anniversary. May this milestone serve as a testament to its remarkable history, its commitment to academic and community excellence, and the enduring impact it has had on Northwest Ohio and beyond.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand to honor Defiance College and its distinguished history on this momentous occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member DeLauro for allowing me this time.

This bill was drafted by Musk's greed machine and seeks to put his claws even deeper into the pockets of our people. Why? To extract the largest transfer of wealth from money they are taking from these bills from middle-class and working-class people and put it in the pockets of the top 1 percent, who already own half of this country, a handful of people who are so very wealthy.

The top 1 percent of billionaires now own as much wealth as the bottom half of our population. That is what is going wrong, and I rise in strong opposition to this bill.

Elon Musk and his DOGE boys don't need Medicaid, Social Security, and veterans benefits. Our Constitution assigns our legislative branch the responsibility to direct Federal spending, not unelected billionaires and the 1 percent.

In our subcommittee area of energy and water development, this Musk bill would stifle American prosperity by cutting nearly half of the Army Corp's budget. Musk and Trump don't know anything about public works and how essential the Army Corps is to our daily life in every district in this country and to economic growth.

The greed machine wants to steal assets from America's people and put them in the pockets of billionaires at places like moolah-lago. Did I say that right? Mar-a-Lago.

Finally, the greed machine is cutting a total of nearly $600 million in support for local law enforcement. That is nearly $600 million in cuts for local police, leaving the kitty dry. The greed machine is underfunding our local police.

In opposing the bill, I stand with our people, not with the billionaires and their greed machine. Think about it. Why rob Main Street to dole out even bigger tax breaks and more contracts for the moolah-lago crowd and billionaires whose crew haven't got a clue what working life is like for American men and women?

It is over time for them to pay their fair share. Vote ``no'' on this horrendous bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call out a vile attack on an American patriot, Senator Mark Kelly of the great State of Arizona.

Yesterday, unelected billionaire Elon Musk, who has never served this Nation a day in uniform, called Senator Kelly a traitor for visiting our Nation's ally Ukraine.

A traitor is one who commits treason. That consists of giving aid and comfort to an enemy. Ukraine is not our enemy. Ukraine is our ally.

Mark Kelly has served our Nation honorably from 1986 to 2011 in the United States Navy rising to the rank

of captain, having served 39 combat missions during the Gulf war.

During his naval career, he was awarded two Defense Superior Service Medals, one Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals with Combat V, two Navy Commendation Medals, one Navy Achievement Medal, two Southwest Asia Service Medals, one Navy Expeditionary Medal, two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, a NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and an Overseas Service Ribbon.

He only resigned his commission to help provide care and assistance to his beloved wife who had served here formerly, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, following an assassination attempt on her in Tucson in 2011.

Words and statements have meaning. Elon Musk needs to be held accountable for his. Today, world leaders have resoundingly stood tall aside the Nation of Ukraine in agreeing to a 1-month cease-fire. The United States has also agreed to lift the embargo on armaments and will be sending 1 month of armaments to Ukraine as the rest of the world looks to Russia to be cooperative in our effort to stop the killing in central Europe.

Mr. Speaker, this Women's History Month, I rise to honor and celebrate the remarkable achievement of Nicole Postan.

Firefighter Postan has made history as the first full-time female firefighter in the Margaretta Township Fire Department.

A native of Brunswick, Ohio, Nicole's dedication and passion for serving her community have set an inspiring example for all of us. Nicole's journey in public service is a testament to her determination and commitment.

As a certified firefighter and EMT, she has worked tirelessly to protect and serve the people of northwest Ohio. Now, as a full-time firefighter, she continues to exemplify what it means to be a true trailblazer.

Beyond her technical skills, Nicole's compassionate approach to service is evident in her work with children, teaching fire safety in schools. She also is pursuing efforts in education as she trains to become a paramedic.

Nicole's story will undoubtedly inspire future generations of young women in Erie County and beyond to pursue careers as a trailblazer and first responder.

This Women's History Month, I am gratified to tell the story of a brave woman who has broken glass ceilings in our own community.

Mr. Speaker, today is the fourth worst day on U.S. financial markets since 2022. It appears the American people are in for a rough ride. Buckle your seatbelts.

Prices are rising already, and our financial markets are turbulent in the wrong direction. Economic recession looms ahead. Unemployment is increasing and so is inflation. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

The economic repercussions of the Trump administration's tariffs are far-reaching, and they are biting down already. They threaten to raise prices on everything, including automobiles. I come from an automobile manufacturing center. Increases per car may be $9,000 to $12,000 per car. That is unaffordable. Housing is unaffordable now. Now cars, now other commodities like items that everybody uses--gasoline, lumber, road salt, potash, oil, energy.

The U.S. and Canadian economies are interlinked. They are interlinked. These tariffs are propelling prices upwards. We don't want them to go that way. We want to stop the rising prices.

High tariffs impose undue strain across the board, and they make American consumers and businesses alike miserable. The cost of living is climbing already, and the economic stability many workers have worked so hard to achieve is being undermined, as I speak.

Now, today's news that the stock market took a major nosedive across the board is serious. The Dow is down 900 points, the worst market outcome of this year. But it isn't just this year. If you look back, the plummet that happened today is not pretty. Perhaps the President thinks that putting a pause on tariffs will halt this market crash. I mean, his proposals have been like this, but I urge this administration to realize it is uncertainty that the market does not like.

Manufacturers cannot reinvent supply chains one month at a time. This stop-start, stop-start tariffs and tariffing are producing no benefits for America while already-rising prices and crashing workers' 401(k)s. Look what is happening to people's collective wealth in this country.

Close to home where I live, these policies are severely impacting all of the people I represent across the Great Lakes region, the industrial and agricultural heartland.

Trade policy must be targeted carefully, and it should never cause chaos. That is exactly what it is doing, causing chaos. Let me state plainly: Tariffs on our Canadian allies are foolish. The businesses and people of northwest Ohio and all of Ohio and the industrial agricultural Midwest overwhelmingly oppose this careless administration's ill-conceived trade war with Canada.

Canada is our Nation's most fair trading partner. Our accounts balance when you look over a 10-year period of time. Our Nation should stand for free trade among free people, and that is what our trade with Canada does. Imposing tariffs on North American companies already struggling to compete with penny-wage labor abroad will drive our economy backwards off a cliff. Why would anybody want to do that? It makes no sense.

Tariffs will hurt jobs across our region's manufacturing belt, in the automotive industry, in the energy sectors. The significant harm to our economy cannot be undone overnight, and it is happening right now as I speak.

The regions' economies are intertwined across the Great Lakes, with iron ore and steel, auto parts and finished vehicles, crude oil and refined gasoline crisscrossing our northern border numerous times before getting to its final customer. To put it simply, don't hurt North America.

The American people cannot stand idly by while we throw out all the hard-fought gains we have made in American manufacturing since the 1980s; and, boy, believe me, they have been hard fought. Our region lost so many jobs abroad to NAFTA and CAFTA and China PNTR. We fought against those. We knew they wouldn't work, and they didn't. Now, we have had about 10 years where we tried to rebuild our region, and now this just as we are making progress. It is really disgusting.

Who would even think about changing tariff laws through a tweet that the President did at 2 a.m. in the middle of the night? That sounds kind of peculiar to me.

Tariffs and trade policy have to be carefully calibrated. Where is ``The Art of the Deal''? This looks more like collapse an economy in 50 days.

Well, we don't want any of it. The American consumers are poised to be in recession. That is where we are headed. I urge, in the strongest possible words, the Trump administration to go back to the drawing board, get some of the most experienced people--we can recommend some to you--to figure out ways to solve the problem you want to solve, but don't put our people out of work. Don't stop reinvestment in our region. Don't drill down into people's 401(k)s. Don't harm the industries that are producing the real wealth of this country. The train on tariffs at the border is going backwards.

Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, we need to redo this Trump tariff regimen and produce a system that creates wealth, doesn't destroy it, that doesn't throw our financial markets into chaos, and allows regions like my own that have struggled so hard for decades to rebuild what was taken away from us.

Make us sound again. Don't do more harm to us.

We have just reached a point where we have to speak out against these dangerous tariffs. They are destroying our livelihoods. People can't afford groceries. Our food banks are crowded with people. These tariffs are already biting down. America needs growth, not recession.

Please, please, folks who hear my voice, urge the administration to redo its tariffs and take off this tourniquet around the whole northern border of our country that we share with Canada so that we can have robust growth again. We have worked so hard for it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 7 o'clock and 44 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.

Mr. Speaker, my message today is an alert for Social Security recipients. Pay attention to what billionaire Elon Musk is doing with your hard-earned Social Security benefits.

Musk is coming after your Social Security. The top administrator of the Social Security administration says that Musk's DOGE boys are trying to break the system entirely. That will stop your hard-earned benefits from reaching seniors and eligible recipients.

Social Security benefits are your hard-earned benefits. They don't belong to billionaire Elon Musk. Americans work hard to earn their Social Security retirement and be secure as they

age. Social Security has been around since Franklin Roosevelt created the program nearly 100 years ago.

Social Security accounts are yours, and it is a sacrilege to do anything to disturb them. You might think about President Trump; he inherited all of his money. He didn't have to work.

Mr. Speaker, we have to do everything possible to protect Social Security for the millions and millions of Americans who deserve those earned benefits, and no one should lie about them and say that they are in trouble. They are 99.8 percent delivered. They are 99.8 percent perfect. It is almost a perfect score. Don't believe what the President said down on this floor just a few days ago. We are here to protect Social Security benefits.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the big elephant in the room, the Trump administration's imposition of a 25 percent tariff on U.S.-Canada trade. It will severely impact jobs and companies in the Great Lakes region, including what I represent, Northwestern Ohio.

My colleagues have heard it right. President Trump is going to put a 25 percent tariff on U.S.-Canadian trade. They are our best trading partner. What is going on over there?

Unneeded tariffs will cause prices to rise more on everything. Just wait. Cars will go up $9,000 to $12,000 a vehicle. Costs of grain will go up. The cost of road salt, potash, oil, gasoline will skyrocket dangerously. Let me state plainly that 25 percent tariffs on Canada are foolish.

The people and businesses of our region and the industrial Midwest overwhelmingly oppose the administration's unnecessary trade war with Canada. Tariffs can be imposed in a smart and targeted approach. The Trump tariff is nothing like that.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all citizens to contact the White House. Put it simply: Don't hurt North American trade with Canada. It works. Don't kill what isn't broken.

Mr. Speaker, there is always good news in America. It is contained in the hearts of its people.

I rise today in recognition of an extraordinary citizen of northwest Ohio, Mr. Steve Martin, for his selfless dedication to our community. Steve creates community.

Since April of last year, Steve has volunteered with I Want to Mow Your Lawn, a nonprofit providing free lawn care to elderly individuals, veterans, people with disabilities, and families in need.

Through his hard work and generosity, Steve has completed 30 visits to care for the homes of Nancy Kinkaid and Bill Orzechowski, two neighbors facing serious health challenges.

His service not only maintains their yards, he has given them peace of mind, dignity, and the knowledge that their community cares.

Steve's contributions exemplify the very best of the northwest Ohio spirit, neighbors helping neighbors and lifting each other up in times of need. His work reminds us all that small acts of kindness can have a profound impact.

I am honored to recognize Steve Martin today. Let's thank him for his unwavering commitment to making our communities a better place for all.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for the opportunity to speak. I thank him for his great work.

Mr. Speaker, budgets are about choices for the American people. If we look at what is happening with this current budget, it is a bonanza for billionaires. We live in a moment in our country when 1 percent of our population, the very top, hold as much wealth as the bottom half of our country. One percent of the top, the billionaires and millionaires, hold more wealth than the bottom half of our people. It is an astounding moment in which we are living.

The very top are not paying their fair share, and everybody in America knows it, including them. How many more mansions do we need to see that take up acres and acres? How many yachts do these people actually need? Some of the old movies about ``Goldfinger'' and all come to mind. Some people seem to like gold a whole lot in this country.

If the tax cuts that are proposed in this bill offer a few hundred dollars to people who live in the bottom half of our country, which is most of the people that I represent, the bottom half of incomes, the people at the top are going to get hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars back. I say to myself: Do they have any conscience about what is happening in their country? To take away the healthcare, Medicare, Medicaid, the cuts that Republicans are proposing, you will cause death in this country.

To me, what is happening here is shameless. Here is the chart. If we look back at who caused the debt in our country, wow. It is pretty obvious. If we go back to the Reagan Presidency, all you are doing is just repeating what happened. They added $2 trillion. Then the Bush II tax cuts added $8 trillion. The Trump tax cuts are already over $2.5 trillion.

The Afghan and Iraq wars declared by Republican Presidents added $8 trillion. If you look at this, two-thirds of what we owe were caused by the Republican side of the aisle. I represent a lot of Republicans, and I will tell you they are honest people and they will pay their taxes, but they don't like this excess. It is hurting America. The Republican budget is just a bonanza for billionaires. Shame on you.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman so very much for allowing me to speak this evening and to also thank her for her service to the United States of America in our military. She knows the cost of liberty. There couldn't be a better Member of Congress than Chrissy Houlahan, I will tell you that.

A lot of Americans perhaps in the newer generations don't understand what Russia is capable of, so I refer them to two books if they are interested, and I hope they are. One is ``Bloodlands'' by Dr. Timothy Snyder, now at Yale University, who discusses the history of the region that we are talking about and what happened yesterday at the United Nations. Another book is ``Red Sparrow.'' I would recommend people don't read that in the evening, but during the day because they will learn more about how Russia both operates now and has always operated.

To give a little history, before the collapse of the murderous dictatorship that was called the Soviet Union that occurred in 1991 and had extended all the way from Russia all the way across Europe to Germany to East Berlin, which has been free since 1991, a great President, Ronald Reagan, served this Nation. He was elected twice.

He correctly identified Russia as the ``evil empire.'' Ronald Reagan had been an actor in Hollywood and fought to remove Communists from the ranks of the Screen Actors Guild in California, where he met his wife. That particular

effort by Reagan took great courage because he could have been killed. That is what it is like to deal with Russia as the Soviet Union or the empire now.

Another Republican President during my service was George W. Bush. He named Russia and North Korea as the ``axis of evil.'' We could add Iran and other countries. Never before at the United Nations has any U.S. President ever stood with the dictators of Russia.

Those countries that voted with Russia yesterday are state sponsors of terrorism. Russia understands terror. That is what she does. For the United States to stand beside Russia, North Korea, and Belarus at the United Nations, it is appalling. It is appalling.

Russia's atrocities go back hundreds of years. During World War II on the soils of Ukraine, 14 million people were murdered. This is the tradition of Putin. If you do not know that, you are naive. Wake up. Wake up.

Even China abstained from the vote yesterday.

Aligning with these countries which past Presidents have called the epitome of evil on Earth is shocking. The very fundamental purpose of this Nation is liberty. That is why we are here. This isn't some game, and it is not about strategic metals or very precious items that are underground somewhere. It is about something much more precious-- liberty.

To see that happen at the U.N. yesterday, I thought, what have they been drinking up there?

Ukraine is the scrimmage line for liberty on the Continent of Europe today, and no President of the United States should cavort with dictators. We have always been the bastion of freedom. Our people have died for it, defending these ideals around the world. Yesterday, President Trump cowered and appeased one of the most dangerous dictatorships in the world.

Mr. Speaker, it is shameful. It is un-American. It is not patriotic. It is almost traitorous--maybe it is traitorous to do that. We know Russia. We know North Korea. We know Iran. They don't stand for liberty. They are part of the new spiderweb of tyranny that is poised against us, if anyone is paying attention anywhere in this country.

The actions to vote with them and against Ukraine is a blotch on America's record as a champion for a free world. Most of the world is not free. If people haven't traveled to these places, try. They might learn something.

Tomorrow is another day. I urge those who lead foreign policy for this administration to remember who we fight for, who our friends are, who our allies are, and who our enemies are united against us.

I also just wanted to place on the record a reminder that when Ukraine was beginning to be free after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, a great man, Viktor Yushchenko, was President of the young Ukraine. What did Putin do? Putin had him poisoned. Yushchenko survived somehow when they flew him to Europe and they tried to pump him out with some kind of horrible, strategic metal that he had been made to swallow when he ate with the dictators who continued to control Russia. Putin had just killed Alexei Navalny in a terrible Arctic prison because he wanted to run against Putin.

That is how someone gets elected in Russia. Kill the opposition. My friends, pay attention. Be informed. If we want to understand how a tyranny operates, look at the film on YouTube. It takes 30 minutes. It is called, ``Freedom Means Never Surrender.'' It is a documentary about how a tyranny functions. It just won the Telly Award. Take the time to do it. Recall the preciousness of the liberty we enjoy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman very much for allowing us to speak on this Special Order.