Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, why is the Trump administration, Mr. Musk, and their secret meat grinder called DOGE hurting working Americans?

Inflation is going up, unemployment is up, the stock market is rickety and went down again today, egg prices are up, and Walmart sales are down.

So far, there is little evidence that DOGE is helping families. Indeed, they are causing more unemployment. They are not keeping us safer, and they are not helping anybody.

A young U.S. Department of Agriculture specialist just moved to Ohio to assist local farmers sell produce locally. That job is gone.

A young farmer with a newborn daughter and a single mother with two children just back from maternity leave were hired to help citizens understand how to save money through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. They are out in the cold too, and so will the American people be.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects to be combating the bird flu which is spreading to cows and now even people, but guess what, Mr. Speaker? They don't have the vets to do the job. No. They were fired.

A mom who spent her life working in our national parks and is trying to send her kids to college, does she still have her job? No, she is looking for work. This doesn't seem like a plan that is really helping the American people, and all the statistics show it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congressman from Alabama (Mr. Figures) and also Congresswoman Bynum from the State of Oregon and the chair of the Black Caucus, Yvette Clarke of New York, for inviting me to speak this evening.

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Black History Month, I rise to honor an extraordinary American hero that I had the great pleasure to know from my home community in Ohio, Lieutenant Colonel Harold H. Brown. He was a Tuskegee Airman, and this is the bronze statue that was cast in our region as part of our Air Force museum, honoring his astounding life.

He was a warrior for justice on many fronts and an unwavering patriot. He was always happy. His story is one of resilience, excellence, and service, embodying the very best of our Nation's ideals.

From a young age, Harold dreamed of soaring through the skies. I don't know where he got that idea, but just at 19 years old, he turned that dream into reality as a pilot in the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. These were a heroic group of African-American aviators who defied both gravity and systemic racism to serve their country during World War II. As others have referenced tonight, we stand on their shoulders.

Harold flew combat missions with unparalleled skill and valor. He loved to fly, taking on some of the most dangerous missions over war- torn Europe. His service came at great risk. The plane we see there, he liked to fly privately also and would wear a scarf around his neck. He was a great teacher, and he managed community colleges after his service.

During one of his many missions, his plane was shot down in battle, and he was captured as a prisoner of war. Even in captivity, Harold never wavered in his duty to his country.

After the war, he continued to serve, answering the call again during the brutal Korean war. He answered the call. His legacy extended beyond the battlefield. He became an educator, beloved, a mentor and champion for the desegregation of the United States military.

The impact of Harold Brown and his fellow Tuskegee Airmen is immeasurable in this country. The Red Tails, as they were known, flew more than--get ready for this--15,000 sorties between 1943 and 1945, earning a reputation as some of the most skilled pilots in the United States military.

Bomber crews specifically requested their escort, knowing the Tuskegee Airmen would protect them against enemy attacks. They were angels in the sky. They were so brave. They fought not only against the forces of fascism abroad but, again, the deep-seated racism at home, paving the way for the desegregation of the Armed Forces with the leadership from Ohio, setting a precedent for generations to come.

Right in my district of Toledo, the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen lives on. The area around us in northern Ohio--Ohio is known as the State of flight, and 58 of these brave aviators called Ohio home, with several hailing from the great Toledo area and Harold himself from Port Clinton and points east.

Their contributions to our Armed Forces and to our communities remain an indelible part of our history. Institutions such as the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, the National Museum of the Great Lakes, and the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio, where this photo was taken, have preserved their stories, ensuring that future generations will remember their courage and their sacrifice.

These men were not just warriors in the sky. They were pioneers who shattered social and racial barriers, proving their excellence time and again, despite the discrimination they faced. Despite their heroism, their place in history has not always been respected. Just recently, sadly, we witnessed a shameful attempt to erase the legacy of Harold Brown and countless others who fought with him and for this country.

Under the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Defense, following a sweeping executive order, removed diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, including historical education on renowned figures including the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Air Force Service Pilots.

A training program that honored these heroes was halted. Their history was nearly erased in the name of a stupid and mean-spirited political agenda that sought to rewrite America's past

to fit a narrow, exclusionary narrative. This was more than an insult to the African-American community. It was an insult to America itself. It was an affront to every soldier, airman, sailor, and Marine who fought not just for our country but for the ideals upon which it stands.

The removal of these Department of Defense programs was a deliberate attempt to diminish the contributions of African Americans in the military and to erase the struggles they overcame in their fight for justice and equality.

Let this be a lesson. The power of the America people is stronger than any one administration. When this erasure was exposed, when the outrage of everyday citizens--not just Black, not just Brown, but White--demanded justice, the American people forced a reckoning with the United States Department of Defense and the President of the United States. Public outcry led to the reinstatement of the course honoring the Tuskegee Airmen.

Truth cannot be silenced, and history cannot be rewritten to serve the will of the few. We, the people, hold the power to safeguard our history. The legacy of Harold Brown and his daring, patriotic fellow airmen has been restored, not because those in power willingly chose to do so but because Americans of conscience refused to allow their contributions to ever be forgotten.

This is a testament to the enduring power of truth and justice and a reminder that each American must remain vigilant in protecting both truth and justice. As we honor Harold Brown today--and he never wanted honor. The entire community, most of whom were Caucasian like myself, came out. There was music and joy, and there was happiness in his memory.

We remember his service, but also we remember his fight. Let us carry forward his mission, not just in the skies but in every arena where justice is challenged, where history is threatened, and where the sacrifices of our ancestors and predecessors risk being erased.

We owe it to Harold Brown and his family. We owe it to the Tuskegee Airmen and their families. We owe it to ourselves and to future generations of the American family. Harold Brown and the Tuskegee Airmen of northern Ohio changed the world for the better, and so can we.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Garamendi, who is such a distinguished Member, for substituting for me while I was in our Budget Committee. I know what a phenomenal job he does and how deeply he loves our country and how hard he fights for her and for all the people that he represents and those include my constituents, too. His work is just phenomenal. I thank him for being here today.

Mr. Speaker, I will focus a little on Elon Musk and put some materials in

the Record. He is an unelected billionaire with no Federal clearance, standing or sitting right next to the President of the United States, almost on a daily basis.

Mr. Musk is so rich he could buy my entire congressional district and have lots left over.

He spent millions upon millions, more than I and all of our relatives are worth, to defeat House Democrats for Congress, myself included.

I couldn't come near to match his money. He did the same to many of my colleagues in this House, including some with us today.

Can you imagine having enough money to put millions and millions of dollars up against Members of Congress to control Congress? That is what is going on.

Political victories to billionaires equate to the fall of our Republic. Presidents Washington and Lincoln could never have imagined this selling off of our Republic. Musk has endless money. He uses it fiercely.

Some of us won despite the tidal wave of his money. Politics shouldn't be about raising oodles of money. It should be about serving our people and strengthening our Nation for all, not just the superrich. You know what? They have enough.

The America we have known is at risk of becoming owned by a billionaire class. If and when that happens, our precious freedoms will vanish.

Now, our family and I have been citizens of this country for our entire lives, three generations, totaling over a century and a half: grandparents, parents, and us. Every generation worked very hard here. It wasn't easy. They fought fiercely for our Nation as veterans in every major war to defeat dictators, to preserve liberty for our Nation and others, and then they bequeathed that precious gift to us. We all worked hard to become more educated. Our family, community, and Nation are my treasures.

By contrast, Elon Musk holds citizenship in three countries: South Africa, Canada, and then for the last 22 years, the USA.

I keep asking myself: To which one is he most loyal? He was born and raised in apartheid South Africa in very well-to-do circumstances. With the fall of that apartheid regime not so many years ago, after a great human rights struggle inside South Africa, his father knew that economic circumstance would change in South Africa, so he took Elon, then a teenager, to visit over a dozen countries, including Canada, where Elon's mother still resides.

Elon took a second citizenship in Canada. He obtained a visa then to attend college in the United States as a foreign student, graduating in economics and physics. He then moved to Silicon Valley for graduate school, but dropped out after 2 days.

There is still remaining some questions as to whether he illegally overstayed in our country on a student visa. Records show he has only been a citizen of our country for 22 years, having become a citizen in the year of 2002.

Bottom line: Why has President Donald Trump just given a naturalized citizen with two other citizenships and with no Federal clearance and only 22 years of residency in our Nation the keys to the U.S. Department of the Treasury's electronic payment systems. That data records every citizens' private financial information and every businesses' private information across our country.

Musk got the position completely without the normal ethic investigations required of every political appointee to any President.

When I served President Carter, the FBI checked our records, people all the way back to grade school. That was not done for this man.

The American people need to know more about exactly how Elon, now an unelected billionaire, built his fortune off Federal Government contracts. In our Budget Committee, a number was just stated that he holds up to $18 billion of contracts with the Government of the United States. That began with a huge $465 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to launch Tesla in California. Who exactly lobbied in that department for that loan, and who and why was it accepted? We are told it was paid back.

Frankly, I have never known anyone who has gotten a loan that large from the Government of the United States with his background.

For the record, Elon Musk paid that loan back over time, but began increasing the amounts of his gigantic loan and grant applications to the Federal Government with the largest thus far, we think, being with

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Johnson for his comments. I yield to the gentleman from New York, Congressman Tim Kennedy, a phenomenal new Member from Buffalo.

Mr. Speaker, I believe an additional speaker is coming.

While we are waiting, Mr. Speaker, I want to point to this. If there are citizens who are listening, if we look at some of the government contracts that Mr. Musk is engaged in, we are trying to make this as complete as we can.

For example, NASA is one of the largest contracts that he personally has. Look at this number, $11.8 billion with NASA. Can you imagine how many subcontractors there are on that job? That is just one connection.

Then, we look over to the U.S. Department of Defense, and that is $3.6 billion.

These are enormous contracts. I have companies in my district that do contract with the government. They don't have contracts that size.

We look at the Department of Commerce, $1.9 million. Mr. Musk has a contract there.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is an interesting one, $463,000. I am not sure what that is for.

The Department of State is $440,000. You can do a lot with $440,000. There is a lot of information at the State Department. What is that contract for?

Then, we have a whole series at other agencies. We know it is well over a million dollars. We can't even track how much it is. This is an enormous amount of money. Even General Dynamics and some of our large corporations, I don't think, have this kind of reach.

Mr. Speaker, apparently, we don't have any final speakers. I thank the Speaker and all those who are listening for their indulgence. This is a time for the American people to be intrepid and on the watch and providing information to their Members of Congress about information they may have

about what Mr. Musk and all of his alliances are doing across this country--to benefit the Republic.

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

Madam Speaker, Ukraine is the scrimmage line for liberty on the continent of Europe today. We all have witnessed hundreds of thousands of war deaths at record levels in this 11-year, cruel war that Russia has perpetrated against the free nation of Ukraine.

Russia had no provocation. For 30 years, Ukraine had tried to build her land forward.

Importantly, this morning in Europe, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made an opening statement, along with many of our allied nations, seeking an end to the horrific 11-year killing field that is Ukraine after war criminal Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion, as I said, in 2014. It has been 11 long years of war.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated a negotiated peace will require an exchange of territory. Working with our closest and most-valued allies in NATO in the free world, the United States must do everything possible to bring full liberty to Ukraine and move Russia back into her own borders.

The international community must safeguard those borders, and those negotiations are yet to come. We have some hope this morning if we are serious about making sure the dividing line between the free world and the suppressed world is clearly drawn and safeguarded.

Rising Costs for Ohioans

Madam Speaker, I rise this morning on behalf of the people of northwest Ohio. We face an economic reality that many across our country are experiencing.

Prices are on the rise. Trade war panic is causing more inflation. Uncertainty and the short supply of goods and services rise as inflation rises. It was announced this morning that prices are up 3 percent across the board, more than expected over the past month of this new administration.

Too many families are overwhelmed by the cost of living, and everyday people are having to face really hard choices between paying for groceries or rent, between medicine or a tank of gas. Do you just fill it halfway?

The latest curse: rising property taxes. In Ohio, eggs cost between $6.66 a dozen and $8 a dozen. Gas is back up to over $3 a gallon. Unemployment is ticking up. Property taxes are skyrocketing, and working people are being squeezed from all sides. They don't have a lot of time to think about politics.

With Democrats here in the House, President Biden was able to allow a few prescription drug prices to be lowered, but it is no secret that the majority of families struggle to pay for medicine when they need it.

Meanwhile, major pharmacy chains, like Rite Aid, are shutting their doors, leaving entire communities with no pharmacy.

Why are there no hearings on that here in Congress?

Where are people supposed to go to fill their prescriptions?

People aren't just feeling economic pressure. They are being crushed by it.

Rents keep rising. This forces families and seniors to downsize or leave communities they have called home for decades.

Consumer credit card fraud is on the rise, bilking people who are already stretched thin. When families have no room left in their budgets, far too many gamble on their futures, making desperate choices just to get by.

My district is no stranger to gambling with lottery tickets, scratch offs, and casinos. The wheels just turn faster. People take chances. In the last election, that is exactly what they did. They gambled.

Many didn't vote. They voted not because they support radical extremism but because they want to get ahead. They want this Congress and the new President to help them do that.

I hear them. We all should, but the reality is that prices are going up. The Consumer Price Index just rose over the past month with 3 percent unexpected inflation. Prices for eggs are up, as I have said, 53 percent.

Look at what is happening with the price of higher education, which is now unaffordable for the majority. If our young people can't afford to go to school and learn, what does that imply for the future of this country?

Madam Speaker, today, I stand with the long-suffering people of Ukraine. Theirs is a valiant fight to reclaim their territory, their sovereignty, their security, and their destiny.

Vladimir Putin brutally invaded 11 years ago with no provocation. Russia must be pushed back inside its own borders, and today, Secretary of Defense Hegseth stood on territory freed by 400,000 American soldiers, whose graves mark liberty's greatest victory over tyranny across Europe. Their sacrifice birthed the free world.

General Omar Bradley, one of our Nation's most beloved and great generals, created NATO. He would have been astounded at what Hegseth did in stating: It is unrealistic for Ukraine to return to its pre-2014 borders.

Why would Hegseth take Russia's side with its war criminals and murderous plunder of a free people? Why would he do that?

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has consistently emphasized Ukraine's position that no peace negotiations with Russia are possible before the complete restoration of Ukraine's stolen territory and return to Ukraine's 1991 internationally recognized borders. The free world must achieve that.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the achievements of Quinyon Mitchell, a proud University of Toledo Rocket and now a Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Mr. Speaker, last year I stood before you and said that Quinyon Mitchell would make northwest Ohio proud on the national stage, and he has done exactly that, helping lead the Eagles to victory in Super Bowl

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate and protect the largest system of freshwater on Earth: The Great Lakes. I will be introducing the bipartisan Great Lakes Gateways Network Act of 2025, alongside my talented colleague, David Joyce of Ohio.

The Great Lakes have been declared a national treasure by executive order in 2004. The Great Lakes undergird America's industrial and agricultural heartland and encompass terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, including two globally important migratory bird flyways.

We are home to 20 national wildlife refuges; 7 national parks; America's longest coast and lakeshores, monuments, and memorials; 6 national forests; many State parks; wildlife management areas; and trail systems. These assets generate annually over $52 billion in economic activity.

The Great Lakes Gateway Network Act of 2025 will help us conserve, restore, and interpret our precious history by catalyzing numerous public and private investments in the linked network of gateway sites.

Mr. Speaker, it is long overdue for the northwest territory and our Great Lakes to shine a light on our region's magnificence and America's freshwater kingdom.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share a rising concern for public health.

My State of Ohio is the second largest egg-producing State in our Nation. Nationwide, over 14 million egg-laying birds have been killed since December of last year due to the growing bird flu outbreak. That is why the cost of eggs is skyrocketing, and this is why we must get this outbreak under control as human infection rates rise.

On January 6, the first American died from this infection. With each new human infection, the virus learns how to mutate and infect more people.

When studying this tragic death, the CDC found the virus had started to mutate, which means split, in two different ways. For the record, we know from just one human infection, the number of infections jumped to 66 human infections last year.

History instructs us that it is only a matter of time until doctors see sustained human-to-human transmission increasing. Despite this reality, the new administration ordered all divisions of our Department of Health and Human Services to halt their external communications. Bad idea. If the FDA wanted to warn Americans about a recalled item, they can't do so. The CDC needs to report what is happening around the country so that the bird flu doesn't continue to kill not just flocks but Americans.

As the bird flu continues to kill flocks and now cattle, impact grocery costs, infect our loved ones, and mutate, it is vital Americans have more access to information, not less.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and protect the largest system of fresh surface water on the planet by introducing, with my good friend Representative David Joyce, the Great Lakes Gateways Network Act of 2025.

Declared a ``national treasure'' by Executive Order in 2004, the Great Lakes and their watershed are rich in unique natural, recreational, historical, and cultural resources. With 94,600 square miles of surface water, 10,000 miles of shoreline, 35,000 islands, 532,938 acres of coastal wetlands, and 27.8 million hectares of forest, the Great Lakes support a variety of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife and two globally important migratory bird flyways.

Home to twenty national wildlife refuges, 7 national parks, lakeshores, monuments, and memorials, 6 national forests, and many state parks, wildlife management areas, and trail systems, the watershed's assets afford numerous recreational opportunities, including boating, fishing, hiking, beach use, and birding, that generate more than $52 billion annually for the region. It is a region rich in history and cultural heritage, central to the stories of our Nation's indigenous peoples, the westward expansion of the United States, the industrial revolution, and abolition.

The Great Lakes Gateways Network Act of 2025 will help conserve, restore, and interpret the precious historical, cultural, recreational, and natural resources in the Great Lakes Watershed by catalyzing public and private investment in a linked network of gateway sites. Modeled on the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998, the bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide matching grants to state and local governments, non-profits, and the private sector to develop and conserve important resources within the gateway system, enhancing public education and access regarding the region's unique heritage.

I urge my colleagues to support this vital legislation to protect our national fresh water treasure.

Mr. Speaker, an unelected, self-dealing multibillionaire who has made his vast fortune off huge government contracts should not be able to buy access to the U.S. Treasury, but he has done just that.

For the princely sum of $250 million, Elon Musk bankrolled President Trump's reelection campaign. For that, he has been given the keys to the Treasury kingdom.

Let's follow his footprints. Musk is now deploying unsecured private servers with his merry band of men aged 19 to 26, none with security clearances nor experience working in government agencies, to tap into the U.S. records of every single citizen and business.

What is his mission? To track private records for more self-dealing and more contracts, looking up what his competitors are invested in and tax cuts for the billionaire class. As has been reported, one of these men with access to our Nation's sensitive data is a green card holder and apparently not even a citizen.

Article I of our Constitution rests the power of the purse with Congress. I challenge every Member, follow the footprints of Elon Musk across this government and ask yourself why he should have access to the private tax records of the people of this country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and remember architect Friedrich St. Florian.

He was a visionary architect whose profound design of the National World War II Memorial on our National Mall has left an indelible, enduring mark honoring our Nation's history along that historic Mall of democracy--our collective memory.

Friedrich's architecture does more than commemorate. It invites reflection, on that area of the Mall, on the sacrifices of the greatest and most unselfish generation this Nation has ever seen, ensuring that their valor, unity, and sacrifice are honored for all time.

Friedrich was born amidst the throes of conflict in Graz, Austria. Friedrich's early experiences of war profoundly shaped his values and vision. His architectural design of the World War II Memorial was not merely a professional task. It stands as his personal tribute to freedom and to democracy and its cost.

He was deeply informed by his own moment of liberation at the end of World War II. How fortunate as an American he could connect that experience to our own. The memorial represents the 20th century's most valued achievement: The victory of liberty over tyranny.

As an Austrian by birth and an American by choice, Friedrich brought grace, dignity, and artistry along with his deeply held belief in the cost of liberty.

The memorial and its design stands as a testament to his commitment to honor the sacrifices of those who fought to save liberty for our generation and those to follow.

As we reflect on his enormous legacy, let us visit the National World War II Memorial as nearly 100 million Americans have done already. Let us share the stories of those who served and what they fought for and against, and ensure that their sacrifices continue to inspire future generations.

Friedrich St. Florian's work remains a symbol of our gratitude, a beacon of hope for peace where nearly, as I mentioned, visitors from near and far have come. As the designers intended, this memorial sits between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial and was designed as a plaza where people can come and reflect on the awesome history of our great country.

I thank Friedrich and his family and all those who assisted him for his monumental gift from the 20th century to our Nation going forward.

He will be dearly missed, but through his outstanding work with every detail, even the type of stone that was used, he will never ever be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, the people of northwest Ohio and the Great Lakes region, which is heavily industrial and agricultural, overwhelmingly oppose the Trump administration's ill-conceived trade war with Canada, Ohio's top fair trade partner and our largest fair trade partner.

Apparently there is a plan for a 1-month pause with this tariff relationship with Canada, but remember, Canada has been critical to the automotive industry, the lumber industry, the oil industry, the truck industry, every single industry you can think of, and now we are not sure what is going to happen in 1 month.

There is an old expression that says don't break what doesn't need fixing. There is another stronger adage that says don't shoot yourself in the foot.

The administration's imposition of tariffs across our Great Lakes region adds up to a big lollapalooza-sized mistake. It will cause prices to rise, unemployment to increase, and act as a throttle to economic progress across our Great Lakes region. Rising tariffs will put a brake on our region's economy and strong, two-way trade partnership. They put a 25 percent tariff at the northern border, right, but with China it is 10 percent. That is 25 percent among free traders and 10 percent on those that don't exercise in a manner that creates free trade.

Indeed, the U.S.-Canadian trade partnership is the strongest economic growth engine in our part of the American continent. With meager help from Washington, except for President Eisenhower's investment in our region after World War II, our region's economic growth has been hard- fought, especially recently.

Far too often, firms here have been disinvested and traded away by Wall Street, Big Tech, and Washington bigwigs who don't understand our region's free market struggle. All those billionaires simply love shipping our jobs to penny-wage nations, and I am truly surprised President Trump has joined them.

Great Lakes region economic growth across the U.S.-Canadian border has been hard-fought, not exploitative. Middle-class jobs have grown here, albeit far too slowly, and tariffs will cause a downdraft on economic growth, rising prices, and lost jobs.

The investor class has been shipping out our jobs everywhere in the world. Growing jobs in our mid-continent freshwater economy requires cooperation, not upending U.S.-Canadian relationships that have taken decades to build in both our nations. Frankly, both coasts have made it harder for us to ship through the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway. This is wrong. We should be allowed to compete fairly. Let the President go to that thought.

Our Nation should stand for free trade among free people. Imposing tariffs on North American companies that are struggling to meet penny- wage global competition is driving our economy backwards.

President Trump should study the trade numbers. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that of the United States' top 15 trading partners, Canada is the fourth smallest contributor to the U.S. trade deficit compared to countries like China, Mexico, and Vietnam, each of whom engage in unfair and exploitative labor practices.

Focus on the nations with whom we have mammoth trade deficits, like China. Don't hurt North America. Rethink the administration's costly, unnecessary burden on our Great Lakes region which the President carried. The President should be helping us, not hurting us.

As a result of Trump's tariffs, the prices and costs of doing business already are rising. Layoffs will occur. You will see more foreign cars flood into our country as China will increase shipments of its low-wage produced goods.

Across our Great Lakes States of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, and Minnesota, let our people remember President Trump's ill-conceived tariff edict. President Trump is driving up costs in our trusted two-way U.S.-Canada trade relationship. Our Great

Lakes coastal economy, the heart of industrial and agricultural America from Duluth to Toledo to Buffalo, doesn't need this stress and lurch into reverse.

Canada is our Nation's largest fair trading partner and Ohio's biggest trading partner. Our region will work with any President and Prime Minister to reinvest in our Nation's industrial and agricultural base. Why not focus tariffs on China where the trade gap is enormous and there is no fair trade, or Mexico where the wages and the gap of wages is horrendous compared to our country? Why pick on the middle- class and hard-laboring people of the Great Lakes?

We live in a fair market economy. We should. Rising tariffs will only cripple economic growth here, and the Trump administration has just shot itself in the foot again. Our Nation's trade gaps need to be fixed with far too many unfair penny-wage nations and exploitative trade relationships.

Don't pick on our part of the country. Don't break what doesn't need fixing.

Mr. Speaker, as with our colleagues, I rise tonight with a heavy heart as we mourn the devastating loss of 67 lives in the recent tragic plane crash over the Potomac.

Among those lost were members of America's finest figure skating communities. Each of these talented Americans, both coaches and America's rising Olympic stars, sparkled just like the blades on the skates that they commanded.

Skating is a difficult sport that is not just about competition but about artistry, perseverance, and pure love of command of the ice. It is my favorite sport. Figure skating has always held a special place in my heart, a sport that demands both strength and grace, a balance of discipline and freedom.

Those that we lost embodied these American qualities, pouring their hearts into every performance, every lesson, and every moment on the ice. Their absence leaves a void in America that cannot be filled easily, not just in the sport but in the lives of those who loved them. We grieve together. We hold their families and loved ones in our hearts. We remember their joy, dedication, and passion they brought to people across our world.

May we honor them by cherishing the beauty of their sport, by donating to the organizations that have been devastated by their loss, and by ensuring that those who take to the skies do so safely.

Mr. Speaker, the pardons this week of violent felons who attacked our Capitol, injuring 174 of our Capitol Police, were a sacrilege against our Republic and our Constitution. Their actions were an affront on decency and a violent attack on the rule of law.

Americans nationwide are outraged. Mr. Speaker, 140 law enforcement officers were assaulted and 174 sustained injuries. Officer Brian Sicknick died.

Those who engage in violence against law enforcement officers must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

I will soon introduce the Brian Sicknick Heroic Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act. This bill aims to strengthen penalties for those who assault law enforcement officers on Federal property. It provides enhanced support for officers injured in the line of duty.

This legislation is named in honor of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. He tragically lost his life in the line of duty defending this Capitol on January 6, 2021. His selfless service and ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten.

My legislation will include enhanced penalties for assaults on law enforcement officers for individuals who assault officers on Federal property, with potential sentences including life imprisonment.

It will include improved health benefits for officers. It will guarantee full health benefits throughout their service and retirement and for those injured in the line of duty, including the 140 officers assaulted and 174 injured on January 6, 2021.

As one Member who was held against her will in this Capitol on January 6, 2021, I can guarantee you this bill deserves swift passage.

Additionally, it will provide enhanced support for injured officers by providing eligible officers with access to necessary protective services.

The brave men and women of law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities and our Nation. This legislation is a necessary step toward honoring their service. It will ensure that they have the support they deserve and that the United States of America reveres them and the rule of law to which they dedicate their lives.

Mr. Speaker, I can hear the cheers rising in Toledo, Ohio, the 100-year legacy home of Jeep, of Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Gladiator. And I can hear the cheers coming from Shawn Fain, the President of the United Autoworkers Nationwide; and regionally, Bruce Baumhower, the Local 12 president; Dave Green, the regional leader of Region 2B; and Tony Totty, the president of Local 14.

This afternoon, Chairman John Elkann from Jeep Stellantis announced plans by Jeep Stellantis to reinvest in industrial America. In Toledo, Ohio, they will invest in order to produce--and I am reading directly from his remarks--taking, ``product actions for Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator in our Toledo assembly complex, and more components critical to our production in the Toledo machining plant.''

This means jobs, living-wage jobs, jobs with retirement benefits, jobs in the middle class. He also announced in Belvidere, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; and Kokomo, Indiana similar investments.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the leaders of Jeep Stellantis and their union workers for keeping their word to America's workers. God bless them, and God bless America.