Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, America's Great Lakes constitute the largest body of fresh water on Earth. Water is life.

I rise to highlight the importance of legislation to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative introduced last week.

As co-chair of the congressional Great Lakes Task Force and a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, funding the GLRI is among my highest priorities.

The district I represent traces much of the southern rim of Lake Erie's westernmost watershed, the largest in the entire Great Lakes.

Our citizens know how important protecting our Great Lakes is for today and the tomorrows to come. The GLRI provides instrumental funding to meet enormous unmet environmental needs for our region and the millions of people who depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, livelihoods, and leisure.

In 2020, the Great Lakes contributed $3.1 trillion to our economy, 25.8 million jobs, and $1.3 trillion in wages.

Analysis shows that every GLRI dollar spent produces $3.35 in economic activity, which demonstrates a clear return on investment.

Supporting GLRI benefits the quality of these precious lakes, the adjoining communities, and the people who depend on them for the sustenance of life.

Supporting the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is just common sense.

Mr. Speaker, why does our country have a budget deficit? Answer: Because America over the last three decades has been offshoring jobs and our productive wealth.

The people of Ohio and the industrial Midwest overwhelmingly oppose ill-conceived foreign trade deals that have harmed millions of them.

The harm began in 1993 when NAFTA was enacted. It deepened in 1994 when we joined the World Trade Organization, and the bottom dropped out in 2000 when the U.S. helped China get WTO benefits without trade reciprocity. Math tells the rest.

Our trade deficit with the world racked up to $15 trillion since 1994, as our real wealth drained out. American manufacturing plunged by a third from 370,000 facilities in 1992 to 250,000 in 2017. From 1993 to 2024, we lost 5.6 million manufacturing jobs.

NAFTA, moreover, hurt our neighbors just as much. It stimulated massive undocumented immigration from Mexico and Latin America. The pact pitted millions of unsubsidized Mexican white corn farmers against subsidized U.S. yellow corn.

What America makes and grows, makes and grows America. Our challenge is to stay the course of small business creation and investment right here in the USA.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize John Hayward, a lifelong

resident, family man, community leader, and dear friend who passed January 27 at age 86.

After attending the Old West End's Rosary Cathedral and then graduating from Central Catholic High School, where he was senior class president, John later graduated from the University of Notre Dame. He was then commissioned for duty as a naval navigator aboard the USS Independence.

Later, after graduating from Georgetown Law School, John returned to Toledo to practice law with his father and to serve as assistant Lucas County prosecutor. He became special counsel on the Kent State University cases and then a founding partner in the firm Hayward, Cooper, Straub, Walinski & Cramer. In 1981, he joined Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick to specialize in healthcare law.

At 67, John so-called retired from law to become president of Mercy College in Toledo.

John chaired the board of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, as well as the Toledo and Ohio State Bar Associations.

After the death of his wife, Mary Beth, he found love again and married Jeanie Hayward in 2005.

To Jeanie and their precious blended family, we extend heartfelt condolences and gratitude for the life of John Franklin Hayward. May his spirit continue to inspire a new generation of leaders in all walks of life.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Congressional Record the names of John's family members, and I thank America for his beautiful life.

Also surviving are his sisters, Kristi Brewer of Columbus,

and Sally (Charles) Marlowe of Toledo; brother, Richard

(Patricia) of Toronto, Ontario; children, John P. Hayward

(Patricia McCormick) of Perrysburg, Thomas Hayward (Tom

Wright) of Lexington, Kentucky, Bridget (John) Kahle of

Columbus, and Ethan (Melinda) Hayward of Waterford, Michigan;

stepchildren, Michael Bugert (Angie) of Toledo, Kristi

DelVerne (James) of Toledo, Gretchen Williams (Ryan) of Prior

Lake, Minnesota, and Jennifer Norman (Chad) of Mt. Pleasant,

South Carolina; grandchildren, Benjamin (Ashley), and Ian

Bonifas, Emma, Grant, and Cecily Hayward, Anna, Elizabeth,

and Caroline Kahle, Megan and Amelia Hayward; great

granddaughter, Elizabeth Bonifas; step-grandchildren,

Theodore, Lindsay, and Megan Bugert, Amanda, William, Nicole,

Olivia, and Sophia DelVerne, Abigail and Courtney Williams,

Cooper, Graham, and Zoe Norman; and numerous nieces and

nephews. In addition to Mary Beth, John was preceded in death

by his daughter, Elizabeth Hayward Bonifas.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the ultimate sacrifice made by five of our Nation's most heroic men and women in uniform. Each was defending liberty in dangerous territory, and each possessed raw courage, selflessness, and total dedication to duty for the sake of our Nation. Each of us is privileged to live under liberty's umbrella because of them.

Special Warfare Operator First Class Christopher Chambers and Navy Special Warfare Operator Second Class Nathan Ingram were lost far from home in rough waters on the Red Sea on January 11.

Then, 17 days later, on January 28, an enemy drone targeted Tower 22 in Jordan. The drone operated by Iranian-backed militia terrorists wounded more than 40 U.S. servicemembers, killing 3 of America's finest: Staff Sergeant William Rivers, Specialist Kennedy Sanders, and Specialist Breonna Moffett.

While all five hailed from different hometowns, they served together for one united purpose: liberty, defending America against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

These brave soldiers and sailors were guarding us against the hastening spiderweb of terrorism and tyranny halfway around the world.

Let us pay homage and honor each of these young men and women for their ultimate sacrifice. May they rest in peace.

May God bless America.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record my guest essay.

Guest Essay: Establishing `Gaza-Palestinian Protectorate' Would Go a

Long Way

(By U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur)

Halfway around the world, the war between Hamas' terrorist

units and Israel is a piercing global tragedy. It demands a

global response. Yet, ``Peace and Justice'' have eluded

solution in this troubled region for over a century. It will

be even harder to achieve after this conflagration ends. The

extraordinary death toll will resound for generations

forward. How does one create a lasting peace borne of such

fierce, enduring hatreds?

The invasion Hamas' fighters launched from Palestinian Gaza

into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 broke the cease-fire that had

tensely hung over that very troubled region. More than 1,200

innocent Israeli civilians were slaughtered in a barbaric

attack, with more than 100 Israeli and some American hostages

still remaining in captivity. More than 250,000 Israelis were

evacuated and displaced from their homes. In Gaza, 1.7

million Gazans have subsequently been displaced with Hamas

health officials claiming more than 25,000 civilians dead,

and more than 60,000 injured with two-thirds of the victims

being women and children.

How does any army defeat a hostile enemy positioned amidst

a civilian population and underground in a vast ``bunker

city'' with miles of interconnected tunnels, dug for purposes

of war, not peace?

Over 140,000 Hezbollah terrorist forces supplied by Iran,

are positioned in southern Lebanon, shooting rockets down on

Israel now. It is no accident Yemen's terrorist Houthi

adherents, also supplied by Iran, have been purposefully

shelling private cargo ships as well as targeting U.S. naval

vessels in the Red Sea to disrupt global trade in this

conflicted region. Russia's role in exacerbating resurgent

unrest was made clear when top Gen. Sergei Shoigu recently

visited Iran. And a Hamas delegation was in Moscow not long

after it attacked Israel.

Across the Middle East, a spiderweb of terrorism is

hastening, hell-bent on evil. Iranian drones and missiles are

being used against Ukraine, Israel, the United States, and

our allies in Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Jordan. North Korean

missiles are likewise in use against Ukraine. The global

distinction between tyranny and liberty could not be clearer.

The world community of nations must not allow terrorist

forces enabled by Iran and Russia to foment unrest and

carnage. The sacred boundaries of nations must be respected,

defended, and enforced.

The history of the Middle East instructs that former

adversarial nations can make peace among themselves. For

nearly five decades, dating back to my days of service in the

Carter administration, proposals for a two-State solution

have been advanced for Israel and Palestine.

Ironically, the depth and brutality of this present

conflict may create an opening for a far-reaching solution.

If the world community could spend as much money on peace as

it has on war, both the Israelis and Palestinians could have

thriving homelands.

To move forward, I propose that the United Nations, or a

coalition of willing nations, begin to negotiate a ``Gaza-

Palestinian Protectorate.'' The parties involved should aim

to negotiate a long-lasting solution to the conflict in Gaza,

address challenges in the West Bank, and divide the contested

territory securing their existence with an International

Multilateral Security Force to separate warring factions.

If the civilized world could achieve this with a divided

Korea, why not with Palestine and Israel?

The goals of the Protectorate would be fourfold:

(1) an international coalition of nations should be

assembled and involved in organizing its administration and

staffing;

(2) Gaza would be demilitarized of weapons, war, tunnels,

and fortifications;

(3) Hamas would have no role, politically,

administratively, or economically;

(4) Palestinians from Gaza should be involved in the

administration of the Protectorate's on-site operations,

including its police forces.

The Protectorate would have three immediate tasks. The

first would be to quickly secure resources and provide food,

water, shelter, and medical care to the almost 2.3 million

people of Gaza.

The second is to provide an international military

coalition that can demilitarize Gaza as quickly as possible.

Gaza must never again be a threat to its neighbors.

The third is to physically separate Gaza and Israel, by

creating a demilitarized zone between the two, that is

virtually impenetrable, as is the DMZ between North and South

Korea. As part of the separation, the infrastructure to

provide water, sewage treatment, and energy needed by Gaza

should be located in Gaza and staffed by the people of Gaza.

One of the long-term missions could be to rebuild what is

now a destroyed area under a new vision of peace and

prosperity. Gaza has many undeveloped resources, the primary

of which is its land and location. While small in size, Gaza

is located in one of the most attractive parts of the

Mediterranean, with miles of undeveloped, beautiful beaches

that could become a recreational center of the region.

With peace and stability, Gaza could become a financial and

economic hub that attracts capital and businesses from around

the world. Gaza and the West Bank have the thousands of

workers needed to rebuild what has been destroyed along with

necessary staff to renew the economy. A ``Gaza Development

Authority'' as part of the Protectorate could create and

administer a long-term development plan to bring prosperity

and transparency that would forestall the corruption that so

often accompanies unfettered development.

Hope must arise from this cruel war. Old diplomacy, and old

solutions should be shelved. They should be replaced with a

forward-looking approach that could bring peace, justice, and

prosperity to this war-torn region. Succeeding would give

hope to a civilized world that hungers for peace in these

troubled lands.

Mr. Speaker, why would a Speaker of this House choose to enable the aims of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin?

Why would any Speaker of the United States House of Representatives use his power to stop and dawdle for months and months, delaying critical supplemental defense funding to defend America against all its enemies at home and abroad that impose tyranny and terrorism?

All of us take an oath to protect and defend our people against all enemies, so why give Vladimir Putin comfort and license as he salutes himself in the mirror?

The manner in which House leadership is behaving by not bringing up a key defense bill month after month after month fails liberty where she is being most tested. Our Nation must move with our allies to defeat terrorism and tyranny wherever it exists--Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, the Pacific, and even sometimes inside our own borders.

Inaction by House leadership empowers enemies of liberty. It rewards Putin, Khamenei, Xi, Kim Jong Un and their chessboard.

Move the long delayed supplemental defense bill, Mr. Speaker. Liberty awaits.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants, and Children, best known as WIC.

I hail from a State where this food program is a lifeline, a State that lags behind the Nation in low birthweight babies and high infant deaths.

This week, the program marked 50 years providing women and children with necessary and nutritious resources. Ohio's Ninth District, my home, is one of the first WIC programs in our State, beginning in 1974. Our children need it.

Lucas County's program now serves more than 10,000 residents across 18 sites, with funds of over $750,000. The program has helped reduce premature deaths, reduce fetal and infant deaths, and increased access to prenatal care.

WIC provides mothers and children with access to wholesome foods, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Agricultural services and nutrition programs like WIC and SNAP are vital to keep up with the current food security needs of our communities and to raise a healthier next generation.

I applaud the 50th anniversary of WIC as a national milestone to celebrate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate The Program Inc., a mentorship program in our Ninth District of Ohio that exists to provide an opportunity for young boys to develop their social and life skills.

The program leads them to learn and deal effectively with the demands of everyday life. The organization's Tie Event paints a vivid picture of young boys finding guidance and inspiration in the absence of father figures.

Tramain Rayford, the CEO and cofounder, is committed to being that crucial figure for other young men. The Tie Event started with the simple act of teaching young boys how to tie a tie.

As Mr. Rayford reflects on what young men need, he emphasizes attributes of respect. Each boy receives a tie and learns to tie it. The young men are guided by 18-year-old Mr. Kyree King, whose 5-year journey with the organization transformed not just his skills but his self-respect and confidence.

In essence, The Program Inc.'s commitment to mentorship transcends the practicality of tying a tie. It becomes a narrative of personal growth and self-confidence and achieves the profound impact of positive mentorship on young lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of longtime heroic Ohio firefighter, Sterling ``Butch'' Rahe, who passed away on New Year's Day.

Butch served our community for over 30 years, three decades, as a firefighter in both Springfield Township and Toledo, most recently acting as the public face of the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department, which is a really hard job.

Former Toledo Fire Chief Brian Byrd said: The fact that Butch loved the people he served and the people with whom he served is indisputable. We all thank him.

Springfield Township Fire Chief Barry Cousino said: He was a fireman's fireman. He loved what he did. Whenever he got in the public, he always treated people with respect and treated them like family.

In fitting tribute, his homegoing procession made stops by Springfield Township Fire Station 51 and Toledo Fire Station 17, where he served, for one final good-bye with crowds gathered on both sides of the street to pay their respects as the procession went by.

Mr. Speaker, I offer fitting tribute and a community-wide deep thank you for his service. He will truly be missed. Every grateful person and family he assisted will remember him by his countless acts of mercy and love.

Mr. Speaker, I want to register my sincere appreciation to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for his lifetime of exemplary service to our Nation in the U.S. military. I wish him a speedy recovery from his recent successful surgery.

Critics who took the first occasion to swing at him obviously have no self-control, no discretion, and no understanding of what a military officer at his level endures.

From his hospital bed, Secretary Austin expertly orchestrated an American-led strike against Houthi terrorists who threaten global commerce and put American lives at risk through their continued assault on civilian ships in the Red Sea.

Let us remain steadfast in our Nation's strategic interests at a most challenging time globally.

Mr. Speaker, if you wish to be constructive, work with Members to serve on a bipartisan basis on our Defense committees. Address your concerns through proper channels.

Why air ill-informed grievances on social media or cable news?

Team America must remain steadfast and of united purpose.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Secretary Austin for his service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce with Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Iowa, my appropriations colleague, H.R. 6956, the bipartisan Opioid Settlement Accountability Act.

This legislation will ensure that money from opioid settlements related to the ongoing crisis are used for opioid treatment, prevention, and enforcement rather than slush funds for road maintenance or local debts.

The opioid crisis is far from over. In 2022, more than two-thirds of the reported 107,081 drug overdoses in the United States involved opioids.

While opioid settlements have totaled $55.79 billion, many of these funds are not being used to address the ongoing damage done by the ongoing opioid epidemic.

We must learn our lesson from the tobacco settlements of the 1990s. States used money they received for transportation projects and balancing budgets instead of prevention efforts.

Today's opioid settlement funds must be used to help fight the ongoing opioid epidemic and not as piggy banks for politicians to break open and play around with.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to sign on with us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, a true American trailblazer, patriot, and real friend.

I am wearing the red, white, and blue heart pin she kindly presented me over 15 years ago. Her kindness was legendary. Her keen political judgment allowed her to cut to the quick.

She scaled above the walls of discrimination in her region, State, and Nation, devoting her lifetime to racial justice, advanced education, high science, and healing. An adopted daughter of our region, when southern schools refused her admission to study due to discrimination, she was accepted to seek a nursing degree at Saint Mary's in South Bend, Indiana.

She would become the first registered nurse in congressional history and the first Black woman to represent Dallas, Texas, serving ably for three decades and retiring as dean of the Texas delegation. She rose to chair the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, where she championed NASA,

as others have referenced, and issues of import for the health, safety, and well-being for all Americans.

May the angels carry her softly to her homegoing. May her loved ones and associates know they have been blessed by her life, as have we been, a life of fierce devotion to a more beloved nation and people.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Larson for yielding time and for his noble, tireless work safeguarding Social Security for the benefit of all Americans.

For nearly a century, America has made a sacred promise--those who work hard throughout their lives will benefit from the fruits of their labor upon retirement.

Social Security promises a safe and secure retirement for tens of millions of Americans during their golden years. Without action, that promise is at risk.

I hear from thousands of retirees across Northwestern Ohio who want to see a responsible solution to refinance Social Security going forward. One in five Social Security beneficiaries are veterans.

Let me observe that the billionaire class must join the vast majority of Americans in paying their fair share into the system itself.

By making that happen, the Social Security 2100 Act, championed by Congressman Larson and all of us, will increase benefits for current and new beneficiaries, protect retirees against inflation, and repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision.

We must push for a vote on the House floor as soon as possible. The Social Security 2100 Act is one of the most important bills before this Congress.

There are 182 House cosponsors of this bill. I ask Speaker Johnson to please move this bill to the floor for a vote.

Social Security is an earned benefit, and America made a promise to workers, and Democrats are committed to making good on that promise.

I am the granddaughter of immigrants. They worked at the lowest wages and the worst jobs--first fired, last hired. They simply could not have existed if it were not for Social Security. The same is true for my parents.

You see, Social Security is not just a program. It is a trust, a sacred insurance trust, and that trust is intergenerational. I thank Congressman John Larson for his dogged, persistent efforts to move this issue forward.

I may be the only Member here in this Chamber tonight who was present in the 98th Congress in April of 1983 after I was first elected to Congress and soon after became a deciding vote in April of that year for the refinancing of Social Security for the next generation.

What an unforgettable moment that was. I sat right in that seat right there, and I stood and I cheered because we had fought so hard for that in the prior election.

That close, eventful vote, so extremely important to refinancing Social Security for the first time in a generation, passed. Now, Congress must meet its responsibility for the succeeding generation.

The Speaker of the House back then was Tip O'Neill of Massachusetts. We had a Republican President, Ronald Reagan.

There had been a commission to preserve Social Security and Medicare before I became a Member of Congress.

In the same way Congressman Larson has led this effort, this House had a member from Florida, Claude Pepper, who chaired the Aging Committee.

They called him Red Pepper, and like Congressman Larson, he was a heart-and-soul Democrat from the inside and out and just a great guy.

We were able to move passage of the refinancing of Social Security for the next generation, and I knew that I had helped do that as a younger Member.

At that time, the country was also in a deep recession, and we knew that Social Security as an earned benefit was paid through hard work, and it deserved to be lifted again.

It also insures children whose parents or guardians have died. Two- thirds of families in my district rely on Social Security or Medicare benefits, and they are truly lifelines for millions of people.

Medicare has worked too, and we need to do what is possible to make all healthcare more affordable for the American people.

We know the Social Security insurance program is something America can renew for all our families. We know it works, it is proven, and it lifts all boats.

From an economic standpoint, to pull the rug out from under Social Security would cause not only harm to individuals but economic harm in every Congressional district in this country.

People use Social Security to buy food, to pay their utility bills, to pay copays on their medical services, and for the basics of life.

These aren't families that squander money, but they have earned retirement security, and they watch every penny.

We in Ohio want to express a special thanks to Congressman Larson for including in the bill the Windfall Elimination Provision, which harms our working families so very much. This issue does not impact every single State, but believe me, it really impacts Ohioans.

Again, I thank my colleagues for being here tonight with us who championed protecting this earned benefit and social safety net, and I and all of us here stand with America's working people and retirees to protect and improve Social Security.

Though each of us represents different communities, we, all together, represent America. We know that with the unwavering leadership of Congressman John Larson, he will lead us to a day where Social Security 2100 is the law of the land.

I thank Congressman John Larson for his perseverance and for helping to move our Nation forward to protect the hard-earned benefits for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an Editorial: Biden and Ukraine Need a Senate Deal, by William Galston from the Wall Street Journal to underscore the need for a deal on supplemental aid funding before Congress leaves Washington.

[From the Wall Street Journal, Dec. 12, 2023]

Biden and Ukraine Need a Senate Deal

(By William A. Galston)

The West's security and his presidency require a compromise

on border policy.

If the continuing Senate negotiations on border security

fail, U.S. economic and military aid to Ukraine will end. And

if this happens, a pillar of President Biden's foreign policy

will collapse, Ukraine's ability to resist Russian aggression

will diminish, and Vladimir Putin will broaden his mission to

reconstitute the Russian empire.

Mr. Biden must take charge. He should invite Senate

negotiators, who are steeped in the issues, along with

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch

McConnell, to Camp David and keep them there until they reach

agreement.

Mr. Biden's entire career--his 36 years in the Senate, his

chairmanship of the Foreign Relations Committee, his role

during the Obama administration as chief negotiator with Mr.

McConnell--has prepared him for this moment. He will fail

only if he flinches.

To be sure, this won't be an easy deal. Since winning the

Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, Mr. Biden has

relentlessly pursued party unity, first as an electoral

strategy, then as a governing philosophy. Giving ground on

immigration would weaken his party's unity and provide more

ammunition to the left-wing insurgency that has erupted over

his support of Israel.

Nevertheless, he must try. Americans have long since

decided that Mr. Biden's immigration policy is a failure, and

their judgment has become harsher over time. In the most

recent Economist/YouGov survey, only 33% of respondents

approve of his handling of this issue, a figure that drops to

27% among suburbanites and 21% for independents. Cities

across the country, many governed by Democrats, are

struggling to cope with a record flow of immigrants who can't

legally work. When the cost of feeding and housing them

forces city leaders to cut vital services to their

constituents, those leaders pay a political price. New York

Mayor Eric Adams's approval rating has fallen to 28%.

A Senate agreement will be successful only if it can pass

the House. This means it must have the support of a solid

majority of Republican senators, including the leadership

team, not only the bare minimum of Republicans needed to give

the measure the 60 votes it needs to survive a possible

filibuster. Only Mr. McConnell can give Mr. Biden the

assurance that an agreement would have sufficient backing.

Time isn't on the president's side. If this matter isn't

resolved before the House and Senate adjourn in January, the

results of the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15 could convince

Republican officials looking for an alternative to Donald

Trump that no one is likely to defeat him for the party's

nomination. Mr. Trump, who openly opposes linking border

reform to Ukraine aid, would likely view Republican

cooperation with Mr. Biden on this issue as a career-ending

transgression.

This is why the president must begin negotiations

immediately and insist that the Senate remain in session

until it passes a package that contains border reforms and

aid to our allies, including Ukraine. Once this happens, he

should deliver a prime-time address from the Oval Office to

explain why this package is in the national interest and call

on the House to enact the Senate bill.

Though Speaker Mike Johnson has reiterated his support for

Ukraine aid, anti-Ukraine Republicans will likely pressure

him to adjourn for the year without taking up the Senate

bill. To counter such a move, Mr. Biden should make clear

that he is prepared to use his constitutional authority to

call the House back into session. If the speaker fails to

persuade a majority of the Republican caucus to back the

measure, he would face by far the most consequential decision

of his career--whether to bring the bill to the floor anyway,

which would probably cost him the speakership, or let the

bill die, along with Ukraine's hopes of prevailing against

Russia.

It's a high-stakes gamble for the president, but the

alternative is worse. If Mr. Biden can't secure the

continuation of American aid to counter Russian aggression,

the already dicey prospects for more European aid to Ukraine

would darken.

The fate of Ukraine, the peace of Europe and the future of

the Western alliance hang in the balance, as does Mr. Biden's

presidency. After the fiasco of the Afghanistan withdrawal,

defeat in Ukraine would undermine what is left of his

reputation as an effective steward of American foreign

policy. As public support for his re-election shrinks, the

last thing he needs is another failure.

Mr. Speaker, I have two issues to address in a minute.

One, is to bring attention to an excellent editorial which appeared yesterday in The Wall Street Journal titled: ``Biden and Ukraine Need a Senate Deal.''

The author, William A. Galston, states: ``Though Speaker Mike Johnson has reiterated his support for Ukraine aid, anti-Ukraine Republicans will likely pressure him to adjourn for the year without taking up the Senate bill.''

In fact, that has happened in real-time today.

The editorial goes on to say: `` . . . Mr. Biden should make clear that he is prepared to use his constitutional authority to call the House back into session.''

We take an oath to protect America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Putin's Russia is a real enemy to liberty. We do not want to be drawn into a greater war in Europe. We need to do our duty and pass assistance for Ukraine and strengthen our NATO allies.

The second reason I rise today is to talk about the introduction of the bipartisan Healthy Farms Healthy Watershed Act of 2023, which encourages volunteer USDA programs to apply to watersheds that are trying to bear the load of toxic algal blooms largely caused by dissolved reactive phosphorus and other pollutants.

Mr. Speaker, water is life. Please sponsor the bipartisan Healthy Farms Healthy Watersheds Act of 2023.

Mr. Speaker, fresh water is life. Today, I introduce the bipartisan ``Healthy Farms Healthy Watersheds Act of 2023.'' This Bill encourages voluntary USDA programs to strategically apply resources to maximize watershed health with existing dollars.

Increasingly harmful algal bloom (HAB) compromise water quality in all 50 states. These toxic blooms adversely impact human health, sink property values, damp tourism, waterfront business, and regional economies. Impacted areas are estimated to have spent over $1 Billion since 2010 to address and prevent HABs, this creeping green invasion.

A major cause of the harmful bloom is the loading of excessive levels of dissolved reactive phosphorus into lakes, rivers, and bays maliciously from megafarms and animal feeding operations and other pollution.

Despite federal agencies spending Billions to help farmers adopt management practices to improve water quality, the problem persists across America. Significant bodies of water like the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay are weighted down with this creeping green invasion.

A new strategy is needed to make current federal investments more efficient, and more effective. The Healthy Farms Healthy Watersheds Act focuses on troubled watersheds by directing Natural Resources Conservation Service resources toward the exact substances and sources that are contributing most to HABs.

I encourage my colleagues to support this important, budget-neutral, bipartisan, commonsense legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Antonio Baez, who is a member of our district congressional staff and who has answered yet another call to serve. Antonio came to our office through the Wounded Warrior program, later moving to our official staff.

A family man and proud Marine Corps veteran who later served in Afghanistan as a member of the Army Reserve, Antonio adeptly attended to his duties with skill, knowledge, and compassion.

He was president of his police academy class at Lorain County Community College and served as a sworn officer and deputy sheriff, nobly serving his community.

Antonio exhibited exemplary public service to the people of Ohio's Ninth District. I deeply appreciate his service as do the hundreds of constituents for whom he was a dutiful listening ear and a guiding heart.

This past weekend, Antonio raised his right hand again, taking the oath of office as a newly elected member of the Lorain City Council. He is a son of Lorain and has never forgotten his roots.

Bravo. His call to serve runs deep, and I know he will serve his beloved community well.

Godspeed, and I thank Antonio for his service to the American people. Onward.

What Lorain makes and grows makes and grows Lorain.