Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.

Madam Speaker, I rise tonight as co-chair and a founding member of the bipartisan, 94-member Congressional Ukraine Caucus. Our caucus supports the immediate consideration of legislation that will provide further supplemental funding for Ukraine to support our partner in liberty against the aggression of Putin's tyranny.

This is a moral struggle for liberty in our era. Liberty faces a new era of conflict being forced upon the free world by a burgeoning axis of tyranny and terrorism, including the likes of Russia, China, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Ukraine is the scrimmage line of that conflict for liberty. Their fight is our fight. The America I know does not cower in the face of tyranny.

Many Americans believe that the history of the struggle against global tyranny ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany and the fall of the Soviet Union. I am here today to tell them that liberty's history is still being written. We face not a new enemy but an old one. This is not a new struggle but one which America and our alliances of free nations have fought for nearly a century. Ukraine has fought for its liberty for centuries.

Let us not forget a key reason why there is a war in Ukraine. When the Soviet Union collapsed, as a newly independent nation in 1991, it became the third largest nuclear power in the world. However, as a responsible nation, Ukraine signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the behest of the United States and the demand of Russia and gave up its stockpile of nuclear weapons.

In exchange, Ukraine's security was to be guaranteed under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum signed by the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom. However, Russia, even though it was the recipient of Ukraine's nuclear arsenal, betrayed its commitments when it invaded Ukraine in 2014. We must not betray ours.

Ukraine has been building her fledgling democracy since 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union's tyranny that President Ronald Reagan called the ``evil empire.'' That remains one of the most consequential moments in world history. Liberty won. Ukraine has faced many challenges in her endeavor for liberty as it steadfastly moves to join the European Union of free nations, America's closest allies.

To thwart Ukraine's desire for liberty and independence from Russia's malevolent influence, Putin first invaded Ukraine in 2014, 4 days after Russia's hosting the international Sochi Olympics with all of that fancy publicity. Now, 8 years later, Putin launched his war of unprovoked aggression on Ukraine in 2022. Much of the world was convinced there was no way the Ukrainian David could defeat a Russian Goliath. Ukraine's entire territory encompasses only 3 percent of the territory of Russia and its population is only 25 percent of Russia's, and yet Ukraine fights and fights hard. She has never asked us to fight for her, only for global allies to arm her so she can defend herself. So far, we have done so, and to great effect. We must stay the course, not waiver.

President Zelenskyy, who is again visiting Washington today, and the Ukrainian people have stood up to Putin. Ukraine's valiant soldiers have actually moved their military to liberate 50 percent of all the territory that was once occupied by Russian tyranny and decimated as much as 40 percent of Russia's military capacity.

It is important to put the resources that we have provided for Ukraine's defense against Russia into perspective. To date, Congress, in a repeated bipartisan fashion, has appropriated roughly $113 billion for Ukraine, of which every penny has been accounted for.

Furthermore, we know that at least 60 percent of the money that is appropriated for Ukraine is spent right here in the United States, not in Ukraine, to purchase important commodities. It is funding that is going directly toward bolstering our diminished military industrial base, and our American workforce benefits, including those in Lima, Ohio, which produces the greatest tank in the world, the Abrams tank. Every dollar spent is closely and appropriately accounted for to ensure none of the funds fall into the wrong hands.

During the Cold War, we spent $13 trillion measured in 1996 dollars to combat Russian aggression, equivalent to $26 trillion today. The sum per year that we provide supporting Ukraine is no more than 20 percent of what we spent each year for four decades to contain Russia.

America's alliance with our NATO partners has helped ensure European nations have bolstered our support to Ukraine with their own. As a percent of GDP, 15 European countries have so far provided a higher level to Ukraine than the United States.

This is the costliest war in human casualties and plunder since World War II in Europe, the continent on which over 500,000 U.S. soldiers are buried from World War I and World War II. They bequeathed liberty to us, and we must never fail their memory. The murderous dictatorships of Nazism, communism, and imperialism lay dead, and the 20th century's most consequential achievement was, in fact, that. Now, that cost in blood is being borne by Ukraine and the Ukrainian people alone.

The fact remains that if America were to end its support of Ukraine, Russia would be able to defeat it. Putin is not counting the numbers of rubles or Russian lives he is spending on this conflict. What he is counting are the number of votes for Ukraine that remain in this U.S. Congress. He knows that American support will decide the victor of this conflict. So should we.

If Putin succeeds in Ukraine or if we grow tired of a forever war we are not even fighting in, then we allow tyranny to ascend over liberty. Putin has made clear he would then test our resolve over smaller, much harder-to-defend NATO members, a move that would force the United States and our NATO allies into direct war with Russia. America and the free world have much at stake.

As one European ambassador reminded me, there is an old saying that states: If you think you are an isolationist, if you take no interest in foreign affairs, take my word, foreign affairs will find you.

We face a choice now. America can repeat the mistakes of the 1920s by withdrawing our nearly century-long support for liberty, inevitably forcing the free world to pay a higher price for freedom as tyranny deepens its roots in our world, or America must take a stand now and provide further funding for Ukraine to help secure liberty for a new generation.

I call upon the Speaker and my colleagues in the House to choose the path of liberty.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers).

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York

(Mr. Meeks), the esteemed ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley).

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), and I thank him for his leadership on his side of the aisle.

Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Himes).

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), who is one of our preeminent leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr). Kentucky and Ohio have sent so many soldiers to war, and we know we both benefit from their valorous service.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer). Our distinguished leader, Congressman Steny Hoyer, has spent hours and hours and days and weeks and months working on the issues of liberty across the European Continent.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his decades of leadership.

Madam Speaker, may I ask how much time remains.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), who is the Speaker

Emerita of the United States House of Representatives.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman and I thank every Member, on both sides of the aisle, that have spent this much time today in furtherance of this very noble objective so Ukraine wins and wins soon.

Madam Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, a very hardworking member of our caucus.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California, Congressman John Garamendi, a leader on so many fronts here in the Congress, including Ukraine.

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

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Cincinnati, Ohio, Congressman Greg Landsman, a distinguished Member of our Congress.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Steve Cohen, who is such a phenomenal leader in the law and on almost every subject we deal with here.

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

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas, Ms. Sheila Jackson Lee, who has been at almost every meeting we have held on Ukraine and then we will yield to Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, a leader on both sides of the aisle.

Madam Speaker, I make a plea to Speaker Johnson and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, please give Vladimir Putin no succor. Stand up for liberty. This is the moment for Ukraine. Let us seize it. Let us seize it.

Mr. Speaker, we commemorate the anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 2023. We solemnly remember and honor the sacrifices made by the brave men and women who were thrust into World War II by the tragic events of that fateful day in 1941.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a moment of profound loss and national awakening. It marked the beginning of a war that would test the very essence of our nation. However, it was also a catalyst that united Americans in a common cause, giving rise to the ``Greatest Generation.''

In the face of adversity, they displayed unparalleled courage and determination, rising above the challenges of their time to defend Liberty and justice. We remember those who perished at Pearl Harbor and the countless others who would go on to fight and sacrifice in the years that followed.

That is why I fought to create the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall, a 17-year effort, and recently passed the Greatest Generation Commemorative Coin, whose federal sales will begin in 2024.

The legacy of Pearl Harbor Day reminds us of the strength that unity and resilience can bring to a nation. It is a reminder that even in the darkest hours, the American spirit shines bright, and we stand strong together.

Let us pay tribute to the sacrifices that paved the way for a better future. Their memory continues to inspire us to uphold the values of freedom and democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following remarks by the Honorable Ventris C. Gibson.

Good Afternoon. It is a pleasure to be here to introduce

the designs for the 2024 Greatest Generation Commemorative

Coin Program. Every day, across the Nation, the Mint connects

Americans through coins. Next year, it will be our great

privilege to connect America to the service and sacrifice of

American soldiers and civilians during the Second World War.

The National World War II Memorial stands as an important

symbol of America's national unity, a timeless reminder of

the moral strength and power that flows when free people are

at once united and bonded together in a common and just cause

for liberty. This is the first national memorial dedicated to

all who served during World War II and acknowledges the

commitment and achievement of the entire Nation. It honors

the more than 16 million who served in the Armed Forces of

the United States, the more than 400,000 who died, and the

millions who supported the war effort from home. Their legacy

is part of our American story.

Since the Mint's establishment in 1792, the women and men

of our workforce have taken great pride in rendering the

story of our nation through enduring examples of numismatic

art.

As the largest mint in the world, the United States Mint

produces the coinage required by our Nation to conduct its

trade and commerce. In addition, Congress authorizes a

maximum of two commemorative coin programs annually to

celebrate and honor American people, places, events, and

institutions. I would like to thank Senator Browne,

Representative McHenry and Representative Waters for their

work to get the Greatest Generation out of their respective

committees and working with the sponsors, leadership and Mint

to ensure the language was correct and passed in time for

2024.

Since the beginning of the modern commemorative coin

program in 1982, the United States Mint has raised more than

$522 million in surcharges authorized to help build or

enhance new museums, preserve historical sites, and support

important national programs. In accordance with legislation,

the Mint includes a surcharge as part of the price of each

commemorative coin. These surcharges are authorized to be

turned over to the sponsoring organizations for projects that

benefit the community. In this case, surcharges are

authorized to be awarded to the Friends of the National World

War II Memorial to support the National Park Service in

maintaining and repairing the memorial, and for educational

and commemorative programs.

I'd like to tell you a little about the designs. The gold

obverse, designed by Artistic Infusion Program Designer Heidi

Wastweet and sculpted by United States Mint Medallic Artist

Eric Custer, depicts the Wall of Stars at the World War II

Memorial with an olive branch. The inscriptions are

``LIBERTY,'' ``IN GOD WE TRUST,'' ``2024,'' and ``WORLD WAR

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the Biden administration to launch the Great Lakes Authority as passed by Congress last year. Don't leave our region out.

For decades, the Great Lakes watershed, the largest body of freshwater on Earth, has endured atypical economic stress, job loss due to disastrous trade policies, underinvestment, and major deindustrialization.

Now, with Democratic economic recovery initiatives that passed in the last 3 years, our region is beginning to see major reinvestment, starting with the long-delayed Soo Locks modernization so vital to our ports and maritime trade.

For decades and decades, the Great Lakes region lacked authorization for a regional development instrumentality that might begin to emulate the success of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Now, coupling the Great Lakes authority with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, our region stands poised for new investment in good-paying jobs and economic opportunity to turbocharge revitalization.

Our need is no different than the TVA, which for nearly 100 years has uplifted that formerly neglected region. All our Great Lakes region asks the Biden administration for is equal footing. Don't leave us out.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the Federal Railroad Administration's selection of the Cleveland-Sandusky-Toledo-Detroit corridor for a critical passenger rail grant. What a congested corridor it is.

This Federal funding is but the first step toward expanding passenger rail in northern Ohio, which has long suffered from underinvestment in rail infrastructure.

To this day, our region continues to lag daytime passenger service due to congested rail service on the same tracks.

Improving the connection to Detroit will also bolster our region's already strong ties with our Michigan and Canadian neighbors on the other side of the Great Lake we share, Lake Erie.

Still, there is so much more to be done. We must find ways to advance passenger rail improvements in the Cleveland-Toledo to Chicago corridor, which despite the tireless efforts of Grace Gallucci and others at the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, was not awarded Federal planning funds.

For our neglected region to be excellent at this planning opportunity for efficient passenger rail in view of freight congestion, Federal funding is needed to establish a transportation planning center of expertise in northwest Ohio.

Let's not have any more East Palestine or Sandusky accidents. We need real rail planning in our region.

Mr. Speaker, the production of nuclear power in our country is an awesome responsibility. Put in the hands of the wrong people, it can be deadly.

Those who operate nuclear facilities must be highly trained and honorable. Recall Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima? They all teach us nuclear power in the hands of careless and, indeed, corrupt people can be deadly to thousands of innocent people.

This morning, let us turn to Ohio's two financially strapped nuclear plants, both located in northern Ohio, adjacent to our people's freshwater kingdom, Lake Erie.

In Ohio, the largest corruption crimes in America's commercial plant nuclear history are being litigated. These crimes are also the largest public corruption trials in Ohio's history.

Last week, a Federal grand jury in Cincinnati indicted former chair of Ohio's Public Utilities Commission, Sam Randazzo, on bribery and embezzlement for his role in receiving $4.3 million in kickbacks for what has been labeled the biggest political bribery scandal in Ohio's history.

The nuclear power company, FirstEnergy, ultimately paid more than $60 million in 2018 and 2019 to bribe public officials like the Speaker of the Ohio House, who has now been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an article entitled ``Sam Randazzo, Ohio's former top utilities regulator, charged with bribery, embezzlement crimes.''

[From the Plain Dealer Cleveland, Dec. 5, 2023]

Sam Randazzo, Ohio's Former Top Utilities Regulator, Charged With

Bribery, Embezzlement Crimes

(By Jeremy Pelzer, Andrew J. Tobias, and Jake Zuckerman, Zuckerman)

Columbus, OH.--A federal grand jury has indicted Sam Randazzo, the former chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, on 11 counts

related to bribery and embezzlement, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker's

office announced Monday.

The indictment states that Randazzo accepted a $4.3 million

bribe in exchange for helping FirstEnergy, an Akron-based

electric utility, secure its policy priorities, including

helping with House Bill 6, the 2019 energy law at the center

of a federal bribery probe. FirstEnergy admitted to bribing

Randazzo in 2021, but he wasn't charged until now.

If convicted, Randazzo could face up to 20 years in prison.

The 74-year-old Columbus resident self-surrendered on

Monday morning at U.S. District Court in Cincinnati,

according to a release. He appeared in federal court that

afternoon, cuffed at the wrists and ankles, before Chief

Magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz at Cincinnati's federal

courthouse. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a bond

of his own recognizance.

The 11 counts against Randazzo include: one count of

conspiring to commit travel act bribery and honest services

wire fraud, two counts of travel act bribery, two counts of

honest services wire fraud, one count of wire fraud and five

counts of making illegal monetary transactions, according to

the release.

As chairman of the PUCO from April 2019 until he resigned

in November 2020, Randazzo reviewed requests from gas and

electric companies seeking to levy new costs on customers. He

accepted $4.3 million soon after meeting with then-

FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling in

December 2018, as Randazzo was applying to become PUCO chair.

In November 2019, Randazzo pushed to cancel a 2024 rate

review case that the company believed would hurt its bottom

line by forcing it to reduce the rates it charged customers,

as well as open its books to regulators, which they saw as

problematic.

Randazzo also played a key role in getting lawmakers,

including Ohio Senate Finance Committee Chair Matt Dolan, to

include language in the 2019 state budget that loosened state

limits on FirstEnergy, and other utilities' ability to make

``significantly excessive'' profits, according to the

indictment.

Dolan, a Chagrin Falls Republican now running for the U.S.

Senate, previously acknowledged speaking to Dowling, who

convinced him of the need to place the amendment in the state

budget. The Plain Dealer/cleveland.com reached out to Dolan

on Monday for comment.

The indictment states that Randazzo routed the bribe money

through his consulting business, Sustainability Funding

Alliance of Ohio. He also used that business to funnel to

himself at least $1 million meant for Industrial Energy

Users-Ohio, a consortium of large-scale energy buyers who he

represented in PUCO cases as an attorney.

``Public officials--whether elected or appointed--are

tasked with upholding the highest level of integrity in their

duties and responsibilities. Such service to the public must

be selfless, not selfish,'' the U.S. Attorney said in a

statement. ``Through the indictment unsealed today, we seek

to hold Randazzo accountable for his alleged illegal

activities.''

Roger Sugarman, an attorney representing Randazzo in

criminal and civil lawsuits, declined to comment Monday.

Randazzo did not respond to questions posed by reporters.

Randazzo's arraignment on Monday advanced a stunning fall

from grace from a once respected utility lawyer and lobbyist

with notorious influence at the Statehouse. He is often

credited with pushing for what would become state laws

constricting the growth of wind, solar, and energy efficiency

programs in Ohio. State lobbying records reflect years of

lobbying work on behalf of the Ohio Gas Company, Vectren

Energy and IEU. Now-state Sen. Shane Wilkin once told

Randazzo in an email that ``we already know you run the

energy world.'' He was a mainstay at IEU's regular ``Ohio

Energy Management Conference.''

Gov. Mike DeWine, who appointed Randazzo, had dinner with

Jones and Dowling the same night as the latter pair's meeting

with Randazzo. DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said Monday that

while the governor's office wasn't privy to the indictment

and was still reviewing it, ``the indictment alleges very

serious acts. Our office has full faith in the criminal

justice system to adjudicate these serious allegations in an

appropriate manner.''

Many of the emails and text messages referenced in the

indictment to and from the former FirstEnergy executives and

Randazzo have previously been made public. However, the

indictment's details about his embezzlement charge are new,

according to Dave DeVillers, Parker's predecessor as U.S.

attorney.

Randazzo resigned as PUCO chair in November 2020, days

after the FBI raided his Columbus townhouse. In the years

that followed, prosecutors were silent about Randazzo,

leading to questions about why they were taking so long to

decide whether to file charges.

Ashley Brown, a former PUCO commissioner, said the delay

has cost the state's electricity customers, given that the

PUCO has paused its own investigations into the HB6 scandal

at Parker's request to wait for the federal corruption

investigation to wrap up.

In the meantime, electricity customers have continued to

pay a fee contained in HB6 that subsidizes a pair of coal

plants owned by FirstEnergy and several other utilities.

``It's hard to imagine why he wasn't indicted earlier,''

said Brown, who also questioned why no current or former

FirstEnergy officials have been charged so far.

Asked about the length of time it took for charges to be

brought, DeVillers said, ``They could have been negotiating

with the defense attorney, they could have been talking to

him and it fell apart. And then it could be they dug into

this count [the embezzlement charge], which seems to be

completely different, and needed to ferret that out to find

out what that was all about.''

Randazzo is already a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed in

2021 by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. As part of that

case, a Franklin County judge ordered the seizure of up to $8

million worth of Randazzo's assets, though that decision is

still being appealed.

Randazzo's indictment comes several months after ex-Ohio

House Speaker Larry Householder was sentenced to 20 years in

prison for leading a $60 million bribery scheme using

FirstEnergy money to help pass House Bill 6, which included a

$1 billion-plus ratepayer bailout for two nuclear power

plants then owned by a FirstEnergy subsidiary. Former Ohio

Republican Party Chair Matt Borges received 5 years in prison

for his role in the scandal; two others connected to the

bribery scheme have pleaded guilty and are awaiting

sentencing.

FirstEnergy officials previously admitted that Randazzo

helped them to develop strategy and legal language for HB6.

After HB6 passed, emails made public last year showed

Randazzo, as PUCO chair, worked behind the scenes to hinder

attempts to fully repeal the law, and he only grudgingly

called for state regulators to take limited action--asking

FirstEnergy to investigate itself over whether it misspent

any customer money--in response to negative press.

To date, no current or former FirstEnergy officials, have

been charged in connection with the HB6 scandal or any of

Randazzo's alleged crimes.

Mr. Speaker, FirstEnergy's plot was to foist its billion- dollar-plus corporate losses on the consumers of Ohio due to its pitiful management of its two nuclear power plants in northern Ohio. These are crimes.

While Randazzo was being indicted, the Federal Government moved to claim an additional $6.5 million from FirstEnergy for this crime. We should all be deeply disturbed that inherently dangerous nuclear assets have been in the hands of criminals.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an editorial titled: ``Finally, 11 counts against ex-PUCO chief Sam Randazzo but why still none against then-FirstEnergy officials whose fingerprints are all over the case?''

[From The Plain Dealer Cleveland, Dec. 6, 2023]

Finally, 11 Counts Against Ex-PUCO Chief Sam Randazzo But Why Still None Against Then-FirstEnergy Officials Whose Fingerprints Are All Over

the Case?

(By Editorial Board)

Monday's unsealing of an 11-count federal conspiracy,

bribery, wire fraud and embezzlement indictment against

former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio chief Samuel

Randazzo was a welcome sign of prosecutorial progress in the

FirstEnergy/House Bill 6 corruption case--but it's like the

first footfall in a long-delayed reckoning with some of the

key officials at the heart of the asserted conspiracy.

Our editorial board had repeatedly urged the U.S. Attorney

for Southern Ohio, Ken Parker, to explain publicly why such a

long delay in a case whose first arrests--of five Statehouse

figures, including now-convicted former House Speaker Larry

Householder and former Ohio Republican Party chair Matt

Borges--came more than three years ago.

And where is the second footfall--charges against any of

the FirstEnergy Corp. executives whose roles in paying out

the bribes and soliciting the corrupt actions by Randazzo and

others have been detailed in this and prior indictments?

The Randazzo indictment refers to now-departed Executives 1

and 2 at Akron-based FirstEnergy--former CEO Chuck Jones and

former Senior Vice President for External Affairs Michael

Dowling--as those with the primary contacts with Randazzo

over the $4,333,333 bribe FirstEnergy Corp. previously

admitted paying Randazzo in a 2021 deferred prosecution

agreement.

But they're clearly not the only FirstEnergy officials

privy to the laundry list of regulatory and legislative

favors Randazzo was helping the company secure, including a

lucrative decoupling accounting provision that PUCO staff

opposed, modifications to the state's ``significantly

excessive earnings test'' (SEET) that were added to the two-

year state budget, and ``burning'' of

a critical PUCO audit about FirstEnergy's distribution

modernization rider (DMR).

According to the Randazzo indictment, ``On or about March

4, 2020, Executive 1 messaged another Company A executive:

``He [Randazzo] will get it done for us but cannot just

jettison all process. Says the combination of over ruling

Staff and other Commissioners on decoupling, getting rid of

SEET and burning the DMR final report has a lot of talk going

on in the halls of PUCO about does he work there or for us?

He'll move it as fast as he can. Better come up with a short

term work around.''

An indictment to shed light on the full scope of corruption

entailed in FirstEnergy's actions is needed.

It's possible Parker's delay in indicting Randazzo over

bribes long since acknowledged by FirstEnergy and favors that

have come into clearer light in civil cases was because he

hoped to turn others into cooperating witnesses--or Randazzo

into one himself.

Then there's the unexpected embezzlement charge against

Randazzo in the indictment, accusing him of defrauding

another client, the Industrial Energy Users-Ohio, a group of

big energy customers, of $1,104,598.

David DeVillers, the former U.S. Attorney for Southern Ohio

under whose leadership the corruption case was first

investigated and prosecuted, told cleveland.com's Jeremy

Pelzer, Andrew J. Tobias and Jake Zuckerman that the

embezzlement charge might have been the whammy in the mix,

taking time to sort out. ``It could be they dug into this

count, which seems to be completely different, and needed to

ferret that out to find out what that was all about,''

DeVillers told the reporters.

Either way, it is to be hoped that the indictment of

Randazzo will finally cause Parker to lift his effective hold

on important PUCO and other state-level investigations into

how both the PUCO and its processes, and the legislative

process separately, were so distorted and corrupted, so

reforms can be made. That's especially urgent given that

unrepealed parts of fatally tainted House Bill 6 right now

require electricity customers in Ohio to subsidize--to the

tune of more than $200 million so far, according to the Ohio

Office of Consumers' Counsel--two money-losing coal plants,

one in Indiana. Shining the full disinfectant of transparent

investigations on how all this came to be is a critical first

step to reform.

Mr. Speaker, since the Davis-Besse plant came online in 1977, its corporate leadership has never understood nuclear power or its dangers. It is only the unionized workers that have saved our lives. The plant shares an old Babcock-and-Wilcox design with the Three Mile Island reactor that partially melted down in 1979. Another plant with the design, the Rancho Seco plant in Sacramento, California, permanently closed in 1989.

Davis-Besse itself is now nearly 50 years old and has a dismal reputation within the industry and a history of too many close calls. In 1985, the plant suffered a loss of the main and backup supplies of cooling water because of a series of system failures, and this should have been a wake-up call, but it went unheeded.

In 2002, we faced the worst nuclear safety incident since Three Mile Island when a major hole was discovered in Davis-Besse's reactor head, endangering the lives of millions of Ohioans and the purity of Lake Erie. The plant's unionized workers again saved us all.

The Davis-Besse nuclear power plant, with its history of safety violations and close calls, is a clear example of how corporate culture can influence safety culture for the worst, and the industry around our country never held them accountable.

The fines and penalties imposed on FirstEnergy have done little to deter misconduct. It is time for us to take bold action and provide our region with safe, advanced, modern power in a platform akin to the Tennessee Valley Authority.

So much more needs to be done to make our communities safe and whole from FirstEnergy's fraud, starting with making sure that the Benton- Carroll-Salem school system where Davis-Besse is located can be made whole. The value of property in the region has gone down 90 percent, which means the school system is going to be nearly $6 million short on what it needs to teach the next generation.

I urge judges in the case to take the grid under FirstEnergy's ownership under safe public conservatorship until a reliable operator can be stood up.

May we find the wisdom and courage to confront these nuclear challenges head-on to usher in a new era of clean and responsible energy for the consumers and people of northern Ohio who have been bilked so royally over the last nearly half century.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the first female Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor, who passed away last Friday.

Frequently referred to as the most powerful woman in America, Justice O'Connor, who was highly gifted and dignified, paved the way for women on the highest court in our land.

Justice O'Connor knew the value of being the first. She felt a special responsibility as the first woman. When she was appointed to the Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, no women in the Court's nearly 200-year history had ever graced the bench with their intellect. Her diligence and legal mastery moved America forward, and she always knew how to find the big middle in her opinions.

Since her retirement in 2006, four female Supreme Court Justices have been appointed and confirmed to the bench of the highest court in our land. That is only five women in 234 years.

In our Nation's history, our great State of Ohio has never elected a

female Senator. Including myself, Ohio has only ever

elected 13 female Representatives. Our Nation has not seen

a female President yet. Women in our Nation have many

glass ceilings to shatter and many more firsts to go.

Mr. Speaker, I honor Justice O'Connor, her character, and her legacy, and I honor and encourage the new firsts yet to come from among America's young women.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the former and soon-to-be again chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Mr. Bishop.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter of Plains, Georgia.

Born Eleanor Rosalynn Smith, she began dating a young Naval cadet named James Earl Carter, Jr., in 1945.

The two were inseparable for nearly 8 years.

Rosalynn Carter, beloved spouse of President Jimmy Carter and mother to their family and our Nation, has blessed our Republic for over three-quarters of a century.

Her perpetual kindness, wisdom, and faithfulness to family, community, and country is legendary. Her patriotism had no bounds.

As First Lady of Georgia and then our Nation, she perserveringly and with her matter-of-fact manner elevated the plight of the mentally ill to national attention.

I can recall as a farm wife, after her husband was elected President, the footage of her carrying her sewing machine into the White House, which stirred surprise and even criticism in some privileged quarters by people who had never worked with their hands as she tried to show struggling families at home and abroad how to be more self-sufficient.

As a White House urban policy staffer after the President was elected, I had the privilege of working with her, a fierce, caring ally in neighborhood revitalization across our Nation in some of the most forgotten corners of America.

She was a lady in every sense of the word, but, boy, was she determined. She was gracious, erudite, persuasive, faith filled, indefatigable, committed, and a true credit to our great Nation.

As others have mentioned, upon leaving the White House, she would go on to be involved in many worthy endeavors both abroad and at home.

From hurricane relief to global aid for Africa to Habitat for Humanity, building homes for those in need, and to founding The Carter Center, we all know the lasting legacy that Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter left for those who came after them and to future generations.

History will treat them well because they helped build a better America and one with a kinder heart. Their lives of public service will be unmatched by any First Family in our lifetimes and among the most consequential in our Nation's history.

May Rosalynn's spirit and memory comfort her husband, her family, staff that served them ably, and all the millions of people the Carter family touched with healing and inspiration.

May the angels of mercy carry her to a peaceful rest. I am so honored to be able to pay tribute to her beautiful life here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop intercity passenger rail corridors across our Great Lakes region from Chicago to Cleveland.

We in the Great Lakes noticed the attention that the Department of Transportation pays to the East Coast and the West Coast, but please don't forget our Great Lakes northern region.

Take a look at the I-80/-90 corridor and think about that already being carved into the landscape. Use it.

In 2021, I joined other Great Lakes Members of Congress to urge Amtrak to retool its connect on U.S. 2035 Plan, which then excluded improvements to the Cleveland to Chicago corridor. To this day, we continue to lack daytime passenger rail service across this highly congested rail corridor and, of course, constricted Chicago. Boy, does it need help.

Our constituents deserve better. Leaders from the U.S. Department of Transportation; State, local, and regional Departments of Transportation; planning agencies; advocacy organizations; labor unions; and the private

sector have joined together to address this longstanding constriction to economic growth.

Mr. Speaker, I ask DOT: Please see us, hear us, help us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Lourdes University of Sylvania, Ohio, and its new president, William Bisset, who held a vital convening last week as part of the university's Courage Conversations Town Hall series. It focused on the Israel-Palestine conflict, with dozens of students, staff, and faculty taking part.

University President Bisset and Professor Mary Robinson, who chairs the history, geography, and political science departments at Lourdes, said their goal was to offer a historical perspective to develop an understanding of the past history of Israel and Palestine to help people grasp the full scope of what is taking place in that war-torn region. They hope the conversations will help provide a better understanding of a longstanding conflict in which world leaders have long sought a true path toward a lasting peace and a two-state solution.

Thoughtful discussions in which history is examined, as was done at Lourdes University last week, is the way a breakthrough for peace and reconciliation will come about. May other organizations follow the lead of Lourdes University.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a copy of an editorial from the Toledo Blade that recognizes this event and its important contribution to human understanding.

[From The Blade, Nov. 25, 2023]

Editorial: Lourdes Leads

(By The Blade Editorial Board)

Kudos to Lourdes University for showing us the way forward

on the future of Palestine and Israel.

Not afraid to tackle probably the most emotionally fraught

topic of our day, the university last week offered a ``town

hall'' on the topic of the Israeli-Hamas War.

Would that others who have taken to the streets shouting

chants and waving signs and issuing orders to U.S. Rep. Marcy

Kaptur (D., Toledo) would show some of the same awareness of

how complicated this problem is.

The university in Sylvania devoted its Courageous

Conversations Town Hall to the topic.

Conscious of the ethnic and religious tensions, there was

security stationed at the door, but it wasn't needed.

About 40, including administration staff, faculty members,

and students, attended.

``My goal was to offer this from a historical perspective

because I think the more people understand the past and the

history, the better understanding they will have of the

subject and be able to better understand both sides of the

story,'' said Mary Robinson, associate professor of history

and department chairman of history, geography, and political

science at Lourdes.

President William Bisset said, ``We needed to start with a

conversation that explained that this has been a very, very

complicated part of the world for many, many years, that

leaders throughout the world have tried to figure out.

``We felt that it was important, especially for our

students, but also for our community members to start the

conversation [about Israel and Palestine] with a historical

perspective,'' Mr. Bisset said.

Israel and the Palestinian people, and the armed guerilla

groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, who nurture the bitterness of

the Palestinians over their displacement from the land that

officially became Israel in 1948, are at an impasse, with

both sides claiming ownership of the land between Jordan

River and the Mediterranean Sea.

But yet, there have been instances under at least two U.S.

presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, that the

Palestinian people came close to securing a Palestinian

state.

Among the Arab states of the Middle East, there appears to

be a willingness to once again take up the possibility of a

so-called two-state solution.

It's not going to happen, though, if Hamas remains in power

in the Gaza Strip. Whether by Israel's current invasion of

Gaza or through the diplomatic intervention of Arab leaders

in the neighboring Islamic countries, Hamas and Hezbollah

have to be neutralized.

Calm discussion in which the history is examined, as was

done in Lourdes University's Courageous Conversations Town

Hall last week, is the way a breakthrough will come about.

Madam Speaker, what America makes and grows, makes and grows America and grows our middle class. Thus, let me applaud the Biden administration's decision to utilize the Defense Production Act to reshore the domestic manufacturing of essential medicines critical for our national security.

This move is a strategic response to the challenges America faces, particularly keeping inflation in check and healing the vulnerabilities in our pharmaceutical supply chain.

The book, ``China Rx,'' highlights the growing number of our country's reliance on foreign-made medicines, particularly from China. They pose a significant national security risk to both our military and civilian sectors.

The Defense Production Act offers a vital tool to onshore and increased domestic production of essential medicines. In a world where the availability of essential medicines can be a matter of life and death, our Nation must take strong measures to resecure our domestic pharmaceutical supply chain.

The Defense Production Act is a significant step toward achieving this goal. What America makes and grows, makes and grows a stronger and more secure America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage the big middle of this House to come together to support immediate passage of fiscal year 2024 funding for U.S. Government operations, including the interests of national security.

Without fiscal year 2014 funding in place, which should have begun on October 1 of this year, our military faces uncertainty in its funding and resource allocation.

Funding delays waste time, leading to impaired military operations, decreased training, delayed procurement, and reduced vehicle maintenance, yielding lower readiness. These unnecessary delays undermine our military's ability to respond to threats effectively at home and abroad.

I hope the American people are noticing which extremist Members of this House are responsible for this long-delayed funding compromise. Vladimir Putin is applauding them.

They, and we, take an oath to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Let's do it.

Mr. Speaker, more than 1 month after the October 7 terror attack on Israel by Hamas, the number of people killed during this horrible conflagration tragically exceeds well over 11,000 lives:

Over 1,400 Israeli civilians, including women and children; over 10,000 Palestinian civilians, nearly half women and children, with at least 20 U.S. citizens still being held by Hamas among 240 hostages.

The latest war follows wars between Israel and Hamas in 2008, 2008- 09, 2014, and all these ended in cease-fires with no resolution.

The question is what will be the plan for stabilizing this chronic standoff.

How will Gaza be governed going forward?

The diplomatic path forward being forged by several Arab nations, Fatah, some European states, the Arab League, and the United Nations is constructive. Let us promote it and elevate it.

Earlier this week, President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Both acknowledged the value of a multi-day pause in fighting to secure

the release of hostages and ensure that humanitarian relief can reach those in need. Let us echo the call for such a pause and let the violence and retribution once and for all end through diplomatic initiatives.

Mr. Speaker, as a grateful and proud daughter of the United Auto Workers, I am heartened to see General Motors, Ford, and Jeep Stellantis reach tentative agreements with the hardworking brothers and sisters of the UAW.

This historic strike is deeply personal to me. I know firsthand from my parents and constituents the difficult jobs they do day in and day out, sometimes 10 hours a day 6 days a week.

While too many manufacturing jobs have been shipped overseas to penny wage havens, I salute companies inside our borders, the largest consumer market in the world, for agreeing to pay fair wages with good benefits that our hardworking American autoworkers have earned.

Firms in other nations should follow suit. Our trade negotiators should focus on reciprocal contracts for market access to achieve fair trade globally to stop the exploitation of workers in the automotive industry in the Third World.

Let's recall after the United Auto Workers conceded major benefits during the 2008 Great Recession to literally save the Big Three from bankruptcy. These agreements represent a monumental step toward finally making these workers whole again.

They say that when unions fight, all workers win. Last week we saw Toyota raise wages for their workers knowing they must now compete.

Record profits should mean record contracts. Americans must honor people who work hard hour by hour building the economic prosperity of our great Nation.

From Toledo to Wayne to Wentzville to Belvedere, their vigilance, fortitude, and guts have made this new progress possible. I salute those in our unions who have fought so hard and have dedicated their lives to building our middle class from the middle out and the bottom up.

Onward.