Morgan McGarvey

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Dairy Kastle, a beloved Louisville institution, and in celebration of its fiftieth anniversary.

From its origins as a modest walk-up counter converted from a gas station, Dairy Kastle has been a fixture of Louisville summers for five decades. Generations of Louisvillians have grown up on its soft serve ice cream and ``flurries,'' and the same kids who lined up around the block for ice cream four decades ago, now bring their own children and grandchildren to enjoy snacks and treats from that same curious little building.

Dairy Kastle remains, at heart, a family-owned neighborhood spot. It is exactly the kind of small, independent business that gives a neighborhood its character, a family enterprise that has earned its customers' loyalty one cone and one chili dog at a time. Dairy Kastle has weathered decades of changing times, a pandemic, and the ordinary churn of small business in America without losing what makes it special: it's a place where the line moves quickly, the service is friendly, and the prices stay within reach of a working family's budget.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dairy Kastle's fifty years of service and in wishing its owners, Kevin and Daniela Trice, continued success for many summers to come.

Mr. Chairman, there is a great scene in the movie ``Jurassic Park'' where the scientist says: You guys are so preoccupied with whether you could, you forgot to ask whether you should.

I think the Republicans have been so preoccupied with counting votes to see if they can do the President's bidding that they have forgotten to ask whether they should.

First, they brought a budget bill to the floor of this House that took away people's healthcare and food so they could give billionaires and corporations the largest permanent tax break in American history.

Next, President Trump said: I need $70 billion more for the ICE agents acting as my personal police force. They are going around and using kids as bait, ripping apart families, murdering American citizens on the streets of our country. Republicans said: Fine, we will do that.

Now, Trump wants another $95 billion for his forever war in the Middle East. Mr. Chairman, 18 Americans are dead. There is a 19-year- old coming home in a coffin this week, never to spend another holiday or birthday with her family.

Everything from gas to groceries has gone up, and America is less safe because of it. But Republicans say: Absolutely, no problem. We will do it.

Is there anything Trump wants that Republicans will say no to? I think the answer is no.

Democrats offered commonsense amendments that said let's lower the cost of healthcare, let's lower the cost of goods, and let's end corruption. Republican Members said no to all of them. I even offered an amendment that said you can't use $400 million of taxpayer money to build your ballroom vanity project. What did Republicans say? Fine with us. We will do it because we can. But should you? No.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lynn Romans on the occasion of her 70th birthday and to recognize her lifetime of public service, personal sacrifice, and extraordinary devotion to others.

Lynn grew up in Trimble County, Kentucky, a small rural community located between Louisville and Cincinnati. Her parents, lssac and Fredia Romans, provided for Lynn and her two brothers by working blue collar factory jobs. After graduating high school, she attended God's Bible School and College in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences. She and her husband went on to pastor churches across the Commonwealth, serving communities in Flemingsburg, Frankfort, Maysville, and Louisville, where they raised their two children.

Lynn's life was forever changed in 2003 when her twenty-four-year-old son, Sergeant Darrin Potter, was killed in action while serving in Iraq, becoming the first Kentucky National Guard combat casualty since the Vietnam War. As a Gold Star Mother, Lynn has carried an unimaginable loss with grace, courage, and purpose. Because Lynn is a truly special human being, she turned sorrow into service, dedicating herself to helping other Gold Star families, veterans, servicemembers, and military families understand that they are seen, valued, and never alone.

For more than 31 years, Lynn served with the American Red Cross, including as a Program Specialist for Service to the Armed Forces. She has also been deeply active with American Gold Star Mothers and the Woody Williams Foundation, educating others about the meaning of the Gold Star and the sacrifices it represents. You cannot attend a military event in Kentucky without meeting someone who knows Lynn-- someone she has helped, comforted, picnicked with, paraded with, or served alongside.

For the past two years, Lynn has continued that service as a Green and Gold Fellow in our district office. At a time when she more than earned the right to be sipping sweet tea on a balmy beach and enjoying retirement, Lynn chose instead to work full time on behalf of Kentucky veterans and their families. VA casework is challenging, but Lynn always tackles it with her unending patience, warmth, bubbly humor and--of course--a great pair of high heels. Her signature expression, ``Oh my lands'' has become an office favorite.

Lynn is a proud Mimi to two beloved grandchildren, a woman of faith, a devoted public servant, and a gift to our Commonwealth and our country.

We are honored to call her our colleague, and even more honored to call her our friend. I wish Lynn a happy 70th birthday.