Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my legislation, H.R. 9499, the Protecting Taxpayers from Ghost Preparers Act.

This bill has received bipartisan support, and it passed unanimously out of our Ways and Means Committee.

Every year, millions of Americans turn to tax professionals for help navigating our complicated tax code. They should be able to trust that the person they are paying to prepare their return is acting honestly and following the law.

Unfortunately, dishonest tax preparers--often referred to as ghost preparers--take advantage of that trust. They alter returns, claim fraudulent deductions or credits, inflate refunds, and sometimes even take a percentage of the refund themselves. Then, they disappear and leave the taxpayer to deal with the IRS and the consequences. That is simply wrong.

We have seen serious cases across the country. In Kentucky, two individuals pleaded guilty after preparing nearly 6,000 fraudulent Federal tax returns, resulting in more than $10 million in tax losses.

In my home State of New York, a Long Island tax preparer pleaded guilty to nearly $12 million in a fraud scheme after preparing fraudulent returns and collecting more than $1 million in fees from his clients.

In the Bronx, an individual was sentenced to 4 years in prison for orchestrating a decade-long tax fraud scheme involving tens of thousands of false returns.

These schemes can leave innocent taxpayers holding the bag for misconduct they did not know about and did not participate in.

Under current law, the IRS generally has 3 years to assess additional tax after a return is filed. When a return is fraudulent, that limitation can remain open indefinitely.

The problem is that an innocent taxpayer could potentially face that unlimited period because of fraud committed by the preparer--even when the evidence is clear that the taxpayer had no intention whatsoever of evading taxes.

My bill fixes that. H.R. 9499 makes clear that the unlimited statute of limitations for a fraudulent return applies when the taxpayer intended to evade taxes, not when a dishonest preparer acted alone without the taxpayer's knowledge. That is basic fairness.

Taxpayers who knowingly commit fraud should absolutely face the consequences, and dishonest preparers who commit fraud should face the consequences, as well.

I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on policies to ensure that fraudulent preparers and other bad actors are held accountable for taking advantage of hardworking taxpayers.

Hardworking Americans should not face potentially endless tax liability because someone they trusted took advantage of them.

Mr. Speaker, this is commonsense legislation, and it is a taxpayer protection measure. I thank Chairman Smith and the committee staff for their work to advance this legislation, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell a story of one of Staten Island's most extraordinary sons, Father Vincent Robert Capodanno, who 59 years ago last week gave his life in Vietnam while serving as Navy chaplain.

His Medal of Honor citation tells us what he did in a moment of unimaginable danger. But to understand Father Capodanno, we must ask a deeper question: What kind of life prepares a man to walk willingly onto a battlefield under relentless fire unarmed because wounded men are coming for him?

The answer began long before Vietnam. His first mission took him to Taiwan, where he served the Hakka people. He learned their language so he could know them, understand them, and better serve them. He administered the sacraments, distributed food and medicine, and cared for their spiritual and emotional needs. He worked with the youth, encouraging them throughout their scholastic challenges and achievements, some battling depression.

Service was not something he summoned in one heroic moment, but it was a pattern in his entire life. He carried that same conviction to Vietnam where he carried a cross, not a gun.

Father Capodanno refused to minister from a distance. He lived as the marines lived. He shared their brutal conditions because he believed he could not truly serve them without understanding their experience. He earned their trust and made their burdens his own. He prayed for them, and he comforted them.

On September 4, 1967, during Operation Swift, he crossed a battlefield under relentless fire to reach wounded marines. Wounded by a mortar blast, he refused treatment, directed the corpsmen to care for the other wounded, and continued his ministry. He was killed just inches from a wounded fellow American he was trying to save.

President Nixon posthumously awarded him the Medal of Honor in 1969, our Nation's highest military honor. Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago, in 2006, the Catholic Church gave him the title Servant of God, opening his path for sainthood.

Father Capodanno was a priest whose faith and dedication to others led him to make the ultimate sacrifice. His last act did not create the man we honor. It revealed him.

May his story inspire people from across our Nation and around the world.

Honoring Sergeant Michael Sulsona

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sergeant Michael Sulsona--a decorated United States marine, gifted playwright, and beloved advocate for his fellow Staten Island veterans--who passed away sadly last week.

Some people serve their country for a chapter of their lives. Mike Sulsona served his country for an entire life.

Mike joined the Marines as a teenager and served as a rifleman in Vietnam. On January 15, 1971, while walking point during an enemy ambush, he stepped on a land mine and lost both of his legs above the knee.

He returned home with a Purple Heart and Bronze Star to a country that did not always give Vietnam veterans the respect they had earned. Yet, Mike refused to let his injuries define his future.

He earned a master of fine arts in writing and became an accomplished playwright and screenwriter, receiving four national awards, including The Kennedy Center Award for playwrighting. He also appeared in the Academy Award-winning film ``Born on the Fourth of July.''

But his greatest legacy was helping others.

For more than four decades, Mike devoted himself to veterans suffering from Agent Orange exposure and post-traumatic stress, as well as homeless veterans, amputees, and burn victims. He helped them with their paperwork. He made phone calls on their behalf. He answered their call whenever they needed him, day or night.

Mike also fought tirelessly to have fellow Marine Sergeant Angel Mendez' Navy Cross upgraded to the Medal of Honor, an effort we were proud to work alongside him on and will continue on his behalf.

Mike once said: I put my name on the dotted line to be my brother's keeper.

That is exactly how he lived. He turned pain into purpose and a lifetime of service.

My prayers are with his sons, Vincent and Philip; his grandchildren, Lucas and Madison; and all who loved him. I also remember his wife, Frieda, his partner in life and service, who passed away just months before him.

Mr. Speaker, our community and country will never forget him. Semper Fidelis.

Mr. Speaker, first, let's be clear that socialism is communism light. Socialism is the first step to communism. If anybody doubts what I am saying, just listen to Vladimir Lenin, the first leader of the Soviet Union, who proclaimed the goal of socialism is communism.

It begins with promises of free programs, government-controlled prices, and punishment of the supposedly wealthy, redistribution of wealth to help everyone. However, it ends with shortages, economic collapse, and a government powerful enough to take away citizens' rights, their property, and livelihoods, end the freedom of the press, and a complete takeover of the courts and judicial system.

Communism and socialism destroy. It steals from the people while those who run the regime live as kings. That is the reality. It is about consolidating power for a select few.

Now, since the last century, we have had Democrats and Republicans in Congress come together to condemn socialism, to stop the rise of communism in this country. Go back and read it in history: In the thirties and forties and fifties, and afterwards, they stood up against it, and they fought together, and that is why freedom always prevailed.

However, now we have one side standing up for freedom, for prosperity, and for the American way of life, and we have the other side that is actually rolling out the red carpet for socialism. I believe it is because they are trying to preserve their positions here in Congress and they care more about the primary elections than they do about protecting this country. They are rolling out the red carpet and nominating people who want to bring this dangerous ideology here to the Halls of Congress.

My mayor in New York City ran on an agenda of government-run supermarkets, abolishing private property rights, and seizing the means of production. Those were his words. That was his platform.

Guess what, Mr. Speaker. That is straight out of the playbook of Karl Marx.

That is exactly what they did to my mother's homeland of Communist Cuba. It is what destroyed her family, what took her home, what took my grandfather's small business, and what caused my family to break up and never see each other again.

That is what they are refusing to condemn today.

Republicans will stand on the side of freedom, of prosperity, of free markets, and of the American way of life. I hope my colleagues, at least some of them, have the guts to do what the Democrats did in the thirties, forties, and fifties, and join us on what should be a bipartisan position condemning socialism and communism in the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the bicentennial anniversary of United States Army Garrison Fort Hamilton, a historic institution in my district that has served our Nation with distinction for 200 years and remains an enduring symbol of patriotism, military readiness, and public service.

The grounds of Fort Hamilton hold a profound connection to the founding of our Nation. During the American Revolutionary War, the site served as a strategic defense position overlooking the Narrows. On July 4, 1776, an American battery located there, then known as the Narrows Fort, fired upon the British warship HMS Asia in defense of New York Harbor. Just weeks later, British forces landed at Gravesend Beach and Denyse's Wharf, on what is now the footprint of Fort Hamilton, launching the campaign that culminated in the Battle of Brooklyn, the first major battle fought after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the largest troop engagement of the Revolutionary War.

Recognizing the strategic importance of the location, the United States Government laid the cornerstone for Fort Hamilton on June 11, 1825. Named in honor of Alexander Hamilton, our Nation's first Secretary of the Treasury, and designed by renowned military engineer Simon Bernard, the fort was completed in 1831. Today, it stands as the fourth-oldest active military installation in the United States.

For two centuries, Fort Hamilton has faithfully served our Nation. During the Civil War, it functioned as a critical Union fortification and training center. In both World War I and World War II, the installation played a vital role as an embarkation and separation center for American service members deploying overseas and returning home.

In recognition of its historical significance, Fort Hamilton was designated a Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Its rich legacy is preserved through the Harbor Defense Museum, the only Army museum in New York City, which safeguards and showcases artifacts spanning from the American Revolution through World War II.

Today, Fort Hamilton remains the only active-duty military installation in New York City. It provides critical operational, logistical, and community support to more than 50,000 veterans, retirees, active-duty service members, and their families. The installation has repeatedly answered the call to support civil authorities during times of crisis, including following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, during Hurricane Sandy, and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The year 2025 marked Fort Hamilton's 200th anniversary--a remarkable milestone that coincides with the United States Army's 250th birthday and serves as a bridge to our Nation's semiquincentennial in 2026. This celebration offers an opportunity to reflect upon the generation of soldiers, civilian employees, veterans, and military families whose dedication and sacrifice have strengthened both our local communities and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring United States Army Garrison Fort Hamilton for 200 years of unwavering service to New York and the United States of America. May its proud legacy continue for generations to come.

Mr. Chair, as co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, I rise in support of my amendments that are included in this en bloc.

My amendments build on the progress that Congress has already made to modernize Federal research practices, reduce unnecessary animal suffering, and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly.

The first provision would prohibit the FDA from using taxpayer funds to issue or finalize new guidance documents that recommend or require dog testing for human drugs or medical devices.

More than 3 years ago, Congress ended the FDA's century-old animal testing mandate. Yet, the agency continues to rely on outdated guidance and, in some cases, issues new guidance that pressures companies to unnecessarily conduct tests on dogs before products can be moved to human trials.

Modern, human-based technologies, including organs-on-chips and other advanced testing methods, are often faster, more accurate, and more predictive of human outcomes than traditional dog testing.

The second provision would prohibit USDA funding for significantly painful research on dogs and cats conducted through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Americans love their pets. They are members of our families. Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize painful experiments on dogs and cats when Congress and Federal agencies have already recognized that these practices should be restricted.

During President Trump's first administration, USDA closed its last remaining cat experiment lab. Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs have already acted to restrict painful dog and cat testing, and the Department of Defense has likewise ended funding for these practices. This week, we saw EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, our former colleague, announce the goal of eliminating all animal testing by his agency by 2035.

My amendments promote better science, greater accountability, and more humane treatment of animals. They reflect the growing bipartisan consensus that we can advance medical innovation while reducing animal suffering and using taxpayer dollars more responsibly.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendments.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Steil for helping us advance this bill to the floor. He knows very well the role that his State of Wisconsin played in being the first to ratify the 19th Amendment.

We are here today because we are voting on a very simple bill. It is a bill to transfer land on The National Mall for the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum, which was already authorized by Congress, overwhelmingly bipartisan, in 2020, and signed by President Donald J. Trump.

Mr. Speaker, this bill, as my colleague has mentioned, had over 230 sponsors. It is very bipartisan, and I think we all agree that it is long past time that the women of this country, who make up more than half of the population, deserve to have a museum that tells their stories and shares their contributions to our great country.

Women like Rosie the Riveter and the millions of women who stepped onto our factory floors during World War II; the more than 10,000 code girls of Arlington Hall, who were secretly recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy during World War II to serve as code breakers; the 855 women of the Six Triple Eight, the only all-Black, all-female battalion deployed overseas during World War II; the Black Angels of my district, who were courageous nurses who, at the height of segregation, worked toward and did find the cure for tuberculosis; the first female Member of Congress, Jeannette Rankin; Susan B. Anthony and the suffragists, the great role that they played in our Nation's history, they are who we are here to honor today.

Yes, we have more than enough women to display in this museum that we shouldn't be fighting over the need to have nonbiological individuals in there.

I don't understand why we are pulling bipartisan support from legislation to establish this museum. As a matter of fact, let me read it so that everybody at home knows exactly what this debate is over. It is over one sentence: ``The Museum shall be dedicated to preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women in the United States.''

That is what the disagreement is about. That is what the big controversy is about.

I hate to alert my friends on the other side of the aisle, but a museum dedicated to women's history should have women in it. That is it. That is simple. That was just something that, through this process, regular order, going through the committee process, a Member put forward an amendment. It was adopted by the majority of the members on the committee, and it added that simple provision.

The idea that President Trump--by the way because Democrats are saying that the National Planning Commission is now a Trump commission. This is a commission that was established by Congress over 100 years ago. It is not a new commission. In fact, the President only has three appointees to that 12-person commission. To say that

he has complete control is just simply not true.

I really hope that some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will join us on this because it would be sad to see that all of the Democrats would vote down this important bill.

Yet, I will say that it was a Republican Senator who introduced the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

It was a Republican Congress that passed the 19th Amendment to give women the right to vote.

It was a majority of GOP States that gave women the right to vote when they ratified that amendment.

It was a GOP President who gave us Title IX, which prohibited sex- based discrimination in the educational programs.

And, yes, it was President Donald Trump, a Republican, who authorized this museum in 2020.

If Republicans have to carry the water again to deliver for the women of America, we will do so, but I really hope that this can remain a bipartisan measure.

Mr. Speaker, I want to clarify some points and answer some of the questions of my colleague. This is like the good old times in the New York State Assembly. Mr. Morelle and I had fun debating there, as well.

First of all, let me say that this bill is actually site-specific. It does include the quadrants of the site that was selected by the American Women's History Museum Advisory Council. The original version, which we have introduced, did not have those specific quadrants. It did not specify a specific site. It just allowed for a future selected site to be transferred.

In that case, there was no clarity on what the site was, so we amended the bill to add the specific quadrants of the south Capitol site on The National Mall so it would be clear that it is the selected site of the museum's advisory council.

Yes, it does give 180 days for the President, if necessary, to alter. That is because if, for some reason, there is a problem with that site, and it turns out we can't build on it, if the engineers come back and say that there is a problem, that it can't be built on, then we don't want to have to go through this entire process and have to pass another piece of legislation. We would just all work together to select a site that would be suitable.

In terms of specificity, this bill actually gives more clarity on the location than the initial version.

That is the only thing that has changed, that provision, as well as adding the sentence about ensuring that it is biological women. That was amended in the committee process.

As I said, every piece of legislation is introduced here. We garnered 230 cosponsors. It went to the committee. The committee went through regular order. Somebody had an amendment, and the amendment passed. Therefore, it was added. That was added as a result to ensure that there is clarity that only biological women would be represented in a women's museum.

I also want to address this issue about the National Capital Planning Commission. This is not President Donald Trump's commission. This was a commission that was established over 100 years ago, in which the President gets only three appointees. The commission is a 12-member Federal body.

Obviously, anything that is built as a Capital project goes through this commission. It is not as if it is a new commission that was set up by this particular President. Both this commission and the Fine Arts Commission were established well over a century ago, and the 12-member makeup of this is 3 appointees only by the President. That is not a majority. That is not giving the President unanimous control.

The Mayor of Washington, D.C., gets an appointment. The chair of the D.C. Council gets an appointment. The House and Senate committee chairs with the D.C. jurisdiction, their committees get an appointment. The heads of the DOD, Interior, and GSA get an appointment. There are two mayoral appointees. That is the makeup of this.

I know sometimes my colleagues on the other side may have a little difficulty with math. We see that during the budgeting, where they want to spend more than we can afford. Three is not the majority in a commission of 12.

Please stop lying and saying that the commission is being controlled by one particular man. That is simply not the case.

I just wanted to give those clarifying points.

Again, I want to reiterate that I am very proud that it is the Republican Party that is putting forward this legislation. This was authorized, again, by President Trump in 2020. President Joe Biden had 4 years to move this ball forward and to designate the land. He did not do it, so we are here today with the same President who authorized the women's museum, President Donald J. Trump.

What I will say is that they claim, the other side, to be the party of women, yet it is the Republican Party that introduced the 19th Amendment and that passed the 19th Amendment. It was majority Republican-led States that ratified the 19th Amendment.

Title IX is so important to women in our colleges, female athletes, and all educational programs. That was signed into law by a Republican President.

Yes, it is a Republican President today who has authorized the women's history museum, and it will be a Republican majority in Congress that gets this done. That is because, for 4 years, the other side, when they had control, failed to do so.

I still hope that this will be a bipartisan vote. It really should be. There is no reason for this not to come out of this House today and to celebrate the women of America.

We can all be proud of women who have contributed from our respective States to the building of this Nation. As my colleague said, there have been so many struggles over the years, whether it be the right to vote or whether it be to apply for a credit card without needing a male cosigner. Women weren't allowed to be on a jury. They weren't allowed to attend a military academy. These are stories that need to be told.

Sadly, the current generation and future generations may take a lot for granted. We don't know the history of the struggles that women have endured.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that we can come out of this today with a bipartisan vote in support. Let's get this museum done, and let's do something that we can all be proud of as Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to take a moment to talk about this bipartisan effort to build the women's history museum. The reality is this was a museum that was first authorized in 2020 with bipartisan support and signed into law by President Donald Trump.

Now, this measure that I am proud to be a cosponsor of had 232 sponsors, an overwhelming number of Republicans and Democrats who support this legislation, and it had the support of President Donald Trump.

It is set up in a way where there is an advisory council which is already appointed, people can go see who those members are. It is basically evenly split, Republicans and Democrats, who advise on the content and the exhibits that will be in this museum.

So for anybody to stand up and say that somehow this legislation would allow the President to dictate the content and what will be displayed in this museum is simply untrue.

Now, there was an amendment that was made in the House Administration Committee that added one simple thing regarding content, and the simple thing is simply to add a sentence that said that this was a museum dedicated to biological women. That came out of a concern from people out in the community, women's organizations. Yes, the White House agrees with us that it should be restricted to biological women and many Members who brought up questions during the hearing of that bill when it was in the Natural Resources Committee.

Now, simply adding the word ``biological'' to this museum should not make it a deal-breaker for my colleagues on the other side. I don't understand why they are all refusing to now support a bill when we had, again, well over 100 sponsors from the Democratic Party. They can't say that that is not the reason that they are not supporting this. I mean, the Democratic Women's Caucus put out a memo. In there they said that it ``Adds a discriminatory provision intended to dictate what the museum can and cannot say about women's history, for example, language about biological women.''

That is the reason. They have said it. I think that is a disgrace that the Democrats will stand in the way of a national women's history museum being built by the Smithsonian, a reputable institution, simply because that sentence was added to the legislation.

This certainly can be a bipartisan, and should be, a bipartisan effort moving forward.

As I said, it is the advisory council that is evenly split Republicans and Democrats that will come up with the content when this museum is built. By the way, it will be a long time before it is built, and it will be longer if this bill fails because you guys decide to stop a women's history museum from coming to the floor.

The bill simply transfers land. So let's get that land transferred. Let's get the process going, and let's honor the women of America who have contributed so much and deserve to be recognized.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the party that is opposing a women's history museum on The National Mall because they want to have transgender exhibits, maybe they are the ones who are trans-obsessed. That is the reality.

This bill does nothing other than simply make clear that it is biological women who are in a women's museum. I don't understand that.

In terms of location, there is no committee. There is no Presidential committee that is set up to possibly change the site. In fact, the amendment clarified the location. Before, we did not have the specific South Monument site location, which is bordered by 14th Street Southwest, Jefferson Drive Southwest, and Independence Avenue Southwest specifically listed in the bill.

Now, it is specifically listed. Yes, the President may designate an alternative site within 180 days if there is an issue for some reason with that particular land. If we find out there is a particular issue and you can't build on that land, wouldn't you want to have the option not to have to do this all over again and pass another bill but instead allow for an alternative location to be set?

This bill further clarified that location as the chosen location, which the advisory council--made up of bipartisan women, not President Donald Trump or his commission--established.

I just think it is ridiculous that we are arguing over this when this is clearly something that was authorized by Republicans and Democrats under President Trump in 2020, and now the land should be transferred so it can be built with bipartisan support and President Trump, once again, here we are in 2026.

By the way, you had 4 years under the last President to do something about it. This was authorized by President Trump in 2020, and for 4 years you guys did nothing to move it along and get the Biden administration--which I had repeatedly lent my support to that effort to try to help.

So here we are. President Donald Trump is the President. He will be the one who will break ground on this museum, and I know that bothers you that it is going to be President Trump that delivers the women's history museum, but that is the reality because your President did nothing for 4 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Ilene Pappert on the occasion of her retirement after more than 50 years of dedicated service to the children and families of Staten Island, including 34 years as Director of Children's Aid Goodhue Center in New Brighton.

For nearly five decades, Ms. Pappert has been a steadfast and compassionate leader, devoting her life to uplifting young people and strengthening Staten Island's North Shore community. A trained social worker, she began her journey at Goodhue in the 1970s and steadily rose through the ranks before assuming the role of Director in 1992. Under her leadership, the Goodhue Center has nourished as a haven where generations of children have found support, mentorship, and opportunity.

Each day, Ms. Pappert could be found greeting children with warmth and care--whether helping with homework, tying a shoelace, or simply offering encouragement. Through after-school programs, summer camps, and family engagement initiatives, she helped create an environment where young people could grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Her leadership ensured that hundreds of children each year benefited from enriching programming in the arts, sciences, athletics, and beyond.

Beyond her work within the center, Ms. Pappert has been a tireless advocate for the Goodhue campus and the surrounding community. She worked closely with local elected officials to secure critical funding for programs and played a key role in preserving more than 40 acres of wooded land for public use, helping to ensure that future generations of Staten Islanders will continue to enjoy this treasured space.

Known for her gentle spirit and caring nature, Ms. Pappert has earned the admiration of colleagues, families, and community members alike. Her recognition as a 2026 Staten Island Advance Woman of Achievement is a testament to her extraordinary impact and enduring legacy.

As she transitions into retirement, we celebrate not only her remarkable career, but the

countless lives she has touched. The Goodhue Center, and all of Staten Island, is stronger because of her service.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Ilene Pappert for her lifetime of dedication and to wish her continued health, happiness, and fulfillment in the years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 134.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of George Parsons, a proud American and decorated veteran of the Korean war, who passed away last week.

Born in Brooklyn in 1930, Mr. Parsons answered the call to serve, enlisting in 1950 in the National Guard. He fought in the Korean war with courage in multiple major Army offensives, defending freedom and earning numerous medals and citations.

After his military service, Mr. Parsons moved to Staten Island and embarked on a 33-year career serving our city in the Department of Sanitation.

In 1958, he heroically rescued three children and one adult from a house fire, earning him the Medal of Valor.

George proudly served as commander of the Allan F. Kivlehan Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association and earned a place in the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, George was a dear friend to me and the community. We are forever grateful for his service and now must ensure future generations know the significant role that he and other Korean war veterans played in the fight against communism.

Mr. Speaker, today, millions of Americans across the country are benefiting from the working families tax cuts that President Trump and Republicans have passed.

The reality is that when you speak to people in my district-- teachers, firefighters, police officers, homeowners, small business owners, senior citizens, parents--they are seeing tremendous savings. They are either paying less in Federal taxes or are receiving a substantial refund, starting with the $40,000 SALT deduction, which was quadrupled. That is benefiting homeowners.

The leader, a fellow Representative from New York City, should know the reason we needed the State and local tax deduction was because our mayor and our Governor kept hammering us to death.

We are providing the relief that they so desperately need. Eighty- eight percent of seniors across the country, 52 million seniors will benefit from the provision of Social Security tax being refunded to them. The standard deduction nearly tripled from where it was in 2016. The $2,200 child tax credit has been extended. The no tax on tips provisions will bring in $1,300 in relief for an average waitress in our district.

Permanently lowering those tax rates was a significant win not for the wealthy but for, perhaps a first time in a long time, the middle class, the working class, and the senior citizen that relies on Social Security.

Let me also remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that we have seen tax revenue increase. Since President Trump first enacted those tax cuts in 2017, we have seen tax revenue go up, despite there being these tax cuts. It went up from $3.3 trillion to $5.6 trillion in fiscal year 2026 and even further after this bill was enacted.

The GDP at the same period grew from $18 trillion to $31 trillion because these were tax cuts that helped our economy grow, expand, and create jobs.

While the Democrats all voted ``no,'' they all wanted to see your taxes increase 22 percent, today, on average, Americans are seeing 11 percent in savings, and it is because of President Donald Trump and this Republican Congress that did what we said we are going to do. A lot of politicians talk about cutting taxes. We actually did.

Madam Speaker, this past Monday, I joined President Trump at the White House as he posthumously awarded United States Army Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis of Staten Island, New York, the Medal of Honor, the Nation's highest military honor that can be bestowed.

Madam Speaker, I rise to share the bravery exhibited by my district's hometown hero.

On August 28, 2013, Staff Sergeant Ollis gave his life weeks before his 25th birthday. He gave his life to save an allied soldier during a Taliban raid on Forward Operating Base Ghazni in Afghanistan, after a truck carrying 3,000 pounds of explosives slammed into the base and terrorists advanced.

Without wearing any armor, Staff Sergeant Ollis fired back, then chose selflessness and placed himself between a suicide bomber and a fellow allied soldier.

He did not pause. He did not stop to calculate. He acted, knowing that the cost would be his life, but he chose to save the life of a NATO ally, Polish Second Lieutenant Karol Cierpica.

Michael's courage, selflessness, and sacrifice represent the very best of our Nation, earning him the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross, as well as the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, the highest Polish decoration for a foreigner.

On Staten Island, we are so proud of Michael. We have a ferry named after him. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9587 is also named for Michael. The Michael Ollis Freedom Foundation supports veterans and students in his memory, continuing his legacy of service to others.

Yet, the Medal of Honor, a statement of national memory, tells the entire world and future generations of the courage, patriotism, sacrifice, and service exhibited by Michael Ollis. These are all values that the United States holds sacred.

His final act requires no embellishment or argument. It stands on its own, resolute and selfless, and is worthy of the highest military recognition that our country can bestow.

We are grateful to President Donald Trump for recognizing Staff Sergeant Ollis' extraordinary heroism.

Today, I add this tribute to the official Congressional Record. We congratulate his family, especially his parents, Bob and Linda, who accepted the honor, and the entire Staten Island community, who worked tirelessly to ensure that the ultimate sacrifice made by our hometown hero, Michael Ollis, received the recognition that it deserves.

Staff Sergeant Ollis may no longer be with us physically, but he lives on in our hearts and in our minds. His valor and devotion to our Nation and his fellow soldiers will never be forgotten by our proud community and by our grateful Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sirico's Caterers of Brooklyn, New York, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary and to honor a century of family tradition, community service, and culinary excellence.

Originally, Frank and Rose Sirico brought their children from Little Italy, where they had lived for about ten years on Spring Street, to 13th Avenue in Brooklyn.

They moved to Dyker Heights after purchasing a property on 13th Avenue to expand their bread business, which they had established in New York City. Frank and Rose lived above the store and began their workday each morning at 3:30 a.m., turning on the ovens and preparing fresh Italian bread. Their oldest sons, Sal and Carmine, were responsible for baking the bread. During that time, Sirico's served both commercial and residential clients, delivering bread directly to customers' homes.

In the 1930s, when pizza gained popularity in America, the Sirico family began serving it as well, utilizing the same ovens used for baking bread and drawing on their Neapolitan heritage. This expansion soon led to the addition of pasta dishes and, ultimately, to the opening of a full-service restaurant, with Grandma serving as the first chef. The restaurant offered both indoor and outdoor dining and flourished following the repeal of Prohibition. Sirico's Restaurant and Bar endured throughout World War II, even as the sons left to serve their country. Frank and Rose, assisted by their daughters, continued to operate the business. Upon returning from the war, Carmine and Hercules helped grow the family enterprise further.

By the early 1960s, Sirico's had developed into three distinct businesses, managed by brothers Carmine and Hercules: a pizzeria in one building, a restaurant in another, and a catering hall where the outdoor garden had once been. By 1980, the catering operation had become so successful that the restaurant and pizzeria were closed in order to focus entirely on catering. Under the leadership of Jim and Hercules, Jr., Sirico's has continued to serve the Dyker Heights community, hosting thousands of weddings, communions, sweet sixteens, and dinner dances, and remaining a proud Brooklyn institution for generations.

As Sirico's celebrates a century of success and four generations of family leadership, it stands as a testament to Brooklyn's enduring spirit of hard work, hospitality, and community.

Mr. Speaker, let me educate our colleagues on the other side of the aisle.

Socialism is communism-lite. Socialism is the first step to communism. Socialism is the antithesis of the American Dream because, in this country, we believe that, regardless of where you come from or how you started, Mr. Speaker, if you work hard, if you sacrifice, and if you play by the rules, then you can succeed.

That only happens in a country where you have freedom, where you have liberty, where you have self-determination, and where you have the free market.

In contrast, Mr. Speaker, socialism is the belief that you work hard, you sacrifice, you do everything right, and the government can take what you earn from you to keep it for themselves or to redistribute it to whomever they choose.

Millions of immigrants in this country fled their homelands to come to the United States to escape socialism and communism. Mr. Speaker, just ask your constituents from Russia, Poland, Albania, China, Korea, Vietnam, Venezuela, or Cuba, where my mother fled in 1959 to escape the very things that our new socialist mayor in New York City says he wants.

He is a socialist who says he wants to seize the means of production. He wants to abolish private property rights. He wants government-run supermarkets. Yes, he says he is a socialist.

Guess what, Mr. Speaker. Those are policies straight out of the Communist playbook of Karl Marx, so there is no difference between socialism and communism.

Where these policies were tried, yes, they failed.

Mr. Speaker, look at Venezuela, a nearby country where self- proclaimed socialists destroyed the richest country in South America. They implemented these government-run supermarkets, and they have empty shelves. Venezuelans lost an average of 20 pounds due to starvation. They promised free universal healthcare, and now they have a severe shortage of medical supplies, medicine, and doctors.

It is a horrible system. They seized the means of production, and it led to hyperinflation and complete economic collapse, which is why you have all these Venezuelans trying to come over our border illegally, Mr. Speaker.

Sadly, New York City chose to learn the hard way what socialism is, and we, those of us who did not vote for this guy, are going to pay the price. It is up to all of us to fight back, to educate our youth, and to contain this ugly monster so it does not spread and destroy our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome His All- Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of more than 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide and the First Among Equals of the Orthodox Church. The Ecumenical Patriarchate traces its history back nearly two thousand years to the Apostle Andrew, whose preaching established the Church of Byzantium, later Constantinople, and today Istanbul.

Elected the 270th Archbishop of Constantinople in 1991, His All- Holiness is the longest-serving Ecumenical Patriarch in history. For more than three decades, he has been a tireless advocate for religious freedom, interfaith dialogue, and reconciliation among peoples of all faiths. He has convened historic councils of the Orthodox Church, worked to heal divisions, and promoted understanding across Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities.

Known throughout the world as the ``Green Patriarch,'' he has also been a pioneer in raising awareness about environmental stewardship, organizing international gatherings to highlight our shared responsibility to protect creation. For his leadership, he has been honored by institutions across the globe and in 1997 received the Congressional Gold Medal here in the United States Capitol.

This September, His All-Holiness visited Washington, D.C. to receive the Templeton Prize, the world's most prestigious award in religion and science, an honor previously bestowed on Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. His selection reflects his lifelong mission to promote faith, freedom, peace, and reconciliation. On behalf of my Greek Orthodox constituents in Staten Island and Brooklyn, and Orthodox Christians throughout our Nation, I am proud to welcome His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Washington, D.C. His ministry is a living testament to the power of faith to transcend borders, build understanding, and serve humanity.