Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today, in recognition of Hunger Action Month, I rise to honor the Food Bank of Delaware for the extraordinary work they do every day on behalf of Delawareans.

We often call Delaware a state of neighbors. To me, that means more than simply living beside one another. It means recognizing that we have a responsibility to one another--that when a neighbor is struggling, we do not look away. We step up. We lend a hand. We make sure no one has to face a difficult moment alone. Few organizations embody that spirit more fully than the Food Bank of Delaware.

Roughly one in seven Delawareans experiences food insecurity. That is an unacceptable statistic, especially in the wealthiest, most developed Nation on Earth. No student should have to learn on an empty stomach. No parent should have to skip a meal so their children can eat. No senior should have to choose between groceries and medicine.

Ensuring that our neighbors can meet their most basic needs is not simply a question of

charity. It reflects our values. That is why I am so inspired by the work that is done at the Food Bank of Delaware. I have visited the Food Bank several times, and I am always impressed by the dedicated staff, volunteers, and community partners who go to great lengths to ensure that someone they may never meet has nutritious food on the table.

That is what being a state of neighbors looks like in practice: It is people choosing to take responsibility for one another, not because they have to, but because they understand that the well-being of our neighbors is connected with our own.

I have long been proud to support the Food Bank in their work, and I remain committed to working alongside them to confront hunger and strengthen food security across our state.

Hunger Action Month is a perfect opportunity to recognize how critical this work is, but our responsibility to one another extends far beyond any single month. Ending hunger will require sustained commitment from all of us--government, community organizations, businesses, volunteers, and neighbors; and a shared refusal to accept hunger as inevitable.

So today, I want to thank everyone at the Food Bank of Delaware, including President and CEO Cathy Kanefsky for her leadership, and every Delawarean who supports their mission. They remind us that a state of neighbors is not simply something we call ourselves. It is something we choose to be every time we show up for one another.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Food Bank of Delaware and all those working to end hunger across the First State during Hunger Action Month and beyond.

Mr. Speaker, last month, the Delaware Community Foundation celebrated 40 years of contributing to the social and financial health of the First State.

Initially pioneered by my predecessor in this Chamber and our former Governor, Pete DuPont, the Delaware Community Foundation is one of the top 100 community foundations in the country and has spent the last four decades infusing financial support into critical initiatives, community partners, nonprofits, and education for Delawareans across our State.

Today, DCF is led by my friend and neighbor, Stuart Comstock-Gay, a community leader who is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all Delawareans.

Over the last 40 years, DCF has engaged in philanthropy, community collaboration, and thoughtful investments in medical research, scholarships for students, nonprofit support, and improving health equity.

DCF, like community foundations across the country is a critical driver of investment that can and have made a difference in the lives of every Delawarean.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate DCF on this tremendous milestone, and I thank them for their decades of enduring support and community impact that have shaped the lives of countless Delawareans.

Remember 9/11

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the lives lost 25 years ago on September 11, 2001. What started as a beautiful Tuesday in September turned into a day of horror, as nearly 3,000 lives were lost in the deadliest terrorist attack against our Nation in history. Two and a half decades later, our hearts go out to all those for whom that day brought a fateful call, for some from a loved one in a plane or trapped in a burning building and for others, in the hours or days after, to learn that their missing parent, child, or sibling had perished.

Across our country, Americans will gather for this somber commemoration to pay tribute to the lives lost in Lower Manhattan, Northern Virginia, and western Pennsylvania, and to recommit to the charge echoed so often in the aftermath of the attacks to never forget.

Let us never forget the tragedy and loss of that day nor the heroism that illuminated a nation in one of its darkest hours. As planes were hijacked, fires raged, and fear struck in the hearts of Americans everywhere, heroes literally ran into the fire and charged a cabin, sacrificing themselves to save others; first responders flocked to the Twin Towers and into the Pentagon to save lives; and firefighters, police officers, medical providers, and ordinary citizens confronted death and destruction to save as many lives as they could.

As the long effort to find those missing began after the towers fell, many left their own families to focus full time on digging through smoldering rubble to find as many survivors as possible. Many who dedicated months of their lives to that rescue mission saw their own lives cut tragically short from the toxins they inhaled at Ground Zero.

The sacrifice of those on the ground was matched by those in the air above Pennsylvania that morning, as the bravery of passengers on Flight 93 saved countless lives in our Nation's Capital. Once they realized the fate before them--targeting either the White House or the very building we stand in today--they decided to act. These passengers, who were strangers just 2 hours before, joined together to intervene in a cruel plot to attack the very symbols of freedom and democracy.

That was the power of the heroism on and after September 11. There were no strangers to those who risked everything to save anyone.

As I stand in this Chamber 25 years later, I remain as inspired by their service and sacrifice as I was as an 11-year-old watching on TV.

When I think about how scared all of us were on that day, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Mr. Rogers, who shared that when he was young and used to see something scary on the news, his mother would tell him to look for the helpers.

On that day and in the days and weeks that followed, helpers were everywhere. Heroes were everywhere. Mr. Speaker, 25 years later, let us not only remember, but let us also recommit ourselves to summoning just a fraction of the courage of the helpers in the wake of that tragedy.

May God bless the memories of those lost, and may we remember the enduring legacy of courage that saved lives two and a half decades ago.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an incredible Delawarean whose impact has long shaped the work of racial justice in Sussex County and across Delaware.

Charlotte King, who founded the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice in 2015, has committed decades of her life to fighting inequities across health, education, and public policy.

As we celebrate a decade of work by the Alliance, we honor and celebrate Ms. King's continued impact, her tireless commitment to neighbors, and ceaseless devotion to the betterment of Delaware.

Charlotte King has long been a barrier-breaker. During her time at St. John's University in the 1950s, she was one of the Magnificent Seven, a cohort of seven Black students who enrolled at the university amid the civil rights movement.

In 2000, she moved to the greatest State in the Union, settling in Lewes, where she began volunteering with the League of Women Voters and was struck by the lack of Black representation in Sussex County.

The weight of the untold stories and unheard voices of our Black neighbors is what drove Charlotte to found the Alliance.

The organization's primary purpose has been to showcase Delaware's history, identify how to support Black Delawareans, and how to empower all Delawareans to be stronger, better advocates for racial justice, and equality.

During her 8 years leading the alliance, Charlotte developed an organization that offered townhalls with civic servants, from local leaders and police chiefs, hosted educational seminars, and supported the development of both the Black Voices Magazine and the African American Film Festival.

I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Charlotte in her living room to hear the stories of her trailblazing life and discuss the ongoing need for progress in Delaware and nationally.

She is a bold leader, a bridge builder, and she continues to serve as a conscience for our State of neighbors.

In the last year alone, her work and impact has been honored. She was inducted into the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame, honored by the Delaware Times with the Mitchell Award, and recently named one of the most influential people in Delaware.

At a moment when a coordinated attack on Black political power is unfolding before our eyes across the country, it is citizen leaders like Charlotte who embody that charge from the late Congressman John Lewis to get into good and necessary trouble in order to redeem the legacy and reclaim the story of this country.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize her in this Chamber today and applaud her years of service to Delaware and the powerful work she has done to move the First State toward justice for all.

Remembering Congressman John Lewis

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark both the anniversary of a profound loss and the reminder it serves at this moment in our Nation's story.

Six years ago, Congressman John Lewis passed away. He was a titan of the civil rights movement, who worked tirelessly to deliver justice, expand equality, and secure the right to vote for every American, including Black Americans.

Today, however, we are navigating a moment where the work he devoted his life to is increasingly under threat. We have seen executive actions that would make it harder for Americans to vote. We have witnessed renewed attempts to undermine confidence in our elections and intimidate those who administer them.

Right now in this very Congress, we are facing a renewed push to establish what amounts to a modern day poll tax on Americans.

Most recently, the Supreme Court has facilitated the dismantling of Black political representation in this Chamber and green-lit racial discrimination in voting so long as the proponents simply say it is for partisan purposes.

Congressman Lewis often spoke of his hopefulness for the future because he was adamant that tomorrow could be better and more just than today.

It is our job to pick up that mantle and continue that work.

In 2020, while commemorating the anniversary of Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Congressman Lewis reminded us of his important rallying call, to get into what he called good trouble, to help redeem the soul of America.

Throughout his miraculous life, he never lost faith in the central ingredient of change, the necessary foundation of democracy, his belief in the capacity for other people to change, and, therefore, for our country to change.

He reminds us that hope is not reserved for moments when progress feels inevitable or easily attainable. We must harness it, most especially in moments like this one. When the reasons for hopelessness seem greatest, that is when the legacy of good trouble, necessary trouble, is most essential.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to start by thanking my colleagues who have spoken earlier in this speaking program for honoring individuals whose lives were cut tragically short, and I want to extend my condolences to all those who are mourning those who have been honored in this Chamber today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my disappointment at the rejection of my amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill.

My amendment supported the continuation of the Back Bay study, a congressionally authorized effort to help Delaware better address the vulnerabilities facing our coastal communities.

Delaware is the lowest-lying State in the Nation. In Sussex County, farmers, small businesses, and families are already dealing with the consequences of rising sea levels, coastal flooding, and increasingly severe weather.

The Back Bay study, which began in November of 2022, has been providing valuable research needed to strengthen infrastructure and plan for the future.

But earlier this year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers terminated the study, citing an inability to ``develop a scope and budget that is compliant.''

In response, Senator Coons, Senator Blunt Rochester, and I called on the Army Corps to reinstate the study and provide a real explanation for walking away from this congressionally authorized effort.

Given their inaction, I filed my amendment. But the message from the majority party's leadership that has refused to even allow for a vote on my amendment is that research that supports the long-term safety of Delawareans in the face of rising sea levels is of no consequence to them.

I will keep working to restore the Back Bay study because Delawareans cannot afford for this study to simply be abandoned.

Farewell to Retiring Legislators

Mr. Speaker, this coming June 30, the Delaware's State

legislature will convene for its final regular session day of the 153rd general assembly. With it, the State senate and statehouse will bid farewell to several retiring legislators, leaders with over a century in combined public service to our State of neighbors.

Representing constituencies across Delaware, spanning the partisan and ideological spectrum, I was proud to call these legislators colleagues during my 4 years in the general assembly. I had the chance to see their devotion to their constituents, and I will take a moment in this Chamber to celebrate their service.

In my old stomping grounds of the Delaware State Senate, my forever president pro-tempore, Senator David Sakola, is retiring after over 35 years in office. During that time, Dave has been a tireless champion of public education, environmental sustainability, and equality.

For the last 6 years as the President pro-tempore of the State senate, Dave led a caucus that raised the minimum wage, passed paid family and medical leave, advanced historic gun safety legislation, and protected vulnerable neighborhoods whose rights and freedoms have been anything but secure. I am proud to call Dave not only a former colleague but a friend and mentor.

Across the aisle, Senator Dave Lawson is retiring after 16 years representing western Kent County. A Vietnam veteran, retired Delaware State trooper, former volunteer with his local fire company, and a businessman, Dave has spent his life serving the Nation that he loves. He has paid it forward time and time again, fighting for those who put their lives on the line for all of us from veterans to first responders.

In the statehouse, my dear friend Deb Heffernan is retiring after 16 years representing the Sixth District. During her time in Dover, Deb has been an effective advocate for her neighbors delivering for teachers, families, caregivers, and people with disabilities. She has brought her expertise to defending our environment and investing in next-generation infrastructure in her district and across Delaware. During my time in the Delaware General Assembly, Deb and I teamed up often, including to lead the successful effort to pass paid family and medical leave statewide.

To my former colleagues who are also turning the page on this chapter of their service, Representatives Ron Gray, Rich Collins, Charles Postles, Jeff Hilovsky, and my friend Kevin Hensley, I thank each of them for their service on behalf of our neighbors across the First State.

From supporting small businesses to promoting financial literacy, protecting people with disabilities to fighting for farmers, they have worked across the political divide to champion causes on behalf of their constituents.

Mr. Speaker, in Delaware, public service is not defined by the title before your name nor the side of the aisle you sit on. It is defined by our capacity to deliver for our neighbors, working across difference to ensure government works for those it is meant to serve.

I thank my former colleagues and my friends in Leg Hall for their years of service to the greatest State in the history of the Union, and best wishes to a happy retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy and contributions of dedicated volunteers at the CHEER Community Center in Sussex County, Delaware.

Recently, CHEER hosted its annual Volunteer Appreciation Awards Ceremony in Georgetown to recognize neighbors who have tirelessly given their time to supporting older adults across the county.

CHEER's volunteer base is critical to their ability to provide meals, transportation, activities, companionship, and support services to the thousands of older adults who they serve. Last year alone, over 750 volunteers provided a combined 40,000 vital services that made CHEER's work possible.

CHEER's work and services are absolutely critical to the entire State, and especially Sussex County, where one-third of the population is 65 or older.

Maggie Smith, who volunteers daily at the Long Neck Center, where she assists with meals and running a weekly nickel poker game, among other responsibilities, was awarded the 2026 CHEER Volunteer of the Year award.

Maggie greets each new member by name and ensures those with mobility concerns are able to get their meals.

This honor, rightfully earned, represents something that we could all use more of: selfless dedication to the well-being of our neighbors.

I congratulate Maggie and all the nominees for the award, and I thank them for all that they do to keep Delaware's communities running and to deliver critical services to our neighbors.

Commemorating Separation Day

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the liberation of Delaware from the corrupt and tyrannical yoke of the British Crown and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, 250 years ago, Delawareans stared fate and history in the eyes, picked up the quill, and began to write a new chapter.

Our Delawarean forebearers said plainly and with outsized ambition and determination: We can govern ourselves, and our future is ours to make.

No tyrant, whether they are in Pennsylvania or England, will have authority over the first and greatest State in the Union.

Separation Day is celebrated with overwhelming pride in my State, with my neighbors coming together annually each June in Old New Castle, one of the most historic towns in America, to honor our legacy and mark another year free from the despotism of the past.

Of course, Separation Day is about more than the past. It serves as a reminder that democracy is not guaranteed or inherited. It calls on each generation to face challenges with resolve and to take action to secure our liberties.

Just as Delawareans have always reminded our fellow Americans, the real heroes of democracy are the ordinary people who believe that a better future is worth fighting for.

More importantly, 250 years ago, those patriots understood something that we should all remember today: There are no kings in a democracy.

This year, as we mark the semiquincentennial of both the greatest State in the Union and our country, may we recommit ourselves to the unequivocal rejection of tyranny in all of its forms.

To my friends from Pennsylvania: You wish you were us.

To all of my friends and constituents in Delaware: Happy Separation Day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce on their recently being awarded a four-star distinction by the United States Chamber of Commerce. Earning this accreditation is no small feat and highlights the commitment to strong leadership, innovative programming, and meaningful contributions that drive economic growth and opportunity.

The Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce is just 5 years old, a testament to what is possible when we choose not to accept barriers but to break them down for the benefit of our communities.

Too often, Black entrepreneurs face higher hurdles to capital, contracts, and connections. This honor recognizes not only Delaware's refusal to accept that fact, but the DEBCC's ability to turn challenge into opportunity and opportunity into achievement.

This accreditation has been granted to fewer than 200 chambers of commerce nationwide, yet another example of the outsized impact of the smallest but greatest State in the Union.

Organizations like DEBCC are building ladders of opportunity and uplifting our neighbors in ways that positively shape our entire State, because when Black businesses thrive, Delaware thrives.

Mr. Speaker, the Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce is an outstanding representation of the First State's commitment to excellence and empowerment. I am thrilled to congratulate them on this distinct honor. Here is to the decades of progress and remarkable impact still to come.

celebrating delaware graduates

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, students at Cab Calloway School of the Arts, my alma mater, will walk across the stage, receive their diplomas, and take their first step into whatever comes next for them.

Across Delaware and around the country, thousands of students will do the same as they celebrate graduations of every kind, from high school, college, technical programs, and military training.

I wanted to take a moment to congratulate Delaware's graduates and reflect on the hope that comes with this season.

Every generation is saddled with challenges. Today's graduates will be asked to navigate rapid technical advancement, growing economic uncertainty, and corrosive polarization, but a generation isn't defined by the obstacles it inherits. It is defined by how it confronts those challenges and the future it builds.

In Delaware, I am consistently reminded of the drive and dedication that define the next generation. I see curiosity where others often see cynicism. I see creativity where others see obstacles. I see a generation that is eager to meet challenges with solutions, not just to inherit the future but to shape it.

Young people are the pilots of progress. They see our Nation and our world as the unfinished project that it is, and they strive to make it better.

To everyone graduating this year, dream big, stay curious, and never stop believing in the promise of our Nation. I am confident that you will continue the tradition of leaving our Nation fairer, freer, and more just than you found it.

Mr. Speaker, last week, I had the privilege of visiting a historic landmark in Delaware formerly known as the Hockessin Colored School, which stands as a physical reminder of both the sin of segregation that scars our history and the change that is possible when dedicated citizens dare to build a more perfect Union, one that lives up to our values and our promise.

This small building served as an elementary school for Black students in Delaware from the 1920s until the 1950s, a time when legal segregation still reigned and race determined where you could be educated in our State.

Recently preserved through a mix of public and private dollars and through the tireless work of the friends of the Hockessin Colored School, the building profiles the students, teachers, and families who relied on that school and who fought to make Delaware the first legally segregated State in America to end Jim Crow in our schools.

Now, one of three sites in Delaware that are part of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park, it tells the story of Sarah Bulah, whose daughter would watch the bus pass her by on its way to an all-White school and who dared to fight to end legal discrimination in education for her daughter and all students.

In 1952, the first Black attorney barred in Delaware, Louis Redding, represented the Bulah family in court, securing a win at the State level that would ultimately be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, consolidated alongside four other cases into Brown v. Board of Education. The courage of parents and students across the country like the Bulahs eventually led to the unanimous decision to cast aside separate but equal and end racial discrimination in our schools across the country.

The greatest privilege of my visit was meeting Mr. James ``Sonny'' Knott, who attended the Hockessin Colored School in the 1930s and, after living history, has helped preserve it for future generations.

Mr. Sonny walked me through the building recounting stories of his childhood and his memories within that school. He showed me a picture of his mom on the wall sitting right next to Sarah Bulah. He shared with me that he and his classmates never dreamed of a different world because the segregation of their childhood was all that they knew. He shared his and his fellow alumni's determination to protect that history and to inspire the students of today to believe in the possibility for progress before us, to continue our long march toward freedom and justice for all.

We have a long way to go, but hope flourishes from the knowledge of how far we have come. The stories told in this one-room schoolhouse are the stories of students and our State, of our classmates and our country.

As I stood there in the middle of that landmark, side by side with Mr. Sonny, looking at a picture of him sitting in the Oval Office with the President of the United States as he designated his school a national historical park 80 years after attending it, I was reminded of a simple but profound truth: America is great because America can change.

Commemorating 120th Anniversary of Congregation Beth Emeth

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Congregation Beth Emeth, a generational cornerstone of the Jewish community in Wilmington and the surrounding areas.

A welcoming, inclusive, and engaging congregation, Beth Emeth has been celebrating, supporting, and shaping the experience of Jewish Delawareans for over a century and stands as a testament to the power of institutions of faith to bring people together, bridge divides, and to create spaces around shared purpose and compassion.

From their beginning in 1905 to the present, spiritual leaders have spoken at the Beth Emeth congregation. Whether in the home, school, or at work, rabbi after rabbi have transformed the Jewish community of Wilmington with passion and commitment

to address social problems and societal wrongs.

Today, in their 120th year, Beth Emeth continues to strive to build a community rooted in acceptance, respect, peace, kindness, justice, and integrity, moral imperatives that continue to shape their work and the community around them.

I am grateful for their stewardship and leadership in the history of Wilmington, their role as a pillar of the Reform Jewish community in Delaware, and all that they do for their neighbors.

To the Beth Emeth community, I congratulate you on your thriving community of faith and your legacy. May the next century be full of continued community building and loving leadership of the Jewish community in Delaware and beyond.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend and pastor, the Reverend Dr. Gregory Knox Jones, and to congratulate him on his retirement after 22 years leading Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware.

I have had the pleasure of seeing Reverend Jones' ministry up close, as a lifelong member of Westminster where I have been witness to a community shaped by his dynamic leadership, incisive mind, eloquent sermons, and his big heart.

Since joining Westminster in 2004, Reverend Jones has led with compassion, putting his faith into action time and time again. He has tirelessly centered peace and justice in his ministry both here in the United States and around the world from Central America to the Middle East.

Throughout his ministry, he has followed the example of Christ by welcoming the stranger and building bridges with those too often cast into the shadows of society. At a time of deepening divisions, he has fostered interfaith relationships and partnerships across Delaware's Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities.

His tireless devotion to his neighbors is matched only by his faithful counsel of our Westminster community, supporting congregants and their families through love and loss--a privilege he has delivered with exceptional care and grace. My own family and I are eternally grateful for his guidance and support through the challenges we have faced in our own lives.

While he has served as pastor to a First Lady and a U.S. Senator, Reverend Jones has been there personally and professionally for all of God's children, no matter who they are, where they come from, how they look, or whom they love. As Westminster enters its 140th year, Reverend Jones' impact is deep, and his example is profound.

I thank Reverend Jones and Camila for their remarkable stewardship of Westminster, and I wish them all the best in their next chapter.

I congratulate Greg on a well-deserved retirement.

Affordable Care Act

Mr. Speaker, this week marks 16 years since the Affordable Care Act became the law of the land. And for millions of Americans,

including tens of thousands of Delawareans, the ACA has meant the difference between getting care and going without.

The ACA had an ambitious but necessary goal: ensuring more Americans have access to the healthcare they need to live and thrive in our country.

Because of the ACA, more than 50 million Americans have gained health coverage. People with preexisting conditions have been protected from losing their insurance, and Medicaid expansion has helped families get the care they need.

When people have access to care, lives are saved, families are more stable, and communities are stronger.

But since its passage, the one through line of every Republican Congress has been their concerted and coordinated effort to sabotage the ACA and strip people of their healthcare.

Since this current Congress convened last January, the ACA tax credits have expired, and the majority passed the single largest cut to Medicaid in American history. They eviscerated the American healthcare system, gutting coverage and financial support that makes it possible for families to get care. They raided the healthcare of the American people to fund this President's mass deportation machine and to give massive tax breaks to his billionaire donors.

The consequence is a tax on working people, a tax on our most vulnerable neighbors.

When you force working families to pay more out of pocket for basic healthcare, that is a tax. It is a tax on getting sick and a tax on staying alive.

Families across the country have already started losing coverage, and millions more are facing skyrocketing premiums that are unsustainable.

Government should be working to make life easier for the people we serve, not making healthcare harder for them to afford.

The right to lifesaving care is a foundational right, one that makes all other rights possible. Americans will never truly be free until every single one of us can get the healthcare that we need.

So, on this anniversary, we shouldn't just celebrate the ideals of the ACA of 16 years ago, but we should also recommit ourselves to ensuring that the promise of quality, affordable healthcare becomes a reality for today's family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize New Castle County Councilman Penrose Hollins, who was recently awarded the Order of the First State, Delaware's highest civilian honor.

Councilman Hollins is a veteran, lifelong leader, and one of Delaware's most committed public servants, serving on the New Castle Council for the last three-and-a-half decades. During that time, I am proud to have been one of his constituents.

For 36 years, he has worked tirelessly for his neighbors, advancing affordable homeownership, expanding access to libraries and community hubs, supporting programs for youth and seniors, all while promoting workforce diversity and economic development.

Delawareans, and specifically my neighbors and me in District Four, know him as a committed voice for justice, a trailblazer, and a pillar of the greater Wilmington area. Councilman Hollins made history when he served as the first Black president pro tempore of the New Castle County Council. In every chapter of his career, he has sought to expand opportunity for those too often pushed to the margins of society.

His legacy of leadership, courage, and fierce advocacy is an inspiration to all who know him, to his constituents, and to the entire State of Delaware.

Mr. Speaker, we congratulate him on a well-deserved honor, and we thank him for his dedication and service to the First State.

Honoring Michaela Kurinsky-Malos

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I often come to this Chamber to share about the work we get to do, the perspectives our neighbors share with us, and to highlight the struggles and the successes that define this work. Today, I want to uplift one of the behind-the-scenes actors who has helped me deliver for our neighbors during my first term in Congress.

I rise to bid farewell to Michaela Kurinsky-Malos, who joined my team 2 years ago, long before I ever stepped into this Chamber. She has been a critical part of my team ever since.

For the last year, Michaela has served as my deputy chief and communications director, as well as chief vibes enforcer, bringing incomparable guidance, experienced leadership, and unyielding commitment to our team.

Michaela and I first met when she came on board as my campaign manager. While, technically, I was interviewing her for that job, it really felt like she was interviewing me. It was then that I saw her political acumen up close. Michaela is one of the most decisive, incisive, and effective leaders I have ever known.

Through the highs and lows of the campaign trail and my first year in Congress, Michaela's tireless dedication to our mission, to her team, and to public service has always remained her North Star. Her work has shaped my life and our team immensely. She will be sorely missed by me and the entirety of our office.

Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful for her partnership and for all that she has done to make this possible. I wish her all the best in her next exciting chapter. The doors of Delaware will always be open to her, to Dexter, to Bubba, and even to Todd back to the greatest State in the Union.

Honoring Albert Firth

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Albert Firth of Millsboro, who passed away on February 19 of this year.

For two decades, Mr. Firth served our country in the United States Air Force, dedicating his career to protecting our Nation abroad. After retirement from the Air Force, Mr. Firth continued his commitment to public service right here in D.C., where he joined the U.S. Capitol Police.

Mr. Firth served with the U.S. Capitol Police from the late 1980s until nearly 2000, helping safeguard this institution and the people who work here. This was no small undertaking and far from the typical retirement scene.

During the 1990s, he was entrusted with an especially important responsibility, serving on the personal security detail for then- Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Throughout his career, his work required vigilance, professionalism, and a resolute dedication that Mr. Firth carried with honor, responsibility, and pride.

Mr. Firth's legacy is a reminder that service to our country takes many forms--sometimes in uniform abroad and sometimes here at home, protecting the institutions that sustain our democracy.

Delaware is grateful for his decades of service, and our Nation is stronger because of his selfless contributions to our country. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today at an inflection point for our Nation and the world.

Both here at home and abroad, families are facing the crushing weight of Donald Trump's chaotic and cruel leadership. At home, inflation is driving up costs around the country, and my neighbors are struggling to afford their utility bills, their health insurance, and their groceries.

In cities across our country, masked paramilitary agents are brutally murdering American citizens, disappearing immigrants without due process, and acting with cheered-on cruelty that mirrors a secret police force.

Overseas, this President has launched more military strikes against more countries than any President in history. He is circumventing Congress and ignoring international rules. He is emboldening authoritarians and insulting our allies. Just this past weekend, the United States began yet another war of choice in the Middle East based on misrepresented intelligence and uncertain objectives.

Already six Americans have tragically died in this avoidable conflict. Whether a full-scale ground war unfolds now or not, this President's shoot-first-ask-questions-later foreign policy inevitably leads to one place globally: death, destruction, and destabilization.

Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 250th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In the century and a half since, our country has faced several inflection points. In each one, we are faced with a choice: Do we destroy, or do we build? Do we destroy our Union, our Constitution, and our democracy, or do we choose to build a more perfect Union?

We seem to face one of these inflection points every 80 years, when the last living memory of the previous inflection point fades as the last generation that remembers it disappears. When living memory of the Revolution faded, we faced a Civil War. Eighty years after that, as a Great Depression raged, many in America called for a dictator to emulate the strong men in Europe.

Mr. Speaker, now as we lose the last of the Greatest Generation, we are once again seeing destroyers calling into question our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, destroyers thrive in a culture of cynicism. They exploit it for their own gain. They want to destroy our government and sell it for parts. They want to destroy our attention span and mine what little remains for advertising dollars. They want to destroy housing and healthcare so that they can consolidate power by doling out the scraps.

They want to destroy jobs and the American worker by unleashing unregulated technology that leaves the rich richer and everyone else behind. They want to destroy international institutions and rules so that the strong can plunder the weak.

Perhaps most dangerously, they want to destroy the central ingredient of our

democracy, which is our hope in a better future and our faith in one another. The bedrock of democracy is the faith that things can change because people can change.

In this world where it feels like every force is pulling us apart and where the platforms we live on can leave us feeling like politics and persuasion are pointless, amidst all of that, I have good news. While real disagreements exist and while our politics and this place don't always bring out the best in us, I see every day back in Delaware that we are not as divided as the algorithms make it seem.

Whether I am meeting with healthcare providers or educators, farmers or first responders, students or seniors, whether I am in red areas or blue areas, I see that people are good and kind and decent.

While it may be easier to destroy, I see that we still have the capacity to build something better.

We can build the housing of tomorrow that makes the American Dream of homeownership within reach, a healthcare system that allows every American to live and to thrive.

We can be truly profamily by building a cradle-through-career support system with paid leave, universal childcare, and strong public schools so that it is actually affordable to start a family.

We can build an economy of the future that protects workers and guarantees that the new prosperity made possible by new technologies are shared by the many and not concentrated with the few.

We can do hard things, Mr. Speaker, if we are willing to do the hard work. We can do the hard work of hope, the hard work of changemaking, of choosing grace over grievance, of learning from history so that we are not doomed to relive it.

Mr. Speaker, if there is one enduring truth, it is that we can still tap people's better angels if we choose to see them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lieutenant Colonel Chaplain Reverend Dr. A'Shellarien Addison on her recent promotion at the Delaware Army National Guard.

Earlier this month, I was honored to attend her promotion ceremony and celebrate her historic role as the first woman to hold this rank at the Delaware National Guard, and I was moved hearing about her commitment to her fellow National Guardsmen.

Before her time at the Delaware National Guard, she served as the first woman chaplain at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia. Her devotion to spiritual empowerment and trauma-informed healing has made her an indispensable leader to Delaware's Army National Guard.

I look forward to seeing the work that she will continue to do in shaping the spiritual lives of those around her.

Well done, Lieutenant Colonel Addison.

Closing of GrassRoots

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the closing of GrassRoots, a gift shop in Newark, Delaware, after 50 years in business.

What started as a small shop on Newark's Main Street grew into a Delaware institution, with locations across our State from Wilmington to Hockessin to Rehoboth Beach, but its heart always stayed in Newark.

GrassRoots weathered changing times. It survived recessions, and it adapted as retail shifted online. Through it all, it remained a constant presence, helping to define the character of downtown Newark for a generation.

Marilyn Dickey, who cofounded GrassRoots in 1975, poured more than half of her life into the store. GrassRoots wasn't just a business. It was part of the rhythm of Newark, a reminder that local businesses create connections and build community.

As GrassRoots closes this chapter and Marilyn begins a well-earned retirement, Delaware wishes her all the best and thanks her for her years of community service and creativity.

Recognizing Dreams of Faith

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the voices of my Delaware constituents, Dwain and Karen Johnson, who turned the unimaginable loss of their daughter, Faith Deanna Johnson, into lifesaving advocacy through their organization, Dreams of Faith.

Faith was just 26 years old when she died from ovarian cancer. For years, her symptoms were dismissed or misdiagnosed until it was too late. Faith's ovarian cancer cut her life far too short. Before she passed, Faith made one request of her parents: Make sure this doesn't happen to someone else.

In Delaware, we listened. When I served in the State Senate, I was proud to help pass House Bill 15, the Faith Deanna Johnson Act, which requires individual health insurance plans to cover annual ovarian cancer screenings for women at risk and expand monitoring for survivors.

That law is already saving lives because it treats women's medical needs seriously and acts before it is too late. Here is why this matters: Ovarian cancer is often caught too late, but when detected early, survival rates dramatically increase. Early detection isn't just good medical practice; it is the difference between life and death.

Today, I carry the Johnsons' story with me to Congress. Their advocacy reminds us that policy is personal and that too often families are failed not just by delayed diagnosis but by the very system tasked with caring for our health. It is one that too often puts barriers between people and the care that they need.

We owe it to Faith and families across this country to keep pushing for early detection, meaningful insurance coverage, and a healthcare system that truly puts patients first.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate that paid family and medical leave officially began in Delaware on January 1.

There is nothing that I am prouder of during my time in the Delaware State Senate than leading the successful effort to pass paid family and medical leave for workers and families across our State.

After years of work and preparation, Delaware's Paid Family and Medical Leave program is finally a reality across our State. Paid family and medical leave is about dignity, plain and simple. It means a parent can be there for their newborn child, a worker can recover from severe illness, and a caregiver can support an aging parent, all without falling behind on groceries or rent.

Paid leave will strengthen families, support small businesses, and make our State more affordable for the people who live and work in it.

I was proud to work with my colleagues in the State legislature to pass this bipartisan achievement. It is proof that when we listen to one another and focus on solutions, we can deliver for our constituents. That is something this Chamber would do well to remember.

I am incredibly proud of the work that we have accomplished in Delaware. I am grateful to all of the advocates who made this progress possible, including the Delaware Cares Coalition led by Liz Richards.

Mr. Speaker, I will continue working to ensure paid family and medical leave is not just the law of the land in Delaware but nationwide. Good policy that is grounded in dignity and supported by a supermajority of Americans is precisely the sort of work that we should be doing together.

Honoring Corporal Grade One Matthew Tyler ``Ty'' Snook

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Corporal Grade One Matthew Tyler ``Ty'' Snook.

On December 23, just 2 days before Christmas, Ty Snook was shot and killed while working an overtime assignment at the DMV just outside of Wilmington.

Corporal Snook served the State of Delaware as a trooper for a decade. He was known by his peers and his community as dependable, professional, and a committed neighbor. His death is a tragic reminder of the sacrifice that our law enforcement officers risk every single day to protect and defend us.

At his memorial earlier this week, his loved ones painted a picture of Ty as a spectacular father, husband, son, and brother. He was a thoughtful friend and an empowering colleague.

Every speaker struck a similar chord. Ty was selfless, compassionate, and deeply invested in the well-being of others. That is a commitment to community that can be seen throughout his service.

A native Delawarean, he was a graduate of St. Mark's High School. He returned after college to serve in the Delaware State Police, where he was soon joined in that service by his brother, Josh. Ty was rising through the ranks and training the next generation of law enforcement.

The selflessness that defined his service was tragically on full display on December 23 when, in his final moments, Ty saved others, even as he lost his own life.

Let us never become numb to senseless acts of violence like the one which took Ty Snook's life. Crimes like this one leave an indelible mark of pain and loss felt by so many. These include his friends and family; his wife, Lauren; and their 1-year-old daughter, Letty.

Kassi Snook Dunphy, Tyler's sister, said it best on Monday. ``Tyler did not just pass on as a hero. He lived every day as one.''

Mr. Speaker, every day I am thankful to the men and women of law enforcement, like Tyler, who risk everything in defense of all of us. Today, I speak in this hallowed Chamber in honor of that hero so that the name and service of Matthew Tyler ``Ty'' Snook will be enshrined in the history and Record of the United States Congress forever.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn the Trump administration's illegal efforts to dismantle the Department of Education.

The President and the Secretary of Education can call this plan whatever they want, but the bottom line is that this is about defunding public education and putting taxpayer dollars into the hands of private institutions who do not face the same standards and protocols as public schools.

The Department of Education protects students with disabilities, supports rural and low-income schools, and helps make college more affordable for students across the country.

In Delaware, $530 million in Federal education funding supports teachers across our State. Removing that funding would mean students without teachers, schools without support, and communities left behind.

I have stood arm in arm with Delaware educators, parents, and students who are pushing back. They are asking for a fair shot, and we should be investing in their future, not abandoning them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a most hallowed occasion in the history of our Republic: Delaware Day, which falls on this Sunday, December 7.

On that momentous day in 1787, the greatest State in the Union became the first State in the Union, boldly seizing the mantle of leadership by ratifying the United States Constitution before any of our hesitant sister States dared to do so.

Officially declared a State holiday in 1933, Delaware Day invites each of us to reflect upon our State's central role in forging a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

We Delawareans celebrate being the first as any eldest sibling would; that is, obnoxiously and with great relish. It is with no small measure of delight that I stand here on the House floor to celebrate my beloved home State and the noble citizens who keep its spirit alive.

What we lack in size, we make up for in endless discoveries. While December 7 may technically be Delaware Day, it is always Delaware Day in my heart.

To all Delawareans, may their Delaware Day be filled with cheer, with history, and with the profound satisfaction of knowing that we beat everyone else to the punch.

Today and every day, it is good being first.

Honoring Sue Ryan

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Sue Ryan, who is retiring after 10 years of extraordinary service as the executive director of the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

For a decade, Sue has been the steady, principled voice behind a coalition that works every day to prevent domestic violence and support survivors across our State.

With more than 25 years in nonprofit service as an attorney, advocate, and administrator, Sue has devoted her life to advancing justice for people who are too often overlooked: survivors of violence, impoverished families, refugees, and those experiencing homelessness.

It has been an inspiration to watch Sue lead the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Her integrity, compassion, and quiet strength have shaped the way I think about this work and what it means to serve with purpose.

Delaware is safer, stronger, and more compassionate because of Sue Ryan's leadership. We thank her for her vision, her courage, and her unwavering commitment to dignity and safety for all.

I congratulate Sue on a well-deserved retirement.

We Need Solutions

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Delaware families who are still catching their breath after Thanksgiving--a holiday that should bring joy, not undue anxiety over the cost of a single trip to the grocery store.

Last week, too many Delawareans told me that the price of their holiday meal felt heavier this year, and they are right. Delaware families are paying an average of $8,745 a year, or 14 percent of their income, just to put food on the table.

Those grocery bills aren't rising in a vacuum. Across The First State, shoppers are seeing coffee up 21 percent and beef up 11 percent. Flour, sugar, and canned fruits are each up more than 30 percent. These are costs that hit parents, seniors, and working people the hardest.

At Our Daily Bread, a food bank in Middletown, they are now serving 240 meals a day, up from just 200 a few months ago. This is a clear indication of how my neighbors are being squeezed by rising prices.

Delaware families are being hit from every direction--by inflation, yes, but also by policies coming out of the Trump administration that are pouring fuel on the fire. Tariffs are driving up grocery prices even higher and contributing to price uncertainty. The one big, ugly bill imposed the largest cut to food assistance in U.S. history. Premium hikes will cost Delawareans an average of $6,000 more a year in healthcare. Cuts to energy investments are pushing up electricity bills. New limits on student loan repayment hit working people hardest. Interest rates are so high that they put the dream of a first home further out of reach.

Delawareans deserve better than a government that increases their costs while taking away the lifelines that keep them afloat. No matter our politics, we all want the same thing: the ability to feed our families, put a roof over our heads, and find a job with dignity.

That is why I am proud to be a sponsor of legislation that would restore some common sense by banning the President from imposing tariffs without congressional approval, capping the cost of childcare, expanding health coverage, creating new pathways to

homeownership, raising the minimum wage, and expanding tax deductions for working-class people.

Mr. Speaker, after Thanksgiving season, where so many families felt the strain, the message from Delaware is clear: We need solutions, not tariffs and cuts to healthcare but policies that make life more affordable.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Shae Parks, a teacher in Milford, Delaware, one of just three teachers in the entire Nation to receive the American Civic Education Teacher Award.

In her classroom, Ms. Parks is teaching young minds more than just facts and dates, but the strength and power of our democracy. This honor recognizes educators who spark curiosity about the Constitution, government, and civic life.

At Milford High School, Ms. Parks is shaping the continued strength of our democracy by preparing her students to enter the world with critical skills of engagement. She describes the importance of civic education as imperative to the future of our democracy and believes ``students need to enter the world with the ability and willingness to engage in civic discourse with everyone around them, not just those they agree with,'' something this Chamber could use more of.

It is through model educators like Ms. Parks that Delaware pushes students to expand both their knowledge of and engagement with the mechanisms of government.

Milford is proud of her. Delaware is proud of her. I am proud to stand here today and lift up this dedicated educator.

Like Ms. Parks, I urge my colleagues to support civic education wherever it is happening because our democracy depends on it.

Recognizing Frank Coverdale

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of Kent and Sussex Counties' most committed neighbors, Frank ``Fresh'' Coverdale.

Fresh has been described as the ultimate ambassador for the Food Bank of Delaware, where he spent 22 years delivering food to working families throughout Delaware.

A native of Harrington, Fresh has been giving back to his community for his whole life and is a friendly face to all that he meets, a trait that has earned him an endearing reputation among his neighbors.

For over two decades, he has been out on Delaware's back roads, delivering more than meals. He is delivering dignity. In a State where one in eight of our neighbors faces food insecurity, that matters.

Fresh sees the need up close and responds the only way he knows how: with heart, with humor, and a can-do spirit.

Other than feeding his neighbors and connecting with those he serves, Fresh is famously a Philadelphia Eagles fanatic. Pulling up in his truck, people come out of their homes when they hear him because they trust him, and they look forward to the playful banter he brings along. They know that he knows their names, their stories, and their teams. They know he will make sure they leave with enough food for the week and maybe a little extra.

Fresh is the longest serving employee at the Food Bank of Delaware. He is a model for compassion, the kind that strengthens communities, especially when families are stretched thin.

Today and every day, Delaware is better because of Frank Coverdale.

I congratulate Fresh on his years of service, and of course, Go Birds.

Celebrating Delaware Reading Assist

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Delaware Reading Assist, which last month was recognized on the world stage, selected as 1 of just 15 organizations worldwide honored by the Library of Congress for successful practices in literacy.

A remarkable achievement for Delaware, Reading Assist is a nonprofit built on a simple but powerful belief: Every child deserves the chance to read. Their AmeriCorps Fellows work every day in our schools, shoulder-to-shoulder with teachers, helping struggling readers build confidence, skills, and joy.

Their CEO said this recognition reflects the trust placed in them by educators, the hard work of their Fellows, and the resilience of the students themselves.

Moreover, Acting Librarian of Congress Newlen said the awardees this year had a particular focus on family and community, something Delawareans know is at the heart of our State's success.

Being 1 of only 15 honorees, alongside programs from States across the country, Kenya, and Scotland, shows that Delaware's approach is an international model.

Today, I am honored to congratulate Reading Assist for proving what is possible when we invest in our children and meet them where they are. That is how we close gaps and how we strengthen literacy and thereby strengthen communities, through investment in our children's potential.