Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the United States Postal Service isn't just a convenience. It is a constitutional promise.

For more than two centuries, the USPS has connected every corner of this country, delivering prescriptions to seniors, paychecks to workers, and ballots to voters. They do all of this without taxpayer funding because it was never built for profit but for the public good.

Today, that promise is under threat. This administration's effort to privatize the Postal Service would mean higher costs, slower service, and the elimination of rural delivery because corporations won't serve what isn't profitable. It will also mean the loss of strong, middle- class jobs for over 640,000 postal workers across the country, including nearly 74,000 U.S. veterans. In Delaware alone, nearly 1,000 of my neighbors would be at risk.

This isn't about efficiency. This is about dismantling public services so that Republicans can prove that government doesn't work and then hand those services to the highest bidder.

We should be strengthening the Postal Service, not selling it off, because some things should serve people, not profit.

Addressing Shortage of Air Traffic Controllers

Mr. Speaker, this week's travel delays and cancelations are frustrating millions, but behind the headlines is a deeper issue: a national shortage of air traffic controllers, pushing a vital workforce to the brink.

I recently toured the Philadelphia International Airport and met directly with controllers managing the skies above Delaware. They are working 10-hour days, 6 days a week, making split-second decisions to monitor thousands of lives at once. The pressure is relentless, and the margin for mistakes is zero.

On top of all of this stress, this administration and Republicans in Congress are trying to gut their retirement security. Air traffic controllers are mandated to retire at 56. Yet, this administration and House Republicans are advancing a proposal to shrink the retirement benefits for Federal employees who are retiring before 62, all to help pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. We cannot expect to solve for shortages by breaking our promises to air traffic controllers after a lifetime of work.

The problems we are hearing about at Newark could be a nationwide problem if the majority in Congress continues to disrespect and deplete this vital workforce.

Congratulating Students of Charter School of Wilmington

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate an extraordinary achievement by students from the Charter School of Wilmington, who were just named national winners of Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition.

These brilliant students, who I met with last week, tackled Delaware's physician shortage with an innovative solution: an AI- powered smart bandage that monitors wound healing in real time.

Their project, called AKQUA-Gel, rose to the top from thousands of entries nationwide, earning their school a $100,000 prize package and a national title.

This isn't just a win for Delaware. It is a powerful reminder of what young people can achieve when we invest in education, in STEM, and in their belief that they can solve big problems in their communities.

While I am a proud graduate of Cab Calloway, I couldn't help but come to the well of the House to congratulate the Charter School of Wilmington. They have made Delaware proud and inspired us all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn this administration's harmful and illegal efforts to gut

the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Let's be clear. This is a direct attack on rural families, veterans, caregivers, and children, including thousands of Delawareans who rely on libraries not just for books but for help with job applications, disability forms, and housing assistance.

In Dover, librarians are helping my neighbors navigate Social Security delays. In Lewes, they are supporting unhoused jobseekers. In Harrington, they are guiding caregivers through pages of red tape just to access basic support.

This isn't just morally wrong. It is a violation of the law. Congress appropriated these funds. This administration is not only defunding vital community programs. It is defying the will of the American people.

With just $1.93 million per year, Delaware libraries are able to preserve our history, strengthen our workforce, and meet people where they are to deliver critical services. Cutting this lifeline isn't efficiency. It is cruelty.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the administration to reverse course, and I stand with my colleagues in demanding full funding for the services our communities need and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, across the country, food banks are facing an urgent crisis, and Delaware is no exception. Millions of dollars' worth of deliveries of vital food aid have been halted to food banks.

In February alone, more than 50 percent of the food that the Food Bank of Delaware distributed came from the Federal Government. Now, with shipments frozen and no clarity on whether they will be restored, they are in uncharted territory.

The Food Bank of Delaware is now uncertain whether they will receive 14 truckloads over the next 4 months. These halted deliveries represent over a quarter of the food expected to be received from the Federal Government for the rest of this fiscal year. Cathy Kanefsky, the CEO of the Food Bank of Delaware, shared with me that this would be devastating.

This is not an abstract issue. It is not a partisan issue. This is about families, working parents, seniors, veterans, and children. These are people who rely on food banks to get through the month.

One in eight Delawareans face food insecurity, and the Food Bank of Delaware has been a lifeline for thousands of families.

The truckloads in question represent over 600,000 meals that the food bank will not be able to put on the tables of Delawareans.

Yes, the Food Bank of Delaware plays a frontline role in combating hunger, but they offer more than just food. They provide dignity, hope, and a sense of community.

Food banks, which are already stretched thin, are now being asked to do even more with even less. The loss of Federal support jeopardizes their ability to serve effectively, placing additional strain on State and local resources.

At a time when grocery prices remain high and demand for assistance is great, the loss of these shipments could mean fewer meals for families in every corner of my State.

Further cuts at the hands of the administration to the USDA's local food purchasing assistance program only add to this crisis. At the direction of this administration, the USDA axed two programs that give schools and food banks assistance to buy food from local farms and ranchers. In Delaware alone, this will amount to $2 million in cuts.

Just last month, I stood on this floor to raise the alarm about $10 million in funding owed to Delaware farmers. Now, I stand here again to raise the alarm about the Trump administration taking their chain saw to another lifesaving service that supports our farmers in feeding Delaware. All of this will result in fewer customers for Delaware's farmers and higher prices at the grocery store for Delaware's families.

The Trump administration has broken their promise time and time again to the American people, ripping funding and literal food from the hands of my constituents.

The USDA must restore these shipments and funding before the consequences become dire to families across Delaware.

Celebrating Seaford's Transformation

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the transformation happening in Seaford, Delaware, an investment in economic growth, opportunity, and the future of western Sussex County.

Seaford is a small city rich in history. Just last week, I had the privilege of meeting with Seaford's leadership to discuss the city's progress and their vision for the future.

Over the last decade, Seaford has transformed its small but vibrant downtown through Delaware's innovative Downtown Development District program, started by our former Governor, Jack Markell. Through hard work and dedicated investment, Seaford's Main Street has gone from 90 percent vacancy to more than 90 percent occupancy.

At the center of the next phase of Seaford's revitalization effort is the Nylon Capital Center, a project that will breathe new life into a space that was once a focal point of Seaford and

will soon serve as a hub for education, healthcare, and commerce.

With a $60 million investment, including $20 million in American Rescue Plan funds, the new Nylon Capital Center will expand access to education and workforce training with a new DelTech facility. It will make healthcare more accessible with a new TidalHealth medical site. Small businesses will have new space to grow, and a coworking center, the Mill, will foster entrepreneurship. Critically, it will remain home to the beloved Sal's Italian Restaurant.

This is a model of public and private partnership coming together to create shared prosperity. With local, State, Federal, and private investments, the future of Seaford is exactly what we should hope for in our small cities and towns across America. The leaders of Seaford, along with partners from across the State, are demonstrating what is possible when communities come together. I am proud to stand with them in this effort, and I look forward to seeing Seaford become a symbol of progress and opportunities for generations to come.

Madam Speaker, on the evening of February 27, the Community Legal Aid Society of Delaware, CLASI, was informed that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was immediately terminating their fair housing enforcement grant at the direction of

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 56.

Mr. Speaker, last week, when the House was out of session and I was in the greatest State in the Union, Delaware, I met with a family farmer in Sussex County who continues to farm the same land that her family has farmed for more than a century. We discussed the fear and unpredictability that is plaguing farmers in Delaware and across the country right now, farmers who, since the New Deal, have been able to rely on the Federal Government as partners in their effort to produce the food that feeds our families, our neighbors, our Nation, and the world.

Agriculture is the backbone of Delaware's economy. From poultry farms to vegetable growers to grain producers, Delaware farmers feed families here at home and around the globe and contribute to an industry that supports thousands of jobs in Delaware.

Unfortunately, since taking office, the Trump administration has broken their promises to our families and breached the trust with our farmers.

In week one, this administration illegally froze funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, including vital resources that run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They have frozen programs that purchase products from Delaware farmers.

As I stand here today, the Federal Government is withholding nearly $10 million owed to Delaware farmers to improve their infrastructure and lower their energy bills.

At the heart of Delaware's agriculture industry are chickens. We have roughly 200 chickens per person in Delaware, and while Delaware doesn't have a ton of people, that is a lot of chickens.

The rising crisis of bird flu poses a massive risk to Delaware farmers. It is a real and present danger to our food supply and to the livelihoods of poultry farmers across my State and across the country.

Dangerously, this administration halted bird flu monitoring in nearly 50 countries and imposed a gag order on Federal health agencies, limiting vital communication and collaboration with farmers. If that weren't bad enough, the very people we rely on to protect our ag industry and combat the spread of bird flu have been fired from the

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate the Dover Police Department on 100 years of service to the capital of Delaware.

Beginning in 1925, with a mere two-room office in the basement of city hall, over the past 100 years, the department has grown to more than 100 officers, as well as professional support staff divided over three divisions and nine functional units.

Led by their 15th chief, Thomas A. Johnson, Jr., these dedicated public servants put their lives on the line every day to protect public safety and support victims of crime in Delaware's second largest city.

In all they do, Dover Police are ingrained in the community, working alongside our educators, health professionals, nonprofits, and business partners, as well as regional, State, and Federal law enforcement partners. Their commitment to community policing and their behavioral health unit reinforces their compassionate and holistic approach to public safety.

On the centennial of the Dover Police Department, I thank the heroes who have donned the badge with honor, courage, and unwavering commitment to Dover.

A grateful State wishes the Dover Police Department a happy centennial.

Recognizing Paul Calistro

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the commitment of a dedicated community leader, Paul Calistro, to the State of Delaware. A former mayor of Newport, Delaware, Paul has been the executive director of West End Neighborhood House in Wilmington since 1991, working tirelessly to provide direct programs, services, support, and advocacy to Delawareans, their families, and our broader community.

For more than 140 years, the West End Neighborhood House has empowered generations of Delawareans to become and remain self- sufficient. Under Paul's leadership, West End has grown their impact, helping over 10,000 Delawareans each year. They provide meals, place people in long-term employment, secure stable housing, and teach critical skills to community members.

While the backbone of that work is the dedicated team of staff and volunteers at West End, at the heart of that work is the big heart of Paul Calistro. When being honored several years ago, Paul said that somebody has got to stand up and be an advocate for people who can't speak.

Whether they are a youth aging out of foster care or a single mom trying to get a good-paying job, Paul is an advocate for those too often left behind. Ever the selfless leader, as Paul celebrates his birthday this week, instead of asking for anything himself, he has asked people to support youth in foster care.

While Paul celebrates his birthday by supporting others, a grateful State celebrates Paul for his ongoing commitment to making Delaware a place that more fully lives up to our values as a State of neighbors.

Madam Speaker, when I was elected, I promised to work with anyone who would help deliver for Delawareans and to stand up to anyone who seeks to harm my State.

Instead of seeking common ground, the Trump administration from day one has waged an unrelenting attack on working people in Delaware and across the country, seeking to freeze funding for first responders, domestic violence shelters, schools, and healthcare facilities that my constituents rely on.

Last week, as I traveled up and down our State meeting with seniors, military families, students, mayors, doctors and nurses, the fear and outrage was palpable. People were terrified by the administration's funding freeze.

A senior center in the heart of my State was worried that they wouldn't be able to provide meals to the Delawareans they serve. Critical services like opioid prevention programs could grind to a halt.

Research programs fostering innovation in Delaware already received stop work orders, putting Delaware jobs at risk. Mayors were fearful they wouldn't be able to pay first responders or continue pivotal water and transportation infrastructure projects.

Perhaps most disturbing, some of our hospitals, community healthcare centers, and clinics that serve rural and urban communities facing desperate health deserts, don't know if they will be able to continue serving some of our State's most vulnerable.

In all of these instances, the Federal funds my State relies on were appropriated by Congress and signed into law by the executive, but the current administration is threatening to illegally freeze funding for these lifesaving services and to gut the Federal workforce tasked with helping my neighbors. It has thrown communities across

Delaware and around the country into chaos, and that is their goal.

The attacks we have seen in recent days on public servants and lifesaving programs administered by USAID don't just put our security and health globally at risk, they lay the foundation here at home to gut Federal support for education, for healthcare, for housing, for childcare, and for workers. If they can do what they are doing at USAID, then they can do it anywhere in the Federal Government. That means no place and no program is safe from unilateral evisceration.

This week it is USAID. Tomorrow it may be the Departments of Education and Labor. We shouldn't pretend that this path doesn't ultimately lead to Social Security and Medicare.

Piece by piece, department by department, the Trump administration is defunding critical Federal services, purging employees, consolidating power, and cutting and gutting programs that Delawareans rely on. They are trying to decimate the Federal Government and sell it for parts to line the pockets of donors at the expense of working people.

It is clear. They do not want to solve the problems facing American people. They do not want to make government more efficient. They want to prove that government can't work by making it not work.

In 1941, Franklin Roosevelt was in this very Chamber and declared that necessitous men are not free men and that democracies can't survive if people are hungry or out of a job. They want Americans hungry. They want Americans scared for their future. They want Americans to stay angry because that is the fuel of Trumpism. That is how Donald Trump keeps his power.

My constituents reject this administration's cycle of chaos, corruption, and cynicism. Delawareans sent me here to make government work better for people, not to make it worse. Delawareans want a government that respects everyone by delivering for them. By helping them learn, live, and thrive.

That is what I am here to do.