Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank both my friends, the gentlemen from Texas, for having the guts to do this.

Unfortunately, it is now acceptable. It is now acceptable. As we watched in Texas, it is amazing. If you built a community in any State, including Texas, and you said that only Christians need to apply, only Christians, can you imagine? Can you imagine?

Our Constitution--I have it right here--very specifically says: ``Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'' Yet, this is what is literally being attempted in States like Texas.

Mr. Speaker, sharia means the law. That is the definition of it generally, and it is all-encompassing. It is everything about your being, your spirituality, your actions. It means the law.

There are Muslims in the world. There are Muslims in my community who are persecuted because they are the wrong kind of Muslims, because they don't agree with this one or that sect of the Muslim faith.

They will come to me and say that they don't believe in sharia by the sword, which is comforting. It is comforting. I don't want to see my community and my country taken over in violent overthrow because I don't believe the same thing.

Yet, they will say that they do believe in sharia by the pen--by the pen. So it is not violent, Mr. Speaker, but what they are talking about is conquering your nation one way or the other. We have to decide what we are going to do about this.

I hear that there are sharia courts overseas in the U.K. and in Europe, but there aren't any where I live or maybe in the United States of America, but how would you know?

I suspect that the gentleman from Texas will tell us that there are sharia courts in Texas and that the community is very tight-knit, so if they are going to adjudicate things in a sharia court, which is even against the law because it flies in the face of the Constitution of the United States of America and our laws, how can you prove that there has been an infraction of the law when you have no witnesses since there are no witnesses because they will not speak out against their own laws?

Let's talk about what some of those things include. Leaving the faith, under sharia, is punishable by death. Things like theft, which is a serious crime--and we have punishments in the United States of America, but they don't involve removing your limbs, but that is true in sharia.

If a woman is charged with adultery, the punishment is stoning to death. They have honor killings in sharia. For forced marriages, if a young lady barely out of her teens or still in her teens refuses to marry as she is directed by her parents, they are justified under sharia in killing her.

This has no place in America. It just simply has no place in America.

People will say that it is over there. It is not here. I want to remind everybody: Egypt was not always under sharia. Neither was Syria. Neither was Turkiye. Neither was Iran. These countries were all something else. We have just grown up in our lifetime thinking that that is what they always have been because that is what we have always known them to be. They were not always that way.

Sharia is tolerated, I think, because it is characterized as a religion. It is characterized as a religion, but I would ask you this: If it is characterized as a religion, and there are many in this body who fight continuously for, as they call it, the separation of church and state, which, by the way, cannot be found in the United States Constitution, how is it that schools in some States are now forcing sharia-compliant meals in their schools?

The schools are funded by the States. The schools are funded by the Federal Government. How is that possible? Yet, it is possible. It is possible, and it is happening.

My friend from Texas mentioned the Holy Land Foundation investigation, the largest terror investigation in the United States' history, where it was laid out by the Muslim Brotherhood how they were going to conquer America. We have the plan. We know the plan, under sharia.

Since 1991--it is 2026--their plan is, generally, to come not to be Americans but to be in America, to act as the underclass, to use the sympathy and guilt of the nation that they have come to and prey upon those who feel sympathy and guilt for them being in the underclass. They refuse to assimilate to that culture, whether it is America, Europe, or any other culture other than their own. They just live in that culture.

Others around them, because they don't want to be a part of that, move away. Then, more sharia-compliant individuals move into the neighborhood. Once they reach a critical mass, they start instituting sharia law. That is how it goes.

I am not saying, and I don't think either gentleman from Texas--we all know. I have upstanding, law-abiding, life-loving, freedom-loving, Constitution-loving Muslims living in my community. There are whole nations, believe it or not, of those kinds of folks.

But I will tell you this: Once the local imam says that you are going to comply or become an apostate, and the wages and the penalty for apostasy are death, that is a very strong motivator to say that I know I live in America, or I know I live in the U.K., or I know I live in Ireland or Spain or France, but my religion says this.

Sharia law has no place in America, and it is time for all of us to wake up and make sure that we have a righteous conversation with all Americans--with Christians, with Buddhists, with Muslims, with atheists, with everybody to preserve what we all love in America, which is the freedom to exercise our own beliefs.

There is only one so-called law, sharia law, that disallows that for everyone else, and that is why it is not appropriate to have it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Taylor) and also my colleague from Arizona (Mr. Stanton). I am extremely honored and humbled to once again introduce this resolution alongside the Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee ranking member, Representative Stanton, from Arizona.

This year marks the 45th Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial event, which honors our law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. According to the Fraternal Order of Police, over the past 5 years, more than 2,000 police officers have been shot in the line of duty.

In 2025, there were 347 shot in the line of duty, 45 of whom were killed. It is completely unacceptable.

Tragically, three of those deaths were my constituents, my bosses. On September 17, last year, a gunman ambushed police officers who were serving an arrest warrant. During the attack, three police officers were killed and two more were wounded. The officers who died in the line of duty were Detective Sergeant Cody Michael Becker, Detective Isaiah D. Emenheiser, and Detective Mark Edward Baker. All three officers were longtime veterans of the Northern York County Regional Police Department.

Mr. Speaker, this memorial service is for them and those like them and all the officers that will come to attend and think about their fallen comrades. These are the people in our community who run to the danger, who run to the sound of gunfire. These are the people who get up in the middle of the night not knowing whether they are coming home. They do the shift work. They are underpaid and under-respected now in our society, even among some of their very own leaders, their own elected leaders. That is why this memorial service this year is more important than ever.

It is my sincere hope that this memorial service will bring some level of comfort to the families of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our safety and for the safety of their community.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues all to support this resolution. I thank Representative Stanton from Arizona and Representative Taylor from Ohio.

Mr. Speaker, welcome to bankruptcy theater.

Mr. Speaker, I am fascinated by my good friend on the other side of the aisle telling me that they are the party of fiscal responsibility. Let me just say, as others have said, including the former majority leader, that this is an institutional problem because it is, indeed, that.

Let me just make clear to the American people when they say there is not a dime's worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats on spending, to a certain extent they are right. However, the Republicans are using a handcart on this railroad and the Democrats are on some kind of bullet train on this train to hell.

As much as we have spent, and there are many in this room who have fought against this spending, I can't imagine how much worse it would be if we had to go to the Democrats for a vote. That is the problem.

Mr. Speaker, some say that, well, it is never going to become law. Why will it never become law, Mr. Chairman? There are seven Democrats in the Senate that refuse to vote to balance the budget ever. It is going to pass here maybe, but it definitely won't pass there. That is why it will never become law.

All the people I know that I represent have to balance their budget. I will say I went to the President. I said: Mr. President, we are spending too much money. You ran on cutting spending. I ran on cutting spending. We are spending too much money.

He said to me: You are right, Scott; but I can't get them to vote for less.

He is right about that. My Democrat colleagues tax and spend and tax and spend, and our folks are willing to spend without taxing enough. I am not saying that we should tax more. The American people are taxed enough, plenty. We are overspending and continuing to overspend. When I got here, I think the individual debt per person was like about $40,000. What is it now, $130,000?

Mr. Speaker, this place cannot control itself. The American people are going to have to step in. This allows them the opportunity. We ought to give it to them.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for offering the amendment. I thank leadership for honoring their promise.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and I am privileged to recognize Mr. Robert ``Bob'' Boyer of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, upon the blessed and auspicious occasion of his 102nd Birthday.

Mr. Boyer was born on March 13, 1924, in Harrisburg, by the lock on the Susquehanna River. Sickly as an infant, he was sent to live with his grandmother in Carlisle, where he was nursed back to health.

While he was in 10th grade, Bob's family purchased a farm near Middlesex, and he quit school to help get the farm going. While he enjoyed spending time with the cows and donkeys, money was tight--as it was for many Depression-era families--and for a time, they lived only off of goat's milk.

In 1948, Bob and a friend were at the roller-rink, where he saw a beautiful girl--about whom he told his friend: ``I'm going to marry that girl!'' Well, ``that girl'' became his wife, Beulah (Be-Be), when they eloped six months later. Be-Be grew up on a farm and hated farm work; she vowed she would never marry a farmer, but not long after they married, Bob rented a farm from his father, and Be-Be helped by doing one of her least favorite chores--milking cows--and she kept the books for the farm.

In 1959, Bob purchased his own farm in Carlisle, where he farmed for more than 30 years, raised their three daughters, and a foster child for four years. After selling the farm in 1967, Bob started his own business, Agriservice, in 1969, from which he would deliver farm supplies to local farmers. Amazing with numbers, Bob remembered everything he bought for the company, how much he paid for it, and how much profit he made.

In 1988, Bob sold Agriservice and purchased a junkyard, where he sold scrap metal to the United States Military for Operation Desert Storm. It took him six years to clean out the property, after which he sold part of the land to his great-granddaughter.

Bob and Be-Be love to travel and do so whenever they can. In 1967, Bob bought a sedan on a whim and took the family on a summer trip to California, stopping at every National Park along the way. On another occasion in Alaska, Bob and Be-Be slept in the back of their truck because there were no motels in the remote area they were visiting.

Bob and Be-Be have been married for a blessed and astonishing 73 years. From their three daughters, they have seven grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and are expecting the imminent birth of their first great-great-grandchild this year. Before they moved into Silver Spring Personal Care Home, they lived in a small home from 1989 to November of 2025.

Mr. Speaker, I am so greatly humbled and honored to recognize Mr. Robert Boyer on the blessed and truly amazing occasion of his 102nd Birthday. His life truly epitomizes that of ``The Greatest Generation'' and of a life done right--as evidenced by his wife, Be-Be, his family and friends who love him dearly, and the countless people whose lives he has touched and affected in myriad ways. He sets the standard by which all should be judged, and I wish him continued God's blessings.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the National Open- Source Intelligence Day, observed annually on February 26, and to commemorate the 85th anniversary of formal open-source intelligence activities in the United States.

February 26 marks the 1941 establishment of the Foreign Broadcast Monitoring Service, created to systematically collect and analyze publicly available foreign information during a time of global conflict.

This effort laid the foundation for what we know as open-source intelligence, or OSINT, to include the responsible use of publicly and commercially available information to support national security policymaking and informed decisionmaking.

Over the past 85 years, OSINT has evolved alongside changes in media, technology, and global communications. In recent years, it has played a critical role in understanding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East, and strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. It has also been essential in enabling and cueing other intelligence collection and analysis.

Its value lies not only in access to information but in the rigorous analytic tradecraft applied to it, including adherence to privacy and civil liberty protections.

National Open-Source Intelligence Day recognizes the professionals, scholars, and organizations who advance the discipline and underscores the importance of transparency, accountability, and lawful practices.

I am honored to recognize February 26 as National Open-Source Intelligence Day.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 61.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for his work on this, and of course the chairman of the full committee for the hard work on appropriations.

Look, none of us wants to be on the road with drunk drivers. Of course, this was a solution intended to deal with them. All of us want them to be dealt with.

I am going to remind everybody, as my friend from Kentucky just said, there is already legislation in multiple States, dozens of States, that deals with drunk drivers through the ignition interlock system. Probably in your family somewhere, someone you know, you have dealt with this. I know in my family and the people I know, I have dealt with it.

Here is what I don't want to see in America: Everybody, including the ones who don't drink and drive, being punished for the people who drink and drive. I happen not to drink, but I am going to be forced to have this thing in my car.

I am going to tell you what is next. After what Representative Massie has said, the car is going to be the judge, jury, and sentencer for your crime in the car. The next thing is going to be that we need to hook this thing up to the government so we can dispatch the police.

I am just going to tell you what is going to happen next. They are going to be shutting your car off when they decide whatever they decide from wherever they decide it.

I don't know what everyone thinks about due process, the Constitution, - the Fourth Amendment, and the right to not be imposed upon by illegal, unlawful search and seizure, but punishing everybody for this crime, whether they have committed it or not, whether they are going to commit it or not, should be unconstitutional. This shouldn't really be a question.

We all want to get to the problem, and we are happy to work with everybody on all sides to deal with it, but you cannot punish and convict everybody in the country for the sake of the ones who do things that they shouldn't do.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Arizona and the chairman of the committee for his hard work on this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment because you think about the National Endowment for Democracy, you think the United States is working productively in places like Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela. If we are, let's face it, we have been an abject failure.

Let me tell you where your taxpayer dollars are really going. Where they had been going is to pressure advertisers to demonetize and suppress American political speech by naming the ten riskiest cites to include the New York Post, the Federalist, Newsmax, The Blaze, The Daily Wire, RealClearPolitics, Reason, One America News Network, The American Spectator, and The American Conservative.

Mr. Chair, 98 percent of the political donations coming from the National Endowment for Democracy go to the Democrat Party. This is your taxpayer dollars paying for socialists and communists to subvert the American system, and it ought to be stopped.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas, and I surely appreciate his passion. It is well-deserved.

I am so heartbroken for our country. In the past, Democrats and Republicans might not have agreed on maybe the path to get to where we were going, how we were going to do it, sometimes not even where we were going. Yet we loved our country, and we understood what our job was here: to support and represent America.

How can it be that we live in a society--people will say--I am sure they say it to you, Chip: You are so divided. Why can't you people in Washington, D.C., get along?

They will say to me: Representative, why can't you work with your colleagues on the other side of the aisle?

I want to. We look for every opportunity to, and I am just going to tell you: Look, I am going to call it the way I see it because my eyes aren't lying.

My friends on the other side of the aisle will tell you, will tell everybody, will try and get pictures: We stand with law enforcement. We stand with the police. We support them. Whatever they need, we are there.

They want to convince you of that because, of course, as law-abiding American citizens, it is the right thing to do.

Representative Roy, when I was growing up, if there was a criminal running down the street and an officer was chasing him, somebody would be a Good Samaritan and stick their leg out or say: He went that way and help out. But we are literally living in some dystopia where they say that somehow it is different because it is ICE. It is different because we can say ICE; Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It is no different. These officers are no different than your local township police; the State police; Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms; the U.S. marshals. The good guys, that is who they are.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle literally are defending these people who came here to murder, rape, and rob. That is who they are defending. They are literally defending--there is no other way to cut it.

Rachel Morin died about 30 miles from my house. I don't live close to the Texas border. This is everywhere. Representative Roy and I both have daughters, 12 years old. Jocelyn Nungaray was 12 years old and was heinously murdered by two people allowed to come and stay here illegally. These are animals who did this.

You are right, Chip. There are the good guys, and, unfortunately, there are the bad guys; there just are.

No one would think--I will just try to put it in any context I can. If I am driving down the highway and I see a police officer who has pulled somebody over for a traffic infraction, I don't stop and get involved and say: Whoa, whoa, whoa, what is going on here, Officer? How do you know--what do you think you are doing?

I don't understand why people who are getting involved in law enforcement activities don't understand that they are obstructing justice. Pulling in front of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials who are trying to remove people from our country, who are here illegally and have had their due process, is not acceptable in any manner, shape, or form.

There is no one here who will do more to defend your First Amendment liberties to protest and seek redress from your government.

But protesting does not mean impeding law enforcement. It does not mean blocking streets. It does not mean getting on an app on your phone--that is supported by George Soros--to track Immigration and Customs Enforcement, law enforcement officers, the law enforcement police, and track them down and impede their work to keep everybody else in the community safe.

Do you know what that is, Representative Roy? I have the definition right here. That is sedition is what that is. That is exactly what it is. No one wants to say it, but we are seeing it happen.

This is among Americans in our country. These are our neighbors. These are people right here in every town who somehow think that, suddenly, it is okay. Now, there unfortunately has been a death.

The death that happened recently is so tragic and unfortunate. Ms. Good, who lost her life, she could have protested peacefully and sought redress for the things that she thought were wrong about her government that should be changed. But she made a decision to inject herself into law enforcement, impede law enforcement, and make it a dangerous circumstance where an officer of the law had to make a split-moment decision about his life and also the lives of other people in his community.

Madam Speaker, Representative Roy, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials live in your town. They are just like the township cop that you know who stands by your school in the morning when your kids are getting off the bus. They are the same people. They are the same people.

How is it that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle can somehow make book and tell you that you must support violent murderers, rapists, robbers, gang members, drug traffickers, and human traffickers? It couldn't be more black and white, and it is so disappointing.

I just have to ask you in this colloquy, Representative Roy from Texas: You say, ``the radical left,'' but I listened to you rattle off the statements of elected officials.

Not just Members of Congress, but Members of the United States Senate.

Governors of States, including the one that I come from. Is this the radical left, or are they our Democratic colleagues on the other side of the aisle?

Which one of our Democrat colleagues from the other side of the aisle, whether at the Federal level, the State, or the local level has come out to denounce the treatment by law enforcement at the hands of these people that are trying to thwart them and put their lives in danger for the sake of murderers? Which ones? Do you know of any?

It is so outrageous.

Representative Roy, you and I have stood in this Chamber countless times, for countless hours, having the same discussion over the same people, the same people in this picture, over and over. There are countless others that aren't here who died from drunk driving incidents, died from drug overdose, human trafficked, lives destroyed forever. If only they got to stay alive, if they even had that opportunity to stay alive.

There is so much outrage from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Yet, I can't remember, and so I am going to ask you, Representative Roy from Texas. I can't remember one time my colleagues on the other side of the aisle came to talk about Laken Riley, Rachel Morin, Jocelyn Nungaray, the officer, the young lady, not one.

No.

President Trump did not. President Trump is credited with having the most secure border in history.

No. As I recall, about 10,000 people a week were coming across the border illegally.

Secretary Mayorkas told us, President Biden told us he could not solve that problem unless we passed legislation. We needed to--this Chamber was delinquent. There was nothing that could be done until we took action. As it has been said, we didn't need to take action. We needed a different President.

Tens of thousands.

None of mine.

I don't want to speculate either. I will leave that to people that are listening and people that are thinking through the situation.

You talked about things that are untrue. I want to let you know that, of course, I represent 760,000 great people, hardworking, tax-paying, America-loving individuals in south central Pennsylvania, and I have gotten some complaints. There is some rhetoric and some claims being made about Immigration and Customs Enforcement in central Pennsylvania.

I talked to Immigration and Customs Enforcement today and asked them, because there were claims that enforcement officers were chasing people down the street, demanding their papers, going door to door looking for people, staking out certain activities, business activities, or recreational activities to just see who would come in and ask for their papers.

Representative Roy, I am proud to report what I knew inherently that that is all a lie. That is all propaganda meant to scare people and meant to stop law enforcement from doing its job.

I am so disgusted by the names that our men and women that wear the uniform, that make a commitment to put their lives in danger to keep everybody else safe that they are characterized by elected officials and leaders in our community the way that you have described to me this evening. It is outrageous. Not only is it outrageous, it is dangerous, and it is irresponsible. It is leading to not only the division of our country and our communities, but it is leading to people suffering injuries and worse. That, Representative Roy, is on them.

Sure.

Of course, I agree. As you bring it up, I think to myself how heartbreaking it is knowing--I look at these pictures here of these wonderful young people with their whole lives ahead of them. If we had been able to do that during the first administration, these five people would be alive, likely would be alive, right?

Because we have failed here--not because Chip has failed, not because I am not willing to vote for it. We have to get it on the floor. Let's face it, Representative Roy, the great

Representative Roy from Texas, how many votes are you going to count on for Laken Riley, for Jocelyn Nungaray, for any of these people? How many votes are you going to count on to keep them alive from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle?

Of course. We passed it in the House, but that is not enough. That doesn't change anything. We can pass everything we want to in the House, with or without our friends on the other side of the aisle, but if we can't get a vote and passage in the Senate, it doesn't get to the President's desk.

I would just say this: What I think would be interesting to see, when we talk about--look, quite honestly, it is a travesty to me that we should have to pass such a bill that only American citizens vote in American elections. That should be obvious.

You don't invite some person from some other State or some other town into your home to ask them about your important family decisions. Yet, somehow in America, my friends on the other side of the aisle, my colleagues over there, think that that is what we should do.

They should put a vote up in the Senate to show the American people who stands with them and who stands with letting those people in our country illegally, killing, raping, robbing, and giving them the vote. If they can't get the vote, then they need to find a way to break the filibuster and make sure that we stand up for Americans.

Madam Speaker, to my friend from Texas, we weren't elected by people from other countries. We weren't elected by Tren de Aragua or the Cartel of the Suns. We were elected by the American citizens. That is who we are here to represent.

If somebody wants to represent them, well, God bless them, but they should let the American people know by their votes and go out and decry it to everybody. Amazingly, in some cases, some of our colleagues actually are.

It is their country. Of course, the United States of America is the most generous country ever in history. Certainly with immigration it is more generous than every other nation and more generous than all nations combined.

However, what no one ever envisioned was tens of thousands, daily or weekly, in the amount of tens of millions of people pouring into our country illegally with no interest in being American but being in America.

Now what do we do about it?

We have a President who has vowed to solve that and who has vowed to fix that. He got elected on that promise, and now my colleagues on the other side of the aisle reject following the law if it means following the law.

So I think that it is the height of disrespect, quite honestly, for people to come to our country illegally, tell us that we are awful people, try and change our country into the country they came from, have us pay for it, and then disrespect us while they are doing it by killing our citizens and while sending our tax dollars to the terrorist organizations in the country that they left.

It is unacceptable at any and every single level.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to congratulate Master Sergeant Jeremy D. Smith upon the occasion of his retirement from the United States Air Force after more than 33 years of service to our Nation.

Master Sergeant Smith entered the USAF in April 1992, completing Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. He initially trained as a Munitions Systems Specialist and served in various roles and locations, including missile technician, munitions material handling crew member, and munitions inspector, in Hawaii, North Carolina, and Florida. From 1999 to 2002, he transitioned to the Air Force Reserve, continuing as a Munitions Systems Specialist. In 2002, he cross-trained into the C-130 Loadmaster career field with the 193d Special Operations Squadron (SOS), Pennsylvania Air National Guard, and qualified on the C-130E, EC-130E, C-130J, EC-130J, HC-130J, and MC-130J variants. He served as an EC-130J instructor and evaluator, and held positions in Current Operations, the Formal Training Unit, Squadron Training, and the Squadron Tactics office.

At the time of his retirement, Master Sergeant Smith serves as an MC- 130J Special Missions Aviator/Tactician assigned to the 193d SOS in Middletown, Pennsylvania. As a Special Missions Aviator Tactician in the Squadron Tactics office, he advises squadron aviators on the tactical employment of the MC-130J and related mission sets, ensuring mission readiness. His duties include managing the Drop Zone Control and Malfunction offices and the Joint Airdrop Inspectors program that monitors all airdrop inspections and supplies for mission success.

Master Sergeant Smith has deployed in support of myriad missions, including Operations Southern Watch, Desert Strike/Desert Fox, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, New Dawn, Unified Response, Unified Protector, Odyssey Dawn, Inherent Resolve, and Freedom's Sentinel.

Throughout his illustrious career, Master Sergeant Smith has earned a multitude of awards and decorations, including, but not limited to the: Air Force Air Medal (w/2 OLC); Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon (w/Gold Border and 2 OLC); Air Force Good Conduct Medal (w/7 Devices): Pennsylvania Keystone Freedom Medal (w/7 Devices); Pennsylvania 20-Year Service Medal (w/l Device); Major General Thomas R. White, Jr. Medal; and the General Thomas J. Stewart Medal (w/3 Devices).

Mr. Speaker, I'm honored and privileged to recognize Master Sergeant Jeremy D. Smith upon his retirement after more than 33 years of service to our Nation in uniform. His tireless, selfless, and honorable dedication to his fellow Airmen, the United States Air Force, and the United States of America set the standard by which all should be judged.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to congratulate the Big Spring Marching Bulldogs from Big Spring High School in Newville, Pennsylvania, on earning the Cavalcade of Bands Liberty A Conference Championship.

This year's Band performed, ``Catch Me If You Can,'' based off the movie, but featured Bon Jovi's ``Wanted Dead or Alive,'' Michael Jackson's ``Smooth Criminal,'' and Imogen Heap's ``Hide and Seek.'' Their performance highlighted the Band's technical expertise and creativity, character, and joy. They began preparation for the season in June and competed throughout the fall in the Cavalcade of Bands--a regional circuit of nearly 75 bands throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

The Marching Bulldogs were one of 16 bands in the Liberty A Conference, continually placing near the top throughout the season. On September 13, 2025, the Marching Bulldogs claimed First Place at Greencastle-Antrim High School, earning a score of 75.55. On October 25, they took Second Place at the Manheim Central Baron Invitational with a score of 88.45. At the Championship on November 1, 2025, the Marching Bulldogs took the field with heart, determination, and teamwork--and brought home First Place with a score of 94.063 in a field of 16 incredibly talented bands.

After their victory, the Bulldogs were celebrated upon their return to Newville. Two fire trucks escorted the Bulldogs' buses back to the high school, and well over 200 people were waiting to cheer them and recognize this monumental achievement.

This championship win is a story of perseverance and dedication that has spanned multiple years. The COVID pandemic had a devastating impact on Band membership, which hit a low in 2021 of only 31 members. In 2022, the Band earned a bronze medal in a much smaller division, which piqued more interest and sparked growth. The Band continued to grow and improve into 2024 after receiving a silver medal out of 12 bands in their division. After moving to a larger division featuring bands from 50 to 70 members in 2025, the Marching Bulldogs truly stepped up; this year's well-earned and hard-fought championship was their first in 14 years.

Mr. Speaker, the Big Spring Marching Bulldogs Cavalcade of Bands Liberty A Conference Championship truly showcases their exceptional determination, work ethic, and pride--not only as individuals, but in each other as a team. They stayed focused on their mission, never wavered, and performed at an extremely high level under immense pressure. On behalf of the 10th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, I'm honored and privileged to commend the Marching Bulldogs on their well-earned victory. Bulldog Pride.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored and humbled to recognize Mr. Mitchell George Angelos of York, Pennsylvania, upon the auspicious occasion of his 100th Birthday.

Mr. Angelos' life has been dedicated to the service of our Nation. Knowing that he likely would be drafted for World War II, he finished high school in three years. He was, indeed, drafted in August 1944, and reported to Engineering Basic Training at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he was taught how to be an Infantryman and build Bailey modular bridges. Next,

he went to Demolition Specialist School and learned how to lay mines, booby traps, and defuse those of the enemies.

At the end of his training, Mr. Angelos developed a severe infection and was taken to an Army hospital; thus separating him from his unit, which deployed to Europe while he recovered. After landing in La Havre, France, in 1945, he learned that many of his comrades from boot camp had perished in the Battle of the Bulge.

On a train to Belgium, the Soldiers were tightly packed in boxcars; as Mr. Angelos put it, like a ``herd of cattle.'' After finally arriving in Verviers, Belgium, he fell ill and walked about a mile to sick bay; ultimately being hospitalized while the rest of the Soldiers in his unit moved on.

Eventually, Mr. Angelos landed in Marseilles, France, where his battalion prepared to deploy to the Pacific, and where he learned that the first atom bomb was dropped. Post-war, he was assigned to the Labor Supervision Battalion at Camp Calle, France, where he supervised 200 German Prisoners of War (POW) for the next seven months. He learned how to drive there, and his instructor was a German POW who ``borrowed'' a Jeep from the Camp motor pool. Another German POW made him some trench art--a small, model boat about 24 inches long--that he has to this day.

After the War, Mr. Angelos earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, graduating at the top of his class. During his career, he worked primarily in the military field, was considered an expert on fuses, and holds 7 U.S. Patents in his name. He was the Program Manager for the M-456 HEAT 105mm artillery round--the precursor to the HEAT round used in today's M1 Abrams tank.

Mr. Speaker, I am humbled and privileged to recognize Mr. Mitchell George Angelos on the great occasion of his 100th Birthday, as well as his tireless and selfless service to our Nation during World War II; truly he is the epitome of The Greatest Generation. His is an example of a ``life done right''--as evidenced by a family and many friends who love him dearly, and the countless people whose lives he has affected in myriad ways. He sets the standard by which we all should be judged.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to congratulate Senior Master Sergeant Adam M. Walter upon the occasion of his retirement from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard (PaANG) after 24 years of dedicated service.

Sergeant Walter entered the PaANG in January 2002, diligently working his way to the rank of Senior Master Sergeant in October 2022. In 2003, he joined the 193rd Special Operations Wing as a video maintenance technician. During his illustrious career, he deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the 193rd Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron (2005), Qatar (2005, and between 2020 to 2023), and in Guam (2025), where he served with the 513th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron.

Sergeant Walter has earned a multitude of awards and decorations, including the: Meritorious Service Medal (w/3 OLC); Air and Space Commendation Medal; and Air and Space Achievement Medal (w/1 OLC). Between 2015 and 2017, he oversaw all acts related to the accounting of public funds and financial services for 1,800 Wing members, including travel pay, accounting, and vendor pay, and processed over 500 travel vouchers with a zero-error rate. Between 2020 and 2021, while deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, his support while battling the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic secured a 100 percent mission effectiveness rate during the execution of more than 1,300 combat missions. In addition, while deployed to Guam this year, his actions expedited an Airman's redeployment within 48 hours to ensure a final visit with a family during a time of need, and during a unit crisis, his leadership coordinated the rapid medical evacuation of two personnel.

While not performing military duty, Sergeant Walter is a higher education full-time administrator, adjunct faculty member, and self- employed business owner. In 2018, he earned his Doctor of Education and published his dissertation, ``Challenges faced by US Student Veterans Transitioning to a Community College.'' He previously earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Penn State and a master's degree in leadership and business ethics from Duquesne.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Senior Master Sergeant Adam M. Walter upon his retirement from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard and a job extremely well done. His dedicated service to his fellow Airmen, our communities, and our United States of America are the standard by which we all should be judged.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Chief Master Sergeant Robert S. Smith on his retirement from service to our Nation in the United States Air Force and Air National Guard.

Chief Smith entered the U.S. Air Force in December 1987, completing the Aerospace Ground Equipment Apprentice course in June 1988. During his active component service from June 1988 to October 1999, Chief Smith performed numerous support functions within the Maintenance Group and Logistics Group, as well as Quality Assurance Inspector and Exercise Evaluation Team Member.

Chief Smith deployed in support of myriad missions, including Operation Provide Comfort, Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Unified Protector. In 2013, he completed a tour at the Air National Guard Readiness Center as the subject matter expert for the A4/M Equipment Management section.

Currently, Chief Smith is the Command Chief Master Sergeant of the 193d Special Operations Wing based in Middletown, Pennsylvania--not only one of the largest Air National Guard units in the Country, but a premiere one unlike any other--a profound testament to his leadership skills. He serves as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Wing Commander on all issues affecting mission effectiveness, health, morale, readiness, enlisted development, and mentoring of approximately 1,900 Airmen.

Throughout his decorated career, Chief Smith earned a multitude of awards and decorations, to include the: Meritorious Service Medal (w/4 OLC); Air Force Commendation Medal (w/4 OLC); Air Force Achievement Medal; Pennsylvania Commendation Medal; General Thomas J. Stewart Medal; and the Major General Thomas R. White, Jr. Medal.

Chief Smith is a member of the National Guard Association of the United States, the Pennsylvania National Guard Association, the 193rd Special Operations Wing Association, and VFW Post 9738.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored and privileged to recognize Chief Master Smith on his retirement upon more than 38 years of service to our Nation in uniform--26 of those in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. His tireless service and dedication to his fellow Airmen and the United States of America set the standard by which we all should be judged.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Chief Steven Kingsborough of the Middlesex Township Police Department on his retirement upon 40 years of tireless service.

Chief Kingsborough's decorated tenure protecting the Citizens of Middlesex Township began as a patrol officer in August 1985. In 1986, he attended the Pennsylvania State Police Academy in Hershey and graduated as a member of the 49th Municipal Police Training Class. He was promoted to Corporal in January 1987 and served for 10 years before being promoted to Sergeant. In 2017, he was promoted to Lieutenant, where he served for three years before being named Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety on January 1, 2020.

Throughout his outstanding and tireless career, Chief Kingsborough was recognized by Middlesex Township with an Exceptional Service award, a Medal of Honor, a Purple Heart, 2 Meritorious Service awards, 2 Outstanding Arrest awards, an Outstanding Community Service award, 2 Medals of Valor, and a Silver Star.

Chief Kingsborough also finishes his career as the Certified Instructor for First Aid and CPR classes, Firearms qualifications training, Self Defense training, Non-Lethal Force training, and Taser and OC Spray usage training for the Department and for the Municipal Police Officers Training and Education Commission. He is also certified by the federal government in National Incident Management Systems and Federal Motor Carrier Commercial Vehicle Inspections.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored and privileged to congratulate Chief Steven Kingsborough's selfless, tireless, dedicated, and exceptional career of 40 years of law enforcement service to community, Commonwealth, and Country. He has made a lasting mark on Middlesex Township and its citizens in countless ways, and he embodies the term ``servant leader.'' Chief Kingsborough's service sets the standard by which we all should be judged.