Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise today to honor my longtime chief of staff, my campaign manager in 2012, and a proud daughter of the Midwest, Sarah Benzing.

Sarah grew up in Neola, IA, a town of about 800 people. There were just 36 people in her rural high school in the Tri-Center Community School District.

Sarah was raised by her parents Nick and Diana Benzing, in a family of farmers, truck drivers, and union members: AFSCME, IAM, NEA, UAW.

And Sarah has brought those working-class values to everything she has done throughout an accomplished career serving the public.

It is become a bit of a cliche to say that someone never forgot where they came from. Not only has Sarah never forgotten her roots, they are woven into every decision she makes and every job she has done.

She has worked all over the country, from Iowa to Massachusetts to Virginia to, of course, Ohio, which she adopted as her second home. Sarah has put working people at the center of all she does.

So many of the people who have worked with her in this office have shared stories about what makes her such an effective and admired leader and mentor.

She has a unique ability to quickly grasp and cut to the heart of any problem and to pull the right people together and empower them to solve it. She is not just a boss; she is truly a manager. She sees people's strengths and elevates them into the right roles to accomplish things as a team.

As a manager, she has always been there to help, but she also knows when the best way to help is to push you to meet your own potential.

It is easy to get caught up in the day to day stress of running an office or a campaign, and to lose track of actually managing staff. Sarah never does. She takes the time to invest in people, and the office serves Ohioans better for it.

A testament to that is how many of the people she has worked with who remain close personal friends.

Sarah brings a warmth and approachability to the office that could probably only come from both a Midwesterner and from someone who began her career as an organizer. Around the office, staff call her the People's Chief. You are just as likely to find her chatting in the front office with the staff

assistants as you are behind a closed door with the legislative director.

Swapping recipes, chatting about pets, remembering details about people's lives and their families, Sarah makes time for everyone and gets to know everyone who comes through this office.

And she brings the joy. She never takes anything, including herself, too seriously, and she makes this job fun whenever and however she can. Cookie competitions, book club, potlucks, even a mock Iowa caucus, work is never boring when Sarah is in charge. And her enthusiasm is infectious.

Over a decade as chief, Sarah has also become a master of this institution. She knows how to get things done.

And all of that stems from her judgement and her internal compass, always seeing this job through the eyes of workers.

When we first began working on the multiemployer pension crisis more than 7 years ago, most people in this town didn't want to touch it. No one thought it was solvable, and they thought it was too politically risky. A lot of staffers in this building probably would have advised me against getting involved. But Sarah dove in.

And one reason is that she didn't just sit in Washington discussing the policy. She actually met the people. She spent time in Ohio talking with Rita Lewis and Mike Walden and so many of the Ohio workers and retirees whose retirement security--pensions they earned and paid into--was about to be ripped away.

And in no small part because of Sarah's skill and commitment, we got it done.

For the rest of their lives, 100,000 Ohioans will get checks in the mail every month from the pensions they earned because of the work of this office, led by Sarah Benzing.

That was emblematic of how Sarah approached this job. She didn't stay in Washington. She came to Ohio as often as possible, traveling all over the State meeting with workers and small businesses owners and local leaders all over the State.

She is an excellent listener, and so often, the result of those conversations was legislation or other actions that made a real difference in people's lives. She paid just as much attention to our staff in Ohio as those in DC.

Sarah also understood that to get things done for Ohio, we had to work with our colleagues, regardless of party. Sarah forged bonds with and is respected by chiefs on both sides of the aisle.

She knew how important it was for Ohioans that their Senators work together for our State. For the majority of my time in the Senate, our counterpart was Senator Portman. Sarah and Senator Portman's chief forged a genuine and productive partnership, working together on everything from strengthening trade enforcement to protecting Lake Erie to securing resources for Ohio.

Sarah's time as chief has spanned multiple Presidents, two impeachments, a global pandemic. And through it all, Sarah has had an uncommon steadiness about her leadership.

Sarah has been a steady and visionary leader for this office--and for Connie and me, an invaluable confidant and friend.

We first met Sarah not in Washington, but in Ohio. We sat around our kitchen table with Connie and John Ryan and our dog Gracie, who took to Sarah immediately. Sitting there over homemade chili, with Gracie sitting next to Sarah as she scratched Gracie's ears, talking about Ohio and the campaign ahead--and about our families and about Sarah's hometown and about our pets, as the conversation wandered--it was so clear that Sarah belonged.

She would move to Ohio a few weeks later. And over the years, Sarah gotten to know that kitchen table well. She has become part of--at times, it feels like the heart of--a big extended family. And we have gotten to know her family; she is so devoted to her husband Erik and her stepchildren Jay, Daona, and Noa.

Sarah, thank you for a life of service to our country and the people who make it work and for nearly 15 years of friendship.

Mr. President, today I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring our administrative team. Their hard work and dedication make our day-to-day operations possible.

They are the glue that holds our office together, from making sure staff have the technology they need to do their jobs, to making sure to ensuring that every day runs as smoothly as possible for staff and for the Ohioans who interact with our office.

Every single member of Team Brown depends on the administrative and operations team.

From the staff assistants who man the front desks, to the special assistants who oversee the interns, without your work, this office wouldn't have accomplished nearly as much or been able to do our best work for Ohio.

None of our work would be possible with our deputy chief of staff and longtime operations director, Mary Topolinski.

Mary joined our office at the beginning of 2009. From her first days on the job, it was clear that nothing fell through the cracks on Mary's watch. She was on top of everything. She was always thinking three steps ahead and had solutions even before problems arose.

Her job entailed more than anyone could ever realize, and she was always looking for new ways to help support the people who work here and the Ohioans we serve.

She always made sure staff was taken care of and had what they needed, whether it was straightforward or complicated. And no matter how long it took, Mary was there.

When COVID struck and launched our office into uncertain times and almost every policy and procedure went out the window, Mary handled it with grace.

She made sure the office kept running smoothly as we transitioned to remote work. She made sure everyone had the information and support that they needed to keep doing their jobs and that there would be no interruption in service for Ohioans.

Because of Mary, we were able to keep serving Ohio in a moment when they needed us the most. Our constituent phone lines stayed on. Casework continued. Our worked never so much as paused. It was a hard time for everyone and for staff, and Mary was a rock.

When we returned to the office, the same was true.

Her dedication to this body extended beyond even this office. Mary was always working to make the Senate a better place to work, serving on committees to put in place new systems and technologies to support the work of every office.

As the operations director, Mary navigated delicate situations, sometimes had to have tough conversations, and always made sure our work remained centered on the people we serve.

She did it all with grace and thoughtfulness and care for her colleagues.

For Team Brown, Mary always showed up. Her door was always open, and she was always ready to offer advice or support or to just listen.

Mary understood that this office is more than just a place people work; it is a huge part of our staff's lives, and they do their jobs better when there is comradery and a little fun.

She planned happy hours and office events and staff outings, making sure everyone felt welcome and enjoyed themselves. She organized book club and holiday parties and celebrations for birthdays and staff departures and special events in people's lives.

For 15 years, Mary made this office run, and she made it thrive. Mary oversaw a team spanning from DC to Cleveland to Columbus to Cincinnati. Together, they made our work for Ohioans possible.

Anourath Arounlangsy, our deputy administrative director and lead intern coordinator, took care of everyone on the team. Whether coaching an intern through a difficult situation or providing staff with support, he missed no detail. Anourath sees through every single task assigned and catches mistakes before they happen. He works hard every single day and is a joy to be around.

Nelson Richardson, our systems administrator, has the difficult task of managing equipment and troubleshooting technology for dozens of staff. He does so without getting flustered or

frustrated, remaining calm in every storm. He is a natural leader, often lending an ear and offering sound advice to younger staff. Nelson is mission driven and a public servant at his core.

Marcus Nowling is a Columbus native and graduate of Denison University. As a special assistant, Marcus essentially served as chief problem solver. One of his many jobs was getting out thousands of handwritten notes from the Senator to Ohioans. Marcus was always a delight to work with.

Constituents and guests ready to meet with our office are greeted at the front office by Erik Gomez and Lila Jarouche, our two DC staff assistants. They both organize U.S. Capitol tours for Ohioans visiting our Nation's Capital, get flags flown over the Capitol for constituents, have mentored interns, and answer hundreds of calls per week, among many other tasks.

Erik Gomez was a spring 2023 intern from Kent State University and was hired on that same semester as a DC staff assistant. He is passionate about public service and was named as a Top Staff Assistant on Capitol Hill last year.

Lila Jarouche is a recent graduate from the University of Toledo. She was selected as a fall 2023 intern and was also hired on as a full-time D.C. staff assistant where she excelled in constituent services, took on many legislative responsibilities, and generally excels in any task she is given.

Henry Binder and Bella Fletcher joined as special projects assistants and aided significantly in reviewing over 500 congressionally directed spending requests, had keen attention to detail, and worked diligently.

Dariah Williams, our State scheduler, began on Team Brown as a staff assistant, helping with constituent services, as well as special projects. Dariah's willingness to take on more and help the team however we needed expanded her role to State scheduling. Dariah cares deeply about Ohio and public service.

Helen Clark, a Cleveland staff assistant and intern coordinator, takes on every task given with gusto and has been called the beating heart of the Cleveland office. She wrote heartfelt congratulatory letters to constitutions. She handles detailed research and has a passion for bringing constituents and their families joy. Helen was key in planning our annual women's Conference and Propel Ohio events. Helen is a true public servant.

Playon Patrick is former intern turned staff assistant in our Columbus office. Playon excels at constituent services, particularly handling sometimes difficult phone calls. He has a keen eye for processes and has good ideas for making improvements.

As Cincinnati staff assistant, Willow Lopez was willing to take on anything given. She helped plan our annual women's conference as soon as she joined the office. Her attention to detail and care for the work made that event a huge success. As a former teacher, Willow also excelled at aiding in our intern program. Training and mentoring interns is a natural skill for her.

None of the work in our office would have been possible without Diana Baron, our director of scheduling.

Earlier this year, we celebrated her 25 years of service to the people of Ohio. She is an institution in this office and an invaluable resource to every department.

From making sure I could meet with every Ohioan possible, to making it all over our State to roundtables and plant tours and picket lines and speeches and events, Diana was behind the scenes making it happen. From navigating confusing vote schedules to getting staff the information they need to do their jobs, Diana gets it done.

She is a thoughtful colleague who makes a true effort to get to know everyone on our team, and turns coworkers into friends--not to mention a legendary baker, and an avid traveler.

And over her 25 years, as our team has changed, Diana's dedication to Ohio and her respect for this institution has remained steadfast. For that, we are grateful.

Mr. President, today I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Banking and Housing Committee staff. Their hard work and dedication took a committee that once fought only for Wall Street and transformed it into a body focused on the issues that matter most to the people we serve.

All the important work we have done on the Banking and Housing Committee over the last decade would not have been possible without the leadership of our staff director Laura Swanson.

Laura is a lifelong public servant, a brilliant strategic mind, and one of my most trusted advisers. She puts workers at the center of everything she does and she has since the very beginning of her career.

Laura joined the committee in 2011, working for her home State Senator, Chairman Tim Johnson of South Dakota.

When I became the lead Democrat on the Banking and Housing Committee in 2015, I brought Laura onto my staff, and she rose to staff director in 2019. Laura is the first woman to ever hold the top job on this committee for a Democrat, and she has done this job for 6 years, longer than any of the six most recent Democratic staff directors. She has strategized with me through every crisis, every markup, every hearing.

As a manager, Laura cares about the whole person. Her door is always open to staff. As often as people ask her for work advice, they ask for a book recommendation or talk about music together or tell her about a recent trip.

Laura is kind, decent, and humble. And she is a good listener, a quality that is all too rare in this town. In meetings, she invites everyone to weigh in so that the best decision can be made with all the information we have. When we are faced with the toughest problems, Laura always finds a way through.

When I became chair, Laura and I took the opportunity to finally bring the focus of this committee back where it belongs: the people who make this country work.

We brought the CEOs of the country's largest Wall Street banks to testify every year for the first time in history. Same with the CEOs of the credit reporting firms, which hold tremendous power over people's abilities to buy a house or get a job and are almost never held accountable.

We confirmed a diverse slate of nominees to important positions, including the first Black woman and first Latina woman to serve as Federal Reserve Governor; the first woman of color to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency; the first Black woman to lead EXIM; and more.

It is easy in this town to become angry or jaded or hopeless. Laura has resisted that and retained a refreshing eternal optimism. We owe it to those we serve to keep going. I will, and I know Laura will, too.

Thank you, Laura, for your 20 years of service in the Senate, 14 of those years on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. I am grateful to have spent 10 of those years working together and learning from you.

Elisha Tuku is a brilliant attorney and a thoughtful colleague. He has worked for the Banking and Housing Committee for more than a decade.

Elisha's colleagues describe him as ``the real deal.'' He has an unmatched, encyclopedic depth of firsthand knowledge about securities and the financial system. You can try to roll him with complicated lingo, but it won't work. It helps that he genuinely can't get enough of this stuff; he comes into work with Bloomberg radio in his headphones and leaves in the evening listening to financial news podcasts.

During negotiations of amendments or bill text, any time we needed to break through the legalese more quickly than should be possible, Elisha was there and got it done. When we would otherwise be stuck, he moves us forward.

Elisha works hard and thinks nothing of it. He is a dedicated husband and a wonderful father, while still making himself available to staff who need his help, day or night.

Elisha can get along with anyone, regardless of their political or policy views. He can make a friend in any setting. He genuinely cares about people and maintains connections over years and years.

In the Banking and Housing Committee offices, Elisha peeks his head

into colleagues' offices, greeting them after a weekend away, asking about knick-knacks on their desks, and sharing stories about his son. He is quietly generous; he sends his coworkers gifts when they become new parents, and then he sends holiday gifts for their children, never expecting anything in return.

Elisha's door is always open if people need a sounding board. The walls of his office are decorated with photographs he has taken while traveling. He has a quick wit and is always ready to go back and forth on a round of baseball trivia with me. Despite his love for the Yankees, I have to admit, he knows baseball.

We have been lucky to have him on staff for as long as we have. Thank you, Elisha, for your many years of public service and for helping to lead the committee staff.

Min Cheng came to the committee shortly after I became chairman in 2021 as the press assistant. In that role, and then as press secretary, she propelled the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee's digital presence into the future, designing a new logo, growing our social media following dramatically, and producing videos of our committee members' work to protect workers and their families' money. This summer she became the committee's communications director.

Min has always performed at the highest level in any role. She is thoughtful, creative, always calm, and a true talent in finding ways to explain the complicated topics this committee often grapples with. She has a gift for turning complex jargon into plain language, and she built strong relationships with journalists.

She is a quick learner and helpful sounding board who brings out the best in her colleagues. Min is also a good mentor to others on the communications team. And Min always brings an amazing, dry sense of humor to her work, a quick wit that cuts through some of the craziness of politics and lightens up the office whenever we all need it.

She also has a full life off the Hill that allows her to put her creativity to use. She is a talented musician--singing in a choir, playing in bands, and with her own solo music projects. Min married her husband Jack this fall. Min has a bright future, and I am excited to see where her talents and interests take her.

As oversight counsel, Mohammad Aslami helped lead our efforts to get talented, diverse nominees on the job in roles throughout our government that are crucial to protecting the public.

Shannon Bacon came on as an intern with the committee and was quickly brought on as a full member of the housing and transit teams. She has a real commitment to public service and a bright future.

Emily Blaydes came to us from a legal aid organization in Massachusetts, where she helped renters stay in safe, affordable housing. She has continued that good work on housing issues, including introducing the YIGBY Act during her several years with the committee.

Erika Calderon has spent her career in public service and leads the committee's work on consumer protection. A few years ago, while working in a previous office, she wrote and got passed into law a measure requiring carbon monoxide detectors in public housing, no doubt saving lives.

Homer Carlisle has worked for the committee for more than a decade, and was instrumental in negotiating and passing the bipartisan infrastructure law and ensuring it contained the strongest ever Buy America rules. If you are seeing the bridge in your town get repaired, new buses on the roads, or expanded terminals at your local airport, chances are, you can thank Homer. Homer has also taken on additional work in our personal office, taking the lead on holding Norfolk Southern accountable and working to make our railways safer.

From an intern in the Columbus office, to leading the committee's work on mortgages and single-family housing, Megan Cheney has been working with me to improve Ohioans' lives and lower the cost of housing for more than 13 years.

Over a decade ago, my office appointed Will Clayton to be a Senate page. Five years later, he interned in the Columbus office. He has pretty much been with us since, mentoring interns, assisting constituents, and helping everything run smoothly, both in our Washington, DC, office and on the committee staff.

Beth Cooper has worked on the committee staff for more than 15 years. It is not an exaggeration to say that her work on renters' issues, vouchers, and public housing has touched lives in every corner of Ohio and across the country.

I have seen firsthand that Ben Finfrock's work ethic is like no other, as an intern and staff assistant in our DC office, and as my driver and press assistant on the committee. Whenever we need him, Ben is up before the sun rises and here past dinner with no complaints.

Sunny Glottmann has handled issues related to the Federal Reserve at a crucial time and led our work on bringing down prices and creating an economy that puts workers first.

Ann Peterson worked in the Obama administration, became an accomplished lawyer, and returned to government service to make our markets work better for families that are saving for and investing in their future.

As climate change disrupts communities and industries, John Richards brought decades of experience on Capitol Hill and at the Department of Energy to lead our work on climate risk.

Phil Rudd has worked for the committee for over a decade. Phil has worked nonstop through weekends, evenings, and holidays to negotiate bipartisan agreement on the CHIPS and Science Act, every annual defense bill, and more.

We first brought Jeff Schroeder on as an intern, then again as a fellow--finally, we were lucky enough to hire him full-time last year. He managed a wide portfolio with a steady hand and deep policy knowledge.

Jonathan Tsentas is a sharp strategist and keeps a cool head during times of crisis. His decade of experience in the Senate served our office well this year.

Shanna Winters has worked on some big, historic bills in her time in Congress, including the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, legislation to curb the flow of fentanyl into our communities. She helped bring country music star Jason ``Jelly Roll'' DeFord to testify in support, helped secure a unanimous vote out of committee, and got the bill passed and signed into law within 1 year of introduction.

As a detailee from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Sean Young has been a core part of our team, writing hearing statements, conducting oversight, and managing a portfolio of important banking issues.

Serena Booth has used technical expertise and a consumer-first focus to lead the committee's work on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies in financial services. Her future students at Brown University will be lucky to know her and to learn from her, just as we have been.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the people in my office who are on the frontlines of our work serving the public: my casework team. Our casework team is the best in the country.

They have spent every day working to solve Ohioans' problems and make their lives a little bit easier. There was never an issue too complex, no case too daunting, no lengths we wouldn't go to serve an Ohioan in need.

Whether it was ensuring that a Social Security check came through on time, getting veterans the benefits and care they earned from their service, helping farmers and small businesses access Federal assistance programs, facilitating passports and visas, or working to connect constituents with a Federal Agency, this team is essential to our work for Ohio.

I am proud of the fact that in the 18 years I have been in the Senate, our casework team has assisted nearly 150,000 Ohioans with a Federal issue.

John Patterson has led our outstanding casework team throughout this term and has served in our office for all 18 years.

Fresh off my Senate campaign in 2006, John joined my Cleveland office as a staff assistant. After just 2 years,

he moved into a caseworker and scheduling role. Throughout his decade of service as a constituent advocate, John's deep commitment to the people of Ohio was clear, and at the beginning of this last term, John began leading casework team as our constituent services manager.

For the last 6 years, John has led the team through some of our busiest years, including when new challenges and cases arose during the pandemic.

John manages one of the largest casework teams in the country and setting them up for success. He gives thoughtful advice and lends an ear or a helping hand, while simultaneously maintaining his own caseload, often working late nights and weekends to get the job done.

That is because service is more than just his job; it is his life's mission. Service is at the heart of everything he does. He makes sure the constituent is at the heart of everything we do and always celebrates his team's successes. The casework stories he shares on our Friday staff calls brighten everyone's day and remind us why we are here.

Our office has received so many letters and voicemails thanking John for the work he did.

In one recent case, John was assisting a man from Akron who also owned a working farm. Norfolk Southern owned a rail crossing that ran right in front of the entrance to his farm and was in serious disrepair. He was afraid someone would get stuck on the tracks trying to get to work on the farm and be struck by a train.

For nearly a year, John worked every angle trying to get Norfolk Southern to fix its dangerous crossing. And because of his persistence, this October, John finally received word--and tremendous thanks--from the Ohioan that the crossing was fixed.

Those are the kinds of results John got.

One note we got from an Ohioan this summer, whom John helped in a passport emergency, said, ``Without your inquiry, this would not have happened.'' We hear that over and over about John, on issue after issue.

John also understands that casework is more than just helping Ohioans with individual problems; good casework informs good policy.

Whenever John recognized patterns in our casework, he brought them to the larger team. When Iraq and Afghanistan veterans came to my office with their healthcare challenges, we wrote and passed the PACT Act. Today, tens of thousands of Ohio veterans and a million across the country have access to the healthcare they earned during their service because public servants like John Patterson went to bat for them.

In addition to his work, John Patterson leaves a lasting impression on his colleagues and the people he served.

His colleagues love hearing stories about his travels, including his annual trip to the Achiever Fest in Louisville; that is a celebration of ``The Big Lebowski'' for those unaware. And he is known throughout the whole office for his love of rollercoasters that sends him to theme parks around the country.

His colleagues speak of his kindness and attentiveness and the joy he brought to his team, the Cleveland office, and my entire staff.

I thank John for his years of service to the people of Ohio.

Joe Henry started as an intern in my office and rose up through the ranks to become a leader on our casework team. For 18 years, he has been a role model to young staff with an interest in public service.

Joe joined my Cleveland office in 2007 where he first got a feel for working directly with constituents, answering their phone calls, receiving their letters, and greeting them at the front door. He then became a staff assistant in my Columbus office in 2008 and rose quickly.

In 2009, Joe joined the casework team as a constituent advocate and has dedicated his career to serving thousands of Ohioans ever since. Joe's an expert, plain and simple. He is an institutional source of knowledge for so many, both on my team and in other parts of the Federal Government, and his attention to detail and restless persistence are admired by all.

Joe manages one of the most difficult casework portfolios in our office. During the pandemic, Joe served as a liaison for every Ohioan who didn't get their stimulus check from the IRS. He helped thousands of constituents navigate student loan payment deferral and student loan forgiveness programs. He worked with small businesses and guided them through Federal pandemic assistance, like the Paycheck Protection Program that kept many Ohio small businesses open. No task was too tall, no letter too long, no case too complex for Joe Henry.

An elderly couple from Hamilton, OH, got answers from the IRS because of Joe Henry.

Grieving parents dealing with the loss of their son, who were convinced that their government had forgotten them, had their son's student loans forgiven because of Joe Henry.

The sheriff's deputy in Mansfield, who lives across the street from the house I grew up in, was able to pass on his G.I. benefits to his son because of Joe Henry.

Public service is more than just Joe's job. His passion for it shines through in everything he does. He started Propel, our annual student leadership conference for college and community college students. In his free time, he teaches civics at the Ohio State University's John Glenn College of Public Affairs and fosters the next generation of public servants.

With a quick wit and a mastery of sarcasm, Joe has made a lasting impact on his colleagues and the people he has served. He is an avid fan of the Columbus Crew, and he and his husband John can often be found cheering them on at games.

Joe Henry, thank you for your service to our office and to the people of Ohio.

And our casework team wouldn't be complete with all the advocates who have dedicated themselves to improving the lives of their Ohio neighbors.

Paulanne Oakes has been a fixture of our casework team for nearly 17 years. She carries limitless wisdom which she shares with all who get the chance to know her. Paulanne was the strongest advocate for those who are often overlooked and never got knocked down. She is warm and caring, with a calming presence that made her a natural at serving constituents dealing with frustrating and stressful situations. Her attitude and spirit brought joy to all who worked with her.

Blair Austin helped more than 1,700 constituents get their passports in less than 2 years, always with a smile on her face and an eagerness to help.

Christina Corrigan, the newest member of our casework team, served with distinction and worked to help immigrants and families in our State.

Brad Deane has served Ohioans for a decade and a half, demonstrating tremendous care for everyone he serves, and diligently working to secure resources for Ohio communities through Federal grants.

Christian Hill dutifully managed one of the most emotionally challenging casework portfolios, working with law enforcement agencies, victims of violent crimes and their families, and those who have been targeted by scams. He is also one hell of a driver.

Sue Klein, one of my dearest friends, leaves her mark on so many of my staff. Her care for our interns and younger staff, and her management of our military service academy nominations process has expanded so many on our team's faith in our country. Just don't get between her and the TV during a Browns or a Guardians game.

Zak Lingo lights up any room he walks into and has served Ohioans with distinction.

Seth Pringle has worked in my office since 2016, advocating for Ohioans. He is also a member of the Ohio National Guard and served in the U.S. Army. We are grateful for his service to our State and our country.

Evan Schalon is wise beyond his years. With patience, integrity, and a deep intuition, he showed up on day one ready to serve.

Logan Snell, our intake specialist and one of the newest members of our casework team, quickly integrated into the office and made himself an integral part of the team.

Meghann Tatz is exceptional. Whether in our Lorain or Columbus offices, she was always a strong ally for any Ohioan who walked in the door.

Meghan Vogel has been an outstanding public servant. The word we heard most often when reading her

feedback from constituents: ``superstar.''

Casework is not glamorous. It doesn't get big headlines or show up in the papers. It is often some of the hardest work we do in my Senate office

Every day, our advocates reach out to Ohioans who may be rightfully frustrated that their government isn't working as it should. They haven't gotten their Social Security; they have been denied certain benefits; they don't understand what the IRS is asking of them.

But our caseworkers have been there to listen and to help. And even more, our caseworkers have dedicated their time and their careers and their lives to making Ohioans' lives a little bit easier. We put constituents at the center of everything we do. And that is what our caseworkers dedicated themselves to every day in my office. I thank them all for their service to Ohio and to our country.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor my communications team. All that we do in government--passing legislation, pushing for investment in Ohio, holding government and corporations accountable-- doesn't mean much if the people we serve don't know about it and don't understand why it matters to their lives. That is what our communications team does.

Our communications staff interact every day with journalists in Ohio, treating reporters with the respect they deserve and an appreciation for the crucial work they do.

And they interact with Ohioans all over our State who want to know whether their government is serving them.

The comms team helps all of us think a little less about how something might sound in Washington and a lot more about how it will be understood by Ohioans.

Kevin Donohoe has led our communications team over the past 2 years with an appreciation for the importance and integrity of journalism and for how ordinary Ohioans get their information and interact with their government.

Kevin is the newest senior member of our team, but after only a few short months on the job, it seemed to most of us like he had been here forever. He fit seamlessly into Team Brown.

Despite being a quintessential New Englander, Kevin immediately made it his mission to not just learn about Ohio, but to really embed himself in the culture of our State. And he quickly earned the trust and respect of Ohio journalists.

Within a few short months on the job, Kevin had been to East Palestine, which was still reeling from Norfolk Southern's toxic train derailment. He had been to the grand opening of the Bit-O-Honey line at Spangler Candy that the Butch Lewis Act made possible. And he was telling anyone who would listen about how cool our summer manufacturing camps are and the projects he saw kids working on in Dayton.

Kevin quickly--intuitively--understood the mission of this office. And he was able to translate that mission to the public and bring the work of government to the people who matter most: the people we serve.

Few are better at taking in large amounts of new information and being able to quickly articulate a vision and a strategy. Kevin is nothing if not a strategic thinker.

Kevin also brought out the best in a young, talented communications staff. He is excellent at providing people direction, while still giving them room to grow--to learn to do things themselves and to develop their own instincts.

He was the comms team's biggest advocate. He was always looking for opportunities for staff not just to thrive in their jobs, but to grow and to take on new challenges.

In this job, it would have been easy to hunker down and leave little room for fun. But that is not Kevin.

No one would ever accuse him of being low energy or taking himself too seriously; he is known for pacing the office with a baseball bat. One staffer even dressed as Kevin for Halloween, coffee stains and rumpled hair included. But we like rumpled in this office.

And that energy is infectious. Kevin never does anything halfway, and he has brought that combination of enthusiasm and focus to the entire team.

Katie Mulhall Quintela has served in my Senate communications shop since 2015, beginning her Senate career as my speechwriter and continuing to serve the people of Ohio and the Nation as a senior member of my Senate team.

Over the last decade, Katie has been a leader in advancing the dignity of work, having helped craft a strong message advocating for American workers and rallying against corporate greed. She and I have worked together to draft countless speeches, remarks, op-eds, and letters to the editor.

With every word, Katie always remembered who we were working for and speaking to. She helped elevate the voices of the people of Ohio and workers across the country here in Washington, making sure their stories were told. And she invited them into the conversation by cutting through the Washington jargon to ensure the focus was always the lives of the people we serve.

Together, often with Connie, we have poured over pages to get the words just right, whether in preparing for my March 3, 2017, speech at Ohio State University unveiling our plan, ``Working Too Hard for Too Little,'' or drafting a floor speech honoring Ohio workers or selecting the right words to needle a CEO before the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.

And in what is perhaps one of my favorite pastimes, we have kept the editorial department at the Wall Street Journal on its toes, calling out its anti-worker, free-trade-loving board at every opportunity. There is not a statement or public speech I have given in the last decade that Katie's work with me hasn't made better.

Katie is smart and collaborative. She is also my toughest critic. Her persistence and good advice are one of the reasons our office has been so successful and our message has always resonated with so many people across the country and State.

While her messaging advice and strong writing are her career, it is so much more than words on a paper to Katie. She is deeply committed to making our country a better place for working people and has been there for some of our toughest Senate battles and some of my proudest moments serving in the U.S. Senate.

Katie has gotten to know the pensioners and was a part of passing the Butch Lewis Act on their behalf. She learned the stories of veterans in our State and their spouses as we fought to pass the PACT Act. She shares those successes on behalf of Ohio and the American people.

Connie and I have come to know Katie and her family over the years, including her son Charlie, who even dressed up as me for Halloween. I am honored she chose to devote her career to the people of Ohio, and I will miss working with her each day.

Brian Lyons, a proud son of Youngstown, began as a press intern more than 4 years ago and worked his way up from intern to press assistant to press secretary. Few have grown more in their jobs than Brian, who is a gifted strategist, has built relationships with--and earned the respect of--reporters all across the State and has developed an encyclopedic knowledge of the Ohio press corps. His passion for this job and for Ohio workers is so clear in all that he does.

Elaine Vilem brought all of her passion for her home State--not to mention the Guardians--to this job. Her warmth and her ability to connect with anyone, combined with her stellar instincts and ability to think on her feet, made her a natural at organizing events across Ohio.

Maggie Amjad is the definition of a utility player. From her start as both a deputy speechwriter and press assistant, she quickly proved herself indispensable to the entire team--talented at both writing and press alike, ready to step up to any task, excel at it, and do it with enthusiasm.

Logan Basch's creativity is evident in all he does, getting our message out to Ohioans, from videos to newsletters to memes I have never even heard of on Instagram. Logan isn't just skilled at what he does; he is always ready to pitch in, stepping up to assist the rest of the team wherever he can.

Mr. President, today I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a driving force on my staff, our legislative team.

Without their expertise and dedication and talent, we would not have been able to do the vital work we have done to fight for the dignity of work.

From the Butch Lewis Act that saved the pensions of 100,000 Ohio workers to the PACT Act that extended benefits for veterans exposed to toxins while serving our country to the $35 cap on the price of insulin, the lives of Ohioans--of Americans--are better because of this team.

The work of our legislative team would not be possible without the leadership and guidance of our deputy chief of staff and, before that, our longtime legislative director Jeremy Hekhuis.

Jeremy joined Team Brown 2011 as our legislative director. And while he attended the University of Michigan for law school--something he never lets staff forget--Jeremy has been one of Ohio's best advocates. He understands this State and the issues that matter most to its people.

Over 14 years, Jeremy served as our legislative director, Banking Committee deputy staff director and deputy chief and counsel, and he pushed forward an agenda that put Ohio and the people who make this country work first. Without Jeremy's masterful maneuvering and endless knowledge, many of these wins wouldn't have happened. Anyone who has worked with Jeremy knows he is more than just an effective staffer; he is a force.

He always has another big idea, another path to try, another way to deliver for Ohio. Jeremy never gives up; his persistence is legendary.

Of course, big ideas don't mean much if you don't know how to get things done. Jeremy does; few understand how to make the Senate work better than Jeremy.

He knows that the biggest wins can be the result of the longest fights. He sees the value in the long game, and finding the right moment to spring into action, there is no one better at making sure everything is ready to go, and then seizing the right opportunity.

He has done it over and over again. It is how we expanded the Child Tax Credit, saved the pensions of 100,000 Ohioans, and expanded healthcare for veterans. It is how we got a new middle school in Piketon and FEND Off Fentanyl passed into law. Jeremy's fingerprints are on everything that has come out of this office and the Banking and Housing Committee--every bill, every letter, every investment, every win.

He worked alongside our legislative assistants and aides and pushed his team to consider every angle and every possible scenario to ensure they did their best work for Ohio. He is known for his late-night phone calls from the aisles of the grocery store and early morning calls from the trail as he bikes into the office.

When I became ranking member of the Banking and Housing Committee in 2015, Jeremy took on double duty in our office, stepping up to serve as the deputy staff director on the Banking and Housing Committee, in addition to his work as LD. In this role, Jeremy served as the thread connecter, coordinating work between the two teams and helping merge them into one larger operation.

His office door was always open to staff to ask questions or get his eyes on a memo or letter or speech. He was a resource for every department and a near expert on Ohio--and a whole lot of other unexpected subjects.

And in an intense and high stakes work environment, it can be hard to find people that always lead with kindness, but that is Jeremy. He always finds the good in people. He always finds the common ground. And he always finds a way to work with everyone. It is why he is so good at this job; this institution is built on relationships.

While he is the best at what he does in the Senate, the job he is most proud of is dad to Hannah, Isaiah, and Caleb and husband to Christine. His love of public service is only rivaled by his love of family and of music, craft beer, kimchi, and great food and good company.

We couldn't have delivered for Ohio without Jeremy. Jeremy, thank you for nearly a decade and a half of your big ideas and your exceptional service.

Our legislative team--and our whole office--couldn't function without our legislative director, Abby Duggan.

Abby joined our office in 2013 as a legislative correspondent. From Abby's first days on Team Brown, her talent, thoroughness, and attention to detail stood out.

It was no surprise that over the next 10 years, Abby worked her way up in the office becoming a legislative aide, then a legislative assistant, and eventually deputy legislative director before becoming legislative director.

Abby has the rare combination of care and compassion for the people we serve and for her colleagues, combined with a deep understanding of the technical parts of legislating.

Her legislative work focused primarily on our health portfolio working to expand access to healthcare for Ohioans and people across the country and to bring down drug prices and healthcare costs.

Her vigilant defense of the Affordable Care Act ensured that Ohioans had access to care they need. She worked alongside Governor Kasich's team to expand Medicaid and was instrumental in strengthening and extending the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.

She also worked hard to secure a commitment to consolidate and upgrade Cincinnati's two aging National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health facilities. The construction phase of that project is right around the corner.

As the addiction crisis strained communities across the country, Abby worked to deliver real solutions for Ohioans, from working with Senator Portman's team to pass the CRIB Act to increasing access to residential treatment programs for Ohioans who rely on Medicaid.

Much of Abby's work centered on fighting for Ohio children and the State's children's hospitals. She pushed for increased funding for pediatric research and fellowship programs to train the next generation of pediatricians. Legislation she helped write to prevent stillbirths and sudden unexpected deaths in infants and children is now law.

And because of Abby, people of all ages in Ohio are living healthier lives and have better, more affordable healthcare.

Many Ohioans probably recognize her from her work to support our office's Congressionally Directed Spending projects. Over the course of the past 3 years, the team has secured nearly $500 million in funding to support more than 325 unique projects across Ohio.

Abby brings out the best in this team. She helped make this office the place it was.

Abby, in some sense, grew up in this office. She got married. She welcomed a son and dealt with all the challenges that come with being a new parent while doing a tough job.

On Team Brown, Abby is a steady presence and is always focused on how best to support the legislative team and mentor staff. Abby is a natural manager.

She has a keen eye for talent. She recognizes her team's strengths, meets staffers where they are, and creates opportunities to help everyone grow in their roles.

Abby has recruited many fellows to our office over the years-- talented temporary additions to our staff who bring outside expertise, but who have often never worked in Congress before. Many of these former fellows were here this week, in the Gallery for my final floor speech.

Under Abby's tutelage, often after only a few months working in the Senate, these fellows were fully integrated into the office, introducing bills and shepherding legislation. That is the Abby touch.

As a manager, Abby always has the right solution, knows the right thing to say, and handles every situation with grace. She makes sure that everyone feels heard, that problems are resolved, and that the people we serve are at the center of every decision we make.

Abby, thank you for bringing your warmth and your passion and your skill to this job serving Ohioans for more than a decade.

Abby and Jeremy led a team of talented policy staffers with diverse interests and specialties all working to better the lives of the people we serve.

Chad Bolt led our tax portfolio, and the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit wouldn't have happened without Chad's work. He is also the reason the Social Security Fairness Act passed the House this year and will be voted on in the Senate later this week. Chad is the guy you want on your team; he is collaborative, a resource for junior staff and new team members, a creative thinker who gets it done, and an incredible kickball player.

Wes King covers our agriculture, energy, and environment portfolios. He writes more letters in a day than most Senate LAs do in a month, and they are always exactly what we need to fight for constituents. He is also the volunteer manager of his neighborhood community garden and brings in excess goodies from his garden for the staff to enjoy.

Drew Martineau, our defense and veterans staffer, is everyone's go-to guy. Every group who meets with the office raves about how excellent Drew is. And it is not just because he is a good listener who understands the policy; it is because he cares and follows through. Drew is also a great leader and leads by example, having worked his way up in the office from my driver in Ohio to a senior member of my legislative team. You can tell he was captain of his college baseball team, a tradition he has continued as captain of our office's softball league, where he has been a fearless leader and makes everyone in the office feel valued and included, especially our interns.

Brendan Flynn, our judiciary legislative assistant, is committed to constituent services, and it shows in everything he does. He always works to put Ohioans first, whether it is fighting the administration to get resources to communities in need or organizing a judicial commission process to ensure our Federal judges represent the best Ohio has to offer. He is always there to chat with his colleagues, especially if it is about theater, cooking techniques, or his hometown Las Vegas.

Kimberly Lattimore now covers our health portfolio and always makes constituents feel welcome and heard. Her passion for public health and fighting for vulnerable communities shows in the work she does every day. She recently became an aunt, and Kimberly has spent lots of time getting to know the newest member of her extended family.

Lyndsey Barnes, our economic adviser, is a committed public servant. I will always remember she said in her interview that the most important role in a Senate office is its casework team. She understands that this work is about helping people, about the dignity of their work. Lyndsey is from Buffalo and has dedicated the past decade of her life to improving the lives of folks living on and around Route 90, whether they be in western New York or Ohio.

The work of our legislative assistants is supported every day by our team of legislative correspondents and aides.

Amy Myers joined our team after years working for the residents of New Jersey, but quickly grew to know Ohio. Amy knows just about everyone on Capitol Hill and is always ready to help a colleague make a connection or share a story from a friend.

Francis Goins is passionate about serving his home State and advocating for policy to improve our Nation's healthcare system. He ran track in college and will be joining our armed services early next year, dedicating more of his career to serving our country in a different way.

Andy Dickson loves Ohio and meeting with constituents. He finds joy delivering for his home State every day. He always makes people feel comfortable and loves to hear about where they are from and what they love about Ohio. He also recently adopted a cat Denny.

Cierra Stewart has done an incredible job stepping in to fill in whenever we need her, whether it is because a team member leaves and we need coverage on the portfolio or we need someone to take the lead on the College Presidents Conference. She did a great job working on our Resolution to Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis. She has also dedicated her personal time to service organizations and others dedicated to building up congressional staff, including the SBLC and others. I am excited for her next adventure; Cierra plans to attend law school starting next fall.

Diop Harris, while originally from the State to the north of Ohio, served the people of Ohio for 3 years. He spent his time working on issues both in our personal office and partnering with my staff on the Banking and Housing Committee to make sure Ohioans who reached out to us with questions received an update on issues they care about.

Lila Jarouche worked both as a staff assistant and supported the legislative team. She excelled in every project she took on and is a natural leader. Her work improved our reach to Ohioans by responding to more than 100,000 pieces of mail in less than 2 months, and she stepped up to help staff my work on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China when I rejoined the CECC earlier this year.

Mr. President, today I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring our outreach team, the staff who are out and about every day in Ohio communities, listening to and working with the people we serve.

They make sure our work reaches every corner of Ohio, from Ashtabula to Cincinnati to Marietta to Toledo. Whether it is meeting with local governments or walking picket lines, visiting local businesses or representing our office at naturalization ceremonies or Eagle Scout dinners or neighborhood festivals, these dedicated workers embedded themselves in Ohio communities, in every county all over the State.

I always said, I am an 88-county Senator. The outreach staff is a big reason why. And it is their conversations that help center our work on the issues that matter most to Ohioans.

John Ryan has served Ohio as my State director for 18 years, since I was first elected in 2007. But our paths had crossed long before, when I was in my early 20s. John had just been elected president of CWA Local 4309. I had been elected to the State legislature representing my hometown of Mansfield, OH. We began working together on behalf of workers across our State. John was an aggressive, creative, and fierce union activist who was widely respected not just by workers, but by everyone in Cleveland, even if he was picketing outside their business. His political savvy, intelligence, and kindness made him a force in the fight for labor, as he served in leadership roles, including as the president of the Cleveland AFL-CIO.

I learned so much about activism and advocacy from John. He is also the reason I made it to the U.S. Senate. In January of 2006, Connie and I asked him to run my campaign for the U.S. Senate. The campaign was struggling as we tried to get it off the ground. Campaign manager after campaign manager had turned us down. Then one night, Connie and I came up with the idea of John Ryan. Many people in this town were surprised that I was hiring a labor leader to run my campaign. But Washington would probably work a lot better if more people looked to the labor movement for leadership. Connie and I knew John's commitment to the dignity of work, his love for Ohio--and his vision for how our State and our country could truly live up to its promise.

Because of John, I won that race. And since then he has led our in- state team, taking only a brief leave of absence in 2011 when I asked him to help lead the effort to overturn S.B. 5, a bill in the statehouse that threatened union workers in Ohio.

John has dedicated his life's work to the labor movement and to fighting for all workers--in Ohio and across the country. He is always looking for every opportunity to make workers' lives better. He understands the tools to advocate for workers go beyond just legislation. He knew that there was always a phone call to be made or a private letter to be sent that might secure workers a raise or a union contract.

And whenever workers in Ohio faced a strike or organized a union, John was there--listening to them, providing his support and counsel, and ensuring that our office was doing everything we could--privately and publicly--to stand with workers as they fought for a voice in their workplace. Too many Senate offices just look out for the wealthy and powerful. John understood the difference this office could make, whether

it was helping workers resolve a dispute or encouraging an organizing drive or calling on a corporation to meet workers at the bargaining table.

John knows that grassroots organizing is at the heart of making change in this country. John was integral in passing the Butch Lewis Act, which restored the pensions of 100,000 workers after Wall Street gambled them away. Ohioans across our State have been able to retire with dignity and live with security because of John's tenacious advocacy.

John wasn't just an advocate for workers; he was a mentor to countless staff from the interns to team managers. He enthusiastically welcomed new staff, going out of his way to listen to their story and what motivated them to work in public service. He was always ready to share his vast network of Ohioans and the many friends he has in communities across our State.

John is a fierce advocate for Ohio. Over the past 18 years, he logged hundreds of thousands of miles driving to every corner of the State to meet one on one with community leaders and workers. No town was too big or too small. Every community was important to him, and he has a deep and vast knowledge of Ohio. He has such pride in being an Ohioan, and he understands that our state is so much more vast and diverse, with so much more culture and rich history, than the national caricature of the Rust Belt .

No community celebration was too small for him to show up and attend. He listened carefully to what communities needed, whether it was a new playground or help fighting a trade case that threatened to shut down a local employer, and he knew how to get it done.

A native Clevelander, John has been instrumental in the renaissance of our city. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of Cleveland--its history, its neighborhoods, its culture, the people who have made their mark on our city. And he has used that knowledge to advocate for Cleveland to be the world-class city it should be.

As an Ohioan, I am deeply grateful to John Ryan for his public service, for his fierce activism, for his roaring laugh and sharp instincts--and for his friendship.

Ann Longsworth Orr first started in our office as our Toledo regional representative, before becoming our director of outreach and then our deputy state director.

Over the years, Ann and I have traveled across Ohio together, racking up hundreds of thousands of miles as we traveled to communities from Xenia to Ashtabula to Bryan to Marietta to Sandusky to Middletown.

On all those trips, Ann's empathy, her intellect, her sharp sense of humor, and her commitment to public service shone through. Ann cares deeply about Ohio and the mission of our office: to serve the people of the State she grew up in and calls home. Her remarkable organizational abilities, her attention to detail, and her understanding of how to make things happen were crucial to what this office has accomplished for the people of Ohio.

Ann combines qualities that too many in public service lack. She is savvy and kind. A leader who starts by listening. Her many strengths are in forging coalitions, in creating a sense of belonging, and having the practical good sense about how to turn good ideas into reality.

Ann came to our office having been a rural organizer. In that role, she listened. She listened to people she disagreed with. She heard people talk about their futures, their dreams, their fears, and their hopes. They often had the opposite political views as hers, but she found common ground.

When she joined our staff, she brought that remarkable ability to really listen and solve problems to our office. Under her leadership, our office held more than 40 roundtables across Ohio with veterans to get the word out about the care and benefits they have earned from the PACT Act. She was crucial in organizing events and roundtables that elevated the voices of retirees who had seen their pension decimated by Wall Street, eventually leading to the passage of the Butch Lewis Act that saved the pensions of 100,000 workers.

Under her leadership, our office was able to bring together businesses, schools, and unions each year to put on dozens of summer manufacturing camps where kids could begin to imagine themselves as part of Ohio's manufacturing future. And it was in no small part because of Ann that every year our office brought together college students across Ohio for a daylong summit about leadership and public service.

Ann cares deeply about her colleagues and her staff. She has mentored so many--not just in Ohio, but in Washington. When someone new joined the office, whether in Ohio or in Washington, it was often Ann who welcomed them--and guided them. For staff not from Ohio, she helped teach them about the State she loves--and was always a calming presence, reassuring them that a field hearing would be a success or that a high-stakes meeting would go well.

She helped mentor a generation of outreach staff, quietly teaching them how to be effective and powerful public servants. She taught our staff how to listen to people and bring them together to solve problems. She taught them to work with labor and fight for working people. That mentorship is part of her legacy, and the staffers she trained will continue to serve our State and our country for decades.

She was also a great friend. Every day we were on the road, she got in the car--sometimes very early--with a delicious homemade smoothie and a smile. Even during the most challenging times, she found the joy in public service--and also the humor in it.

The wisdom and experience she brought to this office made me a better Senator--and made our State a better place for so many Ohioans.

Kam Anderson was a public school teacher who wanted to join my staff so he could have more impact in the community than in the classroom. He succeeded in so many ways to lift up the voices of the muted and bring together people to help resolve community issues in Southwest Ohio.

Anthony Eliopoulos served my Senate office as our senior veterans and military liaison, while also serving our country in the Army Reserves. He listened and learned at scores of veteran roundtables throughout the State and was a tireless advocate for veterans and Ohioans in the military.

Joyce Powdrill, my southwest Ohio director, connected our office with all kinds of people--from Cincinnati, Dayton, and Lima, to rural Ohio. She was relentless in standing up for social and economic justice and a fierce fighter for people often overlooked. Just this year, she organized a Women's Conference in Cincinnati that drew hundreds of participants eager to connect and grow as leaders. Joyce helped to resolve so many issues to make Ohio a better place to live and work.

As my central Ohio regional director for over a decade, Joe Gilligan brought to the office an understanding of the Ohio Statehouse, and was able to leverage his knowledge of State and local politics to better connect all levels of government to the Federal Government. He staffed me for countless meetings and events in the Columbus area and connected disenfranchised communities with our government. Earlier this year, Joe helped put together my Senate hearing in Columbus on fixing multi- employer pensions for 100,000 workers.

As my northwest regional representative, Erica Krause worked with leaders from Toledo to Bryan to Sandusky and everywhere in between. She brought together community leaders and public officials to make the Federal Government work better and to improve both rural and urban communities in her region.

In addition to being my central Ohio regional representative, Emma Speyer used her teamwork expertise to coordinate our statewide Propel Collegiate Student Leadership Conference, bringing together hundreds of college students and administrators to become more involved in their community.

Jordan Pennell, a Youngstown University graduate, wanted to stay in his hometown to put his considerable skills to use for his entire region. He served as my representative of the area from the Pennsylvania line to Lake County and the Mahoning Valley and special projects coordinator as well. Jordan was the ``dot connector'' for every public official, labor leader, community activist, and the business community in his region. Jordan also helped lead our efforts to expand our

summer manufacturing camps around the State.

Kaleb Knowlton served admirably as regional representative in Appalachian Ohio. Not long after he joined my staff, a train derailment in East Palestine threw the community into crisis. Kaleb stepped in to coordinate Federal assistance and build strong relationships with leaders to assure that we got them the support they needed and could advocate for changes in rail law to better protect communities.

JT Huffer-Cole has served with dedication as north central Ohio regional representative. He assisted with statewide events and helped coordinate some of the many summer manufacturing camps our office organized to show young people the careers available in American manufacturing.

Mr. President, I rise today to issue a long-overdue correction to the Congressional Record on behalf of Ohioan Cornell Anderson.

In 1984, Mr. Anderson was selected as a Black Achiever by the YMCA of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. While former Ohio Representative Thomas Luken recognized Mr. Anderson's achievement in a statement for the Congressional Record on June 14, 1984, unfortunately, Mr. Anderson's name was listed incorrectly.

Today, I would like to issue a simple correction to ensure Mr. Anderson's name is captured correctly in the Congressional Record.

Representative Luken's original remarks can be found in Volume 130, No. 81 of the Congressional Record, beginning on page 16614. They are also listed here in their entirety, replacing Mr. Anderson's name with a corrected version.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have that statement printed in the Record.

Thank you, Senator Cassidy.

I thank Senator Cassidy and his incredible staff for the work that they have done with the Cleveland Connection. And I just appreciate so much, as I leave the Senate, the work that Senator Cassidy and I have done on a host of bills. And I would say the same about my work with Senator Collins. I have been at this bill for a long time. She has been at this bill for now more than two decades.

And I know from our pension bill, I know from the child tax credit, I know from the PACT Act, I know from a whole lot of issues that this stuff takes time. But 21 years is ridiculous. And we need to move forward on this. And I so appreciate that she kept this alive.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that following my remarks, Senator Schumer be permitted to speak for 2 minutes prior to the scheduled vote.

And I will be brief.

Social Security, we know, is a bedrock of our middle class. It is retirement security that Americans pay into and earn over a lifetime. You pay in for 40 quarters. You pay in for, essentially, 10 years. You have earned it. It should be there when you retire.

These restrictions right now, though, prevent some 3 million Americans--nearly 250,000 people in my State alone, many of whom are law enforcement, first responders, teachers, schoolbus drivers, school cafeteria workers, public servants--it means that many will not get their full Social Security benefit.

It makes no sense. These workers serve the public. They protect our communities. They teach our kids. They pay into Social Security just like everyone else.

When we did a hearing a few months ago at a fire station in Columbus, I met Barbara Ward. She drives a special needs bus for Fairland Local Schools in, I believe, Lawrence County, on the Ohio River. She drives 200 miles a day. She has done this for 40 years. She is in her seventies. Her mom was the first female busdriver hired in that district. Her husband served our country in the Navy Seabees, building our naval bases, and paying into Social Security with every paycheck.

After he passed away 10 years ago, Barb started receiving his Social Security survivors benefits, until Barb retired with her school pension, when her Social Security benefit dropped from $2,100 a month to 500 a month.

Again, he earned this. This wasn't charity. This wasn't a giveaway. He earned that Social Security benefit, and she should have it.

At our hearing, she said: It is just not fair. My husband worked for that. We worked for that.

They earned that Social Security. They paid into it.

Over and over, these Americans, like that busdriver, have watched corporations get tax cuts and Wall Street gets bailouts. All these workers are asking for is what they have earned.

It is an issue that has a huge impact on a worker's life. But it doesn't get enough attention in Washington.

Again, I thank Senator Collins for keeping this alive for so long.

The people it affects aren't powerful corporate interests. They are cops. They are sheriff's deputies. They are firefighters. They are teachers. They work at parks. They work at libraries. They pick up our trash, and they plow our roads. They make our lives livable and better.

We must finally get this done. The House passed it with 327 votes. They don't agree on much in the House, period. But Members of both parties came together and agreed. I believe every single Ohio Member of Congress voted for this. We need to restore those workers' Social Security.

Yesterday, in front of about 50 of my colleagues, I gave what some called my last speech on the Senate floor. I ended it by saying it would not be the last time you heard from me.

Of course, it wouldn't. I am back today fighting for the dignity of work. It is the way I began my career in the Senate. It is what I will continue to do, whether in the Senate or not. Whether it is restoring workers' Social Security or saving workers' pensions or fighting for overtime pay, for supporting unions, so much of what I fought for in the Senate has one thing in common: It is about hard work paying off. It is about what workers earn. It is about honoring the dignity of work.

If you love this country, you fight for the people who make it work. I urge all my colleagues on both sides to join us. Restore the Social Security that people who protect us and serve us have earned over a lifetime of work.

Senator Schumer.

Madam President, I have enjoyed watching Senator Fetterman and Senator Casey and working together in the mentoring and seeing how productive that has been for them in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Marcus Aurelius said:

Humility is the foundation of all virtue.

Humility is the foundation of all virtue.

Humility is not a common trait in this body, perhaps, but humility infuses the work of Bob Casey every single day. I have worked with his staff. My office, in fact--we have worked with his staff perhaps--not perhaps--more than any other office, and I feel that, you know, what he brings to this is that uncommon humility and uncommon kindness in his personal relationships with his friends in the back row here, an uncommon kindness to the people of Pennsylvania, and an uncommon kindness with his own staff--I love watching that: little test, little staff turnover--the kind of energy that they bring and the kind of kindness they bring.

One of the things that really brought that home to me, in listening to Bob's talk a minute ago, was he concentrated on constituent service. Bob Casey understands that to do this job--the real building blocks of this job--you help people individually. There are tens of thousands of people he has helped in his offices in, I guess, Philly and Pittsburgh, and I don't know where else--whatever all these inferior cities are-- inferior to Ohio--in Pennsylvania.

(Laughter.)

But what he has brought to his offices in reaching out to people-- those really are the building blocks of public service. He has been a public servant extraordinaire in the way he does his work, in the way he does his job. As I said, he brings to it that uncommon kindness, that uncommon humility, and it infuses his work in constituent services. It infuses his work in fighting for economic justice.

He didn't talk that much in his speech about what he has done with children and poor children. I saw three of his daughters and Terese downstairs before the speech, and I got a chance to talk to them. I have watched them grow up over these years. Terese was already grown up. I have watched his daughters grow up over these 18 years.

(Laughter.)

And there is just this kind of energy and commitment to service to people that I have seen in them, which has been a delight to watch.

But he didn't talk all that much about what he has done for children. Nobody in the body has focused their work on children as much as Bob Casey. It is the child tax credit, for sure, but it is so many things-- from disabled kids; from giving kids from, you know, Erie to Sharon, to Philly, to Bucks County--giving them more opportunity in life than they otherwise would have had.

Also, one of the things that--when I think about Bob Casey, I think of him standing up for the little guy. I have heard him talk about his trips to the grocery store and how some people in this body blame inflation on government spending, which, of course, doesn't hold economic water. But Bob has really focused on helping me come to discuss inflation.

Connie and I go to church. When we go to church on Sunday, we often stop at a nearby grocery store, and you talk to people at the checkout line or at the meat counter or just walking down the aisles, talking about how much things cost. Bob had this understanding. He called it shrinkflation. What he kind of taught me to say is, When you go to the grocery store and you are paying higher prices, you are paying them because of private, executive compensation and bonuses. You are paying for those higher prices by stock buybacks and exorbitant profits. And Bob understood that and always fought for the little guy.

I so appreciate the friendship, first of all. I appreciate the gentleness of spirit and his uncommon empathy and understanding. He always understood, in part, because he goes home and listens. He doesn't go home and make a lot of speeches. He goes home and listens to people and understands their concerns. He brought them here. He made such a difference for Pennsylvanians. He made such a difference for Ohioans and for the people in the other 48 States too.

I will be eternally grateful to Bob Casey for that friendship, for the humility that he has shown toward his job and toward the world around him, and just for being a really, really good man.

(Applause.)

Mr. President, I am here at desk 88, honored to address my family and friends and Ohioans of the Nation.

I remember well my first speech 18 years ago. Illinois Senator Barack Obama was presiding over the Senate. Following parliamentary norms--and perhaps a bit presciently--I addressed him as ``Mr. President.''

A few desks away sat the senior Senator from Massachusetts, whose brother's desk I have now occupied for my entire three terms. Senator Kennedy, the chair of the Labor Committee, spoke after my remarks about his commitment and my commitment to workers. My speech, no surprise to anyone, was about workers and their dignity, raising the minimum wage, creating more opportunity for people who build this country with their brains and with their hands.

By some measure, my life began less than 3 miles from here. My dad, a family doctor from Mansfield, OH, and my mother a teacher from Mansfield, GA, met at a soldiers' dance in 1945 at the Mayflower Hotel. My father had returned from serving in the Army in the Middle East; my mother had moved to Washington to assist in the war effort to work at OSS. Their first date a few days later was at the Willard Hotel.

When they married the next year, my father moved to Mansfield, OH, then a prosperous industrial city where Ohioans made steel and manufactured cars and tires and appliances for young families returning from World War II.

When I was in high school, my mother, troubled by racism she saw in smalltown Georgia as a kid and in Ohio when she moved there, helped found the Ohio council of YWCAs. The 165-year mission of the Young Women's Christian Association is to eliminate racism and to empower women.

My dad was a family doctor with a working-class practice. He always took care of people, regardless of their ability to pay.

From them came my values and my desire to serve. From my parents--he a conservative, she a liberal; he a Republican, she a Democrat; he a northerner, she a southerner--taught me by their action and their admonition that the role of government was to help the little guy; the big guy could take care of himself.

I went to Johnny Appleseed Junior High--that was really its name--and walked the halls with the sons and daughters of autoworkers at GM, electrical workers of Westinghouse, steelworkers of Empire-Detroit, machinists at Tappan Stove, and the daughters and sons of the thousands of millwrights and electricians and laborers and pipefitters who kept those plants running. These workers, especially those lucky enough to carry union cards, could buy a home, take a vacation, and join a growing middle class.

But by the time I graduated from Mansfield Senior High School, these plants were starting to shut down. Corporations searched the globe for cheap labor. First, they moved south to anti-union States; then they lobbied for tax breaks and bad trade deals to move jobs overseas. Always--always in search, Mr. President--of lower wages.

Compliant politicians were all too happy to oblige. They called it the North American Free Trade Agreement; they called it Most Favored Nation status with China--honest to God, that was its original name; they called it the Central American Free Trade Agreement; they called it the Trans-Pacific Partnership--until we put a stop to it.

And Wall Street rewarded those countries and those politicians over and over and over again. I saw what corporate greed and, frankly, Presidents of both parties did to my hometown and towns like it all over this country.

Through all my years in Congress, I have tried to be the voice in the megaphone for those workers and for those communities.

I think back to 2003. Every night, at the other end of this building--every night--I stood in the well of the House of Representatives reading letters from Ohioans opposing Bush's war in Iraq--from Cleveland to Cincinnati, from Dayton to Columbus, from Toledo to Athens. The White House, on flimsy evidence but with an itch to go to war, was sending working-class kids from Ohio to fight and, too often, to die in Iraq, a war that history tells us was a colossal mistake.

I drew inspiration from President John Quincy Adams who had returned to the House in his attack on slavery. To evade House rules that prohibited--believe it or not--that prohibited debating slavery, rules forced on the people's House by enslavers, by southern enslavers, he read letter after letter from his constituents about the evils of slavery and advocating for its abolition.

Then as now, our duty is to amplify the voices of the people whom we serve. To be that strong and effective megaphone, you start by listening.

I remember when I helped lead the opposition in my first year in the House to NAFTA. Bill Richardson, a pro-NAFTA Democrat from New Mexico, lamented the fact that Members would go home during congressional recess. He said, ``You know, every time Members of Congress go home, my side loses votes.''

Well, there is a reason for that. We are supposed to listen to our constituents. So almost every week, every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, I am in Ohio. I have crisscrossed this State, from Ashtabula to Athens, from Gallipolis to Zanesville to Portsmouth to Springfield to Van Wert to Toledo to Shelby--

all over this State holding roundtables, walking picket lines, touring plants, talking to workers in break rooms and on worksites and behind checkout counters.

On Monday afternoons, I return to Washington carrying a satchel of good ideas drawn from Ohioans. My job in both the House and Senate has been to represent those workers, to listen to them, to speak out for them, to fight for them; not to listen to Wall Street, not the drug companies, not the big railroads, but to fight for the people who make this country work.

Over the last few weeks, people have come up to me, since the election, at the grocery store, after church, at the airport, in the halls of the Senate asking how I am doing. There are two reasons I answer, ``I am doing well.'' First is this team, the team around me. I have never been prouder of the public servants who work in this office, how they immediately went to work to help and support each other. All of them, all of them have dedicated themselves to making sure their colleagues land well and to making sure casework for Ohioans is handed off to other Members of Congress.

Over the last few weeks, I have been meeting with every single staff member--70 in all--to discuss their careers and their futures.

The second reason is that for me, this job has never really been about the title of being a U.S. Senator. Much of the important work we have done has been driven not by a bunch of Washington insiders but by ordinary Ohioans. I think about the fight to save workers' pensions. When Wall Street gambled away workers' retirement savings, we fought back.

Washington ignored Ohio workers, didn't take them seriously. Most people in Washington don't really even understand what collective bargaining is, that workers give up raises at the bargaining table for pensions and paid into them over a lifetime, all for the promise of a secure retirement for their family.

Ohioans put this on the agenda. They kept it there. They--we--never gave up, and together we passed the Butch Lewis Act, named for an Ohioan, saving the pensions of 100,000 Ohio workers and a million workers serving this country.

Or think how we expanded healthcare for veterans exposed to those football field-sized burn pits. Ohio veterans and their families came to us. They put it on the agenda. They forced--forced--Washington to listen. Veterans traveled to Washington. Many of them camped outside this door not far from here to make this happen. Because of them, the Heath Robinson PACT Act--again named for an Ohioan--is now law.

Those fights aren't quick, particularly when they require taking on powerful corporate interests.

Back when I was in the House more than two decades ago, we organized bus trips for Ohio seniors to Canada to save money on prescription drugs. Three-hour bus ride from Lorain to Toledo to Detroit, across the river to Windsor, Ontario, so they could save money on prescription drugs.

Throughout my entire time in the Senate and before, we fought big Pharma and their lobbyists trying to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Two years ago, finally we won. This never happens fast. We capped the price of insulin at $35 a month for Medicare beneficiaries. For the first time, Medicare was negotiating drug prices for seniors.

These victories, as I say, they don't come easy. Of course they don't, but they matter to millions of families. When we stand up to corporate special interest, when we guarantee workers a seat at the table, when we see decisions here through the eyes of workers, we all do our jobs a little bit differently and better.

We included a project labor agreement for 8,000 workers at a single construction site, ensuring a path to middle class for those families.

We expanded the childcare tax credit, giving more than 90 percent of American families a tax cut to keep up with the cost of living--2 million children in Ohio, 60 million around the country benefited, if only for a year.

We are on the verge of restoring the full Social Security benefits that police officers and teachers and firefighters and busdrivers and school cafeteria workers have earned.

With Finance Chair Ron Wyden, we created an industrial policy to build more manufacturing in our country. And we have fundamentally-- fundamentally--changed the debate on trade in this country. Of course, this town is still full of people who think that way, whose arrogance won't allow their world view to be changed by all the evidence that corporate trade deals have failed our workers, failed our communities, and, frankly, poisoned our politics.

They no longer go unchallenged and unquestioned. They used to ridicule you if you spoke up for workers, if you dared to suggest that no amount of compensating the losers, no amount of compensation can replace the dignity of a good-paying, rewarding job--no longer.

I have always looked at things a little differently, perhaps, than some. To me, politics is not really left or right or liberal or conservative. It is really about whose side you are on and whom you are willing to fight for, whom you are willing to stand up to. That is what true populism is all about. True populism lifts all people. True populism doesn't tear others down. True populism doesn't play to race and division. True populism is essentially about the dignity of work, putting workers at the center of all we should be doing.

When I talk about workers, I mean all workers--whether you swipe a badge or punch a clock, whether you work for tips or whether you work on salary, whether you are going to school or raising kids or caring for an aging parent. No matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter what kind of work you do, your work has dignity. It ought to pay off for you and your family. We have that in common. With all the differences we have as a country, we have work in common. Work is really what binds us.

For too many people in Ohio and around the country, hard work hasn't paid off. Today, far too many workers don't see a path to the middle class, no matter how hard they work.

For almost a half a century--we know this, we know this--we should be challenging this. For half a century, the stock market soared; executive compensation has exploded; corporate profits have risen dramatically; worker productivity has increased, but workers' wages have been comparatively flat, and costs keep going up.

Until we solve the fundamental problem in this country, until hard work is valued, until everyone has a path to the middle class and the stability and security of a good-paying job, our work in this body, my work as a private citizen, come January, that work is unfinished.

If you want to know why so many workers think the system is rigged against them, just look at what happened 3 weeks ago in East Texas. It is a little fanfare. A single judge, appointed by President Trump, at the behest of the Texas Chamber of Commerce, struck down a Labor Department rule which guaranteed overtime for workers making $35,000 or $40,000 a year.

That ought to be a fundamental principle. If you put in extra hours, you ought to earn extra pay. You did the work; you earned it. One judge, one decision, four million workers lost their overtime. One judge, one decision, four million workers lost their overtime. That is why we make this fight.

In 1891, Pope Leo XIII wrote what is recognized as the first time an international figure acknowledged the rights of workers and the duty of employers to respect workers' inherent dignity. In Rerum Novarum, he wrote that ``to respect in every man his dignity,'' required respecting workers' rights to fair compensation and safe humane working conditions.

Think about this. Seven decades later, in a segregated Tennessee, in a segregated city of Memphis, in a segregated neighborhood, amidst a torrential downpour, four sanitation workers climbed into--yes--a segregated garbage truck to shield themselves from the rain. Two White workers settled into the warmth and the safety of the cab. Two Black workers crawled in the back, amidst the garbage, where the compactor malfunctioned, and two young Black workers were crushed to death.

Dr. King went to Memphis twice that year. He went after that happened. The

second time, we know he was murdered. Both times, he was fighting for the dignity of work. He wove together better than anybody I know of in history--wove together civil rights, voting rights, and worker rights better than anybody ever has.

In a speech to ACME Sanitation workers, a month after the workers were crushed to death, he spoke at ACME on March 18 in Memphis:

So often we overlook the work and the significance of those

who are not in professional jobs, of those who are not in the

so-called big jobs. But let me say to you tonight--

Dr. King went on--

that whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity

. . . it has dignity and it has worth.

All labor has dignity. While the shape of our fight for the dignity of work may change, it will, of course, continue. And I count on my colleagues to do that.

I will close the same way I have closed so many speeches across Ohio because the values I fight for have not changed and will never change come January. On my lapel, I wear this pin. Some of you have one on today. Thank you. Many of you do.

I wear this pin--I know you don't wear it every day, but thank you for wearing it--depicting a canary in a birdcage. It was given to me at a workers' Memorial Day rally 25 years ago in Lorain, OH.

You know the story. At the turn of the last century, coal miners took the canary down into the mines with them to warn them of poisonous gases. They didn't have a union strong enough to protect them. They didn't have a government that cared enough to protect them. He was on his own.

But over the last century and a half, think about what we as a nation have done. Think of what we have done to change that. All those fights required going up against powerful special interests. I think about the lesson that any union organizer knows. They don't just give you fair wages and better benefits and retirement. They don't give it to you. You have to go out and take it. That is how progress works.

Wall Street didn't just wake up one day and say: You know, older people ought to have a pension. We ought to give them--no, we demanded Social Security, we fought for it, and we got it.

Companies 100 years ago didn't just all of a sudden think: You know, work is too hard; we ought to have an 8-hour workday. We ought to ban child labor. No. We fought for it. We demanded it. We got it.

Big insurance companies didn't just all of a sudden think: You know, there are a lot of seniors that just can't afford their healthcare. No. We fought for it; we demanded it; and we got Medicare.

In the 1960s, a bunch of Southern segregationists didn't say: You know, everybody ought to have the right to vote. No. We fought for it. We demanded it. We got voting rights in this country.

And then, just 2 years ago, the drug companies didn't all of a sudden say: Insulin costs too damn much. We have got to do something. Drugs are too expensive. No. We took them on. We fought for it. We got a $35 insulin cap.

Those fights--progress didn't just happen on their own course.

So when I first came to the Senate, like all new Senators, they gave me a really cool, pretty expensive-looking piece of jewelry to say: I am a big shot. I am a Senator, and walk around. Well, I wore that for a couple days, and then I thought, you know, it didn't feel right. So I took it off. I put my canary pin back on. I have worn it every day since.

So when I walk off the Senate floor at the end of this year, nothing changes. I am not taking off this pin. I am not giving up my fight for workers. If you love this country, you fight for the people who make it work every day.

In January, I return to Ohio, close to the seven grandchildren who are sitting in the Gallery today. My wife Connie surprised me last night with their showing up at a dinner with their parents in tow. My grandchildren are in the Gallery--some sitting there patiently, some perhaps not so patiently. Leo and Jackie and Milo and Carolyn and Russell and Ela and Maribell sitting with Emily and Matt. Sitting with Elizabeth and Patrick and Caitlin and Alejandro. And Clayton, our oldest, is taking finals today, but their dad Andy is here. My journey has been a family affair.

With my brothers Bob and Charlie, for literally 50 years with the sacrifices that family members inevitably make to ambition, to service--yes, sometimes to ego--for a career of serving the public.

To my beloved Connie, how selfless she has been as I pursued this dream. Her exceptional talent is exceeded only by her kindness in spirit, as a wife and mother and grandmother extraordinaire. There is no one like her. How lucky I have been the last 22 years.

So to my colleagues, this is my last speech on the Senate floor. But it is not, I promise you, the last time you will hear from me.

Thank you.

(Applause, Senators rising.)

I just arrived from the airport, and I hurried because I wanted to be here for my friend Jon Tester. I love this guy. I love how he does his job. No one takes his job more seriously and has more fun doing this job than Jon Tester. That laughter, that commitment, that idealism was infectious.

We worked on two committees together--one I chaired; one he chaired. He still chairs the Veterans Committee, and look what we did for this Nation's veterans. I got the honor of being Jon Tester's wingman on that. I chair the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, with people like Tina Smith. Doug Jones was once on that committee, and Jeff Merkley was once on that committee.

When I say how seriously Jon took this job, I think just how hard it was for him to get here every week. Two years ago, he decided to run for reelection. He knew the pressure, and he knew the challenge. It takes me an hour to get to Washington. It takes Jon 7 or 8 or 9 hours to get to Washington. Every week he goes home; he farms. He goes home every weekend to look out for his constituents and to represent them.

As I said, no one takes this job more seriously and has more fun doing it. He will be missed by everybody. This body will miss him for that infectious spirit that really is what this country is all about. And it was just such an honor for 18 years--we were sworn in the same day. It was such an honor to serve with Jon Tester of Montana.

(Applause.)

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I rise to honor the Cincinnati Ohio Vet Center for receiving the 2024 Vet Center Excellence in Customer Experience Award, given to the highest performing vet center in the Nation. In the past year, the Cincinnati Vet Center has improved the well-being of veterans in southwest Ohio. The center expanded community access points to local college campuses at the University of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky University and conducted strategic outreach on smaller local college campuses. The team also expanded outreach to local gyms and fitness centers, going above and beyond to meet veterans where they are, to spread the word about the services vet centers provide to our Nation's heroes.

The counselors at the Cincinnati Vet Center have added to the evidence-based treatments available to veterans and servicemembers and worked to find new ways for veterans to heal and build lasting connections with one another. The team accomplished all of this while remaining steadfast in their commitment to its Vietnam era groups and its long-running African-American veteran group.

Veterans and their families have sacrificed so much to keep our country safe. We owe them more than our gratitude; they deserve the healthcare, benefits, and educational opportunities that they have earned through their service to our Nation. That is why the work that places like the Cincinnati Ohio Vet Center do matters so much and why we can never waver in our commitment to veterans and their families.

I would like to personally recognize these employees at the Cincinnati Vet Center for making this possible: Cher Runtenelli, vet center director; Ryan Scharfenberger, outreach specialist; Zachary McGuffey, program support assistant; Taylor Katt, readjustment counselor; Stephanie Downard, readjustment counselor; and Chasitee Little, readjustment counselor.

Mr. President, I particularly appreciate the moral leadership of Senator Casey. As Senator Wyden just said, he always posts questions: How does this affect family? How does this affect children?

He knows it from his experience, and he knows it--as he travels the State of Pennsylvania, from Philadelphia to the Ohio border, he talks to a lot of families and children and sees what this means.

Senator Casey, thank you.

It seems like, listening to my colleagues--Senator Cantwell, Senator Casey, and Chairman Wyden--everybody not in DC is for this bill. It is a bunch of insiders here in this city--it is interest groups that are always looking for a handout. As Senator Casey said, so many of these interest groups get great tax advantages for themselves and maybe a few crumbs for others.

The interest groups that are always looking for tax cuts for the rich and for their large corporate interests frankly have too much influence in this body. Fortunately, in the House of Representatives, they overcame that, and they passed this bill with 357 votes. This ought to pass close to unanimously here because it really is helpful. It helps business, and it helps families. But it is still a struggle, and it should be easy.

I remember sitting on the floor on March 6, 2021, and I remember voting on this bill. It was on a bigger bill, but it had the child tax credit that Senator Wyden and others had helped to write. Senator Bennet played a big role and a couple of newcomers. Senator Warnock played a role. Senator Booker also played a role, but he was not a newcomer. Senator Warnock had been sworn in a couple of months earlier. I said to Senator Casey, who sits next to me, as he just said--I remember saying ``This is the best day in my career'' because we were about to pass the expanded child tax credit. I knew what it meant. Most of us knew what it meant. It passed 51 to 50. Unfortunately, for reasons I still don't entirely understand, it was a partisan vote. The Vice President came in and broke the tie. It passed 51 to 50.

Immediately after this passed--the President signed it soon after--I called Secretary Yellen, the Secretary of the Treasury. I said: We have to get this up and running.

By July, checks went out to the families of 2 million children in Ohio. Checks went out to the families of 60 million children around the country. As Senator Casey said, the child poverty rate dropped almost in half by September. Think about that. But then that tax break expired for reasons I won't go into here. But it tells you--I hear these numbers. I hear people say that the child poverty tax rate dropped by 50 percent. I hear people say, as Senator Casey said, that it means people can afford school fees for their kids. It means daycare is more available, good quality daycare.

It is a lot of statistics, and that is really important--these 60 million children and 2 million in my State--but it is the individual stories we hear from families. After we passed this, people saw what it meant. We got letters. I got letters from Ashtabula, to Cincinnati, to Toledo, to Gallipolis, to Athens, to Lyons, OH, about what it meant for their individual families--probably more mothers than fathers but mothers and fathers--what it meant to these families, how they just had a burden lifted. It wasn't just the lowest income families. Families who are solidly middle class or even who are upper middle class could just do a few more things for their children. So the question is, How do you put a price on this, as Senator Casey said? How do you put a price on doing this when it made such a difference?

Let me talk a little more about the bill, if I could. We had something called the lookback provision, allowing parents to use the previous year's income to make sure they get the maximum possible tax cut. Senator Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, and I worked together on this.

It is the same option--interestingly, it is the same option that corporations have in the Tax Code. They are allowed to look back to reduce their taxes, but we weren't going to do that for families. I mean, that is the illness of this place. That is the sickness of Washington. It is why people, frankly, why they hate Washington. We treat these big corporate interests not even the same as we--maybe we ought to treat kids the same as we treat corporate interests because we treat corporate interests with kid gloves and always give them too much, and kids don't get enough. Families don't get enough.

So it is important that we pass this. It is going to matter. We will come back next year, and we do it in a bigger way than the way we did last year.

It also has some provisions that are major priorities for American companies. I want to encourage companies that will produce in the United States and will do their research and development here, that will keep the intellectual property in the United States.

I had a meeting once at the White House. Senator Wyden was there. I think probably Senator Bennet was there at this meeting. It happened when President Trump was considering what we were going to do with the major tax bill.

We had a bill called the Patriot Corporation Act that said simply this--I had the bill in my hand. It simply said that if an American company pays good wages and provides good healthcare and provides a retirement, they would get a lower tax rate. But if this company didn't pay good wages, so workers got food stamps and workers got Medicaid and workers got housing tax breaks--housing breaks--if the company wasn't paying good enough wages and the taxpayers had to step up, they paid another rate.

In other words, if companies do the right thing, we ought to give them tax breaks. If companies mistreat their employees and undermine the dignity of work, we shouldn't. It is really pretty simple.

This bill does it right. It is a bill with good bipartisan support in the House, passing with 357 votes, thanks to the very adept negotiating skills of both Chairman Wyden of the Finance Committee of the Senate, Chairman Smith of the Ways and Means Committee in the House, one Republican, one Democrat. We have got 169 Republicans, 188 Democrats. It is our work. This shouldn't be about politics; it should be about the people whom we serve.

You fight for people in this country who make this country work. We should come together and cut taxes for working families. We should cut taxes for companies that want to do production in intellectual property in this country.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.