Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a leader who has been a tremendous advocate for the disability community: Mary Davis. After more than four decades of working for the Special Olympics, including ten years as its Chief Executive Officer, she will start her much- deserved retirement at the end of this year. In that time, she has accomplished a great deal for people with disabilities in America and around the world.

A proud daughter of Ireland, Mary first became involved in the Special Olympics as a volunteer when she was studying physical education as a university student. In 1985, she helped organize the Special Olympics European Games in Dublin--the first regional games the organization ever hosted. She continued to rise through the ranks, eventually receiving an appointment to serve as National Director of Special Olympics Ireland in 1989. She further distinguished herself during her tenure as CEO of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games and later as President and Managing Director of Special Olympics Europe-Eurasia, which led to her appointment as CEO of Special Olympics International in 2016. I remember seeing Mary not long after, in 2018, at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Special Olympics. I was greatly impressed with her leadership, vision, and passionate commitment to creating opportunities for these Special Olympians to demonstrate their talent.

The first Special Olympics World Summer Games, held in Chicago in 1968, featured roughly 1,000 athletes from the U.S. and Canada competing in three sports. The most recent World Summer Games, held in Berlin in 2023, saw nearly 7,000 athletes from 176 nations compete across 24 different events. Crucially, local, national, and regional Special Olympics events are organized every single day around the globe, with more than 100,000 held each year. We owe the growth of this remarkable tradition in no small part to Mary Davis. She has helped show the world all that these Special Olympians are capable of, and she has shown them and the rest of the disability community how much we value their contributions to society.

For that, she has my thanks and the gratitude of this Congress. Eunice Kennedy Shriver--the founder of the Special Olympics and my dear friend--once said: `do it well, finish it properly, and move on.' Mr. Speaker, Mary has done well, finished properly, and now is moving on to what I hope will be a relaxing and meaningful retirement. I ask that my colleagues join me in wishing her all the best as she starts this next chapter.

Mr. Speaker, one of the most important and critical responsibilities any nation has, any community has, any State has, is the education of its children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the extraordinary work of an organization from Los Angeles that has lessons for every community in America.

Nearly two decades ago, then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa partnered with my good friends, philanthropists Melanie and Richard Lundquist, to launch the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. Dr. Lundquist is with us today.

Their nonprofit is committed to strengthening public schools in some of L.A.'s most underserved and challenging communities.

Today, under the leadership of Guadalupe Guerrero, the Partnership for L.A. Schools manages 20 K-12 public schools, serving more than 13,500 students in Boyle Heights, Watts, and South L.A.

These are not charter schools. They are neighborhood public schools working in close collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The results speak for themselves.

When the partnership began, the high school graduation rate in its schools was just 36 percent. Today, that rate has risen to 92 percent.

The progress does not stop there. This year's partnership schools reached their highest math performance ever and matched their strongest literary results.

Following the pandemic, students demonstrated 3 consecutive years of growth in math and 2 consecutive years of growth in reading.

Every partnership elementary school advanced in literacy, and nearly all of them advanced in math, as well. Black and emergent bilingual students, those who have historically faced the steepest barriers, made some of the strongest gains.

I had the opportunity to see this outstanding education model at work when I toured Santee High School, one of the partnership's campuses. I was impressed by the students and their learning progress. I was convinced then and am even more certain now that the partnership has created a scalable and sustainable model for schools nationally.

The partnership is not only a success for L.A. but an example for all of America. Their work demonstrates that when we invest in teacher coaching, leadership development, aligned systems of support, and other proven strategies, students make real and, importantly, lasting gains.

Many in our country have taken aim at public schools recently. The partnership is proof that our public schools can deliver for every child so long as we provide them with the right tools and, importantly, the resources. The partnership continues to prove that every day.

I commend the Partnership for L.A. Schools--its educators, students, and families--for showing our country a better path forward.

Dr. Lundquist has become a dear friend and an extraordinary shining example for us all. I recognize my friend, Melanie, who is with me here today, and the tens of thousands of children, teachers, and participants who have made this such a success.

Mr. Speaker, tens of thousands of children have seen brighter futures because of Melanie and her husband Richard's philanthropy, vision, and dedication to improving America's public schools.

My friend, the late congressman Bill Natcher, used to say: ``As long as you take care of the health of your people and the education of your children, you'll continue to live in the strongest and best nation on earth.''

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what Melanie Lundquist and the partnership for LA Schools are doing.

And for that, they have my thanks and the gratitude of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of a friend and a great American: Mrs. Freida B. Dority of Alabama. She passed away on June 28 at age 73. I came to know her over the years on the Faith and Politics Institute's Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimages to Alabama. Mrs. Freida served as Director of Culinary Experiences for the Faith and Politics Tour Luncheon, playing a leading role hosting Members of Congress and other distinguished guests as we came to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and pay tribute to the civil rights heroes who helped build a more perfect Union.

The bible tells us: Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms, 1 Peter 4:9-10. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Freida offered her hospitality cheerfully, eagerly, and enthusiastically. She had many gifts, including a lifelong aptitude for

cooking. The hearty fare that came out of her kitchen nourished not only the body but the soul. She put together meals infused with joy, love, and comfort. It was impossible to partake without feeling kinship and community with those around you. The Members who attended the pilgrimages came from across the country and the political spectrum. Mrs. Freida helped bring them closer together, not only with her food but with her warm, generous spirit. So too did the rest of the team at First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, including Benjamin and Annie Beasley and Reverend E.B. Morris.

Some of my most cherished memories are walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge arm-in-arm with my dear friend and brother, John Lewis, on numerous pilgrimages over the years. Those memories are incomplete, however, without recalling the stories, laughs, and prayers he and I shared at the dinners Mrs. Freida helped prepare.

Indeed, Mrs. Freida lived a life of service. As an Army & Air Force Exchange Services Manager at Maxwell Air Force Base for nearly two decades, she helped lift up countless servicemembers and military families. From singing in the First Baptist Church's Choir to overseeing its Meals on Wheels program, Mrs. Freida was also a leader in her church and her community.

No one was more familiar with Mrs. Freida's, beautiful soul than her family. She was a loving wife of 52 years to her husband, Chief Master Sergeant Jackie T.L. Dority. She lovingly raised her daughter, Alisha; adopted son, Eric; and numerous foster children over the years. She was a nurturing force in the lives of so many, including her siblings, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, and many godsons and goddaughters. My prayers are with her family and with everyone whose life was blessed by her generosity.

Mr. Speaker, until her very last breath, Mrs. Freida B. Dority was, as the verse said: a faithful steward of God's grace. May her memory not only be a blessing but a calling for all of us to act as faithful stewards of that grace as well. I ask that all my colleagues join me in praying for her and giving thanks for her life of service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish a very happy retirement to an excellent Marylander whom I am proud to represent in the Fifth District: Karen Reid. She is retiring after 23 years of distinguished service here in the House.

Karen started working in the House Office Supply Service and House Gift Shop in 2002 as a Supply Account Specialist. Much has changed over the past 23 years. When she started on the Hill, Dennis Hastert was Speaker and President George W. Bush had just started his first term in office. As Karen can attest, given her long commute to work every day, gas was just $1.36 a gallon. Karen's professionalism, character, and joyful personality, however, have remained the same.

From her start in the 107th Congress to the end of her tenure in the 119th Congress, she has excelled in her accounting role. In these 12 Congresses, Karen has set up and taken down multiple Member and Committee charge accounts seamlessly so that we can perform our Congressional duties to the best of our ability. Karen has played a vital role in our organization and has always been a joy to work with.

Her coworkers tell me that her desk is adorned with mementos and photos of her children and grandchildren, whom she is so proud of and loves so dearly. I am also told that she is quite fond of all things `frog related,' and her desk reflects that passion as well.

It is now 2025, and after nearly a quarter of a century serving this great institution, Karen is ready to start a well-deserved, commute- free, and hopefully frog-filled retirement. We have been so fortunate to have her serving the House for all these years. We will miss Karen, but we wish her happiness and relaxation in her retirement. I ask all my colleagues to join me in congratulating her.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a Marylander of great character, intellect, and vision: Dr. Anson H. ``Tuck'' Hines. After 46 years working at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Maryland, Dr. Hines is retiring as SERC's Director. We ought to reflect on all he has been able to accomplish in that time.

Dr. Hines came to SERC as a Marine Ecologist in 1979 a few years after earning his PhD in Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley. Over the decades, he has authored more than 160 peer-reviewed publications and distinguished himself as a leader in the field of marine ecology and conservation. His research on fisheries, blue crabs, and invasive species has received international acclaim. Crucially, it has informed policy. His research into the decline of the Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population led both Maryland and Virginia to regulate harvesting of female blue crabs. Many of us on Team Maryland have worked with Dr. Hines on other conservation efforts over the years.

Dr. Hines has also served as a mentor to numerous up-and-coming scientists. As an adjunct professor at my alma mater, the University of Maryland, College Park, he guided some 20 postdoctoral fellows as a major advisor. He has also supported hundreds of undergraduate interns, master of science students, and PhD candidates.

Indeed, Dr. Hines is renowned not only as a researcher and academic but also as a leader. In 1988, he became Assistant Director of SERC before becoming its Director in 2005. Throughout his time in leadership, he helped turn SERC into a global leader on some of the most pressing challenges of our time--from climate change to habitat destruction to declining biodiversity. He oversaw major expansions to SERC. He helped increase the Center's landholdings by 1,100 acres and took charge of its effort to conserve 2,654 acres of the Rhode River watershed. He also expanded SERC's housing facilities so that the institution can host some of the field's brightest minds and train the next generation of scientists. Additionally, Dr. Hines sought to preserve the Chesapeake Bay's history with his restoration of the Woodlawn House--the oldest building in the Smithsonian's collection that is still in its original location--back in 2020. It now serves as the Woodlawn History Center, with exhibits that explain the story of the historic site as well as SERC's work.

Sustainability remained one of Dr. Hines' top priorities as Director. He spearheaded the construction of the Smithsonian's first net-zero energy research facility: the LEED-Platinum certified Charles McC. Mathias Laboratory. How fitting that this cutting-edge facility is now home to scientists producing cutting-edge research that is preserving our planet for future generations.

For all these efforts, Dr. Hines has received more awards and accolades than I could possibly name. Most importantly, he has earned the respect and gratitude of his fellow Marylanders and Americans. He truly has advanced the Smithsonian's stated mission: `the increase and diffusion of knowledge' I wish him all the best as he starts this exciting new chapter, and I have no doubt that he will remain a trusted voice in his field, a passionate custodian of the environment, and an important leader in our community long into the future. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating him on this milestone.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Cephas Carter, who will be retiring after 35 years of serving the House. Cephas has been with the Clerk office since October 1989.

He started his tenure as a Property Supply Specialist under the then Clerk Donnald K. Anderson. In 1992, he joined the Office of the Official Reporters as a production specialist. And then in 2012, Cephas joined the Legislative Computer System's Audio team, where in 2018, he was promoted to its team leader. Over the past 13 years, Cephas has provided an exemplary service on the House Floor, providing audio coverage of the Floor proceedings. His professionalism, accountability, and kind personality set him apart. He could always be counted on to be there to provide a seamless service, whether it was late nights or weekends, always flexible to the needs of the House. Cephas was and is a consummate professional, excelled at his job, and understood the importance of his mission. He was always proud to be part of this great institution.

Cephas looks forward to his retirement and spending more time with his wife and family. I wish Cephas Carter many years of good health and congratulate him on a well-earned retirement. He has helped the People's House function For The People, which is why I ask all my colleagues to join me in thanking him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Nelson Line as he prepares for retirement after more than 20 years of service to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Over his career, Nelson has been one of the House's most dedicated public servants, serving in multiple positions in the Office of Official Reporters within the Office of the Clerk.

Nelson was born in Hagerstown, Maryland. In 1976, he graduated from South Hagerstown High School. After high school, Nelson attended Hagerstown Junior College and in 1981, he earned a bachelor's degree in Recording Industry Management from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

After college, Nelson relocated to the Washington, D.C. area and worked in retail management selling recorded music. He then went on to work for several court reporting firms, including Miller Reporting, Inc.; Susan Talarico and Associates; and Diversified Reporting Services, Inc.

In November 2004, Nelson joined the Office of Official Reporters' committee division as a Production Assistant. In June 2009, Nelson transitioned to the floor operational division of the Official Reporters' Office, working as a Legislative Data Specialist. Nelson was promoted in 2016 to the Systems Analyst position, the most senior position of the Official Reporters' Legislative Data Specialists' team.

Over long hours whenever the House is in session, Nelson's duties include processing Members' submissions for the Congressional Record, including Extensions of Remarks, General Leave Statements, and Personal Explanation statements. That includes, Mr. Speaker, more than just a few submissions from yours truly. Furthermore, Nelson is also responsible for the transmittal of the electronic Congressional Record to the Government Publishing Office.

Nelson has admirably dedicated 20 years of his professional career to the Office of the Clerk. He has worked under six Speakers of the House: the Honorables J. Dennis Hastert, Nancy Pelosi, John A. Boehner, Paul D. Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, and now, Mike Johnson.

In addition, Nelson has worked for five Clerks of the House: the Honorables Jeff Trandahl, Karen L. Haas, Lorraine C. Miller, Cheryl L. Johnson, and Kevin F. McCumber. Post retirement, Nelson is looking forward to his next chapter of adventures. He plans to travel, read, spend time with friends, pursue educational opportunities, and invest more time in personal interests.

Nelson is one of the countless hardworking, dedicated professionals who serve behind the scenes to make the People's House function For The People. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives, I want to thank Nelson Line for his wonderful service to his country and to wish him well as he begins this exciting new chapter.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank Troy Buckler, who is retiring on June 30, 2025, after over 37 years of outstanding service to the House of Representatives in the Office of Acquisitions Management. He lives in Seagate, Maryland, and I am proud to represent him here in Congress.

Troy was born in Leonardtown Hospital in St. Mary's County and has lived in Maryland his whole life. His parents own Sandgates Restaurant in Sandgates, Maryland, where he spends his leisure time helping out. He has two children and one grandson.

He first came to the House in 1988, when he applied for a position in the Office Supply

Store. His job included fulfilling delivery orders to the Cannon and Old O'Neill House Office Buildings. It was a big change for him where he had spent most of his time doing blue collar jobs wearing jeans and T-shirts. He didn't think he would last a week when he started March 28, 1988. It took a lot for him to get used to wearing dress slacks and ties. But here he is 37 years later and looking forward to playing with his grandson, Levi, and not having to commute over 50 miles to work.

He held several positions over the years in the Office Supply Store, including stock orders and special orders for Members. During a reorganization realignment in 2009, Troy became a Purchasing Agent under the Office of Acquisitions. His favorite job over the years was doing the deliveries being around people and socializing with Members and staff.

Troy's plans for retirement include doing what he wants and having fun. He is looking forward to working at his parents' restaurant and helping his brother who has an electrical business. Now he will have the time to join his parents in Florida during the winter months and also help his brother who shovels snow for the county. Although he has lived his whole life around seafood, pizza is his favorite food and Jim Beam and cranberry juice over the rocks is his favorite drink. He likes football, wrestling, and baseball and roots for the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Commanders. He fondly remembers meeting the team's legendary fullback John Riggins in person. His interests and hobbies include riding his motorcycle and working at his parents' restaurant. Outside of work, he treasures time with his family and is looking forward to more adventures.

I congratulate Troy, and I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking him for his distinguished service to the House and the Nation it represents. He has helped the People's House function For The People. I wish him all the best as he begins a new chapter in his life.

Mr. Speaker, live from Washington, D.C., it is ``Saturday Night Live.'' You can't make this up.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in perplexion. I first will say how much respect I have

for Mr. Westerman. He is my dear friend and one of our best Members. My, my, my, Mr. Speaker, Bruce is doing a lot of work this time.

Is this infantile bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico really this House's top priority? I heard the gentlewoman say it is going to solve all the problems, of course, if we name it the Gulf of America.

Golly day, why didn't we think of that?

The economy is shrinking for the first time since COVID-19. Costs are going up. I think ``Saturday Night Live'' just called me. They want me on.

Mr. Speaker, costs are going up, and small businesses are going under. American families are worried they won't be able to keep the lights on, keep food on the table, and keep a roof over their head, but they are happy about Gulf of America. That will do it.

Millions of Americans risk losing their health insurance if Republicans' Medicaid cuts go through. Yet, Republicans think this juvenile legislation is the best use of this House's time.

This is the only thing we are doing today, Mr. Speaker. What a sick joke this is.

Republicans worry about 400-year-old words on a map. I worry about families in every community in America who are struggling to get by.

This bill is obviously a distraction, a joke. Where is Trump's one big, beautiful bill that we keep hearing so much about, the one that cuts taxes for the wealthiest among us, threatens healthcare for millions, and pulls the rug out from under working Americans?

The majority still hasn't been able to put it on the floor. That is how divided, dysfunctional, and divisive they are.

My dear friend, the late Elijah Cummings, with whom some of you served, said: ``We are better than this.''

The American people are counting on us to be better than this. We ought to be debating legislation to bring down costs, to pay our debts, and to fix our broken immigration system.

Instead, MAGA Republicans waste our time with this childish drivel. Not only that, they give it a prime spot on the floor schedule. This is the only thing we are doing for America today, renaming the Gulf of Mexico, as if that is going to solve the problems.

Very frankly, my confidence in America does not need that. I don't need Canada to be the 51st State. I don't need to invade Greenland, and I don't need the Gulf of America to have confidence in the greatest country on Earth.

Are we so small? Do we feel so belittled by the rest of the world that we have to do this silly, silly, silly step? Hear me, we are made smaller by this effort. Vote rationally. That would be a ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, May 8, marks 80 years since Nazi Germany surrendered to America and its Allies. Victory in Europe, known as VE Day, came at a tremendous price: hundreds of thousands of Americans and millions of others dead, many more physically maimed and mentally scarred, an indeterminate amount of treasure exhausted, and a continent reduced to ruin.

On that day, Mr. Speaker, President Truman said that the only way to repay that debt was through ``ceaseless devotion . . . to build an abiding peace, a peace rooted in justice and in law.''

He said, ``We can build such a peace only by hard, toilsome, painstaking work--by understanding and working with our allies in peace as we have in war.''

Mr. Speaker, I was born just a few months before that war began. I was only 5 years old when Truman said those words. I have lived my entire life virtually amid the abiding peace he envisioned all those years ago. I have lived my entire life knowing that America was the world's most consequential nation. I have lived my entire life believing that America was also the nation most committed to freedom, democracy, free markets, and self-determination, even if our deeds sometimes fell short of those goals.

The Pax Americana that began in 1945 was not inevitable. As Truman said, it took hard, toilsome, painstaking work not only by the Greatest Generation that saw the horrors of World War II but also the generations that have followed.

President Kennedy said, in his inaugural address, ``The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.''

Kennedy spoke of universal brotherhood and sisterhood of all mankind and the recognition that we are inextricably connected. It reflected the pledge we make to our flag, the symbol of our value and our unity, recognizing that, under God, we are indivisible.

United around that principle, we did not repeat the mistake we made after 1918. We came together. We made an alliance. We did not disarm. We did not turn our backs on our Allies and the world. We did not try to appease dictators and authoritarians. We continued to express to the world our willingness to partner with democratic and free nations to defend liberty, as Kennedy said, here and around the world.

That is, Mr. Speaker, until 2016. Sadly and dangerously, candidate Donald Trump announced that America might not honor that pledge. He made it conditional, transactional, if you will. He was right, of course, to demand our NATO allies pay their proportionate share for NATO's expenses, but he sent shock waves of doubt to our allies, to our friends, and, yes, to our enemies and our adversaries.

He expressed uncertainty about whether the United States would honor its commitment under Article 5 of the NATO charter to defend a NATO ally in the event that they were attacked, as our NATO allies have done for the United States after the September 11 attacks.

Mr. Speaker, in 2017, I worked across the aisle with Speaker Paul Ryan, Leader Kevin McCarthy, and others to pass an overwhelmingly bipartisan resolution that reassured NATO nations, and potential adversaries, as well, that the United States would always honor Article 5. It passed, Mr. Speaker, 419-3.

For over three quarters of a century, the credibility of our commitment to ensuring we would never see world war III, which, of course, was the assurance of deterrence and resolve against warmongers, was unassailable.

President Trump, however, as a candidate, put the premise of peace through strength and unity in doubt, which brings me, Mr. Speaker, to Ukraine.

I wear the Ukrainian flag and the flag of the United States every day. Every morning, I pin this pin on the suit that I am wearing.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, largely because of a failed economic system and the resolve of America, NATO, and the free world, the USSR's captive nations regained their independence and sovereignty. While their histories were unique, their status as independent nations was recognized by the United Nations and most of the world.

In 1994, a few years later, the Russians signed an agreement recognizing Ukraine's sovereignty and pledged to respect the integrity of the then-existing borders in exchange for Ukraine turning over all of its nuclear weapons to Russia.

Predictably and sadly, the Russians did not honor their agreement. On February 20, 2014, they invaded a part of Ukraine, Crimea, in an act of international criminal behavior.

Two agreements that Russia and Ukraine signed in Minsk--the first in September of 2014 and the second in February of 2015--outlined a Russian commitment to withdraw from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine and to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity. Instead, Russia continued waging a proxy war in eastern Ukraine for years.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the West's failure to respond to the 2014 invasion and the illegal annexation of Crimea led to Russia's second criminal and horrific invasion of Ukraine without provocation in 2022, some 3 years ago.

Our failure to act sent a message not only to Putin, but to the rest of the world that the United States and the free world may not respond to illegal war invasion.

Although President Trump may not bear the blame for how the war began, he may determine how it ends: in victory or defeat for freedom, democracy, and international law.

Mr. Speaker, I fear that this administration is pursuing a strategy of defeat in Ukraine. The Trump administration is trying to appease Vladimir Putin, just as Neville Chamberlain tried and failed to appease Adolf Hitler.

Trump and many of his loyalists parrot the Russian propaganda lie that

somehow Ukraine, the victim of Putin's unprovoked invasion, started the war. The President has now said he did not mean that, but that is what he said.

The Trump administration has halted American efforts to investigate and prosecute Russian war crimes. He pressures Ukraine to forfeit Crimea, a part of Ukraine agreed to by Russia in 1994. He pressures Ukraine to forfeit Crimea and large swaths of its eastern lands.

Crucially, President Trump and other members of the administration have dismissed Ukraine's ambitions and desire to become members of NATO. I believe NATO membership is the best and perhaps only way to assure Ukraine's security.

Mr. Speaker, we didn't ask Russia's permission to have Sweden join NATO. We didn't ask Russia's permission to have Finland join NATO. They joined because they correctly feared additional Russian invasions, including on the long borders that Finland has with Russia.

Why would we ask Russia's permission, therefore, to let Ukraine join NATO? That decision belongs to us, our NATO allies, and Ukraine. No one else.

Not once has NATO threatened to invade Russia. That is not Putin's fear. No, he is afraid that NATO will stand in the way of Russia invading others.

Yet, Mr. Speaker, even with all of Trump's concessions, Vladimir Putin continues to drag his feet in negotiations. He wanted this war when he launched his invasion 3 years ago and, frankly, he still wants it today. He wants conquest, not simply concessions. He is laser- focused on restoring and expanding the old autocratic dictatorship known as the Soviet empire.

Even if Putin were to agree to a peace deal, we could never trust him to keep it. Eventually, he would toss it into the ashbin with the U.N. Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, the Budapest Memorandum, the Minsk agreements of which I spoke, and all the other international laws and agreements he has violated over the years.

Mr. Speaker, Trump risks falling for the same grand illusion that Chamberlain fell for, that feeding the Russian bear will make Putin less hungry for expansion, less dangerous, less dismissive of international law. That did not happen with Hitler, and it will not happen with Putin.

Supporting Ukraine, Mr. Speaker, is the moral thing to do, but importantly and centrally, it is also in America's interests, and in the interests of international security and global stability.

Vladimir Putin is part of a new axis of aggression, one made up of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. A Russian victory in Ukraine would embolden not only Putin, but also expansionist authoritarians everywhere to prey on the free world.

When our adversaries doubt our resolve, they become more willing to test our strength. Mr. Speaker, if Putin wins, Xi Jinping wins, Khomeini wins, Kim Jong-Un wins, they are authoritarians, aggressive, acquisitive, and dangerous.

If Ukraine loses, America loses, Europe loses, the free world loses, democracy loses, and international law loses. Freedom is at risk.

That is, I tell you, Mr. Speaker, the consensus of our allies. This year, I visited five of our European allies on congressional delegations, one led by Mike Turner, the former chair of the Intelligence Committee, and the other led by Michael Rogers, chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

I spoke to leaders and many others at the Munich Security Conference. They all agree, Russia must not win its war of aggression. They are committed not only to Russia's strategic defeat, but also to securing a lasting peace like the one that began in 1945, a peace through strength and resolve.

Our allies, Mr. Speaker, also recognize that we all need to do more. Experts predict Russia will field a 2 million-strong army by 2030. Right now, Russia produces more ammunition in 3 months than NATO does in an entire year. That includes America, of course. That has to change, and it is.

Of NATO's 28 nations, 23 reached and exceeded the alliance's requirement for a minimum 2 percent of GDP for defense spending. Poland, Estonia, and Latvia are now over 3 percent. Lithuania and Finland will be over 3 percent in 2025. For context, the U.S. spent 3.38 percent of GDP in 2024. Poland and Estonia are already higher. Most of our NATO allies, Mr. Speaker, already have plans to increase spending further in the years ahead.

The only action that will deter Putin's expansionist vision and break through his KGB psychology is one strong enough, resolved enough, and credible enough to dispel any doubt that waging war against the West would come at an untenable cost.

However, if we shrink from the concept of victory in Ukraine against a despotic, illegal invasion, Russia and other authoritarian regimes may not believe that the West will act. We can only secure peace through strength if we help Ukraine deal Putin a definitive, strategic defeat.

Mr. Speaker, most Members of this Congress agree. The Congress has had at least 12 votes on the issue of supporting Ukraine since Russia's savage invasion on February 24. Less than 2 weeks later, Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly voted to support Ukraine's defense. Mr. Speaker, 84 percent of the Members voted ``yes.''

Two months later, there was a second vote, and 87 percent of the Members of this body voted ``yes.'' Over the next 2 years, there were 10 more votes on support for Ukraine. They received an average of 80 percent of the votes of the U.S. House of Representatives.

We provided Ukraine with the military aid it needed to stay in the fight. With incredible resolve, extraordinary courage, and a commitment to their freedom and to their land, with our help, with the help of our NATO allies, and other free-loving nations around the world, they have hung in there for longer than anybody thought was possible.

Now, however, we need to give Ukraine the resources it needs to win the war. This Republican majority will do, I think, what Trump asks. All he has to do, Mr. Speaker, is pick up the phone and tell them to put a Ukraine supplemental on the floor with his support. He has made an economic deal. I don't know fully the details, but that gives us a further stake from an economic standpoint, a business standpoint, and a transactional standpoint, which of course our President focuses on so often. If we put that bill on the floor, it will pass overwhelmingly.

Concessions, Mr. Speaker, will never get Putin to the negotiating table. Only strength will do that.

Truman told Stalin to lift the blockade of Berlin, and he did. Kennedy told Khrushchev to stay out of Cuba, and he did. Reagan told Gorbachev: ``Tear down this wall.'' He did.

Why? Certainly not because America made endless concessions and kowtowed to our adversaries. No, those Presidents succeeded because America stood strong, stood up for its values, and stood up for its allies, for freedom.

He clearly cares about his image, and I refer to ``he'' as President Trump. The image that he likes to portray is winning.

Mr. President, make history. Make Putin get out of Ukraine. You said this war would never have started if you were President. Now that you are President, make Ukraine whole and make the aggressor leave. Tell him to go home, to stop taking lives and start making the lives of his people better.

President Trump must do this, if we are to maintain the peace secured 80 years ago, if our children are to have a world we want for them, a world of peace and decency and respect for one another, a world where transgressors are held accountable.

Mr. Speaker, the work to build a more secure world remains just as hard, just as toilsome, just as painstaking as it did eight decades ago, as Truman pointed out, but it remains just as important today as it was then and has been for 80 years.

Mr. President, let us stand up for freedom. Let us stand up for law and justice and stand with the courageous Ukrainians who, like us, want to protect their land, protect their families, protect their economic well-being, protect freedom. Mr. President, I think you can do it. Please do.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 7 o'clock and 30 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 9 a.m.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a terrific institution that I am proud to represent in Maryland's Fifth District: Bowie State University. On January 9, 2025. the school marked its 160th anniversary. The school will celebrate that historic milestone with a gala later this month.

The oldest historically Black university in Maryland, Bowie State University (BSU) has been a beacon of opportunity, innovation, and academic excellence in our state and country ever since it was founded as the Baltimore Normal School for Colored Teachers in 1865. Many of its first students were recently emancipated Marylanders. The school offered Black Americans a pathway to educational--and economic-- advancement at a time when they were largely barred from such opportunities.

Back in 1865, the school had only a few small rooms and a handful of students. Today, BSU boasts a 339-acre campus and over 6,350 undergraduate and graduate students. It offers more than 65 bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and certificate programs. From quantum computing and artificial intelligence to biotech and pharmaceutical development, BSU students are producing cutting-edge research in the fields that will define the global 21st-century economy. Indeed, just this year, BSU received the distinguished 2025 Carnegie Research Activity Classification in recognition of its trailblazing research.

Mr. Speaker, I've worked with many BSU students, faculty, and staff over the decades, and I can personally attest to how impressive they are. They are leaders not only in their fields but also in our community.

I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating them on this milestone. I have no doubt that BSU's next 160 years will be just as successful as its first 160 years.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I adopt all of what the leader said, notwithstanding the rebuttal from the chairman of our committee.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is about giving Trump more unfettered power. That is what this bill is about. This country has been in crisis and chaos over the last 45-plus days, and this bill will continue that process.

The Congress, if it passes this bill, will have failed. We should have passed all of our bills by September 30 of last year. We didn't. We then passed, as some of the Republicans have said, some appropriation bills. All of them were partisan bills.

This is a partisan bill. In a Congress that is that close, I would think that we would come together and work together. One of our Members said that if Trump says pat our heads and jump up and down, that is what we will do. Welcome to the pat our heads and jump up and down CR.

A CR is failure. The majority puts forth its partisan CR that helps this administration dismantle vital services for the American people, outlined by our leader, rejecting any guardrails on these illegal and unconstitutional actions by Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump. It is that chain saw they want to take to Federal employees and the Federal Government.

This bill requires the District of Columbia, for instance, to take a $1.1 billion cut, not out of Federal funds but out of their own funds that they tax their people. It defunds the police.

Mr. Speaker, I wish I had more time to say how bad this bill is. Vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I applaud and support the remarks of the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Ross). We must be on Ukraine's side and against dictators, despots, and war criminals.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for hosting this Special Order. I thank my colleague for his service.

In full disclosure, my colleague and I probably represent between us about 150,000 Federal employees. I rise not only for those Federal employees, who I care a lot about, as does Mr. Ivey, but I rise for the Federal employees throughout America. I rise not just for them. I rise because they serve America every day in critical places for veterans, for homeowners, for moms, for dads, for teachers, for doctors, and for nurses, all of whom rely on the Federal Government so that they can give services needed by the American people.

Why are we doing this?

I just said upstairs that I have been here for 44 years. This is an unprecedented move taken by the Trump administration and the Musk administration in the first 15 days. There has been no thought, no planning, and no consultation. It is a blitzkrieg on the American Government.

Mr. Speaker, let me just give you the words of Russell Vought who is going to be heading up, apparently, the OMB, the Office of Management and Budget.

This is what he said not so long ago:

``We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected. When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains. We want their funding to be shut down. . . . ''

He is referring to the EPA, but he has aimed his objective at all of the agencies of government.

Mr. Speaker, I rise not only on behalf of Federal workers, as I said, who every day perform the services we, the Congress representing the American people, have asked them to do. They didn't create any of these agencies, we did. They did not give them the objectives, we did. They are performing the services for the American people that the American people need and, yes, want.

The initial notice went out to 2 million people, approximately all of the civilian employees of the Federal service. I want everybody to think for just one second what if all 2 million of Americans' civil servants said: Okay, we are gone. Then having been promised to be paid for 7 months for doing no work, the government shut down. Business, commerce, education, healthcare, and public safety would all be shut down. That is not what the American people voted for.

Mr. Speaker, are the people who help feed our seniors and our children, who provide medical care to our veterans, who keep our communities clean and safe, who help Americans recover from disasters, and who defend our national security and provide countless other services to American people villains? Hell, no. They are heroes and absolutely essential for America to be great.

When you treat Federal workers as villains, then you turn the American people into victims. That is what this administration is doing.

They have offered Federal workers a buyout with a deadline just hours away without any consultation to determine the adverse or, frankly, positive impact of such an action. That is not what the American people expect us to do.

I, and the Members who speak here, hope all the Members of this House, will do what the Founding Fathers thought we should do: Be an independent branch of government to set policy and not allow the Federal workers or the Federal Government to be run over by somebody who likes firing people.