Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the life of Ralph B. Chuey who passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 16, 2017, at St. Elizabeth Health Center, in Boardman, Ohio, surrounded by his loving family.

Ralph was born May 29, 1930, in Youngstown, Ohio to Andrew and Mary (Bunofsky) Chuey. He graduated from Struthers High School in 1948, and was promptly drafted into the U.S. Army, where he proudly served his country in the Panama Canal zone during the Korean conflict. Shortly thereafter, he began a 40-plus-year career driving a local delivery truck for Wonder Bread and Hostess Cake.

Everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him knew that Ralph was a go-getter. Once at

a party, he stole his buddy's good-looking date, Miss Colette Martin. They were wed on Oct. 7, 1967. Their beautiful life together brought them two daughters who were the lights of his life. He worked tirelessly to provide for them and set an amazing example of hard work and dedication.

Ralph formerly served as a zoning inspector for the city of Girard. He was a true patriot who belonged to both the American Legion and the V.F.W., as well as having served as a Democratic precinct committeeman. He was politically active and was involved in many local campaigns throughout the years.

In his spare time, Ralph enjoyed gardening, collecting antiques, complaining, Youngstown State University football, anything related to Cleveland sports, cheering for whatever team his son-in-law, Pat was currently coaching, and watching John Wayne movies with a fresh box of cheese crackers and a cold beer. He was a true Civil War buff and spent his most enjoyable hours dressing in costume and teaching others about the Civil War, particularly Ulysses S. Grant. He especially enjoyed taking part in the school tours at the Girard Historical Society Barnhisel House Museum, where he also played an instrumental role in the museum's restoration.

Those who will carry on his legacy include his loving wife of almost 50 years; his daughter, Erin (Pat) Meyer of Huntington Beach, Calif., and his daughter, Shawna Chuey and Quentin Miles of Washington, DC; three grandchildren, Chris, Emma, and Sophia; his brother, Tom (Pat) Chuey of Poland, and many nieces and nephews.

The family would especially like to thank Dan Hromyak and Leslie ``Dani'' Diana for their support and devotion to their Uncle Ralph. Ralph will be laid to rest at Girard City Cemetery, with military honors. I extend my deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the life of Harry Meshel who died on September 4, 2017. Mr. Meshel was a native of Youngstown, Ohio and ``known for his remarkable civic, cultural, and educational contributions to the community.

Well-known for his colorful stories, sharp wit, and keen memory, Meshel had a successful political career in the Ohio Democratic Party. Throughout his career, he had the opportunity to meet iconic political leaders, including President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson. Meshel's break came in late 1963 when Youngstown Mayor-elect Anthony B. Flask selected him to be his administrative assistant. Meshel served in that capacity for more than five years. When a seat in the Ohio Senate opened, Meshel won a seven-person Democratic primary in 1970 and then the general election. He spent more than 22 years in the Ohio Senate, and the majority of that time was spent in leadership positions, including president for two years. After resigning from the Senate in 1993, Meshel served as state Democratic party chairman. He later went on to serve a nine-year term as a trustee on the board of Youngstown State University.''

Harry was one of the original sponsors of legislation to establish the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) in Rootstown. Additionally, he was instrumental in the creation of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology. He was a relentless advocate of Youngtown State University as a student, a legislator, and as a Trustee. In addition to all the achievements of this able leader, I remember Harry as a Greek American who valiantly fought our nation's battle at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. He was a dedicated supporter of our veterans and a frequent participant at many veterans' events.

Harry was a respected and beloved member of the community who influenced countless lives. He was a dear friend and mentor to me when I was just starting out my career in public service. His legacy is represented all over the Mahoning Valley and Youngstown State University. He will be deeply missed by our community and by all of those fortunate enough to know him. I extend my deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of C. Arthur Soucy who died on July 9, 2017. Born in Manchester, New Hampshire (NH) on September 24, 1935, he was the son of Adelard and Fabiola (LaSante) Soucy. He was educated in the local parochial school system and was a 1954 graduate of St. Marie High School. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard.

C. Arthur was a man who dedicated his life to making a difference in the lives of others; whether through elective office, his church, his businesses or through the many charitable organizations that he served on, C. Arthur lived to help others.

On April 16, 1966, C. Arthur married his most loyal supporter and the love of his life, Lillian (Provost) Soucy. C. Arthur and Lillian welcomed their daughter Donna the following year. C. Arthur and Lillian were especially proud that Donna would go on to follow in their footsteps serving as both an Alderman and State Representative. Donna currently serves in the NH State Senate. C. Arthur and Donna hold the distinction of being the only father and daughter to both serve as Aldermen for the City of Manchester.

C. Arthur owned and operated Youngsville Super Market in Manchester for nearly 20 years. C. Arthur was named NH Grocer of the Year in 1974. He proudly opened The Wine Cellar in 1975 having obtained the first license to sell wine in the State of NH in his grocery store. He had also worked for several years as a successful Realtor and most recently had been employed by Brook Hollow Sand & Gravel in Londonderry.

C. Arthur's involvement in politics began in the late 1950s when he volunteered and worked on various campaigns, most notably that of John F. Kennedy for President.

In 1961, C. Arthur was elected to his first term as Manchester's Ward 12 Alderman; at age 26 he was one of the youngest to ever serve. He was reelected to a second term as Alderman and also served a term as Hillsborough County Commissioner. He went on to serve a record-breaking fifty years of continuous service as a member of city boards and commissions. C. Arthur served twenty years as a Parks and Recreation Commissioner, sixteen as its chairman. He served on the Manchester Water Works Commission for twenty-five years, eventually serving as President. C. Arthur served two terms on the Manchester Elderly Services Commission where he was known for gathering the most sponsorships and raffle prizes of any member. He was also elected a delegate to the NH state constitutional conventions in 1964 and 1984. He was three times elected Manchester Ward 6 moderator and was honored to serve as one of New Hampshire's Presidential Electors in 2012 casting his ballot for the reelection of President Barack Obama. C. Arthur was presented a Key to the City of Manchester from six of Manchester's mayors for his contributions to the betterment of the City of Manchester.

In 1963, C. Arthur founded the NH Young Democrats and was elected the organization's first President. Today the NH Young Democrats honor him annually by presenting the C. Arthur Soucy Award. He served for many years as the chairman of the Manchester Democrats, which presents an annual C. Arthur and Lillian Soucy Award to honor their legacy. C. Arthur served on the NH Democratic State Committee and its executive committee through the years. In 2009, Governor John Lynch presented him the prestigious NH Democratic Party Dunfey-Kanteres Award.

He was honored by the NH Home Builders Association in 2002 for his service, and by the New England Water Works Association in 2008. From 1992 to 1996, he served on the board of the New Horizons Manchester Soup Kitchen including serving for a time as its president. In March of 2015, C. Arthur was presented with a distinguished achievement award by the International Association of Firefighters for his work on behalf of Manchester's firefighters. C. Arthur was a member of the American Legion Henry J. Sweeney Post 2.

He was a longtime active communicant of St. Pius X Church, serving on the parish council and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He had the distinction of being inducted to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in 2005. He was also a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus.

Mr. Soucy was a legend in New Hampshire politics. Always working, always helping other, always in service. In short, New Hampshire is a much better place because of the life and career of Mr. Soucy. I extend my deepest condolences to his family and friends. He will be dearly missed.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I also thank the chairman from Bowling Green, Ohio, home of the Harvard of the Midwest, Bowling Green State University, and Ranking Member Schakowsky for including the language, as she said, for the HOT CARS Act.

We lose about 37 children a year who accidentally get left in the backseat of a car when a parent or grandparent accidentally forgets that they are there, they change their routine, and 37 kids a year pass away. It is one of the most tragic circumstances we have to deal with in this country. Ms. Schakowsky and I, along with Peter King from New York, have championed this bill. I just want to say thank you for including it in here.

These cars get hot fast, up to 125 degrees. This allows the companies now to put sensors in there. When we leave our keys in the car or when we leave our lights on, we get a ding or a bell. Now we will know if someone is in the backseat. There will be an alert that the car companies will put into the cars to allow us to recognize and prevent 37 deaths a year.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for working in a bipartisan way, and thank Ranking Member Schakowsky for her leadership. She has been championing this a long time, and I appreciate it.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to cast my vote for Roll Call votes 416 and 417 on July 26, 2017, and Roll Call votes 426 through 433 on July 27, 2017. Had I been present, my votes would have been the following: Aye on Roll Call votes 430, 431, 432, 433, and Nay on Roll call votes 416, 417, 426, 427, 428, and 429.

Mr. Speaker, it was my distinct honor and privilege to have served in the House of Representatives with Ralph Regula, who passed away on Wednesday, July 19, 2017.

In 2007, I became a member of the Committee on Appropriations where Ralph had served for many years. He was Chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior and later as Chairman of the Labor and Health & Human Services Subcommittee. Ralph taught me a lot about how to achieve success in the Committee by working together cooperatively with Republicans and Democrats alike.

Ralph was the Dean of the Ohio Delegation and I often heard him tell the story of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Park was established in 1974 with Ralph's leadership and his partners John Seiberling and Charles Vanik. I particularly recall his story of how the law was signed. Ralph understood that Secretary of the Interior Rogers Morton opposed the Park and was recommending that President Gerald Ford veto the bill. Ralph called former National Republican Committee Chairman Ray Bliss of Akron and asked him to call the President to explain the importance of the Park in Ohio and to point out that the Park could be a political issue in the Presidential campaign. President Ford saw the wisdom in the advice and signed the bill into law.

Ralph was born on December 3, 1924 in Beach City, Ohio. Ralph served in the Navy during World War II and graduated in 1948 from what is now known as the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. Originally, a teacher and principal who attended law school at night, Ralph served in the Ohio House and Senate before his election to an open Congressional seat in 1972. Ralph was married to his wife Mary for 66 years, and together they shared three adoring children.

Ralph was an important voice in protecting important education programs including Pell Grants and health care programs including investment in medical research. Ralph helped to establish the Ohio & Erie Canalway, which include towpaths and historic sites. He also secured funding to help establish the National. First Ladies' Library, which was founded by his wife Mary and located in Canton, Ohio.

Many friends and family members of the Congressman will be gathering to ride the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail from Cleveland to Zoar this Friday. Ralph's son Richard Regula will be leading this fitting commemoration in celebration of Congressman Regula's legacy.

Ralph was always a champion of bipartisanship, oftentimes stating, ``Listening to the points of view of others, finding common ground to cooperate and making friends on the `other side of the aisle' helps to achieve ultimate success.''

I extend my deepest condolences to Ralph's family and friends. He was a true patriot who leaves behind a positive legacy in both Washington and Ohio. He will be deeply missed.

Mr. Chairman, while I rise to oppose this appropriations package, even though the Legislative Branch division of this package is worthy of our support, I commend Chairman Yoder both for the product and for the way he reached across the aisle to work with me and other members of our committee and the minority in this process.

For all of their hard work, I would also like to thank Liz Dawson, who is on their team; Jenny Panone and Tim Monahan from the Legislative Branch minority staff; Joe Eannello from Chairman Yoder's office; Adam Berg on the minority staff; and Anne Sokolov and Ryan Keating on my team.

This year's Legislative Branch appropriations bill would, among other things, allow us to catch up on some deferred maintenance in our buildings; invest in information technology to modernize the Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, and Copyright Office; and adjust to the new cybersecurity environment faced here in the United States Congress.

I am also pleased to see that this bill provides additional funds for the Sergeant at Arms and the Capitol Police to increase congressional security in the wake of the tragic shooting at our congressional baseball practice several months back.

Our goal is to give them the resources they need to maintain the security on the Capitol campus and increase their coverage of Members and

gatherings of Members that might be targeted. It is the responsibility of the House to look out for our safety and the safety of our constituents and staff, and the funding included in this bill is a step in the right direction.

There are things I hope we can improve on as the bill moves forward. For example, I would like to see more money for personnel at the Library and CRS, not just for information technology; and more for the Government Accountability Office, which is flat-funded in this budget. Because of inflation, GAO will have 200 fewer employees than expected at the end of the year.

GAO's audits and investigations root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government, something that we all agree upon here should be done. With the Trump administration resisting all of this oversight, GAO is more important today than it ever has been.

While I would support the Legislative Branch bill if it came to the floor on its own, unfortunately, we are not considering it on its own.

I oppose tying $1.6 billion of wasted taxpayer money for President Trump's border wall to the Legislative Branch bill. We need bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform, which would include smarter, more effective enforcement of our laws.

A few years ago, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said immigration reform would reduce our deficit by $900 billion and increase real GDP growth by over 3 percent. But simply building a ridiculous wall that faces opposition from both Democrats and Republicans won't do anything for our economy, and it isn't even a cost-effective way to strengthen enforcement.

Besides, we were told repeatedly over the course of the last 18 months that Mexico would pay for the wall. They would ask the President: Who is going to pay for the wall? Mexico is going to pay for the wall.

Why is there a single dime of American taxpayer money for a border wall that President Trump promised Mexico would finance?

I oppose the Republicans' partisan budget strategy. By refusing to work with Democrats on a bipartisan budget deal that raises the Budget Control Act caps, Republicans are seriously risking some combination of sequestration, stopgap funding bills, government shutdown, and a catastrophic default on our national debt.

Nondefense discretionary spending is one-sixth of the Federal budget. Having already cut it to the bone, they are now sawing off the limbs.

The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill; the Transportation bill; and the Financial Services bill that funds consumer protections and regulation of big banks will all see big cuts because of the draconian spending caps.

Today's package will squeeze out investments in our infrastructure, jobs programs, early childhood education, scientific research, and all the things that need to be priorities. We are turning our backs on working families across the country who depend on these programs every day.

We all believe in the free market system. We all believe in capitalism. We all want to reward risk-takers and provide a good environment for growth for those men and women who will make the investments to hire the workers. But capitalism is not a perfect system.

It is these programs in this bill that we need to fund to make sure that we grow the entire economy, that we have sustained growth, we invest in education, we invest in research, and we invest in transportation infrastructure, in order for us to grow the economy.

As former Appropriations Chairman David Obey used to say, those programs were about ``knocking the rough edges off of capitalism.'' On this side of the aisle, we believe making those investments is best for the economy. That is what is at stake.

Yes, we must adequately fund defense, veterans programs, and the legislative branch of government. But that can't come at the expense of everything else.

Mr. Chairman, I just want to make it unanimous here. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Utah for offering this amendment and Mr. Richmond for coming here to support it.

Again, everything has been said. This is appropriate. We are in unchartered waters here. We were at the baseball practices. We saw what happened to our colleague.

We go out to events; we can have security. We go to our office; we can have security. You come home, and you can't. So I think this is appropriate.

I want to thank you for taking this issue up on behalf of the body. We have so many Members today that will take opportunities to diminish this body, and you stood up and showed some leadership in enhancing this body. I want to support this amendment, and I thank the chairman for allowing this to happen.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman.

I think the Wounded Warrior Project we have going on here in the House of Representatives is a great project. It is a great opportunity, as you articulated, to get people into the legislative process, both in our district offices and here in Washington, D.C., and I want to voice my support for that.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I have been here long enough to recognize that, at times, the majority party will come to some level of disagreement with the Congressional Budget Office. We were here during the healthcare debate, we were here during tax cuts and all kinds of different things that happened in the last 15 years that I have been here.

They are not perfect, and they sometimes annoy us. As I can tell from my good friend on the other side, he is in the annoyance period with the Congressional Budget Office. But this is an essential component to what we do here.

The Congressional Budget Office sincerely attempts to give us the best, most accurate information that they could possibly provide us, and those estimates change over time as circumstances change over time. When you are talking about one-sixth of the entire United States economy, it is going to be difficult to give you entirely accurate information.

But not having this essential service here, I think, would be detrimental to this Congress, detrimental to our ability to even gauge and forecast into the future, and so I oppose this amendment strongly and vigorously.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth) who I know also has a strong opinion on this matter.

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

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is breathtaking in its completely overt vindictiveness. Some Members don't like the calls the refs have made in games. You can have your opposition and your opinion. Here, we are trying to get the referee fired. We cannot function as a group here if we are going to continue to try to demean and criticize this very group that is trying to help us do our job.

As I said a few minutes ago, the Democrats have had a long list of frustrations with the CBO, but did we have the President, the leader of our party, and a significant number of Members of the United States Congress start bad-mouthing the CBO? We did not.

We had our complaints, in all fairness, but we think that this group of professionals is essential to how this body functions.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black), the distinguished chairman of the Budget Committee, if you are not going to just believe Democrats on this issue.

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), the distinguished ranking member on the House Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Chair, as the designee of Ranking Member Lowey, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa).

Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer).

Mr. Chairman, let me just say quickly again and reiterate that we are living in a world now where facts are trying to be diminished, science is trying to be diminished, and we rely on these professionals to give us as accurate information as we can possibly obtain at the time from the professionals that are in this office. We rely on this office very much to make the decisions that we make here that have such great importance. While they are not always perfect, I think they always put forth a good product for us.

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

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Let me just say briefly that I support this amendment. Making the Capitol complex and other buildings in the legislative branch more family friendly is an important priority. People come here from all over the country to meet with us, to see the sights, and to witness democracy in action.

If you have traveled far and wide with your family like I have, you know how much of a difference that it would make even for a brief part of your day, like the inevitability of having to change a diaper. This amendment will make it a little bit easier. So this is just a very thoughtful, practical pro-family amendment, and I encourage all of our colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman and the

ranking member for their leadership on this.

This clearly is a big issue pressing the country, and I just wanted to rise in support of what is happening here today; of taking a firmer stance on Russia, Iran, and North Korea; trying to stabilize the peninsula; trying to take care of the funding that is coming out of Iran to all of these terrorist groups across the country and across the world.

What is happening with these sanctions here in the targeting of Russian gas pipelines--their number one export--I think is entirely appropriate. The Nord Stream 2, which carries gas from Russia through the Baltics to Germany--and I know Germany isn't happy about it, but this is something that we have to do.

The point I want to make is that we have to address this issue in a comprehensive way. We must continue to focus on how we get our gas here in the United States, our natural gas to Europe, to our allies, so they are not so dependent on Russia. We have got to have the sanctions, but we also have got to be shipping liquid natural gas to some of these allies of ours so they are not so dependent on the Russians, which is part and parcel of this entire approach.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the healthcare debate that we are having here in the United States.

We had a bill come out of the House of Representatives. We have a working bill that has just come out of the back room in the United States Senate. I think it is important for us, Mr. Speaker, to get some clarity on where each party stands on this issue.

When the Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act, we had some clear goals. We had some clear objectives, back in 2008, 2009, 2010. Our goal and goals as a party were simple: we wanted to expand access to healthcare. We wanted to make sure, in the wealthiest country that God has ever created, that every citizen, wherever you lived, urban, rural, suburban, you would have access to affordable healthcare.

We wanted to make sure that the insurance companies wouldn't knock you off the rolls or charge you a lot of money to get a plan, that when you got sick and you went in to cash in the plan and get some coverage, they said: Oh, we don't cover that. We wanted to make sure that didn't happen.

We wanted to make sure that if your kid had cancer or if you had cancer and the healthcare bills started ratcheting up pretty quickly, that the insurance company couldn't come in and say: Sorry. This is a tragic situation for you and your family, but you just hit your lifetime cap, so we can't cover anything else. You have to go to the Ronald McDonald House, and you have got to go do a fish fry at the local union hall to try to get enough money together to try to pay your healthcare bills, in the wealthiest country God has ever created. That is unacceptable here in the United States.

We were trying to cover more people. You know what? We paid the political price for it, but sign me up. I think of my friends John Boccieri and Steve Driehaus, former Members of Congress. They gave up their seats in this Chamber to make sure that American citizens had healthcare. The Democrats went into the minority since 2010, primarily because the Republican Party used this issue to bludgeon the Democrats. They demagogued the issue. Repeal and replace. Seven years, no plan. Nothing.

And now we have got two bills--one from the House, one from the Senate. Both bills, neutral analysts, the Congressional Budget Office says 22 million Americans will lose their healthcare. Fifteen million will lose it in the next year. If you are between 50 and 64 years old, you are probably going to lose your insurance. If you are a 60-year-old person in Ohio, you are going to pay $4,000 more a year.

We get off this recent Presidential campaign where we heard a candidate: We are going to expand Medicare. We are going to expand Medicaid. It is going to be beautiful. Everyone is going to be able to afford insurance. I am not inhumane, is what one person said, one candidate said.

But the realities, Mr. Speaker, are much different, because in the wealthiest country God has ever created, we have a political party that is trying to throw 22 million people off of their healthcare. We need to get some clarity. We are trying to cover people. I am not trying to be judgmental, but I am just saying the Congressional Budget Office is saying, in both bills, 22 million people are going to lose their healthcare.

Democrats, in order to implement our bill, we asked the wealthiest in the country to pay a little bit more. With that revenue, we expanded the Medicaid program for people who were working. If you made less than $90,000 a year, they got a little bit of that money to help them pay for health insurance so they had more money in their pocket so they could go out and not only take care of their families, but be able to spend and help boost the economy. That is what we wanted to do. That is what we did.

Republicans cut taxes for the wealthy and cut the program by $700 billion. Clear differences, Mr. Speaker. We need to knock down both of these bills and start all over. We need to fix the Affordable Care Act, not repeal it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Babcock and Wilcox. While their headquarters are in Charlotte, North Carolina, I am proud to have one of their major operations located in my district in Barberton, Ohio. B&W's remarkable history began 150 years ago in 1867, when Stephen Wilcox and George Babcock established the company to manufacture and market their patented water tube boiler.

Since then, B&W has been at the forefront of energy innovation in the United States and around the world. In the 1880s, the company's boilers supplied energy for the first electric street lights in Philadelphia and the first central public utility, Pearl Street Station in New York City. B&W's boilers also powered Thomas Edison's laboratories and New York's first subway. In Barberton, B&W Power Generation Group designs and builds boiler and steam generators for industry.

As environmental issues moved to the forefront beginning in the 1970s, B&W became a leading innovator in emissions control technologies. B&W's environmental equipment protects the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we use by controlling nitrogen, sulfur, heavy metals, ash, particulates and other emissions from hundreds of power plants and industrial facilities around the world.

Today, B&W employs 5,000 people on six continents and continues to be a global leader in commercial power and environmental technologies, renewable energy, and industrial power and emissions control. As the company celebrates its 150th anniversary, it's important for us to recognize and to be thankful for the hard work and outstanding contributions from the many thousands of employees who have proudly served at B&W, our customers for their support and trust in our technologies and expertise, and for the communities and the leaders who have stood behind B&W all of these years.

Congratulations on 150 years of quality work and innovation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Frank J. Hoso, Jr. who passed away on Friday, June 2, 2017. He was surrounded by his loving family. He leaves his wife Sylvia and 9 children behind.

Frank was born on May 17, 1934 in Niles, Ohio, and he remained a lifelong resident of Niles. Frank was a 1952 graduate of St. Mary's High School and then continued on to pursue a Bachelor Degree in Education at Kent State University. Frank also courageously served our country in the United States Army Reserves. After leaving the Army, he went on to earn a Master Degree in Education in 1968 from Westminster College, and he took additional Post Graduate classes at Youngstown State University. Frank was married to wife Sylvia for 57 years, and together they shared 12 adoring children.

Frank worked as a teacher for much of his career. He began teaching junior high at Saints Peter and Paul School from 1959-1969 before going on to teach for 39 years at Warren City Schools. Even after he retired as a full-time teacher, he continued to assist as a substitute teacher.

Frank was also an active member of his community. He served with the United States Army Reserves for five years before being honorably discharged on November 20, 1962 with the rank of Corporal. Additionally, he was a faithful member of Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church in Warren, where he tended to the parish cemetery.

I extend my deepest condolences to Frank's family and friends. He was a wonderful man who leaves behind an extensive legacy. He will be dearly missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. John Fleming, his wife Suzanne, and children John and Andrew, who all tragically died in a plane crash over Lake Erie last December.

John was born December 30, 1970 in Youngstown, Ohio. His wife Suzanne was born September 22, 1970 in Youngstown as well. Both John and Suzanne were 1989 graduates of Boardman High School and high school sweethearts. John graduated magna cum laude from Wake Forest University in 1993 as a CPA and member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. Suzanne graduated from Youngstown State University with a Bachelor's Degree in social work. They were seventeen year residents of Columbus.

John worked for almost 30 years for the Superior Beverage Group in Columbus and the beverage distribution industry. He was incredibly successful, rising to President and Chief Executive Officer. In addition to his influential leadership in his career, he was a leader in his community. He actively volunteered at nearby charities, and was a yearly supporter of the Dublin Irish Festival. Above all, he was known for being a family man.

His wife Suzanne was a devoted mother and passionate supporter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the leading funder of type 1 diabetes research. Their oldest son John was a sophomore at Oletangy Liberty High School where he excelled academically and was an Ohio sports enthusiast. His younger brother Andrew attended the Ohio State School for the Blind in Columbus. Like his brother, he too was an avid supporter of sports, and he also participated in Special Olympics. This family will be greatly missed by their family, friends, colleagues, and their community.

I extend my condolences to their family and friends. These wonderful people will be dearly missed.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity. I just want to say thank you to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for her great words and Congressman Crowley, who was here a little bit earlier, for his good words as well.

I am starting tonight a segment that I am calling America 2.0. I think we are in the midst of, obviously, some chaos in the United States, in Washington, D.C., and in so many communities across the country that feel we are disoriented with our politics, disconnected from our politics, and we are disoriented around the idea of what is happening in our economy. Globalization, automation, all of these things have dramatically affected the American economy and American wages and standard of living.

We have actually seen, Mr. Speaker, over the course of the last 20 years, a huge decline, a sucking out of middle class wages that have gone primarily to the top 1 percent. Now, I am not here to bash rich people. I am not here to make any enemies, but I think it is important and instructive for us to look at where we were and where we are now.

If you look at where we were in 1980, of all the income growth in the Nation in 1980, 70 percent of all income growth went to the bottom 90 percent of Americans. So we had some significant income growth, and 70 percent of it went to the bottom 90 percent, 30 percent went to the top 10 percent. The wealthy were getting more, but the middle class, the upper middle class and the lower middle class, the bottom 90 percent saw 70 percent of the gains.

Fast forward from the early 1990s until just recently just a few years back, the bottom 90 percent, Mr. Speaker, got zero percent of the income growth that happened in the United States--zero. So the economy in 1980, for average families in Youngstown, Ohio, or Struthers, Ohio, or Akron, Ohio, saw that hard work paid off; that if you worked hard, you played by the rules, you did what you were supposed to do, and if you were in the bottom 90 percent, you saw some income gains. Fair enough.

Where the anxiety has come in now is that people are working harder, they are working longer hours, and they are not seeing any growth in their incomes. We have teachers, for example, in the Youngstown City Schools who have not seen a cost-of-living raise in 9 years--9 years. Police and fire, people who cut hair, people who are waitresses, people who take showers after work instead of before work, those people aren't getting ahead, and the cost of everything is going up. So that is where we are, erosion of our manufacturing base and globalization and automation.

I was just looking at an article earlier about a new Amazon project--

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

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 8 o'clock and 19 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, February 16, 2017, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.

Mr. Speaker, due to a medical emergency involving a member of my family, on January 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th, 2017, I was unable to return to Washington, DC in time to cast my vote for roll call votes 24 through 54. Had I been present, my votes would have been the following:

Aye on roll call votes: 24, 25, 28 through 30, 34, 37 through 44, 46 through 50, 53.

Nay on roll call votes: 26, 27, 31 through 33, 35, 36, 45, 51, 52, 54.