Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Michael Schoen, who recently became the first individual to raise over $1 million for cancer research through the Pelotonia bike ride. Pelotonia is a two-day event where participants bike hundreds of miles through Central Ohio, raising money for cancer research at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center--the James.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great pride and admiration to celebrate David Scheffler, a member of the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame Class of 2023. This distinct honor recognizes his outstanding contributions to his community in the years following his military service.

David's journey of public service began in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam Era. Afterwards, he returned home to Lancaster and

embarked on a career in finance. He passed the CPA examination and eventually retired as a highly respected partner at Plante Moran, a national certified public accounting and business advisory firm.

David has long been a pillar of his community. He has served as the Mayor of Lancaster since 2017, a position he continues to hold with honor. His dedication has extended to various state and local boards and committees, including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Destination Downtown Lancaster, the Ohio Mayor's Alliance, the Mid-Ohio Planning Commission, the Ohio Small Business Council, and the Fairfield County Airport Authority.

As Mayor, David has steered Lancaster through challenging times, including economic uncertainty arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. His decisive leadership was instrumental as he navigated his city through financial crises and fostered economic development.

At the age of 75, David Scheffler's continued dedication and contributions to his community inspire us all. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to David Scheffler as one of the newest members of the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, and I thank him for his service to this country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Madam Chair for that great introduction.

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1435, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act. We are here today because lawmakers in California want to outright ban the sale of new vehicles with an internal combustion engine. They are fed up with the pace of the free market and want to force their consumers to switch to more expensive electric vehicles.

This bill would simply prevent President Biden's EPA from granting California the waiver needed to approve this ban.

If the California waiver is approved, over a dozen other States could adopt identical standards to ban the internal combustion engine.

House Republicans believe that Americans should be able to purchase the vehicle that meets their needs. The fact of the matter is that consumers across America are wary of making the shift to electric vehicles.

As Cox Automotive experts pointed out in July, the unsold inventory of EVs across the Nation swelled nearly 350 percent this year. There are 92,000 EVs currently sitting unsold on dealer lots.

As shown during the Secretary of Energy's recent EV road trip, there are still major problems with owning and charging an EV in America outside of big cities.

Regardless of whether you want to buy an EV or a traditional internal combustion vehicle, House Republicans believe that you should have the choice to purchase the vehicle that is best for you and your family. This bill will do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this commonsense bill.

Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call No. 352, I mistakenly voted No when I intended to vote Aye.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to pay tribute to my dear friend, Delaware County Sheriff Russ Martin, who officially retired this week from his post as Delaware County Sheriff after nearly 34 years of dedicated public service in law enforcement.

Sheriff Martin first began his career in law enforcement as a dispatcher while attending Bowling Green State University. He later became a police officer for the city of Delaware and then served 8 years as the city's chief of police.

In 2012, he was first appointed to the Delaware County Sheriff. As Delaware County Sheriff, he added police body cameras, restored the department's cold case unit, and advocated for life-saving equipment to empower citizens and to support first responders.

Fitting for a man who teaches courses on leadership and ethics, Sheriff Martin's own legacy is one marked by compassion, integrity, and devotion.

On behalf of Ohio's 12th Congressional District, I wish Sheriff Martin the very best as he embarks on new adventures, alongside his loving family as a grandfather, father, husband, volunteer, and champion for law enforcement.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act.

The American people deserve reliable, secure, and affordable energy to power our homes and businesses, fuel our vehicles, and sustain our way of life.

In this country we are blessed with an abundance of clean and affordable energy resources capable of meeting our energy needs for many generations to come.

Today, we have an opportunity to end our reliance on bad actors, lower prices for families hurting under sky-high inflation, and finally unleashing American energy dominance.

H.R. 1 is about ensuring a secure energy future for America.

Just recently, PJM Interconnection, one of the Nation's largest grid operators, released an alarming report about the long-term reliability of America's power grid.

The report shows that America's growing power demand, coupled with the retirement of existing power generation, far outweighs renewable sources' capacity to keep up.

Simply put, the Biden administration's rush to green is putting us on a dangerous collision course toward power outages and energy insecurity.

To see the consequences of the rush to green, just take a look at the energy crisis that unfolded when much of Europe shut off nuclear and fossil fuel power generation without a means to meet their power needs.

We cannot allow ourselves to fall victim to the same fate.

H.R. 1 embraces the abundant resources at our disposal and rejects the false notion that a cleaner environment can only be achieved at the peril of the United States' energy security and independence.

This commonsense bill reforms the outdated permitting process, increases domestic energy production, and repeals President Biden's disastrous natural gas tax.

Mr. Chair, when the American people flip on the light switch, they should have confidence that the lights will actually come on.

I am proud to join my colleagues in delivering on our commitment to America by restoring American energy dominance.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting America's energy future with the passage of H.R. 1.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to pay tribute to the late State representative, Kris Jordan of Delaware County, who passed away unexpectedly this weekend.

Kris and I both entered the Ohio House of Representatives--in the minority--on the same day in 2009. Kris and I both moved over to the Ohio Senate in 2011, where he would eventually serve as my vice chairman on the Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee.

Kris will be remembered as a public servant of strong convictions. He was also a relentless campaigner, going door-to-door year-round, even when he was uncontested. This earned him the respect and admiration of a loyal following in Delaware County, a community he served faithfully in various roles for virtually all of his adult life.

Our prayers continue to be with the many loved ones that Kris leaves behind, including his three young children, Macy, David, and Everly.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Guthrie for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 382, the Pandemic is Over Act. As Representatives of the American people, we owe it to them to assess our country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and look to better prepare for future pandemics. Most importantly, the American people deserve honesty and normalcy.

The pandemic is over. Even President Biden said as much last September. That level of honesty from the President is a step in the right direction, but after the President publicly declared the pandemic over, he extended the public health emergency not just once, but two more times. Today marks 3 years since the original public health emergency declaration.

Our country has been through a lot in the last 3 years but it is time to get back to normal. It is time to give power back to the people.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 382.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 21, the Strategic Production Response Act, led by our Energy and Commerce Committee Chair McMorris Rodgers.

I am proud to cosponsor and support this bill, which holds the Biden administration and future administrations

accountable for misusing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Under President Biden's watch, the stockpile has been depleted by an alarming 40 percent, falling to its lowest level since 1984.

Established in 1975, the SPR was intended to respond to national emergencies and to address severe supply disruptions, not to manipulate gas prices.

This bill is quite simple. It requires the Secretary of Energy to submit a plan to increase domestic energy production with any nonemergency drawdown of the SPR.

Despite falsehoods from the members of the President's own Cabinet, this legislation provides clear exceptions for legitimate energy supply interruptions and only applies to nonemergency sales.

The American people want affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for America, not short-term political gimmicks. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 21.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to rise today to pay tribute to the memory of a Zanesville, Ohio legend, Coach Ed Bowman.

Born in 1928, Coach Bowman served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and returned home to a 36-year career with the United States Postal Service as a beloved local mail carrier.

Ed coached the St Thomas 7th and 8th Grade Boys Basketball for over 40 years, mentoring hundreds--if not thousands--of players during his tenure.

In recognition of his service, Coach Bowman was inducted into the Rosecrans Athletic Boosters Hall of Fame, Zanesville Daybreak Rotary Club Community Service Award in 2015 and is a Member of ``Forever Dads Legacy of Fatherhood'' Class of 2018.

Coach Bowman leaves behind a lasting legacy in the Zanesville community.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I am honored and blessed to be able to serve with you.

Instead of supporting American energy producers and reversing their disastrous energy policies, the Biden administration decided to drain our energy reserves to the lowest levels since 1983.

So who benefited from this decision to drain these reserves?

The Chinese Communist Party now has the largest government-controlled petroleum reserve in the world. In fact, this administration transferred 900,000 barrels from our stockpile to a subsidy of the Chinese Communist Party-owned China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation.

H.R. 22, sponsored by Madam Chair McMorris Rodgers, bars the Secretary of Energy from selling any of America's petroleum reserves to an entity affiliated with the CCP or any entity that intends to export it to China.

Energy security is national security. House Republicans are fighting to ensure one of our greatest geopolitical challengers, China, does not benefit from this administration's misguided energy policies.

I urge passage of H.R. 22, the Protecting America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5376. Today, we are voting on a bill that achieves the exact opposite of what its name implies.

Here is what is in their $745 billion inflation reduction plan.

It raises taxes on businesses in the midst of a recession. It forces us into a socialist drug-pricing scheme, leading to fewer lifesaving cures, higher costs, and less hope. It hires 87,000 more IRS agents to spy on you. It makes it more expensive to heat your home with a new tax on American natural gas. It wastes $27 billion on the EPA climate bank charged with handing out all of your tax dollars to woke energy corporations.

They are throwing your hard-earned money at their Green New Deal dreams while carrying out their misguided threats to eliminate fossil fuels. Just look at Europe's energy crisis to see the true cost of the rush-to-green agenda.

Rather than unleashing America's abundant energy resources, this legislation raises taxes on energy production and imposes restrictions on local producers in my district and in Ohio. Instead of helping bring down prices at the pump for hardworking Americans, this bill gives away $7,500 tax credits for the wealthy to buy and upgrade their electric vehicles.

What does all of this mean for Ohioans? Higher prices, energy insecurity, and tax hikes.

Madam Speaker, this bill only makes matters worse. I urge a ``no'' vote on H.R. 5376.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4622 to designate the Roseville, Ohio, post office as the Ronald E. Rosser Post Office.

The second oldest of 17 siblings, Ron Rosser had a sense of duty to his family and country. First enlisting in the United States Army in 1946, Mr. Rosser served as a paratrooper for 3 years before returning home to Ohio to work as a coal miner.

In February of 1951, he learned that his brother, Richard Rosser, was killed while fighting in the Korean war and immediately reenlisted to avenge his death.

In Korea, Rosser served as a forward observer, attached to an infantry division in the area known as the Iron Triangle. At 20 degrees below zero, they were sent on a mission to raid a Chinese Communist- held mountaintop outpost and to dismantle their winter apparatus.

Tragically, the operation went south, as Mr. Rosser's group was met with fierce enemy fire. Heavily outnumbered, Rosser charged up the mountain with just a rifle and one grenade. He was able to suppress hundreds of enemy soldiers and returned to the bottom of the hill to advise the captain to withdraw. Despite his wounds, he scaled the mountain--directly into opposing fire--several more times to rescue fellow soldiers. His actions that day were the embodiment of courage, valor, and patriotism.

Upon his return home, Rosser was awarded the Medal of Honor in a White House Rose Garden ceremony by President Harry S. Truman. Rosser worked as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service, advocated for veterans, and was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.

Sadly, Mr. Rosser passed away at the age of 90 in August of 2020. Army Sergeant 1st Class Ronald E. Rosser was an American war hero and a Muskingum County icon who saved countless American lives during the Korean war and serves as an inspiration for us today and will for many generations to come.

It was an honor and a blessing for me to personally know Mr. Rosser. I thank Chairwoman Maloney and Mr. Keller for their support in moving this bill forward. I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 4622.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Rodgers for this work.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act.

Lockdowns, isolations, economic instability, disruptions to learning and daily routines. For well over a year, school closures, mask mandates, and online learning became the new normal for far too many young Americans.

As a result, a new crisis is afoot in our country, one with potentially dire consequences for our future, a mental health crisis among younger Americans.

Today, nearly 7 in 10 parents of young children in Ohio are worried about their kids' mental or emotional health. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death of Americans ages 18 to 45. Our kids are counting on us, and we are counting on them.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 7666.

Madam Speaker, this year marks the 175th anniversary of Otterbein University--a regionally accredited private liberal arts university located in Ohio's 12th Congressional District. Founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, the university has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to preparing its students for success in their careers and in life. I rise today to commemorate this momentous occasion for Otterbein University and recognize a record of excellence in higher education.

Since its inception, Otterbein University has firmly established itself upon the principles of lifelong learning and opening doors of opportunity for its students. A pioneer in a time of societal inequality, Otterbein was one of the nation's first universities to enroll both women and people of color,

Today, Otterbein University has an enrollment of approximately 2,600 undergraduate students, and 400 graduate students working toward one of its several master's degree programs. Reaching near and far, Otterbein boasts a vast network of over 25,000 alumni scattered all across the world. Otterbein maintains a strong commitment to its core values of opportunity, diversity, equality, and lifelong learning. Reflected in its long list of honors and awards, Otterbein takes great pride in its dedication to community service. In 2015, Otterbein earned the distinguished Carnegie Community Service Classification--a leading national designation for institutional commitment to service.

The future of Otterbein University is bright as it continues to provide opportunities in higher education for generations to come. To this day, Otterbein embodies its core values which have guided the university since the beginning. I am proud to join Otterbein University's faculty, students and staff in celebrating this remarkable milestone. After 175 years in higher education, Otterbein has much to be proud of. Congratulations.