Steve Cohen

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Tennessee, the Honorable Matt Van Epps, be permitted to take the oath of office today. His certificate of election has not arrived, but there is no contest and no question has been raised with regard to his election.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, the United States Institute of Peace was created by the Congress of the United States. It is in a beautiful building, and it served the function of trying to bring people together. In February, President Trump issued an executive order dismantling the United States Institute of Peace. Subsequently, law enforcement removed the president of the United States Institute of Peace forcibly from his office, and then the Trump administration fired every employee and dismantled the office. A district court has ruled that he acted improperly because the Congress created the United States Institute of Peace and the President didn't have the authority to dismantle it. Today, I have learned that President Trump has had his name in massive letters put over the United States Institute of Peace calling it the Donald J. Trump Peace Institute, none of which is legal. Will his ego stop staining this city by putting his name and his picture all over banners contemporaneous or similar to Teddy Roosevelt at the Department of Labor and others?

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to include in the Record the following article titled Libya Has a Deal for Trump That Could Reshape Africa and Europe by Tom O'Connor of Newsweek on how important it is for Libya to return to stability: As a divided Libya lies between two deepening crises in Africa and the porous southern flank of Europe, representatives of the nation's internationally recognized government told Newsweek they were looking to President Donald Trump to strike a deal that could have profound effects across two continents. The appeal from the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity that controls much of Libya's northwest involves seeking U.S. support in pressuring countries--namely Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt--accused of aiding the rival Government of National Stability that controls much of the rest of the nation, including Libya's second city of Benghazi, and is backed by the military support of influential Libyan National Army chief Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar. In exchange, the Government of National Unity envisions boosting business and investment ties--particularly regarding Libya's vast reserves of oil--with an administration known for its deal-based transactional foreign policy. The Libyan authorities also aim to solidify security ties that may bolster NATO's position in the Mediterranean, curb the free flow of fighters and arms to conflicts raging in the neighboring Sahel region and Sudan while also easing the large-scale migration of African refugees to Europe. ``We would like to have the involvement of United States. And, especially with this government, they are always looking for deals, there are a lot of deals that we can do, and we keep mutual interests,'' Mahmoud Ahmed Alftise, economic adviser to Government of National Unity Prime Minister Abdul- Hamid Dbeibah, told Newsweek. ``Of course, we have our sovereignties, but we would like to have a good friend, a strong friend.'' ``We would like to have a friend's mutual interest, so we can go ahead and move, so people have their prosperities.'' Alftise said, ``because the Libyan people are really suffering from this regional interference in Libya.'' Libya's Fracture The roots of Libya's schism can be traced back to a 2011 rebellion against longtime leader Muammar al-Qaddafi. Qaddafi, who had ruled the nation since seizing power in a 1969 coup against the monarchy and later adopted the titles of ``brotherly leader'' and ``King of Kings'' of Africa, had for decades molded a seemingly invincible cult of personality bolstered by grand infrastructure projects and iron-fisted suppression of dissent until widespread unrest swelled around the Arab Spring movement. As Qaddafi's forces attempted to extinguish the uprising, NATO intervened directly with a crushing air campaign in support of the rebels, leading to the Libyan leader's downfall and ultimate slaying at the hands of opposition fighters. Libya's initial post-Qaddafi steps appeared hopeful as the temporary National Transitional Council handed the reigns to the elected General National Congress in 2012, marking the nation's first-ever peaceful transfer of power. But new elections held in 2014 produced the first major crisis as political feuds and opposing interpretations of the nascent constitution led to the establishment of the House of Representatives to rival the General National Congress as Libya's legislative body. Haftar, a former close Qaddafi confidant and commander who fled to the U.S. in the 1990s to begin orchestrating efforts to oust his ex-ally, emerged as a powerful military figure in support of the House of Representatives. As head of the Libyan National Army, he declared a military operation against the General National Congress, and Libya thus devolved into a second civil war, this time with no clear victor. The conflict continued for six years until a 2020 ceasefire that once again inspired cautious optimism toward a political solution, with the establishment of the Government of National Unity as the new Tripoli-based authority aimed at unifying the nation. But the House of Representatives rejected the Government of National Unity's mandate the following year, leading to the creation of the Government of National Stability in the east and entrenching the dual power system that continues to divide Libya to this day. Sporadic clashes also persist, sometimes among internal factions of the two major governments that claim legitimate authority in Libya, such as occurred between military and militia units in Tripoli in May. Without a mutually agreed framework for Libya's unification and a United Nations road map left sidelined, both parties remain locked in their feud, though Alftise argued the Government of National Unity remained more open to a negotiated solution. ``Our government is more flexible, there are even some thoughts that maybe we can merge the two governments in order to have an election, and then we will have, of course, parliamentary elections, and then we have a presidential election, or maybe together,'' Alftise said. ``But what happened is the House of Representatives is under the control of Mr. Haftar,'' he added. ``They cannot say something that he does not like.'' Foreign Intrigue While a return to large-scale fighting has thus far been avoided, fears loom over such a scenario plunging the country into another period of civil strife. Alftise suggested the decision of peace and war may ultimately be influenced by the whims of foreign powers, who have increasingly spread their influence in Libya. For the Government of National Unity, this includes Turkey, which deployed personnel and drones among other assets to aid the Tripoli-based administration against the Libyan National Army's advances in 2020. Ankara's role is defended by the Government of National Unity as a necessary bulwark against the presence of Russia's Wagner Group private military company--largely since rebranded and reorganized under the Russian Defense Ministry as the Africa Corps--among the ranks of Haftar's forces. Ibrahim Sahad, a member of Libya's High Council of State that succeeded the General National Congress in 2016, stated that Russian personnel had established ``three or four air force bases in Libya,'' including in ``very sensitive areas,'' such as the central district of Jufra, Benghazi's Benina International Airport and in Tobruk, where the Government of National Stability and Libyan National Army are headquartered. He warned such maneuvers should raise alarms in Europe and the U.S., though warnings have thus far gone unheeded. ``When we talk about the Russian presence and involvement, I see there is lack of sensitivities from the American side with that regard, as if it is something we can live with,'' Sahad told Newsweek. ``No we cannot live with that. ``And even the future, not for us, also for the West, for NATO,'' he added. ``Libya used to be the flank of NATO.'' And elsewhere on the continent itself, he predicted that inaction on Russia's projection of influence through the deployment of personnel in regions like the Sahel could precipitate a broader geopolitical shift for Africa at a time when many nations have already abandoned ties with Europe. ``The Russian presence in Libya is not only controlling Libya. No, they are controlling Africa,'' Sahad said. ``They are sending troops to other African countries, and they want to be in control of them. And if this continues, if we allow that to continue, they will find one time that Africa will come to the other side.'' The Kremlin's interest in Libya is deep-rooted as NATO's intervention prompted a severe backlash from Russian President Vladimir Putin. who went on to double down on back for another Soviet-era ally facing an Arab Spring revolt, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Assad's downfall at the hands of an Islamist-led rebel offensive last year has reportedly been followed by an uptick in contacts with Haftar, who met Putin in May at Russia's 80th anniversary World War II Victory Day parade. It's not just Moscow or even adversaries of Washington that the Government of National Unity suspects of seeking a lasting piece of Libya. Sahad argued that the United Arab Emirates had thrown its weight behind Haftar in a bid for port access and other shares of the country. ``The UAE has this sickness of wanting to control harbors. They came to buy New York Harbor one time,'' Sahad said. ``The control of the Libyan harbors, some of them is to be part of the Libyan oil industry, and to be part of the financial sector, especially the banks, and there are other things, and I have no doubt that they have this ambition, and I have no doubt that Haftar agrees with that.'' Egypt, too, has expressed its ambitions to stake control over parts of eastern Libya, according to Sahad, who cited Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's 2020 remarks calling any attack by the Government of National Unity's forces against the Government of National Stability-held coastal city of Sirte a ``red line'' that would result in direct Egyptian military intervention. Russia and the UAE have rejected allegations that they provided direct support for the Libyan National Army during its westward offensives, while Egypt has framed its stance as necessary for maintaining security along its border with Libya. Still, Sahad argued that addressing runaway foreign influence was key to unlocking progress on other fronts, including reconciling the split nature of Libya's governance and paving the way for U.S. investment in Libya's resource industry. ``If we put an end to this interference, our situation will be better,'' Sahad said. ``Maybe it will be easier for us to reach an agreement and unify the institutions. A lot of things could happen by then. But with this interference we have, we have real big problems in that regard. The U.S. can help a lot.'' ``Another sphere is our oil industry faces a lot of problems because of a lack of experts,'' he added. ``The American companies started the oil industry in the 50s, now we have a lot of fields not explored yet. I think United States companies have a big interest there. And it's not only oil, we have other minerals.'' To address the growing presence of foreign actors, Sahad called on the U.S. to crack down on the nations suspected of playing destabilizing roles in Libya. While he said he was encouraged by moves such as the Libyan Stabilization Act that passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but was never signed into law, he argued he has not ``seen any real effort from either this administration, nor the administration before, to put some pressure on the United Arab Emirates or Egypt to stop their interference in Libya.'' Attention to foreign influence in Libya has also sparked some acknowledgment within the Government of National Unity regarding Turkey's growing role, particularly after Ankara began fostering closer dialogue with the House of Representatives as part of what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan referred to in August as a step in line with his nation's ``multidimensional diplomatic efforts.'' ``Of course, the Turks always like to have some existence in the area, because they feel they are a power in the area. And nowadays they are,'' Alftise said. ``They were, of course, in the Ottoman Empire, and now they are trying to have a new history there.'' At the Crossroads of Crises Risks posed by Libya's fractured state and the presence of foreign actors are compounded by instability in neighboring nations--some of which can be traced back to the initial shock of Qaddafi's sudden downfall and the subsequent vacuum of power. The collapse of Libya in 2011 sparked a major influx of arms and fighters through the Sahel, with ethnic Tuareg fighters who once fought on both sides of the Libyan Civil War staging a 2012 uprising in Mali. This was followed by an explosion of Islamist insurgency, including groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, that is spreading across the region today. To the southeast, Haftar's troops have been accused of aiding the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces against the Sudanese Armed Forces in the civil war that first erupted-in Sudan in 2021. The Government of National Unity has further alleged that Haftar supported the Rapid Support Forces with fuel transfers backed by the United Arab Emirates, though UAE officials have repeatedly rejected direct involvement in Sudan's civil war. The conflict in Sudan is considered to be the world's worst humanitarian crisis today, driving millions of people out of the large African nation. Many of these refugees from Sudan and others fleeing conflicts and harsh conditions elsewhere in Africa find their way to Libya, taking advantage of the country's disunity and unpatrolled borders to embark on a treacherous trip across the Mediterranean to Europe. Nearly 60,000 people survived the journey and another 1,500 are known to have perished in 2025 alone, according to the European Union's Frontex border security agency, which identifies Libya as the primary departure point. The total number of those who fled from Libya by sea since 2011 is believed to at least be in the hundreds of thousands, with potentially more unreported. ``Europe has a big problem with the immigrants who come with ships,'' Sahad said. ``Why do we have these immigrants? Because we could not control the borders, our southern borders. We cannot control them. We need help in that regard. We need technology.'' ``We cannot control the vast borders in the south, but with technology, you can, and Europe is not giving us that help,'' he added. Yet there's hope Washington may be able to step in here, as Sahad believes this is another thing the United States can help us with,'' and do so with a promise of reciprocal benefits. ``We're not saying that we are demanding or asking, but also Libya will give the United States the energy, and we will give their states the stability of that region,'' Sahad said. ``If Libya is stable, then there are big advantages for Northern Africa, for Africa.'' Alftise reiterated this point, arguing that, while the Government of National Unity has so far been able to keep the threat of Islamist militant resurgence in the west at bay, the lack of control over the southern border and growing jihadi infiltration of nations such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger meant U.S. support was necessary not only for safeguarding Libya, but far beyond as well. ``It's not only for the sake of Libya,'' Alftise said, ``it's the sake of Africa and the sake of southern Europe.'' Unity First As the 15th anniversary of the uprising that toppled Qaddafi nears in February, uncertainty prevails over the nation of roughly 7.5 million people once considered one of the richest nations in Africa that has still yet to rebound from its pre-2011 economic performance. Alftise said that ``there is still a big hope that things will be okay,'' though he acknowledged a wave of nostalgia for Qaddafi's rule, fueled largely by social media and foreign outlets. In response, he said, ``we're trying to tell the people that era has more bad things than good things.'' And while the cautious calm that continues to hold has produced some positive growth in the economy and social development in recent years, so much potential is hindered by the stillunwavering splitAnd while the cautious calm that continues to hold has produced some positive growth in the economy and social development in recent years, so much potential is hindered by the still-unwavering split between the opposing governments. In the east, Haftar continues to entrench his position, promoting at least two of his sons, Saddam and Khalid, to senior military positions and a third, Belqasim, as his top political adviser. Critics accuse of him emulating Qaddafi in his dynastic tendencies and strongman persona that overshadows Government of National Stability Prime Minister Osama Hammad. In the west, Dbeibah faces not only the rival government in Tobruk and its foreign backers but also a complex array of internal factions, including Islamist forces who seek to push their own vision of Libya in backing the Government of National Unity. His leverage is further challenged by incessant clashes over Libya's oil and gas infrastructure, a backbone of the national economy that has been sapped by the dual power rivalry and rampant fuel smuggling. Nevertheless, Dbeibah's administration continues to enjoy international recognition and his outreach to the White House has not gone unnoticed. Trump's senior adviser on Africa affairs, Massad Boulos, traveled to Tripoli in July to hold talks with Dbeibah that reportedly included a Libyan offer to forge a $70 billion economic partnership with the U.S. But Libya has also caught the eye of the administration on another matter often tied to Trump's diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and North Africa. In April, Trump's special envoy to theMidiile East, Steve Witkoff, named Libya as among six nations that could potentially join the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements through which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel in late 2020 and early 2021. The deals marked the first Arab-Israeli normalization pacts since those struck by Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, save for Mauritania's short-lived recognition offered in 1999 and rescinded amid a war in Gaza a decade later. Like the rest of the Arab world and many Muslim nations, Libya has never recognized Israel and has consistently expressed support for Palestinians, once constituting a major source of Palestinian militia funds and arms throughout the Qaddafi era. Even years from Qaddafi's ouster, the Israeli-Palestinian issue remains a sensitive one for Libya. Both Alftise and Sahad said unifying and stabilizing the nation remained the first order of business before such decisions could be taken. ``The important thing for us at the moment is to revive Libya as a as a country with a civil government, with democracy, so we can have our country in a sovereign situation, and it could take whatever decisions built on, one, the sovereignty of the nation, and, two, the agreement of the people, because that's democracy,'' Sahad said. ``So, this is what we are facing.''

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I got on this bill when it was first introduced, I think, last spring. Representative Roy and I have served on the Judiciary Committee for quite a while, and I respect his intellect. I certainly hope that he gets to be Attorney General of Texas. That would be great for him, and I think it would be great for Texas, too. I will miss him in working on this act, Article I bill. We agreed to work on that just as a kind of a legislative check on Article I executive actions. That is something we may be able to bring up again next year, although I think it was more popular in certain places when President Biden was the President, but it is still an important bill. This is a commonsense bill. It is bipartisan, and I am happy to be a cosponsor. I look forward to the gentlewoman from South Carolina, the gentlewoman from Georgia, the gentlewoman from Colorado, the gentleman from Illinois, and all the other people who have been highlights of our last week of legislation to vote with us in unanimous passage.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I am here to talk about two incidents that shame me as a Member of this House and as an American citizen. Today, President Trump signed the Epstein documents release bill. Lots of women were up here who were victims of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual felonies, and they celebrated when the House passed it and the Senate passed it, but it is clear today that classified documents therein will not be released and documents that might relate to an ongoing investigation which President Trump authorized going after Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, and others on the Democratic side which are false and improper investigations where Ms. Bondi said there was nothing there, will not allow for material to be disclosed. The Senate said the House shouldn't get involved with the $500,000 that each Senator should get for simply having a phone call noted--not listened to, not documented, but noted. It is $500,000 for nine Senators. That money should go to the Epstein victims. Truth spoken. Justice should be required.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I had a community meeting this weekend and met with some folks in Memphis. The issues that they were most interested in were immigration, ICE. They were very concerned about the people from ICE with masks on their faces mistreating people. They were dragging them out of cars, stomping on their heads, and arresting them. We have seen oftentimes they have done that to American citizens, and they did it in error. They were also concerned about the immigrants who were taken out of our community who do so much good in our community. I am writing a letter to Kristi Noem and reminding her that she said they were going to get the worst of the worst: the murderers, the rapists, and the sexual offenders. She is not doing that. They have decided they are going to get anybody who is in the country improperly, and that is wrong. I will write the Trump administration and ask them to take ICE out of Memphis. It shouldn't be part of this surge they have to help us with our crime problem. Hispanic immigrants are not part of our crime problem. If they were, he would go after one or two of them and not so many. Get to the business of taking care of Memphis and not eliminating and deporting people who help our society and our community.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the outstanding public service performed by Memphis' first female Fire Chief, Gina Sweat, who retired last month after more than 33 years with the department. Ms. Sweat joined the Memphis Fire Department in May of 1992, one of two women in her recruiting class of 84, after receiving a bachelor of business administration in 1988 from Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee, where she played collegiate basketball. After joining the department, she continued her education by receiving a bachelor's of professional studies in fire administration in 2000 and a master's of professional studies in strategic leadership in 2013 from the University of Memphis. She rose through the ranks as a driver, lieutenant, battalion chief and division chief, deputy chief of logistics and deputy director until she was appointed Fire Chief by former Mayor Jim Strickland on January 1, 2016. In interviews through the years Chief Sweat said she learned to ``over- prepare'' for each new assignment. As chief, she undertook initiatives to improve the Insurance Services Office, made multi-million dollar renovations of the 911 Communications Center, the Office of Emergency Management building and built three new state-of-the-art fire stations and a new fire administration building. Chief Sweat's tenure also saw the department expand into responding to medical emergencies. It also included the Covid epidemic period when the fire department was the lead local agency conducting vaccinations. In my contacts with Chief Sweat, she was always pleasant. She was easy to communicate with and she certainly had a professional demeanor, which inspired my belief that the Fire Department was in good hands. Sweat had ``the most appropriate name for the job'' joked a local columnist, and her tenure as chief led to significant advances. I wish her well in retirement.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of a fine newspaperman, a title he cherished in his more than 57 years as a journalist in Memphis. As many have said since he passed on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at age 82, he touched more lives than probably any Memphis journalist by covering the not-glamorous but important beats of high school sports and the outdoors, hunting and fishing as both a reporter for The Commercial Appeal and as a host of his radio call-in show. Mr. Rea went to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he met his wife Miriam, and covered the Razorbacks as a freelance student journalist. He then worked for The Arkansas Democrat in Little Rock. In 1967, he took The Commercial Appeal job and moved to Memphis, covering Friday night football games and getting to know the players, their parents, teachers, coaches and fans. It was great--he would say ``gREAt''--way to get immersed in the community and feel its pulse. As a Daily Memphian columnist and longtime former Rea colleague and friend Geoff Calkins put it: ``He didn't write about mayors or city council members or NBA stars. He wrote about the kid who pitched a three-hitter or the girl who scored the winning goal for her soccer team or the neighbor who caught a particularly fat bass . . . He wrote about your neighbors and friends.'' After 21 years of high school sports, in 1988 he moved on the outdoors beat and continued supporting the paper's Mid-South Fishing Rodeo that helped thousands of kids learn and love fishing. After his official retirement from The Commercial Appeal in 2001, he wrote for the DeSoto Times and served as editor of Mid-South Hunting & Fishing News and hosted the Saturday morning show ``Outdoors with Larry Rea'' on WMC-AM for more than 25 years. His final show was August 30, 2025. Over his long career he was named a member of the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Writers Hall of Fame and received the Tennessee Wildlife Federation Conservation Communicator Award in 2022. I express my condolences to his wife and children, his extended family and his many friends and colleagues. Larry Rea was a Mid-South institution, and he will be missed.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, we have talked at long length about the threat to democracy and the fear of an authoritarian leader in Washington. The time is now. The authoritarian leader in this administration has surfaced. When the head of a communications company says that a television personality's comments can cause a television station or should cause a television station to cancel his show and it happens, that is authoritarianism. It is also when the government dictates what should and shouldn't be said on television and whether they should be punished and using the power of the government to suppress free speech. The President then followed up and said that NBC should get rid of two of its late-night shows. CBS has canceled their late-night show. I don't know what Johnny Carson or Jack Paar would think about all of this. I am sure Alec Baldwin wouldn't like it, and President Trump didn't like the way he treated him. Chevy Chase falling over Gerald Ford would probably put him in bad positions, too. Comedy is comedy. Free speech is free speech, and we shouldn't step on it. God bless the First Amendment.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, today Representative Beyer, Senator Whitehouse, Senator Wyden, and I introduced a billionaires tax bill. Billionaires don't pay their fair share of taxes, and with the Trump tax program starting in 2017, they have increased their wealth tremendously. Not paying taxes on real estate and stocks and all that they don't trade or sell, just accumulating that wealth over and over again while hardworking people, firemen, nurses, you name it, pay on their wages is wrong. We need to have a tax system that collects from people who can afford it, as well. Pope Leo said in an interview recently: ``CEOs that 60 years ago might have been making four to six times more than what the workers are receiving,'' now, it is ``600 times more than what average workers are receiving.'' To the news that Elon Musk is going to be the first trillionaire in the world, Pope Leo said: ``What does that mean, and what is that about? If that is the only thing that has value anymore, then we are in big trouble.'' We are in big trouble because that seems to be what is valued all the way to the White House, where they are using cryptocurrency to make money out of their position, and it is wrong.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I plan to introduce the Billionaire Income Tax Act on Wednesday and will hold a press conference with the House cosponsor Congressman Don Beyer and the Senate bill sponsor Ron Wyden. It is an effort to establish a level of fairness in federal income taxation and prevent millionaires and billionaires, and the aspiring trillionaire, Elon Musk, from taking advantage of the tax code to pay what, for them is pocket change. I have not asked him, but it looks like Pope Leo would endorse the Billionaire Income Tax Act. He recently did an interview with a biographer and excerpts were released on Sunday. Speaking of societal polarization, he said it is in part caused by income inequality. One factor, he said, and I'm quoting him, is ``the continuously wider gap between the income levels of the working class and the money that the wealthiest receive. For example, CEOs that 60 years ago might have been making four to six times more than what the workers are receiving, the last figure I saw, it's 600 times more than what average workers are receiving. Yesterday the said news that Elon Musk is going to be the first trillionaire in the world. What does that mean and what's that about? If that is the only thing that has value anymore, then we're in big trouble.'' I agree with Pope Leo and hope our bill will have a significant effect on what everyone seems to acknowledge is a huge and growing problem.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to Shelby County Sheriff William ``Bill'' Oldham, who passed on September 4 at the age of 75. A lifelong Memphian, Sheriff Oldham served for 27 years in the Memphis Police Department rising through the ranks from patrolman to Police Director. He then was elected to two terms as sheriff and was honored by fellow lawmen with the Tennessee Sheriff's Association as Sheriff of the Year in 2015. He dedicated his life to law enforcement, serving and protecting our community with integrity, professionalism and character. A longtime parishioner at St. Louis Catholic Church, growing up Mr. Oldham attended Nativity, St. Thomas and Memphis Catholic High School and then attended what was then called Memphis State University. He was a big sports fan and cheered on the Tigers, Cubs and Notre Dame's Fighting Irish. He also coached teams at St. Joseph, St. Paul, St. Louis and Bishop Byrne. His love of children was demonstrated in his treatment of incarcerated young people and he never gave up on them. His own three children called him ``Chiefy.'' Among his sterling qualities was his love of justice and commitment to doing the right thing in an effort to make our community a safe place for all. I extend my sincere condolences to his wife of 53 years Jean, his children Neal, Katie and Beth, his grandchildren and his extended family, his law enforcement colleagues, and his many friends. Memphis has lost a moral leader. His was a life of service to others and was well-lived. He will be missed.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, what Members of the Democratic Caucus are doing to my right is signing a discharge petition to release the Epstein files. They need to be released because the American public wants to see them. The fact that so many people in power don't want them released says there is something there that smells. What smells is the fact that children, girls, were raped and sexually abused. The people who did it don't want it revealed to the American public. We need to be open and transparent. If there are perverts among the leadership, they need to be exposed, because the American people do not respect that and will not respect anybody that engaged in that kind of conduct. Mr. Speaker, I am going to sign the petition. I hope everybody signs the petition, and we get an unredacted copy of the files.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, we are going to adjourn and not do the peoples' business because we have thus far gotten an ``F.'' An ``F'' for the work of the people in this Congress. We have taken health care away from hundreds of thousands of people. We have taken SNAP payments and nutritional sustenance, away from tens and hundreds of thousands of people. We have made injuries to the Earth, God's Earth we are here to preserve, and we only use. We have taken away from women the right to go to Planned Parenthood to have health care that they need. We have taken away protections for clean energy to change the rate of growth of global warming that affects our planet and affects our future with hotter and hotter summers, flash floods, fires and disasters. It will increase our reliance on fossil fuels, which make the air dirtier and people sicker, all while we are taking away people's health care. This Congress has earned an ``F.'' We do not deserve a better grade. I am ashamed to be a part of this Congress, but I will stay because people need to stand up, speak the truth, stand up for things the American people have always stood for: justice, due process, the rule of law, fairness, caring about the little guy, caring about giving people something when they need it, but not giving something to people who have too much--millionaires and billionaires. Just think, Mr. Speaker, of the harm the rescissions bill did to public broadcasting--NPR and PBS--legacies of President Johnson's Great Society that help our citizens stay informed. Think of the harm done to life-saving foreign aid that keeps children fed and vaccinated from dreadful diseases that can and will cross our borders in check. And the Big Ugly Bill does substantial harm to critical programs and to the people who rely on them, so millionaires can get a tax break and the rest of the country gets huge and endless deficits and trillions more in debt. Newsweek reported this week that the current Congress is one of the least effective ever, passing only 27 bills since January 3, far fewer than in previous Congresses at the same point. Unfortunately, the biggest, ugliest bill we passed, and the rescissions package will contribute to incalculable pain, suffering, and death all around the world. Come to think of it, maybe this Congress should get something worse than a grade of ``F.'' Maybe those voting for these cruel and dangerous provisions should be sent to the principal's office and expelled.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 218.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, we are going to adjourn and not do the people's business because we, thus far, have gotten an ``F'', an ``F'' for the work for the people of this Congress. We have taken healthcare away from hundreds of thousands of people. We have taken SNAP payments and nutritional sustenance away from tens of hundreds of thousands of people. We have made injuries to the Earth, God's Earth, which we are here to preserve and we only use. We have taken away women's rights to go to Planned Parenthood to have the healthcare that they need, important healthcare about their bodies. We have taken away protections for clean energy, to change the rate of growth of global warming that affects our planet and affects our future with hotter and hotter summers and more and more problems: flash floods, fires, and disasters. This Congress has earned an ``F.'' We do not deserve any more. I am ashamed to be a part of this Congress, but I will be because people need to stand up, speak the truth, and stand up for things that the American people have stood for for a long time like justice, due process, fairness, caring about the little guy, and caring about giving people something who have not enough but not something to people who have too much: millionaires and billionaires.

Mr. COHEN

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

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Sue Ann McClellan, the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Assistant Dean for Admissions, who will be retiring on July 30 after 30 years. Dean McClellan has guided students at my law school alma mater into the legal profession by keeping a close eye on undergraduate prospects, encouraging applicants, evaluating candidates and then watching them mature through the bar exam and on to successful legal careers both locally and across the country. She was instrumental in the creation of the Summer Law Intern Program (known as SLIP), which encourages diverse and talented high school students to work as interns in private law practices, corporate law offices and government agencies, often spurring an early interest in pursuing the profession. She was also involved in the school's response to COVID-19, by addressing the ongoing decline in enrollment, and in the School's 2010 move from the main university campus to the former U.S. Customs House, Court House and Post Office building on the Mississippi River Bluff downtown. She is a 1976 graduate of Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois, with a degree in Sociology. She received a Master's degree in Higher Education Administration in 1985 from Southern Illinois University-- Carbondale, and a Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Administration in 1995 from the University of Memphis. Through the years, Dean McClellan has been like a mother to students and follows their careers with pride. In a statement released by the University, Dean McClellan said: ``I've always felt that listening is such a critical element of building a relationship. And relationships are what all of this is built upon.'' I congratulate Dean McClellan for a stellar career advancing legal education and helping produce the talented legal professionals for which the university is known.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, one of the things we did in the big, ugly bill that passed last week or the week before is that we put more money into ICE than we put into the FBI. The United States' largest investigative function will be in ICE, not in the FBI. We put more money into chasing people who fix our roofs, take care of our yards, take care of our children, take care of our seniors, work the back section of the restaurants, and make America work. We should be putting that money into finding criminals that the FBI should be finding. We have a crime problem. That should be first. The people committing felonies, rapes, murders, and child sexual abuse is what they said they were going to go after in the immigration fights. Yet, now they are going after statistics and records for deporting more people than any other country in the world. It is a shame. Crime should be focused on in the FBI and not, as President Trump said today, that the FBI should be working on voter fraud, public corruption, and election fraud in the 2020 elections, and then he said thugs and criminals. The first order is to protect us from criminals. Save America. Put our moneys where they serve the best purpose, and that is the FBI, not ICE.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay a heartfelt tribute to Karanja Ajanaku, a respected reporter and editor in Memphis, who passed on Tuesday at the age of 70. A native of Natchitoches, Louisiana, who was raised in Kansas City, Dr. Ajanaku came to Memphis in 1977 right after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism as Leroy Williams Jr. He started at The Commercial Appeal as a beat reporter and was the first Black reporter to cover City Hall for the newspaper. He later became the paper's night news editor and a deputy Metro Desk editor for over 26 years. I first met Karanja, then Leroy, when he covered the general assembly while I served as his state senator. We became friends and visited often and, in the pressroom and in legislative plaza, that friendship continued for the rest of his life. I had and have nothing but the highest respect for his acumen and values. He was a first class reporter and a first class human being. In 1986, he had his name legally changed to Karanja Aidoo Ajanaku, reflecting his cultural sense of self as an agent of change, and was thereafter recognized by his colorful African dashikis. He said his adopted name meant ``the guide who puts things in place.'' He joined The Tri-State Defender newspaper, focusing on the African American community, in 2007, and rose to be its Executive Editor before retiring in 2023. A mentor to many in those newsrooms, Dr. Ajanaku was known for his grace, compassion, patience and dedication to accuracy. The Tri- State Defender, in a statement mourning his loss, said ``He was committed to elevating the African American voice in this community through his exceptional journalism and incredible eye for a great photo.'' In addition to all of that, he was a genuinely nice guy. In a 2018 profile story in Memphis Magazine, Dr. Ajanaku expressed concern about the decline in newspaper reading and its impact on the quality of our democracy, ``We've got people who are growing up that can't read. And many who can, can't read in context. They can't comprehend stuff. If you're going to live in a democratic republic, you're going to live where the individual has to be informed, and if he doesn't have the tools to take in the information and make informed decisions, you've got a problem. It's a greater threat than Russia.'' I express my condolences to his twin children, daughter Jamila Ajanaku, of Phoenix, Arizona, and son Karanja Ajanaku, Jr., of Nashville; a sister, Jacqueline Broadus of Reno, Nevada; two brothers, Randy Williams of Kansas City, Missouri, and Ronald Williams of Leavenworth, Kansas; and his six grandchildren; his former newsroom colleagues, his admirers and his many friends. His was a life well-lived. As Dr. Ajanaku himself said so often: The journey continues.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to amend the rule to make in order the spirit of Jesus as it is spoken in Matthew: He was sick, and I healed him. He was hungry, and I fed him. Medicare, healthcare, SNAP payments, and nutrition payments should not be taken away from fellow passengers on this Earth.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of Ms. Marzie Thomas. Ms. Thomas served as my district director in my Memphis office since 2013. She came to my office first in 2007. She was an outstanding human being who cared about everybody that came into her office and who needed constituent services. She was a special person in Memphis because she represented what people in Memphis do, who are really good people and who care about others. She cared about her family, Alonzo Thomas, her husband who passed away in 2024; her two children; her grandchild; and her sister who survives her. She cared about her church, East Trigg Baptist Church, a famous church where the Reverend Brewster was known for his gospel songs that he wrote and sang. She was in the choir and had a beautiful voice. She was very dedicated to her church and Pastor Beasley. She was concerned about our country, serving for a long time in my office. She was just a wonderful person. She was a great friend to me. She cared about me greatly, and I miss her much. She had a life well- lived, and I was thankful and fortunate to have her work with me in the office.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solemn tribute to Frederick W. Smith, the founder of FedEx and a visionary business and civic leader who revolutionized global commerce. Mr. Smith passed away on Saturday at the age of 80. Mr. Smith took an idea for express package delivery that he wrote about in a 1965 college term paper and turned it into a multinational corporation worth billions, employing more than 500,000 people at 2,000 locations worldwide. Mr. Smith's father, James Frederick Smith, the founder of the Toddle House restaurant chain and the Dixie Greyhound bus line, died when he was 4 and he and his brother, Richard, were raised by their mother. Mr. Smith attended Yale University, where he was a fraternity brother of future president George W. Bush. He later served as a Marine officer and platoon leader in Vietnam, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. Mr. Smith founded Federal Express in 1971 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and moved it to his hometown of Memphis in 1973, where it grew exponentially through acquisitions. A visionary leader who never forgot his roots, Mr. Smith became a dedicated civic booster, helping bring the NBA's Grizzlies to Memphis where they play at the FedEx Forum and supporting the FedEx-St. Jude Championship charity golf tournament since 2009. Mr. Smith was a relentlessly loyal supporter of the University of Memphis, from the FedEx Institute of Technology to the athletic programs and his personal commitment to refurbishing Liberty Stadium, the home of the football Tigers. He was also a strong supporter of the Memphis Zoo, bringing pandas from China aboard a FedEx plane, and supporting the Teton Trek exhibit which displays nature photography taken by his late daughter, Woodland Smith Rice, who passed in 2005. Mr. Smith was a legendary business leader who often testified before Congress as a representative of the Business Roundtable. I extend my profound condolences to Mr. Smith's wife, Diane Davis Smith, and nine children: Laurie, Stacey, Richard, Kathleen, Molly, Arthur, Rachel, Samantha and Buchanan; his brother, Richard Gary Smith; and granchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and his first wife, Linda Grisham, as well as friends and the extended FedEx community around the world. His drive, intellect, wise counsel and integrity made him one of the greatest businessmen of his generation. He led a remarkable life, and he will be greatly missed.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember Memphis' Interstate Bar-B-Que co-founder Barbara Neely who passed on June 16 at the age of 86. Mrs. Neely started the barbecue restaurant empire in 1979 with her husband, Jim, and was its public face, greeting customers from the front counter while her husband worked the pits in the kitchen. For 45 years, she would arrive at the restaurant at 5 a.m. every morning. The restaurant they founded became a Memphis institution and a tourist attraction, especially after Jim's nephew, Patrick, starred in the Food Network reality cooking show ``Down Home with the Neelys,'' which ran from 2008 to 2014. Born Barbara Jean Frison, Barbara went to Manassas High School then relocated to New Orleans, where she met Jim, an Air Force veteran who left Memphis after high school. The first Interstate was founded the year they were married on Christmas Day, 1979, in Las Vegas. There are now Neely's restaurants at the original South Third Street location, on Winchester Road in Memphis, on Stateline Road in Southaven, Mississippi and a Memphis-style barbecue restaurant, Jay Bee's, in Gardena, California. Mrs. Neely put Memphis moist pit barbecue and chopped pork sandwiches on the map. I extend my condolences to her husband, Jim, her extended family, and her many devoted customers. Hers was a life well-lived.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to appear here. In Memphis, one of our great leaders in the State of Tennessee, in the United States of America, and the world, in fact, was Frederick W. Smith, Jr. Fred Smith died suddenly this past weekend. He was 80 years old. Fred Smith started a business called FedEx, the largest air cargo system in the world. He started it with an idea that he came up with at Yale University and made it a paper. The paper didn't get a very good grade, but the people of the world judged it as A-plus, and everything about Fred Smith was A-plus. He was just a regular, decent human being and a good guy. He was always available. He never made you think he was a big titan of business or a leader of industry in the world. He was just somebody who was interested in what you had to talk to him about, and he would offer his advice. In Memphis, he did have his hand in just about everything. Our basketball arena, FedExForum, has made the city the home of an NBA team. That is because of Fred Smith. Our college football team plays in Liberty Stadium. He has pledged $50 million to improve that stadium and bring it up to higher standards. We have a golf tournament that is the FedEx St. Jude Golf Classic. He had his hand in every good thing in Memphis from education, zoos, and the civil rights museum. It is a big loss to Memphis. It is a big loss to Tennesseans. It is a big loss to Americans. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. DesJarlais and Mr. Burchett for joining me up here. I ask everyone to stand for a moment of silence in the memory of Frederick W. Smith, Jr., a life well lived.