Marcy Kaptur

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Robert ``Rex'' Baumgartner, a true American hero, a man of the law. Rex embodied the very best of our Nation: honor, respect, bravery, duty, and unwavering courage. Born in east Toledo, Rex answered the call to serve early, joining the United States Air Force and serving as an air policeman and sentry dog handler around the globe. He later dedicated over four decades to the Toledo Police Department. His instincts, integrity, and fearless commitment to justice as a detective made our community safer and stronger. His work earned him countless honors including induction into the Birmingham Hall of Fame and the National Law Enforcement Officer Hall of Fame. Even after retiring, he continued to serve, spending another 15 years at the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office, focusing on protecting the elderly from crime. He retired at the young age of 83. He truly made a difference in a lifetime of extraordinary public service. Yet, Rex's greatest legacy was the love he poured into his family and community. He was a mentor, a coach, a storyteller, and a steady hand. He was always present, always giving, always leading with heart. For over 30 years, Papa Rex made Halloween camping trips legendary. From silly costumes to spooky decorations, he poured his heart into making those weekends memorable. They became traditions that his kids, grandkids, and now great-grandkids will carry on for years to come. Beyond all the arrests, titles, and awards, Rex was wise. He told the best stories, made everyone laugh until they cried, always showed up when he was needed most, and taught everyone how to live with integrity, humor, and genuine heart. With his beloved wife of 62 years, Linda; his children, Debbie, Patti, Robert, and Julie; 13 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and countless other family and friends who loved him dearly, I join to celebrate a life of purpose and courage well-lived. May his example forever inspire all those who knew him. I thank the Speaker for allowing me to enter his life into the Record. Celebrating the Life of William ``Bill'' J. Darah, Jr.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of William ``Bill'' J. Darah, Jr., of northwest Ohio, a husband, father, grandfather, and Toledo businessman. Bill Darah embodied the American Dream through hard work, integrity, and devotion to family. For more than four decades, this truly good man helped clothe our police officers, firefighters, workers, building Superior Uniform Sales with grit, wisdom, and a gift for bringing people together. He was so friendly. He was a natural leader, a storyteller, and a man whose word mattered. Bill's life was deeply rooted in faith, in heritage, and in routine, whether it was at St. Elias church, the Monday cousins' lunch he sustained for 45 years, or cheering for the Yankees, the Rockets, and the Buckeyes. Yet, at the center of everything was his family. His pride in his family was unmistakable. They include his wife, Amira; his daughters, Natalie and Alyssa; and his grandchildren. This week, Bill would have celebrated his 76th birthday. Today, we wish him in memoriam a happy birthday. We honor a life truly well- lived. May his memory be eternal. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to enter his story into the Record. Honoring Sydney Boisselle

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight with a heavy heart and deep gratitude to remember Sydney M. Boisselle, a young woman whose life proved that impact is not measured in years but in courage, character, and how we lift others. Sydney shattered expectations. She became a leader in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 8, a teacher in the trades, a voice for women, and a standard-bearer for excellence. She worked hard, spoke honestly, laughed loudly, and made room for others to grow. She was, as all those who loved her say, pint-sized and full of spice, unforgettable in every way. Above all, Sydney loved fiercely: her family; her friends; her dog, Waylon; and the community she served. In her final act, she gave the gift of life itself through organ donation, offering hope to families she would never meet. We honor the strength of her family who made this courageous decision with love and grace. Sydney's passing reminds us that even in sorrow, goodness endures. One life lived fully and generously can change the lives of many. Sydney Boisselle was a shero to working people and to so many who came to know her. May her name be honored forever. I thank the Speaker for allowing me to enter her story into the Record. Honoring the Life of Timothy Haase

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Timothy Haase, a devoted son, brother, caregiver, and the steady heart of Dino's Family Restaurant in Maumee. I know Dino defines family not just as his family but the family he created, as he created community in Maumee and the surrounding neighborhoods. For more than two decades, Tim showed up before dawn, fed neighbors with kindness, and reminded us that dignity lives in every service. His tragic loss on New Year's Eve has left an empty chair at the counter and a deeper ache in a community that loved him and that he helped build, a community of people. We also honor the family that Dino's created. In a simple diner, friendships were forged, stories were shared, and strangers became regulars. A community was brought closer together. Owner Dean Yakumithis and his team built a place where hard work mattered. Coffee stayed warm. People felt seen and appreciated. Though the doors have now closed, the spirit of that table endures in every single life that Tim touched. There were thousands. Let us keep Tim's memory alive by caring for one another, watching out for our neighbors, and cherishing the small places that bind a town together. Every person is a part of that necklace of life in America. May his light guide us forward. On behalf of northwest Ohio, we offer gratitude, prayers, and an enduring promise to remember. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, last week I visited Perkins High School in Sandusky, Ohio. My role: to celebrate excellence in STEM education. This year, Kia Preston won the Ninth Congressional District App Challenge for a project titled ``Light Teachings.'' Kia's interactive app helps users understand fundamentals of ray tracing, a computer graphics technique that simulates how light interacts with objects to create realistic images in video platforms. Kia's app will be honored here in our Nation's Capital later this year. I also paid tribute to the school's robotics club that has partnered with NASA. They were the only high school in the United States of America selected alongside other higher education institutions like MIT. Bravo Perkins. After 4 school years building a satellite named ``Foras Promineo,'' which is Latin for ``outreach,'' it was launched to the International Space Station back in September. Thanks to computer science teacher Mike Leffler and Robotics Club adviser John Stout for lighting the way for these bright, young minds who are going to lead America into the future and beyond. Mr. Speaker, I am just so proud of them.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, alongside hundreds of Ohioans, our community of Toledo celebrated the sacrificial life and works of Reverend Martin Luther King. Macedonia Baptist Church in Toledo, and its rousing choir, welcomed guest speaker and NAACP's national executive board member, Reverend Dr. Wendell Anthony, who spoke eloquently of the living legacy of Reverend Dr. King. One quote of Dr. King remains alive--and there are so many that do-- but is particularly poignant and courageous. He said: ``I'm not one to lose hope. I keep on hoping. I still have faith in the future. But I have had to analyze many things over the last few years. And I would say over the last few months, I've gone through a lot of soul-searching and agonizing moments. And I have come to see that we have many more difficulties ahead. Some of the old optimism was a little superficial, and now it must be tempered with solid realism. And I think the realistic fact is that we still have a long, long way to go.'' Mr. Speaker, until his life was taken from him, he worked for hope, optimism, and to build a better world every day. I share that with every citizen of our country.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, this bill unnecessarily restricts the free market. It dictates what private sector fiduciaries can and cannot consider when making investment decisions that directly affect the savings and retirement savings of hardworking Americans. For this reason and at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill. My amendment would have been the text of H.R. 1357, the Susan Muffley Act. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record immediately prior to the motion to recommit.

Ms. KAPTUR. H.R. 1357 is a bill that addresses a true injustice to thousands of workers and retirees across this country, a bill to restore the Delphi salaried retirees' pensions. For decades, the men and women who built Delphi--and they worked hard--were told that if they worked hard and kept their end of the deal, their retirement benefits would be there for them. However, that promise was broken through no fault of their own when Delphi collapsed, leaving more than 23,000 salaried workers, including over 5,000 in Ohio, with sharply reduced or eliminated pensions. Those are the folks that I mean. This is simply wrong. It is un-American. Mr. Turner, Ms. Tenney, Ms. Moore, and I have a bipartisan bill to restore dignity, fairness, and economic security to people who earned it the hard way. They worked hard. For too long, Delphi retirees have been asked to wait, to be patient, and to accept less than what they were promised and worked for and earned. Many are now well into their retirement years. It almost seems like a conspiracy to keep their retirement benefits away from them. They face rising healthcare costs, higher prices at the grocery store, and fixed incomes that were unjustly cut. These are not abstract numbers. These are real people who planned their lives around commitments and promises that were made to them and then broken. Let me remind you that when the auto rescue moved forward, corporate interests were stabilized, made whole, but working people were left behind, and that imbalance has lingered for two decades. Shame on us as a country. Shame on us and the people who allowed that to happen. The Susan Muffley Act corrects that injustice. It directs the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to recalculate benefits without arbitrary gaps that punished Delphi retirees alone. It is a narrowly tailored fix, but one that delivers profound relief and long-overdue justice. This legislation is also about reaffirming a core American value: If you work hard, play by the rules, and keep your word, your company and country should keep its word to you. These retirees did not speculate. They did not gamble. They paid into a system that was supposed to protect them. Congress has a moral obligation to fix what was broken. Too bad the market can't do it alone. Every year of delay compounds the harm. The Susan Muffley Act will finally make these workers whole. I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the 68,000 manufacturing jobs lost across our country in 2025 as a direct result of President Trump's reckless tariffs and DOGE cuts. Why did he visit Detroit yesterday when his insistence on continuing these tariffs actually cuts investment in American manufacturing? It is all backward, and it puts America backward and America's workers backward. In December, manufacturing jobs continued an 8-month decline that began after President Trump falsely promised these new tariffs would lead to an economic resurgence for American workers. Instead, his broad across-the-board tariffs have driven prices up for everyday goods and all supply chains. Tariffs create uncertainty in the job market, leaving hardworking families worse off. When manufacturing jobs disappear as costs rise, Ohio families feel it. Lost jobs and rising costs are not an abstract economic theory for us. They are a harsh reality. Thousands of families I represent have been touched. Another company just closed in Fulton County. Mr. Speaker, let's make manufacturing more competitive, not less. Let's create jobs in the USA.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to speak of a grave act that took place last week in the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv. The Putin dictatorship continues its illegal war with a double crime--a double- tap strike attack. A double tap is a merciless attack when a target is struck, but then struck again within minutes in an attempt to kill survivors and first responders. I repeat: A double tap is a war crime. Sadly, dictator Vladimir Putin's criminality against a free nation is nothing new, and Ukraine has repeatedly seen double-tap strikes specifically targeting first responders over the past 4 years, with over 500 killed. Yesterday, 3 days after that attack, Sergiy Smolyak, a 56-year-old responder, was laid to rest. This champion of healing and compassion served as a medic for 25 years and had relocated to Kyiv when Russia invaded his hometown in the southern Kherson region nearly 4 years ago. A nurse who worked with Smolyak said, before his funeral, that he was very kind, always calm, and even-tempered. He saved so many people. Mr. Speaker, we must do more to deter illegal Russian aggression, inspire more healers, or innocent Ukrainians will continue to be laid to rest in a nation that longs to be free.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to uplift the inspiring and persevering spirit of our Nation's people, embodied in an extraordinary young American, U.S. Olympic figure skater Maxim Naumov. Despite having endured unspeakable loss, the tragic American Airlines crash over Arlington, Virginia, in January of last year that claimed the lives of both his parents, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, Maxim stepped onto the ice this past weekend with courage, composure, and grace under pressure. At the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, he delivered a powerful short program for 85.72 points, fourth place, and a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. He then spoke with humility and love, paying tribute to his beloved parents who shaped his life. President John F. Kennedy defined true grit as courage, grace under pressure, perseverance in the face of adversity. Maxim personifies that ideal. He teaches us that determination can rise even from the deepest loss and that discipline and artistry can become a language of hope. Bravo, Maxim. Maxim's dedication as a genuine athletic ice artist inspires every young American to a higher purpose. May he stay the course. He makes America proud for his generation. Onward, Maxim. Onward, America. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the article titled: ``Maxim Naumov Credits His Parents, Who Died in DC Plane Crash, For making U.S. Olympic Team: `We Did It Together.'''

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to applaud the House's extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits for an additional 3 years. Bravo, House. Thank God we exist. Please allow me to thank Leader Jeffries for his ability to work across the aisle to get this crucial vote passed. However, the majority leader should never have played politics with millions and millions of American people's healthcare. There are 24 million Americans who face doubling of their insurance premiums. These tax credits will help Americans who work in small businesses and farmers to lower their costs and be able to afford health insurance for their families. The majority refused to act for America's working people. Meanwhile, just months ago, these same Republican leaders gave an average tax cut of $80,000 to every millionaire in this country. Do you think they really need more? Yet, when the time to came to stand up for hardworking families, they ran away. President Trump's $40 billion bailout of Argentina alone could have paid for nearly 2 years of these tax credits. Bravo, House of Representatives. What an honor it is to serve with people who care about the American people.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I very much thank Ranking Member DeLauro for yielding time. I also thank Chairman Cole and the chair of our committee, Charles Fleischmann, for their cooperation. Please let me thank our diligent staff for all their hard work on this bill, both majority and minority, including from the minority staff Scott McKee, Adam Wilson, Ippo Dellatolas, and on my personal staff Jed Bullock, Kaitlin Ulin, and Margaret McInnis. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the fiscal year 2026 Energy and Water Development bill, a measure that chooses progress over retreat, American energy independence in perpetuity inside our borders, not dependence on foreign energy supplies. At $63.3 billion, this legislation provides a critical $2.4 billion increase over last year. Our bill aims to help address significantly rising energy and water bills coast to coast for families, as well as climate-caused water shortages in the West and across our Nation, with crop losses from coast to coast and increasing flooding across our beloved country. Our Nation must help communities reimagine affordable power grids and water conveyance systems. We must also assure technologies like artificial intelligence and data centers don't bankrupt the ability of families to afford to live, nor take our society down dangerous roads without a roadmap. For those of us from the industrial and agricultural heartland, energy and water drive the lifeblood of our economies. This bill invests $10.4 billion in the indefatigable Army Corps of Engineers. That is $3.8 billion more than the Trump administration's shortsighted request. It includes more dollars for harbor maintenance. It ensures that our Great Lakes stay vibrant, our ports on all coasts stay open, and our water infrastructure is built to last for Mother Nature's complexities in this century and beyond. Our bill maintains our commitment for critical regional commissions and authorities to build America forward in the underinvested corners of America right here at home. While the White House astoundingly proposed eliminating the Weatherization Assistance Program entirely, this bill restores and increases that funding to $329 million, a commonsense investment that puts an average of $372 back into the pockets of thousands of struggling households in every single congressional district. Every dollar counts to make ends meet nowadays in an era marred by ill- considered Trump-inflicted tariffs that make living in America more expensive as prices rise. To tackle the cost-of-living crisis and affordability head-on, this bill provides an additional $375 million for electric grid modernization to help reduce prices to target the primary driver of skyrocketing utility bills and ensure every American has access to reliable, affordable power. This bill provides $3.1 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, an increase of $1.3 billion over the Republican bill. Our goal seeks to secure U.S. energy independence in perpetuity to drive down prices for the long haul. Further, with $8.4 billion allocated for the Department of Energy's Office of Science, we invest in the next generation of technological breakthroughs. In the past, we have had some--like fracking, for example, that unleashed the gas deposits of this country, but we want those investments inside our borders. American innovators, universities, and labs--not foreign adversaries overseas--must command the new energy frontiers and not lose the edge on inventing our common future. Finally, our bill provides an increase to $25.4 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for allowing me to focus on our National Nuclear Security Administration, where we must maintain safe, secure, and credible nuclear deterrents that power our unparalleled, remarkable nuclear Navy--thank God for them--and counter the threat of nuclear proliferation and terrorism. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. America can and must meet the new-age frontiers of energy and water. Let us invest in our workers, protect our water, and power our future. Future generations are depending on all of us to pass this bill.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce the bipartisan Gang Activity Reporting Act with the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Hinson), my fellow appropriator. This legislation has an urgent purpose: to give law enforcement the accurate, comprehensive data they need to combat gang violence and to keep our communities safe. From 2021 to 2024, law enforcement agencies reported more than 69,000 incidents of gang activity nationwide. Over half involved violent crime. Yet, today, Federal gang data remains fragmented, inconsistent, and incomplete. That gap puts officers at risk and leaves communities, especially in rural America, without the tools needed to respond effectively. Our bill would require the Attorney General to submit an annual report to Congress on gang activity investigations and prosecutions. While recent FBI data show violent crime trending downward, we know progress does not mean the work is all done. This legislation strengthens public safety, supports law enforcement, and helps protect families from Ohio to Iowa, and coast to coast. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to please support this critical Gang Activity Reporting Act.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, I prayed, and thanks to God for saving the lives of every single one of our precious soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and intelligence officers who were deployed secretly to Venezuela by the President of the United States without consent of Congress. Importantly, this operation was planned and executed in violation of the United States Constitution, Article I, Section 9, Clause 7: ``No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law.'' That clause also requires publication of all publicly expended money, funds. None of that came to Congress, even in some of the most sequestered private meetings--nothing, no information, no support. This military operation expended billions upon billions of U.S. taxpayer funds. The prior speaker, Congressman Schweikert, talked about the deficit going up. Well, where did the money that was not appropriated come from? No one could be more grateful than I that our valiant combat teams all came home safely. Without question, because of funds that have been provided over the years, their readiness and performance resulted in their safe return. However, the commanding officials who are responsible for their deployment have not responded to requests by Congress to report from which accounts the money was withdrawn-- billions and billions of dollars, for almost 6 months--for the deployment and actions in the Gulf and Atlantic theater. The Trump administration has failed to account for the funds that they have expended. Commanding officers and administration appointees have withdrawn billions and billions of dollars from the U.S. Treasury, from our taxpayers, without legal authority, as constitutionally required. For this, the executive branch and those who are in charge must be held accountable. That day will come. The draw down of billions of Federal taxpayer dollars to conduct these military operations has been expended without a vote of Congress, nor even a notification. I can attest the administration has failed, despite two requests I have made in public and private meetings with the highest level of Department of Defense officials and this administration, to provide the Committee on Appropriations of both Chambers of Congress the details of which accounts were drawn down and how much will it be to carry out these costly continuing operations. Tonight, for a third time, I place on the public record asking the U.S. Department of Defense: What funds have been expended in years 2025 and are being expended currently, and from which specific accounts, and are projected to be expended from which accounts in this year of 2026 in the Venezuelan operations. Billions and billions and billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent and are being spent in the Gulf and Atlantic theater for these operations since midyear last year. Secretary of State Rubio has claimed the Venezuelan invasion was not a military operation. Do you believe that? He calls it a law enforcement action. Really? Did these funds flow from the Department of Justice? Congress doesn't know. Thousands upon thousands of America's finest have been positioned and missed holidays and family days on dozens of battleships, some lifted in the air and then dispatched to ground action. This operation was much more than a law enforcement action. It was an action of war and regime change in another nation. This country is powerful enough to do almost everything, but you can't violate the Constitution. That is different. Can Secretaries Hegseth and Rubio give us examples of other so-called law enforcement actions that have cost U.S. taxpayers billions and billions of dollars? Moreover, this Presidential administration has not legally appropriated a single dollar. Rather, it appears billions and billions of dollars have been expended, some might say illegally transferred and some might say stolen, from other Department of Defense accounts or from executive accounts or from other Federal agencies to conduct these costly Venezuelan operations. From where? So now the simple question: How much did it cost to capture the dictator of Venezuela, Maduro, and his wife? I ask, Mr. President, how much money and exactly from which accounts? Give me the specific numbers and accounting titles from which billions and billions of America's taxpayer funds were transferred. These shorted accounts are going to have to be refinanced. How and when? Secretary Hegseth, Secretary Rubio and perhaps OMB Director Russell Vought, their chief budget manager, it is your sworn constitutional duty to provide the American people which Defense or other Federal department and agency accounts have been shorted because you transferred untold billions of dollars to depose Venezuela's dictator Maduro and his wife. Do you know that our own citizens can't get through to the Social Security office because you have cut the staffing back so much? Do you have any idea what is actually happening at the local level in this country? No one in this Chamber is a fan of Maduro, and the people of Venezuela have a humongous, difficult task of building their country forward now, but why behave deceitfully when you swore an oath to the Constitution of the United States. Now, based on President Trump's press conference this past weekend, it seems that this lengthy and costly deployment of U.S. military into the Gulf and the Atlantic aims to reclaim very dirty crude oil deposits with out-of-date refineries in Venezuela. How many refineries are there? One? Who formerly owned them? Is it only the former Chevron facility? What is the business plan going forward, starting with how are we going to reimburse the accounts that were raided here? For the sake of the American people who are footing the big bill for all of this, here is an idea. What if Congress considers a taxpayer recovery fee on every Venezuelan or American energy company that will benefit from the heroism of America's military. How about putting some of that money into military housing, which is a disgrace. Let's refund it back to our taxpayers in the form of an energy rebate to help them pay their rising utility bills. That is, Congress could mandate that any company that draws up Venezuelan dirty crude oil for their corporate coffers should instead be required to share in the cost of the operation and rebate any profit to the hardworking American taxpayers. The military operations amount to billions of dollars, so any energy company benefiting from the heroism of our military should pay an energy tax refund to U.S. taxpayers. Think about it. U.S. energy prices are rising and even doubling across Ohio, our Buckeye State, and many other localities across our country due to the rise of data centers. Meanwhile, this administration is cutting off funds for modern energy systems. Wouldn't such a rebate not only be sensible but welcome and impactful for America's households that are seeing rising energy bills every month and rising water utility bills? Historically, the human lust for crude oil--and Venezuela's crude is very dirty--is legendary. It is a subject about which the American people are going to become even more keenly aware. Why? Because the blood of war and the quest for dirty crude oil are tightly bound. Far too many members of our military have lost their lives to defend the interests of dirty crude. That isn't always in the headlines, but underneath, that is exactly what it is. The Saudi oil kingdom is but one example of the bondage of blood and oil to military dictatorships and war. To gain a sense of it, I recommend a book, ``Sleeping With the Devil'' by Robert Baer. You will learn a lot about blood and war and the sacrifice of the people in our military of this country over several generations. Over the last three-quarters of a century in particular, the rush and fixation for crude has become a very costly cause of U.S. war deaths across our military forces. Thousands upon thousands of our war dead have been sacrificed in such conflicts for which I will now put figures on the Record. Over the last century, time and again, in war after war, excepting for World War II, but for the China-Burma-India theater, our most precious U.S. military has rendered hundreds of thousands of selfless Americans, men and women, who have been ordered to battle and sacrificed their lives to gain access to the world's crude oil deposits. The time for foreign oil conquests should be over. Frankly, America must not live in the past. We must keep inventing. We can't go back. We have got to go forward. Our energy future is right here at home. Over the last 50 years, new American energy sources have been invented. All exist in our homeland, with more to come. I am just so proud of the inventiveness of the American people. The discovery of natural gas in the Utica and Marcellus shale deposits at the border in Ohio and Pennsylvania is absolutely enormous, the largest on our entire continent. We are seeing whole communities changed and revitalized because of this. That was only made possible by the Department of Energy's invention of fracking technology since President Jimmy Carter first founded the Department when he was President of the United States in the 1970s. Ohio's nuclear industrialized north is being positioned to grow through fundamental modernization. That can't come soon enough for me. We have got to replace our 50-year-old nuclear power plants across this country. Our objective must be to make America energy independent here at home in perpetuity. Our military has gone to war too many times in the last century to engage in wars in oil-rich places. How President Trump is going to run Venezuela remains a mystery. My concern remains how much is this going to cost the taxpayers of our country. He has already expended billions, without the approval of Congress, to decapitate the corrupt leaders of Venezuela; but the White House can't even tell Congress how much has been expended, nor which accounts their budget director, Russell Vought, moved money out of to cover the billions and billions spent on this Venezuelan operation. What this administration is carrying out is in clear violation of the appropriations authority of Congress. It is undermining our Constitution under Article I. That is the beginning of the Constitution. I recommend every American go back and look. It puts everyone in danger when you don't follow the law. Operating dilapidated oil platforms in Venezuela is really not the President's job. That is what he says he is going to do. Now, the President does have responsibility for America's security, and so does Congress, to assure our energy independence, but he is shortchanging many programs across the Federal establishment that would make energy independence in perpetuity a reality. Our energy portfolio domestically must be balanced and comprehensive, a truly all-of-the-above strategy in order that there be competition not reliance on dirty crude. That day should be over. That means continuing progress on renewable energy systems like modern nuclear, green hydrogen, fusion, biofuels, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and capturing thermal waste heat. Though the President does not like wind power, in some remote and coastal locations they do make sense. The administration's Venezuela obsession is going to prove to be, I am sad to say, very expensive. Whatever happens will also take time. Forces of sabotage may lurk in an impoverished nation of over 30 million people, and its institutions are run down. Is the Trump administration assuming the task of nation building? That could add billions and even trillions to our debt. When I asked Secretary Hegseth how many billions of dollars the Venezuelan operation had cost us in the United States to date, I asked where the unappropriated funds had come from. He rather dismissively blew me off and stated: From the general accounts. Mr. Speaker, there is no such thing. I asked that he identify the specific accounts at the Department of Defense from which he diverted funds to pay for this operation. He did not reply. For example, I have been told military housing has been shorted to spend billions on military action. Secretary Hegseth then had a second thought. He said: Call my office. I asked him directly with whom in his office should I speak, and he replied: Anyone. Mr. Speaker, I am from the working class town of Toledo, Ohio. We understand a dodge when we hear one. I then reasked the question yesterday in a bipartisan convening here in the Congress: From which accounts, Mr. Secretary, were funds diverted to pay for the billions of dollars being expended in the Gulf and Atlantic theater. Again, he dodged and refused to answer. The Secretary of State calls this Venezuelan deployment ``a law enforcement action.'' I have never seen--and please anyone listening to this, if you have seen a law enforcement action that has cost multiple billions of dollars, please let me know. Call my office. The briefings we received before Christmas were hollow, and as we know now, totally misleading. The bipartisan briefing yesterday described the operation but not the costs. Again I ask: Name the accounts exactly from which billions of dollars have been diverted to pay all the expenses of this major continuing military operation? Is the administration going to hire mercenaries in the next several months? If so, exactly from which accounts and which companies? I would prefer any funds be rebated to our American people for the rapidly rising costs of energy because of the emergence of AI and data centers. The operation executed by our military that the administration has just perpetrated is not a law enforcement action by any stretch of reasonable consideration. It is an act of war and occupation. Are funds being taken from our nuclear Navy shipbuilding program which is already 2 years behind schedule? Are funds being subtracted from cybersecurity accounts that are so essential to national security and our future? What about military housing, which I mentioned for servicemembers and their families all across this country and world, or how about the healthcare of those who have served in theater? I can guarantee this: There aren't enough people at the Veterans Administration to answer the phones when our vets call in and ask for appointments because they are being shorted on doctors and nurses. The thousands of people they need to hire that Elon Musk erased from Federal employment, that is un-American. The American people have an absolute right to know account by account how much this U.S.-Venezuela military oil operation has cost over the last several months. Rebuilding Venezuela is not the top priority for the people of the district I represent in northwestern Ohio. While we observe billions being spent in Latin America for oil, the Trump administration has just canceled millions of dollars to Ohio manufacturers who were hoping to make their operations more energy efficient to compete with China and other countries around the world who compete so unfairly. Those projects to manufacturing companies in Ohio have been halted by the administration over the course of the last year and then just again before the holidays. The U.S. Department of Commerce, for example, canceled all Federal assistance for manufacturing extension long relied upon in Ohio and across our country, especially in manufacturing areas that were depleted after the passage of NAFTA to help spur business extensions for small- and medium-sized manufacturers. When we get the tax refunds from oil that is going to be spent in Venezuela, let's help some of these companies that need to build the future for our communities. The question must be asked: Why does the administration expend billions for capturing dirty, defunct crude refineries in a foreign country, rather than investing in the future of American companies right here at home? The American people deserve an answer. This is not a small amount of money. They deserve transparency by the Trump administration. I lived through the first Arab oil embargo of this country as our people endured the great harm it caused. Our Nation should not be funding recovery of defunct, dirty crude oil companies in foreign nations, rather, investment is needed here not just in our northwestern Ohio district but nationwide to modernize and advance modern energy systems. Our grid needs modernization across our Nation. Why? The poor condition of the existing grid and the recent doubling of electric bills across our region due to a surge of data centers consumes massive amounts of power. Our grid is old. All over the country we must focus on building new energy systems at the cutting edge of American technology. Dirty Venezuelan crude is not the answer. We can't live in the past. America needs investment in new, diversified energy platforms, in green hydrogen, in modern nuclear. I know our young people will do this. I just know they are going to grow into this, in natural gas applications and advanced biofuels, more powerful thin film energy arrays, including solar, thermal heat recovery, fusion, advanced batteries. Our region has oil refineries whose platforms have been made cleaner. They need help in dealing with RINs inside our own Nation. Why not help them? Nuclear power plants in our region of Ohio are over a half century old. We don't need old nuclear, we need modern, safer nuclear. We need the President's help to modernize Ohio's Nuclear North with a new grid. Our industrial corridor produces heavy truck and car platforms, steel, strategic metals, cryogenic hydrogen, biofuels, renewable fuels, natural gas, advanced solar, and nuclear power. I would like the President to take as much money as he just spent in the Gulf on this Venezuelan operation and modernize the electric grid across the Great Lakes region that I represent. There is enough money in that to cover other areas of the country. America should be excelling in new grid replacement and creating jobs, but guess what, Mr. Speaker, we are very, very far behind. The people of my region work in manufacturing. They work in steel. They work in strategic materials. We prefer not to import steel here. We make it. We build cars. We prefer not to import. We build tanks. We can't import our defense industry base. We must build it. That is what we do. Our region operates among the top 10 finest National Guard F-16 Fighter Wings in this whole Nation. Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago our, pilots flew the first biofueled F-16 aircraft out of a major base in our country. We grow crops for biofuels right where we live, and those fuels went into those planes. We don't import it. Our military is looking for more renewable fuels. The American people and our military need domestic energy investment in our country, not Venezuela. We need jobs here, not in penny-wage havens. It is clear that the President deployed the U.S. Navy to the Gulf and the Atlantic to take over Venezuela's oil industry. Both China and Vladimir Putin's close relations with Venezuela have been a regional concern, but we don't need to take over old, broken-down former platforms for oil to block Putin. We just place further financial sanctions on Russia, which could happen in this House Chamber with two more Members signing discharge petition No. 8 at the Clerk's desk in this Chamber. We need only two more signatures to get it across the finish line to put more sanctions on Russia. That would make a big difference. President John F. Kennedy, a Navy man and the only President ever awarded the Purple Heart, understood exactly what to do when faced with the Cuban Missile Crisis perpetrated by Communist Russia one-half century ago. He blockaded the region. This country has the strongest defense ever known to humankind. We can protect ourselves if we are smart enough to do it, but we can't do it without investments in this country to make our companies stronger. The President of the United States should not seek to run foreign countries' oil companies. What is morally troubling is that the President sought $1 billion in campaign donations from major oil and gas interests. He should reflect on our Nation learning a hard, painful lesson from our decades-long presence in long conflicts that dragged on. Tutoring other governments to make them work is a deep, dangerous, and expensive hole that is being dug by this administration. The American people don't want to go down this path anymore. Our primary job must be to defend our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That means being strong inside our own borders. It means abiding by the rule of law and our Constitution. We had best focus on the future right here in the USA, abide by our country and the rule of law, and strengthen our ties with other proven democracies of the world. That alliance is our insurance in war. America must not be sucked down into unstable situations. The lingering challenge of our own future energy security here at home is real. The solution demands the brilliance of invention inside our own borders, and we must never tie our future to imports or foreign crude. The good news is that our citizens and inventors have been busy inventing our new energy future inside our borders right here at home. Mr. President, if your staff allows you to watch this speech, I personally invite you to join me with members of our American energy team. We will show you the new energy future that is developing right here inside our own Nation. They have you captured down there in Mar-a- Lago. There is a lot bigger country to see. Our nuclear Navy is the best in the world. Their work matters. They are behind. We need your help. We are on the horizon of advanced nuclear. We need your help. Our farmers, too, have figured out how to grow a range of biofuels. One-half of their crop now goes into fuel. Come. Meet them. Your tariffs limit their global reach, even as their role in new energy fuels is huge. Our water and wastewater utilities are beginning to capture vast amounts of geo-power in a way prior generations have never even imagined possible. Building materials inventors are creating more energy-efficient windows, better siding and materials for construction, better roofing, and better batteries. So many power options like green hydrogen await on the horizon. Why would any wise leader handcuff their nation to imported and dirty foreign crude dependency? I have devoted a major share of my career to helping America regain its energy independence in perpetuity across all sectors of energy. That keeps it competitive. Our domestic deposits of oil and natural gas must be used judiciously. We are now the largest exporter of oil in the world. We will not be the last generation, however, to populate this country, and we cannot live in the past. We must live in the future. In the last century, and even this one, America often headed to war for oil interests. Our soldiers fought unending battles in godforsaken places anchored to dirty crude. We even had to pass legislation here in Congress that began in my district to create the toxic exposure fund, the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, to allow treatment for the toxins our vets who fought in the Middle East and Vietnam endured as their health failed. No member of our military should ever die for dirty crude. Folks, what a pity it would be if the Trump Presidency went down in history as taking American progress backward on energy independence. That hangs in the balance. Just in my lifetime, here is a summary of U.S. military personnel who died in foreign conflicts where crude oil interests underpinned the surface warfare. I say no more. World War II, in the 1940s, during World War II, our Uncle Tony was deployed by the Office of Strategic Services, or OSS, to the China- Burma-India theater. He served as an Army parachutist and truck driver--he was so brave--under command of General Vinegar Joe Stilwell. Fighting off Japanese regulars in bitter combat, our uncle was part of an elite unit building the Burma Road. His dangerous mission helped stop the flow of oil to Japan from the surrounding oil-rich East Asian deep-sea crude oil deposits. Again, control of oil was central to warfare. Today, the former Burma Road that he helped build is a major corridor for China's Belt and Road Initiative. Pay attention, folks, to oil. In the Korean war, 1950 to 1953, we lost 36,000 U.S. troops, 36,000 U.S. war dead. It was the second most deadly war of the Cold War, which was undeclared by a gutless Congress involved in the North Korean People's Army that invaded South Korea in an attack along the 38th parallel, the dividing line between Communist North Korea and the Democratic Republic of South Korea. Again, the war occurred along the Korean Peninsula, which still remains divided but which accesses oil from multiple fields along the eastern rims of both nations. Today, South Korea does not produce oil, but it has the fifth largest refining capacity in the world after the U.S., China, Russia, and India. In Vietnam, over 58,280 conscripted U.S. troops died near the Chinese border in an undeclared war by another gutless Congress. More than 60,000 more Vietnam veterans died when they returned home by their own hand. Mr. Speaker, they were and are America's patriots, drafted and sent to that horrible war by Democratic President Lyndon Johnson from the oil rich State of Texas. Thousands of conscripted U.S. soldiers were unloaded off ships to fight in that undeclared conflict. Many deboarded vessels, as they viewed and reported huge oil derricks operating in the South China Sea ringing the coasts of Vietnam, and adjacent countries. Many came home from that confusing deployment wondering what they had fought for and against. Records indicate oil drilling in the South China waters continues until today. Oil and gas companies in Vietnam made huge profits in 2025. Kuwait Gulf War--1991--147 U.S. War Dead: About a decade later came the Gulf War. U.S. troops were deployed to save the Royal Kingdom's dirty crude oil for the monarchy of Kuwait. Republican President George Herbert Walker Bush of Texas was buddies with the Saudi Family and its lobbyists and the Kuwaiti and Saudi royalty. Together they mobilized the U.S. military and other nations to push neighboring Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein back into Kuwait's border. Hussein's objective was to steal from Kuwait's crude oil fields which extended across the adjoining borders of Kuwait and Iraq. The Coalition of the Willing Forces rolled back Saddam's forces inside his own borders. When I landed in Kuwait during the Iraq War that came two decades later, I entered the headquarters complex of the U.S. military command. It was huge. It looked like a massive Mission Control for a U.S. space launch. Video screens, hundreds of employees, and a full color, smiling portrait of former President and oil man George Bush Senior--probably 5 feet by 6 feet plastered on the wall of the secure entryway. So, another U.S. President also from Texas supported another crude, dirty oil kingdom war in the complex Middle East political array of undemocratic states. 2001--Iraq War--U.S. War dead--3,481: Saudi religious dissidents snuck into the U.S. under the tutelage of Saudi religious zealot Osama bin Laden--they highjacked four airplanes and flew those planes into New York City's tallest buildings--the World Trade Towers--the first foreign attack on U.S. soil in American history. Another plane hit the Pentagon and a fourth headed for Washington, DC crashed near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In New York City, the demise of the World Trade Center occurred with the first plane crashing into its North tower above the 80th floor. That impact brought down the Cantor Fitzgerald trading company whose President is Howard Lutnick (who today serves as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce). That firm handled Wall Street's major oil trader called e- bond's from the Middle East through its New York World Trade Center offices by denominating them in dollars. It also ran a London Office. Had the London office not existed on 9-11, it is likely the U.S. financial bond markets would have collapsed that day. Chaos would have reigned across our entire financial markets. By way of history, Ronald Reagan who had served as President from 1981 through 1989--importantly with oil man George Bush Senior of Texas as his Vice President--had negotiated an agreement during his Presidency with the Saudis to dollar denominate all its oil revenue trades, bringing enormous financial benefit to the U.S. financial markets. Moreover, it is important to follow the footsteps of Richard ``Dick'' Cheney, then Secretary of Defense, and late Vice President during the George Bush II Presidency from 2001 to 2009. When he left his position as U.S. Secretary of Defense for George Bush I, he worked for Haliburton company whose purpose is earning money off drilling, and refining dirty crude oil from everywhere in the world. Oil is not liberty. But its presence has impacted liberty throughout modern history. Osama bin Laden was intelligent. He understood the finances of Middle East oil interests. I believe he knew exactly how Cantor Fitzgerald and U.S. bond markets were directly tied to the Middle East kingdoms' stability, and U.S. markets. History demonstrates our nation has rewarded tens of thousands of American lives for dirty crude oil interests. We should not be sending our sons and daughters to die in Venezuelan jungles so oil companies can squeeze wealth out of that sovereign nation to pad their profit margins, and fill the pockets and bank accounts of the influential president's billionaire buddies, or presidents and financial interests whose top priority is not the American people, nor liberty. To remain strong and energy independent in perpetuity, the United States of America must continue its steady progress in building competitive modern energy systems forward here in our homeland. May God bless America. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR

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

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate what matters in America: good character in the personhood of a remarkable woman, Heidi Hess, whose quiet strength has shaped the very heart of emergency care in northwestern Ohio. I thank Heidi for 36 years. Heidi stood at the front of the classroom at Owens Community College, and she prepared over 1,000 men and women to answer the most urgent calls and tackle those lifesaving moments when every second counts. You know how hard that is? Her students become paramedics, EMTs, and lifesavers. They learned to carry with them her calm, steady voice and deep compassion for humanity. Heidi's gift has never been just in teaching technique. It has been in teaching purpose. She instilled in each student that service is sacred and that courage and empathy partners in every response. Her gifts saved thousands of lives and comforted families. Through wisdom and devotion, Heidi built a living legacy of protection and care across our region. From all of us in northwestern Ohio and every life touched by those she trained, thank you to Heidi Hess. What a great American she is. I thank her for giving her heart and skills to others for decades. I wish her joy, good health, and satisfaction in her well-earned retirement. I and our citizenry are so proud and thankful for you.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Clyburn for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, as one of the Members of the House that was trapped up in that gallery for hours and hours against my will on January 6, 2021, I rise this evening to say that the rioters who created the chaos that day here at the Capitol were un-American. They were violent. They were unlawful. I rise to pay tribute to the seven officers who died, the 150 that were injured, many of whom were hospitalized and some deal with PTSD until today. On March 2022, a year following that, this Congress passed a law directing the Architect of the Capitol to place a permanent memorial to honor every one of those officers who had violence perpetrated against them. Mr. Speaker, 5 years after that tragic day, the plaque is here in the Capitol but the Speaker has not allowed it to be placed. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge Speaker Johnson to not allow his worship of one man to rewrite the history of that horrible day. Congress must show respect for those who defended democracy, liberty, and Article I of the Constitution of the United States right here in the House of Representatives, defending the vote that occurred in 50 States across this union. We owe them that memorial.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Michael L. Friedman of Toledo, Ohio, a devoted public servant, proud veteran of the 180th Fighter Wing, and indefatigable community leader whose half century of impact on northwest Ohio will long endure. Mike Friedman embodied service. From his honorable duty in the United States Air Force and the Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing to his tireless advocacy for working families through the American Federation of Government Employees, he lived by the values of responsibility, loyalty, and fairness. He believed deeply in democracy. Serving for decades as an Ohio Democratic Party State central committeeman and executive committee member, a national delegate, and even a Presidential elector, he carried out all these roles with conviction, heart, and perseverance. Mike was also a storyteller. His unmistakable voice brought people together across neighborhoods, union halls, veteran posts, and dinner tables. Guided by his faith, Mike was grounded in love for his beautiful family and unwavering in his beliefs. He gave generously of himself to others. America is stronger and more just because of citizens like Mike Friedman. He lived, served, and cared so deeply.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, tonight it is a great honor to gather with our dear colleagues to focus on a modern-day conflict that will have major implications for this country and the world in the days and years to come. The United States, for over a century, since our hard-fought victories with Allies during World Wars I and II learned the hard way: Isolation is not in our Nation's security interest. Isolation is not in our Nation's security interest. Our Nation is not the most populous nation on Earth, with 340 million people. However, in every era it seems the constellation of dictatorship begins to upset world order. These aggressors invade smaller nations first to conquer more territory and for their own narrow self-interest. Dictatorships in today's world include Russia, with 140 million people; China, with 1.5 billion people; Iran, with 92 million people; and North Korea, with 26 million people. This group of nations is a developing spiderweb of tyranny with four times the population of the United States. Thus, alliances with free nations matter. That is why Canada, Australia, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations matter. Only together with Allies can the free world offset predatory dictatorships. Following World War I, slowly and at great cost, a constellation of Allies began to emerge. Leaders of surviving nations created what has come to be called the free world, but this alliance of liberty was very hard-fought, and it champions freedom, not dictatorship. Foundational is the rule of law with institutions of justice, ensuring individual rights, not repression by dictators or conquest by aggressor, thugs, and murderers. Our Nation did not seek to be leader of the free world. Rather, our forebears grew this association with the realization that cataclysmic wars were not in the interests of humanity nor the United States of America. President Woodrow Wilson created the League of Nations after World War I, which three decades later transformed into the United Nations, an institution to collectively assemble world leaders to promote understanding and peace so as to avoid war. Civil and political leaders of our Nation in both major political parties, though reluctant to assume leadership in such a daunting undertaking never before in the world, were determined to build a world of law, not conquest. The goal of lasting peace outweighed their own self-interest. A short distance away from our Nation's Capitol rests the national World War II Memorial. It was dedicated in 2004 to the Allied victory in World War II. Over 100 million people, nearly one-third of our population, has now visited that hallowed site. This monument represents the 20th century's greatest achievement, the victory of liberty over tyranny. The monument stands as a timeless reminder of the moral strength and power that can flow when free people are united and bond together in the common, just cause of liberty itself. Following the horrific great power wars of the 20th century, across Europe alone are lain the bodies of 500,000 U.S. veterans who rest in military cemeteries and fields from World Wars I and II. From Flanders Fields to Normandy, their enormous sacrifice, along with the millions of veterans who returned home, bequeathed to us the moment to build the umbrella of alliances to push back tyranny. Extending liberty and achieving democratic governance peacefully served as examples to other nations. What the World War I and II generations yielded for us has been the longest era of peacetime among great powers in the history of the world--until now. Not only is Russia at war in Europe, but the United States of America is acting peculiarly and dangerously out of step with our forebears' resolve. Let me just, for a moment, focus on Vladimir Putin and his evil aspirations as dictator of Russia. Let us recall Putin's imperative is to reconstitute the Soviet Union that collapsed in 1991 of its own criminality and dysfunction. Its border extended across 13 time zones then, all the way through most of Germany. Through force, Putin aspires to rewrite the structure of Europe again and end democratic practice across the Continent. Meanwhile, the United States appears absent. Liberty is under threat, and America seems to be wavering on the sidelines, playing off liberty and dictatorship. The increasingly collaborative coalition of Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China, the spider web of modern tyranny, are enemies of liberty. See it. They collude to upend American and global security. Chancellor Merz of Germany, a NATO ally, recognized this reality when he recently stated: ``The threats are real. We are not at war, but we no longer live in peacetime.'' Ukraine has become the front line for liberty's fight in our time and generation. See it. In 2014, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, an ally of the United States. Together with our European allies, we partnered to achieve Ukraine's accession to the European Union of free nations, and clearly Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014 just after Russia's puppet dictator who had become President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, was driven out of that nation after his treasonous betrayal of the democratic aspirations of the free people of Ukraine. He stole millions and committed crimes against its freedom, and he found his way back to Moscow. Vladimir Putin knew his control of that puppet and of Ukraine had been thwarted, so he chose to invade Ukraine starting in 2014 against all laws of diplomacy. Putin snuffed out liberty in his own country, and now he intends not just to end liberty in all of Europe, but he seeks to replace it with tyranny that traces its bloody lineage across centuries of Russian aggression and murder of innocents. There can be no compromise with Putin. He violated the Budapest Memorandum, which allowed Ukraine to prosper, starting in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union, when it promised to let all nuclear weapons be removed from Ukraine with the promise that they would not be invaded, that others would protect them. Russia signed that agreement. The United States signed that agreement. That agreement has been violated. Why should we trust Putin now, when he couldn't even keep his word on the Budapest Memorandum? Let us not forget the great betrayal that allowed Putin to invade Ukraine in the first place. As the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, a newly independent Ukraine had become the third largest nuclear power in the world. However, as a responsible nation, Ukraine signed the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the behest of the United States of America and the demand of Russia. In exchange, the security of Ukraine was to be guaranteed under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum signed by our country, Russia, and Ukraine. However, Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 after his puppet was driven out. Russia always betrays its commitments. Look no further than the decades before when the Molotov-Ribbentrop agreement during World War II was signed and then violated and Poland was invaded. We must not betray our commitment as leader of the free world to Ukraine's liberty. Ukraine is fighting valiantly against Russia. It is holding the line at the front. The Ukrainian people have fought so astoundingly until the current President and his party here in Congress decided not to send the funds to allow Ukraine to procure the weapons it needs. There has been a pause during this year, which makes it harder, but the Ukrainians have held the front. Ukraine has one time zone and encompasses a landmass less than 3 percent the size of Russia's vast territory which stretches across--are you ready?--11 time zones. They have enough. They ought to deal in their own country. Russia's population equals four times as many people as Ukraine's. Putin was the aggressor. He invaded, as I said, in 2014, and he has kidnapped tens of thousands of Ukrainian children. Why? It is because in Russia, the birthrate is going down. He has murdered tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians. He has reinstituted the gulag system of prisons to torture Ukrainians. He has attacked religious communities and buildings, broken families apart, murdered and tortured scores of hundreds of clergy, killed Jehovah's Witnesses and any other religion that attempts to prosper in that part of the world, and summarily executed prisoners of war and civilians alike. This is what Putin promises the rest of Ukraine and our NATO allies, should we let him succeed in Ukraine. See it. See it for what it is. Russia's history is marked by repressive expansion and murder throughout the centuries. There is no liberty nor desire for any liberty. Russia kills at will. Freedom advocate Alexei Navalny, a Russian, was imprisoned last year and left to die in a frozen Arctic prison. Putin's goons murdered a young Ukrainian journalist almost 30 years ago when Ukraine became free. Why? It is because Gongadze was telling the truth about the corruption and the underhandedness of Russia inside of the free Ukraine. He was killed and then buried with his head in the ground and his legs in the air right before people would enter the town just to be a lesson to behave yourself and don't ever, ever put a word in a publication against Vladimir Putin. Putin murdered countless Catholics, Mormons, others who wanted to freely practice religion in that part of the world. Why were they murdered? It was because they weren't Russian Orthodox adherents. If Putin is permitted to conquer Ukraine, he will not stop there. This is not speculation. This is history. We already see Russian troops concentrated at the borders with Baltic States. They are hitting the fly zone in Poland, the border, Finland, Russian violations of NATO airspace and territorial waters. A Polish diplomat once advised me: If you pay no attention to foreign affairs, then foreign affairs will find you. What a true statement that is. Surely, the Poles know. America has tried in the past to stick its head in the sand. That doesn't work. Isolation doesn't work. Partnership works. America can repeat the mistakes of the 1920s by withdrawing our support, but we have already lived through that. We don't want to go through that again. Inevitably, that myopia will force the free world to pay a higher price for freedom as tyranny deepens its roots in the world. On the other hand, America can take a stand now to provide further assistance for Ukraine to advance liberty for this new generation. Remember, only 20 percent of the world is free now, according to Freedom House's Freedom Index. This means that 80 percent of the world lives under some form of tyranny. We are very privileged in our country if we can hold it. In our privileged place in the world, America cannot forget that around our globe and throughout history, liberty is extremely rare and precious and utterly vulnerable. The Trump administration is failing to meet the moment. My dear colleagues will talk about this in just a moment, but what this administration is doing is just not ignoring the problem. They are actively complicit in tyranny's march across Europe. This administration's new and adolescent national security manifesto, as they call it, is a retreat. During his campaign, President Trump frequently repeated that he will end the war in Ukraine on day one. That surely didn't happen. One year into his return to office, the war in Ukraine rages on, and his actions have been favoring Russia's dictatorship. In February and March, President Trump made his first real effort to negotiate, but what is he negotiating? Not liberty. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy came to the table and agreed to President Trump's mineral rights deal. Trump responded to Russia's growing strikes but granted Putin several weeks' warning to end the shooting or face new sanctions. He did not implement the sanctions, even as Ukrainians were being murdered every day. In August, President Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for dictator Putin to step foot in the land of the free during his visit to Anchorage, Alaska. Putin conceded nothing then; he concedes nothing now. Trump whined at Putin and again threatened sanctions. Finally, in October, the President did sanction two large Russian oil firms, Lukoil and Rosneft, but then reinvigorated a negotiating process with several decidedly Kremlin-friendly provisions, even as Putin showed no signs of compromise. Now, 4 months later, we are waiting on the Trump administration or Republicans in Congress to move additional sanctions. Up at the desk, we have a discharge petition to move a bill to enforce sanctions on Russia. We only need 2 more signatures to get to 218. Where is the majority in this House? Two more signatures on the discharge petition to move Russian sanctions forward--liberty is calling. Can you see it? Can you hear it? This October, the Trump administration started issuing Russia's threats to Ukraine for Putin. The Russian-drafted 28-point peace plan asked Ukraine not to negotiate peace but to capitulate. They cited a recent corruption scandal in Ukraine, not for what it is--Russian interference and corruption in Ukraine through their emissaries--but as evidence that Ukraine is weak and must surrender. This is a Russian infiltration of Ukrainian institutions that has been going on for centuries, and it has plagued Ukraine from the first day it became free, in 1991. Ukraine has had to build a nation on the corruption and infiltration of the corrupt, calculating, interfering Russian regime. Then, just last week, the Trump administration stood shoulder to shoulder with the Russian dictatorship. Never in my life did I imagine I would live to see the day when the United States of America, as a founding member of NATO and the United Nations, would vote with the dictatorships of the world. This happened on December 10, 2025, when the United States joined the dictatorships of Russia, Belarus, China, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Niger in a 97-8 vote to oppose the United Nations resolution that aimed to strengthen international cooperation and coordination of efforts among nations. This shameful vote of 97-8 does not express the values of the United States of America. It does not express the values of the American people, who place liberty above all. We value our closest allies, especially when Europe is at war. We don't side with the dictators. The Trump administration publicly holds that the ultimate goal is peace. I agree. Everyone wants peace, except Putin. Do you not see it? Putin doesn't want peace. He wants Ukraine. The Ukrainians prove to us every day that liberty is worth fighting for. We best not forget that here in America. Frankly, I haven't found anyone in the Trump family who has ever fought for the cause of liberty. There is no record of military service or public service in his family's history. In fact, Trump famously avoided service in Vietnam by faking bone spurs. No one in my family ever had that luxury. They fought for over 100 years for this country, and we are proud of their service for liberty. What seems clear to me is that too many people, like Putin, judge others by the weight of their wallet rather than the weight of their conviction for liberty. As peace negotiations ensue this weekend in Miami, let us pray that the negotiation is not about squeezing every business deal out of Ukraine for The Trump Organization. That outcome is not in America's interest. Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two former real estate businessmen from New York, should negotiate peace and liberty, not business deals for themselves or the President they serve, business deals of a Russian-occupied Ukraine. The free world must push back Russia's aggression and greed, or Putin's appetite will grow to spread Russian repression across all free peoples, which he has been trying to do since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Our late colleague John Lewis observed that freedom is not a state. It is an act. It does not sit on the floor but must be elevated by the steady diligence and attention of citizens who sacrifice to remain free. Liberty is not simply bestowed upon a people but fought for and defended. History instructs us. In the 1770s and 1780s, a revolutionary generation of men and women rose up to secure liberty across 13 otherwise disconnected coastal Colonies here on the American continent. Roughly 80 years later, a subsequent generation was called upon to fight and die in America's internal great war for liberty, the American Civil War, still our most costly war, with over 600,000 deaths. That generation ended the original sin of slavery and extended the hope of liberty across the American continent. Then, in the 20th century, generations rose to the renewed call for sacrifice. Called the Greatest Generation, I call them the most unselfish generation. They fought, died, and successfully preserved and extended liberty here at home and to subjugated people around the world. They did it for us. Americans believe that the history of their struggle against global tyranny ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany and the fall of the Communist Soviet Union, yet today, that history is still being written. Free nations face not a new enemy but an old one. It is our turn now. Our free world must never play footsie with an axis of dictatorships like Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China to unleash their aggression on our world again. How not only stupid that would be, but how un- American. America's foreign policy must promote liberty, not bow to tyranny. Free nations must support those who are willing to fight and die for liberty around our world, and Congress must ensure our Nation is always ready. Our National Defense Authorization Act just passed, providing for military readiness for our Nation as well as assistance to Ukraine to ensure NATO's eastern flank is secure and Vladimir Putin moves back his troops inside his own country. He has plenty of it that he needs to attend to. Congress can do more by passing a discharge petition that has been sitting in the well of this House since July. It would unlock the most significant legislation introduced in this Congress to place economic sanctions on Russia for its war crimes against Ukraine. Our petition needs only two more Member signatures to bring forward the vote to the floor. Every Democrat and two Republicans have signed thus far. In our country, we must defend liberty first, last, and always, and it must never accommodate dictatorships. We are reminded of this by this astounding visionary poet of Ukraine, who on Christmas, December 25, 1845, penned the following words about a country that, at that point, was only imagining through its greatest citizens a future that they could not live in their own lifetime. Mr. Speaker, in closing my formal remarks tonight, I will quote the poet laureate of Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko, who said: O bury me, then rise ye up And break your heavy chains And water with the tyrant's blood The freedom you have gained. And in the great new family, The family of the free, With softly spoken, kindly word, Remember also me. Mr. Speaker, he was so prescient. He was so prescient. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker Emerita of the House of Representatives.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for her unrelenting support for liberty and the people Ukraine. May God bless them and may in our lifetime we see their consequential victory. We must not abandon them.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman for joining us tonight with all of her duties. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the very distinguished former and future majority leader of our caucus who has distinguished himself in his career with a total commitment to our alliances globally, including our precious European colleagues. We thank him so very much for joining us here this evening from the State of Maryland.