Marcy Kaptur

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight major challenges plaguing our banking and financial sector to the detriment of everyday Americans. Specifically, I refer to banking deregulation, lax oversight, and major consolidation. Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well, the most recent financial market tremors follow the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in California and Signature Bank in New York. These events remind us that our economy is still digging out of the 2008 massive market collapse. The key question is: Do U.S. banking laws still allow too much speculative financial activity and excessive risk-taking? Just three trillion-dollar megabanks now control one-third of U.S. banking assets. This chart tells the story. That is too much power by too few. The financial crash of 2008 was a harsh reminder that, throughout U.S. history, speculators have squeezed through every regulatory keyhole to bring their much higher-risk, reckless, speculative ventures inside the confines of what should be prudent banking. Regulators must provide firm separation between speculation and prudent banking. Regulators must provide firm separation. Do they hear me? SVB was investing in speculative Chinese tech startups. How about that? Signature was intertwined with Swiss Bank's operations and cryptocurrency. Well, both banks collapsed. History has taught us that speculation, derivatives, and venture capital are not normal banking activities. They are much higher risk, and their complexity and uncertainty can threaten the assets of other depositors like me and my constituents who choose not to highly leverage their assets. We should protect American depositors from rampant speculation. The Biden administration is working to stem the bleeding. Management of both failed banks was shown the door, and the Federal Reserve, for the moment, put in place programs for banks or credit unions to meet their depositors' withdrawal requests. After these collapses of SVB and Signature, both high-risk mega coastal banks, I might add, where all of our major financial problems have started over my term of service, which is long, we are all enduring a truly troubling trend of massive bank consolidation that has been happening since the 1980s. The pandemic pushed even more consolidation into overdrive. Another 9 percent of all branch locations in the U.S. closed between 2017 and 2021, a loss of 7,500 more brick-and-mortar locations in places where the American people live and work. The empty buildings pockmark every community across our country. The branch closure rate doubled again during the pandemic, and more than 4,000 more branches have closed since March 2020. People, pay attention. The money is walking away from your community to the very institutions that are causing the problem. The rate doubled for bank closures from 99 per month during the 10 years prior to the pandemic to now 201 closings per month. The big fish are eating the smaller fish. Those of us who have fought against the megabank culture that squashes prudent banking need look no further than the severe diminishment of market share held by local and regional banks over the last 40 years. Step one is to reinstate Glass-Steagall's separation of prudent banking and speculation. The second is to develop a decoupled financial system that strengthens regional banks to manage an increasing share of local housing finance and commercial loans. Soon, I will reintroduce in this Congress the Return to Prudent Banking Act, and I invite all of my colleagues on a bipartisan basis to join me. This bill would put America back on a path to fixing reckless speculation inside our banking and financial sector. As a result, no single company could be both an investment and a commercial bank. This structure worked for decades. It proved to be a sound way of creating local economic growth and limiting the systemic risks posed by hiding reckless speculation and venture capital inside our financial institutions. They have a right to exist but put them elsewhere in the system. Depositors' safety, not speculation, must be our objective. We must strengthen regional and community banks. In the wake of SVB and Signature Bank, the time is now. Congress must implement real reforms to protect depositors and the American economy. Congress must demonstrate we stand with the American people and their communities, not just for the coastal scions of massive wealth who use the safety of our deposits for their reckless, speculative gambles. Prudent banking should be rewarded, not reckless behavior.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 144 on H.R. 1093, I mistakenly recorded my vote as ``no'' when I should have voted ``yes''.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, domestic manufacturing has always been a foundation stone of American prosperity and innovation. That remains true today. I hail from America's industrial heartland, the Great Lakes and Midwest. Our people know firsthand how essential manufacturing is for the long-term health and growth of our country. What America makes and grows, makes and grows America. When manufacturing is at the forefront, working-class families and communities succeed. Together, invention and production lift up economic growth and build a middle class. That is why I am proud to reintroduce the Bipartisan Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation Policy Act of 2023. This legislation will create an Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation to elevate at the highest levels manufacturing policy. This office will ensure that voices from the manufacturing sector, small business, and labor unions are heard. It is time for the Federal Government to put American manufacturing and workers first. This bipartisan legislation does exactly that.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, today, I am honoring and celebrating Jolene Molitoris for all her years of dedicated service to improving rail service and safety in Ohio, and across our country, and around the globe. It is important for me to honor Jolene, who I have known for well over 30 years, dating back to her days with the Ohio Rail Transportation Authority. As a city planner, I know the importance of transportation and mobility for my constituents and all Ohioans. The importance of passenger rail and freight rail cannot be overstated, and I was always happy to work with Jolene on projects that helped Toledo and all of northern Ohio. We bonded over our passion for our shared Polish-American heritage, our commitment to working families, and our deep desire to get projects accomplished that made a difference in the lives of Ohioans. One fond memory of Jolene comes to mind, in particular. It was cold and we were working to renovate Toledo's Amtrak station, and to do so required we had to take down a mammoth old dairy building. It was huge. So I called Jolene and I asked her if she'd ever taken down a building? And of course, her answer was no. Well, Jolene came to Toledo, rolled up her sleeves, and helped to demolish that building with a giant crane and wrecking ball so we could get the job done. It was an unforgettable experience and something I remember, to this day. If you want someone in your corner to help roll up their sleeves and get the job done, Jolene Molitoris is the woman to call. Jolene also went on to shatter many glass ceilings over her storied career. In 1993, President Clinton nominated her to serve as Federal Railroad Administrator, and she became the first woman ever to head that agency. Jolene went on to become the longest serving FRA Administrator in our Nation's history. In 1995, Jolene was recognized by WTS as Woman of the Year, one of many honors and awards bestowed upon her. In 2009, Governor Ted Strickland appointed her as the first woman to lead the Ohio Department of Transportation, and she went on to chair the Ohio Rail Development Commission. While rail in Ohio is top of mind for so many in our region and across the nation, after derailments in recent months, it is important to know that there are great minds like Jolene that have long been committed to improving rail safety for America's communities. I want to congratulate Jolene on this special recognition, and I'm honored to be able to share my memories with Jolene during this International Women's History Month of our time working together to move America forward. Warmest congratulations to Jolene. Job well done.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the recently named Best Coastal Small Town in America, Sandusky, Ohio. Now, Sandusky is the home of Cedar Point, America's Roller Coast. We invite you to come. This town is the pride of Ohio's Ninth Congressional District, and this recognition is a true accomplishment. Clubhouse No. 3 SportSocial, a local sports bar, erupted into cheers last Friday when dozens of residents at a watch party heard the results come in. Their enthusiasm is emblematic of small towns across America where people will gather as a community to celebrate achievements, both big and small. While this is a big accomplishment for a small Ohio town, it truly represents the best of America. Sandusky derives its name from the Seneca Native American Tribe and translates into ``cold water,'' but the residents of this town are some of the warmest, kindest people you will ever meet. I encourage people from across America to visit Sandusky, come to enjoy our hospitality, and enjoy the astounding beauty of Lake Erie's freshwater south coast and the warmest coast in the entire freshwater Great Lakes.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, serving in Ohio's 9th district, and as the leading Democrat and Ranking Member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, I am keenly aware that clean and abundant water resources are vital for the success of our nation's economy and the health of our communities. The Great Lakes region which I proudly represent and champion provides drinking water for more than 40 million people and supports a $6 trillion economy. Before us is H.J. Res. 27, another desperate attempt to weaken the Clean Water Act. After decades of reckless pollution, a fire on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, OH helped spark an environmental movement that brought us to the passage of the visionary Clean Water Act in 1972. The 50-year legacy of the CWA is a testament to the power of bipartisan legislation that prioritizes people and communities. If successful, H.J. Res. 27. would return us to a patchwork strategy of water management that existed prior to 1972. H.J. Res. 27 is yet another example of partisan politics that do nothing for constituents in my district in Toledo and along Lake Erie-- or our neighbors throughout the Great Lakes region. Instead, this resolution undermines long-standing guidance that protects our waters. This resolution eliminates existing clarity and certainty that businesses, developers, and farmers rely on, and it creates the opportunity for our waterways to return to serving only as waste receptacles. Even with a strong Clean Water Act, much remains to be done to ensure clean drinking water for all; the 2014 Toledo water crisis was the direct result of toxins in the water. Further eroding our ability to protect our waters is a disservice to everyone. Today, I will vote no on H.J. Res. 27 because protecting our Great Lakes is a priority, and I strongly encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same, so that our waterways can be protected for future generations to come.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, today I am celebrating justice and a victory over big corruption in Ohio. A jury in Federal court in Ohio found guilty and convicted the Republican Ohio Speaker, Larry Householder, and former Ohio Republican Party Chair, Matt Borges. Guilty of illegally selling off the Ohio statehouse through bribery, conspiracy, racketeering, and wire fraud, involving taking $61 million in bribes through FirstEnergy's dark money fund called Generation Now. Their conspiracy involved forcing $1.3 billion of FirstEnergy losses on the ratepayers of Ohio. Shame on them. What they were not tried for but should have been is their dangerous malfeasance in allowing FirstEnergy's nuclear plant in my district to operate in the most dangerous manner, creating the most serious set of nuclear accidents in this country's history since Three Mile Island. Onward justice. Onward new clean energy for Ohio and America.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to say hurray and recognize a northwestern Ohio institution, Hirzel Canning Company and Farms, on its 100th anniversary. Headquartered in Northwood, Ohio, the Hirzel family rose from humble beginnings to become a major player in the national canned produce market, particularly canned tomato products. They are the best you will ever eat. Carl Hirzel was a Swiss immigrant who lost his job as a brewer during Prohibition and moved to northwest Ohio to find opportunity. In 1923, he began farming a 60-acre plot in what is now Northwood. He initially had trouble selling fresh products in the established produce market, until a local butcher who liked his sauerkraut told him there was an untapped canned vegetable market. As their CEO, Joe Hirzel, always says, ``Whatever you guys do, do not forget quality.'' That is the Hirzel way. So today with plants in Northwood, Pemberville, and Ottawa, and a farming operation near Luckey, Hirzel now distributes in 36 States nationwide. Their company is top quality, grown right in northern Ohio, and especially top quality are the people who operate and work there. I just want to congratulate Hirzel again. Our entire region is so very, very proud of them and all of their accomplishments.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following obituary honoring the former Congressman, Edward Ford Weber of Ohio. Edward Weber Obituary Edward F. Weber. a Toledo area attorney for nearly 50 years and a one-term Republican congressman, who in 1980 swept a longtime incumbent out of office. died Monday in Hospice of Northwest of Ohio, Perrysburg Township. He was 91. He had congestive heart failure. his son. Ford Weber. said Home most recently was southwest Toledo. Mr. Weber and his wife. Alice, former]v lived in the Westmoreland neighborhood of central Toledo. He returned to practice law in 1983 after his term in Congress. rejoining Marshall & Melhorn as a senior partner. He headed its probate and trust section before his election and led the corporate-commercial section on his return. In 1990, he formed the law firm of Weber & Sterling with Robert V. Sterling, specializing in wills, trusts, planning, and administration. He retired about 18 years ago. Mr. Weber on Nov. 4, 1980, achieved what a dozen Republican candidates before him could not: He defeated Thomas Ludlow Ashley, ending the Democrat's 26-year congressional career. In the presidential race, Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter. Lucas County results showed Mr. Weber had over 10,000 more votes than his party's standard bearer. ``He was proud of the fact that he did not ride on Reagan's coattails,'' the younger Mr. Weber said. Two years later. Marcy Kaptur defeated Mr. Weber by a margin nearly identical to that by which he was elected. Ms. Kaptur has been re-elected every two years since. He took issue, in a Blade Readers' Forum letter, with a report that he had admitted he could have done more to hold the 9th District seat. ``For two years while I served in Congress. I worked as hard as humanly possible to retain my seat short of compromising my principles and voting differently on the issues,'' Mr. Weber wrote to The Blade. ``That loss remains the greatest personal disappointment of my life. However, I do not believe that anything I could have done differently in the 1982 campaign wou]d have changed the outcome of that election. Mr. Weber's startling defeat of the seemingly invincible Mr. Ashley was the product of a precision campaign plan effectively executed. He began planning more than two years earlier, before Mr. Ashley's November, 1978 victory. He first got the notion to run while working in his yard. He was then a volunteer for Mr. Ashley's Republican opponent. ``I felt that the country very badly needed a big change in its direction--away from overregulation, away from overtaxation, away from unemployment, and away from the inflationary trends,'' Mr. Weber told The Blade after his 1980 victory. The younger Mr. Weber said: ``His parents instilled in him a sense of community and civic duty.`` The years since, he ``developed a lot of respect for Marcy Kaptur,'' the younger Mr. Weber said. The former congressman and his wife contributed to Ms. Kaptur's campaigns on several occasions. ``He served with honor,'' Ms, Kaptur said Wednesday. ``Ed and Alice Weber had a beautiful marriage and were committed to family, to faith, to community. and country. It was a lifetime of achievement, not just for themselves, but for our community. He was a gentleman.'' As Mr. Weber returned to the practice of law, he retained his interest in the public good. He was co-chairman of a successful capital improvement levy campaign for the Toledo Zoo. He served as co-chairman of a campaign to find private funding for a museum ship on the Maumee River, what is now the S.S. Col. James M. Schoonmaker. He tutored children in reading at a central Toledo school. He wrote the occasional letter to The Blade Readers' Forum. By the early 2010s, he no longer considered himself a Republican, having voted for Barack Obama twice, but also said he was not a Democrat. He and his wife joined community members in arguing for Maumee River views and green space as they publicly spoke out against ProMedica's six-story parking garage in Promenade Park. In 2015, Mr. Weber endorsed the mayoral candidacy of another vocal opponent to the garage, Mike FerrIer, a former member of Toledo City Council who was defeated in a close contest for mayor in 1993. Edward Ford Weber was born July 26. 1931, to Elenore and Ford R. Weber and grew up on Scottwood Avenue in the Old West End. He was a 1949 graduate of Scott High School, where he played football. He received a bachelor's degree from Denison University, where he majored in mathematics and music. He was a 1956 graduate of Harvard law school and afterward served in the Army at Fort Belvoir, Va., assigned to the judge advocate as an attorney in the legal assistance office. He began his legal career at the firm then known as Marshall, Melhorn, Bloch & Belt. When Craig Frederickson was hired by the firm in 1975. Mr. Weber became his mentor and managing partner. ``I was so lucky,'' Mr. Frederickson said. ``I have to say he was probably one of the most remarkable individuals I've ever known--his integrity, his ethics, his brilliance, and his ability to handle and teach a young attorney with patience. It was so impressive. His dealing with clients--he was honest and truthful. He actually cared.'' George Glasser, a retired judge of the Ohio 6th District Court of Appeals. said: ``He was an individual who had the courage of his convictions and stood for integrity and everything good.'' From 1967-79, Mr. Weber taught trusts and estates at the University of Toledo law school. He was a life member of what is now Ashland Church, from its historic home in central Toledo through its relocation more than 15 years ago to Oregon. He had been a trustee of the YMCA of Greater Toledo; the Toledo Museum of Art; the Red Cross in Toledo; the Clement O. Miniger Memorial Foundation; the Landman-Goldman Foundation, and the University of Chicago Divinity School. He was a former district Boy Scouts chairman and was a scoutmaster for 13 years of a central Toledo troop. Music was a favorite avocation. When he entered Denison, he took the advice of his mother--who oversaw many entertainment programs at their church--and enrolled in a course in harmony, along with prelaw studies. After law school, he sang in the church choir and composed prayer responses and organ music. Mr. Weber in 1977, directed a performance of a musical he composed, ``One Solitary Life, `` based on the life of Jesus. He dedicated the work to his mother. He also composed the processional march for his daughter Mary's wedding. He played clarinet in the Maumee Community Band and played piano and trombone. He also enjoyed hiking and backpacking out west and sailing the Great Lakes. Surviving are his wife, the former Alice Hammerstrom, whom he married March 30. 1957; daughters Elenore Weber and Mary Due; son, Ford Weber; six grandchildren, and a great- granddaughter. Family and friends will be greeted from noon-7 p.m. March 24 at Walker Funeral Home, Sylvania Township. Services will be private. The family suggests tributes to the Toledo Museum of Art or the Toledo Public Schools Foundation. Published by The Blade on Mar. 2, 2023.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the productive life of the Honorable Congressman Edward Ford Weber of Toledo, Ohio, a gifted lawyer and a man for others. Throughout his life and during his congressional service, beginning in 1981, he worked hard to serve the people of northwest Ohio during those tumultuous economic times. He was a gentleman and a veteran, dedicated to his family, to our community of Toledo, and to our country. He earned a Phi Beta Kappa from Denison University, was president of his fraternity, and captain of the men's tennis team. He was married to the love of his life, Alice Hammerstrom, for 66 years. They reared three wonderful children, six grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. Ed was committed to education and to music, as well. He tutored children in reading within the Toledo public school system, some of our most challenged neighborhoods, in addition to the teaching he did at the University of Toledo Law School. Ed practiced law in Toledo for nearly half a century at Marshall Melhorn first, and then eventually founded his own firm and generously kept giving of himself to numerous endeavors to improve Toledo: Our zoo; the Toledo Museum of History, which is world class; the Boy Scouts; the YMCA; the Toledo Museum of Art, also world class; the Red Cross; and numerous charitable foundations. He kept giving back, through his deep commitment to the people of Toledo and surrounding communities, and we needed him. He understood the impact and importance of civic duty. Today, America salutes Edward Ford Weber for his lifelong, noble, honorable service. We honor and remember his constructive life and the ethic that imbued his spirit. The last time I had the pleasure of seeing him was at the Toledo Club. He had a Wednesday group, and all these guys would meet. They basically had formally retired from their professions, but they really didn't retire from life, and they were having one great time. Our prayers are extended to his loved ones. May they be comforted by the love and memories they hold in their hearts, and may the angels carry their beloved husband, father, and grandfather to a place of peace and joy.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, the latest disastrous Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, traveled through my district before its crash. Unfortunately, this follows another dangerous derailment last October in Sandusky, Ohio--in my district--at the busy Columbus bridge overpass. One half year later, it is clear that Norfolk Southern repairs have seriously lagged at this main artery into Sandusky, Ohio. Rail companies have failed to restore this vital main artery into the city of Sandusky, Ohio. In a year where Norfolk Southern's rail barons brought in--get ready--$3.27 billion in profits, the companies ought to invest in the necessary safety protocols and immediate repairs to prevent such disasters from happening again across northern Ohio's busiest corridor. The current and long-term health and safety for rail workers, for residents of communities in East Palestine and Sandusky must be America's top priority. America cannot allow rail chieftains to exploit communities and working people's safety while in turn padding their own pocketbook with billions of dollars of money. The time to change course in rail safety is now.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Black History month this February, I rise today to recognize the lifetime of work of a precious local champion for the African American community in my hometown of Toledo, Ohio, Ms. Suzette Cowell. Suzette Cowell is the founding member and CEO of Toledo's Urban Federal Community Development Credit Union. This specialized credit union was created with a vision to help generate economic development and new opportunity. Suzette introduced fair credit to neighborhoods which had never experienced either before. In this locale, predatory lenders and financial loan sharks suck the lifeblood out of people and neighborhoods. With decades of experience in the financial arena, Ms. Cowell is a pioneering leader in Toledo--and has led this credit union into the multi-million-dollar community development institution it is today. This credit institution is a model for financial development and community development across our Nation. Her insight into the unmet needs and systemic issues that precipitated the founding of this successful credit union are essential to understanding America's history, and our Nation must build up to ensure all our residents are uplifted. No place in America should be absent the credit and credit counseling the Federal Urban Credit Union provides. I thank Suzette fo her astounding faith-filled leadership and opportunity she and her board and colleagues brought to our Toledo community.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, today I rise to mark more than 1 year of Russia's expanded terrorist war against Ukraine after its initial unprovoked invasion in 2014. The words of Ukraine's poet laureate Taras Shevchenko ring especially true today as when he penned them nearly two centuries ago: `` . . . rise ye up and break your heavy chains and water with the tyrants' blood, the freedom you have gained.'' Ukraine's moment to victory is now. The defining accomplishment of the 20th century was the victory of liberty over tyranny. Vanquishing Nazi and imperialist tyranny and defeating the forces of Soviet-imposed communism a half century later ended the Cold War. New institutions for the common defense of liberty, including NATO, were founded. The U.S. Marshall Plan helped to secure and rebuild a war-torn but free Europe, and both America and liberty prospered. Through the bipartisan leadership of great Americans, including General George Marshall, Secretary of War Henry Stimson, and Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower, America rose--though somewhat reluctantly--to be liberty's standard-bearer. And even in those European nations that had fallen behind the Iron Curtain, such as Ukraine, the impulse for freedom hastened. For America, helping liberty defeat tyranny has always been bipartisan. Recall the images of President John Kennedy in West Germany declaring ``Ich bin ein Berliner.'' President Ronald Reagan stood behind the Brandenburg Gate nearly two decades later near the Berlin Wall demanding, ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.'' Those images defined the boundary between East and West: free people versus subjugated people. It was barely 2 years after President Reagan's speech and after over four decades of free world vigilance that the world witnessed the profound victory of the valiant Solidarnosc workers in the steelyards of Gdansk, Poland. Soon, captive nations subjugated by the Soviet Union for decades began to tumble. First, in 1989, Poland. Then in 1991, Ukraine. Then the entirety of the captive nations held subjugated by the Soviet Union. It was a major turning point in the arc of world history. The Allied post-war institutions created to defend liberty still exist today. Indeed, now with Sweden and Finland joining NATO, that alliance grows stronger than it has ever been. Ukraine, too, seeks to join its European allies who are democratic in the European Union. Ukrainian soldiers meanwhile embattled and vastly outnumbered are dying, dying, dying for the cause of self-determination and liberty. Against great odds, Ukraine faces an enemy three times their population with far more military resources, but they fight. To gain a sense of what Ukrainians are feeling right now, visit the World War II Memorial here in Washington, D.C. Seek to understand the sacrifices of the more than 400,000 Americans whose lives were given to liberty in its cause on the Atlantic, Pacific, and African fronts during the 20th century so that we, our generations, could remain free. Under Soviet domination, no nation in the world suffered more than Ukraine. More than 4 million innocent people were systematically starved to death by Joseph Stalin, with millions upon millions upon millions more, whose names we will never know, murdered by Stalin's brutal Communist regime. America has been absent those horrors, thank God. Despite these bestial atrocities, America at times has turned a blind eye to Russian atrocities dating back to its World War II unholy alliance with the Soviet Union to defeat Nazism. In 2008, when Russian President Vladimir Putin stormed into The Republic of Georgia, President George W. Bush looked the other way. In 2014, when Vladimir Putin, entirely unprovoked, originally invaded Ukraine and subjugated Crimea, President Barack Obama paused. Now Putin, in trying to capture the sovereign nation of Ukraine and hold it under his tyrannical claw, has gone too far. America has resumed its role as the vigorous and uncompromising defender of free and aspiring people. Liberty must check tyranny. Today, Ukraine seeks liberty for her 40 million people--Liberty must win. Liberty will win. President Biden, Senate leaders Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Senator Lindsey Graham, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and other impassioned advocates of both parties champion Ukraine's cause. America and our allies have responded to the crisis by sending fervent support in the form of weapons and humanitarian aid. What happens next? In one word, victory. Our Nation does not exist alone on this globe. Isolation is strangulation. America's democratic ally Ukraine is pleading for help. President Biden has made his position clear: he will support Ukraine ``as long as it takes.'' And he will not let Putin force Ukraine to negotiate away its territory. He takes these positions because he knows it would be aiding and abetting the enemy for America to look the other way. To do nothing is essentially choosing to side with Russia over Ukraine. In the long term that would be foolhardy and dangerous both for the United States and for a safer, more democratic world. America is still a young land and, in some ways, largely sheltered from the lengths to which vicious tyrants will go to wipe out free people. Putin is prepared to go to those lengths. This is the time to choose. This is the time to fight. This is the time to stand up and defend liberty, at home and abroad. Each generation must make fateful choices. So must we. When our great Nation was founded, most of the world's population were slaves, serfs, or subjugated. Even then, one of our Founding Fathers, Patrick Henry, grasped the concept of liberty. He challenged our forbearers: ``Give me Liberty or give me death.'' He understood what was at stake then, just as the people of Ukraine do today. So must we. The free world must choose liberty. America stands with our Allies to strengthen democracy, and realize in our time and generation a free, sovereign, and independent Ukraine. Slava Ukraini! Glory to Ukraine.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, during this week of the State of the Union Address, I rise today to recognize the lifetime of work of Sue Daugherty, a champion for seniors across Ohio. Sue and I are cheering the 8.7 percent cost of living increase for seniors under Social Security and a cap on insulin costs for seniors at $35 per month. Sue serves as the founding executive director of Serving Our Seniors, a nonprofit organization located in Sandusky, Ohio, that supports Erie County seniors as they progress in life. Ms. Daugherty's passion for gerontology was born out of her experience as a nursing assistant in the summer following her freshman year at Ohio University. She went on to receive her bachelor's degree from Ohio University and earned her master of public administration from Cleveland State University. Sue has utilized her knowledge and experience to create an excellent and friendly network for aging Ohioans to receive better treatment and resources as they age. She helped establish a system for seniors to seek proactive care instead of reactive care. Ms. Daugherty has received nearly a dozen community service awards of excellence throughout her career, including the 2002 Acts of Caring Award from the National Association of Counties. I am honored to honor her lifetime of achievement and her work. Today, all of America salutes Ohioan Sue Daugherty. I thank her so much for her service to America.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to recognize the young people from North Carolina who have joined us and to introduce the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act. During my years as a city planner before coming to Congress, I witnessed firsthand that fostering economic development in our communities requires strong local leadership. The involvement of neighborhood champions who know their neighborhoods block by block is essential. This legislation would direct $5 billion toward programs for homeowner rehabilitation assistance, weatherization, improved accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities, refinancing, and property tax relief. It will help restore quality housing, including in the rural communities and the cities that I represent, such as Toledo, Sandusky, and Defiance. These locations have suffered from decades of job losses, outsourcing, recessions, and chronic underinvestment. Congress must serve as the partner to our on-the-ground organizations. Local leaders know what resources are needed and where and how best to deploy them to revive their neighborhoods. That is why the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act promotes local control and capacity building for economic development. These investments will repair homes, stimulate economic growth, and revitalize communities at a time when our Nation needs affordable housing. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, Social Security coverage is an earned benefit. In January, Social Security beneficiaries began to see an 8.7 percent cost-of-living increase, the largest since 1981. This COLA covers retirees as well as workers who become disabled and surviving children under age 18 whose working parents died. For nearly a century, America has honored the sacred insurance promise intergenerationally. Those who work throughout their lives will benefit from the fruits of their labor. Yes, this historic cost-of-living adjustment will help Americans manage their cost of living to pay bills and put food on the table. In addition, millions of Medicare users will now only pay $35 per month for insulin. This cost savings will benefit hundreds of thousands of Ohioans. The Social Security COLA along with affordable insulin are being championed by congressional Democrats. We know the foundation of financial stability for over 66 million retired Americans is their earned social insurance benefits. Respecting their lives and their work, Democrats will always honor Social Security and vote to protect it and to strengthen Medicare. Fund New Great Lakes Authority

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to also call upon President Biden to fund the new Great Lakes Authority in the administration's fiscal year 2024 budget request. With support from our Great Lakes colleagues, the Great Lakes Authority was authorized in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations bill and signed into law on January 2, 2023. Across America, regional development instrumentalities like this have existed for decades. Until now, the Great Lakes region was the one major region left out of our Nation's toolkit for regional cooperation, reinvestment, and revitalization. Launched initially with Federal resources to drive economic and environmental recovery, this authority now exists and aims to become self-sufficient sooner rather than later. This new year brings new opportunities for public-private partnerships across our Great Lakes region for investment and revitalization. The Great Lakes Authority will harness the region's strengths, which include stewardship of the largest body of freshwater on the continent and on Earth. Our region is home to America's industrial and agricultural strength. We have hardworking men and women who manufacture the majority of automobiles and trucks this Nation manufactures, as well as, of course, farmers in our agricultural heartland who feed us all. We have these massive production assets in this region. Finally, the wealth of the region has allowed for an array of educational and corporate institutions, as well, which now can be mobilized together to reboot and repurpose the region's recovery from massive job outsourcing and, frankly, outright neglect that has damaged its potential for far too long. Investing to strengthen the Great Lakes heartland will usher in a new era for our communities. It is time to fund the Great Lakes Authority to be the key economic development engine that becomes self-supporting through public-private partnerships that make a lasting impact. Onward Great Lakes Authority. There is no time like the present to launch a stronger and more hopeful future for every community across our precious region.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in opposition to H.R. 21. A top U.S. security priority must be energy independence in perpetuity. We know high oil prices hit working families hard. Last year, the Biden administration rightly released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and oil prices dropped $1.69 a gallon in my area. Unfortunately, the bill we had debated adds layers of bureaucracy-- four agencies and departments thick--limiting our progress to stabilize prices. America must have an all-of-the-above energy profile. Here is yet another handout to Big Oil. It forces the leasing of additional lands to oil companies while vast amounts of current federally leased land sites are already going unused. Leasing land is not the same as production. H.R. 21 would hamstring our ability to protect people and companies from spiking gasoline prices. I fought hard to save the Strategic Petroleum Reserve when others here tried to decommission it. American energy security means national independence. We should settle for no less.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise to support the delivery of Abrams tanks to our European allies, including Ukraine. Let us fulfill any backup supply to assure NATO can check aggression by Russia anywhere on that continent. Liberty for Ukraine needs no Neville Chamberlain moments. Delivering Abrams tanks will help Ukraine push toward victory sooner rather than later. Liberty's mission must be victory. Russia's cruel and unprovoked war on Ukraine has produced a nation soaked in blood from one end to the other. Putin views weakness and appeasement as a recipe for failure. Across Ohio, which I am privileged to represent, and the Great Lakes region, our fellow citizens and families have survived and often, too often, have fled oppression in central Europe at the hands of a predatory Russia. We know the price of liberty. Our patriotic men and women in the United Auto Workers proudly manufacture the Abrams tank in Lima, Ohio. They guard liberty every day. Our workers build the finest equipment in the world, so critical to victory. Americans know what brave Ukrainians are fighting for and against. Hasn't enough innocent blood been spilled already? Onward Abrams.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the valorous life of Lieutenant Colonel Harold Brown of Catawba Island, Ohio, who recently took his final flight to the heavens. Since sixth grade, Harold's dream was to be a pilot. By the age of 19, he made that dream a reality as a Tuskegee Airman. Harold served as an exemplary officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps, completing dozens of combat missions during World War II. Once while on a mission, his plane was shot down, and Harold was taken as a prisoner of war. This experience did not deter his service to our country. Harold served again during the brutal Korean War. Truly, he embodied the spirit of his Spit Fire legendary airmen. Harold's devotion to his country extended beyond the battlefield. He worked to desegregate the military. He worked as a teacher to inspire new generations of students. His life was dedicated to service beyond self. Today, America honors Harold for his service. We remember what an impact his life had, and our prayers are with his loved ones. Truly, one human being can change the direction of the world for the better, and Harold Brown did that.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, America's economic independence is based in energy independence. Today, I voted for H.R. 22, a bill that prohibits selling oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China. However, this bill does not go far enough. I was one of the Members that saved the Strategic Petroleum Reserve with my vote several years ago. We have to do more to prohibit the sale of oil to other tyrants who wage war on peaceful people and nations. In 2015, it was the Republican-controlled Congress that voted to begin exporting oil to all of our biggest adversaries: Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China included. Well, how about that? Americans cannot be dependent on any foreign adversaries for our way of life. Now more than ever is the time to ensure American energy independence in perpetuity. We protect our workers and our companies when we stand up to predatory adversaries. We must continue to keep advancing new energy technologies here at home, and I look forward to Republican support in doing so. That is the recipe for American strength and liberty.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to compliment Steve Hartman of CBS News on his recent broadcast centered on the kindness of everyday Americans. Practicing kindness in our daily lives is a central part of what makes America strong. Kindness plays an integral role in building family and community life and is a bedrock of civil society. Hartman's CBS News series ``Kindness 101'' shares stories of compassion, friendship, and everyday acts of kindness. One story is about a woman in Minneapolis offering free haircuts to the homeless. Another is about my fellow Ohioans contributing to a young girl's visual bucket list before she loses her eyesight. These stories teach us lessons about the unending compassion of the American people. Both inspirational and honorable, these stories also serve as a reminder to Americans. Each of us hold the power to make positive impacts on the lives of others in our workplaces and community. Congratulations to Steve for reminding us just how impactful everyday acts of kindness are on strengthening the United States of America.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this Republican green light to tax cheaters, billionaires, and giant corporations that do not pay their fair share of taxes. The average working person in our country pays a rate of about 25 percent. Billionaires pay under 5 percent. Every citizen and corporation should take a pledge of allegiance to pay their fair share of taxes. But Amazon, Chevron, AIG, and even Coca-Cola shirk their duty to liberty. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Charles Koch prosper under liberty's flag but cheat on their taxes. In what world is it fair that those in the top brackets can cheat the system while hardworking Americans pay their fair share every day? I can assure you, staff in our offices have answered over a thousand calls since 2020 because the IRS doesn't have enough agents to do the job. Properly funding the IRS will help to reduce the deficit, average Americans will get answers and help, and tax cheaters will finally pay their fair share. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a laundry list of tax cheaters. Amazon, Exxon Mobil, AT&T, Microsoft, Verizon, Chevron, Bank of America, UPS, Nike, Coca Cola, Charter Communications, AIG. Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Steve Ballmer, Elon Musk, Rob Walton, Charles Koch.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the energy and water division of the omnibus bill captures America's spirit of innovation and ingenuity. To succeed in the 21st century, our Nation must be positioned to unleash its full potential. These energy and water investments will create good-paying jobs, lower costs, and improve communities from the heartland to the coasts as we intensify America's energy innovation, fortify water infrastructure, and invigorate the essential work to sustain life on Earth. By advancing solar, hydrogen, and biofuel technologies, rebuilding ports and waterways, conserving precious environmental ecosystems, we are doing America's work, and we are reinvesting in the forgotten corners of a deindustrialized Great Lakes region and Appalachian coal fields that need new jobs and innovation. Our bill responsibly delivers for America. In fact, we set our Nation on a path toward a better, brighter, and more resilient future to be energy, water, and nuclear secure. Further, I am excited that our Great Lakes Authority legislation is included in this omnibus. This new Federal instrumentality will unlock our industrial heartland's full potential, and it is so much an honor to be able to be a part of the team that passes this omnibus bill today.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair DeLauro. I'd also like to thank the staff who have dedicated superlative effort to this final product, including Scott McKee, Brian Smith, Daniela Todesco, Nick Montoni, and Steven Kappen on subcommittee and John Howes on my staff.