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19 public bills, H.R. 6955- 6973; and 6 resolutions, H.J. Res. 137; H. Con. Res. 68; and H. Res. 978-981, were introduced.
Pages H133-34
Reports Filed
Reports were filed today as follows: H. Res. 977, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4593) to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to revise the definition of showerhead; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5184) to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from enforcing energy efficiency standards applicable to manufactured housing, and for other purposes; and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 6938) making consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-424); H.R. 227, to allow a period in which members of the clergy may revoke their exemption from Social Security coverage, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-425); H.R. 2716, to improve coordination between Federal and State agencies and the Do Not Pay working system, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119- 426); H.R. 6495, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for specific taxpayer notice when information is sought from third parties, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-427); and H.R. 6506, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to suspend the period of limitations on filing a claim for credit or refund during collection action proceedings, to prohibit the crediting of overpayments against disputed tax liability during such proceedings, and to expand the jurisdiction of the Tax Court, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-428).
Page H133
Speaker
Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed Representative Valadao to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
Page H103
Recess
The House recessed at 11:14 a.m. and reconvened at 12 p.m.
Page H111
Expressing the profound sorrow of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable Doug LaMalfa
The House agreed to H. Res. 978, expressing the profound sorrow of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable Doug LaMalfa.
Page H112
Committee Election
The House agreed to H. Res. 979, electing a Member to a certain standing committee of the House of Representatives.
Page H112
Recess
The House recessed at 1:12 p.m. and reconvened at 4:31 p.m.
Page H120
Moment of Silence
The House observed a moment of silence in remembrance of the Honorable Doug LaMalfa.
Pages H121-22
Breaking the Gridlock Act
The House considered H. Res. 780, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1834) to advance policy priorities that will break the gridlock. Consideration is expected to resume tomorrow, January 8th. Earlier the House agreed to the Jeffries motion to discharge the resolution from the Committee on Rules by a yea-and- nay vote of 221 yeas to 205 nays, Roll No. 4.
Pages H122-26
Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party: Appointment
The Chair announces the Speaker's re-appointment of the following Member of the House to the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party: Representative Khanna, to rank before Representative Krishnamoorthi.
Page H126
Recess
The House recessed at 6:15 p.m. and reconvened at 6:20 p.m.
Page H127
Saving Homeowners from Overregulation With Exceptional Rinsing Act
The House considered H.R. 4593, to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to revise the definition of showerhead. Consideration is expected to resume tomorrow, January 8th.
Pages H127-32
H. Res. 977, the rule providing for consideration of the bills (H.R. 4593), (H.R. 5184), and (H.R. 6938) was agreed to by a recorded vote of 214 ayes to 212 noes, Roll No. 3, after the previous question was ordered by a yea-and-nay vote of 213 yeas to 211 nays, Roll No. 2.
Pages H112-20, H121, H122
Senate Referrals
S. 320 was held at the desk. S. 1626 was held at the desk.
Pages H111-12
Senate Message
Message received from the Senate appears on pages H111- 12. Quorum Calls--Votes: Two yea-and-nay votes and one recorded vote developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H121, H122, and H123. Adjournment: The House met at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 7:10 p.m., pursuant to House Resolution 978, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Honorable Doug LaMalfa.
Every speech and line is the Congressional Record's own text, read from GovInfo. Speakers are matched to members by GPO's own metadata. Referandom places each turn on the Clerk's video by matching its words: 115 of 170 spoken turns were found. Turns without a time are still listed; they just can't seek.
Morning-Hour Debate
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of January 6, 2026, the Chair will now recognize Members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning-hour debate.
The Chair will alternate recognition between the parties, with time equally allocated between the parties and each Member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to 5 minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, with just 24 days left before open enrollment closes in New York State and with millions of New Yorkers facing massive premium hikes, I rise today in outrage.
As an occupational therapist, I spent more than a decade working on the front lines of our healthcare system, helping patients and their families when an unexpected illness, injury, or disability turned their world upside down.
I have seen the devastation that happens when people delay care because they can't afford it. Patients ration medications, skip follow- up visits, delay essential care, and choose between putting food on the table or seeing a doctor.
When healthcare is out of reach, outcomes get worse, costs go up, and working families pay the price. That is exactly what is happening right now because Republicans have allowed the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits to expire.
When the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2014, it made health insurance more affordable and expanded access to care, putting healthcare within reach for millions of Americans.
In 2021, Democrats built on that progress by expanding those credits through the American Rescue Plan, closing coverage gaps that left middle-class families paying far too much for far too long.
In 2022, Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act to extend these essential enhancements through 2025.
As Democrats, our priorities are clear. When we lead, we fight for working people. We fight to expand access to care. We fight to make sure every American can afford the care that they need. It is a very different story under failed Republican leadership.
After years of trying to undermine the Affordable Care Act, congressional Republicans chose on December 31 to let these lifesaving premium tax credits expire, even over the objections from Members of their own party.
For families already struggling to make ends meet, the consequences are immediate and devastating. Marketplace premiums have skyrocketed by an average of 114 percent, and these plans cost more and cover less. Enrollment will plummet, and millions of Americans will lose or forego coverage entirely.
In New York, thousands will lose their health insurance purchased through the marketplace, with hundreds of thousands more facing staggeringly high costs. Young people in communities of color will be hardest hit, reversing years of progress and 4 consecutive years of Affordable Care Act enrollment, a record high.
As this is happening at a moment when the cost-of-living crisis is already crushing working families, the people of this country are saying enough is enough.
This crisis did not happen by accident. Donald Trump and congressional Republicans chose tax breaks for the wealthy over affordable healthcare for everyday Americans. They pushed through the largest healthcare cuts in U.S. history, gutting Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act by more than $1 trillion.
Now, instead of fixing the damage, Republican leadership is once again choosing to turn its back on families by letting these premium tax credits expire, a lifeline millions of Americans rely on to stay insured.
When people lose coverage, they don't stop getting sick. They just stop getting care. We all pay the price through worse outcomes, higher costs, and deeper inequities.
Over the past year, many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle reminded us that elections have consequences. I am here to remind them that this fight transcends politics.
Ripping away healthcare from hardworking Americans has life-or-death consequences. That is why Democrats have forced a vote to extend these credits this week, and that is why I intend to vote ``yes.''
Healthcare should not depend on your ZIP Code, your job title, or the size of your paycheck. This fight is
Mr. Speaker, let's get this done. Let's take care of the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the end of an era. The oldest newspaper in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, ceased operations on December 31.
After 154 years of delivering the news, the weekly Clinton County Record, formerly known as the Renovo Record, has stopped publishing due to escalating costs, a declining subscription base, and a lack of advertisers.
Despite these challenges, it has a long and storied history that began in 1871 when Renovo businessman John Upton Shaffer founded the Renovo Daily Record and published its first edition.
The first issue of The Record noted that the letters for the printing press had not been delivered in their entirety until the previous day. The first half of the alphabet, from A through M, had arrived in the previous week. The first issue nearly had to go to press without the second half of the alphabet. Fortunately, the rest of the letters were delivered in time for publication.
Back then, it was a daily paper, except Sunday, bringing the news to those who lived in the railroad town.
In 1887, Shaffer was elected to the Pennsylvania State legislature. His son, John Shaffer, Jr., took over the management of the newspaper. The elder Shaffer died in 1902, and his sons continued publishing.
Since 1871, The Record has been 100 percent independently owned and operated with notable local names publishing the paper after the Shaffers, including Ron Dremel, John Lipez, and, most recently, Michael Frank.
The newspaper covered local news, education, government, sports, and more. This is a devastating loss to the community that has relied on this paper since 1871.
In 2021, on its 150th anniversary, The Record had a special print edition. This year, on its final publication, I was pleased and honored to have it reported that Bucktail Medical Center in Renovo would receive more than $260,000 in Federal funding to bring important upgrades to the facility. I was honored to secure that funding.
Mr. Speaker, it is never easy when we see our local institutions close, especially those that have played such an important role in our communities like The Record has over the past 154 years.
My heartfelt thanks go out to the staff who have worked diligently over the years to deliver the news to the people of Clinton County. For 154 years, through generations of change, The Record has been there. We are all grateful for that.
Mr. Speaker, for those who are in the Chamber or perhaps viewing online, this morning they will see we are missing an individual who has always been here at morning session, at noon for 1 minutes, and maybe after votes for 1 minutes. I am speaking of Doug LaMalfa, a dear friend from California.
Doug passed away yesterday. In honor of him, as is tradition, we have reserved a memorial seat in the first speaking position on the Republican side.
Doug was a great friend and a great agricultural leader. He was a champion for forestry and rural communities. We traveled the country, preparing for the farm bill that we had been working on. Half of it has been accomplished with the other half still to go.
Mr. Speaker, he was a rice farmer. I have been on his farm in northern California. I can tell you he was kind of a crazy muscle car driver. I hung on tight riding with Doug.
Doug has left his mark. Our prayers go out to Jill and his family. Later this week, we will have other opportunities for Members on both sides of the aisle to offer their tributes and memories to Doug.
Mr. Speaker, we want to let Doug know that he can rest easy in the arms of God. We have got this.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate that paid family and medical leave officially began in Delaware on January 1.
There is nothing that I am prouder of during my time in the Delaware State Senate than leading the successful effort to pass paid family and medical leave for workers and families across our State.
After years of work and preparation, Delaware's Paid Family and Medical Leave program is finally a reality across our State. Paid family and medical leave is about dignity, plain and simple. It means a parent can be there for their newborn child, a worker can recover from severe illness, and a caregiver can support an aging parent, all without falling behind on groceries or rent.
Paid leave will strengthen families, support small businesses, and make our State more affordable for the people who live and work in it.
I was proud to work with my colleagues in the State legislature to pass this bipartisan achievement. It is proof that when we listen to one another and focus on solutions, we can deliver for our constituents. That is something this Chamber would do well to remember.
I am incredibly proud of the work that we have accomplished in Delaware. I am grateful to all of the advocates who made this progress possible, including the Delaware Cares Coalition led by Liz Richards.
Mr. Speaker, I will continue working to ensure paid family and medical leave is not just the law of the land in Delaware but nationwide. Good policy that is grounded in dignity and supported by a supermajority of Americans is precisely the sort of work that we should be doing together.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Corporal Grade One Matthew Tyler ``Ty'' Snook.
On December 23, just 2 days before Christmas, Ty Snook was shot and killed while working an overtime assignment at the DMV just outside of Wilmington.
Corporal Snook served the State of Delaware as a trooper for a decade. He was known by his peers and his community as dependable, professional, and a committed neighbor. His death is a tragic reminder of the sacrifice that our law enforcement officers risk every single day to protect and defend us.
At his memorial earlier this week, his loved ones painted a picture of Ty as a spectacular father, husband, son, and brother. He was a thoughtful friend and an empowering colleague.
Every speaker struck a similar chord. Ty was selfless, compassionate, and deeply invested in the well-being of others. That is a commitment to community that can be seen throughout his service.
A native Delawarean, he was a graduate of St. Mark's High School. He returned after college to serve in the Delaware State Police, where he was soon joined in that service by his brother, Josh. Ty was rising through the ranks and training the next generation of law enforcement.
The selflessness that defined his service was tragically on full display on December 23 when, in his final moments, Ty saved others, even as he lost his own life.
Let us never become numb to senseless acts of violence like the one which took Ty Snook's life. Crimes like this one leave an indelible mark of pain and loss felt by so many. These include his friends and family; his wife, Lauren; and their 1-year-old daughter, Letty.
Kassi Snook Dunphy, Tyler's sister, said it best on Monday. ``Tyler did not just pass on as a hero. He lived every day as one.''
Mr. Speaker, every day I am thankful to the men and women of law enforcement, like Tyler, who risk everything in defense of all of us. Today, I speak in this hallowed Chamber in honor of that hero so that the name and service of Matthew Tyler ``Ty'' Snook will be enshrined in the history and Record of the United States Congress forever.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the distinguished career of Mary Krinkie.
For 25 years, Mary has served as the vice president of government relations at the Minnesota Hospital Association. She is widely regarded as one of the most persuasive voices for Minnesota's healthcare systems and patient care.
I have had the honor to work with her on various issues, both here in Congress and in the Minnesota State Senate. Her dedication to the healthcare community has left a permanent mark on Minnesota.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mary for her decades of service, and I wish her a long, happy, and well-deserved retirement.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a distinguished member of the Minnesota agricultural community.
I congratulate Dick Pesek of Taunton, Minnesota, who has been named the Minnesota 2025 Cattleman of the Year. This honor is well-deserved recognition for his decades of hard work, dedication to the livestock industry, and deep commitment to his community.
We commend Mr. Pesek for upholding the best traditions of American agriculture.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Jilian Schoenfeld and Brayden VanDyke from Russell-Tyler-Ruthton High School for their first-place finishes at the FFA Winter Leadership Summit.
Jilian placed first in the employment skills competition, and Brayden placed first in the English creed speaking event. Their hard work and commitment are a credit to their school and community.
I congratulate Jilian and Brayden on their victories.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my profound opposition to this administration's aggressive and cruel immigration enforcement actions, especially targeting students and parents near schools.
Throughout the last year, the Trump administration's hard-line immigration enforcement campaign has terrorized communities and created an environment where many students don't even feel safe going to school.
Children can't learn when they are living in constant fear.
At a townhall meeting last year, a fourth grade student, a 10-year- old, gave me a handwritten letter saying that she was afraid that ICE was going to come into her school and take her friends.
Children may not understand the complexities of the immigration system, but they know that masked people indiscriminately kidnapping people off the street is wrong and terrifying.
In July, a Beaverton, Oregon, father was dropping off his child at preschool. With his child in the car, ICE surrounded him, traumatizing the child, other parents, and preschool teachers. ICE then arrested the father within sight of the school.
In October, two Oregon high school students were at a drive-through coffee shop near their school. They were surrounded by multiple ICE agents who were pointing guns at them. That is terrifying, outrageous, and obviously dangerous.
At a recent city council meeting, an Oregon high school student bravely shared his concerns and the concerns of his peers, especially those who cannot speak up for themselves because they are too afraid. This compassionate student has been raising money to help people in his community whose lives are being torn apart by this administration's immigration enforcement tactics.
Mr. Speaker, hundreds of students across northwest Oregon have bravely protested the ongoing immigration enforcement that is happening in their communities, and I am grateful for their acts of peaceful protest that are calling attention to these injustices.
The reality is that too many students are afraid to leave their homes, even to go to school. At a time when chronic absenteeism is at a record high, more students are switching to attending school online if they can because they don't feel safe, or they stop going altogether.
A small school district in northwest Oregon told me that more than 150 students have withdrawn this year, an increase of 120 since this time last year. It is likely that most of them left school because they are afraid of ICE. Statewide, it is estimated that more than 10,000 students are now unaccounted for.
Recently, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that the media is force-feeding the public stories about parents and children being afraid to return to school. This is categorically untrue. Despite what the Department of Homeland Security wants people to believe, ICE is creating significant levels of fear, including around schools.
Mr. Speaker, this is not about targeting criminals. It is about targeting, arresting, and detaining people because of their national origin or the color of their skin. This ought to send chills down the spines of everyone in this body and this country.
As someone who has dedicated years of my career to education and striving to create a better future for children, I am appalled but, sadly, not surprised that this administration continues to terrorize children, using the same playbook as when they separated families at the border.
Let me be clear: According to the United States Supreme Court, all children, regardless of their immigration status, have the right to attend public schools. The ICE tactics that we are seeing of targeting students and families will have lasting effects on children and families, and they will cause generational trauma.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to show some empathy and kindness. Work with us to protect sensitive locations. Work with us on humane immigration reform. We cannot allow these abuses of power and these lawless actions to continue.
Let's put an end to this ugly chapter in our country's history and do better for our Nation and our children.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate $181 million in rural healthcare funding for the State of Washington.
Not long ago, right here in this Chamber, I joined my House Republican colleagues to pass the Working Families Tax Cut Act, the largest tax cut in American history.
When we voted for this, we also voted for a new rural healthcare fund, and $181 million of this rural healthcare fund will go to transforming Washington State. This is just the first round of funding, part of a 5-year, $50 billion commitment to rural health transformation.
This is $181 million to keep our rural hospitals' doors open, upgrade critical infrastructure, expand access to emergency care, protect maternal health, and strengthen Tribal health services.
Rural Washington is one of the best places in America to live, work, and raise a family, and this investment means more doctors, nurses, stable hospitals, and peace of mind for the people who grow our food, power our grid, and keep our communities strong.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this historic tax relief and this transformational funding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a special tradition of the congressional delegation of Washington State.
Just 1 year ago, I was sworn in to the 119th Congress and welcomed as one of the two new members of the Washington congressional delegation. If you are wondering why I have an oil painting of a baby chick next to me right now, I will tell you that it is about one of the most charming traditions of our Washington delegation.
``The Chick'' was bought at a charity fundraiser and presented to then-Congressman Joel Pritchard as a gift to his office in the early 1970s.
Congressman Pritchard, as the story goes, wasn't too fond of the painting. In true Washington fashion, he decided that the honorable way to handle it was to regift the baby chick to the next new member of the Washington delegation.
As such, he passed it on to Congressman Norman Dicks in 1976, and it then went to Congressman Mike Lowry in 1979. It has been passed down ever since, with each new Member from Washington State signing the back before giving it to the next new, proud owner.
The only Congressman who didn't sign it was then-Congressman Jay Inslee, and Congressman Inslee then lost his election.
Mr. Speaker, when I was gifted ``The Chick,'' I decided to give it a proper name: ``Baby Jay.'' As I prepare to part ways with ``Baby Jay'' to my Washington State colleague Emily Randall, I share this lighthearted piece of Washington delegation history and the spirit of continuity and camaraderie that it represents with the House today.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the new football coach of Washington State University, Coach Kirby Moore.
Just before the holidays, WSU hired Kirby Moore, a Washington native, as our new head coach. Kirby Moore is young, hungry, and armed with an impressive coaching resume. Coach Moore is ready to lead the Cougs to new heights in his first head coaching role.
Kirby grew up going to Cougar football games. Kirby said: ``For me, this is home. We've got grandparents in Palouse. We've got aunts in Pullman, aunts in Spokane. My parents just built a house in the Tri- Cities, so there's some incredible memories for my kids.'' They are the same memories that he grew up with.
Mr. Speaker, as such, I welcome Coach Kirby Moore back to the Palouse, back home, and I look forward to his leadership of our crimson and gray. Go Cougs.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sister Mary Jesus Ochoa of the Order of St. Francis in San Fernando. This week, she celebrated her 100th birthday.
Sister Mary Jesus is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, who entered religious life in the 1940s. She has spent decades supporting our most vulnerable across the San Fernando Valley and in Mexico.
During her service, she worked with children and families in need, emphasizing care, stability, and long-term support.
Sister Mary Jesus played a key leadership role at the Poverello of Assisi Retreat House in San Fernando. There, she helped provide retreat services, community support, and housing for young women and children.
When earthquakes caused major damage to the retreat house and the surrounding buildings, Sister Mary Jesus led the rebuilding efforts to make sure that services were not interrupted for those who need it the most.
Sister Mary Jesus' work reflects steady leadership, resilience in times of crisis, and a clear commitment to serving others with dignity and purpose.
I wish Sister Mary Jesus a happy 100th birthday. The San Fernando Valley is grateful for her dedication to helping our community.
Mr. Speaker, here we are in the first voting week of 2026, and Republicans are bringing up bills on showerheads. They are not doing anything to address the affordability crisis, ICE terrorizing our communities, Trump's illegal and unconstitutional actions in Venezuela, or other states of emergency. They have not done so during this Congress, even during the Los Angeles wildfires, which broke out 1 year ago today.
These fires destroyed 16,000 structures, displaced over 200,000 residents, and took 31 lives. The bravery of firefighters from across the country, who worked tirelessly to put out the fires and minimize damage, will not be forgotten.
While the fires caused great destruction and devastation, the strength and resilience of our neighbors coming together for our communities were on full display.
Mr. Speaker, 1 year later, communities across Los Angeles County are continuing to work toward rebuilding their lives and livelihoods. As communities work toward a return to normal times, we need to minimize the long-term health consequences that wildfire debris may have on communities, especially in communities like mine in the San Fernando Valley.
My district is housing several disposal sites for wildfire debris. As debris is being transported and stored throughout the valley, I have been adamant about making sure that my constituents are not subjected to the long-term health effects that they have traditionally been forced to bear.
Recovery from these wildfires asks us to look ahead to make sure that when natural disasters strike, everyone can be prepared to recover equally. This is a core tenet of environmental justice. We must invest in resources that allow communities and families to recover and rebuild their lives after disasters. This includes advocating for solutions that are informed by the voices of those who are most affected by climate disasters.
Los Angeles has made progress in recovery, but we still have a long way to go. This is why my California Democratic Caucus colleagues and I are urging the Trump administration to deliver nearly $34 billion in disaster funding to help Californians recover. This includes funding that supports rebuilding homes and schools, restoring critical road and water systems, reopening small businesses, and helping communities achieve lasting wildfire resilience.
Mr. Speaker, I will continue to push to make sure that residents in my district and across Los Angeles County have every Federal resource available to them to rebuild their lives. Let us continue to rebuild with equity, care, and courage so that our communities are safer, healthier, and more resilient for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Colonel Patrick Flood, United States Air Force retired, who recently departed the House of Representatives as our deputy chief of staff and national security advisor after more than 39 years of Federal service.
Colonel Flood comes from a family with a distinguished record of Federal and military service dating back to the American Civil War.
Born in Baltimore, Colonel Flood was raised in Ohio and entered military service at the age of 18. He was nominated in 1986 to attend the United States Air Force Academy by Representative Ralph Regula of Ohio's 16th Congressional District.
A distinguished graduate of the Academy, Pat established an early reputation for excellence in military leadership, academics, and athletics.
In his senior year at the Academy, Flood commanded Cadet Squadron 33 and was honored as one of the top squadron commanders in the cadet wing.
As a commissioned officer, Colonel Flood's remarkable career spanned more than 26 years in the combat air forces and special operations communities. Serving in nearly every major U.S. military operation since 1991, Colonel Flood deployed for operations Southern Watch, Provide Comfort II, Deny Flight/Provide Promise, Uphold Democracy, Enduring Freedom, and Odyssey Dawn.
His distinguished record also includes two tours of duty in Korea with service as a corridor patrol officer for the eastern demilitarized zone, service as a continuity of operations officer for the Air Force Chief of Staff during the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon, and aviation duty as an RC-135 crewmember flying long-range combat operations over Afghanistan.
Selected to lead several of the Air Force's most engaged combat intelligence units from 2006 to 2013, Colonel Flood commanded the 55th Wing's 488th Intelligence Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, England; led the 603rd Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany; and commanded Distributed Ground Station 2 and the 548th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group at Beale Air Force Base, California.
Following my election to the House in 2016, I invited Pat to help me establish our Washington, D.C., office. We both arrived in Congress in January of 2017 with no prior legislative experience. Without hesitation or any formal training, for the next 9 years Pat selflessly committed himself to learning and mastering Congress' complex legislative processes. Pat personally drafted hundreds of legislative bills and amendments, shaping America's national defense policy, force structure, and capabilities.
The results of his efforts have been remarkable with a significant number of his proposals enacted into law via the National Defense Authorization Act and the Defense Appropriations Act from the years 2018 to 2025.
While by no means exhaustive, here are some of the accomplishments: quality of life reforms for the all-volunteer force and military families; comprehensive management reforms for DOD's electromagnetic spectrum superiority policy; numerous casualty assistance policies; program reforms for Gold Star and surviving families; the first DOD program for integrated military-civilian national emergency medical response; the reconstruction of Offutt Air Force Base following the devastating 2019 floods; the DOD's Warfighter Brain Health Initiative; the elimination of Russian fuel at U.S. military installations in Europe; the significant expansion of the EA-37B Compass Call electronic attack combat aircraft fleet; academic copyright ownership for civilian faculty members of DOD academic institutions; direct support to military service academy foundations; sustained funding for the Baltic Security Initiative; and significant funding to establish the first secure software development facility to modernize our aging nuclear command, control, and communications enterprise.
However, these legislative victories only tell a small part of the story of the impact Pat has had. As my closest and most trusted adviser, he turned my intent and aspirations as a member of the Committee on Armed Services into legislative action that delivered tangible progress and results for DOD, Nebraska, and for the men and women who commit, and sometimes sacrifice, their lives for our security and the defense of our freedom.
I was selected multiple times as the most effective Member of Congress, and I owe much of this to Pat Flood.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Pat for his years of service to our great Nation.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise because families in Ohio's 13th Congressional District and across the country are already paying the price for Republicans' inaction on healthcare. The enhanced ACA premium tax credits expired December 31, 2025, and now health coverage is more expensive and families are already feeling the impact.
In my district, 90 percent of the 32,000 people who get ACA coverage rely on those subsidies. Four out of five were previously able to find plans for $10 or less per month. That safety net is now gone. Families are seeing premiums jump by hundreds of dollars a month or thousands of dollars a year. Across the country, more than 4 million Americans have already lost or are at risk of losing their healthcare coverage entirely.
This isn't a theory. It is happening right now. In Canton, AultCare, a regional insurer tied to Aultman Hospital, stopped offering some individual family and small business ACA plans before December 31. That affects 6,000 people in my district. These are working families and small business employees losing coverage because Republicans refuse to act.
I have fought to protect these credits by cosponsoring legislation to extend them and by signing on to Leader Jeffries' discharge petition to bring the issue to a vote on the House floor. Instead of acting, Speaker Johnson and House Republicans chose to delay, and that action is simply unacceptable.
Don't just take my word for it. Just a few weeks ago, Congressman Mike Lawler called Speaker Johnson's refusal to allow a vote idiotic and political malpractice, and I agree. What happened? Speaker Johnson sent us home for the holidays while American families paid the price.
Republicans also pushed a partisan healthcare bill that would make things much worse by increasing the number of uninsured people, shifting costs onto working families, and weakening the protections that so many Americans rely upon.
I offered an amendment to protect working families from losing health coverage and to protect access to reproductive healthcare. But guess what. Republicans blocked it. Once again, they chose politics over people.
We cannot forget the real people caught in the middle of this. These are families deciding between healthcare and groceries and between medicine and rent. Access to healthcare should be a right, not a gamble. At a time when we are talking about the horrors and tragic costs of the drug trade and the impact it has on American people, let us not forget how people get drug treatment. It is from the Medicaid program that has already been cut by a trillion dollars and the ACA marketplace health plans.
The Republicans' failure to act is literally going to kill people across this country. They let deadlines pass, premiums rise, and coverage disappear. That is not leadership. That is failure.
Mr. Speaker, the choice is clear. Congress can either act to restore affordable healthcare or we can continue to let premiums sore, coverage vanish, and families face financial ruin.
I know one thing is for certain, Mr. Speaker. I was brought to Congress to work on behalf of the people of Ohio's 13th Congressional District to lower costs, to keep them safe, and to make sure that they had affordable, accessible healthcare coverage.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage every single Member of this Chamber to do those things, not only for the people in my district but for the people all across America who are asking and needing Congress to act.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Robert Kniprath who was proudly recognized as October's Brevard County Veteran of the Month.
Mr. Kniprath answered our Nation's call during World War II, serving in the United States Navy in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. As a petty officer second class, he carried out vital responsibilities supporting critical naval operations that contributed to Allied success in the Southwest Pacific. His service earned him multiple commendations, including the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.
After his military service, Mr. Kniprath built a life rooted in family, hard work, and community in Brevard County. He was known as a devoted father, husband, and grandfather, and as a man who deeply believed in civic duty, the importance of voting to safeguard our Republic and our democratic values.
Mr. Speaker, Brevard County and our Nation are stronger because of patriots like Robert Kniprath.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary Floridian and patriot, Debby Ellen Moone. She was named Brevard County's November Veteran of the Month.
Captain Moone dedicated 32 years of her life to serving our Nation in uniform, answering the call in both the United States Air Force and the United States Army. After serving 22 years in the United States Air Force and rising
Throughout her distinguished career, Captain Moone deployed in Operation Desert Storm, served overseas in Korea, and led soldiers as a medical company commander. Her service has been recognized with numerous honors, including: the Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among many others.
Mr. Speaker, Captain Moone represents the very best of the Space Coast: selfless, resilient, and devoted to something greater than herself. Our Nation is stronger because of her service, and Brevard County is proud to call her one of our own.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Luis Francisco Ramos Ramirez who has been selected as January's Brevard County Veteran of the Month.
Mr. Ramos Ramirez proudly served our Nation in the United States Army, answering the call of duty during a critical moment in our history. He served in Vietnam where he conducted reconnaissance missions, some of the most dangerous and demanding assignments in combat. He served honorably, even volunteered to remain in Vietnam for additional time, demonstrating his extraordinary courage and selflessness.
For his service, Mr. Ramos Ramirez earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, Two Bronze Service Stars, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal, decorations that reflect both his valor and his sacrifice.
Like so many of our veterans, his legacy extends beyond the uniform. His commitment to protecting our freedoms remind us that the liberties we enjoy today were secured by Americans willing to put country before self.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Florida's Space Coast and a grateful Nation, I thank Luis Francisco Ramos Ramirez for his service, his sacrifice, and his example of leadership.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and salute the dynamic faith community of Bethesda Baptist Church in New Rochelle as they welcome their new pastor, Reverend Horace Sanders, Jr., and his wife, Lady Katrina Sanders, to the pulpit. Bethesda Baptist will be celebrating this month over installation weekend, highlighted by a congregational celebration gala on Friday night, January 16.
The faithful of Bethesda have given God the glory for over 138 years, since 1888, with weekly Sunday services, Friday morning prayer line, Wednesday Bible study, programs for seniors on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a food pantry for the needy and hungry, and programs targeted to the youth of the community.
Pastor-elect Sanders served for over a decade at Mount Olivet Missionary Baptist Church in Schenectady and previously in Peekskill. His energetic leadership was on display last week when Bethesda hosted Watch Night services, joined by two other New Rochelle congregations. Reverend Sanders' sermon ``Leave the Baggage Behind'' was a perfect theme to start the new year and his new responsibilities at Bethesda.
Mr. Speaker, I welcome him and Lady Katrina to New Rochelle from the floor of the House of Representatives, and I look forward to his many contributions in the days to come.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Archbishop C. Nathan Edwers, spiritual leader and senior pastor at Friendship Worship Center in Mount Vernon as he celebrates his 65th birthday this month. His congregates, friends, and admirers will gather that weekend for a festive event in his honor, and we join in that recognition for a man of God who has been a leader in the community inside and outside of his church.
Bishop Edwers holds a number of academic degrees, including a doctorate from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He began his ministry in 1983 and came from Brooklyn to Mount Vernon in 1989 to lead the Friendship Worship community. He has grown the church dynamically with outreach to embrace a large presence in the Mount Veteran community with the religious vision for worship, prayer, Bible study, and a community vision for services to the youth, seniors, and those in need with food delivery, after-school and summer programs, a warming center for the homeless, foster family services, and more.
Bishop Edwers has held numerous positions in the church organization, also in the Masons, Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and as a founder and leader of the United Black Clergy of Westchester County. He has done all of this with his wife, Aro Denise Edwers, as his life partner, and all of this was done in a mere 65 years.
Mr. Speaker, I wish a happy birthday to Bishop Edwers from the floor of the House of Representatives.
Mr. Speaker, in a world where local newspapers and radio stations are disappearing, it is valuable to recognize and salute those organizations that are continuing to provide information about our local communities' life and times.
In Westchester County we owe a public debt of gratitude to Shoreline Publishing, which serves the people of southern Westchester with five community newspapers; a countywide Jewish monthly newspaper; and a full-color quarterly magazine, Westchester Women.
Under the leadership of president and publisher Edward Shapiro, Shoreline provides an information lifeline across our towns with the Pelham Post, the Bronxville Bulletin, the Harrison Herald, the Larchmont Ledger--as you can see, alliteration still has its appeal-- and the New Rochelle Review.
Editors Cynthia Pena and Joyce Farrell ensure timely local news reaches the readers in each community, as well as the readers of Westchester Jewish Life, which is always available in the local synagogues and temples. Other key Shoreline executives round out the local team, including Lauren Levine and Mary DeYoung.
I thank Shoreline Publishing from the floor of the House of Representatives for continuing to keep local news at the forefront of our hometowns.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor my friend Dr. Calvin Baker, an education giant in our community who sadly passed away on December 26 of this past year.
It is nearly impossible to put into words what Cal meant to our community. I am so sorry for Nancy's loss. Cal Baker was a truly devoted husband, father, friend, and a transformational leader in public education.
For 32 years, Cal served as superintendent of the Vail School District dedicating his life to students, educators, and families across southern Arizona. During his tenure, Cal pioneered K-12 education in Arizona, guiding Vail's growth from fewer than 400 students to nearly 14,000 students by the time he retired in 2020. His legacy lives on through the Calvin Baker Leadership Center, a lasting tribute to his service and vision.
Cal is remembered for his strength, his wisdom, his faith, and deep love for his family and his community. Throughout his entire health battle, he kept a positive attitude and always, always had a smile to give. Though he is no longer with us, his impact will be felt for generations.
In a loving message, his family described Cal as a man of ``grit and perseverance,'' words that perfectly capture his life's work and his heart, as well.
Laura and I were honored to know Cal and are heartbroken by his passing. We are keeping his lifelong bride, Nancy, the love of his life; their family; and all who loved in him in our prayers.
We lost one of the greats. We thank Cal. May my friend rest in peace.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Stuart ``Stu'' Carter, a veteran, a pillar of the Sierra Vista community, and a friend to so many, who sadly passed away in November of 2025.
Stu Carter exemplified a life of service. He was a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel. He dedicated more than 45 years to military and Federal service. Even after retiring, Stu continued giving back, combining his passion for cycling with a deep commitment to supporting fellow veterans.
In 2017, Stu founded VeloVets Sierra Vista, a nonprofit that provides disabled veterans with adaptive bicycles and a supportive community to help them regain mobility and also connection. Laura and I were honored to ride with Stu and the VeloVets in 2024 and again this past December for the inaugural Stu Carter Memorial Ride held in his honor.
Through VeloVets, Stu became a vital resource for veterans living with physical injuries and PTSD. He also served as the President of Cochise Bicycle Advocates, helping secure grants that brought dozens of bikes, bike racks, and bicycles to Sierra Vista and improved cycling safety and accessibility.
Beyond cycling, Stu served numerous organizations, including the Air Force Association of Arizona, the Sierra Vista Commission on Disability Issues, the Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery Foundation, and the Volunteer Interfaith Caregiving Program. He is remembered for his compassion, organization, and tireless dedication to others, as well.
Stu Carter's legacy of service will live on in these veterans and in our community that he so faithfully served.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Joyce Reid-Coleman, who passed away on December 15 after a courageous battle with cancer.
Poochie, as she was affectionately known, was beloved by the community. After overcoming many challenges in life, she decided to channel all of her energy to giving back.
While employed at the Siemon Company, she spearheaded many annual events and programs for employees, including the Haunted Cafe for the children of employees, a Thanksgiving feast, and a Christmas extravaganza.
Joyce created Big, Bold and Beautiful Productions to expand her service work to the Waterbury community. As an entrepreneur, she opened New York Handbags Plus Dresses in downtown Waterbury. Through her organization, Joyce provided the means to send children to prom. She worked closely with all of the high schools to select students to receive services. These services included gowns, tuxedos, shoes, haircuts, hairstyling, manicures, pedicures, all accessories, flowers, pictures, and even transportation.
Her love for children inspired her to create The Back to School Kids Day, an all-day event providing food, games, activities, and free haircuts for all of the children.
Her love for her community was unprecedented. During the holiday season, her organization would provide Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless and those in need, toys for children, and blankets for the sick and shut in. Even as she was in hospice, she hosted a large Thanksgiving dinner this last Thanksgiving.
Joyce dedicated her life to God and was a faithful servant at Grace Baptist Church in Waterbury, Connecticut. Her generous, giving, and loving spirit made her a unique blessing to so many. Her work was celebrated in the city of Waterbury and throughout the State of Connecticut.
To say that her living spirit will be missed by all who knew her is an understatement. I pray for her husband, Gene, and the family. Joyce will surely be missed. May Poochie rest well. She has earned it.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Christine Orosz and Melanie Panarese, two exceptional educators in Lodi, New Jersey, whose dedication to their students and community exemplifies the very best of public education.
A graduate of Lodi public schools, Christine returned home to serve the district that shaped her. Since joining Lodi in 2012, she has grown from school counselor to supervisor of school counseling, overseeing guidance and mental health support for students across her district.
Working with first-generation college aspirants, English language learners, and students from working-class families, Christine has demystified college applications and financial aid. She has opened doors that once seemed out of reach.
Her leadership has helped raise Lodi's high school graduation rate from roughly three-in-four students to nearly 90 percent.
Melanie Panarese, an English teacher at Lodi High School, brings the same commitment to her classroom every single day. With two decades in the profession and 7 years serving Lodi students, Melanie's lessons encourage critical thinking and creativity.
She also pioneered an academic yearbook course allowing students to design, write, and produce the school's yearbook, building collaboration and pride in their work. Colleagues praise her exceptional ability to make every student feel seen and valued.
Both Christine and Melanie were named New Jersey Exemplary Educators in 2025, an honor reserved for educators who demonstrate true leadership and positive influence on students and colleagues.
At a time when school districts face growing challenges and diminishing resources, educators like Christine and Melanie continue to step up, providing stability, opportunity, and hope for young men and women.
Together, their work reminds us that investment in public education is ultimately an investment in our communities and our future.
Christine and Melanie represent the very best of public education, and I am proud to honor them today.
Mr. Speaker, while we are talking about education in America, I want to talk about something more serious: the Department of Education's continued war on our schools.
Last month, without warning, the Department informed eight schools in our district that it was rescinding $8 million in critical funding.
I urgently appealed to Secretary McMahon. My office met with the Department, and our school districts repeatedly sought engagement. We were ignored.
Over the holidays, the Department informed us that the cuts were final and will begin immediately.
Over the next 3 years alone, schools in our district will lose millions of dollars promised and planned for. The program has already shown positive educational outcomes, and the negative consequences for our kids will be felt for years to come.
Our school districts have been willing to work with the Trump administration to remedy any issue to find a fair path forward, but that willingness has not been matched.
Across the U.S., the Department of Education is dismantling public schools. New Jersey is the latest victim.
I will continue working with our district school officials to use every single tool available to restore this funding and to fight to support public education. I will not give up on our children.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize and thank an extraordinary public servant, Joanne Horn, who has retired after decades of faithful service to the people of Pennsylvania's 11th Congressional District.
Joanne has been a valued member of my staff since 2017, and before that, she served for 20 years working for Congressman Joe Pitts. For nearly three
We did some calculation, and during her time in my office alone, not counting her time with Congressman Pitts, Joanne helped more than 7,500 individuals and secured over $46.8 million in savings and benefits that were rightfully owed to the people we serve.
Those numbers only tell part of the story. Joanne always helped seniors with Social Security, families navigating economic assistance during COVID, veterans, and countless others who felt overwhelmed and unheard until Joanne stepped in.
She didn't just do what we call casework. She actually changed lives. Joanne treated every constituent with dignity, persistence, and care, and she never gave up on someone who needed help.
There is truly no one quite like Joanne Horn. Our office, district, and Commonwealth are better because of her service, and we are deeply grateful as she begins this next chapter.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to congratulate and recognize Root's Country Market on their 100th anniversary.
Root's Country Market is a farmer's market and auction based in Manheim, Pennsylvania. The market's history stretches back to 1925 when it was founded by A.W. Root as a poultry auction.
Since then, Root's has expanded to include homegrown produce, handmade goods, and a flea market, the last of which was acquired in 2005.
Today, there are 250 stands in Root's Country Market, 180 stands at Root's Old Mill Flea Market across the street, and two auctions. Root's operates every Tuesday year-round and sees up to 10,000 visitors each week.
While seeing tremendous growth in the century since its founding, the market has stayed true to its roots. Root's remains family-owned and is currently led by fifth-generation market master Emily Longenecker Rineer.
What began as a poultry auction one century ago has become a staple of Lancaster County's heritage. As Root's Country Market celebrates 100 years in business, I thank the family and their stand holders for making our community a vibrant place.
Congratulations to the Root's Country Market, and I wish them another century of success.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to congratulate and recognize the three individuals from Pennsylvania's 11th Congressional District who were installed as 2025-2026 State officers for the Pennsylvania FFA: State President Sarah Firestone, State Vice President Sally Bollinger, and State Secretary Leah Flinchbaugh.
Having emerged from a rigorous nomination and election process, a total of seven State officers were chosen to lead the Pennsylvania FFA this year. Three of the seven individuals belong to chapters in Pennsylvania's 11th Congressional District.
Sarah Firestone, the new president, is a member of the Garden Spot FFA Chapter and a graduate of Lampeter-Strasburg High School. The new vice president, Sally Bollinger, is a member of the Cloister FFA Chapter and is a graduate of Ephrata High School. The new secretary, Leah Flinchbaugh, is a member of the Eastern York FFA Chapter and a graduate of Eastern York High School.
Agriculture is crucial to Lancaster and York Counties, and the newly elected officers have demonstrated both passion for and knowledge of our local community.
I commend Sarah Firestone, Sally Bollinger, and Leah Flinchbaugh for their leadership in the Pennsylvania FFA. As they settle into their new roles and prepare for bright futures ahead, I wish them continued success in all of their endeavors.
Mr. Speaker, 1 year ago today, the communities of Altadena and Pasadena that I represent in California were struck by tragedy. In just a matter of hours, the Eaton fire, driven by hurricane-force winds reaching 90 miles an hour, forever changed the communities my constituents have called home for generations.
The fire destroyed over 9,000 structures, most of them single-family homes. It scorched over 14,000 acres, decimating entire neighborhoods and turning places of worship, schools, restaurants, and community institutions to rubble.
Most tragically, it took the lives of 19 of our loved ones, neighbors, and friends. We have recently learned that 440 additional people across southern California died in the month following the fire due to delays in medical care and exposure to toxic elements.
The Eaton fire was the second most destructive wildfire in California's history. Those we lost helped to shape the fabric of their communities, and their absence has left a void that cannot be filled. They are in our thoughts on this 1-year anniversary of the fire.
We remember Anthony Mitchell, Sr., a 68-year-old father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who brought everybody together, and we remember his son, Justin, who was born with cerebral palsy and was known for his infectious smile. Anthony and Justin both died waiting for help that they would never receive.
We remember Victor Shaw, who resided in his beloved Altadena home for 60 years and who died with a garden hose in his hand, fighting to save his property.
These are just a few of the stories of those we lost, all of whom were taken far too soon. That is why, today, I have introduced a resolution with Representative Sherman and Senators Schiff and Padilla to commemorate and honor all the lives that we lost in these fires.
Even in our darkest days and every day since, survivors have shown extraordinary resilience and strength. First responders put their lives on the line to save others. Neighbors opened their doors to offer shelter to those who had nowhere to go. Organizations big and small came together to make sure our neighbors who had just lost everything had a warm meal, a roof over their heads, and a shoulder to cry on.
Federal, State, and local governments mobilized to get families the help they needed, help that has made a tremendous impact on our road to recovery and rebuilding. Emergency operation hubs were propped up in a matter of hours. Recovery centers were created at an amazingly rapid speed so that survivors could access free individualized guidance and assistance when they needed it most.
On top of that, FEMA approved over $150 million in housing and other emergency assistance. SBA approved over $3 billion in loans for small businesses, homeowners, and renters. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did an amazingly fast residential wildfire cleanup. It was the fastest in our Nation's history.
These efforts saved lives and laid the groundwork for recovery, but the work is nowhere close to being complete. Every day that Congress and the Trump administration continue to delay, recovery becomes harder and more expensive. Families have already waited 1 year while rebuilding costs rise, housing shortages deepen, and displacement assistance expires.
Disaster aid is not a favor. It is a responsibility. Today, 70 percent of Eaton fire survivors have not yet returned home, and the majority have not even begun the arduous process of rebuilding. Almost one-half of survivors still reside in either temporary or unstable housing. Families are exhausting their savings, taking on debt, skipping medical care, and making impossible choices just to get by.
Small businesses are struggling to reopen. Families whose homes are still standing but are contaminated with dangerous toxins are being forced to decide between a place to sleep and their health.
Survivors need our help, and they need it right now. That is why I say something very important: President Trump and congressional Republicans must fulfill their responsibility to help communities impacted by disaster and
I have joined Democrats and Republicans across California in urging the administration to act immediately. Families can't afford further delay. We do not abandon people after a disaster.
Mr. Speaker, right now, we have a chance to protect Americans from going broke.
On January 1, families across this country were hit by the largest healthcare cost increases we have seen in more than a decade. Millions of Americans watched their premiums more than double overnight. A family of four making $128,000 a year--teachers, nurses, small business owners--just got slapped with an average $14,000-increase in their silver plan premiums.
As the senior Democrat on the Health Subcommittee of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, I have been raising this issue, along with my colleagues, for many months now. Despite the warnings, President Trump and congressional Republicans did nothing. They could have had a vote in December, yet they blocked Democratic efforts to extend the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits. They looked Americans in the eye and said no.
We have an opportunity to fix this right now. This week, we can pass the bill that would extend the ACA's premium tax credits for 3 years. This extension will cut premium spikes by 80 percent, on average. It will wipe out increases for lower income families. It will save over 5 million Americans from losing their insurance.
This is the solution. We have it in our hands.
While this is a straightforward fix for the short term, we know that our entire healthcare system needs to have reform so that we can control costs.
I was part of the original team that negotiated and passed the Affordable Care Act. While we were forced to accept less than the universal healthcare plan we wanted, we secured protections that have since saved tens of thousands of lives, ending discrimination against people with preexisting conditions, letting parents keep their kids on their insurance policies while the kids start their careers, and guaranteeing that every plan covers basic essential care.
The majority, since that time in the last 15 years, has tried to destroy it. They have voted more than 70 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act and always with no replacement. They subjected the ACA to death by a thousand cuts, offering nothing but snake oil alternatives like high-deductible plans and health savings accounts that would leave families high and dry.
When we passed the ACA on this floor, I said this is just a start to affordable universal healthcare. Democrats have worked to improve the ACA. That is why we passed the tax credits in the first place. Millions of people signed up, and they were able to sleep without worrying about one hospital visit bankrupting their families. My colleagues on the other side want to rip that away, the reason for which I have no idea.
This crisis has shown that the only solution is ultimately universal healthcare. I have been a cosponsor of the Medicare for All Act since day one because I know it will guarantee a healthy nation. Unfortunately, my colleagues across the aisle have made it crystal clear: They have no appetite for meaningful reforms like Medicare for All.
Here is what we need to do right now: We need to extend the enhanced tax credits. They are the only thing standing between millions of Americans and complete financial devastation.
In my State of Colorado, we did the right thing. The State stepped in with our own tax credits, but not every State is Colorado. Americans in States like Florida and Texas will be out of luck, and in Colorado and every other State, we can't afford to take this burden on forever.
We need a nationwide solution. We have the votes for this fix. Four Republicans joined us in the petition to bring this bill to the floor.
We must pass it. We must bring it to the floor, pass it in the House, and send it over to the Senate this week. President Trump must sign it into law. If we don't, here is the reality: Families will drop health coverage to put food on the table, gambling with their lives. Medical debt will bury them bill by bill, week by week. They will keep waiting for the Trump healthcare plan that will be promised but will never come.
For anybody at home sitting there asking: Do the Republicans know what they are doing? The answer is, sadly, yes, they do.
Americans are watching. They know that the Democrats are fighting like hell for them and for their healthcare. Now, they are waiting to see if the majority has any conscience left.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lycoming County Sheriff Mark Lusk, who retired Monday after 50 years of outstanding community service.
Mark was elected as Lycoming County sheriff in 2009 and served in this role for four consecutive terms. Over his 50-year career, Mark has held a variety of positions, including patrolman, criminal investigator, corporal, chief of police, and deputy coroner.
Mark's leadership has been pivotal, and he was responsible for many rescue operations when the county experienced major floods.
Beyond his role as sheriff, Mark has volunteered for the Old Lycoming Township Volunteer Fire Company for 45 years. He has also worked alongside the local VFW and American Legion.
Mark has received various awards for his leadership over his career. In 2007, he was recognized by the Lycoming County Department of Public Safety and the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives.
Mr. Speaker, Mark has dedicated his career to serving the community and answering the call of those in need. I thank him for his service, and I wish him the very best.
Mr. Speaker, unable to run America, Trump says that he will run Venezuela.
Unwilling to provide help to Americans facing soaring health premiums, he offers new tax subsidies to Big Oil.
Long eager to drag America back to the ugly glory days of White nationalism under his hero, President William McKinley, Trump now is apparently going to make imperialism great again, also.
Declaring that he and he alone will dominate the Western Hemisphere, he sends a chilling message to his fellow authoritarians, like Putin, Xi, and others: Might makes right. Just stay in your own neighborhood.
With no interest in democracy, he has made clear that this is a war for oil and that he will work with any pawn that will get it to him, even those who are launching a new wave of repression in Venezuela.
Colombia, Mexico, Greenland--he is handing Putin a gift by dividing NATO. Our allies had to meet yesterday to defend Denmark on Greenland from this bully in chief.
So many conflicts but no plan to provide security to American families. He ignores our needs.
Mr. Speaker, in a world where local news services-- newspapers and radio stations--are disappearing on a frightening level, it is important to recognize and salute those organizations that are continuing to provide information about our localities, the lives and times of the individuals of our communities.
In the Bronx--specifically, in Co-op City--we have a public debt of gratitude that we owe to the Co-op City Times, which is serving the 40,000-plus people who reside there.
Owned and operated by the Riverbay Corporation, the Co-op City Times, led by Rozaan Boone, editor-in-chief, and her team of reporters, covers the work of the Co-op Board of Directors and the many organizations of Co-op City, from the NAACP branch to The American Legion post and every other group in between.
The Co-op City Times provides weekly news, free of charge, that covers the events and information of the individual building organizations, local arts and performances, and the churches and houses of worship and all of their events, and they spotlight the persons and the personalities that move Co-op City every day.
I thank Co-op City Times from the floor of the House of Representatives for showing that local news can still be vocal news.
Mr. Speaker, after months of delay, the Trump administration finally released an annual food security survey, which confirms what we know to be true: Hunger is increasing in this country.
Nearly 48 million Americans, including 14 million children, in the richest country in the history of the world, are food insecure, meaning that they lack the money and resources to acquire adequate food to feed their families. Those are moms, dads, grandparents, and kids who are unable to consistently access the most basic necessity: food.
Mr. Speaker, it is no wonder that the Trump administration has unilaterally canceled all future food security reports. They know that their big, ugly bill and Trump's terrible economy are going to cause food insecurity to skyrocket, and they are desperate to hide the data from the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I am here to say that Democrats in Congress are not going to stand by while Trump tears apart basic needs programs. We will continue calling attention to the increase in hunger caused by this administration and their Republican allies in Congress, and we will always fight for a future when we finally end hunger now.
Providing for Consideration of H.R. 4593, Saving Homeowners From Overregulation With Exceptional Rinsing Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. 5184, Affordable Housing Over Mandating Efficiency...
Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this morning, the Rules Committee met to produce a rule, H. Res. 977, providing for the House's consideration on the following three bills:
First, the rule provides for H.R. 4593, the SHOWER Act, to be considered under a closed rule. It provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, or their respective designees, and provides for one motion to recommit.
Second, the rule provides for H.R. 5184, the Affordable HOMES Act. H.R. 5184 would be considered under a closed rule. It also provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, or their respective designees, and provides for one motion to recommit.
Third, the rule provides for H.R. 6938, Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026. H.R. 6938 would be considered under a closed rule, and it also provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations, or their designees, and provides for one motion to recommit.
The rule provides for separate votes on division A and divisions B and C.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and in support of the underlying legislation. These bills reflect a simple governing philosophy: freedom of choice, fiscal responsibility, regulatory clarity, and a government that focuses on the American people, not bureaucracy.
Let me begin with the appropriations package. Beginning with H.R. 6938, the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act of 2026, these bills make targeted, disciplined investments to strengthen American energy dominance, reinforce our nuclear deterrent capabilities, support law enforcement, and expand access to critical minerals. These policy priorities are shared by President Trump, congressional Republicans, and millions of Americans. Importantly, this appropriations package ends Biden-era policies enacting a more conservative vision, all while cutting fiscal year 2026 spending by nearly $2 billion, delivering significant savings for taxpayers. Let me repeat that: Passing full year appropriations ensures we are not defaulting to Biden-era spending levels or radical priorities. It allows Congress to reset funding levels in support of the conservative policies aligned with President Trump's agenda.
The Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act of 2026 provides $78 billion in discretionary funding, including resources to stop the flow of fentanyl, and provides critical funding to support State and local law enforcement. It increases funding for the Drug Enforcement Administration to combat the fentanyl crisis, supports the Department of Justice grant programs that target opioids and child exploitation, and facilitates immigration enforcement. It protects the Second Amendment by keeping long-standing safeguards in place that prevent Federal agencies from restricting lawful firearms, ammunition, and sporting equipment without congressional approval, and decreases funding for the ATF. It also maintains pro-life Hyde protections to ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to fund abortions.
The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act directs $58 billion towards national security and strengthens America's energy independence. These investments are essential to restoring American leadership in nuclear energy and achieving the administration's goal of dramatically expanding nuclear capacity by mid-century. At the same time, they eliminate wasteful Biden-era offices that prioritize ideology over outcomes.
The Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act provides $38 billion to expand access to public lands, reverse harmful regulatory overreach, and rein in agency budgets. It increases funding for responsible onshore and offshore energy development in oil and gas, exempts farmers and ranchers from burdensome greenhouse gas emissions reporting schemes, and reduces funding for the EPA.
In addition to these wins for the American people, I am proud that my office was able to secure $8 million in community project funding for Indiana's Ninth Congressional District. This funding will support projects, including a riverbank stabilization plan for the Ohio River shoreline in Clarksville, Indiana, and support booster pump stations that are needed to increase water capacity to serve constituents in Bloomington, Monroe County, and the home of Indiana University football and students at Indiana University.
Funding in this package will also provide residents and businesses in Brown County with long, and greatly needed, sewer services and support for
These investments will support critical infrastructure and local priorities that communities themselves identified, bringing improvements from shoreline protection, to water systems, to supporting economic development that will directly benefit residents across the Ninth District.
Together, these bills reflect a disciplined approach to governing by investing in community priorities, cutting unnecessary spending, and reducing good governance.
Turning next to H.R. 4593, the SHOWER Act, this is a simple bill with a simple goal: end the regulatory whiplash and return consumer choice and common sense to a basic household product. A showerhead should not require extensive regulation. Yet, under the Obama and Biden administrations, bureaucrats redefined a clear term to advance an ideological agenda creating confusion for manufacturers and frustration for consumers.
This was the status quo under the leadership of Democrats--regulate everything in our lives right down to our showerheads. It is incredible if you think about it. This may seem like a ridiculous bill to be considering by our Democrat counterparts. Believe me, it is ridiculous that their policies would require legislation to prevent this kind of government intrusion, but here we are.
The Biden administration regulated every nozzle in every American home individually, reducing water pressure and frustrating homeowners, all while increasing costs for compliance. Ending this rule will permanently save Americans billions of dollars, reduce regulatory bloat, and restore a workable standard.
The Department of Energy estimates that eliminating this rule, along with dozens of related inflationary standards, will save consumers $11 billion and will cut more than 125,000 words from the Code of Federal Regulations.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I turn to H.R. 5184, the Affordable HOMES Act, which I was proud to author with Congressman Mike Flood. This bill addresses a real problem in the housing market, one that affects our most vulnerable homebuyers. It reduces the upfront costs of buying a home, making it easier for Americans to achieve the dream of homeownership. The Affordable HOMES Act restores clarity by placing manufactured housing standards back under the Office of Housing and Urban Development where they belong and eliminating duplicative regulatory authority by the Department of Energy.
It overturns a 2022 Biden administration rule that increased manufactured housing costs, again, without regard for what consumers want or how the market actually works prioritizing energy efficiency under the Green New Deal and directly contributing to the housing affordability issues we see today.
The objective here is clarity so manufacturers can build more homes and families can afford them.
Mr. Speaker, this rule moves legislation that reflects fiscal discipline, regulatory sanity, consumer choice, and a commitment to affordability and growth. I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying bills.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, it is a new year in America, but judging by the remarks of the gentlewoman from Indiana, it is the same old Republican Party. Here is where we are at on January 7, 2026. We have a Republican President who promised to put America first. Instead, in just under a year he has bailed out Argentina, bombed Venezuela, gave Qatar an air force base in Idaho, pardoned the former Honduran drug trafficking president, and cozied up to dictators all around the world.
We have a Republican majority that promised to bring down prices. Guess what. Prices are going up. Families across this country are hurting. People are losing health coverage because you guys chose deliberately, Mr. Speaker, to let the Affordable Care Act tax credits expire. Rent keeps going up. Grocery prices keep going up. Paychecks are not keeping pace.
Meanwhile, the President of the United States is openly boasting that America is now running a foreign country. His own advisers can't even answer basic questions about what the hell comes next, what the plan is, how this ends, or when the Venezuelan people can expect democracy.
We have a Speaker of the House who is the weakest and most incompetent Speaker of the House in the history of this body. I mean, honest to God, Mr. Speaker, I don't know whether that is a good thing for the country or a bad thing. On one hand, he is so incompetent he can't get anything done. On the other hand, the things he wants to get done are crazy.
Don't ask him his opinion on anything. He doesn't have one. He doesn't watch the news. I don't even think he goes outside. I don't know what keeps him so busy that he doesn't have an opinion on anything, but he certainly isn't legislating.
With all that is going on--conflict, economic strain, and real crises facing the American people--let us turn to the calendar and see what important issue that this Republican majority has us debating on the floor this week, Mr. Speaker. Do you want to know what it is? It is not housing, not food prices, not rent, not war and peace, foreign policy, or America's future, no, no, no, no. All of us are here on the floor right now at the behest of this Republican majority to debate showerheads. You can't make this stuff up.
As if that weren't bad enough, they are still trying to pass last year's appropriations bills. Let that sink in. These are bills that should have been passed months ago. That is the state of governance under this Republican majority: late, unserious, and completely detached from the lives of the people they claim to represent.
One of these appropriations bills funds the Department of Justice and Federal law enforcement. That brings us to something Republicans would rather forget, but what our country must not: Yesterday marked the 5- year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection.
It has been 5 years since a violent mob, whipped into a frenzy by the lie that Trump won the election even though he lost, stormed into this building to overturn a free and fair election.
Mr. Speaker, it has been 5 years since law enforcement officers, Capitol Police, and others were beaten, crushed, stabbed, pepper sprayed and hunted down by a MAGA mob determined to overturn the election and stop the peaceful transfer of power.
They hunted Members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike. I can still remember them chanting ``hang Mike Pence'' because I was here that day, Mr. Speaker, right where you are sitting right now, right in that chair. I was one of the last Members to leave the House floor, and I watched officers barricade the Chamber doors behind me here with furniture, knowing that they were outnumbered but refusing to surrender. I smelled the tear gas. I felt the chaos. I saw the mob outside of the Speaker's lobby.
The officers who were here that day saved lives. They upheld their oath to the Constitution. Many of them were hospitalized. Many were permanently injured. Some died either from injuries sustained that day or by suicide after the trauma that they endured.
Nearly 2,000 people were arrested, tried, and found guilty for their crimes that day. What did Donald Trump do? He pardoned every single one of them. He pardoned the criminals who beat officers bloody, desecrated this building, and tried to tear American democracy apart. In my book those pardons were unforgivable, unforgivable.
Do you know what he did yesterday? He put up a disgusting, disgraceful statement on the official White House website lying about what happened that day, blaming the police, blaming the police and calling everyone who was here that day innocent. There was not a single mention, not a single mention of the 140 officers who were assaulted that day with weapons like bear spray, stun guns, hockey sticks, broken pieces of furniture, and flag poles--not a single mention.
In fact, the White House even put up a statement that ``zero law enforcement officers lost their lives,'' which is
After all of that, after all of that, Speaker Johnson still refuses to display a plaque in the Capitol Building to honor the officers who stood up to the mob that day, a memorial he is required by law to put up. I mean, you know, here it is, Mr. Speaker. Here it is right here. That is what the Speaker refuses to put up.
This is what it looks like. It is not the real one because the real one is downstairs in storage somewhere. Speaker Johnson refuses to hang it up.
Why? Why? We all know why. We all know why. He won't hang it up because he is Donald Trump's puppet. That is all this is. If he hangs up the plaque, Trump might get mad at him. What a pathetic and shameful abdication of duty.
I am sure the gentlewoman won't address a single point I made here about January 6. I don't know whether she is afraid of the repercussions, but the bottom line is that I just want to say, for the record: Shame on Republicans for trying to cover up their complicity in what happened that day, and shame on them for wasting the people's time on showerheads while ignoring the economic, democratic, and moral crises staring this country in the face.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I am not sure if the gentleman from Massachusetts heard my opening, but this is about housing. We literally have a bill called the Affordable HOMES Act, and it addresses the cost of housing.
He also commented that we are only appropriating and considering our appropriations bills yet today, but we weren't the ones who shut down the government for 41 days, preventing us from doing our appropriations work. They did this. The Democrats shut down the government to fight for taxpayer-funded healthcare subsidies that would go to the wealthiest ObamaCare enrollees across the Nation.
Think about that, Mr. Speaker. They shut down the functioning of the government, preventing us from appropriating on the very good things that we talked about in the opening comments, meaning millionaires would be eligible to receive tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer- funded subsidies for their ObamaCare plans. This would give $350 billion in taxpayer bailouts not to the American people, but to big health insurance companies, all while they are receiving record profits.
This incentivizes bad actors to manipulate individuals to sign up for coverage through the ACA marketplace, oftentimes without people even realizing that they had been enrolled.
This is government waste, fraud, and abuse at its worst, and I am proud the House Republicans stood up against that.
The gentleman from Massachusetts also referenced the SHOWER Act that we have here today. I would just like to say that I will stand up here every day of every week to restore freedom of choice and freedom of movement back to the American people.
You have to start somewhere, Mr. Speaker, from electric vehicle mandates to prohibitions on gas stoves and heaters. Showerhead efficiency and efficiency standards in affordable homes and manufactured housing will cause the cost of homeownership to go up and void American Dream opportunities for millions of Americans, but that is business as usual with Democrats in Congress. Closing businesses and demanding quarantine is Big Brother knows best, and that is what the Democrats are best at.
House Republicans are going to fight back to restore that personal choice, all while ensuring fiscal responsibility.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber).
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 977, the combined rule for the consideration of H.R. 4593, H.R. 5184, and H.R. 6938.
Mr. Speaker, it gets fun listening to the fairy tales from the other side from time to time. I have to give them that.
This rule advances the combined appropriations package that includes critical investments for Texas' 14th Congressional District, which I am proud to represent. My district is home to some of the largest refineries in the United States, three LNG gas export terminals, numerous petrochemical facilities, and vital energy infrastructure that keeps our Nation running.
The energy produced in southeast Texas, Mr. Speaker, moves across America and to our allies through pipelines, trains, trucks, and even cargo ships. Federal provisions in this bill ensure that energy continues to flow reliably and securely.
Funding for the coastal Texas protection and restoration project, more locally known as the coastal spine project, is included in this underlying bill. This critical project focuses on flood damage reduction and environmental enhancement as well as economic resiliency. It could save $2.3 billion, with a b, annually by reducing flood damage and improving over 6,000 acres of coastal marsh and land to help mitigate storm surges.
Just as importantly, it protects 30 percent of the Nation's refining capacity, 42 percent of specialty chemical feedstock, and 80 percent of our military-grade fuel supply.
The bill also provides over $9 million to upgrade the Sabine-Neches Waterway, which moves over 194 million tons of cargo each year and is projected to exceed 210 million tons in the near future. This waterway supports approximately 375,000 jobs.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
It is indispensable to America's economy and energy security.
Mr. Speaker, this appropriations package delivers real results not just for southeast Texas but for the Nation. I urge my colleagues to support the rule and this critical legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me just respond to the gentlewoman: A lot of words, a ton of words, but as I predicted, there is not a single word about the brave officers who defended this Chamber and defended every Member of Congress on January 6 who were attacked by a violent mob. I heard not a single word, not a single word.
I just also want to remind the gentlewoman, because maybe she forgot, regrettably, Republicans are in charge. They are in charge of the House, they are in charge of the Senate, and they are in charge of the White House. So they can complain about Joe Biden and they can complain about Democrats, but they are running this show.
I was really fascinated to hear the gentlewoman talk about the shutdown. Again, the Republicans are in charge of everything. They have the votes to do whatever they want to do, but when the government shut down--it was a Republican shutdown, by the way. When it shut down, they could have worked on the appropriations bills, by the way, which were already late by definition. By the time of the shutdown, they were already late. Republicans could have worked on getting the appropriations work done.
What did my Republican friends do?
They decided to go home and take a vacation. They just left. They walked away. They did not do a thing. They went on an extended vacation rather than doing the people's business.
I have to say to the gentlewoman: With all due respect, I do townhalls all the time. I don't know whether the gentlewoman does. I know a lot of Republicans do not, but when I do my townhalls, what I hear from people is about the high cost of living. I hear about the high cost of groceries. I hear about the high cost of healthcare. I hear about the high cost of housing.
Mr. Speaker, do you know what I don't hear people talk about? It is showerheads. When they talk about freedom and liberty, they don't talk about showerheads. I don't know what planet my Republican friends are living on, but I have news for them: The number one issue in America is not showerheads.
It is healthcare. It is affordability. It is housing. It is making sure that they can support their families. People look at life through their kitchen window, and they have to pay bills. They have to make sure that they make ends meet, and right now, under this Republican economy, life is too damn expensive. People can't afford basic needs.
I just gave a 1-minute speech before we got into this debate about the increase in hunger in this country.
Do you know what the Republican response to that is, Mr. Speaker, what the Trump administration is doing to combat hunger?
They are now banning the monthly report, which gives us the data on how many people are hungry in this country. No, we are not investing in programs to help combat hunger. We are not fighting for higher wages. We are not trying to lower healthcare costs. We are just going to hide the information from people so that people don't know how bad the situation is.
So, again, I appreciate all the gentlewoman's words, but, quite frankly, they ring hollow. What people want us to do is to fight to make life more affordable and more reasonable for them.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague on the other side of the aisle that House Republicans did pass a funding mechanism out of the House of Representatives to the Senate, and because of the 60-vote rule in the Senate we did need the help of Democrats in the Senate to fund the government. They held out, again, for the purpose of funding taxpayer- funded healthcare subsidies to benefit the wealthiest ObamaCare enrollees in the Nation and fat cat insurance companies.
I would also note that much of what the gentleman has been referring to, the deflection is like a magic trick. You can say words, just like he accused me of saying many words, but the facts outweigh the deflection, which is that it took much of 2025 to rid ourselves of the sleepy Joe, America last, Biden economic hangover, but Republicans in Congress and President Trump have delivered. America is now reaching new milestones under Republican leadership, turning the tide back to American greatness.
Let's just look at the economy. Quarter three GDP growth was a roaring 4.3 percent, the fastest growth in years. The deficit is being addressed. The Federal Government's cumulative deficit for fiscal year 2026 at the end of November was 19 percent lower than the same time last year. Core inflation is at 2.6 percent, the lowest we have seen in 4 years.
Rents are falling month after month, and shelter inflation is at a 4- year low. Gas prices are down to their lowest levels in 4 years. Stocks were at near highs by the end of the year, with the S&P climbing by 17 percent in 2025.
All of this occurred before the gains of the Working Families Tax Cut Act are realized, and we are just getting started.
It will take us a while to recover from the years of inflationary policies of the Biden administration, but the facts show that House Republicans under President Trump's leadership are delivering on promises to reduce costs for American families.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani).
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bipartisan conference agreement covering the Commerce, Justice, and Science; Energy and Water; and the Interior and Environment appropriations bills.
This package shows that when Congress works together, we can deliver full-year funding that meets the needs of our communities. This package makes smart, responsible investments in public safety, energy reliability, our public lands and, for those of us in the West, water conservation and infrastructure.
As the only member of the Arizona delegation in both the Senate and the House serving on the Appropriations Committee, I have worked to make sure this bill delivers real results back home in Arizona's Sixth Congressional District. That includes specific Community Project Funding requests developed directly with local leaders who know their communities best and targeted at the issues that matter to our communities the most.
This bill supports, for example, community safety vehicle fleet modernization so that Tucson's first responders have reliable vehicles when every second counts in their line of work. It also includes funding for the Sahuarita Police Department radio replacement, so officers can communicate clearly and safely in the field.
As the Colorado River continues to face a worsening drought, water security is more important than ever. This package helps fund water reclamation facility upgrades in Tombstone that will improve efficiency and replace aging infrastructure.
It supports the multi-municipality sewer treatment project that modernizes systems and protects public health across multiple communities in Graham County.
It also invests in source water system improvements at Marana Regional Airport and the Pioneer Well PFAS Treatment Project to help ensure safe and reliable water for families and businesses. These are practical, locally requested projects that are transparent, accountable, and focused on results.
Mr. Speaker, this conference agreement reflects a responsible use of taxpayer dollars while strengthening public safety, water security, and critical infrastructure. I am proud of the work we have accomplished, and I strongly urge my colleagues to support this package.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, again, the gentlewoman said nothing about January 6 or nothing about the brave men and women who protected this Chamber and all of us on that terrible, terrible day.
I have to say that I was more than amused by listening to the gentlewoman spout about how great everything is right now: The Trump economy is perfect. Everybody is doing great. Everything is wonderful. Everything is terrific.
I don't know whether the gentlewoman holds townhalls or not, but I wonder whether the voters of Indiana actually share that point of view. I have got to tell you, I don't think so because I don't think the voters in general in this country, the citizens of this country, share that view.
Every poll that I have seen, every townhall that I have been at--by the way, not only in my district but in other States--people have complained about how expensive things are. They say Trump's economy is making life more expensive, more difficult. The price of health insurance is going through the roof because this Chamber won't extend the ACA tax credits. Groceries are going up. I don't know whether the gentlewoman goes to the supermarket or not, but the price of groceries is going up.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an article from Politico titled: ``Poll: Trump's own voters begin blaming him for affordability crisis.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
Poll: Trump's Own Voters Begin Blaming Him for Affordability Crisis
Mr. Speaker, I don't want to be lectured about wealthy people in this country because the Republicans have done everything they can to help those who were well off get more and those who are struggling get less.
We saw the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that included tax cuts for multimillionaires and multibillionaires, giveaways to billionaires, giveaways to Big Ag, Big Tech, Big Oil, and we see cuts to programs that help average people in this country to get by.
By the way, their big, ugly bill included a trillion dollar cut to Medicaid. They are cutting moneys for SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. That is basically to help people put food on the table. By the way, increasingly, a majority of the people who are on SNAP are working families, and they are cutting that at the same time that groceries are going up. However, if you are a billionaire, don't worry about it.
We are fighting a war of oil right now because we want to make sure Big Oil, that invested so heavily in the last campaign, gets their payback. The bottom line is, when it comes to people who are well off, well connected, and have lots of money, you know, they are doing fine. Everybody else is getting screwed.
If you ask the average person on the street about what they think of Donald Trump's economy, I will tell you what they will say. They will say it sucks.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Let's just review some of the wins in the Working Families Tax Cut Act because taxpayers are expected to take home an additional $91 billion in refunds and keep an additional $30 billion in their paychecks from reduced withholdings.
Taxpayers are set to continue to receive support in tax years to come through a double standard deduction and lower tax rates, making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, an increase in the standard deduction by up to $1,500 per family in 2025, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, a boost to the child tax credit of $2,200 while indexing its value to inflation, expanding access to childcare and paid leave tax credit permanently, expanding the 529 savings accounts to help families choose education that best fits their needs, and expanded health savings accounts so American families can control their own healthcare. That doesn't sound like benefits to millionaires and billionaires. It sounds like benefits to hardworking American families.
Also, I note that the subsidies that the gentleman from Massachusetts so wants to support, the American people would not see a dime of that. It would go directly to insurance companies who, again, are seeing record profits.
The one thing we can do is continue to support health savings accounts, continue the Trump-era tax cuts from 2017, making them permanent, and continue to promote the tax provisions in the Working Families Tax Cut Act that received no Democratic support, by the way, that really will help American families.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor).
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for yielding me the time.
Ohio families are working harder than ever day in and day out just to make ends meet. They are frustrated that they have to stretch their dollar as far as it can go just to keep a roof over their heads, afford to buy the basics, and deal with higher utility bills to keep their water and power on. Buckeye families have worked too hard to struggle this much, and I am standing here today ready to do something about it.
House Republicans have listened to hurting families, and we are bringing forward legislation to help them get ahead. The Affordable HOMES Act will cut through unnecessary and complicated red tape that has been driving up the cost of manufactured housing for far too long.
Who has ultimately shouldered the burden of these soaring costs? It is not the manufacturers. It is the hardworking families who are simply trying to buy a home and live the once-attainable American Dream.
Owning a home shouldn't be this much of a challenge. This bill will help Ohio families check homeownership off the list, knowing they were able to achieve exactly what they worked for.
House Republicans are also reining in the Biden administration's overregulation of everyday household water fixtures and bringing down costs for all Americans with the SHOWER Act. I applaud Representative Fry for leading on this legislation.
Americans don't need the government to tell them which showerhead to use. They need the government to get out of the way so they can afford the necessities and have money to spend on other things in their lives. This bill will claw back ridiculous Biden-era red tape and put American families first.
Lastly, I am working alongside my fellow Republicans to pass full- year funding for several critical programs. In my district, several water and police projects will be funded, which will benefit some of the poorest and most rural areas in this country. These projects will help fund long-overdue water infrastructure projects and make local improvements, ultimately driving down costs for communities throughout the Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I recognize Representatives Houchin and Russell Fry, as well as our Republican leadership and the Appropriations Committee led by Chairman Cole, for their leadership on these critical pieces of legislation being considered. I urge Congress to pass these commonsense bills to lower the cost of living not only for Buckeye families but for families across America.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I will tell everybody a little secret here. The Republicans are really clever, but not really as clever as they think they are. The big, beautiful bill that they passed, the one that includes tax cuts for multimillionaires and multibillionaires and the one that guts Medicaid by a trillion dollars, is incredibly unpopular. It is incredibly unpopular.
In fact, the Kaiser Family Foundation said that 64 percent of American families oppose it, and even FOX News says that 59 percent of the American people oppose it.
Why do they oppose it, and why is it so unpopular? It is because of what is contained in it. Rather than fix that--and we just heard the gentlewoman do this. Rather than fix it, they renamed the bill the Working Families Tax Cut Act. That never passed the House. That is a new title they made up.
They think all they need to do is change the title of a bill, and then the American people won't realize all the garbage that is tucked into the bill. It is like lipstick on a pig. It is ridiculous. This is insane.
The American people are hurting because of the Republican policies. The American people are hurting because they won't extend the ACA tax credits.
By the way, people will see their health insurance costs go down if the ACA tax credits are extended. The gentlewoman is all upset about it, but I will urge her to talk to some of her Republican colleagues, by the way, who have signed on to a discharge petition to force a vote on extending the ACA tax credits. We will begin that debate today and vote on it tomorrow.
It is not just Democrats. There are some Republicans who are hearing from their constituents that they are getting screwed over on their healthcare, and they want us to do something.
The bottom line is, they can change the titles of bills and all that kind of stuff, but if they don't change the substance, if they don't get Donald Trump to back off on his tariffs--which, by the way, are responsible for rising housing costs in this country--if they don't get him to change his views on that, things are going to continue to get worse. They can change the titles of bills all they want, but they are not changing the reality for millions of Americans.
It is hard to believe that in the House of Representatives, which is supposed to be a serious body, this is what we are talking about. We are changing titles of bills so that maybe the American people won't know what we are talking about.
Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I am going to offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H. Con. Res. 33, which calls for the plaque honoring the brave police officers that defended this Capitol and our democracy on January 6 to be put up in the Capitol as required by law.
Mr. Speaker, I am sick and tired of Republicans standing up and proclaiming their unwavering support for law enforcement when they won't even honor the law enforcement that saved them, that saved us and our democracy here on January 6.
Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump. Over 140 officers were injured, an officer was killed, and others died by suicide following the trauma of that day.
Do you know how the White House marked this anniversary? They marked it by putting up an Orwellian web page, rewriting history, and claiming it is the officers who were to blame for the violence. How disgusting. How despicable. How disgraceful.
I ask my Republican colleagues: Do you really believe that crap? When you look in the eyes of the Capitol Police who guard this building, do you accuse them of being responsible for the violence of that day?
How dare the President of the United States say such a thing, and how shameful of this Republican majority to stay silent in the face of this depravity and rewriting of history.
Republicans found the time to illegally slap Donald Trump's name onto the Kennedy Center, defacing a memorial to a great President in a single day, within 24 hours, but a legally required honor for the officers who defended this democracy? It is 5 years of excuses, 5 years of delay, 5 years of cowardice and disrespect to law enforcement by Republicans.
When all is said and done, history will not look kindly on these Trump Republicans and this Republican majority, and they all know it.
At this point, let me say to my Republican friends that it is always the right time to do the decent thing, the thing the law requires, which is to hang the plaque honoring these brave men and women who put their lives on the line to defend us, to defend this building, and to defend this democracy.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with any extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Massachusetts?
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule that moves appropriations bills, bills that reflect the leadership of Chairman Cole and the priorities of this Congress, avoiding another shutdown and spending taxpayer dollars responsibly in a way that directly benefits Americans.
These bills lower the cost of living and boost the economy. They support domestic energy production, resulting in lower costs for American families and businesses, and invest in water infrastructure to address drought and protect supplies for communities across this country.
These appropriations bills that are included in the rule spend hard- earned tax dollars responsibly, reduce spending below current levels, putting money back in Americans' pockets, and reduce our deficit. They ensure that government funding works efficiently to deliver services that make life better for Americans.
The American people are watching us. They want to see Congress do our most basic, essential function, which is spending government dollars and controlling the power of the purse. Through bipartisan, bicameral negotiations, led by appropriators, we are turning priorities into action and putting America first.
Mr. Speaker, this package demonstrates the value of Congress by delivering results for communities in Utah and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, again, no discussion, no comments on what happened on January 6 or about what the White House put on its web page yesterday, blaming police officers for the violence of January 6, saying that no police officer died when we know that is a lie, and no explanation as to why we are having such a difficult time hanging a plaque that, quite frankly, the law requires us to hang.
Again, the gentlewoman voted against an amendment to force the Speaker to hang the plaque. I am happy to yield to the gentlewoman if she wants to explain why she voted that way. Does she have any reaction to the White House's horrific and disgraceful statement yesterday, basically smearing the brave men and women who are in our law enforcement and the Capitol Police officers?
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield to the gentlewoman.
And nothing. And nothing. I mean, really? That is what things have come to? We can't even come together and stand in defense of the Capitol Police who defended us that day? We can't honor them? Somehow that is a no-no because Donald Trump doesn't like it. I mean, that really is shameful.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time.
Mr. Speaker, the Affordable HOMES Act is commonsense legislation that cuts red tape and lowers housing costs for hardworking American families.
We all recognize between 2021 and 2024 that interest rates went from 3 percent to 7 percent. In my home community, that meant we spent $1,200 more a month for the average home in my community. We spent $1,200. We need to think of commonsense ways to turn this around and make housing more affordable.
President Reagan once said: ``If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it.''
Today, Washington has regulated the same thing twice. Manufactured homes are being hit with overlapping energy mandates from HUD and the Department of Energy. The Affordable HOMES Act fixes this by repealing DOE's separate energy rules, restoring clear authority to HUD, which already oversees construction and safety standards.
Lower costs mean more homes built and greater supply. More families will be able to build equity and secure their future. This is conservative policy at its best. It is less government, more opportunity, and more relief for American families.
Let us also remember that home prices also went up because 10 million people came into this country in a 4-year time period. The simple law of supply and demand tells me that causes prices to rise radically, much like radical policies from 2021 through 2024.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support the Affordable HOMES Act to cut red tape and help more Americans achieve the dream of homeownership. I very much thank the chairwoman for leading this charge.
Mr. Speaker, for too many American families, the American Dream seems further out of reach each and every year, especially when it comes to owning a home.
Do my colleagues know that housing is the number one monthly expense for most families? When Washington piles on blue tape mandates and bureaucratic nonsense, working families pay the price.
Under the Biden administration, their so-called Inflation Reduction Act, which was really nothing of the sort, homebuilders were buried under costly green new scam mandates and overregulation, driving up construction costs and pushing homeownership even further out of reach.
This was also known as the green new scam in action. House Republicans are changing that. We are cutting the blue tape. We are lowering costs. We are making homeownership more affordable in 2026 and beyond.
One great example is the Affordable Homes Act, led by my colleague Congresswoman Erin Houchin. This commonsense bill removes unnecessary Federal interference and eliminates costly energy mandates that drive up the price of manufactured housing. This is one of the most affordable pathways to homeownership for first-time buyers, young families, and seniors.
This is just one example, Mr. Speaker, of how House Republicans are working to lower housing prices. As co-chair of the Real Estate Caucus, I worked with the Trump administration to reverse these disastrous policies because the government should get out of the way and not stand in the way of the American Dream.
Back home in Missouri, I have seen exactly what these mandates do. A Kansas builder showed that so-called green energy codes save homeowners only about $125 a year but add more than $1,200 a year to families' mortgages.
It is simple, folks. If a policy costs families more than it saves them, it is not a smart policy. House Republicans are fighting to make housing affordable again. They are putting families first. The first step is this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the rule. I urge passage of this act. Let's make homes affordable in America again and save the American Dream.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, let's be honest about what we have seen from this Republican majority. Republicans can't govern. They can't lead. They won't and don't fight for the people who sent them here.
They rush, rush, rush to the floor to redefine what a showerhead is. That is the big issue. They move at lightning speed on tax breaks for billionaires. They bend over backward to enrich Trump and his inner circle, going so far as to invade another country to grease the skids for Big Oil. It is not about democracy. It is not about human rights. It is not even about drugs. It is about Big Oil.
The priorities of Big Tech, Big Oil, Big Pharma, and Big Banks move at lightning speed. Tax cuts for the wealthy pass overnight. Corporate giveaways face no obstacles.
When it comes to protecting healthcare for millions of Americans, suddenly there is hesitation. Suddenly, there are delays. Suddenly, there is no money. Suddenly, they move in slow motion. Suddenly, we can't do anything.
It may be 2026, but it is the status quo for this Republican majority. It is a new year but the same BS for them except when it comes to what is happening in Venezuela. Then they are dragging us back to 2003.
Other than that, it is always the same funding from elite donors with phony talk about helping regular people. It is the same contempt for their own voters. It is the same recklessness abroad. It is the same incompetence at home.
Here is what Republicans always underestimate. The American people are paying attention. They are not stupid. They know when billionaires get everything and everyone else gets excuses. They know when governance is replaced by stunts, distractions, and culture war nonsense. There is always a reckoning for that kind of failure. This year will be no exception. They know all the gimmicks.
We passed this monstrosity of a bill called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The American people are horrified by what is in it. There are excessive giveaways to the wealthiest in this country. There are cutbacks in healthcare. There are cutbacks in everything that matters to working families. Every poll that is done says that it is incredibly unpopular.
What do they do? Rather than fix the problem, they come up with a counterfeit name for the bill. It is no longer the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Now it is the Working Families Tax Cut Act. I don't know what the hell that is. I don't know who came up with that idea. Maybe some pollster gave it to them, as if changing the name of what they call this big, ugly bill will make a difference.
Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that with all that is going on in this country right now, with all of the concerns that the American people have, and with people desperately pleading with this Republican President and this Republican majority in the House and Senate to do something to make their life better, we have an opportunity to maybe legislate and help people. Instead, we are talking about showerheads. I mean, really? I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I will also again remind people about the vote on the previous question. We have a chance to actually do something positive today, and that is to honor the men and women who protected us on January 6. Unfortunately, Republicans on the Rules Committee all voted ``no'' to require the Speaker again to hang the plaque.
They all voted ``no.'' Not a word has been said. There is no explanation as to why. Not a word about what happened on January 6 has been spoken on this floor by the Republicans today. I don't know how that can be. I don't know how that can be.
Mr. Speaker, I was there that day. I was in the Speaker's chair. I saw what happened. I saw what happened when I walked out to the Speaker's lobby. I saw the people who protected us being beaten by this angry mob, and not a word. We can't get the Speaker of the House to hang up this plaque. That can change with the previous question vote.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, this rule is very straightforward. We are here to cut burdensome red tape and regulatory overreach that leads to higher energy costs for Americans. Commonsense reforms like these are simple and long overdue.
We are also here to move an appropriations package that provides critical funding and returns us to more responsible spending levels while delivering for the American people.
One thing we have noted is that there is fraud in government programs, including in Medicaid and SNAP. Republicans have sounded the clarion call to try to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, while Democrats want to minimize it.
We have known about it for decades, even when we went after some of the waste, fraud, and abuse in ObamaCare, and guess what. After we passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the CBO stated that healthcare premiums would go down as a result of our work.
We went after Medicaid fraud, especially involving illegal immigrants. By the way, a Federal court recently ordered officials to turn over Medicaid information to ICE enforcement. If illegal immigrants weren't accessing Medicaid on Democrats' watch, as they tirelessly asserted, then why would a Federal court provide such an order?
We went after waste, fraud, and abuse through our rescissions package, and once again, Democrats refused to acknowledge that that premise ever existed.
Mr. Speaker, we are cutting out waste, fraud, and abuse. We are becoming fiscally responsible. We are putting the American family first by reducing burdensome regulations that increase costs.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to moving these bills out of the House this week. I ask my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on the previous question and ``yes'' on the rule.
The material previously referred to by Mr. McGovern is as follows:
An Amendment to H. Res. 977 Offered By Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts
Providing for Consideration of H.R. 4593, Saving Homeowners From Overregulation With Exceptional Rinsing Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. 5184, Affordable Housing Over Mandating Efficiency...
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on ordering the previous question on the resolution (H. Res. 977) providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4593) to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to revise the definition of showerhead; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5184) to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from enforcing energy efficiency standards applicable to manufactured housing, and for other purposes; and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 6938) making consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous question.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 213, nays 211, not voting 7, as follows:
Messrs. Stanton and Costa changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
So the previous question was ordered.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on adoption of the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned of the sudden passing of our dear friend and colleague, Doug LaMalfa.
As a fourth-generation rice farmer, Doug's experience shaped his advocacy for his northern California constituents. He first served them in the California Legislature. Then he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012.
In the House, Doug distinguished himself as a leader on matters involving water, farming, forest management, and rural issues. In recognition of that leadership, he was unanimously elected to serve as chairman of the Western Caucus last year.
We offer our thoughts, prayers, and support to Doug's wife, Jill, and their entire family.
Doug was a good and decent man, an authentic public servant. With Doug, what you saw is what you got.
As the tributes poured in, over and over people remembered his warmth, his wisdom, his sense of humor, kindness, and above all his authenticity. He
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), my good friend and the chair of the Democrat delegation.
Mr. Speaker, we are heartbroken at the news that we have lost Doug LaMalfa. We served with him so proudly and got to know him as a friend, someone who you could disagree with without being disagreeable. We loved him dearly, and I value personally the chance I had to work with Doug and many others on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. The insight that he had on that as a long-term rice farmer was just incalculable.
I value the moment that he came and brought me a little bag of rice that he had grown himself. We are in shock, and I would just like to add that our condolences go to the family as has been expressed so well. All of us are heartbroken at this terrible news.
The SPEAKER. The Chair now asks all those present in the Chamber, as well as Members and staff throughout the Capitol, to please rise for a moment of silence in remembrance of the late Honorable Doug LaMalfa of California.
Providing for Consideration of H.R. 4593, Saving Homeowners From Overregulation With Exceptional Rinsing Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. 5184, Affordable Housing Over Mandating Efficiency...
The SPEAKER. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on adoption of the resolution (H. Res. 977) providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4593) to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to revise the definition of showerhead; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5184) to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from enforcing energy efficiency standards applicable to manufactured housing, and for other purposes; and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 6938) making consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes, on which a recorded vote was ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
This will be a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 214, noes 212, not voting 5, as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Womack)(during the vote). There are 2 minutes remaining.
Mr. LARSEN of Washington changed his vote from ``aye'' to ``no.''
So the resolution was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2 of rule XV, I call up the motion to discharge previously noticed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York calls up a motion to discharge the Committee on Rules from further consideration of House Resolution 780.
The Clerk will report the title of the resolution.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries) will be recognized for 10
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call up a bipartisan motion to discharge legislation to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits to make sure that tens of millions of everyday Americans do not experience dramatically increased premiums, copays, and deductibles that will prevent them from being able to go see a doctor when they need one.
I strongly urge a ``yes'' vote on this bipartisan motion so that we can take a meaningful step forward in this Congress to address the healthcare crisis in the United States of America.
Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity in this Congress in a bipartisan way to address the healthcare crisis in this country and to make sure that tens of millions of people have the ability to go see a doctor when they need one in this great country of ours.
We have an affordability crisis in the United States of America. We know that healthcare costs are out of control, housing costs are out of control, and grocery costs are out of control. There is an affordability crisis that needs to be addressed decisively, and we have an ability to take meaningful action today. Vote ``yes'' on advancing this motion to discharge.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New York to discharge the Committee on Rules from further consideration of House Resolution 780.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the noes appeared to have it.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the distinguished gentleman from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) control the remainder of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) will control the time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, all I can say is, it is about damn time. I mean, we have had to wait months while the Republican leadership of this House dragged their feet, all so we could take up a simple vote on whether to stop people's healthcare premiums from doubling or tripling.
We could have done this months ago. Instead, Republican leadership literally shut down the entire government rather than just allow this one vote on making sure that regular people can afford their healthcare. That is absurd.
If billionaires want another tax break, they get it in a nanosecond. If the rich and powerful want another loophole, it materializes out of thin air. Somehow days stretch into weeks and then stretch into months when it comes to healthcare for hardworking families.
Every night, those families are sitting around their kitchen tables trying to figure out how to pay for childcare so they can get to work. They are trying to figure out how they can pay their rent so their kids have a safe place to grow up. They are trying to figure out how they can afford groceries amid skyrocketing costs.
Because of the stalling and hesitation and delay from this President and this Speaker, millions of these families are now left trying to figure out how they can afford their healthcare.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to think it is not up for debate that in the richest country in the history of the world, no person--and I mean no person--should be left without healthcare. No mom or dad should have to forego their own health insurance because they can't afford to pay for their kids and themselves. No small business owner should have to go without coverage to pay the bills.
That is exactly what is happening right now. It is happening all because this leadership here in this House refused to lift a finger. They were too busy helping Big Banks, Big Oil, Big Tech, and whatever billionaire needed a handout.
This Congress musters up the will to spend trillions of dollars on tax breaks for billionaires and to send the Pentagon billions of dollars more than they even ask for.
Mr. Speaker, the administration came up with tens of billions of dollars to bail out Argentina, for God's sake. Somehow, helping moms and dads, grandparents, and kids afford trips to the doctor is a step too far for this Republican leadership.
The truth is that this should not be a partisan issue. We are here today debating this rule because four Republicans joined Democrats to put good policy ahead of party and demand that this House take up this measure. Thanks to their efforts to be on the right side of this, we were able to get around the Speaker's logjam and force a vote on this bill.
We have a moral obligation to act, Mr. Speaker. It is unconscionable that anyone in the richest country in history should not have access to good, quality healthcare.
How long have we heard that the Republican healthcare plan is coming? It still hasn't materialized. The reality is that, in the meantime, reversing the massive premium increases that families across this country are grappling with is the bare, bare minimum that we should do.
America's healthcare system is broken, and I am not going to defend the status quo. It has been broken for decades. America spends more per patient than any other major country for the worst outcomes. People lack access to care. Medical bills still leave families in debt. This sure as hell isn't the healthcare system that I would have designed.
In fact, Democrats believe that every person in the United States should have high-quality, affordable healthcare. I personally believe in Medicare for All. Also, there is no doubt in my mind that the American people are better off due to the Affordable Care Act.
Like I said, our system was broken long before the ACA, and the ACA took major steps to try to move us toward comprehensive coverage. That is part of the reason that the ACA is so popular. An overwhelming majority of Americans support the ACA because it protects people with preexisting conditions, provides free preventative care, and requires coverage for essential health benefits like emergency services and maternity care.
The ACA gave health insurance to millions of people, and improvements made to the law made premiums more affordable. Failing to act and failing to extend these tax credits will leave millions of Americans paying more for their healthcare.
Families in my district are reaching out to me to share that their healthcare premiums are going up by hundreds and even thousands of dollars every month due to the inaction of this Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I know that many of the people back home must be writing to you with similar stories. We can't fail these families. We can't turn our backs on working people who are struggling to get by. Healthcare is a basic and fundamental human right. If we have it in our power right now, today, to help make people's lives better, how could we not take the opportunity to do that?
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Mr. Speaker, there is no more important bill than Leader Jeffries' bill to make healthcare more affordable for more than 20 million Americans whose monthly health premiums have skyrocketed because of Republican inaction and indifference.
When I was home during the holidays, all I heard from my constituents was that their healthcare premiums were doubling and tripling in the State of New Jersey.
This bill is a godsend. I am not exaggerating. This bill is a godsend for people who are concerned that they are not going to have health insurance or already don't have health insurance because they weren't able to buy it on January 1.
What happens when they don't get health insurance? Mr. Speaker, the effects of this don't just affect the 20 million people who don't get it because of the Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare. The effects are on everyone who has health insurance because emergency rooms will once again be overflowing with people who are forced to wait until they are so sick that they have no choice but to go to the ER because they don't have a doctor.
Patients will be sicker. Doctors and nurses will be stretched thin. Hospitals will be left with large sums of uncompensated care, which will be passed on to everyone with insurance in the form of higher monthly premiums. This isn't just about the ACA, but it is most important for those people who had the ACA and perhaps don't have it anymore.
Unfortunately, the Republican majority has known these price hikes were coming all along, but they didn't do a single thing to stop this from happening.
Last year, Republicans instead spent their time giving permanent tax breaks to billionaires and large companies, but refused to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits to help lower healthcare costs for everyday people. Today, we have a chance to right that wrong and help out our hardworking Americans.
Mr. Speaker, Republicans may not want to admit it publicly, but they know that the ACA has resulted in historically low insurance rates, helped millions of families stay covered, and saved lives--and I stress saved lives. If we don't take action, all of this
Mr. Speaker, after the 43-day Democratic-led shutdown, I agreed to sit down with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to negotiate in good faith to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credit with reforms.
We negotiated a 2-year extension with income limits, with insurance reforms, and with the elimination of zero-premium plans. Unfortunately, we could not get that bill to the floor for a vote, so I and three of my other Republican colleagues felt that we had no choice but to sign the discharge for this 3-year clean extension.
I am voting in favor of this discharge and this legislation to send it to the Senate so that the Senate will have the opportunity to put forth a reform package that can pass Congress and become law.
The fact is that health insurance premiums have risen 96 percent since ObamaCare took effect in 2010, with insurance companies' profits increasing by 2,000 percent.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. Speaker, insurance companies' profits have increased by 2,000 percent.
Republicans and Democrats can agree that our system is broken, and we need to fix it. We need to work in a bipartisan way.
To me, this is two-pronged: deal with the immediacy of the enhanced premium tax credit, and deal with the larger healthcare reform issues that have to take effect. Enough of the blame game on both sides. Let's focus on actually delivering affordable healthcare for Americans.
Mr. Speaker, despite Americans consistently identifying higher costs as their number one issue, today marks 369 days that this Republican-led Congress has failed to take any significant action to address the affordability crisis. Instead, chaotic trade policies, along with devastating cuts to healthcare and food programs by the President, have only driven up costs.
The recent expiration of ACA tax credits makes things even worse. In Maryland, it is the equivalent of a $4,700 tax hike. I have heard from many constituents who are now forgoing insurance altogether, exposing them to risks and spiking premiums across the board.
I am also deeply concerned about the chilling economic effect that this will have. If we aren't going to pass legislation to lower costs in this Congress, can we at least pass legislation to keep them from going up even more?
I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the legislation before us. Extend these tax credits for struggling families.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to insist that we pull our Nation back from the largest-ever, Republican-forced loss of healthcare in our history.
These catastrophic coverage cutoffs and massive premium hikes will hammer millions of us back in Florida, and it is all because Republicans chose billionaire tax breaks over extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits for our hardworking families.
That is all on top of the $1 trillion that Republicans slashed from Medicaid and $500 billion from Medicare. Over 203,000 people will lose coverage in my district. Let's be really clear: Many of them will get needlessly sick or die.
Thankfully, Democrats refused to accept this Republican healthcare crisis and forced this vote to extend the ACA tax credits.
Mr. Speaker, Republicans have made life too expensive. From burger and coffee prices to rent, home insurance, and utilities, costs keep soaring. We can't add crushing cost burdens by forcing families to pick between seeing a doctor and buying groceries.
Yes, Republicans chose to unleash this healthcare crisis, but they can avoid it right now. Millions of anxious families are watching.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this legislation to extend the Affordable Care Act and the tax credits.
In my district alone, nearly 100,000 people rely on these tax credits to afford coverage, and because Republicans let them expire, many of them are starting off the year without access to care.
I hear from families all across north Texas every day begging for help. One constituent in Dallas, a small business owner with a child who has type 1 diabetes, told me plainly: ``I need these tax credits so my baby can survive.''
This is life or death for so many families in our communities. Yet, Republicans have refused to extend these tax credits, making healthcare unaffordable for millions of people.
I refuse to accept Republicans governing in the currency of cruelty. It is critical that we restore these credits and put the money back in the pockets of the people who need it the most.
I urge every Member of this body, Democrat and Republican alike, to support this bill and stand up for the American people. We deserve better. I will never stop fighting to protect the basic necessities that every family needs to survive.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this critical bill that will lower the cost of healthcare for thousands of Oregonians and millions of Americans by extending the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.
Right now, too many people are struggling. At the end of 2025, Republicans let healthcare costs skyrocket, adding to the stress Americans are already experiencing, because Republicans have done nothing to address the high costs of housing, groceries, childcare, utilities, and more.
David from Tillamook, Oregon, said premiums for him and his wife increased from $415 a month to $2,384 a month, a 474 percent increase.
For Stacy in St. Helens and her husband, their premiums went from $539 a month to $2,396, a 344 percent increase.
It is unconscionable, it is unacceptable, and it is unnecessary. This is the United States of America, and everyone should feel secure, not fearful when they get sick or injured. Our constituents want affordable healthcare. They deserve better, and we can make things better, starting with this vote to extend the tax credits.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of a 3-year extension of the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits.
Millions of Americans who benefited from these credits are now facing the real prospect of losing their health insurance because they can no longer afford their premiums. We have told their stories for months. These are small business owners, their employees, the self-employed, farmers, restaurateurs, beauticians, landscapers, mediators, chiropractors, on and on.
They are people like Bobby Connor from Brunswick County, Virginia, who is 3 years away from Medicare. Last year, with the tax credit, he paid $34 per month for his insurance. This year, he was set to pay $92 with the tax credit. Now, without it, he is looking at $1,700 a month.
Lester and Yolanda Johnson of Richmond, Virginia, co-owners of Mama J's Restaurant, and their 8-year-old daughter are going from paying about $700 a month with the tax credit last year to over $1,400 this year without it.
We have a chance to give Bobby, Lester, Yolanda, and millions like them the peace of mind that if they get sick or injured, they can get the care they need without losing everything.
On behalf of the over half a million hardworking neighbors back home and across the Tampa Bay area, I rise in strong support of the extension of the lifesaving and cost-saving ACA tax credits.
Families are being crushed by inflation and high healthcare costs, and they need the savings that the ACA tax credits provide. Mr. Speaker, 4.7 million Floridians, one in five who live in the Sunshine State, depend on the ACA. It is estimated that without the tax credits, over 1.4 million Floridians will lose their health insurance entirely.
They are entrepreneurs. They are caregivers. They are cancer patients. They are part-time workers. They are small-business workers who have seen their premiums more than double, and they deserve so much better.
That includes Yohanna, a small business owner in Tampa and the mother of a daughter with Down syndrome, who without enhanced tax credits defaults to an insurance plan where every visit will cost her $150 for a copay. It includes Matthew, a truck driver from St. Petersburg, whose premiums rose from $64 a month to $736 per month.
We need to extend these tax credits, and we need to do it now.
Mr. Speaker, imagine being a farmer choosing between insurance and seed, a small business owner weighing a doctor's visit against payroll, families hoping nothing goes wrong because they are one ER visit away from being homeless. This is the reality for rural America today.
The big, ugly bill took a sledgehammer to rural healthcare, and letting the ACA enhanced premium tax credits expire will accelerate the damage and hasten the harm.
In rural America, places like Hawaii, insurance coverage is the business model that keeps hospitals, clinics, and emergency rooms open. When premiums rise, coverage drops, revenue disappears, and hospital doors close. Without those credits, rural Americans will see their monthly healthcare costs rise by 107 percent. A single premium hike will make the difference between whether a family eats, pays their rent, or sees a doctor.
Mr. Speaker, 2.8 million rural Americans will lose coverage. For them, this is not politics. This is life or death.
Healthcare should never depend on your ZIP Code. This clean extension of the ACA tax credits will save lives.
Mr. Speaker, 1 week ago today, Republicans allowed the ACA premium tax credits to expire after telling us there was no money to do so.
Healthcare premiums have soared, and millions of Americans will lose their healthcare coverage because they simply can't afford it.
Just 3 days later, the President found money, a lot of money, to pay for a very extensive and expensive military raid to capture the President of Venezuela. This regime change and the nation building that will come later is going to cost us additional billions of dollars.
We have seemingly endless money to spend for illegal, unauthorized warmongering, but there is no money available for healthcare for Americans. It doesn't have to be this way. We are the richest Nation in the world. We have the money to make sure everyone has healthcare.
Voting to extend these healthcare tax credits is the least that we can do for Americans to show them that we are focused on them and their needs.
Mr. Speaker, in Rhode Island and all across the country, people are being crushed by high healthcare costs because Republicans have refused to extend the Affordable Care Act funding. People are seeing their premiums go up by thousands of dollars a year, and many of them are having to make that hard choice to not go with insurance at all and hope that they won't end up with an emergency room bill that will bankrupt them.
Meanwhile, President Trump and the Republicans are talking about buying Greenland. They have the money to buy Greenland but not to help fund healthcare for the American people. They have the money. Donald Trump wants to expand the size of the military budget by $500 billion which he just posted today, but they don't have the money to fund healthcare for the American people. They have the money for ballrooms and lavish parties.
Here is an idea. How about we invest in providing relief to the American people who are being crushed by out-of-control healthcare costs. We have an opportunity now to do the right thing by the people who sent us here and to extend this Affordable Care Act funding now once and for all.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
This is it, Mr. Speaker. We need a majority of this House to vote ``yes'' on this rule so that we can have an up-or-down vote on reversing the premium increases. It is that simple.
If we do nothing, millions of families will lose their healthcare. People won't be able to see doctors if they get sick. Medical bills will stack up. Millions more will be left paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars more every month just to maintain their coverage. They will have to cut back on food or won't be able to make their rent because of these steep increases.
In some cases, the damage has already been done. Many people have already decided to forgo coverage. In my home State of Massachusetts, over 25,000 people canceled their coverage because Republicans let premiums skyrocket.
That is nearly double the number of people who canceled coverage last year. It is a huge increase that will drive up costs for everyone and make America less healthy. I am sure that my colleagues are seeing their constituents make similar choices.
Let me end with this. We have the power right now to give peace of mind to working families that they won't go bankrupt just trying to afford health insurance. We can make their lives a little easier. We can help them sleep a little more soundly and breathe more easily knowing that they can afford coverage for their families.
I have said this over and over and over again, but we are the richest country in the history of the world. People ought to have better coverage. They ought to have more affordable coverage. Healthcare is a fundamental human right, and we should come together in a bipartisan way and support this rule and support the underlying legislation. We can prevent a catastrophe from impacting millions and millions of people in this country.
We have lots of disagreements, but, boy, I would like to think if we could all agree on one thing, it ought to be that people ought to not get screwed over when it comes to healthcare, that they ought not be paying double, triple, quadruple what they normally pay for their health insurance premiums.
I urge a ``yes'' vote on this rule. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is ordered.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
On January 7, 2026, on page H126, in the third column, the following appeared: I move the previous question on the resolution. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous question. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
The online version has been corrected to read: I move the previous question on the resolution. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is ordered. There was no objection. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
Reappointment of Member to the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair announces the Speaker's reappointment, pursuant to section 4(a) of House Resolution 5, 119th Congress, and the order of the house of January 3, 2025, of the following Member to the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party:
Mr. Khanna, California, to rank before Mr. Krishnamoorthi.
Mr. Speaker, Pursuant to House Resolution 977, I call up the bill (H.R. 4593) to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to revise the definition of showerhead, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 977, the bill is considered read.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill shall be debatable for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees.
The gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 30 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4593.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kentucky?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, under the previous administration, American consumers were subjected to Washington's constant micromanagement of appliances and equipment in their homes and businesses.
In fact, the Biden-Harris administration finalized more than 30 new or amended energy efficiency standards, totaling over $60 billion in costs and regulating nearly every appliance in Americans' homes. Part of this effort focused on complicating the definition of a showerhead by prohibiting multi-nozzle shower systems if the whole system collectively delivers more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute, instead of following the straightforward statutory definition of a showerhead.
The new, highly bureaucratic definition was an amazing 13,000 words in length and a novel interpretation. This resulted in shower systems with more than one nozzle having a lower flow rate compared to individual showerheads.
Additionally, this definition is misleading to consumers looking to buy multi-nozzled shower systems for the purpose of increasing water flow.
President Trump has taken executive action to restore the regulatory definitions and standards to the law's original intent by allowing a maximum water use of 2.5 gallons per minute for each faucet in a shower system. H.R. 4593 would codify President Trump's definition by allowing the 2.5 maximum flow rate to apply to each nozzle in the shower system.
This legislation will ensure manufacturers, like Delta Faucet in my district in Morgantown, Kentucky, are not subjected to the swing of the political pendulum with ever-changing interpretations of the law.
Further, this legislation is simple and pro-consumer choice. It is unfortunate that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are seeking more regulation for its own sake and limiting the choices of American consumers. If an individual wants low water pressure, they have a variety of options. They can purchase a single-nozzle showerhead, or they can simply turn down the faucet. It is that simple, but those choices must be left to individual Americans and not to Washington.
H.R. 4593 would bring regulatory certainty to manufacturers, performance effectiveness to a household appliance we all use, and choice to American consumers.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
The American people are struggling to make ends meet. They are feeling the pinch of the affordability crisis and bearing the brunt of rising costs at the hands of Republicans. Yet my colleagues continue to turn a blind eye to the cost-of-living crisis. In fact, President Trump has called the affordability crisis a con job and a Democratic scam.
That is how out of touch they are, Mr. Speaker. Healthcare costs are skyrocketing, and electricity bills are through the roof. Meanwhile, President Trump just illegally invaded Venezuela, and Secretary Kennedy is putting children's lives at risk by restricting access to vaccines.
There is a lot this Congress could be doing this week, but the first bill Republicans bring to the floor in 2026 is about showerheads. It is almost impossible to believe. To make matters worse, this bill will actually drive up monthly utility bills for American families.
Electricity prices are up 13 percent across the country. Eighty million Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills, and Republicans want to make that financial pain even worse. Meanwhile, grocery prices are surging, and, of course, monthly healthcare premiums are skyrocketing across the Nation, thanks to the healthcare crisis Republicans created by failing to extend the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits. As a result of their inaction, more than 20 million Americans are now facing skyrocketing monthly healthcare premiums. In many cases, and I will say in my home State of New Jersey, Mr. Speaker, they are double or triple the cost that they paid last year.
We just heard a debate on the discharge petition a few minutes ago, and as a result of that discharge petition, and no thanks to most of the Republicans and the leadership, we are going to have an opportunity to vote on the premium tax credits. The bottom line is that that has nothing to do with the Republican leadership. This was a Democratic initiative that a few Republicans finally joined with us so that we have an opportunity to vote on it.
There isn't a single thing that the Republicans can point to about dealing with the affordability crisis that they have created. President Trump and his Republican accomplices are completely out of touch with the alarming reality millions of Americans are facing. Republicans have no plans to address affordability, and I think today proves it.
They are beginning this new Congress with a bill that changes the definition of ``showerhead'' in order to open the door for the Trump administration to increase already rising monthly utility bills and to waste our scarce water resources. This bill would actually increase costs for consumers.
In Trump's first term, he redefined ``showerheads'' to allow them to use significantly more energy and water. Showerheads with multiple nozzles could vastly exceed the current limits. For example, a showerhead with eight nozzles could use up to 20 gallons of water per minute under Trump's 2020 definition.
Think about this, Mr. Speaker: You are raising the costs. You are increasing utility bills not only for electricity but also for water. You are wasting energy, and you are wasting water.
The bottom line is that manufacturers didn't want this. They largely rejected this move by President Trump
Energy and water conservation standards, Mr. Speaker, save consumers money. The only reason that we have these energy-efficient standards both for showerheads and for so many other things is that Congress, on a bipartisan basis, decided to establish a program where if the Department of Energy or other Departments, mostly the Department of Energy, could show that, in fact, you could save money for consumers and eliminate a lot of waste in terms of water and energy, then they would put forth these standards. These are bipartisan standards.
In 2024 alone, energy and water conservation standards slashed $576 off Americans' utility bills while cutting our energy and water consumption.
I am just trying to point out, Mr. Speaker, that Republican priorities are completely out of touch with the concerns of everyday Americans. They are out of touch with the manufacturers and out of touch with the average American.
The only Republican priority is pleasing President Trump with whatever he wants. They give in to his every wish, even if it means driving up utility bills for American families.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
When the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) had his poster, he didn't actually have the poster that President Trump was referring to when he was talking about affordability.
It was a poster that showed the different States and the rising price of energy. It showed certain States and certain areas--he colored them blue and red States on his poster--and the difference in what people are paying for electric rates.
You can tie it directly to State and local governments that are making decisions to shut down generation of energy. When you overregulate--why are people paying more for appliances, dishwashers and stoves? It is because of the regulations.
Why are they paying more for showerheads? As we said, if people can have the choice, they can also turn down their water. As I said, it is just that simple.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber), my good friend, the vice chair of the Energy Subcommittee.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the SHOWER Act, led by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Fry).
Over the last several years, Americans have seen firsthand what happens when a radical regulatory agenda takes over Washington. The previous administration, it is sad to say, inserted itself into nearly every aspect of American life, raising costs and imposing rules that made no sense for American families.
One of the clearest examples is what they did, believe it or not, to our showers. They twisted the law to claim--you can't make this stuff up--that the 2.5-gallon-per-minute standard applied to the entire shower system instead of just each individual showerhead. You can't make this stuff up. Quite frankly, I think they were all wet. The result was weaker water pressure and daily frustration for homeowners, all in the name of government control.
For a year now, this Congress has worked to reverse the damage left behind by previous administrations, Mr. Speaker. The SHOWER Act is simply another step in that effort. It locks in the law's original intent and ensures that future leftist administrations cannot weaponize regulations against everyday Americans again.
This bill is one of many we must pass, Mr. Speaker, to reverse the harm already done and restore America to the one we once knew. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the SHOWER Act.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding the time.
I rise in opposition to H.R. 4593 with a great concern that House Republicans simply do not care to work on any solutions to lower the cost of living for our hardworking neighbors back home.
In 2025, House Republicans failed to bring one bill to the floor to lower the cost of living or to tackle the high rate of inflation, but here is some good news actually: By tomorrow, thanks to House Democrats and a handful of Republicans who stood up to their Speaker, the House will vote to lower the cost of healthcare coverage for millions of Americans. That is a little bit of good news.
If Americans were hoping that Republicans in Congress would start 2026 off with some relief for their pocketbooks, I am sorry to report that, no, Republicans are not bringing bills to lower the cost of living.
I congratulate my Republican colleagues, their first bill of 2026, to set the tone, is to address showerheads. This is critical. You heard that right. It is ridiculous, isn't it? It is so out of touch.
The President promised he was going to cut Americans' power bills in half, but since he took office last year, electric bills are up by 13 percent across the country, and they are much higher in some places. There are 80 million Americans who are struggling just to pay their electric bills. In Florida, the Republican-controlled utilities commission just approved the highest rate increases in the history of the country--they are calling them that--a $6 billion rate increase.
Across the country, folks are facing about $86 billion in electric rate increases, so hold on to your wallet. Rather than help, Republicans have only made things worse. They have gone along with arbitrary tariffs that have raised the cost of living and taken a hatchet to cleaner, cheaper energy. They have gone along with illegally halting energy projects. They ended tax cuts and rebates that helped people afford their electric bills in order to pay for tax breaks for billionaires.
They are out of touch.
Folks in the Northeast are worried about their rising electric bills because the President in December arbitrarily terminated five offshore wind projects that were under construction. That energy onto the grid would have helped keep the pressure on lower electric bills.
The President canceled final approval for what would have been the Nation's largest solar farm, a 6.2 gigawatt project in the Nevada desert. He illegally ended low-cost solar installation for working- class families that would have helped them and their family budgets.
The President now has canceled major upgrades to the power grid out of the bipartisan infrastructure law, such as the Grain Belt Express transmission line.
Republican policies now--we are adding it up--have cost Americans about 266 gigawatts of planned electricity generation projects in 2025 at a time when there is a surge of new demand for electricity across the country. They are out of touch.
Speaking of being out of touch, of course, the President doesn't believe there is an affordability crisis. He has called it a hoax. The real issues for the President are shower pressure, redecorating the White House, and so much more.
Yes, it was last April that the President thought it was so important he issued an executive order to end the Obama-Biden war on water pressure and make America's showers great again. He is out of touch. However, he urged Congress to codify that order, so that is what we are doing here tonight on the first bill of 2026 by this Republican majority. Are they serious?
What has been the President's focus during all this time he has called the affordability crisis a hoax? Well, he paved over the Rose Garden. He has torn down the East Wing of the White House to make way for a grand ballroom funded by people who have business in front of the Federal Government.
I haven't been over to the White House, but all of the pictures show 24 karat gold ornamentation all through the White House. He has installed marble floors. I have seen him tweet that
For those of you who haven't come to Washington, D.C., he has put banners of his picture up on Federal buildings. He is proposing to put his likeness on gold coins.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. Speaker, I think you get my drift here. It was so galling as people are trying to pay their electric bills and their grocery bills that the President here is bragging about how he has redone the Lincoln bathroom, yes, with gold showerheads.
We don't need to redefine what constitutes a showerhead. We don't need to weaken energy and water conservation measures that help people save money. We don't need to make life more expensive for hardworking neighbors back home. We don't need to boost foreign manufacturers who want to import inferior products to the U.S., but that is what they are doing.
No, in 2026 we are going to need real solutions. I beseech my colleagues to work with us to tackle the high cost of living. You can look back on 2025 now; Federal spending is up. They added $2 trillion to the national debt and they have lost manufacturing jobs when you add it all up. Now their answer on the first bill of the Congress in 2026 is showerheads. They are out of touch.
Mr. Speaker, when we talk about affordability, we did pass and sign into law no tax on Social Security. It is a deduction for people who generally have incomes that are almost all Social Security. They won't pay any tax on that. We passed the no tax on tips. People working on tips income won't be paying tax on their tips.
I come from the world of manufacturing where people work hard all week hoping for overtime over the weekend so they can earn more money for their families. Now there is no tax on overtime to make things affordable for people and give them more money in their pocket to pay for things, but we also need to make them cheaper.
We worked hard on energy. We have passed bills out of committee and across the floor on permitting energy. We have energy in this country, but we have to be able to generate the electrons, and we have to be able to move the energy to where it needs to be. The problem is permitting. I am a believer in all of the above, and we need to develop an all-of-the-above energy strategy.
We have 112-gigawatts of power--a gigawatt is the city of Seattle. There are 112-gigawatts of power scheduled to go offline in the next decade because of environmental regulations, which we can do safely and securely and save our environment and produce the energy that people need.
Again, if you bring the poster that the President used, you can see States that have the highest energy prices, and it goes to their energy regulation that their State and local governments have done to themselves.
Mr. Speaker, I was in California putting gas in a rental car, and I looked over to the guy next to me and said: Do you have any idea how much people pay for gas in the rest of the country?
I paid $2.80 in Kentucky and paid over $4 in California. It is State and local governments that make these decisions, and they are bringing that to Washington, D.C. We want to make it cheaper and for our people to have more affordability.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Fry), the sponsor of this legislation and my good friend.
Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to set the scene in contrast to some of the revisionist history that Democrats seem to be talking about today.
The definition of a showerhead was outlined very clearly in a 1975 act that Congress passed, not some bureaucrat and not some administration. Congress actually got together and said we are going to have some efficiency standards on showerheads and a number of other things. We are going to pass this bill, in 1975, and for over 30 years that was the national standard.
Even the American Association for Mechanical Engineers, this is their definition that is in this bill. Along comes the Obama administration, and rather than take the very simple, easy-to-understand, congressionally mandated standard of what a showerhead is, the Obama administration, in some closet somewhere, decided we are going to reinvent the definition of a showerhead.
Now, why is this important? Because this is exactly why people have a problem with Washington, D.C. They make rules that are not congressionally driven, that the people elect their representatives to be their voice in Washington. No, it is some unelected, unaccountable bureaucrat that decides to create a problem and then solve the problem that they created.
This is a microcosm to a much larger problem. That is overregulation. I think the ranking member said Trump changed the definition. No, he changed it back. He changed it back to what Congress intended to begin with.
Now, we have the Biden administration that comes in and pulls it back again. We have this ping-pong effect of regulations that are creating uncertainty for manufacturers and creating uncertainty for consumers. You can take showerheads, but the Biden administration also did this on home appliances, gas stoves, any number of things. The degree of regulation that Democrats and their bureaucratic allies are willing to do even, as something as small as a showerhead, that should send alarm bells. Why are we not empowering people to make choices about what they want in their own homes?
If they want a nozzle that dribbles on their head, then go get one of those. If you want something that slices an orange, then go get one of those. That should be your choice as a consumer. But we find ourselves in this endless game of whack-a-mole in Washington, D.C., because bureaucrats create problems and then solve them like they have done something meritorious for the country. It is total BS.
This bill is quite simple: It restores the definition of a showerhead to what Congress originally intended in 1975. It was a law for 32 years before the problem was created by the Obama administration. Then they solved the problem.
The President is absolutely right not just on showerheads but on home appliances. The Democrats want to talk about energy costs. For a second, by the way, I think it is really rich coming from them because I think eight of the top ten States with the highest energy costs are blue States that are run by Democrat State legislators and Democrat governors. They want to talk about the rising cost of energy. It disproportionately affects blue States. Why? Because they have terrible policies.
This bill is quite simple: It restores the definition that Congress originally intended. If an administration, any future administration, wants to change policy, rather than that coming from the bureaucrats, it should come before Congress. Congress set the efficiency standards in 1975, and if Congress wants to address those, that is Congress' prerogative, not some unelected, unaccountable bureaucrat in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Ranking Member Pallone, for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, House Republicans ended 2025 by failing to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits causing healthcare costs to skyrocket for millions of Americans.
Since President Trump took office, electricity prices have gone up by 13 percent nationwide and 20 percent in New Jersey, leaving over 80 million Americans struggling to pay their utility bills. Instead of addressing the affordability crisis that they have ignored, that President Trump has called a hoax, the Republicans' priority on day one is showerheads.
It is obscene that with all the work we need to do to uplift American families, to give them a fair shot at the American Dream, the Republican majority would choose instead to focus on showerheads. Why? Because it is important to one person and one person only, Donald Trump.
Not once, at any of the townhalls I have had, has anyone said that their showerhead pressure is their top concern. Housing, yes. Healthcare, yes. Childcare, yes. Not once did they say showerheads was their primary concern.
If my colleagues were serious about governing, we would be voting on protecting healthcare, lowering costs, and addressing the real issues that working families are facing. We would not be here today talking about showerheads.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my Republican colleagues to get serious and focus on the priorities our constituents sent us here to address. For all these reasons and so many more, I strongly oppose this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Congressman Fry's SHOWER Act.
I am not going to pull a Nancy Pelosi, Mr. Speaker. I am not going to rip up the speech that I had written, but I am not going to give that speech.
I have to talk about the opposition party, and I have to talk about their complete lack of interaction with the blue-collar Joe Bag of Donuts, which is Youngstown and Akron and Canton and Cleveland and Pittsburgh. These are working people that they have forgotten.
They bring up electricity, sir, but they do not allow us to address power plants. They shut down coal plants. They put regulations on gas- powered generated plants, but then they say there is an electricity problem.
Let's talk about prices. In my district right now, eggs are $1.29. We have chicken breast at 99 cents. In Trumbull County, we have gas at $1.99. I have 45,000 jobs that I cannot fill.
We are on the ground. We are listening to the people. You guys are promoting the Ford Lightning, which nobody who is a working person even gives a crap about. They want to have Silverados and they want to have their Mopar and they want to have gas-powered engines inside of those cars, but yet they say they have it. All they work on is the narrative, Mr. Speaker. That is what they do.
I will tell you how I came to Congressman Fry's bill and how I got interested in it. We were replacing a showerhead at my mom's house, and I said to my plumber, Marty: What is going on with these showerheads? He said: You tell me. The people in Washington messed this up. Nobody can have a darn good shower in the last 10 years.
Why does that matter? What did they say? They say we are worried about showerheads. We are worried about the working man. We are worried about the standard of living that they have taken away from them. They have taxed them to death. They play this game with healthcare. They created ObamaCare. They never had a solution. It was never a permanent fix.
Mr. Speaker, the Democrats kicked it down the road, and then they said to just extend it without even dealing with it. What my Democrat colleagues are doing to the American people is wrong.
When a person goes on vacation, they go to a motel and take a shower. It is the worst shower they have ever had. It is cold. It is dripping out there. The working man cannot even enjoy his daily life. That is what they have missed.
We want to talk about how grand their philosophy is. When we look at the mayor of New York City, he wants to have government-owned grocery stores. People will be able to choose about 400 or 500 items instead of the 30,000 or 40,000 items they could choose today, all in consideration of the blue-collar Joe Bag of Doughnuts, the forgotten worker.
This is why Donald Trump was elected. We care about the forgotten worker. We are going to fix healthcare. We are going to fix affordability. Gas prices are already coming down. Grocery prices are coming down. Wait until that tax cut hits in 2026.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 4593 and so should you.
Mr. Speaker, my, my, my. I rise today, amazed that with the healthcare crisis unfolding, the Republican priority before us is plumbing.
At a time when families are already being squeezed by the rising cost of living, from groceries to rent to utilities, President Trump is focused on renaming the Kennedy Center, building a ballroom, running a foreign country, and the water pressure in his showers.
Republicans in Congress, instead of focusing on lowering healthcare costs, are debating the definition of showerheads. Really? Millions of Americans are losing their healthcare coverage after Republicans allowed the Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire.
The nightmare of families having to choose between taking their child to the doctor or paying their rent is now a reality, hitting my home State of Florida especially hard. In Florida, more than 4 million people rely on the ACA and face premiums that are doubling or tripling.
A self-employed mom recovering from cancer in Lake Worth Beach is dropping her coverage as her premium tripled overnight. A 62-year-old waiter in West Palm Beach is going without insurance because it now costs more than his rent.
Here is a fact. When people lose health insurance, the consequences are real, and they are devastating. Medical debt piles up. Families drain their savings. They face bankruptcy.
Untreated illnesses force workers out of their jobs. When people lose their coverage, it affects all of us. Hospitals are strained. Businesses are hurt. Costs rise for everyone.
Here is a solution. I urge my colleagues to support the 3-year extension of the ACA tax credits and stop millions of hardworking families from losing their coverage. Fix the pressure where it matters the most. Lower healthcare costs.
Mr. Speaker, my kids are little. The other day they asked why daddy has to go back to D.C. I said that it is for work. They seemed sad about that. My wife chimed in, and she said that it is really important work. It is work that is going to help make people's lives better.
Now here we are, back at work. The first thing on the agenda in 2026 is not to lower the soaring utility bills. It is not to lower the insurance premiums. It is not to make housing more affordable. It is showerheads. We are out here talking about showerheads.
Not a single person in upstate New York has ever told me they want Congress focused on showerheads. The owner of the tattoo shop in Ithaca told me she will go uninsured this year because she can't afford the premiums.
There is a grandma in Endicott who is cutting back on the groceries because NYSEG is jacking up the rates and sending all her money to Spain.
There is a couple in their twenties. They are both young nurses. They can't save up for a home because Wall Street is gobbling up all the inventory.
Here we are, talking about showerheads. We wonder why people look at this place and see it as a self-serving, out of touch, dysfunctional mess. We don't need new ballrooms. We don't need new showerheads. We don't need a new name for the Kennedy Center. We need lower costs, better jobs, and a square deal.
At the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules had allowed it, I would have offered a motion with an amendment to lower costs for hardworking families in upstate New York.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York? There was no objection.
Mr. Speaker, there are days, increasingly so, when I cannot believe my eyes and my ears in this
We spent several hours today getting a classified briefing on what happened in the unauthorized invasion of Venezuela by this administration and the capture of a foreign leader, as our President and his administration are threatening to invade other foreign countries and have failed the most basic constitutional duty of seeking the consent of Congress and advising Members of Congress.
Today, we forced a vote on this floor, forcing all of my colleagues to ensure that we vote to save the Affordable Care Act so millions of Americans could have healthcare.
Mr. Speaker, we have to understand how absolutely inane and bizarre it is to come to the floor at 7 p.m. for the first real bill of this Congress this year and it is on showerheads.
When I heard that we were going to vote on showerheads, I literally had to google and look up what this was all about. I was actually genuinely shocked that the President, of course, had signed an executive order in April, demanding that we change the efficiency standards for showerheads.
As I often do, I went down a rabbit hole. In fact, I pulled up pictures of the kinds of showerheads we are talking about. It was fascinating to me, Mr. Speaker, to hear the impassioned pleas for regular working people to take high-pressure showers in motels because that is not why Donald Trump signed an executive order on this issue.
No, Donald Trump likes his big, fancy showers with multiple heads. We are talking about showers for rich people. These aren't even everyday showers.
Mr. Speaker, my question is: Why on God's green Earth on the first full day that this Congress is back in 2026 are the Republicans using their floor time in the midst of armed conflict and daily corruption by this administration to run a bill on rich people's showers for Donald Trump? It is just absolutely amazing.
Mr. Speaker, I have a little less than a minute left in my time. I would ask my colleague across the aisle one simple question: Did Mr. Donald Trump ask him to run a showerhead bill today on the House floor? If my colleague across the aisle cannot answer a simple question about why we are running legislation on the United States House floor on showerheads, I think we rest our case.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to answer the question of the gentlewoman.
Mr. Speaker, no, he did not ask to do this bill on the floor today. I know the President is very interested in this issue, but not on this floor today.
Mr. Speaker, what I have tried to ask and nobody has answered is: The enhanced tax credits, the COVID-era tax credits, were set to expire in the Inflation Reduction Act, which was a bill under the reconciliation process. It was solely the Democratic Party who put that in place, and the question I have always asked is: Why did they set them to expire?
They may say it was the reconciliation process. There were issues in that bill that they made permanent, but they chose to have the enhanced tax credits expire.
What happens when the enhanced tax credits expire? They are enhanced, so we go back to the basic law. The basic law we are operating under is the Affordable Care Act.
Why is the Affordable Care Act not saving people money?
I remember when this first came out. I was speaking to a Rotary Club, and a person said to me at the end that I was talking so negatively on the Affordable Care Act.
I said to him: You know, I really hope that people will keep the doctor they want to keep, have the choices they can have in healthcare, and their premiums will go down. If that happens, I will eat my words. I hope I can eat my words because there is no joy in having a bill pass and see people lose their doctors of choice, lose choice in health plans because it is consolidating, lose choices in healthcare because it is consolidating, and see their premiums skyrocketing.
Talking about how much the premiums are skyrocketing, do you know why? What is the underlying law? The underlying law is the Affordable Care Act.
Mr. Speaker, I wish I could answer the question. I wish I would get an answer to the question of why did they set them to expire and why is the Affordable Care Act not working.
Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I have to respond to the chairman of our committee who, of course, I respect a great deal.
The Republicans have never supported the Affordable Care Act. When we passed it--and I was one of the drafters how many years ago now--I think there were none--certainly almost no Republican votes.
They were not there when we tried to expand tax credits because we knew that in order for people to be able to afford their health insurance, we would have to reauthorize the tax credits from time to time or expand them for certain incomes. They were never there.
Frankly, I don't want to go into this in any great deal or depth today, but the bottom line is that I and most Democrats believe that healthcare is a basic right and that we, as a Congress, have a responsibility to make it so that most people, if not all Americans, can have health insurance because, otherwise, they can't see a doctor. They end up in the emergency room. They get sicker, and our society suffers for it, either financially, healthwise, or whatever.
I don't really want to get into this debate about who, when, and where because the bottom line is that the Republican Party has never supported any of this. Many of them don't even believe, I think, that somehow we should be helping Americans pay for their health insurance. In any case, they have never supported the Affordable Care Act, ObamaCare. They have never supported the enhanced premium tax credits, and so talking about when you did it or didn't do it, to me, is irrelevant.
The bottom line is that the majority had the opportunity to extend it during the reconciliation bill. My colleagues did not. Republicans had the opportunity right through the end of this year to extend it before it expired, and all these double and triple costs per month for health insurance started on January 1. My Republican colleagues didn't do it and are not doing it now.
We had the debate just a half hour or 1 hour ago about the bill that is finally coming to the floor, not because of the Republicans but because every Democrat in this House signed a discharge petition and we got a handful of Republicans to sign the discharge petition, overturning the right of the Speaker to determine what bills come to the floor. So it will come to the floor tomorrow, but when I was here for the debate on the rule, there was only one Republican who got up and said that they were supportive of extending the tax credits.
I am going to see tomorrow how many Republicans come to the floor and say that they are going to extend the tax credits or vote to extend the tax credits. There will be very, very few, unfortunately, because this is not what Republicans support.
In any case, I will talk a little bit about the affordability crisis in general. Across the country, the American people are trying to find ways to afford the rising prices of groceries, electricity, and their water bills. We hear from our constituents--I do every day--that affordability is their top concern. As democratically elected Members of Congress, I think it is our job to address these concerns--not only health insurance, but electricity costs, water costs, and so many things that deal with affordability.
I see my Republican colleagues only seem to be interested in fighting the Trump administration's latest culture war on showerheads.
Mr. Speaker, I have tried not to laugh about this because I think the issue has a level of seriousness, but it is incredible that not only are they
If the majority was doing something with showerhead bills to bring down costs, I would say ``fine,'' but that is not the case. This is only being done because President Trump has been complaining about efficiency standards for everything since his first term. I think he is completely out of touch with the realities that everyday Americans face.
The truth is simple that efficiency standards lower costs for Americans. I have said it before, but it is worth repeating: In 2024 alone, energy and water conservation standards slashed $576 off of American utility bills while cutting our energy and water consumption. Why is that a bad thing? It is a good thing.
It is totally, in my opinion, kind of dishonest for Republicans to claim that the cost of compliance with environmental regulations and efficiency standards drive up prices. They do not. It is not conservation that is driving up prices for Americans. It is Republican policies, and I would particularly point to Trump's tariffs that are driving up costs for the average American.
The Republican Party let the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credit expire without any safety net, so millions of Americans are going to lose their health insurance. Some have already decided not to sign up because they can't afford it. They are going to lose their health insurance. We will have more tomorrow and the next day and the next day. Until we pass this enhanced tax credit bill, more and more Americans will have no health insurance and the negative consequences from that.
Let's also talk about the big, ugly bill--Republicans call it the big, beautiful bill--that is projected to increase electricity prices for American families by 61 percent. Nearly 1 in 20 American households are in severe utility debt. This winter, families are forced to make the impossible choice of heating their homes or putting food on the table.
We have to address this issue, but somehow that is not enough for my Republican colleagues. They now are trying to pass partisan legislation to increase utility bills, too. That is what this bill does.
Again, all I can say is that the Republican Party's priorities are senseless, cruel, and misguided.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, my point when I talked about the Affordable Care Act is that once it was in place, I wish it had worked. I wish what was believed to be in place worked because I think people with sincere hearts were the ones who voted for it and put it in place. If we did have choice and we had more people provided--we didn't have consolidation, and we had cheaper health insurance. That is what we wanted.
I will tell you that the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee are going to be focusing on the cost of health insurance. We talked yesterday and put out that health insurance executives from the major health insurance companies, or CEOs, are going to come before our committee. We are going to spend this year to hopefully find ways that we can work together because the premiums reflect the cost of healthcare.
We want to understand the premiums, how they devise the premiums, where the premium is going, who is getting the money, and what about the consolidations. We are going to have a series of hearings, and the first one is going to be CEOs of major insurance companies to come before our committees to do the proper oversight to see why it is going from $14,000 to $22,000 and why are people being affected that way.
That is the answer the American people deserve. That is the work we must do, and I hope we can do it together.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the support of the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 977, the previous question is ordered on the bill.
Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX, further consideration of H.R. 4593 is postponed.
Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 7 o'clock and 10 minutes p.m.), under its previous order and pursuant to House Resolution 978, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate and noon for legislative business, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Honorable Doug LaMalfa.
Thereupon (at 7 o'clock and 10 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.
