[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 11, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2619-H2620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ECONOMIC HARM OF TARIFFS IN NEW YORK STATE

  (Mr. Kennedy of New York was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. KENNEDY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to sound the alarm 
on the economic harm President Trump's reckless tariff policies 
continue to cause across this country, especially in my district of 
western New York.
  Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, these tariffs are taxes, and they are 
being paid not by foreign governments or corporations but by working 
families and small businesses at home.
  Whether it is raw materials, auto parts, or everyday goods at the 
grocery store, these costs are being passed on directly to American 
consumers. Families struggling to put food on the table are now being 
squeezed from every angle by rising prices, unstable markets, and 
Republican policies that put politics over people.
  Mr. Speaker, whether you call it tariff roulette or a trade tug-of-
war, it has created instability that has devastated communities across 
the country.
  In western New York we are already seeing the fallout. As a 
Representative for a northern border community, I can tell you 
firsthand, Mr. Speaker, that this trade war is hurting Americans.
  Annually, Canadians have a $1.1 billion economic impact in western 
New York. In our community, we have already seen a serious drop in 
Canadian visitors who for decades have driven across the border to 
support our local economy.
  This is happening all across America as well. It is hurting our 
economy, and it is devastating to the people who live in our great 
country. It is not pocket change. It is people's paychecks.
  Additionally, it goes beyond tourism. Canada is New York State's 
largest trading partner. New York exports

[[Page H2620]]

more than $17 billion in goods and services across the border each 
year, supporting tens of thousands of jobs. Disrupting that trade 
through politically motivated tariffs puts those jobs at risk. That is 
not leadership. That is economic sabotage.
  Pair that with this President's big, ugly bill that guts healthcare, 
slashes food assistance, and throws millions off their insurance, and 
what we have got is a vise grip on the American people and our economy.
  We don't need chaos. We need common sense, and we need smart economic 
policy. We need stability and support for working families, not another 
round of trade retaliation disguised as strategy. We must reject 
this reckless approach and stand up for workers, small businesses, and 
families who are paying the price. In western New York and across this 
country, people are not pawns. Americans deserve better.

  It is time to reject this billionaire's first agenda and fight for an 
economy that works for everyone.


              Honoring Maternity Director Mary Ann Murphy

  Mr. KENNEDY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an 
extraordinary woman, Ms. Mary Ann Murphy, maternal care director at 
Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, as she retires after an incredible 46 years 
of service to our community.
  Throughout her career, Mary Ann helped deliver more than 90,000 
babies. That is not just a number. It represents generations of 
families, lives she safely welcomed into this world, and moments she 
helped make unforgettable.
  Mary Ann touched my own family's life. We delivered four beautiful 
babies at Mercy. While three were traditional deliveries, one was of 
our daughter, Brigid, who was not expected to survive. Mary Ann made 
sure we had compassionate, skilled nurses who understood our situation. 
She ensured our family could stay with us around the clock, arranged 
sleeping accommodations, and provided bereavement support, including a 
special memory box created in honor of our beautiful baby.
  While this was very personal, it seemed like special care for our 
family. This was simply what Mary Ann did for all families. She showed 
love during their happiest moments and their hardest days.
  Mary Ann's role went beyond the four walls of the hospital. Her 
compassion and leadership didn't just shape patient experiences or the 
maternity ward, she shaped our entire community.
  As one colleague of hers put it: Mary set the standard for the 
quality and compassion that defines Mercy maternity to this day.
  At her retirement, Mary Ann said: ``It's the best job in the world; 
46 years in the blink of an eye.''
  Let us thank Mary Ann Murphy not only for what she has done, but for 
who she is: a caregiver, a leader, an inspiration, and a friend. Her 
legacy will continue in every nurse she has mentored and every family 
she touched, including my own.
  Congratulations to Mary Ann. May she enjoy her well-earned 
retirement, and Godspeed.

                          ____________________