[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 126 (Wednesday, July 23, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H3569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING CHUCK CONNER

  (Mr. BAIRD of Indiana was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Chuck Conner who 
officially retired on Monday, July 14, after serving as a national 
agriculture leader since 1997.
  A Benton County native and graduate of Purdue University, Chuck 
Conner served as the president and CEO of the National Council of 
Farmer Cooperatives for over 16 years. From 1997 to 2001, he served as 
president of the Corn Refiners Association.
  He also has a storied career in public service as Deputy Secretary 
and Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture under 
President George W. Bush.
  Chuck Conner continued his public service as an adviser to U.S. 
Senator Richard Lugar from Indiana for 17 years.
  We are grateful for his decades of service and work to benefit our 
great agricultural industry. I wish him all the best as he embarks on 
retirement.

                              {time}  1150


                    Honoring Kent and Isabella Chism

  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Kent and Isabella 
Chism, two outstanding Hoosiers.
  Kent is a fifth-generation family farmer in Indiana who focuses on 
growing corn and soybeans. His wife, Isabella, currently serves as the 
American Farm Bureau Federation's Women's Leadership Committee chair, 
and is the former second vice president of the Indiana Farm Bureau.
  The Chisms are internationally recognized for their hard work and 
dedication to promoting America's great agricultural industry. Their 
family farm has also been a home for workshops, farm visits, and open 
houses. The Chisms recently received the 2025 Indiana Master Farmers 
award for their work advocating for agriculture.
  Indiana's agricultural industry is better off thanks to the Chisms, 
who have used their experiences to be prominent voices for agriculture 
at the State, local, and national levels. I am grateful for their work 
that has certainly benefited Indiana and our farmers.


                   American Energy is Dominant Again

  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss how the One Big 
Beautiful Bill Act makes American energy dominant again by resuming 
leasing for domestic energy production. This includes onshore and 
offshore oil and gas leases as well as coal leases.
  The One Big Beautiful Bill Act strengthens grid reliability and 
invests in building key energy and critical minerals infrastructure 
through the Energy Dominance Financing program.
  This legislation also finally repeals the Green New Deal subsidies 
from the Democrats' so-called Inflation Reduction Act, such as the tax 
credit giveaway for expensive, unreliable electric vehicles.
  This historic bill also restores our energy security by starting to 
refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which was drained under the 
previous administration. This big, beautiful bill is a historic win for 
America's great energy sector that will help reduce energy costs for 
hardworking families in my district and across the Nation.

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