Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 211 (Monday, December 15, 2025)

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 211 (Monday, December 15, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H5844-H5855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

prayer

The Chaplain, the Reverend Margaret Grun Kibben, offered the
following prayer:
Eternal God, to whom one day is as 1,000 years, and 1,000 years as
one day, thank You not only for this day, but for the thousands of
years of service this body represents.
We pause in gratitude for the calling You bestowed on each one here
and all who have gone before, who have given so much of their time and
energy in this very Chamber, to preserve and defend the laws of this
Nation and the ideals on which it was founded.
Even as they gather this morning, uphold and encourage these former
Members, their continued sense of duty to the American people. Bring
their minds and desires together again, enhanced with their shared
wisdom, and inspired by Your guiding spirit, that they may use their
voices to speak into the consequential dialogue of these days.
Now unto You, who has established Your everlasting covenant for us
and for all our descendants, we declare

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Your power to each generation that follows and profess Your might to
all who are yet to serve in these Halls.
In Your enduring and unfailing name, we pray.
Amen.

Pledge of Allegiance

The Honorable Donna Edwards led the Pledge of Allegiance as follows:

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of
America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Ms. EDWARDS. The Chair is now honored to invite the Speaker of the
House, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, to address all Members.
The SPEAKER. I just want to welcome everybody back, Members, former
Members, to the House floor. Some of you come back frequently, and we
are always happy to see you. I certainly thank the former FMC President
and all of you who serve this great organization to continue the
tradition. I appreciate what Chaplain Kibben prayed. That is exactly
the spirit of this. We have consequential dates upon us, and your
voices are so important. The platform that you have as former Members
is important. You have great spheres of influence, and I am moved all
the time by the recognition of kind of the weight of things that are
upon the country right now. In so many ways we are in uncharted waters
as a country, and we are coming up on the 250th anniversary of what we
all know to be the greatest Nation in the history of the world. It is
not even close. We are the most free, the most powerful, the most
successful, and the most benevolent ever on Earth.
I think we do well to remember why that is. The concern I have, and
probably the concern many of you have is that I am--
Ms. DEMINGS. Mr. Speaker, our class did okay, didn't we?
The SPEAKER. Boy, I miss you around here. You should have stayed
around. It has gotten kind of crazy.
Ms. DEMINGS. It made it so interesting.
The SPEAKER. ``Interesting'' is a good word.
My concern is probably the same as many of yours. It is that I am
afraid the generations behind us do not have any longer a full
recognition of what it is that we are so blessed by.
When I bring groups to the floor--and I had one in here yesterday, a
little group from back home in Louisiana--I pause while we are here in
the Chamber to just make note of the historic things and the bullet
holes and all the fun stuff, but also the things that are more
important and symbolic.
I will often stop and say: One of the first things I noticed when I
walked into the Chamber for the first time was In God We Trust above
the Speaker's rostrum.
I said: Do any of you wonder why that was put there?
Congress did that back in the early 1960s. If you were here on a
regular day, I told my group, if you turn over to page 21 of the
visitor guide of the House, a booklet that we have, it says that
Congress voted to put that there as a rebuke to the Soviet's philosophy
at the height of the Cold War, and the Soviet philosophy was the
opposite because, Marxism, communism, all the isms that come from
that--socialism--begin with the premise that there is no God. That is a
marked distinction from the founding of our country. That is what makes
it so different.
I know you did so many tours on the House floor, but we often always
point to the great lawgivers around the ceiling. One-half are turning
this way and one-half that way. One face that looks down above us--and
you have done the same thing--it is Moses looking down upon us. I have
seen that as a recognition that we are supposed to remember that our
duty and our responsibility here as Members and as citizens is to a
higher power. It is not just to the civil authorities. It recognizes
that Moses was the first lawgiver. He got the tablets on the mountain,
and we are supposed to remember that what we do here is not
inconsequential. It has, in effect, eternal significance, and the
people elected to serve in this great body should always remember that
and keep it in mind.
I do. I think these two things are symbols of that, but as we come up
to the 250th anniversary of the country, I think that you and I have a
great opportunity, because with every single group that you speak to,
small or large, you can pivot now in the months ahead there won't be
anything radical at all, go straight to the Declaration of
Independence, which is the Nation's birth certificate. I have been
doing this for a while now, and I go straight to the second paragraph.
What is alarming to me is when I am speaking to university students or
high school students, they don't have much recognition for the things
that we had to memorize in school. They are not doing that anymore.

This is what G.K. Chesterton called the Creed of America. He was a
great British statesman and philosopher. He said that America is the
only Nation in the world that is founded on a creed. That creed is
theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence: ``We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.''
I think I will just take the time to unpack that and point out
important things. It is not just born equal. It says created equal. It
says that our rights do not derive from government. They come from our
creator Himself, and He is the one who gives us those rights. The
Founders understood they are supposed to be exercised in accordance
with the responsibility that goes along with that.
What does that mean for a citizen, and what does it mean about our
individual values, our duty, and our responsibility, not just as
elected officials, but all of us?
If we take young people through that and make them pause just for a
second on the eve and then next year on the birthday of the greatest
country in the history of the world, then I think we do well to remind
them of our basic civic duty.
I am afraid that schools aren't doing that as much as they did when
we were all coming up, and it is a real peril to the continuation of
this grand experiment in self-governance and intellectual property. We
all agree on that.
I know that you all have given large measures and large parts of your
life to service to keeping the Republic. I am just going to be stating
the obvious. It may be more challenging right now than it was since the
time of the Civil War. There is so much more polarization, so much
division. Social media attacks our political system, as we all know,
and it makes it so difficult for people to get along. When Val and I
were freshmen here, it seems like 50 years ago now, but in the 115th
Congress, we came in January 2017, and we all signed this document
called Honor and Civility. We had this idea, this crazy idea, that the
person on the other side of the aisle is not our enemy; that it is our
fellow American, a colleague. We might have different policy ideas, but
that is our friend. We are in this together, and we should treat one
another with dignity and respect. We restated the golden rule in
laymen's terms and sort of secular terms, and we circulated that. Every
single Member of the freshman class, 53 of us, Rs and Ds, everybody
signed on.
We committed to do that, except for one guy from New York. I said:
You are the last signature up to add on to this. He said: I didn't come
here to get along with anybody. I said: Okay, sorry I bothered you.
I think he lasted 2 years here.
Ms. DEMINGS. One and one-half years.
The SPEAKER. When we have recalcitrant Members these days, I try to
remind them that unless the legislative body is a team sport, then you
cannot come here to be an individual and build a brand. That is not
what this is about. However, in the old days--the old days, you know,
in previous Congresses, even right before we came in--before social
media became such a force in the culture, the rank and file, you just
got along. You didn't have much of a choice. You knew your role in the
body, and then you earned the respect of your colleagues by working
hard and by being productive.
Now it is sort of inverted. It is turned upside-down because now the
way to get attention is to be a firebrand, as if that is the objective,
to be famous.
The more bombastic you are online, feeding that beast, then the more
attention you get and, in some cases, the more money you raise. There
is a race to be more and more outrageous than the next person, which is
terribly destructive to this process.
When we were freshmen, we would have events, bipartisan events. We
had

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an Honor and Civility Caucus. We all dined together, and we would go
and have bipartisan events. I can't do these anymore because no one
will turn up on the other side. The parties, the Rs and Ds, do not want
to be photographed together. If they go to an event, they will be
punished online if someone leaks the photo.
How do we put the genie back in the bottle?
Chaplain Kibben and I commiserate all the time. We have to figure it
out.
The Founders had great challenges. The Civil War era had great
challenges as far as civil rights. We have had our own. There is a
common thread through a lot of it, but we have to figure it out.
I don't want to give you a long speech. All that is to say I am very
bullish on the future of America. I know we have the greatest
government, imperfect as it is. That is why everybody wants to come
here, and that is why America has the longest lasting Constitution on
the Earth and the model for all the others. It is the aspiration of
everybody else. They want to do more like we have done and be more like
us.
We had the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia here a couple of weeks ago,
MBS. He is a controversial figure, but he came, and that is an
important relationship with the Middle East. We all have mixed feelings
about it. I was visiting with him. He told us Saudi Arabia aspires to
be more like the United States. He said to a group of us--we had
Republican and Democrat leaders on both sides of the House--in a forum
with him. He said that our actual cultures are about 85 percent the
same in his view, but they are trying.
That is an extreme example, but every country around the world tries
to emulate and follow us and our popular culture and a lot of what we
have done. We have a heavy responsibility. After World War II Ronald
Reagan used to say--I think he was quoting Pope Pious XII--and he said
that the leadership of the free world was placed upon the shoulders of
the United States after World War II. We did not ask for that, but we
have a role to play, and we have to model the things that built the
Nation and built this institution.

It is virtue, religious principle, and morality. It is this basic
moral consensus that we regard one another as friends and neighbors and
fellow countrymen, and if we get elected to Congress, we come here, and
certainly we should be exhibiting that as a bare minimum. We are trying
to get back to that in the midst of this crazy hyperpartisanship at the
moment.
The reason I mention that to all of you is that you, as a former
Member, from my perspective you have a unique platform to be able to
speak into this crazy moment that we are in as a country because you
have the respect and admiration of people for having served here. You
have a long history of service to the country and unique opportunity
because you can be filmed with people on the other side of the aisle
and set that example as you do.
I don't think there has been a more important moment than probably
right now for the Former Members of Congress group, as to what this can
be and what you can do.
I am very grateful for all of that. I want to be a resource to you.
Any time you are here, pop in and say hello. I will roll out my little
red carpet for you, and you get all the accoutrements of the Speaker's
balcony.
I was on a podcast a few weeks ago and was asked: What are the perks
of being a Speaker?
I had to think for a moment. Honestly, I wasn't prepared for the
question. The first thing that came to my mind was the balcony of the
Speaker. The balcony is awesome. It is not the most fun job in the
world right now, but it is a duty, as all these positions are.
I thank you for serving so well and admirably and being an example.
Increasingly, I think we have to look for those examples of people in
this room and on this floor. I am grateful.
Merry Christmas, welcome back, happy Hanukkah, and happy new year to
everyone.
Ms. EDWARDS. I thank the Speaker so much for giving your time out of
your incredibly busy schedule. You are always really generous with your
time for the former Members. Thank you so much.
The SPEAKER. Stay as long as you want.
Ms. EDWARDS. We appreciate that, Mr. Speaker.
The Chair now recognizes the Honorable Barbara Comstock of Virginia,
who is president of the Former Members of Congress Association to
address the Members.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. Good morning. Thank you, Donna. It is always a great
honor and distinct pleasure to return to this Chamber, especially when
being able to do so with so many of our friends and former colleagues.
Let me begin by also thanking Speaker Johnson for inviting our
association into the House Chamber for our annual report and for
greeting us this morning. We appreciate very much his staff support and
his support for our association, whether it be for our events like
today or for the annual memorial service in Statuary Hall.
Like most of us, I appreciate my service in Congress and consider it
one of the most impactful chapters of my professional life, and the
memories this Chamber evokes are among the highlights of my work. I
cherish the relationships I was able to forge with my fellow Members,
and I am proud of the legislation I was part of, both as a Member and
as a staffer before I ran for Congress. That makes FMC, the Former
Members of Congress Association, so special, and it empowers those of
us who had this experience to continue to give back.
We do so by involving both Senators and Representatives, and, more
importantly, we do so by inviting Democrats and Republicans alike to
work together to further FMC's mission of strengthening democracy at
home and abroad.
FMC is 100 percent bipartisan. It was founded in 1970, received its
congressional charter in 1983, and functions as a standalone 501(c)(3)
nonprofit charitable organization.
Though chartered by Congress, no taxpayer dollars are earmarked for
our work. Everything we do is founded through foundation grants and
contributions, and all of our former Members donate their time pro
bono. We don't pay any fee or honorarium to former Members to
participate in FMC's many programs.
In 2025, our membership donated about 7,000 volunteer hours to the
FMC cause, whether by serving as a panelist for an issue-specific
discussion open to the public, or by spending days visiting with
students as part of one of the many Congress to Campus programs or by
traveling overseas with other former Members for legislative
strengthening and democracy building work.
Now, 2025 was the 55th year of FMC's operation as a nonprofit
chartered by Congress to strengthen representative democracy, teach
about the Article I branch, and inspire the next generation when it
comes to the importance and dignity of public service. Throughout FMC's
history, we have been able to grow this organization, grow it in size,
grow its fundraising success, grow its staff, grow its programs, and
grow the number of former Members involved who donate their time to us
pro bono.
Without a doubt, we have been able to grow because we have been
fortunate, since day one back in 1970, to have outstanding former
Members step up and benefit FMC with their inspiring leadership.
Today we want to acknowledge that outstanding leadership. Starting in
1974, FMC has recognized exemplary public service before, during, and
after Congress through our Distinguished Service Award. We have done so
every year, commencing in 1974, with President Gerald Ford as our first
honoree, and last year we gave it to Representative Stephanie Bice as
our most recent honoree.
For this year, we have decided to look inward and thank those
colleagues of ours who, over the years, have given us their sage
counsel, insight, and their energy in their leadership by serving as
FMC's president. Through their commitment as leaders of this
organization, they have played an invaluable role in continuing our
mission of bipartisanship, civic education, and engaging the next
generation in our representative democracy.
Their impact on our organization and on democracy worldwide has been
truly inspiring. Since 1970, 36 men and 3 women have served as FMC's
president, always limited to one term, and always

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switching between the parties. In 1996, we expanded the term from 1
year to 2 so that we could build consistency into our leadership
structure. In 2018, we started electing the president and the
president-elect at the same time so that we would have the luxury of
long-term planning with the same team in place for several years.

I can't overstate how productive a system that is thanks to my
wonderful partnership with our outstanding president-elect, Donna
Edwards. I was also able to serve as president-elect with President
L.F. Payne. Without the leadership of these terrific former Members who
guided FMC through good times and also challenging ones, we also
embraced the mission of this organization and who were 100 percent
committed to bipartisanship and to highlighting everything that is so
inspiring about the Article I branch.
FMC would not be the thriving and impactful organization it is today
without that leadership. We, therefore, are thrilled to recognize FMC's
former president with the 2025 Distinguished Service Award.
We have invited all of FMC's living past presidents to join us today
so that we can thank them in person, and we are thrilled that a great
many of them have made the trip back to Capitol Hill to be with us
today.
We would like to present each of them with a commemorative gavel. And
Pete, who has worked closely with each and every one of them during his
long tenure with FMC will help me do that in just a moment.
The way we would like to structure this presentation is that I will
acknowledge each of them individually and then also read into the
Record the names of these former FMC presidents who could not join us
today in person. After that, we will invite all of them to join me here
at the dais.
If you wouldn't mind, I think it would be best if we hold all
applause until they are here with me at the dais and then we can thank
and applaud them as a group.
Let me start with Matt McHugh, a Democrat from New York. I am sorry,
Matt was not able to be here. He served as FMC president from 1998 to
2000. Matt does send his regards, but, unfortunately, he could not join
us today after all. Some of the many highlights of his presidency
include FMC hosting a delegation of the members of the Chinese National
People's Congress for a week of meetings here in D.C. and via a grant
from the Ford Foundation sending three delegations of former Members on
study missions to Cuba.
Now, Larry LaRocco, who is with us, is a Democrat from Idaho,
possibly the last Democrat from Idaho who served as FMC president from
2002 to 2004. During his presidency, FMC was recognized by the U.S.
Capitol Historical Society with its annual Freedom Award, and they also
sent a current senior congressional staff delegation to Mexico for a
peer-to-peer exchange with their colleagues in Mexico City.
Jim Slattery, a Democratic from Kansas--and actually we have a
Democrat as Governor right now--served as FMC President from 2006 to
2008. During his presidency, FMC initiated a training program for
former legislators to serve as election observers worldwide. This
program was created in partnership with our sister organizations in
Ottawa and Brussels. Also during Jim's presidency, FMC produced over
one dozen webcasts for use across the country in high school civics
classrooms. I thank Jim.
Dennis Hertel, a Democrat from Michigan, who also is not able to be
here today, served as FMC President from 2010 to 2012. Thanks to
Dennis' leadership, FMC launched several new programs, including our
Diplomatic Advisory Council and the Congressional Study Group on
Europe.
In addition, during his presidency, FMC published a book titled:
``Political Rules of the Road,'' sharing some of the unique and
unparalleled insights inherent in our membership.
Dennis was succeeded by Congresswoman Connie Morella, a Republican
from Maryland--also a unique thing--who served as FMC's president from
2012 to 2014. I also was privileged to serve in Congress with Connie as
a staffer. Among her many achievements on behalf of FMC is a major
expansion of our international legislative exchange programs to now
also include senior congressional staff on a bipartisan basis in the
work in overseas delegation of FMC's Congressional Study Groups.
During Connie's presidency, FMC also produced a number of
instructional videos which then were incorporated into the national AP
government high school curriculum. I also would like to take a personal
privilege to say when I was a staffer, Connie was a hero for all the
female staffers on the Hill.
Thank you, Connie, for being one of those heroes for the female
staffers.
Cliff Stearns, a Republican from Florida, had hoped to be here today
but at the last minute had to change his schedule. He served as FMC's
president from 2016 to the 2018. It is due to Cliff's leadership that
FMC initiated what has become one of our most important and moving
annual events, the memorial service. This is where every year in
Statuary Hall we recognize and commemorate the public service of
current and former Members who passed away the previous year.
In addition, during Cliff's presidency, FMC expanded its program
focused on congressional staff to now also include district directors
across the country.
Cliff was succeeded by Martin Frost, a Democrat from Texas, who
served as FMC's president from 2018 to 2020. Martin is with us today.
It was during Martin's presidency that FMC launched the very successful
congressional study group on Korea which quickly became one of our most
active international legislative exchanges presenting current Members
of Congress and their colleagues in the National Assembly of Korea and
with an unparalleled opportunity to connect and deliberate together.
Also FMC published ``Congress At a Crossroads,'' a collection of over
two dozen interviews with current Members of Congress to capture their
thoughts on bipartisanship, regular order, and other aspects of
their congressional lives.

L.F. Payne, a Democrat from the Commonwealth of Virginia, served as
FMC's president from 2022 until 2024. I had the great pleasure to serve
with L.F. as FMC's president-elect. In addition to bringing his
business acumen to updating and strengthening our organization in
financial processes, during L.F.'s presidency, FMC's Congress to Campus
program connected with our largest number ever of students both here in
the United States and abroad and more than doubled Congress to Campus
visits to HBCUs and HSIs. L.F. also worked hard with FMC staff to lead
the organization out of the turmoil of the COVID lockdown to emerge
stronger than ever before both financially and when it comes to the
number and quality of our many programs.
As I said earlier, not every one of FMC's living past presidents was
able to come back to D.C. so let me read their names into the Record.
FMC will send them their gavel as a small token of our appreciation.
They are Jim Symington of Missouri, Phil Ruppe of Michigan, Barbara
Kennelly of Connecticut, and Charles Boustany of Louisiana. I hope they
know how much of a positive impact they have had on this organization.
With that, I would be so pleased and honored to have FMC's former
presidents join me here at the dais.
I thank you for the applause for these 2025 distinguished service
recipients, and I thank you for all being here today.
Ms. EDWARDS. I want to add my congratulations to FMC's past
presidents and to thank them for their role in creating this incredibly
important vibrant and impactful organization, which is a perfect
transition to the next part of our agenda focused on FMC's work in 2025
and our vision for 2026.
With that, the Chair, again, recognizes FMC's current president,
Barbara Comstock, to offer her remarks.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. I will do things a little bit differently this year as
we offer our annual report to Congress. I do want to give a quick
report on our 2025 work in finances, but I also want to reserve some
time to look ahead to 2026 given the important work we are about to
enter as part of our Nation's semiquincentenial.
Let me start by focusing on FMC's finances. We just received the
findings from our annual audit for fiscal year 2024, and I am very
pleased to report that the independent auditor, again, gave us a clean
bill of fiscal health. As

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I said earlier, FMC receives no taxpayer dollars for its work, and even
though we are congressionally chartered, there are no appropriations or
earmarks flowing into our coffers.
About two-thirds of our income derives from grants, donations, and
membership dues from former Senators and Representatives.
The other main category on the plus side also comes from our own
membership, and that is their in-kind donation of their time and
expertise as they volunteer for our various programs.
As I already mentioned, but it bears repeating, former Members
continue to come through for us and on a bipartisan basis almost 7,000
hours were donated by our membership pro bono. Finally, about 15
percent of our budget is based on the success of our sole fundraiser,
the annual Statesmanship Awards Celebration, which in 2025 honored
Senator Booker and Senator Young and Representatives Case and Kim, as
well as Aflac as our corporate honoree.
On the spending side, we have a very healthy ratio with about two-
thirds of our budget going toward programming and one-third taking care
of overhead and salaries.
Programming in 2025 continued our wide variety of events, panels,
overseas delegations, townhalls, and, of course, our outreach to
students across the country.
Of the well over 100 programs we have implemented in 2025, almost
one-half were focused on student audiences, mostly at college level,
through Congress to Campus but also high school and middle school kids.
With these students, our bipartisan teams of former Members have an
open and sometimes challenging discussion on issues of the day and also
try to inspire them when it comes to public service, bipartisanship,
and getting actively engaged in our representative democracy.
Almost all of these programs are now back to being in-person events,
but we also learned through COVID that we can reach wider student
audiences by hosting the occasional virtual discussions. Roughly the
other one-half of our programs take place on Capitol Hill, at embassies
around D.C., and occasionally in other parts of the United States, such
as when we hosted our annual meeting in Atlanta and, quite often,
overseas.
We do tons of work bringing current Members together across the
political aisle for discussions with issue experts on topics that
include AI, China, fiscal policy, or international trade relations. We
do lots of work to create a network of peers through our bipartisan
legislative exchanges that focus on parliaments in other countries.
This is most often as part of our Congressional Study Groups, and the
goal is to create, with elected officials across the globe, an
impactful dialogue that is informative, does not engage in any
advocacy, and is fully bipartisan.
FMC views this work as our mandate to support current Members of
Congress and congressional staff in their work so that through us they
can engage with their colleagues in Congress, their peers in
legislative branches overseas, and issue experts from academia and the
think tank world.
As I said, this is mostly accomplished through our Congressional
Study Groups, and we are thrilled that in 2025, we added to our roster
of international legislative exchanges for current Members and current
senior staff when we launched the Congressional Study Group on India
this summer.
These current member Congressional Study Groups, along with a number
of former member delegations, resulted in over one dozen overseas study
missions where we brought bipartisan groups of legislators together
with elected officials in parliaments overseas.
This was just a brief summary of our work in 2025, and I hope you
will take time to read the much more detailed report which I am
submitting for the Record.

2025 Report to Congress by the Former Members of Congress Association,
a Congressionally Chartered 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organizaiton

I. Finances, Organizational Structure and Communications

The Former Members of Congress Association (FMC) is a
bipartisan, nonprofit, voluntary alliance of former United
States Senators and Representatives, educating about
representative democracy at home and abroad. FMC was
established in 1970, is incorporated in the District of
Columbia, and received a Congressional Charter in 1983. The
organization is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt
501(c)(3) nonprofit. No taxpayer dollars are earmarked or
appropriated to support any of FMC's many programs, and all
FMC projects are self-funded via foundation grants,
membership dues, an annual fundraising event, and donations.
Former Members of Congress are not compensated for their
participation in FMC programs such as Congress to Campus, and
FMC does not seek a fee or an honorarium to compensate Former
Members for their time or expertise. In 2025, Former Members
of Congress donated approximately 7,000 volunteer hours pro
bono to participate in FMC projects across the country and
overseas. Per its Congressional Charter, FMC annually
undergoes an audit by an independent auditor. In FY2024,
roughly two-thirds of FMC's income was spent on programming
and roughly one-third on administrative costs and overhead.
FMC is led by an Executive Committee, which consists of
five Former Members of Congress: President Barbara Comstock
(R-VA), President-Elect Donna F. Edwards (D-MD), VP Dennis
Ross (R-FL), VP Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), and Immediate Past
President L.F. Payne (D-VA). All serve one two-year term, and
the President and President-elect are limited to one term
only. The Executive Committee is part of the FMC board of
directors, which includes 24 voting Members divided into
three classes, each class serving a three-year term, and
every year a different class is up for reelection. The board
is split evenly between the two major parties. Directors are
eligible to be reelected without limits to additional three-
year terms. In addition, all past presidents of FMC are
automatically offered a lifetime non-voting seat on the board
that is not subject to election. Currently 10 former FMC
presidents serve in that capacity on FMC's board. Lastly, FMC
created a bipartisan group of Counselors, which is a non-
voting group of former board members who no longer are
subject to an election to the board, but continue counseling
the organization on a volunteer basis. There currently are 12
counselors. FMC board members as of December 2025:
Hon. Charles Boustany (R-LA), President Emeritus Council;
Hon. Larry Bucshon (R-IN); Hon. Cheri Bustos (D-IL); Hon.
Russ Carnahan (D-MO); Hon. Bob Clement (D-TN), non-voting
Counselor; Hon. Barbara Comstock (R-VA), FMC President; Hon.
Rodney Davis (R-IL); Hon. Val Demings (D-FL); Hon. Jeff
Denham (R-CA); Hon. Charlie Dent (R-PA); Sen. Byron Dorgan
(D-ND), non-voting Counselor; Hon. Donna Edwards (D-MD), FMC
President-Elect; Hon. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT); Hon. Martin
Frost (D-TX), President Emeritus Council; Hon. Tom Graves (R-
GA); Sec. Dan Glickman (D-KS), non-voting Counselor; Hon. Bob
Goodlatte (R-VA); Hon. Bart Gordon (D-TN); Hon. Lee Hamilton
(D-IN), non-voting Counselor; Hon. Dennis Hertel (D-MI),
President Emeritus Council; Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-AR), non-
voting Counselor; Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL); Amb. Jim Jones (D-
OK), non-voting Counselor; Hon. Barbara Kennelly (D-CT),
President-Emeritus Council.
Hon. Dan Kildee (D-MI); Hon. Derek Kilmer (D-WA); Hon. Ken
Kramer (R-CO), non-voting Counselor; Hon. Larry LaRocco (D-
ID), President Emeritus Council; Hon. Martin Lancaster (D-
NC), non-voting Counselor; Hon. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI); Hon.
Kathy Manning (D-NC); Hon. Matt McHugh (D-NY), President
Emeritus Council; Amb. Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL), non-voting
Counselor; Hon. Jim Moran (D-VA), non-voting Counselor; Amb.
Connie Morella (R-MD), President Emeritus Council; Hon. L.F.
Payne (D-VA), Immediate Past President; Hon. Tim Petri (R-
WI), non-voting Counselor; Hon. Peter Roskam (R-IL); Hon.
lleana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL); Hon. Dennis Ross (R-FL), FMC Vice
President; Hon. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), FMC Vice President;
Hon. James Slattery (D-KS), President Emeritus Council; Sen.
Olympia Snowe (R-ME), non-voting Counselor; Hon. Cliff
Stearns (R-FL), President Emeritus Council; Hon. Fred Upton
(R-MI); Hon. Greg Walden (R-OR); Hon Al Wynn (D-MD), non-
voting Counselor.
FMC employs a staff of 16 professionals, 13 of whom are
full-time employees of FMC, plus one part-time employee, and
two fellows. They are:
Peter M. Weichlein, CEO; Sabine Schleidt, COO; Lorraine
Harbison, Programs Director; Patrick Egenhofer, Associate
Programs Director; Erica Daye, Associate Operations Director;
Steve Scully, Senior Fellow; Ty Baker, Program Manager; Miles
Monaco, Development Operations Manager; Olivia Truesdale,
Program Manager, Andriana Gregovic, Communications and Events
Officer; Abby Haas, Program Officer; Caitlin Rissmiller,
Program Officer; Abigail Cate, Program Officer; Nanako Kondo,
Program Officer; Gopika Ramesh, India Fellow; Renne Perkins,
Administrative Specialist.
It should also be noted, that in 2025, FMC recognized all
of its past President's with FMC's Distinguished Service
Award. The following former Members have served as Presidents
of the organization:
Chronological list of all Presidents of the Former Members
of Congress Association:
Hon. Walter H. Judd (R-MN); Hon. Brooks Hays (D-AR); Hon.
George Meader (R-MI); Hon. Jeffery Cohelan (D-CA); The Hon.
J. Caleb Boggs (R-DE); Hon. Horace R. Kornegay (D-NC); Hon.
Charles Brownson (R-MI); Hon. Carlton R. Sickles (D-MD);

[[Page H5849]]

Hon. William S. Mailliard (R-CA); Hon. John S. Monagan (D-
CT); Hon. Charles E. Chamberlain (R-MI); Hon. Frank E. Moss
(D-UT); Hon. J. Gleann Beall, Jr. (R-MD); Hon. James M.
Quigley (D-PA); Hon. Edward J. Derwinski (R-IL); Hon. John V.
Lindsay (D-NY); Hon. Elford A. Cederberg (R-MI); Hon. Abner
J. Mikva (D-IL); Hon. John J. Rhodes (R-AZ); Hon. William D.
Hathaway (D-ME).
Hon. Clarence J. Bown (R-OH); Hon. James W. Symington (D-
MO); Hon. Philip E. Rupp, (R-MI); Hon. Lindy Boggs (D-LA);
Hon. Louis Frey, Jr. (R-FL); Hon. Matthew F. McHugh (D-NY);
Hon. John N. Erlenborn (R-IL); Hon. Larry LaRocco (D-ID);
Hon. Jack Buechner (R-MO); Hon. Jim Slattery (D-KS); Hon. Jay
Rhodes (R-AZ); Hon. Dennis Hertel (D-MI); Hon. Connie Morella
(R-MD); Hon. Barbara Kennelly (D-CT); Hon. Cliff Stearns (R-
FL); Hon. Martin Frost (D-TX); Hon. Charles Boustany (RI-LA);
Hon. L.F. Payne (D-VA); Hon. Barbara Comstock (R-VA).
Communications is a crucial component of any brand in the
modern era, and FMC is no different. Analyzing trends,
monitoring mentions, and remaining aware of conversations
surrounding the organization allow FMC to grow our awareness
and ensure we stay relevant in conversations surrounding
Congress and Former Members. In 2025, FMC was mentioned in
the news and on the social media platform X a total of 522
times, with notable peaks in May during FMC's Statesmanship
Awards Celebration, and in September with the launch of FMC's
Congressional Study Group on India and the annual Memorial
Service.
An important component to review is the estimated reach of
an organization, which is the total number of unique
individuals who have been exposed to a specific piece of
content, such as press releases or articles. FMC and our
Congressional Study Groups saw an estimated reach of 1.5
billion in 2025, up 10% from 2024, and experienced
significant growth in our coverage in South Korea. Estimated
reach is an important metric to consider when seeing the
impact of PR and communications efforts, and the audience
reached based on the different news platforms that cover the
organization. However, it should be kept in mind that
estimate reach focuses more on the potential audience
reached and is not an accurate count of views. Despite
this caveat, it is clear that FMC expanded its audience
and coverage around the world in 2025 and will continue to
grow in the new year.
Finally, FMC was able to calculate the Advertising Value
Equivalence (AVE) of our efforts this year, which is a metric
used to estimate the monetary value of public relations
efforts by comparing media coverage to the cost of equivalent
advertising space. In 2025, FMC achieved over $12 million in
AVE, with a significant rise again in May of 2025. Notably,
over half of this AVE was generated in South Korea due to the
attention paid to FMC's Congressional Study Group current
Member of Congress trip and two Former Member of Congress
delegations to the peninsula this year. Our communications
monitoring efforts show us that the Republic of Korea
maintains a strong connection to the United States and is
incredibly interested in FMC and the Congressional Study
Group on Korea's efforts to build upon this relationship.
Overall, FMC saw growth in reach, awareness, and new trends
in viewership in 2025. Taking these lessons and building upon
them in 2026 will allow us to have a successful year that
amplifies our voice, mission, and audience!

II. FMC Programming Focused on Former Members of Congress

FMC programming can generally be divided into two types of
activities: projects involving Former Members of Congress and
those involving Current Members of Congress. Both types of
programs engage domestic as well as international audiences.
Current Member programs often also extend to senior
Congressional Staff, such as Chiefs of Staff or District
Directors. Most importantly, all of FMC's programs invite
Democrats and Republicans to participate, and all of FMC's
projects are impactful and successful because they are based
on bipartisanship, commitment to pragmatic policy making, and
respectful and civil discourse.
The main objective of programs involving Former Members of
Congress is to bring to bear the unique and exceptional
experience inherent in FMC's membership and to involve a
great variety of audiences in a constructive dialogue about
representative democracy. Most of FMC's work in this field
focuses on bringing bipartisan groups of Former Members
together with university and high school students for a
discussion on public service, the Article One branch, being a
well informed and active citizen, and the issues of the day.
This is mostly accomplished via FMC's flagship civic-
education program, Congress to Campus.
In 2025, Congress to Campus continued its commitment to
fostering bipartisan dialogue, civic engagement, and public
service among thousands of college students across the
country. Over the course of three days during the fall and
spring semesters, Congress to Campus brings a bipartisan team
of former U.S. Representatives and Senators to colleges and
universities, giving students a unique opportunity to engage
directly with those who have served in Congress and gain
candid insights into the workings of our democracy. Each
Congress to Campus program is unique and tailored to the
topics most important to the host campus. FMC selects Former
Members whose backgrounds align with the program's focus
areas to ensure they can offer meaningful insights and
relevant personal experiences.
This year, Congress to Campus conducted a total of 22
programs, including one at a Historically Black College and
University, one at a community college, four at Hispanic-
Serving Institutions, two at military service academies, and
two international programs in the UK and Germany.
Congress to Campus is impactful for students because it
models what civil, substantive political debate should look
like. Former Members engage one another, even on the most
challenging issues, with respect and thoughtfulness. The
program also encourages students to consider careers in
public service by offering advice and demonstrating the many
pathways to a political career.
Another 2025 achievement is FMC creating and implementing a
dedicated Congress to Campus website to serve as a resource
for schools, students, and participating Former Members. For
campuses, the site offers guidance on how to host a program,
from understanding the program model and logistics to
providing sample schedules, promotional materials, and
planning guides. It is designed to make planning
straightforward and to help institutions get the most out of
their visit from Former Members.
The website also functions as an educational resource for
students. It introduces key concepts central to Congress to
Campus, including civic education, the continuity of
Congress, and the value of bipartisan cooperation. The site
equips participating students with background information to
help them prepare before Members arrive on campus, offering
tools to ask thoughtful questions and shedding light on
important issues.
Every year, Former Members donate between 800 and 1,000
hours to the program. FMC would like to thank the following
Former Members for donating their time to inspire the next
generation of Americans to pursue careers in public service.
A great many of them participated in multiple Congress to
Campus visits during the year:
Hon. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY); Hon. Mike Capuano (D-MA);
Hon. Sam Coppersmith (D-AZ); Hon. Tom Davis (R-VA); Hon.
Peter DeFazio (D-OR); Hon. Donna Edwards (D-MD); Hon. Bill
Enyart (D-IL); Hon. Abby Finkenauer (D-IA); Hon. John Faso
(R-NY); Hon. Chris Gibson (R-NY); Hon. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA);
Hon. Garret Graves (R-LA); Hon. Jim Gerlach (R-PA); Hon. Gil
Gutknecht (R-MN); Hon. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO); Hon. Joe Heck
(R-NV); Hon. Joe Hoeffel (D-PA); Hon. Bob Inglis (R-SC); Hon.
Peter Kostmayer (D-PA).
Hon. Annie Kuster (D-NH); Hon. Andy Levin (D-MI); Hon. Dave
Loebsack (D-IA); Hon. Marjorie Margolies (D-PA); Hon.
Stephanie Murphy (D-FL); Hon. Erik Paulsen (R-MN); Hon. Greg
Pence (R-IN); Hon. L.F. Payne (D-VA); Hon. Tom Reed (R-NY);
Hon. Dennis Ross (R-FL); Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC); Hon.
Bill Sarpalius (D-TX); Hon. Joe Sestak (D-PA); Hon. Chris
Shays (R-CT); Hon. John Shimkus (R-IL); Hon. David Skaggs (D-
CO); Hon. Robin Tallon (D-SC); Hon. Dave Trott (R-MI); Hon.
Fred Upton (R-MI).
As we reflect on this year's programming, we are grateful
to the Stennis Center and the Park Foundation for their
generous support, which has been instrumental in making
Congress to Campus possible. Looking ahead, we're excited to
expand Congress to Campus to even more institutions and young
Americans next year, with a special focus on incorporating
America 250 and the upcoming midterm elections into each
program.
An important expansion of FMC's regular Congress to Campus
programming has been made possible for several years by the
Sumners Foundation in Texas. The Sumners Foundation has been
a strong partner of FMC's for many years now, and we're proud
to have watched this partnership flourish and grow in new
ways in 2025. For the first time ever, FMC organized and
hosted three virtual programs for Sumners scholars over the
course of the year, each featuring a different pair of Former
Members of Congress and covering a new topic relevant to that
month.
The first panel, held in February, focused on what to
expect from the second Trump Administration and featured
Former Members Mike Burgess (R-TX) and Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-
GA), moderated by Bob Francis with the Fort Worth Report. The
second virtual conversation was in April and welcomed Former
Members Bob Gibbs (R-OH) and Kathy Manning (D-NC) and was
moderated by FMC Senior Fellow Steve Scully. The pair
reflected on the first 100 days of the Trump Administration
and analyzed the impacts of the President's policies.
Finally, our third virtual conversation in late October
welcomed back moderator Bob Francis and featured for the
first time two former Senators, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD). The pair were able to share with
the Sumners Scholars their experiences governing in both
the House and Senate, important perspectives on
bipartisanship, and predictions for the 2026 Mid-term
elections.
On October 4th and 5th, FMC hosted students from across
Texas and Oklahoma in Dallas, Texas for our annual Policy
Weekend, a two-day program where Sumners Scholars listen to a
variety of panels featuring our Former Members of Congress
and touching on some of the most pressing political topics of
today. It is the largest program FMC hosts with the Sumners
Foundation

[[Page H5850]]

every year. This year, we were proud to be joined by Former
Members Charles Boustany (R-LA), Larry Bucshon (B-IN), Dan
Kildee (D-MI), Nick Lampson (D-TX), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI),
and John Shimkus (R-IL), as well as Steve Scully as our
moderator for the week. Over the weekend, almost 100 students
listened to five panels of our Former Members: The
Legislative Branch and Checks & Balances; Immigration
Solutions and Border Security; America First vs.
Internationalism; Trade, Tariffs, and the Economy; and
breakout panels on Party Past, Present, and Future. They also
were able to dine with the Former Members, ask questions
directly to the former legislators during Q&A portions of the
panel, and speak with them during designated networking
portions or before and after panels.
Student participation for both the virtual and the in-
person interactions continues to grow year after year,
showcasing the success of our programs and the interest
students have in participating in this type of frank, civil
and productive dialogue. Our Former Members have also shared
how thoroughly they enjoy being able to speak with students
and answer their questions in a more intimate setting. We
look forward to continuing this partnership in 2026.
Not all of FMC's civic education projects engage university
students. FMC also brings to the Capitol middle school
students from across the country. Every Summer, FMC is proud
to partner with Envision by WorldStrides to bring hundreds of
students to the United States House of Representatives floor
to discuss the importance of civil service and civic
education. A small group of Former Members of Congress meet
with the students every week to field their questions and
give them an opportunity to learn more about life as a public
servant as well as working in Congress.
Engaging with future leaders from all over the country is a
unique and important task, and these touchpoints have become
a yearly tradition for our membership. We are proud to
educate on these issues while also providing a platform for
the next generation of Americans to engage with their
government. In 2025, the following Former Members interacted
with our students as we brought them into the House Chamber:
Hon. Tim Roemer (D-IN); Hon. Barbara Comstock (R-VA); Hon.
Dan Kildee (D-MI); Hon. Lleana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL); Hon. Mike
Kopetski (D-OR); Hon. Toby Roth (R-WI); Hon. Susan Wild (D-
PA); Hon. Cheri Bustos (D-IL); Hon. Ken Kramer (R-CO); Hon.
Val Demings (D-FL); Hon. Mike Ross (D-AR); Hon. Dave Trott
(R-MI); Hon. Greg Pence (R-IN); Hon. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR);
Hon. Joe Sestak (D-PA); Hon. Greg Pence (R-IN); Hon. Tom
Davis (R-VA); Hon. Steven Palazzo (R-MS).
In addition to FMC's civic education programs and our
mission to engage the next generation of America's voters,
leaders and public servants, FMC is uniquely qualified to
collect and record the invaluable insight that Members of
Congress have about our Article One branch and the electoral
process. In 2025, that work took many shapes, including
numerous townhalls, discussions, media engagements and other
opportunities bringing bipartisan groups of Former Members
together with the public. One particularly impactful project
was made possible by Unite America and focused on the way we
elect our representatives.
Beginning in December 2024, FMC partnered with Unite
America, a non-profit organization based in Denver, Colorado,
with a focus on studying gerrymandering, primary reform, and
the impacts these processes have on a legislator's ability to
govern effectively. Through this partnership, FMC interviewed
almost two dozen retiring or Former Members of Congress about
their experiences campaigning, raising money, being
redistricted, and how their time in office was impacted by
the demands of reelection. FMC was able to interview a number
of Members in December 2024, during the lame duck period of
their last year in Congress, granting unfiltered access to
their concluding thoughts on the institution while they were
preparing for departure. The interview project proceeded into
2025 with over a dozen more interviews with Members of both
parties and both chambers. Each interview was conducted by
FMC Senior Fellow Steve Scully and was recorded, either on
video or audio, for use in further research and analysis.
Throughout the interviews, Members agreed that the
disproportionate importance of primary elections is moving
both parties to the extremes as Members typically must appear
more partisan to successfully push off primary challengers.
This issue further manifests itself when the Members arrive
at Congress and must consider how a vote will impact their
future primary races. The Former Members interviewed also
offered practical solutions to these challenges, such as open
all-candidate-primaries, rank choice voting, and reforms to
the campaign finance system. The findings from these
interviews were compiled into a report on FMC's website
entitled ``Elections and Representation: Insights from Former
Members'' and each interview is presented in a format to be
used by researchers and students as a resource for FMC's
Congress to Campus program. Some of the professionally
recorded interviews also aired on episodes of ``The Briefing
with Steve Scully,'' a SiriusXM radio show that receives
hundreds of thousands of listeners across its live and
recorded streaming episodes.
As a conclusion to this project, FMC hosted a fireside chat
event at the campus of The George Washington University in
conjunction with the GW Graduate School of Political
Management, in which Steve Scully led Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL)
and former Representatives Rodney Davis (R-IL), Garret Graves
(R-LA), and Kathy Manning (D-NC) in an open discussion about
these challenges and the other structural issues in Congress
that are inhibiting a Member's ability to collaborate with
colleagues from the other side of the political aisle and
best serve his or her constituents. The panelists were also
joined by Unite America's Executive Director Nick Trioano,
who shared context on the issue and provided substantive
solutions for the audience and panelists to consider in their
personal and political lives. The event drew an audience of
over 100 in-person attendees, including a large number of
university students from schools around D.C. and many members
of FMC's diplomatic contacts from various embassies. The
event was also broadcast live on C-SPAN and posted to C-
SPAN's website for subsequent viewing.
FMC would like to thank Unite America for their ongoing
support of FMC, and the George Washington University Graduate
School of Political Management for their partnership in the
roll out of the report. FMC would also like to thank the
following Former Members for participating in this project
and providing their valuable insights on this important
topic:
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO); Hon. Larry Bucshon (R-IN); Hon.
Cheri Bustos (D-IL); Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD); Hon. Lacy Clay
(D-MO); Hon. Barbara Comstock (R-VA); Hon. Rodney Davis (R-
IL); Hon. Bart Gordon (D-TN); Hon. Garret Graves (R-LA); Sen.
Doug Jones (D-AL); Hon. John Katko (R-NY); Hon. Dan Kildee
(D-MI); Hon. Derek Kilmer (D-WA); Hon. Andy Levin (D-MI);
Hon. Kathy Manning (D-NC); Hon. Jim Moran (D-VA); Hon. Tim
Petri (R-WI); Lleana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL); Hon. John Sarbanes
(D-MD); Hon. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH); Hon. Fred Upton (R-MI).
FMC's work involving bipartisan groups of Former Members of
Congress mostly takes place in universities, high schools,
and public meetings across the United States. There are, in
addition, a number of opportunities for Former Members to
engage with audiences overseas. FMC has taken the Congress to
Campus model and replicated it for university and high school
audiences in the United Kingdom, Korea, Japan and Germany, to
name just a few. Throughout week-long programs, Former
Members encourage conversations oftentimes overlooked in the
greater transatlantic dialogue space: a true dialogue with
international student audiences about US foreign policy and
US politics, and often divisive issues such as environmental
policy or global conflict resolution. These international
student engagements are made possible by a variety of
partners, including the British Library, Amerikahaus, and the
European Recovery Program, which is a grant administered by
the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs.
In addition, for almost a decade, FMC has sent Former
Member delegations-or ExDELs to South Korea several times a
year. The goal of these delegation is to help Members to
understand better the US-South Korean relationship based on
the common experience of the Korean War, and also to gain
tremendous insight into the strong trade relations and
opportunities that tie the two countries, thanks to great
discussions with companies such as Korea Zinc, Hyundai or
Samsung. These delegations have also played an active part in
the annual Asia Leadership Conference, a global security
symposium organized by Korea's Chosun Daily. These Korea
ExDELs are made possible by Former Member of Congress Jay Kim
(R-CA) and his wife Jennifer Ahn as well as the Jay Kim
Foundation.

III. FMC Programming Focused on Current Members of Congress

There are, of course, many synergies between the work
involving Former Members and FMC's mission of supporting
current Members of Congress and strengthening Congress as an
institution. For example, FMC is a longtime sponsor of the
Annual Congressional Baseball Game, because it is such a
wonderful tradition of bipartisanship, collegiality and
Congressional camaraderie. Also, one of FMC's most important
undertaking to support the current Congress is an annual
event celebrating bipartisanship on Capitol Hill. FMC each
year bestows its Annual Statesmanship Awards on two Senators
and two Representatives, one from each party, who are
committed to pragmatic and civil policy making by putting
solutions over partisanship. In 2025, the honorees were
Senators Cory Booker and Todd Young, and Representatives Ed
Case and Young Kim, recognized at a gala evening event at the
National Museum of Women in the Arts. The 2026 event is
scheduled for April 21st, to be held at the Library of
Congress, with confirmed honorees being Senator Raphael
Warnock, Senator John Boozman, Representative Bill Huizenga,
and Representative Gregory Meeks. The event also appreciates
that statesmanship and public service comes in many different
varieties, including corporate responsibility. In 2025, FMC
recognized Aflac as its corporate honoree, and in 2026 FMC
will give its corporate Statesmanship Award to Deutsche
Telekom.
The mission of FMC is to create dialogue and bring
different points of view together

[[Page H5851]]

for productive and informative discussions on a wide-ranging
set of issues. Throughout 2025, we implemented this mission
in many ways. Thanks to a grant from the M.J. Murdock
Charitable Trust FMC was able to convene multiple sessions
involving current Members and senior Congressional staff in a
bipartisan, off-the-record manner in order to promote healthy
across-the-aisle dialogue and build relationships within
Congress. FMC receives constant feedback from Former Members
who wish they had more opportunities to connect with their
colleagues of both parties while in Washington, D.C. and this
partnership with the Murdock Charitable Trust allowed FMC to
put together over a dozen events engaging Members of Congress
and Senior Congressional Staff in off-the-record,
relationship building events. These events engaged over 50
Members of Congress and over a dozen Senior Congressional
Staff in a bipartisan manner on a variety of topics ranging
from trade, Al, security, fiscal policy, and energy
solutions. FMC would like to thank our partners at the M.J.
Murdock Charitable Trusts for their support in fulfilling
this mission of building bipartisan relationships and looks
forward to continuing this work in 2026.
In a further effort to engage current Members of Congress
in thoughtful, fruitful, and engaging conversations with
their peers, FMC received support from the Peter G. Peterson
Foundation to create a series of breakfast events for Members
of Congress to discuss the important issue of the U.S.
deficit and national debt. These off-the-record, Chatham
House Rules-styled events gathered over a dozen Members of
Congress along with subject matter experts from the Peter G.
Peterson Foundation and the Concord Coalition to talk through
the challenges Congress faces when addressing budgetary
problems and practical solutions they can pursue moving
forward. The Members learned about the issue at a deeper
level, discussed ways to educate their constituents about the
severity of the problem, and created new bipartisan
relationships that could lead to increased collaboration in
Committees across the Hill. FMC looks forward to continuing
our partnership with the Peterson Foundation in 2026.
Arguably one of the most important and effective ways in
which FMC Supports the current Congress in its work is
through FMC's Congressional Study Groups. Because FMC is a
bipartisan, Congressionally Chartered organization committed
to nonadvocacy, we are able unlike any other organization to
bring current Members together--across the political aisle--
with their peers in parliaments and the legislative branches
of other countries. These legislative exchanges now include
elected representatives and officials in Germany, Korea,
Europe, Japan and, as of September 2025, India.
In 2025, FMC's Congressional Study Groups continued our
mission to support Congress and provide a forum for
bipartisan and candid discussion on timely issues at home and
abroad. The Congressional Study Group on India was launched
in 2025, welcoming a new cohort of Co-Chairs, Rep. Rob
Wittman (R-VA) and Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC) in the House of
Representatives. By connecting Congress at the Member and
staff levels with their international counterparts, the
diplomatic community, academia, and the business community,
FMC fosters mutual understanding, personal relationships, and
continued presence that is essential for Congress to
legislate on behalf of the American people. All this
important activity is accomplished through international
Member and Staff delegations overseas, roundtable programs
here in Washington, as well as regional gatherings. The
Congressional Study Groups provide an essential and
unparalleled forum that brings together elected officials in
the United States with their elected counterparts overseas,
thus creating a network of peers.
Together, the Study Groups are proud to count over 200
current Representatives and Senators as members, and each
Study Group is led by a bipartisan, bicameral group of
CoChairs. These dedicated Co-Chairs embody the Study Groups'
commitment to meaningful and dynamic engagement and take the
mission to heart by donating their valuable time and energy
to support FMC's programming. Beyond their contributions at
official Study Group events, they actively collaborate with
embassies and external organizations, participating in
panels, attending roundtables, and meeting with numerous
visiting delegations to advance the objectives of their
respective Study Groups and strengthen the international
relationships they foster.
The work of the Study Groups would not be possible without
the generous support of a committed group of individuals,
organizations, and Business Advisory Council members.
Organizations that supported FMC's Study Groups include the
Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, the Japan-U.S. Friendship
Commission, German Marshall Fund, Korea Society, and
Roundglass Foundation. In particular, FMC would like to
recognize Mr. Sunny Singh of the Roundglass Foundation, whose
support was instrumental to the establishment of the
Congressional Study Group on India this year. Additionally,
FMC would also like to offer special thanks to its longtime
partner, Korea Society President & CEO Thomas Byrne, who has
been a champion of the Congressional Study Group on Korea's
work and vision for developing this unique, bipartisan forum
for expanding ties between the U.S. and Korea. Our Business
Advisory council continues to benefit from the guidance and
leadership of Advisory Board Members Anna Schneider of
Volkswagen, Brad Knox of Aflac, Jeff Werner of Panasonic,
Majida Mourad of M2M Advisors, Nancy Ziuzin Schlegel of
Lockheed Martin, and Danny O'Brien of Hanwha QCells America.
Amidst economic uncertainties, supply chain difficulties, and
energy security, these companies continue to be champions for
effective and productive dialogue between our elected
parliaments.
In 2025, FMC led 6 international Study Tours for Members of
Congress and their Senior Staff, engaged over 600 unique
attendees across all Study Group events in Washington and
overseas, and held over 100 Study Group-specific events on
issues ranging from global security to international trade.
Throughout FMC's Congressional Study Groups, 2025 saw a
variety of memorable achievements. Notable highlights of
these achievements include: In April, Senate Co-Chair Sen.
Mazie Hirono (D-HI) traveled to Japan for the first time with
the Congressional Study Group on Japan; during the year,
FMC's Congressional Study Groups welcomed 3 new House Co-
Chair: (1) Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Co-Chair of the
Congressional Study Group on Europe, (2) Rep. Deborah Ross
(D-NC), Co-Chair of the Congressional Study Group on India,
and (3) Rep. Rob Whittman (R-VA), Co-Chair of the
Congressional Study Group on India; for the first time since
2022, the Congressional Study Group on Japan conducted a
Study Tour to Japan for Congressional District Directors,
as FMC's programming continues to expand its congressional
outreach; for the first time since before the pandemic,
the Congressional Study Group on Europe facilitated a
Study Tour for Members of Congress, in partnership with
the Embassy of Spain; in October, the Congressional Study
Group on Korea was awarded The Korea Society's prestigious
James A. Van Fleet Award for deepening bipartisan
understanding and cooperation between the United States
and Korea and thereby strengthening U.S.-ROK ties.
This work is made possible by many partners to FMC, whether
they are US foundations awarding grants to FMC, or the US and
international corporations that make up FMC's Business
Advisory Council. Specifically, they include:
AARP; Aflac; All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.; Allianz;
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; B. Braun Medical, Inc.; BASF;
Bayer; The Carnegie Corporation; Central Japan Railway Co.;
CJ America; Deutsche Telekom Inc.; DHL; The German Marshall
Fund of the United States; Glabolgarstroy (GBS); Hanwha
Qcells America, Inc.; Hitachi, Ltd.; Hyundai Motor Group;
ITOCHU International, Inc.; The Japan US Friendship
Commission; JTI USA Inc.; Keidanren; KITA; The Korea Society;
LG; Lockheed Martin International.
Lufthansa German Airlines; Marubeni America Corporation;
Mercedes Benz; Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas); Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries America, Inc.; Mizuho Bank, Ltd.; The
Murdock Charitable Trust; NEC Corporation of America; Nissan
North America; The Packard Foundation; Panasonic Corporation
of North America; The Peter G. Peterson Foundation; POSCO
America Corporation; Representative of German Industry and
Trade; The Roundglass Foundation; Samsung Electronics
America, Inc.; The Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA; Siemens
Corporation; Sojitz Corporation of America; The Stennis
Center; The Sumners Foundation; Suntory Global; Toyota Motor
North America, Inc.; Unite America; UPS; Volkswagen Group of
America, Inc.
The international work of FMC's Congressional Study Groups
is further enhanced by a number of embassies in Washington,
DC, participating in FMC's Diplomatic Advisory Council. FMC's
Diplomatic Advisory Council (DAC) is an informal body of
current Ambassadors serving in the nation's capital and
provides direct outreach to our strategic allies abroad. With
nearly three dozen Ambassadors in our DAC, each member
country is active and engaged in almost all aspects of our
programming. This year, we added a collection of new
Ambassadors to our ranks, including H.E. Petra Schneebauer of
Austria, H.E. Maguy Maccario Doyle of Monaco, and H.E. Iztok
Mirosic of Slovenia. We are proud to engage with the
international community here in DC. The Ambassadors engaged
in FMC's Diplomatic Advisory Council include:
H.E. Kevin Rudd, Ambassador of Australia to the U.S.; H.E.
Petra Schneebauer, Ambassador of Austria to the U.S.; H.E:
Frederic Bernard, Ambassador of Belgium to the U.S.; H.E.
Kirsten Hillman, Ambassador of Canada to the U.S.; H.E. Juan
Gabriel Valdes, Ambassador of Chile to the U.S.; H.E.
Catalina Crespo Sancho, Ambassador of Costa Rica to the U.S.;
H.E. Miloslav Stasek, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the
U.S.; H.E. Jesper Mller Srensen,
Ambassador of Denmark to the U.S.; H.E. Jovita Neliupsiene,
Ambassador of the European Union to the U.S.; H.E. Leena-
Kaisa Mikkola, Ambassador of Finland to the U.S.; H.E.
Laurent Bili, Ambassador of France to the U.S.; H.E. Jens
Hanefeld, Ambassador of Germany to the U.S.; H.E. Svanhildur
Holm Valsdottir, Ambassador of Iceland to the U.S.; H.E.
Vinay Kwatra, Ambassador of India to the U.S.; H.E. Geraldine
Byrne Nason, Ambassador of Ireland to the U.S.; H.E.
Mariangela Zappia, Ambassador of Italy to the U.S.
H.E. Shigeo Yamada, Ambassador of Japan; H.E. Kyung-wha
Kang, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the U.S.; H.E.
Georg

[[Page H5852]]

Sparber, Ambassador of the Principality of Liechtenstein to
the U.S.; H.E. Nicole Bintner-Bakshian, Ambassador of
Luxembourg to the U.S.; H.E. Godfrey Xuereb, Ambassador of
Malta to the U.S.; H.E. Maguy Maccario Doyle, Ambassador of
Monaco to the U.S.; H.E. Birgitta Tazelaar, Ambassador of the
Netherlands to the U.S.; H.E. Rosemary Banks, Ambassador of
New Zealand to the U.S.; H.E. Anniken Huitfeldt, Ambassador
of Norway to the U.S.; H.E. Jose Manuel Romualdez, Ambassador
of the Philippines to the U.S.; H.E. Francisco Duarte Lopes,
Ambassador of Portugal to the U.S.; H.E. Sheikh Meshal Bin
Hamad Al-Thani, Ambassador of Qatar to the U.S.; H.E. Dan-
Andrei Muraru, Ambassador of Romania to the U.S.; H.E. Lui
Tuck Yew, Ambassador of Singapore to the U.S.; H.E. Iztok
Mirosic, Ambassador of Slovenia to the U.S.; H.E. Angeles
Moreno Bau, Ambassador of Spain to the U.S.; H.E. Urban
Ahlin, Ambassador of Sweden to the U.S.
This concludes the 2025 report by the Former Members of
Congress Association. As required by FMC's Congressional
Charter, this report, along with FMC's most recent audited
financial statements, will be shared with the House Judiciary
Committee. It will also be made available to the public on
FMC's website at www.usafmc.org.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. I now yield back my time.
Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you, Barbara, for this report of FMC's work in
2025. I hope you all will take the time, as Barbara said, to read the
more in-depth narrative.
We are proud of all that has been accomplished this year. We, FMC
staff and leadership, have spent a lot of time thinking about FMC's
role celebrating America's milestone next year, America250--
specifically how FMC can engage audiences across the country and even
overseas in a discourse about our representative democracy as part of
the Nation's semiquincentennial celebration.
As part of our contribution to America250, we want to engage in a
dialogue with many different audiences, and we want that dialogue to be
credible, inspirational, genuine, and motivating. FMC's exceptional
deliverable is an insider's view on the Article I branch and an
unparalleled experience of living the notion of consent by the
governed.
FMC's first articulation of how we view our contribution to
America250 celebration is actually starting right now. We have asked a
bipartisan group of former Members to deliver 1 minutes as part of our
report to Congress and to share with the public what makes this
institution so special and important.
We realize that Congress is not perfect. Nothing is. However, we also
know, like no others, how challenging a public service each and every
current Member performs, no matter the party. We are in awe of the
tremendous power of the Article I branch, and we want to give
encouragement and inspiration to the next generation as we are looking
back on 250 years.
With that, I will recognize from this chair a bipartisan group of
former Members who have asked to deliver short remarks about their
experience serving in this august institution. I realize that other
Members in the Chamber may want to speak as well, but in the interest
of time, we will have to confine this part of our presentation to the
Members I already have on my list.
I now recognize the Honorable Barbara Comstock of Virginia for 1
minute.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary, it
is difficult to consider the principles that unite us when we do hear
so much noise that divides us.
However, recent history does tell when Congress got its work done
despite contentious times. I recall during the Presidential impeachment
and a government shutdown during Bill Clinton's time when Republicans
and Democrats got welfare reform and tax reform done and balanced the
budget at the same time. After 9/11, despite a 50-50 2000 election and
a 5-4 Supreme Court, Congress stood on the steps in front here after
three planes hit our homeland and vowed never again would that happen,
and we worked together at least long enough that we have never
experienced a major terrorist attack again on our homeland ever since.
I know when I came to Congress in 2015, despite partisanship, I
worked together with people on issues like sexual harassment, the
opioid epidemic, gang violence, and STEM initiatives. Congress can and
should be a body that can get things done working together, and we
can't let the loud voices that divide us win out.
Those who get things done have written the story for 250 years, and
that is the story that FMC can and will continue to tell. Working
together, we are the ones who can tell that story.
Ms. EDWARDS. I now recognize the Honorable Kathy Manning of North
Carolina.
Ms. MANNING. Madam Speaker, I rise to call out the growing danger of
anti-Semitism across the country and around the world. Anti-Semitism is
no longer restricted to the fringes of society. It has become
mainstream. Hateful stereotypes, lies, and despicable caricatures of
Jews have become commonplace among famous influencers, political
activists on college campuses, spread on social media, and on podcasts.
Anti-Semitism has become normalized. This is not a Democratic problem,
and it is not a Republican problem. It is an American problem, an
Australian problem, a European problem, and a global problem.
Yesterday, Jews were murdered at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney,
Australia. Last month, synagogues were attacked in New York City and in
Los Angeles. Last May, two young Jews were shot dead outside a museum
in this very city.
This is what it means to globalize the intifada.
History teaches us what happens when anti-Semitism is ignored,
excused, or politicized. Hatred, demonization, and dehumanization
spreads to other groups, eats away at democracy, and the results can be
catastrophic.
This House must speak out and take action on a bipartisan basis to
stop the spread of this ancient virus. The responsibility to combat
anti-Semitism cannot rest with the Jewish community. It is a national
problem that must be addressed by every Member of this august body.
Madam Speaker, I had intended to give remarks on the importance of a
bipartisan effort to combat partisan gerrymandering, which I believe
undermines trust in Congress, but the events of the weekend required
different remarks.
I would like to submit my original remarks for the Record.
Madam Chair, I rise to address an issue that should be of concern to
Republicans and Democrats alike: partisan gerrymandering. In too many
districts, the outcome of an election is decided before a single vote
is cast.
The result?
Accountability to voters is replaced with party allegiance,
Candidates cater to the extremes, and
Compromise is viewed as surrender rather than the underpinnings of
good governance.
With changing maps, District offices are shut down, constituent work
is disrupted, people don't even know who their representative is.
It's no wonder voters have lost faith in Congress.
We are in a race to the bottom--new maps in Texas prompted new maps
in California. Other states have joined this war of mutual destruction.
Here's to the Hoosiers, who have said no to this game.
I call on Republicans and Democrats to end this battle. Our future
depends on working together to solve problems that impact our economy,
our safety, and our sense of community.
Faith in Congress will only be restored when Americans believe that
both parties care more about fighting for all Americans than winning
rigged elections.

Ms. EDWARDS. The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Indiana,
Larry Bucshon.
Mr. BUCSHON. It is an honor to be at this podium again. When I
reflect on my time in Congress and what this House means, I realize
that less than 13,000 people in the history of the country have had the
opportunity that I have had and I have today. I haven't forgotten that.
I came from Kincaid, Illinois, a town of 1,400 people. My dad was a
coal miner.
If you talk to Members of Congress, those stories are common to
people from everywhere, people from all walks of life.
Since the first Congress in 1789, this House has been closest to the
people. It is the people's House. As was mentioned, it was only by the
consent of the governed that what happens here establishes its
relevance.
Looking forward, I can't tell you how optimistic I am about the
future of this country because of the people who are in this room and
the people who currently are serving and the history of

[[Page H5853]]

how Americans kind of come to the top. I have full confidence, again,
that this will occur.
We have the best form of government that has ever been designed. It
will persevere to our 250th anniversary of the Declaration this next
summer and for another 250 years or more.
Ms. EDWARDS. The Chair recognizes the Honorable Dan Kildee of
Michigan.
Mr. KILDEE. Madam Chair, thanks to the Former Members of Congress
Association for bringing us together and for being an opportunity for
those who us who served here together to continue to enjoy one
another's friendship and company.
I am going to reference one of my classmates and my roommate here in
Congress, Derek Kilmer, who is not with us this morning. He said many
times, and I want to repeat it, he said that they told him when he came
here that if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.
He also went on to say something I agree with, that that was not his
experience at all. Some of the closest friendships I have developed in
my lifetime were born of the pressure-filled moments that we shared
here together--people that I agreed with and people that I disagreed
with.
I served here for 12 years, but I had the very good fortune of having
a bird's-eye view of this place for a lot longer than that. My uncle,
Dale Kildee, with whom most of you in this room served, those of you
who served here, was here for 36 years. I watched him often from that
gallery. I also watched him up close and learned from him that you can
fight hard for the positions you believe in. You can be passionate
about the things you care about and still treat people with whom you
have differences with dignity and respect.
I hope when I came here that I did something to live up to the
example that he set. It is an important example not just because it is
a message that we send to the rest of the country, but it is also
really important in order to get things done here. When I was here many
years ago, early in my term my hometown of Flint faced its most
difficult moment in its history, a water crisis, lead poisoning
thousands and thousands of young kids in my hometown. I needed to get
something done to help that community recover.
I was in the minority at that time. I served in the minority and in
the majority here, and I have a preference. But it was people like Fred
Upton, my very good friend from the other side of the aisle, who stood
with me when I needed help from the other side of the aisle to get help
for my own hometown. That made a difference.
It wasn't just Fred. It was many others. It was actually Speaker Ryan
and then-Leader Pelosi who worked together to help me get that help
done.
People ask if I miss this place. I do. I mostly miss the friendships
and the relationships, but what I take away from it--it is an important
obligation that I hope we all share--is to go out and talk to people
about the times that we did succeed here; that our differences are not
something that ought to define our time here. Our differences should be
celebrated not denigrated.
The notion of this place is to get as many different points of view
as we possibly can in the same room to sit at a table of goodwill and
try to find a path forward.
As I now have left Congress, one of my roles is to teach at Central
Michigan University. What I hope to do in that role is to explain to
those students that despite what they see and hear on the news is that
this place is still a place for people of different points of view and
different perspectives to come together at a table of goodwill and try
to chart a path forward for our country. It still works. We just need
to make sure we explain that to people and demonstrate that to people.
The Former Members of Congress is a great vehicle to do that.
Ms. EDWARDS. The Chair recognizes the Honorable Fred Upton of
Michigan.
Mr. UPTON. I thank my friend, Dan Kildee, not only did we work well
together here, we have actually worked together since we both left.
Thank goodness for cell phones that we didn't have a lot of years ago.
It is nice to be back in this respected Chamber with so many of my
friends. I retired in 2023 after serving southwest Michigan for 36
years. Yesterday, I gave the commencement speech at the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor, and I reflected somewhat on my career in the
body, reflecting the strong bipartisan actions that I undertook from my
first day of office.
You see, I learned a lot from my years in the Reagan White House,
working with a very popular President who, guess what, had an amazing
run leading our country through some very difficult times, and he did
it with bipartisan support. He won 49 States when he ran for reelection
in 1984. Yes, he worked across the aisle, and for the most part with a
Democratic Congress.
I took a page from his success, and with very few exceptions worked
with the Republicans and Democrats on the many issues of the day with
very few regrets.
Today, we have so many issues that need this body's attention. The
laundry list is long, and time is short. However, the challenge that I
gave to the students yesterday and to this body today is pretty simple
as we pass the torch to the next generation: We need leaders for today
and tomorrow. This is not the time to stand by. It is the time, in
fact, to stand up.
Frederick Douglass said: ``I would unite with anyone to do right and
with nobody to do wrong.''
We need these graduates that I spoke to yesterday, and we need this
body to act responsibly on the issues of today and tomorrow. Let's get
to work. My closing remarks yesterday, of course, were: Go Blue. Beat
the Bucks.
Ms. EDWARDS. The Chair recognizes the Honorable Val Demings of
Florida.
Mrs. DEMINGS. Madam Speaker, I made a decision a long time ago to
dedicate my life to public service. As the daughter of a maid and a
janitor, I could have never imagined that I would be elected to serve
in Congress. I am grateful for my parents' sacrifices and also grateful
for Congress' commitment throughout history to pass laws that gave
greater opportunities to all of America's sons and daughters.
I was honored during my three terms to join my colleagues on both
sides of the aisle to pass legislation that I know will make a
difference for generations to come; legislation like the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act, which includes massive investment in our roads
and in our bridges, broadband, and clean energy; legislation like the
CHIPS and Science Act; legislation like the Safer Communities Act to
address gun violence; and legislation that takes better care of our
veterans like the PACT Act.
Since its inception, only about 12,500 people have served in
Congress, what a privilege. When we put our heads and our hearts
together, history proves that Congress can do some amazing things and
make life better and safer for the American people.
Ms. EDWARDS. The Chair recognizes the Honorable Larry LaRocco of
Idaho.
Mr. LaROCCO. Madam Speaker, it is a great honor to be back in the
well of the House that I revere and where memories I cherish occurred.
I am grateful for the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress
for the recognition of the work I did for our great group of formers.
There is a common thread that links those of us who have served in
this House and the Senate: public service.
The strictly bipartisan programs of the FMC are intended to reach
broad audiences about our commitment to public service.
I found as a Member of Congress that I possessed two things that
could not be diluted: my vote and my word. I was entrusted with a vote
to represent the values of approximately 700,000 constituents. That
vote belonged to the people of my district and was not intended to be
controlled by the President, congressional leadership, or an interest
group, and my word needed to be trusted by my colleagues.
Our Article I responsibilities obligated us to form alliances within
and outside party affiliations. Bipartisanship is the glue that binds
our unique form of democracy. We are not a parliamentary system that
locks us in with strict party or personal loyalty. Our country is
calling for a shattering of blatant partnership that holds us back from
truly representing the needs of our great country.
While a Member of this body, I attempted to conduct myself by the
words: ``Do right. Risk consequences.'' This guiding phrase served me
well then and now.

[[Page H5854]]

Ms. EDWARDS. The Chair recognizes the Honorable Tim Petri of
Wisconsin on behalf of Cliff Stearns of Florida.
Mr. PETRI. I am reading the remarks of our former colleague, Chris
Stearns from Florida, who titled his speech: ``A Call for Civility and
Collaboration.''
As Former Members of Congress and the Nation celebrate our 250th
anniversary, he writes, we need to remind ourselves how important
public service is and the constant need today for bipartisanship,
friendship, civility, and collaboration in Congress.
During my 24 years in Congress, I can remember many times when I
worked with Democrats for the benefit of my constituency and of our
Nation. Along with way, I made many Democratic friends such as Tom
McMillen, Bart Gordon, Eddie Towns, Anna Eshoo, and Tom Downey. When I
left Congress, I was so pleased to join Former Members of Congress as a
Member and later to serve as its President.
What a joy it was to show up at my first board meeting and see
Democrats and Republicans working together no matter what their
political ideology was for the overall success of Former Members of
Congress.
I believe the American people deserve better than a government
constantly at war with itself. Our first President in his Farewell
Address feared political parties becoming ``tribal machines,'' to use
his words. Civility and collaboration should be the cornerstone of
service if you wish to serve in Congress today.
That is also the spirit of what we are doing here at Former Members
of Congress.
Ms. EDWARDS. The Chair recognizes the Honorable L.F. Payne of
Virginia.
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, shortly after I was elected to represent
Virginia's Fifth Congressional District, I learned of the Sandy River
Reservoir. It was a local project which was much-needed to provide
drinking water in my district. The county had spent millions of its
taxpayer dollars building a dam and clearing a site only to be told by
the Corps of Engineers that it could not be filled because it violated
legislation on wetlands. The project sat unfilled for years and years
as a monument to the failure of government to serve the people.
My Transportation Committee was working on transportation
reauthorization, then known as ISTEA, and I worked on a bipartisan and
collaborative basis with my colleagues and with the leadership of the
committee, Norm Mineta and Bud Shuster at the time. We inserted
language requiring the Corps to fill that reservoir. I worked along
with Senator John Warner, a Republican from Virginia, who did the same
thing in the Senate bill, and we passed the bill. President Bush 41
signed the bill, about which, incidentally, he said was one of the best
things he did during his Presidency. Today, the Sandy River Reservoir
is a beautiful 750-acre body of water providing drinking water to
thousands of Virginians and is recognized as one of the best freshwater
fisheries in the Eastern United States.

Bipartisanship, collaboration, and congressional action, the Congress
working for the people as it should, and may it always be so.
Point of personal privilege, I am joined today by my wife, Susan; my
daughter, Anna; and my grandson, Ben Fife, who is 6 years old and who
is in the Capitol for the very first time. It is my my hope that Ben
and his generation will visit this Capitol often and will provide the
leadership that will be needed just as all of us have in our
generation.
Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you all for these really wonderful insights,
anecdotes, and celebration of the Article I branch. You have given us
the perfect setting as FMC commences the America250 programing.
I now recognize Barbara Comstock, again, for concluding remarks.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. Madam Speaker, I would just like to mention to you as
when the Speaker opened our program today, he really implored us to
focus on the civility that FMC is known for. He mentioned that when he
came here in 2018, he was so focused on that. That is something that
FMC very much is focused on and does a lot of our work on because it is
a little easier when we leave to work together.
Whether it is dealing with anti-Semitic violence, that was mentioned
here today by our colleagues, or gun violence, which is all too present
which we tragically saw this weekend--when you have college students
not just tragically to hear of school shootings in our college where
two students at Brown who had already dealt with gun violence when they
were in high school are now facing it again in college--or threats of
violence to public officials. We do studies on this at FMC where we are
seeing the rising threats of violence against public officials that it
is causing our Members to leave Congress.
When we field studies on this, we are seeing many public officials
are now leaving government service because of these threats of
violence, and they are becoming exponentially more frequent.
This need for more civility is something that we are seeing a lot
more discussion of. Just last week you had a very good discussion
between Governor Cox of Utah and Governor Shapiro of Pennsylvania, both
of whom have been dealing with this in their own State. Governor
Shapiro was a victim of this in Pennsylvania, and Governor Cox, of
course, is dealing with this in Utah. We need to have more of these
discussions. I think as we are dealing with our 250th anniversary, this
is very much a discussion that we need to have because the civility is
what keeps our democracy, if we are going to keep it, which is
something that is very important to us.
We all want our grandchildren to feel safe.
I know 3 years ago on this Christmas I had gone to visit Australia,
and I was on Bondi Beach with my grandchildren. I have to say I felt
that is a much safer place in Australia. They hadn't dealt with
violence like this in over 30 years. Their immediate response in
Australia was: We are going to take action, not just thoughts and
prayers. They are going to take action.
We have to take action in this body when we have situations like
this.
We as FMC can help those kinds of actions, and we hope we will.
Let me conclude by thanking two incredibly important groups of people
without whom none of the things you just heard about would be possible.
They are our outstanding professionals working at FMC, the folks on
staff as well as some of our interns who are here with us today. Please
seek them out and let them know how great a job they are all doing.
I made a point of including all of their names in the written report
that we have submitted for the Congressional Record earlier this
morning.
My thanks also to our exceptional board of directors. I want to
especially highlight the officers who make up our executive committee
and are so invaluable to me as FMC's president.
They are Donna Edwards of Maryland, Dennis Ross of Florida, Loretta
Sanchez of California, and L.F. Payne of Virginia.
I also have submitted all the board members' names for the Record.
Let me share two 2026 dates that I hope all Members will add to their
calendars. On January 30 and 31, FMC is hosting a regional meeting in
Miami. We hope that you can join us, especially Members from my class
who were first sworn into Congress in this very Chamber 10 years ago.
April 21 is the date of our 29th annual Statesmanship Award
Celebration which will be hosted at the Library of Congress. We are
excited to recognize the public service and bipartisan work of Senators
Bozeman and Warnock and Representatives Huizenga and Meeks as well as
Deutsche Telekom as our corporate honoree.
For those and any other events FMC is working on, please seek out an
FMC team member if you would like to participate. I hope all of you,
whether former Members or current Members not returning for the 120th
Congress, will join us immediately after this program concludes for an
informal coffee reception in H-120. For our retiring Members, this will
be a great opportunity to connect with former Members, all of whom have
gone through the professional and personal transition off the Hill that
you are about to embark upon.
I will quote a former Member who called me up about 6 months after he
had retired. He was very mad at me for not telling me how much fun it
was after he had retired and why I hadn't encourage him earlier.
Please come and meet with us.

[[Page H5855]]

We will also be joined by the Capitol Historical Society, a great
partner of ours and an organization that you all should be actively
engaged with also. Over the years many of you have had a chance to meet
and work with the Historical Society's president, Jane Campbell. Jane
is also retiring. While she can't be with us this morning, I do thank
her for her outstanding work and for her great partnership with FMC.
We are excited to welcome her replacement this morning, Roswell
Encina, who spent many years with the Library of Congress and has been
appointed president of the Society. We are excited to work with him in
the years to come.
With that, I thank you all for joining us this morning, and I yield
back my time to the Chair.
Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you so much, Barbara, for this report. Most
importantly, thank you for your thoughtful and exemplary leadership of
the FMC.
The Chair again wishes to thank the Former Members of the House for
their presence here today.
On behalf of FMC, I thank all the congressional staff who have helped
make today's presentation every year possible. You have been a terrific
resource, and we really appreciate all you have done.
The meeting stands adjourned.

____________________