[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 14 (Wednesday, January 21, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H1126-H1127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   2025 FINAL PRIORITY RESULTS SURVEY

  (Mrs. Sykes of Ohio was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, when I am back home in the district, I make 
it clear that although my name is on the ballot and I am the elected 
Member of Congress, when I go to Congress, we all go to Congress.
  Instead of assuming that I knew what mattered the most to people in 
my district, we sent out a survey to ask people in Ohio's 13th what 
mattered most to them. Thankfully, more than 2,000 people took the time 
to respond.
  What they told us was pretty straightforward. They wanted me to

[[Page H1127]]

protect Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. They wanted me to 
lower costs and make life much more affordable. They wanted me to 
eliminate government corruption. That is what I plan to do.
  The number one issue by far was protecting Social Security, Medicare, 
and Medicaid. People didn't talk about these programs in abstract 
terms. They talked about their lives, how Social Security is how they 
pay their bills; Medicare is how they get healthcare without going 
broke; and Medicaid is how their kids, their parents, and neighbors 
with disabilities can get the support and help they need.
  These aren't government programs to them. They are lifelines promised 
to them after a lifetime of work and service. That is why I have been 
and will continue to be hyperfocused on protecting them.
  I have worked across the aisle to introduce bipartisan legislation to 
keep Social Security offices open and services running during 
government shutdowns because seniors shouldn't lose access to help just 
because Congress can't get its act together.
  I have pushed the Social Security Administration to stop clawing back 
overpayments when the mistakes were not the fault of the seniors.
  I introduced legislation to make sure survivors of domestic violence 
are not punished under Social Security rules for leaving unsafe 
marriages.
  If you have worked your entire life and paid in every paycheck, 
Congress should keep its promise in its Social Security program.
  The second big issue that people raised was the cost of living and 
lowering costs. Families feel it everywhere: gas, groceries, housing, 
healthcare. It just costs too much to live.

                              {time}  1015

  People are working just as hard as they always have, but they are 
falling behind. That is why I have been fighting to extend the ACA's 
tax credits to lower healthcare costs, especially for our most 
vulnerable citizens. It is why I voted against the big, ugly bill that 
is now putting healthcare coverage at risk for millions of Americans 
while raising energy costs for families.
  In fact, just today there is a report that came out that showed over 
120,000 Ohioans chose to forgo their healthcare because they simply 
couldn't afford it. These are real people, and that bill had real 
consequences. Not only does it impact us in terms of healthcare in my 
district, it also impacts our number one economy, which is healthcare 
systems and hospitals.
  Additionally, I introduced legislation to crack down on junk fees 
that would drain family budgets, and I have worked in a bipartisan 
manner to lower costs and improve clean water infrastructure in 
communities that need it the most.
  I have stood up for homebuyers, pushing back against corporate 
practices that drive up housing prices and shut families out of the 
market.
  Instead of staying focused on lowering costs, House Republicans have 
spent too much time protecting tax breaks for millionaires and 
billionaires, blocking reforms that would help families, and 
threatening government shutdowns that only add to more chaos. I would 
also mention the no tax on overtime that they have so happily touted 
doesn't really help so many people in organized labor. We do have a 
bipartisan fix for that, but we haven't been able to get to it because 
making sure people have more money in their pockets is simply not a 
priority for House Republicans.
  Finally, the third issue people raised with me is they wanted to 
fight government corruption. People are tired of feeling like the rules 
are different for those at the top. They want accountability that 
actually means something. They want ethics laws to apply to everyone, 
no matter their title or their party. They are seeing that this 
corruption is raising their costs and making it more expensive. They 
see the connection between the two.
  That is why I have helped lead a package of reforms with a new 
generation of lawmakers to close loopholes, strengthen ethics rules, 
and bring some common sense and some integrity back to Washington, D.C.
  Public service should be just that: serving the public, not helping 
yourself. When you look at these survey results, Mr. Speaker, the 
contrast is hard to miss. My constituents are asking us to protect 
their earned benefits while the leadership, Mr. Speaker, is keeping 
them at risk.
  They are asking us to lower costs while House Republicans and this 
President get distracted by the wrong fights. They are asking us to 
clean up corruption while Republicans enable this President to treat 
accountability as optional while he is getting richer and everyone else 
is getting poorer.
  That is not what the people sent us here to do, and it is certainly 
not what my constituents sent me here to do.
  Mr. Speaker, listening to your constituents should not be 
controversial. It is our job. I will keep fighting for what the people 
of Ohio's 13th Congressional District made clear when they sent me here 
because this Congress does not belong to party leaders or special 
interests. It belongs to the people.

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