[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 15 (Thursday, January 22, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H1343-H1346]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1850
APPLAUDING PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY'S ADDRESS IN DAVOS
(Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Ms. Kaptur
of Ohio was recognized for 30 minutes.)
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, please allow me to begin by applauding
President Zelenskyy of Ukraine on his exceptional and historic remarks
in Davos, Switzerland, earlier today.
I heard an astoundingly unapologetic plea by a new world leader whose
remarks resounded across our globe as he championed the cause of
liberty in our modern era.
Despite his own nation being bordered by tyranny, on almost all
sides, rooted in Russia and all of its repressed client states, he
raised his valiant voice strong and clear before the free world's
leaders.
They all know that today's spider web of tyranny is spinning and
stretching its ugly net from Russia to Brazil, India, North Korea, and
South Africa, seeking a global necklace of repression and domination.
Yet, at Davos today stood the unvanquished, courageous leader of the
poorest and most embattled nation in Europe. On behalf of his valorous
people, he delivered his eloquent plea.
Bravo, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. You singlehandedly challenged
the scions of the global order. Your firm supplication and urgent
request for liberty were extraordinary, rising far above global
niceties.
You delivered the raw choice, as our own Nation's Founders did:
Liberty or tyranny?
Your clear invitation for these leaders to choose forward hangs in
the balance, and your plea is historic, passionate, soulful, inspiring
not just world leaders but people everywhere as they weigh
recalibrating the dial for liberty.
It is your voice that history will remember, rising to energize our
world forward from inside the grim, fierce cauldron of struggle that is
Ukraine.
For any freedom lover to miss your message would be a tragedy, for if
your words, coupled with the ongoing martyrdom of your people, do not
give rise to crescendos of applause and recommitment, then will liberty
cede its worth to dictators, charlatans, plunderers, and fools?
Your call is to bold leadership from a new generation of freedom
lovers. Let us all rise to answer that call. Freedom means never
surrender.
Bravo, Ukraine. Bravo, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. You inspired
freedom lovers across our globe.
JD Vance Visits Toledo
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, on another front, today, Vice President JD
Vance traveled to Toledo, Ohio. He came to talk about the Trump
administration's so-called record to bring jobs and help grow
manufacturing in our region.
This came as quite a surprise to me. Indeed, his words were empty
because his administration's reckless tariffs and disastrous trade wars
have increased manufacturing job losses not just in our region of Ohio
but across our Nation.
The Wall Street Journal documents that, over the last year,
manufacturing
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unemployment has risen in our country by 68,000 more unemployed
workers. You can't Make America Great Again unless you restore American
manufacturing on our home soil.
The Trump administration's reckless tariffs and disastrous trade wars
are straining the pocketbooks of our workers, farmers, and consumers.
Prices keep rising for everything--food, housing, utility bills,
lumber, and cars. This is true across the entirety of our northwest
Ohio region, in both urban and rural communities.
Vice President Vance says he is now interested in lowering drug
prices, but his party consistently voted against those efforts, which
were championed under a prior Democratic administration. I know because
I voted to help cap insulin costs at $35 a month for seniors on
Medicare. I voted for prescription drug negotiations that are saving
seniors thousands of dollars as we speak here tonight.
Unsurprisingly, the Vice President avoided discussing the awful,
unwise decisions by his administration to rip away almost $150 million
from the city that he was in by taking away $45 million from the Libbey
Glass Company to purchase two new glass furnaces that were to compete
against Chinese, Mexican, and French producers. We are known as The
Glass City. He took it away. He didn't bring us anything; he took it
away. The money evaporated. Even though Congress had passed it--it had
all been vetted and everything--they took it away. That hurts a
manufacturing company which is a lodestar company in our community.
Then, his administration canceled--are you ready for this?--$57
million more for another manufacturing company, Owens-Illinois, which
competes globally.
Then, if that wasn't enough, they canceled over $16 million for our
local Kraft Heinz facility in the agricultural sector to compete
against foreign products.
Another $28.5 million was taken away from our region via rescissions
over the summer for major repair work in the heart of our city on Front
and Main Street, on the side of the river that he traveled to. The
streets he rode over should have been repaved, but they took away the
money. He didn't mention them because he helped cancel them.
That is over $146 million that would have helped to invest in new
possibilities to modernize our entire region. Those investments were
critical to American manufacturing, with new-age furnaces and
technology, not only to compete with foreign glass producers but also
to help reduce emissions here at home for the people who work in those
plants and to make work safer for our workers. How would you like to
sit in front of a 98-degree furnace all day long?
Now, the administration has announced plans to eliminate $14.6
million in Ohio from the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership,
which has launched dozens of small and midsized regional food
businesses driven by the creativity of our people. The U.S. Department
of Commerce used to care about those businesses, the small, creative
new launches, like Willy's Fresh Salsa, which just got into Winn-Dixie.
That was invented by a gentleman who came from Toledo. There is also
Gertie's Premium BBQ Sauce. That is a product on our shelves created
through that program to create wealth, opportunities, and jobs.
So many more, dozens and dozens of these companies, have been
created, and jobs. Why destroy something that is working? Can somebody
tell me how else do we sprout and grow our local economies?
I thought when the Vice President said he was coming to Toledo, he
might help announce the $20 million in Department of Transportation
RAISE funds, which had been awarded to improve connectivity in Toledo's
heart, in our Junction neighborhood, in the downtown, in the heart of
our city on both sides of our Grand Maumee River, but that announcement
never came.
If this administration really wants to help Toledo, they better stop
driving backward. Mr. Vice President, can you please bring our check
which the administration owes us?
All of these awards were passed by Congress, authorized,
appropriated, and signed into law. Our community should never be
shortchanged. Our taxpayers send their dollars here. They have a right
to get them back. Our people work too hard for a living. We need to
respect them, and we need to build our communities forward, not
backward.
Year-round E-15
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I now turn to a very important issue that
arose today because of something that happened with Speaker Johnson.
America's farmers are hurting. They need every bit of help Congress
can deliver. So do truckers and working families paying more for
groceries and at the pump just to haul goods, get to work, and move
around their communities. Prices are going up, not just in America's
heartland, but across our great country.
{time} 1900
Republican leadership today had a chance to authorize year-round E15,
a commonsense blend of ethanol and gasoline, but guess what. They
walked away from it again.
Instead, and I can tell you this for the farmers I represent, half
their income comes from raising grains that go into fuels. Without that
market, they wouldn't exist.
This is serious business for agricultural America, and instead,
Speaker Johnson has set up another delay, a council set to report back
within another month on next steps.
Next steps on what? We want to make E15 year-round. That is not too
complicated. That may sound like progress with another task force, but
we don't really need it.
Farmers want E15 year-round. They can't keep punting our farmers up
field. The time to act is now. The solution is within their hands. Why
did they delay?
Let's hope this process the Speaker has now set up for another month
or 6 weeks is not just another fig leaf for more delay. Year-round E15
sales protect our small refineries, too.
Can Congress achieve this so-called compromise? Ohio farmers and
refiners are already hurting. Let's stand up for biofuels and for our
farmers. Surely, the hardworking farmers across all of the counties I
represent would benefit.
What America makes and grows, makes and grows America. Let me just
say to the Speaker, ``please, shake a leg.''
Honoring Steven D. Fought
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I will move on now to remember someone that
was an extraordinary American.
It is my great privilege, Mr. Speaker, to offer deepest gratitude on
behalf of Ohioans and Americans as we recognize the life of an honored
and indefatigable public servant in the truest sense.
Steven D. Fought was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, on June 2,
1954, and passed recently at 71 years young. He passed from this life
after a truly valiant final fight, on January 10, 2026, in Nebo, North
Carolina, surrounded by his beloved family.
Steve was a precious and trusted friend, a brilliant adviser and
public servant, incorruptible, compassionate, acerbic, and funny all at
the same time, with a twinkle in his eye, you can just see it, and
hearty laugh to tie it all up with a bow.
One colleague described him as the most intelligent, frustrating,
hardest working, disorganized, nicest person they ever had the pleasure
and honor to work with.
Steve Fought truly loved his country and the democratic process. He
was always both an ardent participant and learned scholar of democracy.
He floated in books. Steve was a lifelong student, earning degrees in
literature, history, business administration, and law. He never stopped
learning.
He loved baseball. Do not get in his way when there is a baseball
around and basketball, as well. He was at one time the ``beloved Little
League coach of Celina, Ohio.''
He was always reading, always learning. He could call up any fact. He
conversed with the depth of knowledge which at times was actually
astounding.
Steve Fought began his professional career as a newspaper reporter.
He paid attention to details, and he followed that pursuit with decades
in public service, first with the State of Ohio and then with the
United States Congress.
He served under then-Secretary of State Sherrod Brown in Columbus,
our capital, and would later serve in his office for a decade here in
this House. It
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was during that time that alongside myself, Sherrod, and others that
Steve helped lead the consequential fight against NAFTA on this very
floor, the North American Free Trade Agreement, which was anything but
free to America's workers and farmers. We all knew the harm it would do
to the region we call home. It was a worthy and passionate fight then.
We were proven to be right many times over since when we go to the
hollowed out cities and towns of our country. I just feel so honored
that he was a part of that great struggle for America's people.
Following his service with Sherrod Brown, Steve would join our office
where he became a trusted adviser, serving as our legislative director
for 5 years and then transitioning to communications director for
nearly a decade.
Even in retirement, he continued in public service at the local level
for the city of Toledo. He even ran for Congress in a long-shot bid to
succeed the retiring Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner.
Though he came up short, Steve believed that everyone deserved a
choice and that no one should receive a rubber-stamped, gerrymandered
seat in Congress without having to work for it.
He always fought the good fight. His favorite music was Aaron
Copland's ``Fanfare for the Common Man.'' Steve loved this land and
worked to preserve its future. This was embodied in legislation he
drafted to add an international designation to the Detroit River and
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuges, which border our dear neighbor to the
north, Canada.
He was an avid proponent for countless species and preserving
unspoiled lands. Steve helped us to cement our region as the home of
the biggest week in American birding, which today attracts birders from
around the globe.
To the last, he was an active participant in the American experiment.
He wrote Op-Eds and organized, kept reading and studying, even through
his final, difficult illnesses.
Steve Fought's life is beautifully summed up by his nephew: ``Steve
was many things to many people and had a knack for somehow being
everywhere all at once. In addition to being a public servant, he was a
deep thinker and conversationalist, a world traveler who visited 41
different countries, a voracious reader and eternal student, a big-
hearted hellion, an old hippie who loved rock and roll and bluegrass
music, a Zags basketball fanatic, and a passionate champion for
underdogs everywhere. But most of all, until the very end, Steve was an
outspoken believer in the decency and value of common people, the
collective public good, and the principles of democracy, diversity, and
equality. He was loved deeply by his family, his friends, his
associates from work, and will be severely missed.''
Our Nation expresses deepest gratitude for the selfless service of
Steve Fought, his true friendship, his humanity, and his abiding and
honorable service. We celebrate the difference he made with a lifetime
of intention and of active citizenship for this beautiful land and our
people.
Those who know him can rest assured they will never ever meet his
likes again. May God protect him, bring him peace, and allow his spirit
to soar with the eagles.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing me to enter this into the Record.
{time} 1910
Honoring Robert ``Rex'' Baumgartner
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Robert ``Rex'' Baumgartner,
a true American hero, a man of the law. Rex embodied the very best of
our Nation: honor, respect, bravery, duty, and unwavering courage.
Born in east Toledo, Rex answered the call to serve early, joining
the United States Air Force and serving as an air policeman and sentry
dog handler around the globe. He later dedicated over four decades to
the Toledo Police Department.
His instincts, integrity, and fearless commitment to justice as a
detective made our community safer and stronger. His work earned him
countless honors including induction into the Birmingham Hall of Fame
and the National Law Enforcement Officer Hall of Fame.
Even after retiring, he continued to serve, spending another 15 years
at the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office, focusing on protecting the
elderly from crime. He retired at the young age of 83. He truly made a
difference in a lifetime of extraordinary public service.
Yet, Rex's greatest legacy was the love he poured into his family and
community. He was a mentor, a coach, a storyteller, and a steady hand.
He was always present, always giving, always leading with heart.
For over 30 years, Papa Rex made Halloween camping trips legendary.
From silly costumes to spooky decorations, he poured his heart into
making those weekends memorable. They became traditions that his kids,
grandkids, and now great-grandkids will carry on for years to come.
Beyond all the arrests, titles, and awards, Rex was wise. He told the
best stories, made everyone laugh until they cried, always showed up
when he was needed most, and taught everyone how to live with
integrity, humor, and genuine heart.
With his beloved wife of 62 years, Linda; his children, Debbie,
Patti, Robert, and Julie; 13 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and
countless other family and friends who loved him dearly, I join to
celebrate a life of purpose and courage well-lived. May his example
forever inspire all those who knew him.
I thank the Speaker for allowing me to enter his life into the
Record.
Celebrating the Life of William ``Bill'' J. Darah, Jr.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of William
``Bill'' J. Darah, Jr., of northwest Ohio, a husband, father,
grandfather, and Toledo businessman.
Bill Darah embodied the American Dream through hard work, integrity,
and devotion to family. For more than four decades, this truly good man
helped clothe our police officers, firefighters, workers, building
Superior Uniform Sales with grit, wisdom, and a gift for bringing
people together.
He was so friendly. He was a natural leader, a storyteller, and a man
whose word mattered.
Bill's life was deeply rooted in faith, in heritage, and in routine,
whether it was at St. Elias church, the Monday cousins' lunch he
sustained for 45 years, or cheering for the Yankees, the Rockets, and
the Buckeyes.
Yet, at the center of everything was his family. His pride in his
family was unmistakable. They include his wife, Amira; his daughters,
Natalie and Alyssa; and his grandchildren.
This week, Bill would have celebrated his 76th birthday. Today, we
wish him in memoriam a happy birthday. We honor a life truly well-
lived. May his memory be eternal.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to enter his story into the Record.
Honoring Sydney Boisselle
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight with a heavy heart and deep
gratitude to remember Sydney M. Boisselle, a young woman whose life
proved that impact is not measured in years but in courage, character,
and how we lift others.
Sydney shattered expectations. She became a leader in the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 8, a teacher in
the trades, a voice for women, and a standard-bearer for excellence.
She worked hard, spoke honestly, laughed loudly, and made room for
others to grow. She was, as all those who loved her say, pint-sized and
full of spice, unforgettable in every way.
Above all, Sydney loved fiercely: her family; her friends; her dog,
Waylon; and the community she served. In her final act, she gave the
gift of life itself through organ donation, offering hope to families
she would never meet.
We honor the strength of her family who made this courageous decision
with love and grace. Sydney's passing reminds us that even in sorrow,
goodness endures. One life lived fully and generously can change the
lives of many.
Sydney Boisselle was a shero to working people and to so many who
came to know her. May her name be honored forever. I thank the Speaker
for allowing me to enter her story into the Record.
Honoring the Life of Timothy Haase
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Timothy Haase, a
devoted son, brother, caregiver, and the steady heart of Dino's Family
Restaurant in Maumee. I know Dino defines family not just as his family
but the family he created, as he created
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community in Maumee and the surrounding neighborhoods.
For more than two decades, Tim showed up before dawn, fed neighbors
with kindness, and reminded us that dignity lives in every service. His
tragic loss on New Year's Eve has left an empty chair at the counter
and a deeper ache in a community that loved him and that he helped
build, a community of people.
We also honor the family that Dino's created. In a simple diner,
friendships were forged, stories were shared, and strangers became
regulars. A community was brought closer together.
Owner Dean Yakumithis and his team built a place where hard work
mattered. Coffee stayed warm. People felt seen and appreciated. Though
the doors have now closed, the spirit of that table endures in every
single life that Tim touched. There were thousands.
Let us keep Tim's memory alive by caring for one another, watching
out for our neighbors, and cherishing the small places that bind a town
together. Every person is a part of that necklace of life in America.
May his light guide us forward.
On behalf of northwest Ohio, we offer gratitude, prayers, and an
enduring promise to remember.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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