[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H2715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING SALLY ANDERSON

  (Mr. Neguse of Colorado was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, before I was first sworn in to the United 
States Congress, my predecessor gave me a great piece of advice. He 
told me that the most important thing to do as I was getting started 
was to build a great team.
  I am glad I took his advice. The first person that I hired when I 
became a Member of Congress, to help build the team and to ultimately 
help lead it, was Sally Anderson.
  I rise today 7\1/2\ years later to thank her for her selfless, 
tireless, and dedicated service--her service to the people of 
Colorado's Second District, her service to the people of Colorado, and 
her service to our country.
  Sally first served as my district director and later became my 
Colorado chief of staff. Throughout her tenure, she worked incredibly 
hard each and every day to serve the citizens of our district. One can 
imagine the various challenges that our communities face from year to 
year. She faced each of those challenges with empathy, with compassion, 
and with unwavering determination. Historic wildfires, terrible flash 
floods, a devastating mass shooting, emergency after emergency, crisis 
after crisis, Sally was often the first call that I would make when 
grappling with how to solve a challenge, address an emergency in my 
district, and to do the work that we are solemnly charged with doing. 
She joined me at funerals, memorials, and remembrances. She played a 
pivotal role in the development of legislation here in Washington, D.C.
  I could spend hours, Madam Speaker, regaling you with the stories of 
the constituents' lives that she shaped, the casework that she 
supervised, and the countless examples of her kindness, leaving an 
indelible impression in the hearts and minds of the people I represent 
from Boulder to Fort Collins, from Vail to Steamboat Springs, and every 
corner in between.
  Sally was also a leader here in Washington. She was a mentor to 
district directors across the country as part of our district 
directors' service program. I have heard countless stories from my 
colleagues who have told me from their district directors of their 
experience, when they have relied on her counsel and advice when faced 
with a challenge or crisis.
  Perhaps most importantly, above all else, her professionalism and the 
ways in which she approached her job--selfless, thankless, and always 
available to help a constituent in need--in my view, it helped restore 
some trust in our government, which is so desperately needed now more 
than ever.
  Put simply, the Second District and our office will miss her. I wish 
her well and am so excited for her next chapter. On behalf of the 
people of the Second District, I thank Sally for her service.


                      Nexstar Acquisition of Tegna

  Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, last night, in the dead of night, the FCC 
and the Department of Justice did something unprecedented. They 
approved a merger that would create the Nation's largest local 
television station operator.
  Nexstar Media Group's $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna would make it 
the largest local television station owner in the United States: 265 
stations across 44 States, reaching 80 percent of American households. 
Why did they approve it? Simple reason: Because Donald Trump wanted 
them to.
  The deal is outrageous. It is devastating for local news, devastating 
for consumers, devastating for freedom of the press, but perhaps most 
problematic of all, Mr. Speaker, it is unlawful. The merger and the 
decision to approve it violates the law.
  By the way, this isn't complicated. It is simple. In 2004, Congress 
created a very specific 39 percent national audience limitation. That 
is in the law. It is not ambiguous. It is not nebulous. It is clear-
cut, and this merger violates it.
  Let me read, Mr. Speaker, the dissent from one of the FCC 
commissioners. I hope every Member of this body reads it in full. ``The 
order is wrong on the law, wrong on the policy, and the process by 
which it was issued is indefensible.
  ``The Commission does not have the authority to raise or waive the 39 
percent national audience reach limitation. Simply put: The national 
audience reach limitation is a statutory requirement, and only Congress 
has the authority to raise it.''
  It is clear-cut, simple. We cannot allow this debasement of the FCC's 
processes to continue.
  Mr. Speaker, I have a solution: Let's rein in this lawless agency 
through the appropriations process. That is exactly what I intend to 
propose. I hope my colleagues will join me.

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