[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H2767-H2769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING ROGER CARPENTER
(Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Ms. Kaptur
of Ohio was recognized for 30 minutes.)
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a dear citizen of Oak
Harbor, Ohio, Roger Carpenter. He devoted 75 years of his life to
shaping character, citizenship, and service in northwestern Ohio.
Roger Carpenter was more than a Scoutmaster. For generations of young
people in Troop 316, he was a teacher of values, a steady hand, and a
living example of the Scout Oath and Law.
His dedication deeply shaped the character of Oak Harbor. I can feel
it.
From the time he joined the troop as a boy in 1941 to his passing at
age 97, Roger believed that building good citizens was the most
important work any community could do, and he went about doing it.
Under his guidance, more than 50 young men achieved the rank of Eagle
Scout. He taught young people how to live with responsibility,
humility, and care for others.
As Roger himself said: Scouting does not teach children to throw a
ball. It should teach them how to help others and preserve the common
good.
Boy, was he a wise man.
What a great privilege it was to honor his service at the Apple
Festival last fall. Please let me honor and posthumously thank him on
the floor of Congress for preserving the common good. What a patriot.
Oak Harbor and all of northwestern Ohio are eternally grateful for
Roger's beautiful life and good works that endure and have been nobly
passed forward to the aspiring generation.
Honoring the Life of Robert Mueller
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I wish to turn to honor the life of Robert
Mueller.
When I was very young, I aspired to become an FBI agent. Later, when
in college, when I applied, I was told I was not qualified because I
was a woman.
But tonight, I rise to honor the life and service of Robert Mueller,
the gentleman and honorable Director of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation that I wish I had been able to work for.
He also was a father, a husband, a grandfather, a marine--our family
knows a whole lot about that--a public servant, and an American hero.
He served as Director of the FBI under Presidents of both parties.
Director Mueller took his oath to support and defend our Constitution
against all enemies, foreign and domestic, as seriously as anyone
could.
He was a very intelligent man whose life was defined by honor,
sacrifice, and an unwavering commitment to the Nation he loved and to
which he gave his life.
At a time when many chose a different path, he stepped forward to
serve. Though he was not drafted, he volunteered to serve in Vietnam.
He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, earned his commission,
and led Marines in combat.
There, under fire, he displayed extraordinary courage. He rescued a
wounded comrade, earning the Bronze Star with a V for valor, and the
Purple Heart after being wounded in battle.
He led from the front, guided by duty and shaped by the bonds of
those he served beside. If he had done nothing else, his military
service exemplified what it means to be a patriot for the cause of
liberty.
His service did not end when he returned home. He continued to serve
this Nation for decades--as a Federal prosecutor, as a leader within
the Department of Justice, and as Director of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation during one of the most consequential periods in our
Nation's history.
He took office as FBI Director 7 days before the September 11 attacks
on our Nation. True to his marine heritage, he always fought for right
and freedom and kept his honor clean. He ushered our country and the
bureau through some of our darkest days.
Director Mueller served our Nation in that role for 12 years to the
very day, including a 2-year extension under President Obama.
He was then succeeded by James Comey. Four years later, in May 2017,
he was again called to serve. Then-Deputy Attorney General Rod
Rosenstein tapped Robert Mueller to lead the investigation into the
consequential 2016 Russian election interference. He pursued this
investigation indefatigably. He let the facts lead and presented his
report.
He did not politicize this investigation for a single second because
that is just not who he was, nor what the FBI is.
Across every chapter of his life, Robert Mueller carried himself with
humility, discipline, and integrity. He did not seek recognition. He
sought to do what was right. He was not a showman. He was a patriot.
His life reminds us that service to country is not confined to a
single moment or uniform. It is a lifelong calling.
Robert Mueller answered his Nation's call in war and peace, in public
office and in quiet leadership.
Mr. Speaker, our Nation is stronger because of patriotic citizens
like Robert Mueller, and I send my heartfelt condolences and those of
my constituents to his wife of 60 years, Ann; to his daughters, Cynthia
and Melissa; and to his five grandchildren. I know they and his bureau
colleagues will miss him dearly.
May we honor his example not only in words but in pledging honorable
service to our Nation in any capacity he held. May Director Mueller
rest in peace--we have the watch.
{time} 1800
Honoring Louise J. Brower
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Women's History Month with
naming a steady trailblazer from northwest Ohio, Louise J. Brower.
In 1975, Mrs. Brower broke barriers when she became the first woman
to serve as a principal in Toledo public schools. In doing so, she also
became the first to lead a large metropolitan Ohio high school. At
Scott High School, she led with strength, dignity, and an unwavering
belief in her students.
The appointment was a culmination of her Toledo public schools
career, which started as a teacher at Robinson Junior High. She then
served as principal of both Walbridge School and later McTigue Junior
High.
The library at Walbridge was dedicated in her honor in 1971.
Long before recognition followed, her impact was already deeply felt
by inspired students. She empowered teachers, and she opened doors for
women who would follow.
Mrs. Brower's legacy reminds us that progress is built by those
willing to lead where none have gone before.
May we continue her work with purpose, with passion, and with pride.
Women know how to do it right even if
[[Page H2768]]
it has never been done before, and Mrs. Brower certainly did that.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to put her name in the
Record.
Undeclared War in Iran
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise on day 27 of President
Trump's undeclared war against Iran.
An immense cost is being imposed on our U.S. military and the
American people by this undeclared war of choice. Already, this war has
cost U.S. taxpayers nearly $40 billion, not a penny of which was voted
on by either this House or the other body.
That amount is equal to what President Trump in his big bonanza bill
for billionaires cut from healthcare. The money he cut from healthcare
that is being expended over Iran means 500,000 people in my State of
Ohio are losing their health benefits. So, let's recognize what the
transfer of funds means.
No American should be asked to surrender their healthcare for a war
that was never authorized by Congress. That is a direct violation of
the U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8.
Now, President Trump is ratcheting up his ask for another $200
billion for the Pentagon's Iran war--$200 billion. There is no way--by
the way, that is one-fifth of $1 trillion. There is no way the American
people should be forced to hand this administration hundreds of
billions of dollars to keep waging an unconstitutional war.
Just today, the war on Iran saw the Dow Jones drop 470 points. The
Standard & Poor's had its worst day since January. Oil is now $108 a
barrel. A gallon of gas is averaging nearly $4 nationwide, and diesel
is $5.37 a gallon.
This is hurting our people.
With 25 percent of the world's oil and one-third of its fertilizer
flowing through the narrow channel called the Strait of Hormuz, this
war is a war of choice, not a war of necessity. It is throwing global
markets off balance as prices rise on everything.
I know the American people are noticing.
I say and I believe, let the Middle East oil barons bear the billions
and billions and billions of dollars this war is costing, not the
American people. Our Nation is now energy independent here at home. For
a half century we have worked to be that.
As President Trump has stated himself, we are now exporting more oil
than ever before. I don't think we should be exporting quite as much,
but that is something we can disagree on. However, here at home, we
sure have made a lot of progress since 1970.
In the committee on which I serve, Congress has approved and
appropriated for a historically large defense budget amounting to over
$1 trillion for 2026, but that didn't account for this war. That budget
is the largest defense budget in modern history.
We know we have enemies. We know we have new strategic interests that
we have to attend to, but the Trump administration has simultaneously,
as we have these new expenditures of war, allowed massive tax breaks to
billionaires while severely cutting funds for our veterans' hospitals
and clinics, veteran services, our civil hospitals to healthcare,
education, nutrition, to all critical services for the American people.
Our transportation safety officers are waiting to be paid.
Americans should not be made to bear the burden of this war started
by superrich dictators with no military experience who see matters of
life and death as nothing more than real estate and resource deals.
If President Trump wants another $200 billion for war, don't come
asking for it from our farmers. It is a rough year for them. Don't ask
our policemen. Don't ask our educators. Let him go to the Saudi
princes. They are reportedly urging him to keep the war going so the
oligarchs in the Gulf can remake the economy of the Middle East the way
they want.
Let me inquire: How many troops have the oil barons committed? They
have committed zero.
As I recall, President Trump made his first trip abroad after being
sworn in 2 years ago to Saudi Arabia, a dictatorship. I recall it was
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who ordered the butchering of
Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
News reports state Prince Mohammed has a net worth of up to $25
billion. That is just himself. Moreover, he manages a sovereign wealth
fund for Saudi Arabia valued at over $1.4 trillion for the House of
Saud and the royal family. And that is what we are able to know from
the press. He probably has a lot more. But he alone can afford the pay
for a war that will handsomely benefit his kingdom.
Think about who exactly should pay for this war of choice. President
Trump is saying to the European countries that have nothing to do with
this why aren't they helping, why aren't they coming over? Well, the
United States does stand by its allies, but for all this
administration's pressure on Europe to pull its weight in this war let
me ask: What troops and resources are these superrich Gulf kingdoms
committing as Americans are fighting and dying?
Mr. Speaker, 13 of our troops have died and over 300 injuries
already. As we speak, thousands of U.S. Marines and paratroopers are
being deployed to the Middle East, and our family knows what combat in
foreign lands requires, but the sultans, shahs, and kings, they don't.
Their oil kingdoms want this war to keep going because they will be
the beneficiaries, but we are their soldiers. How many soldiers is
Saudi Arabia sending? What about Kuwait? How about Qatar that gave
President Trump a luxury jet valued at $400 million? Can we trade that
in? Can we trade that plane in to help pay down the tens of billions of
dollars that our country is already spending over there? Are these
kingdoms going to contribute their fighter jets to this conflict? Who
will fly them?
What about the Saudis, Kuwaitis, United Arab Emirates, their pilots,
their marines, where are their soldiers? I haven't seen any. No
American marine, sailor, airman, or soldier should be sent to war to
preserve the Gulf state kingdom's dominance over the world's oil and
gas markets over there.
Let us take care of ourselves right here at home. Perpetual energy
independence, we have that. We have to make it even better.
Now, let's look at the population of those countries. Iran is a
nation of over 93 million people. Saudi Arabia has technically 32
million people, but most of them, three-quarters of them, are not
actually Saudis. They are foreign guest workers. Kuwait has 3 million
people, and most of those are guest workers. Iraq has 43 million
people. Yemen has 41 million people. The United Arab Emirates has 10
million, but a lot of those are not actually citizens there. Israel has
10 million people, maybe closer to 9. Qatar has 2 million people.
Do we really want responsibility in perpetuity for nearly 250 million
people in the troubled oil kingdoms and the oil rich Middle East? None
of these nations is a stable democracy, not a single one.
So, why are Americans being asked again to dive into yet another
Middle East war? We know this story. We know how it ends. Might I
remind Members and those listening, the Lockerbie bombing was an
example of what happens. Does anyone recall 9/11? And I could list a
whole lot of other retaliations.
Dealing with theocratic regimes means not victory but retribution in
the end, retribution against both civilian and military populations.
{time} 1810
The United States shouldn't be fighting this war to play oil
kingmaker in the Middle East. America knows that our Nation has now
dedicated one-half century to making our Nation energy independent here
at home, and what a triumph that has been.
We should do better, how? The Strategic Petroleum Reserve should have
been filled completely, and President Trump has continued to empty it
out. We have to do better than that.
We have other forms of power, modern nuclear, hydrogen, and massive
natural gas discoveries in my part of the country. Mr. Speaker, we can
do this here in this country, but President Trump told us we are
fighting this war because Iran was building a nuclear weapon to have a
bomb ready in 2 weeks. That claim fell apart under the slightest
scrutiny.
The President says that we now need more bombing and more troops,
even as his own Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard,
testified before Congress that Iran's nuclear enrichment program was
obliterated and that Iran was not trying to rebuild it.
[[Page H2769]]
The President said that we were fighting Iran to change its regime.
Iran has replaced one Ayatollah Khamenei with another Ayatollah
Khamenei.
I would observe that, as a result of this war, it is more likely Iran
and adjacent nations that have succession will have hardline leaders
that share Iran's religious perspective, hell-bent on opposing the
United States on every front long into the future in the form of hybrid
warfare, which is the new horizon for war globally.
This war must not drain our arsenal here at home. I can tell you, Mr.
Speaker, as a member of the Defense Subcommittee, the weapons that are
being exploded and the amount of money being spent mean we have to
follow on very quickly, and it is not so easy to do.
We have lost members of our military, as I have said, and the
President's approach has alienated too many of our allies and made us
new enemies. Caution. No more blood for oil. No more blood for oil. In
an era of hybrid warfare, the President's impulsiveness could yield
reactions for which the American people are not prepared.
I ask the question, Mr. Speaker: What does victory look like in this
war? What is the endgame? What is the plan?
The President wanted to overthrow the Government of Iran, destroying
its nuclear capacity, to ignite a nationwide revolt and remake the
Middle East as he thinks it should be. What does that look like? Who is
going to help?
There are a lot of people with money over there--not a single
democracy--they will be the beneficiaries. What are they paying?
Therefore, U.S. military efforts have not been able to keep the
Strait of Hormuz open. Adjoining nations have placed zero troops into
theater. To me, the undemocratic oil kingdoms appear to have the U.S.
at their beck and call. That is not in the interests of the United
States of America.
This administration has not prepared our citizens for the
consequences of its hasty actions. So far, they expect Americans to
pick up the tab, the whole tab, rising each week by billions and
billions more dollars.
What is it about the allure of these undemocratic oil kingdoms that
draws such attention from our President? Recklessness and undemocratic
Middle East oil markets have led us to repeated disastrous consequences
and more forever-on wars.
The American people have already paid the price. Let the phenomenally
rich oil kingdoms, undemocratic oil kingdoms, their sheikhs and their
Kings send their own troops and pay the price of their own security,
instead of indebting the people, the good people, of the United States
of America.
Today, I say enough is enough.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________