What Kathy Castor said, and what was done

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the remarkable career and dedicated service of the City of Tampa Chief of Police Lee Bercaw. For more than 30 years in law enforcement, including three and a half years as Chief of Police, he has exemplified unwavering commitment, integrity, and excellence.”

“The only solution is an investment in a robust defense of the grid. While larger utilities may have more resources to invest in cybersecurity, the smaller utilities and nonprofit cooperatives and municipal utilities may not have the resources to spend on sophisticated cyber defenses.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, this is a very important step forward to protect our kids online. I really arrived here more as a parent than a Member of Congress, watching two daughters grow up at a time when the internet and social media was evolving, and I just understood from a very personal level what was happening.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Tampa Bay Downs, in celebration of its 100th year of Thoroughbred Racing in the Tampa Bay area. Tampa Bay Downs was built in Oldsmar, Florida, by Ransom Eli Olds, who created the Oldsmobile and developed the area of Oldsmar.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4690. This is a dirty and costly bill for Republicans to bring to the floor of the House on Earth Day.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding more time because I want to vent the frustration that hardworking Americans are feeling, and sometimes it takes more than 5 minutes.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career and contributions of Senator Darryl Rouson, who is a fierce leader and public servant. He has continued to save the Tampa Bay area and State of Florida with such devotion and invaluable contributions.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Michael Tomor and his contributions to the arts, especially as executive director of the Tampa Museum of Art. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to honor Marvin R. Knight, whose lifelong commitment to uniting people reflects the values he learned from both his family and the community that shaped him.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to honor a Tampa Bay native and visionary business leader, Candy Lowe Jones. As a champion of Black owned businesses and equitable economic opportunity, Candy Lowe has opened doors for connection, collaboration, and community empowerment across the Tampa Bay region.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to honor the Andrews family and the Florida Sentinel Bulletin, the long running African American-led newspaper based in Tampa, known for its deep roots in the community and its role as a vital source of news, culture, and advocacy.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to commemorate the Johnson family and The Weekly Challenger, an unwavering pillar of journalism that has kept our Tampa Bay area neighbors connected with uplifting local stories.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to commemorate Starling School, located in the Childs Park neighborhood of St. Petersburg, and the leadership of Carolyn Cloud as a bedrock educational institution in St.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to honor a captivating storyteller, entrepreneur and economic changemaker, Gypsy Gallardo. Ms. Gallardo devoted herself to leadership and advocacy for equitable economic, social, and political empowerment to benefit all Americans particularly Tampa Bay Area neighbors.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to celebrate the entrepreneurial legacy of Elihu and Carolyn Brayboy, owners of Chiefs Creole Cafe. Like a hearty bowl of gumbo, the Brayboy's and their beloved cafe brought comfort and community to neighbors across the Deuces corridor.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Veteran Robert James Hagarty's 90th birthday and for his service to our country and the Tampa Bay community. Robert Hagarty was born on February 28, 1936, in New Jersey, and spent his life rooted in the values of a veteran upbringing.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 4758. It is a bill that is going to sock it to the pocketbooks of our hardworking neighbors back home.”

“Mr. Speaker, our neighbors are suffering an affordability crisis. They want policymakers in Washington, D.C., to help solve problems and bring down the cost of living. Every time the President and congressional Republicans deny that this is happening and say that everything is great and everything is well, they are doing a real disservice to hardworking American families.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4626. I thank the ranking member for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, we are here at a time when later today we are going to hear the State of the Union Address.”

“Mr. Speaker, the bill also says it would gut the ability of manufacturers, consumer groups, and others to arrive at consensus. Most of what happens when the Department of Energy goes to update energy efficiency standards is that everyone gets together and they work out a consensus.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3617. I wish we were here discussing how we could lower the cost of living.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 169 inventors who will be inducted as the 2025 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). An induction ceremony will take place on June 4, 2026, in Los Angeles, California to celebrate these distinguished inventors and their incredible accomplishments.”

“Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be present for votes on January 14 and January 15, 2026. Consequently, I am not recorded for Roll Call No. 24 through Roll Call No. 31.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 100th Year Anniversary of Ballast Point Elementary School in Tampa, Florida. For 100 years, Ballast Point Elementary has educated students and provided the foundation of success in life.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5184 because it will lead to higher costs for hardworking American families, especially higher electric bills that are spiking under Republican policies.”

“Utilities in Florida do not offer any efficiency programs designed for manufactured homes, so there is no help there. As a result, it is incredibly difficult for the people living in these homes to pay their electric bills.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding the time. I rise in opposition to H.R. 4593 with a great concern that House Republicans simply do not care to work on any solutions to lower the cost of living for our hardworking neighbors back home.”

“Mr. Speaker, I think you get my drift here. It was so galling as people are trying to pay their electric bills and their grocery bills that the President here is bragging about how he has redone the Lincoln bathroom, yes, with gold showerheads.”

“On behalf of the over half a million hardworking neighbors back home and across the Tampa Bay area, I rise in strong support of the extension of the lifesaving and cost-saving ACA tax credits.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Pallone for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3616. It is another Republican bill that fails to address skyrocketing electric bills that are a part of the overall affordability squeeze that is gripping the country right now.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose this Republican charade and to stand up for my neighbors back home who deserve quality and affordable health coverage. That includes over half a million of my hardworking neighbors across the Tampa Bay area.”

“Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Pallone for yielding the time. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3628. I think we all know that our neighbors are really struggling with higher electric bills.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the South Tampa Chamber on its 100th anniversary. The South Tampa Chamber is a leader and positive force for the entire Tampa Bay area particularly small business owners and the military families who serve at MacDill Air Force Base.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1949. It is a harmful bill that demonstrates how Republicans in Congress continue to ignore the rising cost of living and inflation that is crushing American families and that they are willing to sell out American energy to our adversaries like the Chinese Community Party.”

“Plus, it is hypocritical for Republicans to condemn Chinese forced labor, subsidies, and intellectual property theft on the one hand and then allow massive amounts of U.S. resources to flow to Chinese factories on the other hand.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3109. I know my Republican colleagues want to pretend that this is a simple, unbiased study bill, but it is not.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Roosevelt Elementary School, celebrating its 100th year of educating the children of the Tampa Bay region. Roosevelt Elementary has not only been a champion for education but a fixture of the Tampa community, supporting academic excellence, character building, and community engagement.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding the time. I rise in opposition to H.R. 1047. It is a bill that will give polluting gas plants an unfair and costly shortcut to the electric grid while doing nothing to protect working families from rising energy costs.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3015. This bears repeating again: Here we are, 9 months into the new administration and a new Congress, and Republicans have not brought one bill to the floor of the House that will help tackle the cost-of-living squeeze and the affordability crisis.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, here we are 9 months into the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress, despite their promises, have done nothing to lower energy costs.”

“Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member for yielding me time and thank her for everything that she does to protect the pocketbooks of American families. Mr. Chairman, American families and small business owners deserve lower electric bills, but Republicans in Congress are really sticking it to folks with higher costs at every turn, especially in this spending bill.”

“Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for the time. Let's talk about how Republicans in Congress are making it worse, harder for families to afford the cost of living, especially when it comes to their electric bills.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career and contributions of Mary Bryan, a spirited and dedicated public servant whose love of the City of Tampa knows no bounds.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 170 inventors who will be inducted as the 2024 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). An induction ceremony will take place June 23-26, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia to celebrate these inventors and their incredible accomplishments.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Pallone for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, this is a dirty, pro-polluter resolution, so I rise in strong opposition to S.J. Res. 31.”

“Back home in Florida, we anticipate that will apply to 72 more polluting facilities that will be allowed to escape regulation and emit cancer-causing air pollution. These are the major sources of hazardous air pollution, the large industrial facilities like chemical plants, refineries, and pesticide manufacturers.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding the time, and I rise in opposition to this farcical bill. I thought I would share what I am hearing from my neighbors across the Gulf Coast.”

“You started this by saying that Gulf of America started as a joke. This is not a joke to the people I represent. They want help. They want help with the cost of living.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Dingell for yielding the time, and I thank Chairman Bilirakis for moving the bill forward to the floor today. I rise in strong support of H.R. 906, the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Pallone for yielding the time, and I thank Chairman Bilirakis for his partnership in this endeavor, as well. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1479, the Hotel Fees Transparency Act, to help families save money and to ensure that their hard-earned vacations go as planned.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this Republican bill that requires businessowners to spend more money and use more energy.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 75, a bill to force small business owners to use more energy and spend more money.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 42. This is the latest Republican bill to raise costs on American families. In fact, Republicans in Congress have failed to bring any bill over the past couple of months since this new Congress started to help reduce the cost of living for our neighbors back home.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, here we are at the end of February, 2 months into the new congressional session, and House Republicans haven't offered one bill to lower the cost of living for our neighbors back home.”

“House Democrats are not going to stand for it. We are going to continue to hold Republicans accountable. We are going to hold this administration accountable. We are going to fight for our constituents' wallets and pocketbooks, and we are going to make sure that Republicans are not going to be able to say that this kind of ridiculous stuff is business as usual here in the House of Representatives.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Pallone for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 27. I am here to say this is not business as usual right now in Washington, D.C., or all across the country.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to celebrate a change agent, community leader and lifelong Tampa Bay advocate, Carrie Jean Lofton Hurst. Mrs. Hurst was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, as the youngest of six children.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History month with gratitude for the life of Commander Eunice Butts, her service to our country and Tampa Bay community. Commander Butts volunteered to serve America and shattered glass ceilings as an African American woman in the U.S.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz). Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to express my gratitude and good wishes to Tracie Pough for her years of service to this body, to the Congresswoman, to the State of Florida.”

“Florida Legislature and then again now as a Member of Congress, with her work for the Democratic Party and for the DNC. We know she worked for an extraordinarily talented Member, but not to be trite, there is something about the wind beneath the wings.”