Trump's Reckless Tariff Policies
Floor Speech
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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply concerned about the devastating impact that President Trump's reckless tariff policies are having on our American automotive industry and its workers.
The latest financial figures from Jeep Stellantis, for example, the proud maker of Jeep and Ram vehicles--and they are so popular--paints a deeply disturbing picture. Nearly $2.7 billion in losses are tied directly to these tariffs. That translates into plant shutdowns, canceled programs, and over 900 American workers already laid off.
Similarly, the General Motors chief executive officer said tariffs cost GM $1.1 billion this quarter and that the next quarter will be worse. This is real money.
In an industry that America has been striving to bring back to full production in this country, we have lost so many jobs abroad to cheap labor and places that have no labor rights. This is what happens with tariffs when we lead with flashy headlines instead of well-thought-out trade strategy.
Tariffs without a plan don't punish China. They don't balance our trade accounts. Our trade accounts get worse. They punish Toledo. Bad tariff policy punishes manufacturing America.
These tariffs punish Ohio. They punish Michigan. They punish Indiana. They punish Illinois, America's manufacturing heartland. Tariffs punish Missouri. They punish Wisconsin.
They punish every worker on the line who is just trying to build a better life for themselves. The families and the workers who work in these plants do hard work. They deserve to earn a fair wage with good working conditions and benefits, including health and retirement benefits.
Mr. Speaker, American workers need real trade reform, balanced trade accounts, and sensible tariff policies, not gimmicks. I urge the Trump administration to stop the damage now before the bleeding gets worse.
Our chief trading partner in northern Ohio is Canada. We like Canada. Our industry is integrated. Parts pass over the border sometimes six or seven times. Tariffs make no sense in an integrated economy.
The American automotive industry needs investment here at home, on our continent, not more outsourcing. We don't need that. We need job insourcing before more jobs disappear and more families pay the price.
Our communities need economic certainty, not higher prices, not pink slips, not utter chaos, and not tariff regimes that change every couple of days. America needs a trade and tariff regime that yields good jobs, well-paid workers, and prices for cars, trucks, and consumer goods that Americans can afford to buy.
I urge Members of this House and the Trump administration to take a look at what is happening in the real economy. Let's fix it before it gets much worse. America doesn't need that. Advancing Geothermal Energy
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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the new horizons of advancing geothermal energy.
Geothermal energy is one of the most fascinating, promising, yet underused clean energy sources in our country. The problem with it? You can't see it.
You can't see it, so a lot of people, when they are walking, when they are in the woods, when they are going to work, they never think about the power of the Earth. Beneath our feet, due to the temperature differentials between the air we breathe and the temperatures in the soil, lies a constant supply of heat from the Earth's core.
In developed communities, we have vast subterranean water and wastewater lines that have been built over the last hundred years. Not just in this country but all over the world where we have more developed societies, there is waste energy that is renewable, reliable, and constantly available in those vast, underground, big pipes that run through all of our cities and towns.
Geothermal energy doesn't depend on the weather. It doesn't depend on the season or geographical conditions. It exists as a consistent and dependable source for a clean energy grid. When you go underground, generally, you have a 45- to 75-degree constant temperature all year long.
The United States has enormous untapped geothermal potential, enough to power millions of homes while slashing greenhouse gas emissions and lowering energy bills. We estimate--just think about this--Cleveland, Ohio, a big city--I had the privilege of representing part of it for a long time. There, their water and wastewater purification systems are the highest cost for that city.
The energy cost of wastewater processing is the largest cost in any city. Think about that. Every year, the purified water is thrown back into the lake when it leaves the plant. That city throws into Lake Erie the equivalent of a waste heat load of nearly 400,000 barrels of oil annually. Think about that. That is waste heat that we, as a country, could be capturing.
That is just one untapped location along just one great lake, Lake Erie. Imagine if we could add in Cleveland, Lorain, Avon Lake, Sandusky, Oregon, and Toledo in Ohio. That doesn't even count going north up into Detroit and, on the north side of Lake Erie, the cities in Canada.
There is a whole lot of energy wasted, being dumped into the lake. We have to capture it.
By investing in geothermal technology, communities across our country and the world can strengthen energy security; reduce reliance on dirty fuels; create good-paying jobs in engineering, drilling, and maintenance; and lower energy costs for industry, public facilities, neighborhoods, and all kinds of companies.
Geothermal energy has a small land footprint. It can even be co- located with other renewables or energy-hungry data centers, which so need it.
If we are serious about building a resilient energy-independent future, we need an all-of-the-above energy strategy, including unpacking the power that is already beneath us in the Earth and being wasted.
Check out Vancouver, Canada, and what it has accomplished with geothermal energy since the 2010 Olympics. They have really had a plan and strategy that is remarkable.
Check out a city in Europe called Szeged, in Hungary. That is Toledo, Ohio's sister city for 40 years.
The good news is the Trump administration appears ready to posture across America to draw forth geothermal power, and we are interested in doing exactly that, particularly in manufacturing America.
I am privileged to also represent a vast agricultural region in grain drying. It is so expensive when we have to dry corn, soybeans, and so forth. The agricultural community uses huge amounts of energy.
Let's create new jobs. Let's lower the consumer's energy bills. Let's strengthen America's energy security. Geothermal energy holds the potential to achieve all of those goals. Let's get it done and move America to an affordable and energy-independent future for the decades to come.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for letting me put on the record the future for this country in energy, including geothermal energy. Honoring Marigene Valiquette
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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Ohio State Senator Marigene Valiquette, a towering figure in Ohio's politics and history and a trailblazer for women across Ohio and our Nation.
Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Marigene broke barriers as the longest serving woman in the history of the Ohio Legislature. With her intelligence, fierce conviction, and unmatched oratory--she was a tough lawyer--she served our community for 24 consecutive years, often as the only woman in the Ohio Senate. Can you imagine that?
She was a champion for working families and labor rights, a defender of women's rights, and an early advocate for the equal rights amendment. Her work helped create the Ohio Lottery to support education. She never wavered in her fight for fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all.
Though she chose a quiet retirement, her impact will echo for years and generations to come. She was always present. She always cared. She took her family's experience and moved it into the highest levels of lawmaking in the State of Ohio.
May she rest in peace, and may her courage, her grit, and her fierce dedication inspire us all. We miss her, and we know that her work in Ohio has made a difference in the lives of our 12 million people.
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