Recognizing Sarah Dully, Rhode Island Teacher of the Year
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sarah Dully, Rhode Island's 2026 Teacher of the Year.
Ms. Dully began her work as an educator in 2012. She joined Narragansett High School as an English language arts teacher in 2020, where she is admired and respected by her fellow teachers, students, and administrators alike. At Narragansett, she also serves as the National Honor Society adviser and the Class of 2025's adviser.
When asked about Ms. Dully, one of her students said: ``My favorite thing about [her] is just how active and excited she is every class.''
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Ms. Dully on this honor. I have no doubt that she will represent our State well in the National Teacher of the Year award program. Recognizing Dave Chenevert
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Dave Chenevert, who is retiring after 14 years as executive director of the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association and 41 years in the manufacturing industry.
Dave built RIMA into a powerful advocacy organization for the manufacturing industry, championing workforce development and education, and working with State leaders to bring more people into the profession. In his role, Dave built on Rhode Island's manufacturing legacy so that it will endure for future generations.
On his retirement, Dave said: ``When I first joined RIMA, my goal was to strengthen our voice, expand our reach, and build a solid foundation for the future.'' He has certainly done that, stabilizing the industry after years of decline, with more than 1,500 manufacturing companies in Rhode Island now employing over 41,000 people.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Dave for his many years of service to Rhode Island. His impact will long endure, and I wish him a very happy retirement. Concerns Over High Cost of Healthcare
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, while Donald Trump and congressional Republicans spend time building a billion-dollar ballroom, bailing out Argentina, and lavishing tax cuts on billionaires, Rhode Islanders and Americans continue to struggle with the high cost of healthcare.
I wish that our colleagues would spend as much time worrying about how they are going to lower healthcare costs as they seem to spend building up Donald Trump's ballroom, sending billions of dollars to Argentina, and sucking up to their billionaire donors.
All across the country, people are getting letters like this from their insurance companies telling them how much more they are going to have to pay next year because of Republican inaction in extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits, letters like this one received by Susan from South Kingstown. She, her husband, and her college-aged son are going to see an increase of $1,700 a month, $20,000 a year more that they are going to pay for their health insurance for three people if Republicans don't do the right thing and extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Kim, from East Greenwich, runs a small business with her husband, an appraisal company. She has a family of four with two teenage daughters. The letter she received from her health insurance company told her that she is going to be paying $1,300 more a month next year, $16,000 a year for a family of four.
People cannot afford this. We have heard all the excuses from those on the other side of the aisle who are determined to stop funding the Affordable Care Act. They say it is just a subsidy for the health insurance companies. Really?
Are you going to tell Kim that she is a health insurance company because she is going to be paying thousands of dollars more a year for her health insurance? Is she a health insurance company? Is Susan from South Kingstown a health insurance company?
No. These are real people who are going to be impacted by the lack of Republican action to lower the cost of healthcare.
We have a plan: Extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits and reverse the cuts to Medicaid so that people do not have to pay thousands of dollars more for their health insurance.
What have we heard from the other side? Nothing. They have no plan. The best they can come up with is they will give everybody a few thousand dollars. We will cut them a check.
Do they have any idea how much it costs to go to the emergency room? Does President Trump have any idea how much an emergency room bill costs? I don't think so.
It is time for our Republican colleagues to do the right thing. It is time to come together in a bipartisan way and listen to the American people. Let's extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, reverse the Medicaid cuts, and lower costs for the American people.
Mr. Speaker, stop wasting time with ballrooms and bailouts, and instead deliver for the American people.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source