00:00 With that, I'll pass it over to my friend and colleague from Ohio, Congresswoman Amelia Sykes.
00:04 Good morning, everyone. Good to see you. My name is Amelia Sykes, and I am honored to serve Ohio's
00:13 13th Congressional District as their member of Congress. And as a first-term member of Congress,
00:18 I was ready and excited to get to work on the real issues that my constituents care about,
00:23 lowering costs, improving public safety, expanding opportunity, and protecting our
00:28 fundamental freedoms. Unfortunately, extreme politicians and Republicans have focused more
00:34 on political games and antics, political infighting, like last week's motion to vacate,
00:39 and that's the taking the priority over governing. These political games distract from the real
00:45 issues that our constituents face every single day. It's truly shameful. The American people
00:50 deserve so much better. But I won't let the chaos of the House majority distract me from the reason
00:56 that I'm here, and it's the people of Ohio's 13th District. My constituents sent me to Congress to
01:01 focus on the challenges they face, like the high cost of living. So that's exactly what I'm going
01:06 to do and will continue to do. It's why I introduced a common-sense legislation, the
01:11 Lower Your Taxes Act, which would enhance the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit,
01:16 all while ensuring greedy corporations pay their fair share. By expanding the earned income tax
01:22 credit and child tax credit, we're investing in working people and putting more money in the
01:26 pockets of people, their hard-earned money, at a time when families need a little bit more
01:31 breathing room. My constituents want and need real solutions like the Lower Your Taxes Act,
01:36 something that will improve their everyday lives, not more divisive rhetoric. In a recent interview,
01:42 radio interview, I was asked whether or not the Lower Your Taxes Act had a realistic chance of
01:48 passing, and it was disappointing that I couldn't share a resounding yes, because this is a good
01:55 idea, that each of these provisions in the bill would help ease the pain of inflation, that it
02:02 would lift families out of poverty and provide needed tax relief, all while ensuring greedy
02:07 corporations are paying their fair share. But the reason this bill is not going to get a fair hearing
02:14 is because Republicans want to play games, partisan games, rather than address the needs
02:20 and concerns of the American people. I know that bipartisanship can be accomplished. I served as
02:27 the minority leader in the Statehouse in a super minority, and we were able to get things done,
02:32 real things done, including expanding the earned income tax credit. And it could be accomplished
02:37 here in Congress, but my colleagues have to make the decision. It is their desire or will
02:43 to not or to put people over politics. They can join me and my Democratic colleagues in leading
02:51 and putting people over politics, and we invite them every single day to join on the bandwagon
02:57 in order to help the American people. So to my colleagues in the majority, we say enough is
03:02 enough. Let's stop playing games and let's get to work. Thank you, and I'll turn the program back
03:08 over to Chair Aguilar.
