Congress

“Today the people of New Jersey lost a beloved public servant, and the House of Representatives lost a respected member.  As his state's first African American elected to Congress, Donald Payne was a trailblazer who helped pave the way for many to follow throughout the country.  Don was a tireless campaigner for justice.  Whether it was for the men and women from urban communities in Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties, the millions of American students who benefited from his service on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, or those suffering from poverty and oppression in Africa for whom he was a vocal advocate, his fight for justice at home and human rights around the world will be Don's lasting legacy.  His many travels to the Sudans brought hope to those experiencing the bitterness of war, hunger, and displacement, and his efforts drew Americans’ attention to the genocide in Darfur and ongoing violence across the Sudans.  All of us who had the honor of serving with him will dearly miss him and the energy and passion he brought to his job.  My thoughts are with his family today.”

For three decades, Norm Dicks and I have served together in Congress, and he is not only a respected colleague but a dear friend.  I’m saddened that Norm has decided to retire at the end of the 112th Congress.  He will be greatly missed in the halls of the Capitol by Members on both sides of the aisle.

As Parliamentarian, John Sullivan has been a careful steward of the rules of the House and a strong defender of their proper exercise, which has earned him the respect of members and leaders from both parties.  When he became Parliamentarian in 2004, John brought with him seventeen years of experience working in the Office of the Parliamentarian, three years as counsel to the Armed Services Committee, and seven years as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force.  Having given over thirty-five years of his career to our nation, I join in thanking him for his many contributions.

"Over the past five years, I have come to know Heath Shuler as a resolute lawmaker, a determined advocate for getting America's fiscal house in order, and – above all – a good friend. I will greatly miss him in this House, where he has made an enormous impact as a leader of the Blue Dog Coalition and as a rising star in the Democratic caucus...

While I was saddened to learn that Rep. Brad Miller will be retiring from Congress, I am thankful for the chance to have served alongside him these past nine years.  Over the course of his time in Congress, Rep. Miller has fought for the well-being of North Carolina families, and he has worked tirelessly as a member of the Financial Services Committee to combat predatory lending practices and help those facing foreclosure stay in their homes.  Believing strongly in creating opportunities for more Americans to reach the middle class, Rep. Miller  has been a strong advocate for education and access to health care, and he has been a defender of North Carolina service members, veterans, and their families.  He will be missed in this House, and I join in wishing him the best as he moves on to the next step in his career.

None of us on this Floor are talented enough to summon the rhetoric that all of us feel in our hearts. We have young men and women, arrayed on the fields in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other troubled spots in the world. They are fighting for freedom and democracy and too many of them are injured on those fields. Our beloved colleague, Gabrielle Giffords, was injured on the field in the exercise of that democracy. And in being injured, she has become an example for us, for all Americans, indeed all the world, of courage, of clarity of purpose, of grace, of responsibility, of a sense of duty which she exercises this day.

Tonight, President Obama stood before Congress and the American people and asked us to envision the America we can achieve together, sharing his blueprint for doing so.  The plan he laid out is rooted in the same values of fairness and responsibility that have enabled generations of Americans to climb ladders of opportunity and pass their faith in the American Dream on to their children.

Democratic Whip Hoyer stated, “I am pleased that Congress is actively taking steps to update how it connects with the American people online, improve transparency and better interact with our constituents to keep them informed. There is still work to be done, but Democrats and Republicans alike understand the duty we share to make the legislative process as open and accessible as possible. This report continues the hard work of Members from both sides of the aisle in shaping how we can better connect the American people to their government in order to better serve them.”