[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 71 (Tuesday, May 2, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H4448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1115
                      TRIBUTE TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

  (Mr. WARD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of the victims of 
the Oklahoma City bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and 
I wish to pay tribute to all Federal employees who are so dedicated in 
their service to our Nation.
  At 9:02 a.m. on Wednesday, April 19, when the blast leveled half of 
the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Federal employees were helping 
veterans receive benefits and other assistance they need; Federal 
employees were helping poor families afford decent housing and to one 
day own their own home; Federal employees of the Social Security 
Administration were helping seniors obtain retirement benefits they so 
rightly deserve, and Federal employees of the ATF and FBI were working 
to make our streets safer and our lives more secure.
  Ironically enough, we saw the clearest evidence of the invaluable 
work of Federal employees after the Oklahoma City bombing. We saw 
Federal employees from FEMA go to Oklahoma city to help free victims 
from the rubble of steel and cement and help save lives. We saw Federal 
employees of the FBI quickly respond with an all-out manhunt which 
produced the prime suspect within hours of the bombing. We saw Federal 
employees here in Washington volunteering their accrued leave time for 
the benefit of the survivors of the bombing.
  Mr. Speaker, it is the dedication of these Federal employees that 
truly makes our Nation a united one in times of crisis and hardship.


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