[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 6 (Wednesday, February 4, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E90]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E90]]
               TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE RONALD V. DELLUMS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. WILLIAM J. COYNE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 3, 1998

  Mr. COYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ron Dellums--a 
distinguished member of this body who has announced that he will retire 
this Friday.
  The House will lose an outstanding Member of Congress with 
Representative Dellums's retirement. Congressman Dellums has served his 
constituents and the United States well and faithfully in the 27 years 
since he was first elected to Congress.
  Ron Dellums's career before his election to Congress helped prepare 
him for his outstanding service in the House. His service in the U.S. 
Marine Corps provided him with experience that would be of great use 
during his many years on the House Armed Services Committee. His 
experiences as a social worker and as a job training and development 
program manager provided him with insights into the everyday problems 
facing many American families. And his service on the Berkeley City 
Council provided him with valuable first-hand knowledge of the 
challenges facing municipal governments.
  Ron Dellums was first elected to Congress in 1970, campaigning on a 
platform of civil rights, environmentalism, and social justice. He 
clearly delivered on that promise in his first term and in his 
subsequent terms.
  In his 14 terms in office, Ron Dellums has served on a number of 
different committees, including the Foreign Affairs Committee, the 
National Security/Armed Services Committee, the District of Columbia 
Committee, the Post Office and Civil Service Committee, the Permanent 
Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Select Committee to 
Investigate the Intelligence Community. He served as chairman of the 
Armed Services Committee and of the District of Columbia Committee; he 
has the distinction of being the first Member of Congress to chair two 
different House standing committees.
  Ron Dellums has earned his reputation as an opponent of wasteful 
military spending. He believed that the defense budget could be reduced 
significantly without compromising our national security. He was 
unswerving in his efforts to cut military spending and shift federal 
resources to addressing pressing domestic needs. He worked diligently 
to halt the nuclear arms race, and with that end in mind he was a vocal 
opponent of strategically unwise weapons systems like the MX Missile 
and the B-2 Bomber.
  Congressman Dellums was instrumental in recent years in drafting and 
offering an annual alternative budget that reflected progressive, 
fiscally responsible policies rather than the status quo, and he was an 
articulate and respected advocate for dramatic changes in federal 
spending priorities.
  Congressman Dellums was active in a number of other areas as well. He 
introduced health care reform legislation as early as 1977. He 
introduced housing legislation and infant mortality bills. He led the 
fight against Apartheid in South Africa, introducing legislation as 
early as 1971 to impose economic sanctions on that country. He worked 
to help create the Department of Education and to fully fund Head 
Start. He was involved in environmental issues like dredging. And he 
was a strong supporter of the Civil Rights Restoration Act, the 
Americans with Disabilities Act, and the reauthorization of the Voting 
Rights Act in 1987.
  Congressman Dellums has had a remarkable career in the House. He has 
left his mark, made many friends, and earned great respect on both 
sides of the aisle.
  Ron, we will miss you here in the House. We will miss your insight, 
your passion, your eloquence, and your sense of perspective. We wish 
you well in your future endeavors.

                          ____________________