[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 26 (Thursday, March 12, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H1141-H1142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION NAMING THE DICK CHENEY FEDERAL BUILDING

  (Mrs. CUBIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CUBIN. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure today to 
introduce legislation to rename the Federal building and post office in 
Casper, Wyoming, the Dick Cheney Federal Building. I know of no one 
more deserving of this honor than Dick Cheney.
  Dick was one of my predecessors in the House. He served as Chief of 
Staff to former President Ford and he was Secretary of Defense under 
former President George Bush. During his tenure as Defense Secretary, 
Dick directed two of the largest military campaigns in recent history, 
Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Storm in the Middle 
East. For his leadership in the Gulf War, Dick was awarded the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bush, one of the highest 
honors bestowed on any individual.
  Although Dick is now serving as Chairman of the Board and Chief 
Executive Officer of the Halliburton Company and out of the political 
limelight, he remains extremely popular in Wyoming and his advice is 
still sought after by many of us, including myself, who currently serve 
in office. I hope my colleagues will join me in sponsoring this 
legislation in honor of one of our most cherished and highly respected 
former Members.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor and privilege to introduce today 
a bill to rename the Federal Building and Post Office in Casper, 
Wyoming, after a former member of this body, my predecessor, Dick 
Cheney. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this recognition, 
and I know the residents of Casper and all of Wyoming will be proud to 
honor him in this manner.
  As most of my colleagues are aware, Dick was first elected to serve 
in the House of Representatives in 1978 and was reelected five times. 
At the end of his first term, his Republican colleagues elected him to 
serve as Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee. I'm told that is 
the first time in this century a freshman member has been named to that 
position. Dick went on to become Chairman of the Republican Conference 
and House Minority Whip.
  But Dick's political career really began years earlier when he first 
joined the Nixon Administration in 1969, where he served in a number of 
positions at the Cost of Living Council, the Office of Economic 
Opportunity and the White House staff. He left the government in 1973 
to become Vice President of Bradley, Woods and Company, an investment 
advisory firm.
  When Gerald Ford assumed the Presidency in August of 1974, Dick was 
invited to serve on the transition team and later as Deputy Assistant 
to the President. In November, 1975, he was named Assistant to the 
President and White House Chief of Staff, a position he held throughout 
the remainder of the Ford Administration. I might add that, at 34, Dick 
was the youngest Chief of Staff ever to serve a President.
  For many of us in Wyoming who have known Dick for years, however, our 
greatest thrill was having him appointed as Secretary of Defense in the 
Bush Administration, a position he held from March of 1989 to January

[[Page H1142]]

1993. During his tenure at the Defense Department, Dick directed two of 
the largest military campaigns in recent history--Operation Just Cause 
in Panama and Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East. He was also 
responsible for shaping the future of the U.S. military in an age of 
profound and rapid change as the Cold War ended. For his leadership in 
the Gulf War, Dick was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by 
President Bush on July 3, 1991, one of the highest honors bestowed on 
any individual.
  Although Dick is now serving as Chairman of the Board and Chief 
Executive Officer of the Halliburton Company and out of the political 
limelight, he remains extremely popular in Wyoming and his advice is 
still sought after by many of us--including myself--who currently serve 
in office. Dick and his wife Lynne are among my closest friends and I 
cherish, love and admire them both. It is a great pleasure for me to 
seek to recognize him in this fashion, and I trust my colleagues will 
join me in sponsoring this bill and working towards its expeditious 
passage.
  Thank you, Dick, for all you have done for this country. God bless 
you and your family.

                          ____________________