[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 83 (Thursday, June 14, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   EXPRESSING SORROW OF THE HOUSE AT THE DEATH OF THE HONORABLE JOHN 
JOSEPH MOAKLEY, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 6, 2001

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of John Joseph 
Moakley, former Congressman from the ninth Congressional district of 
Massachusetts.
  Joe Moakley was first sworn in as a representative in 1989. We know 
him most recently for his long service on the Committee on Rules--he 
was chairman of that committee from 1989 to 1994, and continued to 
serve as the ranking member from 1995 until this year.
  As my colleagues have noted before me, Joe Moakley never forgot his 
roots. Even as Chairman of one of the most influential committees in 
the U.S. Congress, he always had time for constituents in need, and 
junior Members of Congress who didn't understand the intricacies of 
House operations. He was known for his ability to diffuse tense 
situations with a humorous comment, and was welcomed and appreciated by 
all for his direct yet respectful manner. As my colleagues from the 
other side of the aisle have noted, we all thought of him as a fair 
chairman and an honest human being.
  I began my elected service in the House of Representatives in 1989, 
and it was in that year that six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and 
her daughter were murdered in El Salvador. Congressman Moakley was 
appointed as the head of a special task force directed to investigate 
the murders and the response of the Salvadoran government. It was this 
task force which first reported the connection between these murders 
and several high-raking military officers in El Salvador. This report 
was of sufficient gravity that it resulted in the termination of U.S. 
military aid to El Salvador. The end of the civil war in that country 
is often attributed to his work in this area and the change in U.S. 
policy which resulted therefrom. Joe Moakley did not have to take on 
any of this extra work. It didn't help him get elected, he didn't get 
paid any more money--he did it, I believe, because he felt a need to 
right a wrong, and this is how I will always remember him.
  We here in Washington are all missing him very much right now. I know 
his surviving family and other relatives will miss him even more. To 
them I say Joe Moakley was as good as they come. He was a true public 
servant in every positive sense and I stand today to honor this 
gentleman of all time.

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