[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 149 (Thursday, November 1, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H7701-H7707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO THE HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 3, 2001, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) is recognized
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for participating with
us in this Special Order this evening to pay tribute to our former
colleague, the gentleman from New York's 22nd Congressional District,
Gerald B.H. Solomon.
I am pleased at this time to yield to our distinguished majority
leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey).
Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Gilman) for recognizing me.
This is kind of a solemn occasion. The Speaker, the gentleman in the
chair, will be proud to know that Gerald Solomon was born in 1930 in
Okeechobee, Florida.
Jerry Solomon grew up to be a fine man, a dedicated Marine, great
Member of this body, friend and mentor, sometimes disciplinarian to all
of us. I had the privilege of arriving in the House of Representatives
when Jerry Solomon had already been here and working with him until he
retired. I watched him as he worked on behalf of veterans with a heart
that seemed to be just as big as can be; and he believed in freedom,
not only for America but for all the world.
Gerald Solomon was always busy on foreign policy matters. He was busy
on veterans affairs. He was a strong proponent of a strong defense, but
he was also a man with a big heart. And one of the things that would
always shine through with Jerry, especially when he was with his
beautiful wife, Freda, and his children, was that he was a man who had
a heart for family. And that too, I think, to many of us was an
inspiration.
This is a tough job; this is a tough place. It is tough on our lives.
And to have those colleagues that we have, Jerry Solomon being a
perfect example, that can meet all of the demands of this work, and
especially the demands of travel that he met with foreign travel in his
interests, and remain so thoroughly dedicated, devoted to his wife. And
many will remember that you did not have to look much further beyond
the reflection of Freda and Gerry's eyes to see the definition of the
word adoration. He truly did love his family.
So he helped us in so many ways with his presence, with his
commitment, his sense of courage, his dedication, his legislative
skills, his good judgment on
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occasion, good advice on others, and restraining hand on a few. Even
his willingness to himself accept the restraining hand when that Marine
Corps temperament would get out of control was an example for the rest
of us. And then to combine that with the year-in, year-out example that
yes, you too can meet all the demands of this congressional life and
still remain devoted to a family life, where you can be cherished and
where you can cherish your family.
We were sad when Jerry retired. Many of us talked about Jerry at that
time. I remember saying to Jerry, Jerry, you are like a boat when you
come to this body. Everybody loves you when you are brand new, but they
love you even more when you leave. Jerry got a kick out of that.
We enjoyed his celebration and we saw him off and on. I have to say,
Mr. Speaker, it was a blow to me the other day when I picked up the
paper and saw that we had lost Jerry. I truly lost a friend. And like
others here, I will miss him. I guess we just did not expect it. We
just do not expect to lose somebody that seems so strong and so
boisterous.
If I can again just thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman)
for allowing me this little bit of time. If I could probably find two
final words to say to my friend, Jerry Solomon, I guess they would have
to be semper fi.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader for his kind
remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).
Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Gilman) for organizing this Special Order in memory of our
colleague and fine friend.
Mr. Speaker, last week New York and America lost a great patriot, a
fierce advocate, a fine leader and legislator and an extremely decent,
kind and wonderful man. Whatever differences we had on policy, I always
admired Jerry Solomon and our differences were never personal; they
were merely based on policy disputes.
He spoke and acted with tremendous conviction. One never needed to
interpret what Jerry was saying. He was refreshingly direct. He stuck
to his guns, and I know my colleagues are going to miss him as much as
I will.
Jerry led the Committee on Rules with distinction, decisiveness and
fairness. His stewardship of that powerful committee was a credit to
this institution. As a fellow New Yorker, Jerry was extremely gracious
to me when I came to Congress in 1993 and all the years that we served
together. He and I shared a love of the Adirondacks and Upstate New
York. He was devoted to his wife, Freda, and his family. Above all I
will remember Gerry's passion, an ex-Marine, an entrepreneur, and a
father of five.
Jerry had a rock-solid vision of the American way. He was true to
that vision in everything he did and to his dying day he wanted to know
what he could do for his country.
Jerry, I think every Member of this body would agree that you did
more than enough, and we will miss you.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs.
Maloney) for her kind words.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to one of Gerry's colleagues,
former colleague on the Committee on International Relations, the
former vice-chairman of the Committee on International Relations, the
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter).
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Gilman) for yielding me this time to speak about my dear departed
colleague and friend, Jerry Solomon.
Jerry Solomon and I were elected together in 1978. We became friends
and I now count him as one of the very best friends I have ever had.
His wife, Freda, and my wife, Louise, he and I shared a friendship
among us that simply grew over time to a point that I came to
appreciate him in so very many ways.
The gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) had just talked about
his interest in doing whatever he could to advance the best interest of
our country. Jerry Solomon was an unabashed flag-waving patriot. But he
was a patriot in deed as well as word. And we came to know that because
of his service on the Committee on International Relations, first of
all, and later the leadership he brought to the Congress through his
chairmanship of the House Committee on Rules.
His dedication to his family has been frequently mentioned. One of
his children, the only one I am privileged to know, is Linda Solomon
who has played and continues to play a very crucial role as the person
in charge of protocol for the Committee on International Relations, and
she is a very valued and respected and loved staff member for the
committee.
I want to speak about Jerry Solomon, however, in a way that perhaps I
have a special opportunity and knowledge. And that is to talk about his
role in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. It was through Gerry's
encouragement that I first became involved in 1984. He already as a
young Member of the House was involved in this interparliamentary
effort involving the parliamentarians from the then 16 NATO countries
and later the 19 countries that now constitute NATO and the associate
members. He was very well respected in that body. We have five major
committees. He chaired for the maximum length of time the political
committee, which you might be surprised was the one that dealt with the
most controversial subjects and had the widest area of coverage. That
was in 1993 through 1996.
Later, in 1997 and 1998 for the maximum 2-year term, he served one of
the assemblies of vice presidents. He was extraordinarily effective in
that venue just as he is and was in this House.
I want to relate one personal experience that I am sure his wife,
Freda, will remember very well. We traveled together frequently since I
had the privilege to chair the delegation at the encouragement of Jerry
Solomon because he was very busy with the Committee on Rules. We were
having plane trouble as we tried to take off from refueling in the
Azores on the way back from a NATO meeting in Europe. We had to return
to the Azores because of pressurization. We tried again. And Jerry
Solomon was stewing because he had to get back here to chair a
Committee on Rules hearing. His wife tried to calm him. My wife tried
to calm him. Eventually about 6 hours later we got on to a transport
plane, no seats, just webbing and the floors.
I can recall and I am sure Freda will recall how that ramrod
straight-back Marine was lying back on the floor in the cold on the
deck of the transport plane and we worked our way back to Washington,
D.C. so he could take over the responsibilities of the Committee on
Rules and move some important legislation for the House.
Jerry Solomon made many contributions here. It is impossible to
enumerate them all. But of the things that the gentleman from New York
(Mr. Gilman) and I had the privilege to do today is to offer an
amendment to legislation that was pending and which we passed
unanimously from the committee encouraging and enumerating the support
for NATO expansion.
{time} 2130
We amended that bill to name it for our colleague, our late departed
colleague Jerry Solomon, because he was such a leader in encouraging
the enlargement of NATO both within the assembly and here in the House
of Representatives. And because the House of Representatives, of all of
the entities across the whole world, took the lead first in trying to
push for NATO expansion, and because Jerry Solomon played a major role
in assisting President Clinton at the Madrid Summit, which considered
for the first substantial time NATO expansion, for these reasons we
thought it was particularly fitting.
So I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) for
joining me in that effort, for a suggestion that was always followed
through on, and for yielding me this time on behalf of our beloved
colleague, the late Jerry Solomon. We wish all the best possible in the
days ahead to Freda and his family as they miss his physical presence
here on Earth.
Mr. GILMAN. I thank the gentleman for his kind words on behalf of
Jerry. I am pleased now to yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms.
Kaptur), who was kind enough to yield some time to us this evening so
that we could proceed before her special order.
Ms. KAPTUR. I would like to thank our esteemed colleague, the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), and the
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dean of the New York delegation, for yielding me some time, as a
Midwesterner, a Buckeye, to place in the Record very sincere remarks in
memory of the life of our beloved colleague, Jerry Solomon, someone
with whom I had the great privilege of serving for over a decade and a
half.
When I first came to Congress as a young Member we began our service
on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. He was already there. And I
remember as a new Member his devotion, his commitment, his seriousness
and his humor on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. He then obviously
moved over to Rules and became very involved there, rising to chair the
committee.
I think I will always remember Jerry coming through these doors with
those big brown folders. And I do not know how he got all those papers,
but they were always like a foot thick and they had like a rubber band
or a tie or something. The papers never seemed to fall out. He would
kind of grip them, like that. It must have been an old duffle bag
Marine trick or something, but he carried those folders all over the
floor.
And what a great patriot. What a patriot. He loved this country so
much. And I agree with what my sister colleague, the gentlewoman from
New York (Mrs. Maloney) has said. His determination and his directness
was refreshing. It was so refreshing. Sometimes you didn't want to be
at the end when it had a barb, but you always knew that he would level
with you.
And he had such a way of carrying himself. He kind of pitched his
shoulders here, and he looked like he planted himself on the floor. He
always stood his ground.
Many people will talk about Jerry getting a little red faced and
excited at times, but I also remember his humor, the great sense of
humor that he had. And in some of the issues we got involved in, you
needed to have a great sense of humor.
I remember his great friendship and support on all of the economic
questions that we faced as a country, his deep concern about the
workers in his community who had been thrown out of work, his mastery
of international trade law, and his work with us in trying to right the
wrongs that existed in trade policy so that we would pay attention to
those who paid the price of trade laws that are out of balance, truly,
and do not pay enough attention to workers. He really fought for the
workers of his State and our country.
So I just wanted to say to his wife Freda, to his five children, and
they used to sit down in the dining room here all the time and dine
together, his love for you shown always. And I can still see his
smiling face. What a square-jawed, patriotic, truly caring gentleman he
was, and it was my great privilege to have served with him.
I thank the people of New York for renewing his election many, many,
many years, allowing him to gain the seniority here where he was given
true voice. My deepest condolences to his family and the people of his
home State. And once again I thank the dean of the New York delegation
for this opportunity.
Mr. GILMAN. I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio for her kind words.
I am now pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen), a fellow member of the Committee on International Relations,
who served with Jerry for a number of years on our committee.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to
me, and it is with great sadness that I join my other colleagues in
noting the passing of former Congressman Gerald Solomon, one of the
most effective and committed Members that this body has ever had. And
although we are sad in noting his passing, we should take this
opportunity really to celebrate his productive and fruitful life as a
husband, as a father, as a Member of Congress, as a businessman, as a
civic leader, and as a mentor.
With devotion and love, Congressman Solomon shared his life with his
high school sweetheart, Freda, and later with his five children,
including Linda, who works in our Committee on International Relations,
and his six grandchildren. Although our Nation mourns the loss of this
great leader, his family, as noted in their own words, lost a deeply
loving husband, father and grandfather.
The spirit of love permeated all facets of his life. During his
spectacular career in the House of Representatives, spanning over two
decades, Jerry worked tenacious on issues benefiting not only his
district in New York but benefiting the entire country. Love for his
work and devotion to his country were the impetus for his efforts here
in Congress. An example was his support of a balanced budget, of which
he was a proponent long before it became in vogue, so that our country
could be fiscally sound and responsible.
His love for the American people led him during his tenure as
chairman of the Committee on Rules to streamline many areas of the
House and reduce the size and the power of Congress to remain true to
our belief that individuals and not Congress are vested with power.
Jerry's love for recognizing our country's veterans was the impetus
for authoring the bill creating the Department of Veterans' Affairs,
for co-authoring the GI bill, and fighting to establish the Saratoga
National Veteran's Cemetery.
Work during his tenure in Congress was not limited to legislative
efforts only. Jerry also led many task forces, boards, and represented
us in important global organizations. My colleague, the gentleman from
Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), mentioned some of those. For example, he was
the Chair of the National Defense Task Force, he was the Congressional
Advisor to the United Nations Session on Disarmament, Representative to
the North Atlantic Assembly, Chair of the Political Foreign Affairs
Committee, Chair of the House NATO Observer Group, and the U.S. Task
Force on POW-MIAs.
Jerry shone in business as brilliantly as he did in Congress. His
most recent business achievement was forming the Solomon Group, a
successful consulting firm providing advice and counsel to Fortune 500
companies and international corporations worldwide. Before serving in
Congress, Jerry was also a successful businessman, dealing with
insurance, investment, and international trade.
We were fortunate to have known Jerry and to have had him as a
congressional leader, but it is his community that will miss him the
most. I am certain that the love and the kindness that he expressed to
the people in his district, in his State, will be forever remembered
and cherished. He said that his greatest enjoyment came from
successfully helping people back home in his district cope with
problems that they had with the Federal bureaucracy.
His selflessness and commitment to civic duty was demonstrated by his
service as a volunteer fireman; his involvement with the Boy Scouts of
America, spanning over 50 years; his founding of the Queensbury Kiwanis
Club and the Queensbury Jaycees; his active membership in his local
Elks Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons Lodge, the Royal Arch Masons, and
the Joseph Warren Council. Through all of these activities, Jerry
touched the lives of many who have also aspired to greatness, and
numerous other honors that we cannot name tonight, for Jerry truly
served as a mentor to many of us.
I am proud to pay tribute to this devoted leader, to this patriot,
and to express my heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. May
they find peace and comfort in the knowledge that he made significant
differences in the lives of everyone whom he touched and that he was an
inspiration to those of us who also serve. He will forever be
remembered as a patriot, as an American, always a proud Marine.
Semper fi, Jerry Solomon.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida, the
distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on International Operations
and Human Rights, for her very kind words.
I am pleased to now yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Shimkus).
Mr. SHIMKUS. Semper fi. Always faithful. There is no better phrase to
describe Jerry Solomon. He was always faithful to his family, he was
always faithful to his God, he was always faithful to NATO, to our NATO
allies, and to the cause of NATO enlargement. And I bring a warm
heartfelt thanks from the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and
Lithuania, whose role in NATO enlargement was always championed by
Congressman Solomon.
He was always faithful to this institution, he was always faithful to
the
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Boy Scouts of America, his beloved Marine Corps, this country, and our
beloved flag. His booming voice left this floor on his retirement, and
on his death his voice has left this world. But the echoes of his
booming voice will continue to ring: Duty, honor, country, or let's
step outside.
I personally remember, always, one time when I heard ``Shimkus, you
voted wrong,'' right here on this floor. And the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) has left the floor, but I think the vote was
on Radio Marti. You know what? He was right.
I was not a classmate of Jerry's, I was not on his committee, and I
am not from his State. I am just a veteran, like Jerry, who loves his
country. Semper fi, Jerry Solomon. I will miss you.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Shimkus).
I am pleased to yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter),
the chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Research and Development
of the Committee on Armed Services, a good colleague of Jerry
Solomon's.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me the
time, and I thank all my colleagues for their wonderful and eloquent
words. I was listening to them back in my office, and that is why I
came over also, to pay tribute to Jerry.
A number of folks have talked about Jerry's countenance and his
optimism and his appearance. And he was impressive because he had that
big voice and he exerted that voice, and he had a great leadership role
in this House. But he had this countenance and presence that I think,
to some degree, was America's presence. He was optimistic. He was
always ready to help. He believed very deeply in principle. I would
hope that is how other nations would view the United States.
I can recall waging battles side-by-side with Jerry and with my
buddies, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) and the gentleman
from New York (Mr. Gilman) in the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan came in.
And that was such a joy for Jerry Solomon, because he was such an
ardent supporter of this guy who believed in peace through strength,
President Ronald Reagan.
We fought what were known as the Contra wars, and those were the wars
in which we came into an era at a time when most of our Central
American neighbors had military dictatorships of one type or another.
And through putting a shield around those countries, in terms of the
foreign intervention, the attempt by the Russians, then the Soviet
Union, to try to move into our hemisphere, and giving some leadership
to those nations with respect to democracy, we ended up with fragile
democracies in all those nations, which heretofore had had military
dictatorships and, to some degree, tragic histories. But we did that by
extending the strong hand of American leadership, and that was, I
think, reflective of Jerry Solomon's belief as to how this country
should conduct foreign policy.
I recall all the debates we had on the nuclear freeze; the idea that
somehow if we would just show a little more passivism, if we would
simply halt and not do anything while the Soviet Union built 758 big
ICBMs during the 1970s and early 1980s, that somehow they would
reciprocate because of our kindness and our good personalities and they
in fact would start to build down their nuclear inventory.
{time} 2145
But Jerry Solomon believed you could only achieve peace by having
strength. He was on the floor, as was the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Gilman) and the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), during the
nuclear freeze debate that took place over 3 or 4 weeks, holding out
until we impressed upon the American people, and I think the leadership
of the Soviet Union, that we intended to remain strong and become
stronger. Through the leadership of Ronald Reagan, they called up at
one point, and the Soviets said can we talk. We did talk and that led
to the first arms reduction agreements. That set the tone for the talks
that are going on today, that will result in further reductions to our
nuclear stockpiles, as well as the Russians'.
Jerry Solomon was here at a critical time in our history. He also
believed in the American patriot. I think one of Jerry's great
attributes was that he wanted to remake America in his image. I mean
that in a good way. Jerry was a patriotic guy who served in the United
States Marine Corps, and he wanted to make sure that every young man
had that opportunity. He wanted to make sure that every young man
registered with the draft and every educational institution which took
its freedom to teach from the legacy of the 619,000 Americans who have
died in this last century, Jerry wanted to make sure that those
educational institutions, if they wanted to receive any largess from
the Federal Government, would make sure that they allowed a draft
registration and a presence of military recruiters on their campuses.
This was Jerry Solomon, the patriot. He believed that every American
had a duty to serve his country, and as usual led by example by doing
it himself.
Jerry, you have left us in a different era, a new era, with new
threats, new challenges, new dangers, and some receding dangers. I
think if this country will follow that model of optimism, of help for
others who need help, of rugged individualism, and of peace through
strength, that is the American idea that we only achieve peace and
maintain peace in this world by being militarily strong and thereby
being able to protect ourselves, and help others, if we follow that
Jerry Solomon model, even in this new dangerous world that we live in,
we will come out okay.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I yield to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Cox), the chairman of our Republican
Policy Committee.
Mr. COX. Mr. Speaker, when Chairman Jerry Solomon died last Friday,
America lost one of freedom's great friends.
Jerry had been leading the congressional charge to put the last nail
in the coffin of Soviet communism for many years when I began working
with him here on Capitol Hill in 1988. Decades earlier he had taken
more direct action volunteering as a Marine during the Korean War.
In more recent years, it was my privilege to work with Jerry to
promote freedom in place of communism in the People's Republic of
China. It was Jerry's leadership, more than anything else, that
permitted this House to act unanimously to put together the Select
Committee on National Security that I, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr.
Bereuter), and others from both sides of the aisle served upon. It was
Jerry's help, as chairman of the Committee on Rules, in structuring
that select committee of this Congress that paved the way for the
unanimous and bipartisan result that we achieved, and for the
implementation by the Congress and the execution of every one of our
recommendations.
In 1988, Jerry's work on the Committee on Policy's policy for freedom
brought us 11 separate pieces of legislation that were passed
essentially unanimously by this full House, and again the gentleman
from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) worked very closely with the chairman of
the Committee on Rules, as did the chairman of the Committee on
International Relations, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), who
has already spoken in this Special Order this evening.
In fact, Jerry Solomon dedicated his entire career to advancing human
freedom, and he deserves credit for advocating policies supporting
freedom in Central America, in Eastern Europe, and Central Europe.
Jerry would be the last, however, to tell us, mission accomplished. If
Jerry were still here, he would be doing what he did every day,
exhorting the rest of us to work as hard as we could, as hard as he
worked, to rededicate ourselves just as this tireless Marine did to see
the end of communism in the People's Republic of China, to see the end
of communism in Vietnam, in North Korea and Cuba.
Jerry did not live to see Fidel Castro brought to justice, and yet he
was an unwavering voice against appeasing the Castro dictatorship to
his last day. He did not live to see America's victory in the war on
terrorism that we are fighting right now; and yet all of the work that
he did in this Chamber has prepared us to win this war because his work
and his leadership ensured that our fighting men and women will have
what they need to see us through to victory.
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Jerry was an active and invaluable member of the House Republican
Policy Committee during the entirety of my chairmanship from 1994 to
1998 when he retired. As chairman of the Policy Committee, I will
forever treasure the opportunity I had to work with him as one of the
chief leaders in the House of Representatives, the chairman of the
Committee on Rules. I will be forever grateful for his tremendous
contributions to the committee and this Congress in time, advice,
wisdom, and policy.
Jerry was also a practitioner of bipartisanship at its best. He was a
leading Republican in the Congress, but he was also a leading Member of
the Congress who promoted comity in this institution every day. He
worked with our colleagues, the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Pelosi) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), in pursuit of
human rights around the world. It was typical of Jerry that he
commended his ideological opposite, Congressman Ron Dellums, admiring
him for his sincerity and his principled opposition to the Gulf War,
even as Jerry fought to do everything possible for victory in that same
war.
Jerry Solomon's bipartisanship was not the feckless kind that seeks
to muzzle debate. Jerry understood that only when all sides of an issue
get a full airing is there a possibility to achieve true national
consensus.
When America lost Jerry Solomon, America lost a hero. We owe him an
enormous debt. Thanks to Jerry, America's men and women are so well
prepared and so well equipped today that I have no doubt when we
achieve victory on today's war on terrorism, we can say thank you, Mr.
Chairman. I wish Jerry were here tonight so we could say personally
what we all feel in our hearts. Mr. Chairman, we miss you.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr.
Cox) for his eloquent words.
Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank all of my colleagues who
participated in this tribute to one of our great heroes, Jerry Solomon.
Mr. Speaker, in the House, in the Senate, in Washington, in New York
State and overseas, many of us were deeply saddened to learn late last
week of the loss of our former colleague, Jerry Solomon. In New York
State's capital, in Albany, Jerry was an assemblyman noted for his
energy, determination and his commitment. It was, therefore, no
surprise to those of us who knew him when he subsequently brought those
same characteristic traits to bear as a Member of Congress and as a
distinguished chairman of the Committee on Rules.
Jerry came to the House in January 1979 serving here for 2 decades,
diligently and meritoriously representing his constituents in the 22nd
Congressional District in upstate New York. He came to the floor of the
House placing his large accordion Solomon folder, placing it on a desk
with those large letters staring us in the face, always ready to stand
up vociferously for what he believed in when it came to our Nation's
defense, for veterans, and his never-ending fight against communism.
Last week, upon learning of the passing of our former colleague,
President Bush said ``Jerry Solomon was a true patriot who will always
be remembered as true to his creed, duty, honor and country.'' The
President's words remind us that as our military goes into battle
against those who perpetrated the atrocities of September 11, our
troops are now relying on advanced weapon systems and technologies that
Jerry Solomon fought to obtain for them.
As a Marine veteran, Jerry Solomon was proud to be labeled a hawk on
defense, consistently arguing that our Nation had to stay prepared and
strong for the new challenges in the post-Cold War world. Today we
fully recognize his wisdom in that policy.
In 1998, Jerry Solomon successfully helped us raise our program of
rewards for any information leading to the arrest of terrorists to $2
million, four times the maximum reward at that time, and now we are
considering a reward of $25 million. I know how strongly Jerry believed
that the money would be well spent if it helped to stop even one act of
terrorism against our Nation. He was right.
Mr. Speaker, along with many of us who have served here in the
Congress, Jerry Solomon sought to make our Nation better more
prosperous and more secure. Let me cite some of his many
accomplishments during his 20 years of congressional service: the
promotion of the director of Veterans Administration to a cabinet level
office; the passage of legislation to reduce illegal drug use and to
fight drug dealers; the reform of the rules of the House; the passage
of legislation linking Federal student aid to registration in selective
service; his chairmanship of our House task force on prisoners of war
and missing in action; his passage of legislation to compel reform at
the United Nations; creating the Saratoga National Veterans Cemetery,
where he has recently been buried; representation of the House in the
political arm of the NATO Alliance for some 18 years where he served
with the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter).
Today in honoring Jerry, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter)
and I introduced in our Committee on International Relations, as the
gentleman indicated, and it was the committee on which Jerry served for
many years, we introduced and adopted a measure, The Gerald B.H.
Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act, which promotes the continuing
enlargement of NATO; and that measure will soon be brought to the
floor.
In 1998, Jerry authored a book entitled ``The NATO Enlargement
Debate: 1990-1997: The Blessings of Liberty.''
His allusions to our own Constitution's preamble was meant to convey
the view that people everywhere should be able to live in liberty, a
view to which he dedicated much of his life. Jerry had many legislative
victories and some defeats, just as we all do; but he never gave in
when it came to matters which he felt involved principles, whether
human rights in China, the desecration of our American flag, or the
support of family dairy farms and small businesses.
Jerry would not forgive me, of course, if I failed to mention his
love for and devotion to the United States Marine Corps in which he
served for several years. My wife, Georgia, joins with me in extending
our heartfelt condolences to Jerry's beloved wife, Freda, and to their
children, Susan, Daniel, Robert, Linda and Jeffrey. Linda has served on
our Committee on International Relations. And to his brother, Richard,
and their grandchildren.
While our words may not assuage their sense of loss, we hope that
they can take some comfort in our recognition of the rich, fruitful
life that Jerry lived and the way the world embraced his spirit.
Jerry, when you left Congress some 3 years ago, we in the Congress
and in New York State and all those across the Nation missed you. We
missed your shouting at us from across the floor, ``We need that vote.
One more for the Gipper.''
May God bless you, Patriot Jerry Solomon. You leave behind many fond
memories, a loving family, your devoted staff and friends who will long
miss you. Semper fi, Jerry.
Mr. Frost. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express may sadness at the
passing of our former colleague Jerry Solomon. Jerry was a dedicated
and hard-working Member of Congress, a loyal former Marine, a true
fiscal conservative, and he was my friend. I rise today to express my
most sincere condolences to Freda Solomon, a lovely and gentle lady
with whom I spent many pleasant hours, and to their children and
grandchildren. Jerry always worked too hard, but I have to believe that
he always did so because he believed so passionately in this Nation and
wanted to make sure that its ideals and goodness were preserved and
protected for his family, for mine, as well as for every other American
family.
Jerry also believed passionately that ideals embodied in the
democratic form of government we practice in the United States were
worthy of export. Given his long-term commitment to the protection of
freedom through his active participation in the North Atlantic
Assembly, it was natural that he be given the role of ranking
Republican Member when former Speaker Foley created the Special Task
Force on the Development of Parliamentary Institutions in Eastern
Europe shortly after the demise of communist governments in Poland,
Hungary, and Czechoslovakia in 1989 and 1990. Jerry worked closely with
me during the four years I had the honor to chair the Task Force, and
in 1995 and 1996 carried on the work we had started. He took a keen
interest in our work and saw, quite correctly, that the United States
Congress could play an exceptionally valuable role in the development
of new parliaments in countries that had, for 50
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years, lived behind the Iron Curtain. I will always be grateful for his
help, his suggestions, and his counsel during the years we worked on
that project. It was a truly bipartisan effort, in fact, it was an
American effort. We did something valuable, and it did not matter that
Jerry and I rarely agreed on much in the legislative arena. We knew we
were doing something special and we knew we were doing something for
the good of our families, and for the families of the world.
Jerry did work too hard. He was probably born to work too hard, but
he was also born to be a Marine. He was so proud of his service to his
country in uniform and that pride never left him. We saw it every day
in his ramrod straight Marine posture, in his dedication to the men and
women who served before and who serve today, and in his dedication to
his country. It is fitting that he has been laid to rest in the
Saratoga National Cemetery, since he was instrumental in its
establishment.
And so, Mr. Speaker, I extend my condolences to Freda and to his
children and grandchildren. They should be proud of him and all he did
in service to his Nation, to the flag, and to his family. He was the
true embodiment of Semper Fi.
Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, it is with a sense of profound sadness and a
touch of nostalgia and deep admiration that I take the floor today to
speak about a man who served his country and this House with vigor
distinction. Jerry Solomon was a man who took the concept of service to
country to its highest plan. He was deeply committed to keeping America
the bastion of democracy which the founding fathers envisioned.
As anyone who met Jerry knows, he served proudly, and with great
honor in the United States Marines. Semper Fi was more than just a
slogan to Jerry. He took those words to be his code of conduct both in
the Marines and later as a Member of the House. It was a true badge of
dignity and commitment for him.
When Jerry was elected to Congress, he was exultant in having found
another way to serve his country. While he was dedicated to the
constituents who so wisely chose to send him to Congress, he was ever
mindful of the responsibilities he bore as a United States Congressman.
He realized that every vote he made, and every action he took, affected
the nation as a whole. While some Members find this responsibility to
be a heavy burden, Jerry relished in having the opportunity to do
things to make America a better place to live and work and a stronger
example of the glories of our democracy.
When he became chairman of the Committee on Rules, Jerry's
responsibilities expanded. He was clearly up to the task. He took this
extra assignment knowing how important it would be, but also well aware
of the enhanced burden it would carry. Jerry managed to walk the
tightrope of being a fair and equitable chairman, and still keeping the
mission of the majority in mind. He was a key member of leadership, and
used that position to continue his never ending quest for a better
America.
The House has lost a tremendous asset, I have a lost friend, and this
nation has lost a great patriot. How comforting it would be in these
times of national stress to have Jerry here to lead and inspire us in
all the challenges ahead.
When someone you love dies, he is no longer where he was--he is with
you, in your heart and memory. Rather than mourn our loss let us be
glad he lived and we knew him.
My deepest sympathy to his wife and his family--especially his
daughter Linda.
Ms. HARMAN. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in paying tribute to
our late colleague, Gerald Solomon.
Jerry was a very special individual, Representative and friend.
Others have described his reputation as ``the pit bull of the House.''
I want to describe how encouraging and war, he was under that rough
exterior.
As chairman of the Rules Committee, Jerry had enormous influence as
gatekeeper of the kinds and number of amendments that could be
entertained on the House floor.
Many a time, I testified before him and the Committee--pleading the
merits of the amendment I wanted to offer to some bill.
I particularly remember the repeated appearances that Bill Brewster,
Mike Crapo and I made to the Committee to pitch the importance of our
``deficit reduction lock box'' amendment. Our amendment would designate
and ``lock'' all savings from amendments cutting spending to deficit
reduction.
On every appropriation bill, we asked that our amendment be made in
order.
In all cases, Jerry was attentive--even after I starting sporting a
``where's the money'' button on my lapel and when it was clear from the
outset that our amendment would not be made in order.
Each time we testified, Jerry was encouraging of our efforts and
supportive of the goal of our amendment--even as he and his Committee
denied the waivers necessary for us to offer it.
He loved my moniker--``mother of the lockbox.'' We chuckled that it
had many fathers, but only one mother.
In fact, Jerry understood the importance of the fiscal discipline we
were proposing and I think he winked many times as a way to encourage
us--even though the act of denying us the opportunity to offer the
amendment embarrassed him and other fiscal watchdogs in his party.
In time, of course, and with behind-the-scences help, the deficit
reduction lockbox amendment was indeed made in order to one
appropriation bill. And the House also considered the lockbox as a
separate bill. The author of that bill was Jerry Solomon himself.
Even after he left Congress, Jerry continued to great the ``mother of
the lockbox'' with a hearty laugh, a twinkle in his eye, and words of
encouragement.
We will miss you Jerry.
Ms. PRYCE of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor our friend and
colleague from Glens Falls, New York, Gerald Solomon.
I had the honor to serve with Chairman Solomon on the Rules
Committee. He was a strong leader for our committee who stood firmly on
his policy beliefs and was respected for it. He was unyielding and
passionate on the important issues. I can tell you, there were many
times that I was glad to have him in my corner.
During his twenty years of service in the House, Chairman Solomon was
a tireless advocate for the people of the 22nd district of New York. He
was a true and dedicated public servant--in every best sense, a
patriot.
He served in the United States Marine Corps and exemplified its true
spirit. He was always faithful to the corps and his country. As a
member of Congress, he was an unrelenting defender of the American
flag--the symbol of our nation that has engendered so much unity and
pride in these trying times.
I remember Chairman Solomon fondly for so many things, perhaps best
of all because he shared my passion for adoption. He was dedicated to
helping children find permanent, loving homes. In fact, he was
invaluable in aiding two of my constituents in their fight to keep
their adopted children. I know that they remember him as I do--as an
advocate for families.
Here in the House, we remember Chairman Solomon for his service to
our country. He was also a husband, a father, and our friend. He will
be missed.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to
pay tribute to my former colleague and friend, Representative Gerald
Solomon, and express my deep sorrow for the recent loss of this great
American.
Jerry Solomon faithfully represented the constituents of New York's
Twenty-Second Congressional District for 20 years. First elected in
1978, Jerry distinguished himself as a champion of conservative values
in the House of Representatives. For years he fought for smaller and
more accountable government, opposing policies which would threaten
liberty.
Jerry was never afraid to speak his mind and take strongly held
positions on important issues. He vehemently opposed the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and favored an end to China's most favored
nation trade status. He argued for creation of the line-item veto,
defended constitutional rights, and chastised young people who ignored
their responsibilities. Whether or not you always agreed with his
position on the issues, you always had to admire the boldness which
characterized his commitment to the causes in which he believed.
As a former Marine and Korean War veteran, Jerry served the interests
of our Armed Forces and veterans as a member of the House Veterans'
Affairs Committee. As the ranking Republican on the Committee in the
1980s, Jerry helped pass the 1984 G.I. Bill of Rights, an important
tool which served to increase veterans' benefits and attract quality
recruits to the military. I was honored to serve with Jerry on this
Committee during my first terms in Congress.
Many would argue that Jerry's greatest achievement in Congress was
his ascension to Chairman of the House Rules Committee. While he
certainly served this body, the legislative process, and our country
well in this position, I would maintain that his greatest achievement
was the dedication with which he served his constituents for two
decades.
Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I offer my most heartfelt
sympathy to the Solomon family. For while America has lost a great man,
they have lost a great husband, father, grandfather, brother, and
uncle.
May his memory be eternal!
Mr. WOLF. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to
participate this evening in a special order to remember Jerry Solomon.
We were all saddened to learn of his passing last weekend and extend to
his wife Freda and his children and grandchildren our deepest sympathy.
Jerry was a friend and colleague. I had the privilege of serving with
him for 18 years until he retired from the House in 1998. I also had
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the honor of working with him on several major issues over the years.
We both had serious reservations about the nature of U.S. relations
with the People's Republic of China (PRC).
In fact, in the mid-1980's, Jerry Solomon introduced legislation
prohibiting the export of U.S.-built satellites to the PRC. He argued
that exporting these satellites to China would place at risk our most
sensitive military technology. Ten years later we knew Jerry was right.
The Chinese were stealing this satellite and missile technology and had
used it to upgrade their ICBMs.
Needless to say, Jerry was a very effective legislator. Dozens of
important laws are on the books which are authored by Jerry Solomon.
Laws aimed to helping the American family by encouraging young people
not to get involved with illegal drugs, the law which elevated the
Veterans Administration to a cabinet level department, and the Solomon
Amendment, denying student aid to people who refuse to register with
the Selective Service. The list goes on and on.
A few weeks ago I visited the operations center for the FBI and on
the wall was a large wanted poster for Osama bin Laden, offering a
reward of $5 million for information leading to his arrest. It was
Jerry Solomon who put the terrorist reward law on the books.
When we look at what this country is facing today we are hard pressed
not to think of Jerry. A few years back some people thought Jerry
Solomon was a throwback to some other time because he was so patriotic.
Not today. He loved America and as a Marine would have died for his
country.
Jerry sponsored legislation to prohibit the desecration of the
American flag. It is a symbol of what unites us as a people and what is
best about America. Who can forget the firemen in New York raising that
flag at Ground Zero, the crater where the World Trade Center once
towered in tandem over the city.
In Jerry's Capitol Hill office there were shelves covered with
firemen's helmets from many of the small towns in his upstate New York
district. He respected and honored our firemen. Today, everyone
appreciates them.
Jerry always honored and respected our police, our veterans and our
men and women in uniform. Jerry had a real appreciation for how
difficult and important their work is. Today all Americans appreciate
them.
Jerry Solomon wore an American flag lapel pin every day for the 20
years he served as a Member of Congress. Today we all wear them.
Jerry Solomon was a true patriot and a good friend. He embodied his
Marine Corps motto--semper fidelis--``always faithful.'' I will miss
him.
Mr. GOSS. I am submitting my speech that I gave, Mr. Speaker, at the
Honorable Gerald Solomon's funeral.
Were I a fully finished disciple of Jerry Solomon I would now set out
right here on the lectern a big accordion file with ``Solomon'' written
boldly across the front--this was his hallmark. The funny thing is--he
didn't need it--everyone knew when Jerry was in the room. It will be
easy to remember Jerry--so active, so involved in so many things. He
touched so many lives--family, colleagues, marines, veterans, the
people of the 22nd district and so many others. It will be very hard
not to miss him. How many times since Jerry left Congress have I
thought ``where's Solomon when you need him?'' When confronted with
issues of the day, especially now when patriotism is so much in the
forefront. The display of our flag these days is just what he loved.
I am reminded of Jerry daily--or at least whenever the Rules
Committee meets (so perhaps I should say nightly given our recent
schedule) because his portrait in the committee room is positioned so
he looks right over my shoulder--so close, he could whisper in my ear,
which I am sure he will.
Jerry left his marks of fairness and dynamism and good spirit on the
committee--they last today under David Dreier's able leadership. Jerry
wasn't perfect. He failed to convince me that milk marketing orders
were a good thing. He never could get David Dreier to agree to his
views on trade. But, he ran a tight ship, even had his own phraseology,
designed to save words and make the point. ``step out side,'' and
``taking you out to the woodshed'' are phrases that had meaning when
Jerry spoke.
The Washington Post this week labeled him a ``blunt conservative,'' A
more politically correct paper would have used ``straight-talking
patriot.'' Political correctness was not his way but Honest-to-God
concern for people and his country were.
Many of us here today traveled with Jerry and Freda to far off
places--some places I'd barely heard of--to serve our Nation's
Interest. Somehow it just doesn't seem normal to get on a Codel plane
without having Jerry and Freda leading the way. Early on, I found out
that Jerry had discovered the best maple ice cream is found in Gander,
Newfoundland. It was never a surprise to find ourselves on a plane that
needed to refuel in Gander. He really loved that maple ice cream.
My favorite recollection dealing with European Parliamentarians--
which we did a lot--occurred one otherwise quite Sunday mid-winter
morning in Brussels. A certain self-approving Euro-speaker took some
serious liberties describing U.S. foreign policy to belittle our
country at a fairly high level gathering of influential
parliamentarians. Without a note, Jerry instantly stood up, delivered a
magnificent, passionate oration tracking in some detail American
sacrifice and contribution to Europe from WWI to the Cold War. It was
so stunningly effective that our European colleagues were literally
``speechless''--a condition in which European parliamentarians have not
found themselves before or since.
On another occasion in Bucharest, I watched Jerry take on Mr.
Zhirinovski--a one-time Russian presidential candidate--who was making
particularly obnoxious remarks about the United States without cause.
Jerry made short work of him as he did of anyone showing disrespect to
our country.
Jerry always got the job done--somehow. One day in the Ukraine, our
delegation was offered a visit to Sevastopol, Russia Fleet Headquarters
on the Black Sea. This had been an ``off-limits'' area--so we were
eager to go, but the Ukrainians were adamant we must go on their plane
(a well used Russian model) rather than our own Codel plane. Jerry
dutifully took a vote of the delegation--which was unanimous--to go
only if we could use our plane. Jerry ``fixed it.'' We arrived at the
airport dawn the next day--got on the Ukrainian plane and flew to
Sevastopol. So much vodka was consumed that day celebrating the
American presence that it didn't matter what plane we flew on. Jerry
got the job done.
Jerry's energy was legendary, he never saw a hill he didn't charge;
some say he made hills where none existed just so he could charge up
them. To Freda and family go our love and support and the certain
knowledge that Jerry rests comfortably atop the Lord's hill now.
{time} 2200
General Leave
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on this special order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Putnam). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
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