[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 79 (Tuesday, June 8, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H3790-H3792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING PROFOUND REGRET AND SORROW OF THE HOUSE ON THE DEATH OF
RONALD WILSON REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged resolution (H. Res. 663)
and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 663
Resolved, That the House of Representatives has learned
with profound regret and sorrow of the death of Ronald Wilson
Reagan, former President of the United States of America.
Resolved, That the House tenders its deep sympathy to the
members of the family of the former President in their
bereavement.
Resolved, That in recognition of the many virtues, public
and private, of one who served with distinction as President,
the Speaker shall appoint a committee of the House to join
with such Members of the Senate as may be designated, to
attend the funeral services of the former President.
Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be
authorized and directed to take such steps as may be
necessary for carrying out the provisions of these
resolutions, and that the necessary expenses in connection
therewith be paid out of the applicable accounts of the
House.
Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to
the Senate and transmit a copy of the same to the family of
the former President.
Resolved, That when the House adjourns today, it adjourn as
a further mark of respect to the memory of the former
President.
The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) is recognized for 1
hour.
Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, he was a gift to us: the healthy, hearty child handed
down from God to John and Nelle Reagan in Tampico, Illinois, in 1911;
the strong, athletic young man handed up from the bustling, laughing,
big-shouldered Midwest of his youth; the underrated actor, the
underrated labor leader, the underrated politician; and the visionary
who foresaw America's victory in the Cold War and brought about that
victory with wit, will, and undaunted valor for 8 heroic years.
Everything that America is, and everything that mankind can be, was
in our 40th President: wisdom, mercy, humor, honesty, honor, and
courage.
In an hour of doubt and fear, Ronald Reagan rose in the West,
reminded his Nation of its unique mission in history, and with the help
of a few million friends, worked the great miracle of the age. And he
did it all smiling through the condescending insults of his critics,
who, bless their hearts, could never quite get past his infuriating
optimism.
They said Ronald Reagan could ruin the economy, but in fact he led it
to heights of strength and prosperity never before witnessed in
history.
They said Reagan would provoke our enemies to war, but in fact he
bent our enemies to surrender without firing a single shot.
They said Ronald Reagan was an ``amiable dunce,'' but in fact he was
a fearless intellectual warrior, who marshaled words like soldiers to
fight battles of ideas across a table or across a continent, and won.
Which is why his death, even after a decade of slow, agonizing
decline, comes as a shock to all of us. For Ronald Reagan was not just
a man. He was the personification of an idea. And not just an idea, but
the idea: the irreducible American idea that this Nation, founded by a
generation of heroes upon the self-evident truth of equality under God,
is possessed of a special commission in the affairs of men.
According to Ronald Reagan, and according to Washington, Lincoln,
Roosevelt, and Kennedy before him, America is not just another Nation.
Instead, we are the last, best hope on Earth; the torch of freedom
guiding mankind through the darkness; the living promise to all times
and men that despite the relentless march of tyranny, the ultimate
victory of liberty is assured.
And people wonder where he got his optimism. Of course Ronald Reagan
was an optimist. He was an American. In his life, the United States
pulled the world through the Great Depression, two great world wars,
and back from the brink of nuclear holocaust. And all the while,
despite all the hardship, indeed perhaps because of it, America got
stronger, richer, and, as far as he was concerned, better.
Reagan's confidence and optimism in his country were simply
extensions of his confidence and optimism in his countrymen. He knew
the things Americans had done, repelling the British, freeing the
slaves, settling the West, liberating Europe, shooting the Moon, and
simply could not see this arc of history as anything but the
irresistible advance of freedom against oppression; or as Reagan
sublimely put it: ``We win, and they lose.''
``We'' are those who seek to defend human dignity, and ``they'' are
those who seek to stifle it. This was not a mere political calculation.
To Ronald Reagan, the innate dignity of man was a spark of the Divine,
a light created in God's image that the darkness could not overcome. He
saw it as his role in our Nation and America's role in the world, for
that matter, to liberate people from the shackles of government, so
that they might first enjoy their right of self-determination, and then
share with their neighbors the blessings of faith, hope, and charity.
Reagan knew these were the virtues that built our Nation and remain
the essential ingredients of American achievement, the tonic that has
sustained the United States for more than 200 years, in Emerson's
words, as ``the country of tomorrow.''
Reagan loved that quote, and the idea behind it; that even as we
stand today as the oldest democracy on Earth, we remain the youthful
champion of liberty and justice, best poised of all nations to lead
mankind in the uncertain future. He believed it was true because he
knew it had to be.
He knew that without the American Nation, that is without the
American people and their steadfast adherence to the true and the good,
the West could fail in the Cold War and fail the cause of freedom
around the world. And so he never let failure become an option.
From the earliest days of his administration, President Reagan stood
before the world and proclaimed the United States' commitment to
freedom. He called the Soviet Union the Evil Empire and declared that
``regimes planted by bayonets do not take root.'' He met with Pope John
Paul II and pledged to assist and equip the Solidarity movement in
Poland. He called the Soviet's bluff at Reykjavik and went to the
Brandenburg Gate to challenge Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev to ``tear
down this wall.''
Around the world, his words and deeds filtered down to the oppressed
citizens behind the Iron Curtain who knew, for the first time, that the
American President and his people were coming to the rescue; that the
truth about the evils of Communism
[[Page H3791]]
was being exposed to the world, and that the West had made a conscious
decision that the Cold War was not to be managed, but fought and won.
To Ronald Reagan, the answers to the world's problems were ``not
simplistic,'' ``but they were simple.'' In foreign policy, evil must be
confronted. Domestically, more government is not the solution; it is
the problem. Publicly, honesty is the best policy. And privately,
follow the golden rule.
This was not merely the recipe for a spectacular career, which
dominated and forever altered the map of the world, or for the national
pride he restored to an America that, under his watch, became freer,
stronger, and more prosperous than any nation in history. It was also
the recipe for a full life of love and friendship, an ineffable romance
with his wife, Nancy.
In short, he left the world a better place than he found it and left
his country with policies in place to solve problems great and small.
It is for us, then, who inhabit the world he shaped, to finish the work
he began. For we honor him best not by our words today, but our deeds
tomorrow, and the next day and the next, to do right by each other,
right by our Nation, and right by our responsibilities to history.
Though he may no longer be with us, Mr. Speaker, we still live in an
Age of Reagan. Come Friday afternoon, he will be laid to rest, after
making one final journey home to his beloved California coast. But even
as we say our tearful goodbyes that evening, and the sun sets out West
over the Pacific, we will find in ourselves the strength to carry on
without our hero.
We will simply do as Reagan did at the end of any long and difficult
day. We will turn and look to the east with anticipation and wonder,
and wait for another hopeful dawn.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Pelosi), the minority leader.
{time} 1815
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time.
Mr. Speaker, with the death of Ronald Reagan and the dignity with
which he left us, there is truly mourning in America. If the meaning of
a life can be measured by the hearts touched by one's death, the
outpouring of grief at the death of our 40th President speaks to the
distinctly American life that was Ronald Wilson Reagan.
We Californians mourn Ronald Reagan as our Governor; all Americans
mourn Ronald Reagan as our President; and people the world over mourn
Ronald Reagan, the passionate voice for freedom.
Today a grateful Nation remembers Ronald Reagan the man. We remember
his indomitable optimism and abiding love of country. Ronald Reagan
understood the greatness of America has always been the character of
the American people. As Americans, we have always dared to dream. And
so President Reagan appealed to the enduring belief that sustains us as
a people: That America's best days are yet to come.
We remember his leadership. Those of us on this side of the aisle may
not have always stood with him on matters of policy, but we always knew
where he stood, as he did us, when it came to matters of principle. And
though firm in his convictions, President Reagan was not afraid of
compromise. Indeed, the lifelong crusader against communism will be
remembered for signing the first agreement with the Soviet Union to
actually destroy nuclear weapons.
We remember his eloquence. After the loss of our Challenger
astronauts, President Reagan consoled a grieving Nation. And whether in
front of the Berlin Wall, or overlooking the beaches of Normandy, he
echoed the democratic aspirations of freedom-loving people everywhere.
We remember his grace and humor. This is a story that perhaps our
colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), understands and
appreciates better than most in the Chamber. When Ronald Reagan was
Governor of California, he came to the legislative chamber to deliver
the State of the State Address. Because it was near the time of his
birthday, they wheeled in a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to
then-Governor Reagan. I have to add at that time, the Speaker of the
Assembly of California was a giant of a man, Jess Unruh, and who
sometimes did not see eye to eye with then-Governor Reagan. They sang
Happy Birthday, and Governor Reagan blew out the candles. Someone said,
``Governor, did you make a wish?''
Mr. Speaker, the Governor looked up and said, ``Yes, I made a wish,
but it did not come true; he is still there,'' as he spoke to the then-
speaker.
At the end of the day, though, President Reagan knew whatever may
divide us by party is dwarfed by what unites us as Americans. Speaker
Tip O'Neill famously told of how he and the President clashed by day,
but were friends after 6 p.m., prompting the President to begin his
phone calls, ``Tip, is it after 6 p.m.?''
We remember Ronald Reagan's faith in his country, in his family, and
in his God. In that poignant letter 10 years ago announcing his battle
with Alzheimer's disease, President Reagan wrote, ``When the Lord calls
me home, whenever that may be, I will leave with the greatest love for
this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I know that
for America, there will always be a bright new dawn ahead,'' that dawn
referenced by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay).
We remember Ronald Reagan's dignity, the dignity with which he lived
and led our country, and the dignity with which he died, turning the
long good-bye of his final years into a lesson for all of us.
And all Americans, and I know everyone who serves in the Congress of
the United States for sure, have been touched by the dignity, private
strength and public grace of Nancy Reagan and the Reagan family to whom
we offer our prayers and deepest condolences. Our Nation is in your
debt for the care and love you gave our President and the dignity with
which you held his hands at the end.
I hope it is a comfort to Mrs. Reagan and the Reagan family that the
whole world mourns their loss and is praying for them at this sad time.
For his eloquent defense of freedom, for his leadership style of
conviction and compromise, for his eternal optimism for the future,
America pays tribute to President Ronald Wilson Reagan.
May God bless Ronald Reagan, may God bless this country that he loved
and led, may Ronald Reagan rest in peace.
The SPEAKER. Would the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood) please
assume the Chair.
Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Illinois (Speaker Hastert).
Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and the
legacy of our Nation's 40th President, Ronald Wilson Reagan.
He was born in the small town of Tampico, Illinois, which is in my
congressional district, and grew up in Dixon, another town some of my
constituents call home. It was there that he learned the common-sense
values and virtues that helped him reshape not only our Nation, but
also the world.
When I first ran for public office in 1980, for the Illinois
Legislature, Ronald Reagan was running for President. Back then people
did not have a lot of faith in America and what America could do. What
made him so special was his willingness to step forward at a time when
the rest of the world was stepping back and remind us what made America
``The Shining City on the Hill.'' He restored our faith in America, and
he made us proud to be Americans again.
His easy-going personality and a sense of humor endeared him to the
people he served. His word was his bond. It was genuine. His honesty
and sincerity were the foundation of his strength while working with
Democrats and Republicans in both Houses of Congress.
The world struggled against communism, but our country stood tall as
Ronald Reagan's perseverance led the world to freedom. As a former
history teacher, I have taught students about George Washington and
Thomas Jefferson. I have taught them about our fellow Illinoisan,
Abraham Lincoln, and I have taught them about FDR and JFK. History has
now called Ronald Reagan to take his place alongside the most noble of
our countrymen. Here in the
[[Page H3792]]
People's House, thousands of Americans will file in the Capitol Rotunda
to honor the People's President.
He will be remembered as a symbol of peace through strength, but most
of all we will remember him for the hope he gave to the rest of the
world that freedom was possible. His grit, his sheer willpower made it
possible for more people to walk in freedom today than at any other
time throughout history.
Not only was he an ambassador of the American people and the American
way of life, President Reagan was an ambassador of faith. He reminded
us of his faith when America grieved the loss of the seven astronauts
of the Challenger space shuttle. He said, ``We will never forget them,
nor the last time we saw them, this morning as they prepared for the
journey and waved good-bye and `slipped the surly bonds of Earth' to
`touch the face of God.' ''
Tonight, as we honor the man who believed America was a ``Shining
City on the Hill,'' we should remember his words to the students of his
alma mater, Eureka College in Illinois. He said, ``Live each day to the
fullest. Live each day with enthusiasm, optimism and hope. If you do, I
am convinced that your contribution to this wonderful experiment we
call America will be profound.''
With Godspeed, Mr. President. God bless Ronald Reagan. God bless
America.
Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time has expired.
Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the
resolution.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 355,
nays 0, not voting 80, as follows:
[Roll No. 229]
YEAS--355
Abercrombie
Aderholt
Akin
Allen
Andrews
Baca
Bachus
Baird
Baker
Baldwin
Ballenger
Barrett (SC)
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Bass
Beauprez
Bell
Bereuter
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Biggert
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blumenauer
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bonner
Bono
Boozman
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Bradley (NH)
Brady (TX)
Brown (OH)
Brown (SC)
Brown, Corrine
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Burgess
Burr
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Calvert
Camp
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Capuano
Cardin
Cardoza
Carson (IN)
Castle
Chabot
Chandler
Chocola
Clyburn
Coble
Cole
Cooper
Costello
Cox
Cramer
Crane
Crenshaw
Crowley
Culberson
Cummings
Cunningham
Davis (AL)
Davis (CA)
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis (TN)
Davis, Jo Ann
Davis, Tom
Deal (GA)
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
DeLay
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Dicks
Doggett
Doyle
Dreier
Duncan
Edwards
Ehlers
Emanuel
Emerson
Engel
Eshoo
Etheridge
Everett
Farr
Feeney
Ferguson
Filner
Flake
Foley
Forbes
Ford
Fossella
Frank (MA)
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Gibbons
Gillmor
Gingrey
Goode
Goodlatte
Gordon
Goss
Granger
Green (TX)
Green (WI)
Greenwood
Gutknecht
Hall
Harman
Harris
Hart
Hastert
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Hensarling
Herger
Herseth
Hill
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hobson
Hoeffel
Hoekstra
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hooley (OR)
Hostettler
Hoyer
Hulshof
Hunter
Hyde
Inslee
Isakson
Israel
Issa
Istook
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
Jenkins
John
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jones (OH)
Kanjorski
Keller
Kelly
Kennedy (MN)
Kennedy (RI)
Kildee
Kind
King (IA)
Kirk
Kleczka
Kline
Knollenberg
Kolbe
LaHood
Langevin
Lantos
Larsen (WA)
Latham
LaTourette
Leach
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Lowey
Lucas (KY)
Lucas (OK)
Maloney
Manzullo
Markey
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McCotter
McCrery
McGovern
McHugh
McIntyre
McKeon
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Mica
Michaud
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Moore
Moran (KS)
Murphy
Musgrave
Myrick
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Nethercutt
Neugebauer
Northup
Norwood
Nunes
Nussle
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Osborne
Otter
Owens
Oxley
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Paul
Pearce
Pelosi
Pence
Peterson (MN)
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Platts
Pomeroy
Porter
Portman
Price (NC)
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Quinn
Radanovich
Ramstad
Rehberg
Renzi
Reynolds
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ross
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Ruppersberger
Ryan (OH)
Ryan (WI)
Ryun (KS)
Sabo
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sandlin
Saxton
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrock
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Shaw
Shays
Sherman
Sherwood
Shimkus
Shuster
Simmons
Simpson
Slaughter
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Stearns
Stenholm
Strickland
Sullivan
Sweeney
Tancredo
Tanner
Tauscher
Taylor (MS)
Taylor (NC)
Terry
Thomas
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tierney
Toomey
Towns
Turner (OH)
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Upton
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Vitter
Walden (OR)
Walsh
Wamp
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Wu
Wynn
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
NOT VOTING--80
Ackerman
Alexander
Ballance
Becerra
Bilirakis
Brady (PA)
Burns
Capps
Carson (OK)
Carter
Case
Clay
Collins
Conyers
Cubin
Delahunt
DeMint
Deutsch
Dingell
Dooley (CA)
Doolittle
Dunn
English
Evans
Fattah
Frost
Gephardt
Gilchrest
Gonzalez
Graves
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hastings (FL)
Houghton
Jones (NC)
Kaptur
Kilpatrick
King (NY)
Kingston
Kucinich
Lampson
Larson (CT)
Lee
Lofgren
Lynch
Majette
McCarthy (MO)
McDermott
McInnis
Menendez
Millender-McDonald
Miller, Gary
Mollohan
Moran (VA)
Murtha
Ney
Ose
Payne
Pombo
Rahall
Rangel
Regula
Reyes
Rodriguez
Ros-Lehtinen
Royce
Rush
Sanders
Shadegg
Skelton
Solis
Souder
Spratt
Stark
Stupak
Tauzin
Tiahrt
Turner (TX)
Wexler
Woolsey
{time} 1855
So the resolution was agreed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated for:
Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 229 on the
Bereavement resolution I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present,
I would have voted ``yea''.
____________________