[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''.

                          ____________________