Congressional Record, Volume 150 Issue 79 (Tuesday, June 8, 2004)

[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 79 (Tuesday, June 8, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H3794-H3818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

MOURNING THE PASSING OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the
House of today and as designee of the majority leader, I call up the
resolution (H. Res. 664) mourning the passing of President Ronald
Reagan and celebrating his service to the people of the United States
and his leadership in promoting the cause of freedom for all the people
of the world, and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

H. Res. 664

Whereas President Ronald Reagan reminded us that our great
Nation was founded and built by people with great dreams and
the courage to take great risks;
Whereas President Reagan reminded his countrymen of the
Nation's calling in world history: ``From our forefathers to
our modern day immigrants, we've come from every corner of
the earth, from every race and every ethnic background, and
we've become a new breed in the world. We're Americans, and
we have a rendezvous with destiny.'';
Whereas President Reagan championed freedom and democracy
throughout the world, bringing courage to millions of people
suffering the bondage of tyranny and oppression;
Whereas on June 12, 1987, President Reagan stood at the
Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of communism's brutal
oppression, and demanded: ``General Secretary Gorbachev, if
you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union
and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to
this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear
down this wall!'';
Whereas on November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down,
signifying the end of the Cold War;
Whereas President Reagan, and his wife Nancy, brought
dignity and respect to the White House and dedicated their
lives to promoting national pride and to bettering the
quality of life in the United States and throughout the
world;
Whereas on May 16, 2002, Congress bestowed the
congressional gold medal in recognition of their service to
the Nation;
Whereas Ronald Reagan's eloquence united Americans in times
of triumph and tragedy;
Whereas on January 28, 1986, President Reagan comforted a
grieving nation as Americans mourned the death of seven
American astronauts who ``slipped the surly bonds of earth to
touch the face of God'';
Whereas President Reagan spent the twilight of his life as
he always lived, leading a fight against Alzheimer's disease
with faith, courage, and dignity, with the greatest love for
the Nation and eternal optimism for its future;
Whereas by opening his heart to the Nation about his
affliction with Alzheimer's disease, President Reagan
promoted greater awareness of this condition; and
Whereas President Reagan appealed to the best hopes of the
American people, not their worst fears, and to their
confidence rather than their doubts: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) expresses its deepest appreciation for the profound
public service of President Ronald Reagan;
(2) expresses its condolences to Nancy Reagan and to Patti,
Michael, Ron, and the entire Reagan family;
(3) calls on the people of the United States to reflect on
the record of President Reagan during this national period of
remembrance and to remember always his encouraging words:
``We have every right to dream heroic dreams.''; and
(4) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to
transmit a copy of this resolution to the family of President
Reagan.

{time} 1915

The SPEAKER. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, the
resolution shall be debatable on this legislative day for 2 hours,
equally divided and controlled by the Majority and Minority Leaders or
their designees which may be extended for an additional hour on each
demand of the Majority Leader or his designee.
The resolution shall be debatable on the legislative day of June 9,
2004, for 3 hours equally divided and controlled by the Majority and
Minority Leaders or their designees.
The Chair at any time may postpone further consideration of the
resolution until a time designated by the Speaker.
The gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), as the designee of the
Majority Leader, and the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), as the
designee to the Minority Leader, each will control 1 hour.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis).

General Leave

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and
extend their remarks on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from
California?
There was no objection.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, through the years of having the opportunity to know
President Ronald Reagan, one could go down many a pathway in recalling
his greatness. My first recollection of Ronald Reagan, I can recall
clearly I was lying on the living room floor, and he was giving this
speech on behalf of Barry Goldwater. The remarks in that speech
entitled, ``A Time For Choosing,'' never to forget, ``You and I have a
rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the
last best hope of man on Earth, or we will sentence them to take the
last step into a thousand years of darkness.'' I will never forget
rolling over on the floor and saying to my family, ``This guy ought to
be Governor of California.'' And, by golly, just 2 years later, he was:
Governor Ronald Reagan, elected in 1966 by the people of California.
Two years after that, a group of seven Republican freshmen
legislators were invited to the Governor's home for a little dinner.
They had a set of card tables in the living room, a couple sat down at
one card table, I sat on an extra chair, and, lo and behold, the
Governor sat down beside me. The gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman)
may remember that I was a bit more brash in those days than I choose to
be now.
And so almost immediately, I raised the subject of interest to me to
the then-Governor Reagan. I asked him what he thought about preschool
and child care. It did not take 30 seconds for me to begin to
understand that I had asked the right question, for Governor Reagan
knew an awful lot more about preschool and child care than I ever
thought of knowing. He and Nancy had been thinking about this subject
for some time. And indeed, as a result of that beginning point of
working together in this very special area of education, the Child
Development Act was signed in 1972 by Governor Reagan and became the
first major State quality day care programming that included health
components and education components and involved parental
responsibilities as well.
The Governor was way ahead of the curve, as one might see; for some
25 years later, Washington discovered the importance of child care.
Another illustration of an interesting side of the Governor who by
many was considered to be some way out there, far out on the right; but
quickly those who would observe carefully recognized that this Governor
was looking out for the benefit of all people of California and because
of that, shortly he became very well known as an environmental
Governor. He joined quickly with Governor Laxalt of Nevada, and
together hand in hand they literally saved Lake Tahoe.
A leader way ahead of his time, it was my privilege to spend so much
time in those early days with Governor Ronald Reagan. At another time
in this evening's discussion I would like to spend a moment discussing
with all of you my first experience with Governor Reagan when he became
President of the United States.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to President Ronald Reagan.
President Reagan has been a part of my entire political life. President
Reagan got his start in politics when he was elected Governor in 1966.
Two years later, I got my start in politics when I was elected to the
California legislature. I served in the State legislature until 1974,
the last year of Governor Reagan's term. And, of course, I served in
the Congress of the United States for the entire 8 years of his
Presidency.
I knew from those early days that President Reagan had remarkable
political skills. He is known as the Great

[[Page H3795]]

Communicator and, truly, he was. President Reagan knew how to connect
with people. And he could articulate values and resonate across America
and around the world with his ideals. He was also likable and charming.
For many years, President Reagan was actually my constituent.
Hollywood, the place and the industry associated with it, had a great
impact on his life. It refined his communication skills and honed his
sense of drama and delivery. And it gave him something that many people
do not fully appreciate, an understanding that in America, with hard
work and honest values, Hollywood endings really can come true.
President Reagan thought our Nation should be a shining example to
the world. And under his leadership, we were really admired and
respected around the world. He viewed America as a city on the hill, a
beacon for freedom and a model for democracy.
And here is another thing many people do not fully appreciate:
President Reagan was a pragmatic leader. He had strong convictions, but
if he learned that those convictions were taking America in the wrong
direction, he had the confidence and the wisdom to change course.
As everyone knows, President Reagan was afflicted with Alzheimer's
disease in the last 10 years of his life. President Reagan struggled
with this terrible condition with great dignity. And with great courage
he and his wife Nancy shared his struggle with the American people. It
is a true tragedy that this country lost the opportunity to have this
elder statesman involved and seek his advice and leadership in the last
years of his life.
I know that all of us in this body would like to find a fitting way
to honor President Reagan's life. For my part, I can think of no better
tribute than an accelerated effort to address the horrific disease
known as Alzheimer's. Mrs. Reagan, the President's beloved wife,
bravely spoke out about this just last month. In her moving words she
said, ``Science has presented us with a hope called stem cell research
which may provide our scientists with many answers that for so long
have been beyond our grasp. We have lost so much time already. I just
really cannot bear to lose any more.'' Well, it is past time for us to
seize the potential that Nancy Reagan identified. There could be no
important or more lasting legacy to her husband.
America has lost a devoted citizen and a dedicated leader. I want
Mrs. Reagan and the Reagan family to know they are in my heart and in
my thoughts. President Reagan's passing is truly felt among Democrats
and Republicans, by all Americans, and people of goodwill all around
the world. We will certainly miss him.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
President Reagan came to Washington at a moment when our country was
in great malaise. Interest rates had risen as high as 21\1/2\ percent.
Inflation was raging the country. Jobs were very, very difficult to
come by. And in typical Ronald Reagan fashion, the President for whom
the glass was always more than half full, he began setting forth
policies that reduced interest rates, that impacted inflation, and
created jobs. He set a stage for tomorrow that would lead us all to
believe in America again and have new hope and opportunity within our
country.
It is my privilege, Mr. Speaker, to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from Missouri (Mr. Blunt).
Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from California
(Mr. Lewis) for yielding this time to me and leading this important
recognition today.
I also want to thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your special understanding
of President Reagan from your work in the military serving alongside
him in his days in the White House.
What all of those that served with the President or watched him from
afar were able to see was how his optimistic leadership reinvigorated
the American spirit and how it redefined the politics of his time. Born
in a small town near the middle of America, this son of a shoe salesman
rose to heights of gigantic proportion and lifted his countrymen along
with him.
After facing his last great challenge with courage and patience,
Ronald Reagan now takes his place where his vision is once again clear,
his faith rewarded, and his storied sense of humor returned. He placed
his faith in God along with economic and permanent freedom. And the
world is a better place because of those beliefs.
President Reagan helped raise individuals up and helped tear down the
Berlin Wall. He inspired us, and he was inspired by us. President
Reagan's leadership inspired more current members of our conference on
my side of the aisle than any other political figure in the 20th
century.
When I became the majority whip in this Congress, I named the
conference room in the whip's office the Reagan Room for the brief time
I am privileged to make that designation. And I hope many of my
colleagues come by that room during this week on the third floor of the
Capitol and view the photographs there chronicling the life of this
remarkable man from his days as a radio announcer to those that
foreshadowed the end of the Soviet Union.

{time} 1930

President Reagan said, We are a powerful force for good. With faith
and courage we can perform great deeds and take freedom's next step,
and we will.
America is taking freedom's next step, and we are doing so in large
part because of President Ronald Wilson Reagan.
Today America's light shines a little dimmer because he is gone, but,
Mr. Speaker, it shines much brighter than it would have if he had not
been here. He made a difference in America. He made a difference in the
world. Today people all over the world are remembering and recognizing
that difference.
Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), distinguished member of the
Committee on Government Reform, to offer his presentation on this
resolution.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the ranking
member of the Committee on Government Reform for yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join with my colleagues as we pay
tribute to the life and legacy of President Reagan. A bigger-than-life
screen actor and television personality, Ronald Reagan moved from being
Governor of California in the 1960s to President of the United States
and dominating American politics in the 1980s. He was the first
President to be reelected to a second term since Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Media-made and media-presented, President Reagan got millions of
Americans to feel proud of their Nation. America's 40-year Cold War
with the Soviet Union cooled considerably and perhaps actually ended
during Reagan's Presidency. Many Americans credit him with having
achieved that significant outcome.
Born the son of a shoe salesman in small-town Illinois, President
Reagan's impoverished but loving parents instilled in him a sense of
optimism that carried him through college as an average student. After
graduation, he worked for a few years as a sports broadcaster in
Midwestern radio before landing a film contract with Warner Brothers,
which took him to Hollywood in 1936.
Over the next 30 years, President Reagan made scores of films,
including Army films produced during World War II. He hosted two
popular television series and was actively engaged in politics as
president of the Screen Actors Guild.
In the 1950s, President Reagan changed from being a Roosevelt New
Deal Democrat to a conservative Republican. In 1966, he became Governor
of California and was reelected in 1970. Using his popularity in
California, he unsuccessfully challenged President Gerald Ford for the
Republican nomination in 1976. He tried again and won the nomination in
1980 and thereafter defeated the incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter. With
his 1984 reelection victory, President Reagan became the most
politically successful Republican President since President Eisenhower.
In the last 7 years, as President Reagan battled Alzheimer's disease,
our Nation went from having zero drugs for this devastating disease to
today having five new prescriptive drugs to help manage and treat the
progression of Alzheimer's. Today it is

[[Page H3796]]

even possible to diagnose Alzheimer's with more than 90 percent
accuracy. It is clear that Alzheimer's does not discriminate on whom it
affects, regardless of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status,
political ideology or if one worked the fields, in the factories or in
the Oval Office.
With now more than 4.5 million people suffering from this disease,
the upsetting effects of Alzheimer's is growing faster than modern
medicine can manage. This is only likely to become more complicated
with the aging of the baby boomers, boosting the number of Alzheimer's
patients to an astounding 11 to 16 million people by the middle of the
century.
As a way to honor President Reagan, let us make the greatest
commitment that we can to real investment in research for Alzheimer's
disease and follow through with clinical trials to translate the
research into treatments. We must now act to make the lives of all
Alzheimer's patients more comfortable with a better quality of life,
while hopefully being able to prevent this disease in the future.
Mr. President, as one might say in a western movie, you had a good
ride and our country is proud to say, ``Much obliged.''
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly).
Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr.
Lewis) for bringing this resolution to the floor today.
President Reagan's impact on America and the world is immeasurable.
He ended the Cold War and restored America's confidence. His Republican
administration rebuilt our economy with the help and support of a
Democratic House of Representatives.
President Reagan achieved such successes because when you sat in a
room with him, there could be over 1,000 people in the room, yet you
felt like there was only the two of you, and his wonderful wit would
put you at ease. That was a tremendous gift.
That is why some of his biggest political enemies were among his
closest personal friends. It is why a staunch anti-Communist could
negotiate with the President of the Soviet Union. President Reagan
reached across and President Reagan connected with people.
President Reagan is now at rest. We mourn his passing, but we are
grateful for the gifts he gave us: a safer world, strong economic base,
and a renewed belief in America's greatness.
Mr. Speaker, President Reagan will be laid to rest at his
Presidential library in Simi Valley, California. It is where I began my
political career as mayor and city councilman. It has been my home for
more than 35 years.
President Reagan often spoke about a shining city on a hill. The
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is such a place. President Reagan
will be laid to rest at the edge of a high hill where his library
stands. His grave overlooks the farmlands, ranches and chaparral of the
Tierra Rejada Valley. On a clear day, one can see the Channel Islands
in the Pacific Ocean more than 30 miles away. It is a fitting place for
America's greatest son.
Mr. Speaker, it is the end of an era, but it is the beginning of a
legacy that will last forever. We will miss him.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kline). The gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Stenholm) is recognized as the designee of the minority leader.
Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today we remember a true leader, a
statesman and a great man who led our country with dignity, with grace
and with strength. President Reagan was the quintessential American who
exemplified unbridled optimism, a strong sense of faith and the idea
that our Nation was a true beacon for the world.
There is no doubt that among his greatest achievements was his
resolve to end the Cold War so that other Nations could experience the
glory of freedom and the power of democracy. His combination of
political strength and personal appeal, his ability to communicate set
the forces in motion for the walls of communism to crumble, and for
this he will always be remembered.
However, President Reagan should also be remembered, especially in
this House, for his willingness to fight in the political arena with
dignity, with respect for his opponents, and his strong belief that
democracy was for all of our citizens, even those with whom he might
have disagreed. President Reagan exemplified civility and honor in an
arena that is often lacking in both, and because of that he earned the
goodwill not only of his supporters, but often of his friendly
adversaries. In the end we remember a man, Ronald Reagan, not only as a
great leader, but as a good and decent man.
My condolences and prayers are with his family and with his wife
Nancy, who shared him with our country.
Mr. Speaker, we are all called by God for a special purpose with this
turn at light that he gives us. Some nobility of purpose is embedded in
each of us with that calling, and as it is the case with Ronald Reagan,
there will be on his tombstone 1911 to 2004, but the most important
thing on his tombstone will be the dash in between. For the fundamental
call from God is always what will we do with the dash.
Ronald Reagan did great things with his dash. For those 93 years in
that dash was actor, head of a union, broke down the barriers of
communism, the Star Wars defense system, his legacy of rebuilding the
Republican Party.
Yes, Ronald Reagan was a great man, and he, as so many of us, have
heeded the call, and as I think of Ronald Reagan, I am reminded of the
great prophet Isaiah who said in that great conversation when God
called and said, who will go for us and whom shall we send, that great
prophet Isaiah said, at no hesitation, here I am, Lord, send me.
Ronald Reagan responded the same way. I can almost see it. When the
Lord called and said, who will go for us and who will we send to
perform that nobility of purpose in life that Ronald Reagan did, which
is the legacy of his Presidency, I can see him getting to attention and
saying, here I am, Lord, send me.
God bless Ronald Reagan.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to yield 6
minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), the chairman of
the Committee on Ways and Means.
(Mr. THOMAS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, we are all going to talk about President
Reagan, Commander-in-Chief Reagan, leader of the free world Reagan.
Some of us were privileged to know him in a different context. My
friend from California (Mr. Lewis), the chairman, has talked about his
relationship with him when he was Governor of California.
I knew him in a number of different contexts, and I was always amazed
at one thing, and that was he was the same person regardless of the
context in which you met him, worked with him and was led by him.
In 1974, I decided that I would run for public office. He was then in
the last year of his governorship, and he decided to come to
Bakersfield, and so I planned an event for the Governor. We decided
that we would charge what seemed to be an appropriate amount, $25 a
head, and almost 500 people came to see the Governor. I had no doubts
about why they were coming.
We picked him up at the airport, and when we got in the car, he
started quizzing me about me, and so I was visiting with him. But as we
got closer, I said, well, do you want to take just a little time now so
that you can get ready for the event? He said, Bill, if I am not ready
now, 5 minutes will not make any difference.

{time} 1945

He was always prepared. He was always on time, whether it was a minor
event or if it was a debate with other leaders of the world.
And you see him in a bunch of different contexts and you say, well,
of course, because he was a movie star and he is supposed to carry
himself. And the point I want to make, if I do not make any other
point, is he was that way because of who he was, not because of what he
did. Because, frankly, if you tried to write a script and went to
Hollywood on Ronald Reagan's life, you would last about 2 minutes in
the room. Because people are willing to suspend belief, but not that
much.
And what I like most about the juxtaposition of Ronald Reagan and his

[[Page H3797]]

career, which was kind of molded out of the context that he found
himself in, was that the American people were wise enough, first of all
to choose him as Governor of California for the traditional two terms,
had he chosen to run for a third term he probably could have gotten
elected; and the American people chose him for two terms as President,
a now constitutionally limited period of time. Were it not for that
constitutional limit, he may have been elected again.
And so when you watch people recognizing Ronald Reagan as they pass
the casket, as they did in California, many people will have an
individual memory, perhaps a general shared one, and perhaps a personal
one. For me, Ronald Reagan's life means that any American can do
anything any American wants to do. For Ronald Reagan, the public
person, it means he made sure that he set up a structure which allows
any American to do whatever any American wants to do; and his
justification and enabling of that is, he would tell you, because I
did.
You are going to hear him called the Great Communicator a lot. What
you also need to know was he was a great compromiser. It can be put no
more clearly than a comment he made when he was Governor of California,
because he became Governor with an enormous debt at that time for the
State of California. California did not have a withholding tax, and he
needed to create a front load for money to solve the problem that he
was facing. He had, however, made a statement earlier that his feet
were in concrete over not having a withholding tax. Once he looked at
the options in front of him and he realized he did not have any options
other than instituting a withholding tax, having worked with the
legislature, he then went to the microphone and said, ``That cracking
sound you hear is the cement breaking away from my feet.''
And so when you wonder why Ronald Reagan could get along with so many
different people in so many stages of life, whether small or great, it
was because Ronald Reagan was the same person regardless of the job the
American people gave him. He was always prepared, he was always on
time, and he was a very, very sincere man. He was also quite smart, in
ways that many people never understand.
So what I want to do tonight is to just share briefly the memoirs of
someone who, if you are looking for an example, he certainly stands
out, not just in what he did but the way in which he lived his life and
the way in which he recognized his condition later in life and the way
in which he concluded his life. All of us should pause and remember
that he was an amazing, amazing person. He was an American.
Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Stenholm) for yielding me this time. I am particularly pleased that the
gentleman from Texas is managing the time, because I think if Ronald
Reagan were here, he would say, Charles Stenholm was one of those who
stood with me on principle, who believed that we needed to get this
country moving, and believed that we needed to have sound policy; and
Charles Stenholm stood with me. And as the gentleman from California
(Mr. Thomas) just related, for Ronald Reagan the concrete cracked
again, frankly, when he viewed the program adopted and thought that
perhaps some changes needed to be made.
Mr. Speaker, like every Member of this House, I offer my sincere
condolences to the family and friends of former President Reagan,
particularly, of course, his beloved wife, Nancy, and his children.
What a wonderful example Nancy Reagan set for our country. Ronald
Reagan and Nancy Reagan clearly loved one another deeply and cared for
one another, and Nancy Reagan has shown extraordinary courage and
fidelity not only throughout the course of their marriage but
particularly in the course of Ronald Reagan's final illness.
Mr. Speaker, Ronald Reagan loved this Nation and served it with
distinction; and he will ever be remembered for his humor, his grace,
his irrepressible optimism which mirrored the American spirit and
buoyed it in periods of difficulty.
The last decade, when this man who had lived life with such physical
vigor slowly slipped away, was an especially cruel blow. However, let
us be comforted today that he has been summoned to a far better place.
Having been elected to Congress just 4 months after he took office,
and just 6 weeks after an assassin's bullet nearly claimed his life, I
had a front-row seat during President Reagan's 8 years in Washington.
He was a man I both liked and respected. I liked him for his warmth and
for the respect that he accorded others, and I respected him for the
honesty of his convictions and the intellectual integrity that he
displayed in pursuing them.
After signing into law what was then the largest tax cut in American
history in 1981, President Reagan had the fortitude to face fiscal
reality, just as the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) reflected
upon. His policies caused yawning deficits and spiraling debt,
consequences that he subsequently tried to address, although not as
successfully as I am sure he would have hoped. Without question, Ronald
Reagan held strong ideological beliefs. But one of his real strengths
was his willingness to put pragmatism above ideology, to make sure that
his country had programs that were working.
I also remember him as a person who early in life committed to
equality and justice for all, and later in life to the success of
freedom and democracy around the world. I believed he was right in that
endeavor, and like the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), supported
his efforts to build up our defenses, to deploy those Persian and
cruise missiles, to, yes, even provide for multiple warheads on the MX
missile, and say to the Soviet Union, if you want to compete, we are
prepared to compete; but we would rather seek peace together. And he
had the courage to build up, and he had the courage to make peace.
While Democrats disagreed with and strongly opposed much of his
domestic agenda, our political differences never hardened into
paralyzing personal animosity on his side or on ours. We were blessed
by the fact that we were led by two great Irishmen, Ronald Reagan and
Tip O'Neill. They were friends. And they had a third friend, his name
was Michel, Bob Michel, an extraordinary leader of this House. And
they, together, believed that country was more important than
partisanship and party.
For the most part, they worked together. On those matters that they
disagreed on, they took their own separate ways. But when they could
agree, they did. The Social Security reform of 1983 was probably the
most stark example of that cooperative spirit. It was good for the
country, it was good for Social Security, and they came together,
worked together, and succeeded together.
That was due in great measure to the leadership styles and
personalities of President Reagan and Speaker O'Neill. These two men,
the most powerful political figures in our Nation in the 1980s, one a
Republican, the other a Democrat, demonstrated to all Americans that
our elected leaders could disagree politically without being
disagreeable personalities or personally. They reminded all of us that
cynicism and mean-spiritedness are inimical to American democracy, and
that our real adversaries lie beyond our shores, not here.
The surest tribute that we can pay to Ronald Reagan today is to
commit ourselves to recapture the generosity of spirit that always
guided him. In a very real way, Ronald Reagan's life was the embodiment
of the American Dream. Both President Reagan and President Clinton,
like Harry Truman, gave credence to the promise that in America neither
privileged birth nor economic advantage is necessary to enable one to
become the President of the United States of America. It was, for them,
and for millions to follow their example, the land of opportunity.
President Reagan's leadership renewed the conviction that the future
would be better, better than the past, and that America's best days
were still ahead. That is a philosophy that all of us should embrace
and convey to our fellow citizens. I believe it is the case, Ronald
Reagan believed it was the case, and may God bless his soul and comfort
his beloved wife, Nancy.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor to yield 6
minutes to the gentleman from California

[[Page H3798]]

(Mr. Rohrabacher), who served Ronald Reagan as a part of his staff
before coming to Congress.
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, it is a blessing that Ronald Reagan did
not die immediately after leaving office in 1989. In these last 16
years that we have had Ronald Reagan with us, it has given America a
chance to take a look at who Ronald Reagan was and what he meant to our
country. And now, with 16 years that have passed, we can look back and
see what an enormous difference Ronald Reagan made not only to our
lives as Americans but to the entire world.
Let me note that Ronald Reagan was 56 years old when I first met him,
and that was when he was running for the first time for public office.
He ran for public office for the first time when he was 56 years old.
And all of these things we are talking about, a man who accomplished so
much and changed the world for the better, happened after he was 56
years old. He had already had a successful life, a full career.
And he did come from a relatively poor family. I know his first job
was being a lifeguard. That affected his way of looking at things his
entire life. He saved 77 people's lives as a lifeguard. And having
gotten to know him as President and also during his campaigns, I think
he always had that consciousness, that he was there to save the day for
the people who were in some type of a crisis.
He was a sports broadcaster, and he was a moderately successful film
actor. But all of that seemed to be over when he was 50 years old. And
then, when he was 56, he jumped into political life. Now, why did he do
that? Because California was a mess in 1966.

{time} 2000

And he came and stepped forward because he felt he had a contribution
to make. He jumped into the political waters to save the day.
I was a youth volunteer in that first campaign, and I got to meet him
personally, and it was one of the joys of my life.
Let me note that years later after I got finished with school, I
became a journalist, and I covered Ronald Reagan's last 2 years as
Governor as a journalist. I remember that he had a press conference one
day, it was near the end of his term, where he was announcing the
findings of his law and order task force. One of their findings was an
expanded use of the death penalty. And just as I am now, I was then
always trying to get to the heart of the matter and ask the tough
questions, and I asked President Reagan, who was then Governor, well,
how can you be in favor of expanding the use of the death penalty when
you are a committed Christian? And, you know, he sat forward, and he
leaned forward to the mike, he says, I take that question very
seriously. I prayed about this, about using the death penalty more
frequently and taking people's lives. I have sought help. I have read
the scripture, and I have talked to other people about this, and I have
come to the conclusion that if we are executing people for revenge,
that it is inconsistent with the principles that Jesus Christ taught
us, but if we are executing murderers in order to deter people from
killing other human beings, we are doing it then to save people, to
save innocent people, and that is totally consistent with Christianity.
At that point Evelle Younger who was the attorney general of the
State, reaches over and grabs the mike and says, oh, this religious and
philosophical stuff does not mean anything. The voters of this State
voted for the death penalty, and they are going to get it. Well, my
opinion of Ronald Reagan's sword, I knew that he was a man who did not
take these things lightly, a man of strong conviction, but a man who
deeply cared about people enough to think about it and to pray about
decisions like this. He was not just a great communicator, and I worked
for him as a speechwriter for 7 years in the White House. He was, yes,
someone who understood the fundamentals of communication, but that is
not what made him great. He was not the great communicator. He was
America's great leader. He had ideals that helped direct his decisions.
We have heard about his strong convictions. We know today that most
people with strong convictions are not very pleasant to be around. When
they talk about people with philosophies, there is a saying that you
cannot change somebody's mind, and he will not change the subject.
Ronald Reagan was a person who taught me that you can have strong
principles and have a solid philosophy, but be a pleasant person and
care about people at the same time. It was that type of humane approach
that permitted Ronald Reagan to capture the hearts of the American
people and inspire us.
When our country was in such terrible peril economically and in
retreat internationally, and our spirit had been destroyed, people were
not even waving the American flag back in the late 1970s, Ronald Reagan
dove into the political waters again to save the day. And he saved us.
He was the lifeguard who saved us, and he saved the world.
Jim Bruelte, a political person in California, noted on D-Day the
American soldiers liberated half of Europe. Ronald Reagan liberated the
other half of Europe and did it without firing a shot.
We live in a more prosperous country, a safer country, and hundreds
of millions of people now live in relative freedom than if he would not
have been here. We are so grateful to Ronald Reagan for having dove in
to save us, and he did. He saved America, and he saved us personally.
I am now 56 years old, the same age Ronald Reagan was when he first
entered politics. I am so grateful that he spent those years of his
life making this a better world for my children. I just had three
children just 6 weeks ago today, and I am so grateful that he made it a
better world for them.
Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Alexander).
(Mr. ALEXANDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Stenholm) for this time.
Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that we devote this week to
honor the memory and the contributions of our 40th President Ronald
Reagan. My thoughts and prayers are with President Reagan's family and
all of the Americans who grieve this week.
Mr. Speaker, President Reagan was a true patriot, committed to the
ideals of a democratic Nation, and dedicated to maintaining the
strength of America as a world power. His abilities as a strong leader
and a communicator gave Americans confidence and strength during a time
of economic hardship and struggling with the Soviet Union.
President Reagan once said, ``There is no limit to what a man can do
or where he can go if he does not mind who gets the credit.'' We should
follow this example and remember that public service is not about
partisan battles or taking credit, it is about serving the American
people to the best of our ability.
I am honored to be here in Washington during this week of memorial
services. I am grateful to all of those involved with arranging the
safety and logistics during a week when thousands of Americans will
journey to our Nation's Capital to pay their respects to President
Reagan.
Mr. Speaker, as we face a new decade and new challenges, let us honor
the life and contributions and remember the debt of gratitude we owe
our 40th President, Ronald Reagan.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Ronald Reagan became President in 1981 after an election in 1980. At
that point in our history, our defenses had been reduced to such
significant levels, all of us were concerned about the future of
America's ability to defend itself. Indeed, there were great leaders
who recognized the importance of building our defenses. Among those who
have come here since President Reagan was with us is the gentleman from
California (Mr. Cunningham).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr.
Cunningham).
Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, we rise to honor and mourn Ronald
Reagan.
But first I would like to thank Mrs. Nancy Reagan. The wisest of men
knows it takes a good woman to make a good man, and what a good wingman

[[Page H3799]]

she has been, both in sickness and in health. This Nation also owes
Nancy Reagan a debt of gratitude; both of them good and decent people.
Ronald Reagan was one of the most respected and effective Presidents in
American history.
Mr. Speaker, the Irish have a toast, and it goes like this. It is to
those who support Ronald Reagan, and everybody lifts their glass; to
those who may support Ronald Reagan, and everybody lifts their glass;
and to those that will never support President Ronald Reagan, may God
strike them in their shins so we shall know them by their limping. But
there are not many of those, Mr. Speaker.
President Reagan said, you know, the United States was never meant to
be the second best Nation. We set our sights high for the stars, and we
are going for the gold. He said that back in the 1980s. He came to the
job with one underlying goal, and that was freedom. Freedom for you,
Mr. Speaker, and people all over the world, much to the same challenges
that we have today; the freedom in Bosnia, in Kosovo, in Afghanistan
and in Iraq, and with the United Nations signing a resolution today
following in suit much as Ronald Reagan guided us through troublesome
times when he was President.
Ronald Reagan restored the economy of a double-digital inflation,
interest rates the same thing. He gave this Nation tax relief, much as
President Kennedy and President Bush. He increased the coffers by three
times the amount. Unfortunately, it was Congress that spent a lot of
that money.
He followed his pledge to restore our military. Ronald Reagan
believed in peace through strength, and I think it showed through. He
eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons. He is responsible for
bringing down the Berlin Wall, ended the Cold War, and challenged
governments to have a new way of life to bring freedom to their people,
also a task that we face today in this body and in this Nation.
For his imprint on history, for his legacy which will be felt for
generations to come, this Nation owes President Reagan and Nancy Reagan
a debt of gratitude.
The President's many legacies. Navy's newest nuclear carrier, the USS
Ronald Reagan, will reside in San Diego. That aircraft carrier will
travel all over the world, much as Ronald Reagan did, and serves as a
symbol of the respect and elegance of his family. Throughout his
political career, President Reagan always concluded his campaign in San
Diego. He called it his lucky city. We feel fortunate that he
considered San Diego so. It is only fitting that this great new shining
city on the hill, San Diego, will be called the home of the USS Ronald
Reagan, our latest and newest nuclear aircraft carrier.
Mr. Speaker, we bid Ronald Reagan adieu and thank the Reagan family
for what they have given to this Nation. God bless you, Nancy Reagan,
and your family and the President.
Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me this time, my friend and colleague, and also thank the
gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) for allowing us to come at this
time.
I imagine this time is the reason why so many of us, in fact I would
say this entire House, cherishes this body and cherishes this
institution, because it allows us to come at a time like this and shed
our Democratic and Republican labels and simply approach this tribute
as Americans. I would imagine that is what these times, although sad,
allow us to do.
I am proud as an American to come forward and to salute an American
President, and to be able to join the millions of Americans mourning
the passing of President Ronald Reagan and celebrate his service to the
people of the United States and his leadership in promoting the cause
of freedom for all of the people of the world.
Protest has its place, protest is good in life, but protest has no
place in death, and so this opportunity is to acknowledge the
principles by which this President lived and stood for during his
Presidency. The love that President Reagan had for this Nation was
infectious to the point that it reflected on everyone who listened to
him, here in America and abroad.
Even when his actions did not agree with the policies and initiatives
of many of us who wear a different political hat, he maintained himself
with integrity and engaged in honest and open debate. We have heard
repeatedly over these last couple of days that despite partisan
disagreements, former President Reagan followed the tenet that at 5
p.m., we are no longer Democrats or Republicans; rather, we are
Americans, families and friends.
I am reminded of the stories told about he and Speaker of the House
Tip O'Neill, who shared in their Irish heritage a bit of good
conversation and maybe a little bit of drink.

{time} 2015

The differences may have been real; but because of the way President
Reagan led, he taught us that there is a big difference between strong
beliefs and bitter partisanship. As the Commander in Chief, he was the
voice of America in imparting both good news and bad news. As we
mourned the loss of our brave astronauts in the Challenger tragedy, it
was President Reagan who reminded us, ``Nothing ends here. Our hopes
and our journeys continue.'' We in Texas at that time appreciated his
strong leadership and that in fact even in spite of the Challenger
tragedy at that time, we would prevail and we would go forward.
President Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American who will always be
remembered. He will be forever remembered for the warmth and the
respect with which he accorded others. Furthermore, our thoughts and
prayers are with Nancy and his children at this difficult time.
Strong beliefs and a love of our country are the only way to bring
this country forward as we face a costly and difficult war in Iraq and
a budget that is struggling to survive. Strength and leadership is what
we need now. Strength and leadership will be required to bring this
Nation back to the standards by which we have always been known. I
believe it is appropriate to read his famous words: ``We have every
right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when
there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.''
President Reagan himself admitted that he was an optimist and he
believed that this Nation had an optimistic future, and so he was
always able to rise to the occasion and share words of encouragement.
President Reagan always stressed that America is a ``can do'' country.
I would say to you that we Democrats agree. We can and will get back on
the right track, largely through his legacy of integrity and hard work.
With strong leadership and a real commitment to confronting the
problems facing American families, we can improve upon our weaknesses.
Optimism, the true challenge for all Americans, something President
Reagan has left as his legacy.
He once said, ``The house we hope to build is not for my generation
but for yours. It is your future that matters. And I hope that when you
are my age, you will be able to say as I have been able to say, we
lived in freedom, we lived lives that were a statement, not an
apology.''
It was interesting to hear over these last couple of days the number
of young people, then young people, who were amazed that they had the
opportunity to work in President Reagan's administration. Sixty-nine
years old when he took office, it seemed that he gravitated toward
young people. Now being able to recite their wonderful experiences
again, a tribute to a man who had a great history.
We will always remember him as the man who tore the Iron Curtain
down. He did it with a kind of leadership and integrity but sternness
and determinedness. I will simply say no one will ever forget him
challenging Mr. Gorbachev by saying, ``Open this gate'' and, ``Mr.
Gorbachev, tear down this wall.'' We are better for it. He did it with
a sternness but also with an attitude of peace.
I am grateful also for the shining example of the wonderful
relationship between him and his wife Nancy, the great love that they
shared and the fact that they were married for some 52 years. Might I
share with you some words that he wrote in 1983 on their 31st wedding
anniversary as he was riding on Air Force One, and might I

[[Page H3800]]

commend to you Nancy's book, ``I Love You, Ronnie,'' published in 2000,
but hear these words. He wrote, ``I more than love you, I'm not whole
without you. You are life itself to me. When you are gone I'm waiting
for you to return, so I can start living again.'' That is a true
testament to the value of marriage and partnership and they did it
unabashedly and without fear.
Mrs. Reagan wrote in 1989, ``Some of the reporters who wrote about me
felt that our marriage was at least partly an act. But it wasn't and it
isn't.'' And I believe her.
Finally, in 1998 she told Vanity Fair magazine: ``Our relationship is
very special. We were very much in love and still are. When I say my
life began with Ronnie, well, it's true. It did. I can't imagine life
without him.''
Mr. Speaker, I started by saying that is why I cherish this
institution, because it allows us now to come together again, not
wearing any partisan hat but simply saying that we are Americans. I do
not know if she would mind me saying this, but my daughter is now 24, I
remember her as a small girl, very small, and she always used to refer
to Ronald Reagan as the grandfather. I had to kind of clarify that for
her, but it was out of the mouth of a child that described him as such.
And so I simply leave you with the idea of why we have come today to
be able to honor this American President. It is because he did leave us
with a sense of optimism and an ability to go forward, to look at the
troubles that we might be facing both to the left and to the right and
forward and back but yet to say that we are determined to succeed. I
would only say that in his passing, let us maintain the legacy of
optimism for this country. ``We are the showcase of the future. And it
is within our power to mold that future, this year and for decades to
come. It can be as grand and as great as we make it. No crisis is
beyond the capacity of our people to solve, no challenge too great,''
the words of Ronald Reagan on January 5, 1974.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I simply say, farewell, farewell. And though
we say farewell to a great and wonderful American President, his legacy
will live on that America's future is founded in our optimism and our
belief in freedom and democracy and certainly this day our
understanding that we all are Americans.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution offered by my
colleague, Representative Lewis of California, to mourn the passing of
President Ronald Reagan and to celebrate his service to the people of
the United States and his leadership in promoting the cause of freedom
for all the people of the world.
The love that President Reagan had for this Nation was infectious to
the point that it reflected on everyone who listened to him--here in
America and abroad. Even when his actions did not agree with the
policies and initiatives of my Democratic colleagues, he maintained
himself with integrity and engaged in honest and open debate.
Despite partisan disagreements, former President Reagan followed the
tenet that ``at 5 p.m., we are no longer Democrats or Republicans;
rather we are Americans, friends, and family.''
The differences were real, but because of the way President Reagan
led, he taught us that there is a big difference between strong beliefs
and bitter partisanship.
As the Commander-in-Chief, he was the voice of America in imparting
both good news and bad news. As we mourned the loss of our brave
astronauts in the Challenger tragedy, it was President Reagan who
reminded us that ``Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys
continue.''
President Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American icon. He will be
forever remembered for the warmth and the respect he accorded others.
Furthermore, our thoughts and prayers are with Nancy and his children
at this difficult time.
Strong beliefs and a love of our country are the only way to bring
this country forward as we face a costly and difficult war in Iraq, the
largest budget deficit in history, escalating health care costs, and
two million jobs lost over the past three years. Strength and
leadership will be required to bring this Nation back to the standards
by which we have always been known.
We must follow his famous words: ``We have every right to dream
heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no
heroes, they just don't know where to look.''--January 20, 1981
President Ronald Reagan always stressed that America is a ``can do''
country. We Democrats agree. We can and will get back on the right
track, largely through his legacy of integrity and hard work. With
strong leadership and a real commitment to confronting the problems
facing American families, we can improve our weaknesses.
The President once said: ``The house we hope to build is not for my
generation but for yours. It is your future that matters. And I hope
that when you are my age, you will be able to say as I have been able
to say: We lived in freedom. We lived lives that were a statement, not
an apology.''
So when we return to work next week, I hope this House will be
inspired by the leadership of Ronald Reagan instead of mired in the
partisan politics and a lack of integrity that have too often affected
our work as of late. We should be inspired by his patriotism and
devotion to our country. Moreover, we should remember his faith, his
optimism, and his unwavering commitment to his convictions as we do the
work of the American people.

The Soviet Union and the Cold War

President Reagan had a calm speaking voice and forceful diction that
earned him the title of ``the Great Communicator.'' This task was
surely the work of a leader of fortitude and commitment to the
betterment of our diplomatic relations with that Nation.
Mr. Reagan's efforts and tenacity contributed greatly to the end of
the Cold War. His policies included strong support of the U.S. military
and the doctrine of ``peace through strength.''
In a few days it will be exactly seventeen years to the day that
President Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate in what was then West
Berlin, Germany, in which he famously proclaimed: ``General Secretary
Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet
Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this
gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this
wall!'' The speech was made to the free people of West Berlin, but it
was clearly audible on the East side of the Wall, and soon those words
would help make it possible that the people of East and West Berlin
could finally hear each other. For all of his achievements and acclaim,
I am certain that President Reagan's greatest accomplishment will be
the demise of the Soviet Union. As Margaret Thatcher said, he was the
man who ``won the cold war without firing a shot.''
The world President Reagan faced when he came in to office in 1981
was very different from the world we see today. Today the United States
is the unquestioned superpower of the world, but two decades ago this
world was dominated by the struggle between two superpowers: the United
States and the Soviet Union. President Reagan came in to office with
his own vision on how this great struggle could be dealt with. He
succeeded in maintaining the stand-off with the Soviet Union so that
the world did not have to witness the consequences of a brutal nuclear
war. He fought the Soviet Union indirectly wherever they sought to
threaten the freedom of the world's people. In Afghanistan he mobilized
our allies and our resources in the region to ensure that the Soviet's
would not have a stranglehold on the continent of Asia. The Reagan
Doctrine succeeded in a time where grave danger not only threatened our
Nation, but indeed the fate of the world as we know it.
President Reagan used his great communication skills to help end the
Cold War without the necessity of another World War. As with his speech
at the Brandenburg Gate, President Reagan inspired people throughout
the world to believe that freedom and prosperity were indeed possible.
President Reagan made Americans believe again that our Nation was the
greatest on Earth and that we would indeed be victorious. Finally, his
words made the leadership of the Soviet Union believe that they were
fighting from a side of weakness, that the good of our beliefs and our
national system would prevail. His words were inspirational two decades
ago, but today they have been proven true. The Soviet Union no longer
threatens our world, and we must always pay tribute to President Reagan
for that accomplishment.

Reagan's Relationship with Wife Nancy

At a time when war and bloodshed are one of the biggest thoughts on
the minds of Americans, the history of President Reagan's relationship
with his wife is a refreshing thought that has restored a feeling of
compassion in our hearts.
Relationships--whether they be diplomatic, spousal, or plantonic,
have not been placed in the greatest light as of late in America. We
have been marred by accounts of human rights abuse and other examples
of a disregard for the rights and personhood of our neighbors.
In contrast, the relationship between Ronald and Nancy Reagan was one
of the greatest love stories in U.S. presidential history. The two were
utterly devoted to each other, and Nancy was said to have been a key
adviser and confidante during her husband's two-term presidency from
1981 to 1989. Though they were married 52 years, Nancy has told with

[[Page H3801]]

great pain how her husband did not recognize her during the final years
of his struggle with Alzheimer's disease.
Nancy, who was herself a Hollywood starlet in the 1940s and '50s,
said it was virtually love at first sight when she met Mr. Reagan in
1949 when he was president of the Screen Actors' Guild. President
Reagan left messages of love for his wife at the White House and wrote
a constant stream of love letters; some were published in Nancy's book
``I Love You, Ronnie,'' published in 2000. No matter where he was in
the world, he made sure he wrote to his wife.
In 1983, on the 31st anniversary of their wedding, the President was
on Air Force One when he wrote: ``I more than love you, I'm not whole
without you. You are life itself to me. When you are gone I'm waiting
for you to return, so I can start living again.''
At official engagements, including even his swearing-in, the couple
sometimes embarrassed their staff by just gazing at each other. In her
1989 autobiography, Mrs. Reagan wrote: ``Some of the reporters who
wrote about me felt that our marriage was at least partly an act. But
it wasn't, and it isn't.'' Finally, in 1998 she told Vanity Fair
magazine: ``Our relationship is very special. We were very much in love
and still are. When I say my life began with Ronnie, well, it's true.
It did. I can't imagine life without him.''

Conclusion

Mr. Speaker, again, I support Mr. Lewis' resolution saluting a leader
whose influence and positive legacy will live on with not only the
American people but the entire international community. Thank you, Mr.
President, and may you rest in peace. May your family find strength and
courage through these very difficult days.
I conclude now by reciting some of President Reagan's spirited words
to us as Americans:

The house we hope to build is not for my generation but for
yours. It is your future that matters. And I hope that when
you are my age, you will be able to say as I have been able
to say: We lived in freedom. We lived lives that were a
statement, not an apology.
The challenge of statesmanship is to have the vision to
dream of a better, safer world and the courage, persistence,
and patience to turn that dream into reality.--March 8, 1985
We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say
that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just
don't know where to look.--January 20, 1981
We are the showcase of the future. And it is within our
power to mold that future--this year and for decades to come.
It can be as grand and as great as we make it. No crisis is
beyond the capacity of our people to solve; no challenge too
great.--January 5, 1974

Again, farewell, Mr. President. May your optimism live on.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, the eloquence of our colleagues
from both sides of the aisle reflect the best of Ronald Reagan. His
leadership indeed recognized that there was little partisanship when
you were really working towards solving problems for America's people.
Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from California (Mr. Herger).
Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, some of my first impressions of Ronald
Reagan were back in the 1950s when I was yet in grammar school, and I
observed him as he hosted the ``General Electric Theater.'' And then
again I remember him just after graduating from high school in 1964
when he campaigned and he spoke out for Barry Goldwater. Ronald Reagan
stood for ideals that simply were not being expressed anyplace else.
The appropriately named Reagan Revolution was precisely that. He was
one of the main reasons I ran for political office. In the late 1970s,
we heard our leaders talk about lowering expectations and the good
times are over and that our Nation is in a, quote, general malaise.
This was mirrored in high inflation that reached 10 to 12 percent,
unemployment rates that were over 10 percent or more, and a prime
interest rate that reached as high as 21.5 percent.
But then in stepped Ronald Reagan saying America could do better and
America would do better. When Ronald Reagan said it, you believed it.
His vision of the shining city on the hill gave hope to countless
millions of Americans. Back then I, as a small business owner who grew
up on a ranch, the American dream appeared endangered by high taxes and
big government. In California, property taxes were doubling and
tripling. With Ronald Reagan, there was someone we could rally around.
His hope, his direction, and his moral clarity gave us all renewed
energy. Ronald Reagan had the great ability to say what so many of us
were thinking, what we were thinking about our national budget, about
our national defense, about taxes; and, yes, about a better America.
The first time I ever met Ronald Reagan was in 1980 when I was
running for the State Assembly in California and I journeyed to Simi
Valley to get my picture taken with him. I can remember growing up
hearing my mother talking about President Franklin Roosevelt, how she
would listen to President Roosevelt on the radio during the Great
Depression and during World War II. President Roosevelt gave hope to
her generation. Ronald Reagan was to my generation what FDR was to my
parents.
In Congress I had the privilege to meet Ronald Reagan six or seven
times. Just being around President Reagan was inspiring. He lit up the
room. To those of us who believed strongly in the American dream, in
traditional values and the Judeo-Christian faith, Ronald Reagan was
indeed a shining light in the city when there seemed to be none. His
spirit will live on in the hearts of Americans. He was truly one of our
Nation's greatest Presidents.
Ronald Reagan, thank you, thank you, for all you have done for me.
Thank you, thank you, for all you have done for our great Nation.
Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel).
Mr. ISRAEL. I thank my friend from Texas for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in joining my colleagues on both sides of the
aisle in mourning the loss of President Reagan. I did not agree with
the President on every issue, but there were three values that he
exuded which I do share deeply: first, a respect for the democratic
process and the building of consensus to move us forward and to make us
safer; secondly, a fundamental belief in a strong military and a strong
defense; and, third, as we have heard before, a boundless optimism
about America's capacity and our potential and our role in making the
world safe for democracy.
I never had the privilege of personally meeting President Reagan, but
I did work here in Congress during his administration for a former
Member of Congress, and I have a sense that even tonight, President
Reagan and former Speaker Tip O'Neill are looking down upon this House
with rather wry and proud smiles wishing us the best as we join
together, as they join together to move our country not to the left,
not to the right but forward, and they guide us not from the left, not
from the right, they guide us from above.
Several months ago, I had the privilege of participating in an issues
forum in New York with Ronald Reagan, Jr. Tonight my thoughts and
prayers are with him and the entire Reagan family as they mourn the
loss of a father and a husband and as America mourns the loss of a
President.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 5
minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), chairman of the
Committee on Rules.
(Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, let me say at the outset I think it is
extraordinarily appropriate that the gentleman, the former mayor of
Simi, California, the home of the Ronald Reagan Library and what will
be the final resting place for Nancy and Ronald Reagan, is presiding
over this institution at this moment. I would also like to thank my
friend, the true dean of our California congressional delegation, for
yielding me this time.
A generation was inspired by Ronald Reagan is what we have been
hearing, but it was really a generation and then some inspired by
Ronald Reagan. The gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) heard Ronald
Reagan's speech in behalf of Barry Goldwater in 1964. Two years later,
Ronald Reagan was elected Governor of California, and 2 years after
that the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) was elected to the
California State Assembly, serving 6 of the 8 years that Ronald Reagan
was Governor of California. In fact, he is the only Republican Member
here who did serve while Ronald Reagan was Governor of California. He
went on to inspire many others. I am among them.

[[Page H3802]]

I was pleased this morning to be able to include in the Record very
thoughtful remarks that were provided by a great American, George
Shultz, who Sunday afternoon read his statement to me and I read it
into the Record this morning, and I would like to commend it to my
colleagues because it talks about the vision and the perspective that
Ronald Reagan offered in a wide range of areas. Ronald Reagan made it
very clear that the Republican Party is the party of ideas. We
constantly hear about Ronald Reagan being the Great Communicator, but
he had a message to communicate. Members on both sides of the aisle
have talked about that message.
To me it embraced four very simple points: his commitment to a free
economy, limited government, a strong national defense, and personal
freedom. Those are the bases from which Ronald Reagan made his
decisions on public policy issues, but he had those deeply rooted
principles. And because they were so deeply rooted, he was able to
communicate them extraordinarily well. Why? Because it came right from
the heart. It came right from his heart.
We have heard a lot of very serious statements made about Ronald
Reagan; but, of course, one of the most memorable things as people
talked about his ability to communicate was his ability to communicate
with that amazing sparkle, that twinkle in his eye. There were some
wonderful things that he said that were able to, in fact, break the ice
and really entertain all of us. Remember, it was Ronald Reagan who
said, ``Hard work never killed anybody, but I figured, why take the
chance?'' It was Ronald Reagan who after he had been hit by that
bullet, right up Constitution here at the Washington Hilton when the
statement was made to him shortly thereafter that the government was
working as usual and he looked up and said, ``Why would that make me
happy?''

{time} 2030

There was, of course, his last speech which really stuck with me. It
was on February 3 of 1994, and the Republican National Committee was
having a dinner over here at the Pension Building, and Ronald Reagan
was obviously quite elderly then, and the speech was delivered
literally months before he wrote his famous letter in November of that
year to the American people stating that he had Alzheimer's. So when he
stood up at this meeting, I remember that Bill Clinton had been elected
President of the United States the year before, and we as Republicans
were gathering, we were poised to win our majority, and Ronald Reagan
stood up without a great deal of strength as he got up for this speech.
He stepped up to the lectern, and he looked out at the audience, and
he said, ``Well, I flew into town today to give this speech this
evening, and as we came in, we circled the White House, and as I looked
out the window, I looked down there, and there was everything just as I
remembered it, the south lawn, the rose garden, David Gergen,'' who was
at that moment working for President Bill Clinton. And we knew then
that even though the President was obviously not in the most robust of
health, that sparkle continued. He still had that amazing wonderful
sense of humor.
I see my friend from San Diego Mr. Lowery here on the House floor. I
was very pleased to, along with Bill Lowery and 51 others, be part of
the Reagan Revolution. We came here to the House of Representatives,
elected in November of 1980, and we made Ronald Reagan an honorary
member of our class in 1980, and that is because he was leader of the
revolution that brought all of us here and allowed us to vigorously
pursue those goals that we shared in common.
We stand on his shoulders. George W. Bush stands on his shoulders.
The similarities, to me, are so striking. The ``ism'' that Ronald
Reagan stood up to was communism. The ``ism'' that George W. Bush is
standing up to is terrorism. Ronald Reagan had broad, across-the-board
tax cuts to stimulate economic growth. That is exactly what we have
done. He did it in 1981. George W. Bush has started it in 2001. The
party of ideas is strong and vibrant. It is doing extraordinarily well,
and it is the vision that Ronald Reagan put forward.
And I thank my friend for taking this time, and I thank my colleagues
on the other side of the aisle who are joining in this very important
recognition of one of our Nation's greatest leaders.
Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, it is not just nostalgia that makes us remember
President Ronald Reagan especially so fondly upon the occasion of his
death. Politics, ideology, geography aside, there is a mark of
leadership and charisma which undeniably stamps some men and women.
Ronald Reagan was one of those men whose leadership was felt by all
who encountered him. When President Reagan first came to office, he
quickly understood that enacting his economic agenda would require
bipartisan support in Congress, which was under Democratic control,
242-192 and 1 absent. It took 52 bipartisan votes to enact anything,
and President Reagan understood that.
I met with the President on several occasions as he sought to build
that bipartisan coalition to pass his legislation. I met with President
Reagan one on one in the Oval Office as well as in Air Force One, and
for a second-termer in 1981 that was pretty tall cotton for a Jones
County cotton farmer.
In 1981, I was just in my second term and was a member of the
conservative Democratic forum better known as the Boll Weevils, the
precursor to today's Blue Dogs. In the very first month Reagan was in
office, he had to pass into law an increase in the debt limit, and so
he invited me to meet with him. Now, mind you, this was the first major
piece of legislation of the Reagan administration. In the past, prior
to President Reagan's being elected, Republicans had always opposed
increasing the debt limit. Republicans had denounced Democrats for
voting to increase the debt limit. So here was the first Republican
President in many years coming to ask conservative Democrats for
support in passing this very thing into law, something members of his
own party had opposed on many occasions in the past.
We had a lengthy talk. The twinkle in the eye that many of those who
had known him much better from California were there, and we finally
struck a deal. We had an understanding that if the President could
deliver 100 votes from Republicans, then we would do our best to
deliver the necessary Democratic votes. President Reagan more than held
up his end of the bargain. He ultimately delivered 150 Republican
votes. So in the spirit of bipartisanship and on a very tough issue,
Reagan successfully secured the votes he needed, from Democrats and
Republicans, and got the increase in the debt limit, just as he and we
needed it.
I was proud to have several opportunities to work with the President
in the months and years ahead to build bipartisan coalitions,
especially on his economic agenda. I still proudly display a picture in
my home in Abilene, Texas, of President Reagan signing the 1981 tax
bill. I got one of the pens and one I treasure.
Reagan had very strong principles and very strong values. We know
what they were. But he also understood that in order to govern, it was
important to find a middle ground. And I was lucky enough to be in the
middle of many of those compromises.
One of his greatest strengths was his ability to communicate, a skill
that he used to great effect when courting votes in Congress. His
courting of Members of Congress was the best of any President I have
served with, and I have now been privileged to serve with five. If the
Members can imagine a second-termer sitting in the Roosevelt Room in
the White House talking about some issues with the President's Cabinet
members and others and having the President walk in unannounced and put
his hands on his shoulder; some telephone calls that we had many times
when there was a vote and the President had to work the phones like no
President that I have seen since, rounding up the votes, and he was
very effective at doing that.
President Reagan's private and public demeanors was the same. What
one saw was what one got. That is the mark of a great leader.
Ronald Reagan was a very decent man, and he understood how he could
use his office to make a difference in countless lives. This aspect of
his personality was always very clear to me

[[Page H3803]]

because it was this decency, this understanding of the power of the
office that gave me the most rewarding opportunity I had to work with
President Reagan.
The context was very personal. In May of 1983, I was contacted by the
grandfather of Ashley Bailey, a baby girl in Abilene, Texas, who needed
a liver transplant to survive. At that time organ donations and organ
transplants were not as common as now, and the organ donation system
was not organized to the extent it is today.
I spoke to President Reagan's folks about it to ask for his help in
getting the baby girl a new liver. Shortly after receiving my letter,
President Reagan used his weekly radio address to publicize Ashley's
situation and encourage all Americans to fill out organ donor cards. He
also called Ashley's mother, Annette.
Unfortunately, the President's plea did not result in finding a liver
in time to save Baby Ashley, but it did end up saving the lives of
dozens of other babies who needed liver transplants. President Reagan
later started a national organ donor awareness program, which led to
the designation of National Organ Donation Awareness Week every April.
To this day I consider this one of the highlights of my 25 years in
Congress.
Reagan knew how to disagree without being disagreeable, rise above
politics, and these qualities, unfortunately, are rare today. President
Reagan and House Speaker Tip O'Neill, the Massachusetts liberal, were
good friends who got along very well during their years of service
together. They never lost their philosophical convictions, and they
never let those philosophical convictions hijack their understanding
that America's democracy requires respect for all opinions and a
practical determination to work out our differences for the good of the
country.
President Reagan spoke of hope and a better tomorrow. He reminded us
that we live in the greatest country in the world, and he made us
believe it and believe in ourselves. He believed that we, as Americans,
had a special duty to promote peace and freedom for the rest of the
world. He always told us that for America, the best was yet to come.
It is good for all of us to remember Ronald Reagan's optimism, his
kind-heartedness, and his cordiality. As we remember this great man
this week, it would do us good to remember how we should behave today
and in the future.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).
(Mr. ISSA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, on this second week of June, 17 years ago,
President Ronald Reagan stood in the then-divided city of Berlin and
called on Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to ``tear down this
wall.'' Then, as perhaps now, critics did what they so often do. They
cast aside the genuineness of his statement and, in fact, said that his
speech was a publicity ploy. The Soviets and East Germans called it an
infringement of East German sovereignty, an unwarranted meddling by the
American President.
Two years later the wall came down.
Mr. Speaker, President Reagan was a leader with the foresight and
strong conviction to get things done. He believed in America so much
that he made America believe in itself again. He valued freedom,
especially for those who had none. He understood that for America to be
great, it first had to be good. He understood that America's problems,
the malaise of the years preceding his Presidency, were simply
America's not understanding how great it was and how great it could be.
Mr. Speaker, I was just a soldier during the period leading up to Mr.
Reagan's becoming President Reagan, but I was a businessman starting a
business from scratch when President Reagan came to office, and I
recognized overnight that this was a special time to be an American, a
time when we had a President who was saying that an American hero was
somebody who took chances, who made a difference for the world, but
particularly somebody who cared enough to work those extra hours and to
care enough about his country.
Ronald Reagan knew America. He knew what was right about our Nation.
What was right about our Nation and what was right about America would
set the world in a better direction. Ronald Reagan led America, and the
rest of the world became a freer place. Under his leadership we headed
toward more than 400 million people in 27 countries finding a freedom
they did not have. Today the soldiers of some of those democracies now
fight side by side in Iraq and Afghanistan.
President Reagan showed us that our freedom and our determination can
tear down walls.
Many Speakers will come here tonight, and they will talk of how
profoundly President Reagan affected them, and I would be no different,
but perhaps I can be slightly different tonight by saying that the only
way to honor President Reagan's legacy is to take it to the next step.
Today we are trying to do that for people in the Arab and Muslim world,
and we have not finished that job. Today Communist China still denies
rights to the people of its own country and is attempting to stifle the
freedom and independence of Hong Kong. Today Cuba, to our south, is
still a Communist nation, having little or no respect for the rule of
law and for its people.
All of these and more need to be part of the American struggle
because, Mr. Speaker, only if we determine that America's greatness
will be in our willingness to set a course for the world in a positive
way, not to dominate, but, in fact, to liberate, I think that is the
legacy that Mr. Reagan would want.
And if I can take a personal liberty on behalf of Mrs. Reagan, I
believe that continuing to look for a cure to the terrible illness that
plagued President Reagan for his last 10 years of life and promote and
continue stem cell research consistent with what this body has passed
would also be a tremendous addition to the Reagan legacy.

{time} 2045

I am determined to work for both of these, and I ask this body to
take those steps to free those who were not freed under President
Reagan, and to commit itself to the research to end the terrible
illness that the Reagan family has suffered under for 10 long years.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 4
minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Hart).
Ms. HART. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for
allowing me to mix in with the Californians tonight.
I think like most of us, we all have our own different, but very
similar, inspirations from President Reagan. I first heard about Ronald
Reagan probably around the dinner table when I was a kid when he was
Governor of California and when he first decided to run for President.
But I had grown up in an era that was pretty difficult. I grew up
thinking assassinations were normal, remembering the assassinations of
Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy; that government corruption was
normal, remembering Watergate; and that a failure of government to
properly serve its people was normal. Very high inflation, for example.
But I remember also the things that my dad and my mom and my
grandfather, who was an immigrant, told me about America. They were
patriotic people. Ronald Reagan was a patriotic man. And I heard his
message, and it resonated with me, because it was something that I had
always heard at home, but, unfortunately, had not seen much in practice
in government. I became interested, and, as I guess somewhat of a
precocious seventh-grader, wrote an editorial in my middle school
newspaper supporting Ronald Reagan for President. He did not win that
time, but it was not because I did not try. But that legacy and what he
stood for stuck with me.
My family paid attention. I was very fortunate. Our normal dinner
conversation often dealt with politics. So when I turned 18 in 1980,
Ronald Reagan was running for President, and I volunteered. I found out
that politics is a means of achieving a greater good and could be
respected. I was hooked. He showed for us the America that we all knew
could exist. It was the America that my parents believed in. It was the
America we knew we could get back.
Ronald Reagan said, it is not my intention to do away with
government, it

[[Page H3804]]

is rather to make it work. Make it work with us, not over us; to stand
by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide
opportunity, not smother it. It must foster productivity, not stifle
it. Government is to walk with us. That is the most important thing,
and it is important because it is the American dream.
After 10 years of volunteering on campaigns, and after Ronald Reagan
was elected that first time, through law school, through the private
practice of law, it led me to take part in the process in a big way, to
dream big dreams, and to take some risks. So at 28 I ran for the State
senate, unseated an incumbent, and had the opportunity to pursue the
same dream.
Ronald Reagan said America is too great for small dreams. There are
many of us here in Congress today who agree with him. Let us in
government remember him and his legacy and act on that legacy.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I could not feel more strongly
than I do about the gentlewoman's remarks. Indeed, one of the wonderful
things that has happened in recent years in the House is the advent of
young women like this stepping up to the plate, running for Congress,
and making a big difference in the People's House.
It is my honor, Mr. Speaker, to yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall).
Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I came to the United States Congress in 1981,
the same year President Reagan was sworn in as our President. I
examined the brochures that he ran on and looked at the brochures that
I ran on, and I found them to be almost identical: jobs and security,
and jobs meant dignity; a strong military; a concern for the unborn;
strong second amendment rights. All of those things we totally agreed
upon. At that time I was a Democrat. I was a member of the Boll Weevils
and the Conservative Democratic Forum.
We have heard others speak here before us tonight and know of the
respect and admiration that we all had for President Reagan. I had the
pleasure of going out to Camp David with him and spent times and hours,
and had the opportunity for discussions, and we discussed everything
from the problems of the day to his times in the movies. He was a good,
down-to-Earth guy that you could talk to.
I just know that he knew of our needs. He knew that our military had
atrophied away. He knew that we needed to have an injection there, and
that United Airlines could employ one of our pilots the minute they
graduated and had spent their time. He knew that the enlisted men, 35
percent of them were eligible for food stamps, and he knew something
had to be done there. I think he is responsible for the strong position
that we have, the strong financial position we have, the strong
geopolitical position we have in the world.
I know that I have had a lot of occasions to visit with him. Jim
Baker was in his Cabinet at that time, and Jim and I had been longtime
friends when I was 10 years in the Texas Senate. I knew Jim Baker,
Hines Baker, Rex Baker and all of his folks. That gave me access to
President Reagan. George Bush, I had been a Navy pilot with George
Bush. He was his Vice President, so I had access to the President, and
I enjoyed that access, enjoyed visits with him over there.
One time I went in and the President said, Congressman Hall, what
would it take to get you to vote for my budget cuts? I said, well, Mr.
President, I have a brother that always wanted to be a Federal judge.
He said, well, that should not be any problem. He turned to George Bush
and he turned to Jim Baker and said, can you get one of Ralph's
brothers, can you get him approved by the Senate and go through
confirmation there? They said, I think we can. I said, well, wait just
a minute, Mr. President; he is not a lawyer. And the President got a
big kick out of that. He never really forgot that. Any time he would
see me out in a group, he would come shake hands with me. But he liked
me. Sometimes he really could not think of my name, but he would say,
how is your brother. He liked my brother because he was not a lawyer.
I just think that this country is stronger today and this country is
great today because of the gifts of Ronald Reagan, for the time he gave
us, for the honesty that he brought to the office, for the common man
background that he had, that he understood frailty of men and women and
their need for help.
I am honored to have known him. I am very lucky to have been a friend
of Ronald Reagan.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, we appreciate the comments of
our colleague from Texas. I am reminded of that tragic day when Ronald
Reagan, shortly after he became President in March of 1981, and the
assassination attempt took place. As they rolled him on a gurney into
the emergency room, he looked up and said to his wife, I guess I forgot
to duck, honey. Ronald Reagan, a man who was always ready to try to
calm down the other person and make sure they felt okay, our President.
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), the chairman of the Committee on
Agriculture.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California
(Chairman Lewis) for yielding me this time and for undertaking this
great opportunity to honor President Reagan.
Asked in 1980 what Americans saw in him, Ronald Reagan replied,
``Would you laugh if I told you that I think maybe they see
themselves?'' Mr. Speaker, hardly would we laugh.
A few years ago I had an opportunity to visit Rancho del Cielo,
President Reagan's beloved ``Ranch in the Sky.'' The home reflects the
man. It does not feel like a museum; quite the opposite, with Nancy's
and his TV trays still standing by their respective recliners, both
facing the old black-and-white television. It seems they have just gone
out for an afternoon ride and will return at any moment.
At purchase the ranch was a mere 600 square feet. Reagan labored
diligently with his own hands to remodel and expand it. Even so, the
only grand thing about it is the natural surroundings. Asked once to
explain the ranch's almost magnetic appeal for him, Reagan replied with
a quote from Psalms: ``I look to the hills from whence cometh my
strength.''
Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, and Queen Elizabeth were among
the notables that he hosted there. Gorbachev is said to have been
disappointed by the humble ranch, knowing the lavish palaces of
European leaders. However, it is fitting that the place at which Reagan
felt most at ease disarmed the world's dignitaries.
He always related best with the common man, yet he was far from
ordinary. To the contrary, he lived an extraordinary life which had a
profound impact on the landscape of our Nation and the greater span of
human history.
He left us on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day
liberation, and almost 20 years ago to the day of one of his most
beloved speeches on the cliffs overlooking the beaches of Normandy.
Looking out at faces wizened by time, calling them the ``boys of Point
du Hoc,'' Reagan offered a compelling picture of how these young men,
freedom's army, struck a death knell to the nazism and fascism which
had a stranglehold on formerly-free Europe.
He extended this same moral clarity to the great conflict of his day,
possessing a steadfast commitment not just to containing communism, but
to transcend it, and transcend it he did.
Bursting on the national political scene during the 1964 Presidential
campaign with his now famed ``A Time For Choosing'' speech, he spoke to
a divided and searching Nation: ``You and I have a rendezvous with
destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of
man on Earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a
thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and
our children's children say of us, we justified our brief moment here.
We did all that could be done.''
These words reflected his eternal optimism not just in America, this
great experiment in self-governance, but in Americans.
In 1979, we were in the throes of a nationwide recession, the Soviets
had invaded Afghanistan, and the hostage crisis in Iran dominated the
nightly news. Yet Reagan saw us as a ``shining city on a hill,'' the
hope of the world.
Reflecting on his death, may we find consolation in his own words
spoken to a grieving Nation in the wake of the

[[Page H3805]]

Challenger disaster, whose crew perished on his watch. They, and now
he, has ``slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God.''
In his farewell address from the Oval Office, a place where he
refused to remove his suit jacket out of a humble respect for the post
he held, Reagan described how he envisioned the shining city he had
invoked countless times. He went on to observe this of his time in
office: ``We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made
the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good
hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all.''
``Not bad'' reflects the modesty of the man, but not the magnitude of
his accomplishments. In rebuilding the military and facing down the
tyranny of communism, calling the Soviet Union the evil empire that it
was, and calling on President Gorbachev, calling upon him to tear down
the Berlin Wall, in restoring our faith in the free enterprise system
through cutting taxes and encouraging innovation, and, most
importantly, in raising our spirits, he made us proud to be Americans.

{time} 2100

He set this Nation on a new course that still inspires us today. We
have a right to dream great dreams, he said, because after all, we are
Americans. Yes, Mr. President, we do see ourselves in you. We still
dream great dreams of freedom and opportunity around the world. And I
am honored to pay tribute tonight to President Reagan, the greatest
President of the last century.
Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, tonight, certainly, our prayers go out to Nancy Reagan
and to the Reagan family. And in the true spirit of the character that
has been exemplified over and over by those that have known President
Reagan tonight, I yield the balance of my time to my classmate and the
gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) to use in whatever manner he
might see fit tonight.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate my colleague from Texas joining
with us in this discussion this evening of perhaps America's greatest
President, Ronald Reagan. In his words, Ronald Reagan said, ``Some
argue that we should encourage democratic change and right-wing
dictatorships but not in communist regimes. Well,'' he said, ``to
accept this preposterous notion, as some well-meaning people have, is
to invite the argument that once countries achieve a nuclear
capability, they should be allowed an undisturbed reign of terror over
their own citizens. We reject this, of course.''
As Ronald Reagan rebuilt America, his defense budget designed to
restrengthen our country's ability to defend itself, he stared down the
Evil Empire and negotiated a nuclear arms treaty with Gorbachev. As two
enemies became close friends, think of that, two enemies became close
friends, Gorbachev was heard to say, Who would have thought it.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to my colleague, the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon).
Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I was a young intern in 1984. I
had been through medical school and college and had not really followed
politics much, but I was rotating through the cardiologist service. And
I remember asking one of our attendees who he was going to vote for in
the 1984 election. Ronald Reagan was running against Walter Mondale. He
said he was voting for Ronald Reagan because he had a wife and three
kids at home and the tax cuts that Reagan had put through were putting
about $200 a month more in his pocket. And it was just making it easier
for him to take care of his family.
I had not followed politics much, but I was very much impressed by
Rick Monsor's comments and began to read more and more about the
policies of Ronald Reagan. And over time I came to realize, like
millions of other Americans, that his economic policies had been
reducing taxes on Americans, actually had precipitated a great economic
recovery. It had resulted in a doubling of revenue into the Federal
Treasury, a dramatic reduction in unemployment. It was essentially the
right economic policy. And it is an economic policy that we still
follow to this day.
Of course, Ronald Reagan is most well known for ending the Cold War,
precipitating the break up of the Soviet Union, and allowing millions
of people in Eastern Europe to taste freedom, freedom of speech,
freedom of religion, freedom of assembly for the first time in their
lives. Millions of people besides those of us here in America were
positively affected by the policies of Ronald Reagan.
But what is most dear to my heart about Ronald Reagan was his
indefatigable optimism, belief in the power of American ingenuity, the
American spirit, the can-do attitude. At the time that he took office,
we were facing, as many of us know, terrible problems with inflation
and a declining economy and as well our defenses were in decline. It
was not only his policies that moved us in a positive direction but his
attitudes and beliefs that lifted our Nation and helped us to move on
to better things.
And he once said the following, ``Whatever else history may say about
me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best
hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your
doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty's
lamp guiding your steps and opportunity's arm steadying your way.''
President Reagan, your desire has become a reality. You did appeal to
our best hopes and not our worst fears. And your confidence in us is
leading us in the right direction today. We salute your great
accomplishments.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert).
(Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, earlier today I joined my colleagues in
voting for a resolution expressing the profound regret and sorrow of
the House of Representatives on the death of Ronald W. Reagan, former
President of the United States of America. I did not cast that vote as
one Member of this, the people's House, nor as a Congressperson for
654,000 New Yorkers who it is my privilege to represent here in our
Nation's capital. Rather, that vote reflected the profound regret and
sorrow felt far beyond the borders of one district, one State, one
Nation.
It is illustrative of the sincere sentiment of a world community in
collective mourning. President Reagan was so much more than a head of
state. He was an inspiration to all whose lives he touched, not just by
his words, which reached across the great divides that separate people,
but by his deeds which always sought to bring people together in common
cause.
The President's noble achievements, and there were so many, have been
and will continue to be chronicled by historians for time immemorial.
So many of my colleagues who preceded and those who will follow have
been and will be eloquent in their tributes to the lasting legacy of
this great man, and deservedly so. For my part, I simply want to add a
listing of the words which come immediately to mind when recalling
President Reagan: words like integrity, conviction, honor, faith,
grace, dignity, friendship, humor, values, honest, humble. The list of
positives in the life of this man of principle and character is
endless.
To President Reagan and his beloved partner, Nancy, who was always at
his side and in his heart, I am but one of so many who say a heart felt
thank you for leading by example and serving so many so well for so
long. You will always be an inspiration and you will always be in our
thoughts and prayers.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton).
(Mr. BARTON of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I was driving down to Corpus
Christi last Saturday afternoon with my wife, Terry, and her daughter
Lindsey and her cousin Jackie and Terry's family for a brief family
vacation when my staffer Andy Black called me on the telephone and
said, Have you heard the news that President Reagan died this
afternoon? And I said no, I have not heard that, but we immediately
switched on the radio; and sure enough,

[[Page H3806]]

there was a news bulletin from California that President Reagan had
passed away.
And so as we continued to drive down to Corpus, I began to reminisce
about the President. My mind went back to the late 1970s when this
country was mired in recession and interest rates were sky high and we
had hostages in Iran and there was a spirit of pessimism that America
could not be great anymore. And Governor Reagan came out of California
and announced for the Presidency and said that there was hope, that not
only could we be great again, but we would be great again. And that
inspired me to campaign for him to be President of the United States in
the 1980 election.
And the night that he won in November of 1980, I dusted off an old
White House Fellows application and changed the date and signed it and
mailed it in. White House Fellows is a program that takes young men and
women from all over the country and puts them in positions to observe
the workings of the Federal Government either in the White House or in
the Cabinet agencies. The year that I applied there were about 1,600
applications, and I was fortunate enough to be one of like 15 or 16
that got selected.
I worked in the Department of Energy as a White House Fellow for
Secretary of Energy James P. Edwards. The spring of 1982 the Secretary
called me into his office and said, Joe, I am going over to the White
House this afternoon for a Cabinet meeting. Would you like to go with
me? I said, Mr. Secretary I would love to go with you. He said, There
is one thing: you cannot say anything. You can only sit in the back of
the room and listen. So I said, I promise.
So we went over to the White House, and they walked us into the
Cabinet room, and I was seated directly behind Vice President Bush, who
was seated directly across from President Reagan. The President came in
from the Oval Office and shook hands with his Cabinet, and he reached
over and got a handful of jelly beans out of a jar in the middle of the
cabinet table and ate the jelly beans and asked if anybody wanted them.
Then he said, Gentlemen, what is the agenda for the day? And a
Cabinet Secretary said it is the Caribbean Basin initiative and what to
do about sugar quotas. The Secretary of Agriculture Jack Block raised
his hand, he said, Mr. President, you have tasked me to try to help the
American farmers and we are doing the best that we can, but sugar
prices are low in the world market. And I think it would be disastrous
for American farmers if you let more sugar into our country. And the
President said, Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
Then the Secretary of State, I think it was General Haig, raised his
hand and said, Mr. President, I am the Secretary of State and you have
tasked me with creating this Caribbean initiative to help the emerging
democracies in the Caribbean. Their largest export crop is sugar. It
would really help my job as Secretary of State if you allowed more
sugar to come into the United States. And the President said, Thank
you, Mr. Secretary.
He said, Is there any other discussion? The rest of the Cabinet just
sat there. The President said, Well, what we ought to do is take
American wheat and Caribbean sugar and create cookies and create a
cookie export, cookies for peace program maybe, to the Third World. The
Cabinet chuckled about that; but he said, Really, I have heard what is
best for the State Department and I have heard what is best for the
Agriculture Department, now I want you gentlemen to tell me what is
best for America. And there were no cameras and he really said that.
And I just was absolutely inspired when he said it. I was sitting
directly across from him behind Vice President Bush. Of course, I had
been told I could not say anything, but when the President said that,
Gentlemen tell me what is best for America, it kind of jumped out from
me, I said, Right. That is why I voted for you. And, of course, the
Secretary of Energy was aghast that I had said something. But the
President looked over and he looked around the Vice President, he
looked at me with a twinkle in his eye, did not say anything, he just
smiled. And I knew then that that is why the American people trusted
him, because he wanted to do whatever the issue was, what was right for
America.
So when I finished my White House Fellows program, I went back to
Texas. And in 1984, John Tower announced that he was not going to run
for the U.S. Senate, and Congressman Phil Gramm of the 6th district
announced that he was going to run for the Senate and Joe Barton
announced that he was going to run for the 6th district as a
Republican. Because I wanted to be a part of the Reagan revolution in
Washington.
I was very fortunate that I got elected that year. I primarily got
elected because my entire campaign was Reagan-Gramm-Barton. And when
people went to vote for President Reagan and Senator Gramm, they also
voted for me.
So now as a senior member of the majority in the House of
Representatives, I simply hope that I can do what little I can to help
foster the Reagan vision for America, which is always do what is right
for America.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague
yielding his time back, and now we know why he is chairman of the
Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr.
Blumenauer).
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in
permitting me to speak this evening.
As we observe the news, we have commentators rushing to give an
assessment of the legacy of Ronald Reagan. Conservative commentators
will credit him with the fall of the former Soviet Union, new
approaches to the economy, especially with tax cutting strategies. And,
in large measure, the rise of today's Republican Party can trace its
roots to his leadership. His was a strong voice for the conservative
perspective from corporate spokesperson to the governorship of our
country's largest State, to two terms as our President.

{time} 2115

There were, of course, areas of policy disagreement, some of which I
had strong feelings about. There were also areas of mistakes, blunders
for which President Reagan characteristically and clearly assumed
personal responsibility.
Balanced commentary will spotlight his pragmatic approaches as
Governor and President; his ability to reach across party lines, to
listen, to work, to add a human touch. There was his willingness to
protect the economy and work with moderates, for instance, in both
parties, even to the point of significant tax increases when he was
faced with spiraling budget deficits and felt that it was important for
our country.
I personally am content for history and the passage of time to
sharpen the focus and place his entire career in perspective, but I am
thinking this evening of how he became a leader and a symbol in his
last years as he made a stark admission that he suffered from
Alzheimer's disease. His wife Nancy became a champion in this great
struggle to help lead the fight against Alzheimer's.
At a time when there are some who would put ideology ahead of meeting
the needs of victims and families, Nancy Reagan stood tall and spoke
out forcefully on the needs and benefits of stem cell research. Because
of the affection for President Reagan and the strength of Nancy Reagan,
millions will someday be spared this suffering.
My personal memory of President Reagan will be dominated by his
almost magic ability to reach out and touch the American people. Along
with Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan stands out as
someone who could truly communicate with the American people. Would
that the American public today would be able to hear his calm,
confident, friendly voice.
He has earned our respect and our thanks. The American people send
their condolences and best wishes to Mrs. Reagan and the entire family.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to yield 3
minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), my favorite
coach.
Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for providing so many
of us with this opportunity.

[[Page H3807]]

I would like to express my appreciation to President Reagan for his
adherence to principle rather than to expediency; for standing firm
against America's enemies when so many urged containment and
conciliation; for displaying a sense of humor when events were grim;
for being decent when indecency was so common; for realizing that an
offensive strategy is superior to defense when confronted by grave
danger; for restoring a troubled economy by putting more resources in
the people's hands and less in the government's hands; for promoting
optimism when many were discouraged; for his capacity to disagree
without being disagreeable; for his willingness to reach out to members
of both parties in uniting, rather than dividing, this country; for
showing kindness in the face of hostility; for communicating so clearly
with words from his own heart and mind, written by his own hands; for
inspiring courage in others through his own courage; and finally, for
displaying trust in God, rather than human institutions, through an
unwavering faith in God's sovereignty and mercy.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 5
minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).
(Mr. GINGREY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for
yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, I am humble to be one of the many Americans from all
across our Nation who are paying tribute to President Ronald Reagan
this week.
Members of Congress, including myself, came to this floor in February
to celebrate President Reagan's 93rd birthday, but it is with a sad
heart tonight that we come to the floor of the House of Representatives
to eulogize one of our greatest Presidents.
It was appropriate that Ronald Reagan, a small-town American from
Dixon, Illinois, would make a career and a home in California, would
represent the very best of American life. As Governor of California,
President Reagan became adept at representing the diverse nature of our
country and cared deeply for all Americans.
As he is laid to rest, Ronald Reagan's legacy for America will carry
on eternally in the annals of history. Not since Lincoln and Roosevelt
has one man touched the core of what it means to be an American:
Through unity and strength, we can achieve peace; and through self-
determination, responsibility and character, we can live the American
dream.
Ronald Reagan restored faith in America during one of our darkest
hours of self-doubt. He gave us hope and promise when we needed it
most. Reagan's true legacy is the restoration of the dream that is
America. Even with his passing, Reagan's sense of hope and strength
lives on.
As someone who has been inspired by his leadership and courage in the
face of the evil empire of the Soviet Union, I deeply thank President
Reagan for restoring our Nation's confidence and our hope.
God bless you, Ronald Reagan, and may God continue to bless the
America whose spirit of eternal optimism you helped renew.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 5
minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder).
Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the
time.
On an October evening in 1975, before he announced that he would seek
the Republican nomination for President, Ronald Reagan addressed the
20th birthday celebration of The National Review. It was an uplifting
and humorous speech until the end, when he somberly quoted Whittaker
Chambers. Two decades earlier, Chambers had written, ``It is idle to
talk of preventing the wreck of Western civilization, it is already a
wreck from within. That is why we can do little more now than snatch a
fingernail of a saint from the wrack, or a handful of ashes from the
fagots, and bury them secretly in a flower pot against that day, ages
hence, when a few men begin again to dare to believe that there once
was something else, that something else is thinkable, and need some
evidence of what it was, and the fortifying knowledge that there were
those who, at the great nightfall, took loving thought to preserve the
tokens of hope and truth.''
Chambers spent 13 years in the service of the Soviet Union as a spy.
He always believed that the world was engaged in a battle between the
two great religions, communism and freedom. He believed that communism
could not survive in a world where people believed in a higher power.
Freedom, on the other hand, could not survive in a world where people
did not. A nascent faith took hold in Chambers, and in 1937 he left
communism for freedom. As he did so, he told his wife that he feared
they were moving to the losing side.
This is what Ronald Reagan was thinking of in October of 1975.
Communism was ascendant, and free people were losing their confidence,
becoming fearful and timid of the future, and over the following 4
years, the Soviet Union increased its influence in 14 sovereign nations
around the globe.
I was privileged to travel in his campaign plane in 1976 when he was
in the Southeast, and in several meetings thereafter, with large
numbers of people or small numbers of people, he always spoke less than
anyone else in the room, enjoyed watching others have it out, and
indeed, the next day he may not have remembered the name of everyone in
the room, but he never forgot who he was. He never forgot who he was.
Michael Deaver tells a wonderful story about walking on a street with
Ronald Reagan in 1978. By this time, he was easily recognized. A fellow
kept inching close to him on the street wanting to say hello. Reagan
saw him, looked over, reached out his hand and said hello. The man
said, ``May I have your autograph, Mr. Milland?'' Reagan wrote Ray
Milland on his paper and walked on. Michael Deaver said, ``Why didn't
you tell him who you were?'' Reagan said, ``I know who I am. He wanted
to meet Ray Milland.''
That was pure Ronald Reagan. He was not interested in making sure a
stranger knew of his importance. He cared about making this one
stranger happy.
Four years later he was President. He faced a military where one-
third of our fleet was in dry dock, one-third of our planes could not
fly for lack of spare parts. Our soldiers were practicing with pretend
bullets. The economy had a 21 percent interest rate and a 14 percent
inflation rate, and we were in trouble.
On January 20, 1981, President Reagan addressed these challenges and
then said this: `` . . . together, with God's help, we can and will
resolve the problems which now confront us.
``And, after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans.''
Over the next 8 years, his economic policies took an economy from
$2.5 trillion to $5 trillion. Revenues to the Federal Treasury went
from $519 billion to $1.054 trillion. We created 20 million new jobs,
and on the foreign front Reagan was the first President since 1917 to
ignore the bureaucracy and speak truth to evil. Eight years later the
evil empire was crumbling, and the Cold War was over.
I always thought that the biggest missed opportunity of the past 60
years was to not have celebrated the end of the Cold War. Ronald Reagan
deserved that, and now he takes his leave.
It has been a very difficult decade for Mrs. Reagan and the family,
but for those of us who love freedom, we remember a man who dared to
believe that there once was something else, that something else was
thinkable. He gave us evidence of what it was in the fortifying
knowledge that he would be there at the great nightfall to take loving
thought to preserve the tokens of hope and truth, and he was there. Not
a bad final act for a B actor from Dixon, not bad at all.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the
gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) for his leadership tonight to pay
tribute to the Gipper, President Ronald Reagan.
Mr. Speaker, the world is grieving this week over the loss of a true
American hero, President Ronald Wilson Reagan. Words cannot describe
the admiration and respect that I have for this great man. He led a
revolution for free enterprise, for victory of democracy over communism
and for national political realignment.

[[Page H3808]]

For many Americans in mourning, including myself, Ronald Reagan was
not just a good President, he was our President. He defined the honor
and dignity of the office of the Presidency, and he lifted the spirit
of a Nation with his hope and joyfulness that sprang from an abiding
faith in God and deeply held belief in the American dream.
I am grateful to have lived the Reagan revolution as a foot soldier
promoting his vision of a dynamic economy, creating jobs through tax
cuts and free markets, his support of America's military to achieve
success in liberating millions by victory in the Cold War, and his
transformation of developing the Republican Party which today holds the
majority of State legislative seats across America for the first time
since 1952. He reinvigorated the Republican Party with optimism and
vision.
He entered office during a time of doubt and despair and malaise,
with the economy sputtering in a looming Cold War that threatened our
families. With these seemingly insurmountable problems he faced, many
critics underestimated the former California Governor. Yet President
Reagan brought with him his conservative principles of individual
freedom, limited government, personal responsibility, and peace through
strength. He also brought an optimism that America's greatest days were
ahead of us.
Proving all of his detractors wrong, President Reagan won the Cold
War, spurred the economy to robust growth and restored our national
confidence and patriotism. As author and former Presidential staffer
Peter Robinson said recently, ``Ronald Reagan was great, because Ronald
Reagan was right.''
His straightforward speeches began to change minds across America,
and many became Reagan Democrats. Today in my home State, Republicans
hold most statewide offices, a complete turnaround that has occurred
throughout the South thanks to the leadership of Ronald Reagan.
He started a revolution where in 1980 Republicans in South Carolina
held only 16 seats in the statehouse, and now there is a Republican
supermajority of 76 out of 124 members. In the State senate,
Republicans soared from three members in 1980 to now a supermajority of
27 of 46 members.
For 2 years I was honored to work in the Reagan administration as
Deputy General Counsel to the Secretary of Energy Jim Edwards. I am a
proud Reagan alumni association member, and in 1990, because of his
efforts to win the Cold War and bring freedom to the oppressed people
of the Soviet Union, I was asked by former Republican National
Committee Chairman Lee Atwater to observe the first democratic
elections in Bulgaria.
I saw firsthand the Reagan legacy of peace and freedom, as Central
and Eastern Europe rose from the ashes of communism to become strong
democracies and American allies. The people I have met over the years
from Bratislava, Slovakia, to Novosibirsk, Russia, regard President
Reagan as their own hero, a man who was unafraid to tell the truth
about the evil empire.
While we mourn his passing, President Ronald Reagan will never be
forgotten. Children will read for centuries to come about the ``Happy
Warrior'' who helped liberate tens of millions from totalitarian
communism and restored America's position in the world as ``the shining
city on a hill.''

{time} 2130

Democracy is more widespread today in the world than any time in
history due to President Reagan's success of peace through strength.
We cannot help but be reminded of his legacy as America faces similar
battles today against the oppression of terrorism, and his critics
deride our President, much as they did President Reagan 20 years ago.
America is under attack because we are a symbol of liberty in the
world, and we must meet this challenge with the same courage and
conviction that Ronald Reagan had.
As he said in the 1964 Goldwater campaign in what has simply become
known as ``the speech'' and was earlier referenced by Chairman Lewis,
``You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our
children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence
them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.''
May God bless the Reagan family, God bless our troops, and may God
continue to bless America.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson)
very much for those very eloquent comments. I am reminded of the fact
that in very simple form, Ronald Reagan challenged the world on behalf
of liberty, on behalf of peace. He had this remarkable relationship
that developed over time with Mikhail Gorbachev. After he described the
Evil Empire in straightforward terms, they began to communicate as
leaders of two great countries. Indeed, together over time they reduced
the nuclear threat by coming to agreement with one another.
It has been said earlier, but let me repeat the words of Ronald
Reagan: ``Mr. Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for
the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek the liberalization,
come here to this gate, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this
wall.''
And indeed, within a couple of years, that wall came down. The East-
West confrontation began to thaw; and between these two leaders, the
world has seen a different kind of opportunity for peace. Today we face
the challenge that involves the war on terrorism; and, indeed, that
struggle is bound to last for years to come. It was the legacy of
Ronald Reagan that laid the foundation for America to best be prepared
to defend itself for liberty and for freedom.
Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 5 minutes to my colleague,
the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Burgess). The gentleman from California
has 2 minutes remaining of his original time.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the
House today and as the designee of the majority leader, I request an
additional hour of debate on the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) is
recognized for an additional 1 hour.
The gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from California, our
dean, Chairman Lewis, our able chairman of the Subcommittee on Defense,
for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the greatest
Presidents in the history of our Nation, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th
President of the United States.
He was a leader when our country needed it most, at a time when many
Americans, including myself, had found ourselves disaffected by
politics. His optimism gave our Nation the confidence and motivation to
resume its place as a world leader.
I well remember the 1970s after President Nixon's resignation and the
pessimism that followed, when many Americans disassociated themselves
from public service. Ronald Reagan came onto the Presidential scene and
reminded us that the ``best was yet to come,'' that we are not to blame
for the world's problems; and yet, as a great Nation, we had a place of
responsibility and a role to play.
President Reagan believed, as our Declaration of Independence states,
all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with
certain unalienable rights, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Additionally, he knew better than most that strength comes from within,
from the people. Therefore, first and foremost, Reagan used his first
term as President to bring these rights back to Americans starting with
what was then known as Reaganomics.
He sought to restore America to the people by giving them back
control of their pocketbooks. Uncle Sam was put on a diet of lower
taxes, sound money and fewer regulations, allowing us the benefits of
hard work. By the time that Reagan left office, only two income
brackets existed, with a top rate of 28 percent, compared to the 14
income brackets, with the top rate of 70 percent, that existed when he
took office. Additionally, government was scaled back and red tape
eliminated, allowing

[[Page H3809]]

Americans to take care of themselves. As Reagan was apt to say.
``Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the
problem.''
He saw the rebuilding of America's military. After years of low
morale and interest in the armed services, President Reagan made a
return to the pre-Vietnam days of faith and professional appeal in our
military. As Commander in Chief, he oversaw the largest peacetime
buildup of military spending in history, leading to the collapse of the
Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. His revolutionary policies
regarding investment in military technology, good training, and pay
laid the foundation for a strong military that later claimed victory in
Operation Desert Storm and continues to protect our national security
well into the 21st century and, now, in the war on terror.
Ronald Reagan lived a life worth living. He saw both the birth and
death of Communism. He won the hearts of Americans and world leaders.
How? He believed in peace through strength, and he lived his
convictions based on experience, intuition, and love of life.
I will end with one of my favorite quotes: ``Above all, we must
realize that no arsenal, no weapon in the arsenal of the world is so
formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.''
Thank you, President Reagan. May God bless you and your family, and
may God bless America.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Chocola).
Mr. CHOCOLA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time, and I join my colleagues tonight and rise in tribute to a great
man, President Ronald Reagan.
In 1980, I turned 18, and the first person I ever voted for was
Ronald Reagan. With that vote, the world changed. It changed because
President Reagan clearly understood that the greatest strength of this
Nation is the American people. He believed in us so much that he
inspired us to believe in ourselves.
And in his typical humble fashion, during his last speech from the
Oval Office, he said, ``I wasn't a great communicator, but I
communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my
brow; they came from the heart of a great Nation.''
Mr. Speaker, President Reagan captured the hearts of the American
people and he unleashed the power, the hope, and the optimism that
comes with a sincere understanding and love of freedom and democracy.
President Reagan changed the world by simply reminding us all of
exactly who we are. He inspired us to become the Nation we were all
along. He always saw the shining city on the hill, and he gave us the
vision to see it with him.
Although we deeply mourn his passing, Ronald Reagan's life was a gift
to the world, a gift that will never be forgotten by all who love
freedom and the shining example he gave us.
Thank you, Mr. President, and God bless Ronald Reagan.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).
(Mr. HAYES asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, first let me thank my dear friend and
colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), for his
leadership tonight in honoring such a wonderful man. President Ronald
Reagan was a good man who became a great President. His leadership has
inspired me throughout my career in public service, as I am sure Reagan
inspired many folks presently serving in the public arena.
One of my favorite Ronald Reagan quotes comes from his 1986 State of
the Union address, and I quote: ``Government growing beyond our consent
had become a lumbering giant, slamming shut the gates of opportunity,
threatening to crush the very roots of our freedom. What brought
America back? The American people brought us back, with quiet courage
and common sense; with undying faith that in this Nation under God the
future will be ours, for the future belongs to the free.''
That is one of my favorite Reagan quotes for a number of reasons.
First, it addresses one of the main reasons I switched parties. Like
President Reagan, I began my career not as a Republican but as a
Democrat; and, like Reagan, I switched parties because I felt that
``big government was slamming shut the gates of opportunity,
threatening to crush the very roots of our freedom.''
Ronald Reagan's conservative principles, put into successful action,
changed our Nation's attitude on the role of government and personal
responsibility. Without President Reagan, there would not have been a
bipartisan effort to reform welfare and end that vicious cycle of
government dependency.
The other thing I like about this quote is that it reveals so much
about the character of Ronald Reagan: his unbridled optimism, his
belief in the American people, and his humbleness. He was too humble to
take sole credit for the United States' return to greatness, even
though had his measures failed he would have assumed the blame.
Instead, he gave the credit to the American people, because he believed
in the American people.
One of his favorite quotes was: ``There is no limit to what you can
accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.'' And he lived that
quote on a daily basis.
One of the other things I admired about Ronald Reagan was his
steadfast determination to stand up to communist aggression. Even
though he knew such a determined view may not be popular, he never
backed away from his firm belief that communism was wrong. In 1982,
speaking before the British Parliament, Reagan said, and I quote: ``It
is the Soviet Union that runs against the tide of history. It is the
march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism-Leninism on the
ash heap of history, as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the
freedom and muzzle self-expression of the people.''
No truer words have been spoken. I believed it then, and I believe it
now. We all saw Reagan's words validated when the Soviet Union fell
apart shortly after President Reagan left office.
Finally, even when facing a devastating diagnosis, President Reagan
still delivered the news with his typical optimism for America and his
belief for the American people. On November 5, 1994, he wrote a letter
to the American people announcing that he had Alzheimer's disease: ``In
closing, let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great
honor of allowing me to serve as your President. When the Lord calls me
home, whenever that day may be, I will leave with the greatest love for
this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin
the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that
for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.''
I do believe that the United States does face a bright dawn. And
President Reagan and his leadership can take a large part of the credit
for that fact. While I am saddened that President Reagan is no longer
with us, I rejoice knowing that he has met his maker, and his maker is
looking him in the eye and saying, President Reagan, the Gipper, you
are a good and faithful servant.
He is now in a far better place. He is looking down on the country
and the people that he loved. May God bless and protect America and the
vision that was Ronald Reagan's for us and our future; that the freedom
belong to the free.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), the chairman of the Committee
on Armed Services, and I understand that somewhere in the building his
son and his son's bride are wandering around. His son, Sam, was not
born when the gentleman came to these Chambers, so because of family
relations and otherwise, I now yield to him.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr.
Lewis) for yielding me this time, and I want to thank my great friend
also for not only helping to preside over this special tribute, but for
everything that he did in helping to lead the California delegation to
be a source of strength for President Reagan when he put forth those
monumental changes in the direction of our government.
I have listened to his statements and just now to the statement of
the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes), and many others, in
talking about this wonderful American, Ronald Reagan; and I thought I
might just

[[Page H3810]]

touch on a couple of the things he did in the way of national security.
We have short memories, Mr. Speaker; and President Reagan was not
always popular, especially with the media and often with our European
allies. I can remember in the 1980s, when he responded to the Soviet
Union's ringing Western Europe with the SS-20 missiles and he started
to move those Persian missiles and ground launch cruise missiles into
Europe to offset the Soviet strength of their strategic programs and
their intermediate range ballistic missiles that they were moving in.
And there were massive demonstrations against Ronald Reagan and against
those who supported him in Europe and lots of sniping by the press in
this country.

{time} 2145

And yet because of that strength and because he rebuilt national
security, the Russians at one point, especially after the Reykjavik
summit when he refused to give up the Strategic Defense Initiative,
that is missile defense, the right of Americans to defend themselves
against incoming ballistic missiles, after he did that, there was lots
of hand-wringing among the elite media and lots of our European allies
who said, there it goes, the last chance for peace, and lo and behold,
the Russians picked up the phone and said, can we talk?
Ronald Reagan at that point started to negotiate with the Soviet
Union, and not just to negotiate a peace, but to negotiate the
disassembly of the Soviet empire, the tear-down of the Soviet empire,
which is manifest today in numerous free states where once there was
one state ruled by tyranny.
Mr. Speaker, I remember the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) was
present as one of our senior members, and the gentleman from California
(Mr. Herger) had not been elected yet, along with the gentleman from
California (Mr. Thomas) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier),
and Bob Lagomarsino, and John Rousselot, and Chip Pashayan, and my
colleague Bill Lowery, and Bobby Fever, new Republicans who had come in
in the Reagan win of 1980, and the President invited us to Blair House.
The President invited us to Blair House even while President Carter was
still in the White House. We were standing in the foyer, celebrated
this victory of our Commander-in-Chief-to-be because he had not been
sworn in yet, and the President-elect came down the stairs, and he
talked to us about being up on his ranch in Santa Barbara and killing
an especially big rattlesnake the day before while he was cutting
brush. We had a great time talking with the President-elect. After a
while he said, I am tired, I am going to go upstairs and hit the hay.
He said, you guys turn off the lights when you leave. He went right
upstairs; we continued to have a good time. That represented that
western hospitality, that great charm that Ronald Reagan had that
brought so many people, attracted so many people, even people of very
different political persuasion.
My son Sam was not even born in those days when we first came in. I
remember the picture of the cowboy that the President drew for my other
son Duncan, who is now a United States marine and deployed overseas.
I think the one thing that this President sold in boatloads was
inspiration. He was great at inspiration. He realized a little secret,
and that is this country runs on inspiration. Whether it is the markets
or the economy or people deciding whether or not they are going to join
the uniformed services, inspiration is the fuel that this country runs
on, and that is something that Ronald Reagan had an endless supply of.
He was tough during the tough times. You have to have good endurance
to be a good President, and he had great endurance. He was able to
handle the difficult times, the times when he was not real popular, and
outlast his critics. It has been kind of fun in the last couple of days
to watch people who criticized him very severely to seem now to
remember that he was not such a bad guy after all. Not only was he not
such a bad guy, but he brought this country together as a family. He
was, of course, the head of the family.
It is a time for us to mourn this President, but also to celebrate
his great life and the big piece of this life that he gave to our
Nation. I will never forget when I was first running for Congress, I
was practicing law on behalf of a barbershop on the waterfront in San
Diego. My dad came in and said, you can be a Member of Congress. He
said, Ronald Reagan is running. He is going to run on a platform of
national defense and jobs, and in San Diego that is the same thing. I
said, what do I need to start running? He said, we need one thing; you
need a picture with Ronald Reagan, and we are going to go up and get
it, and we went up and got it in L.A. That launched my foray into
politics. So many of us won that year who had no chance of winning
because we were riding along with a guy named Ronald Reagan.
Let us take a message and a lesson from this great American and
proceed ahead with optimism and with dedication to the idea that you
get peace through strength. That was a trademark of Ronald Reagan's
foreign policy. I think we are following it with this President. I
think we need to stay the course and stay steady.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) for
letting me say a few things.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) reminds me of
another time when Ronald Reagan was trying to bring together
Republicans to form a majority. It was 1969, and there was a majority
for approximately 2 years in the California lower house for the
assembly, and Ronald Reagan was then Governor of California. He came
into this room, and here were 41 members of the new majority sitting
there in front of him. He is sitting at a table in front of us, his
legs dangling from the table, he has argyle socks on.
He said, I was trying to think about what I should say to you all. We
have not had a majority before. We have to govern, he said, and he
said, it is possible from time to time we may disagree with each other
as we go about making decisions on public policy.
As I was thinking about what to say to you, I was reminded of my
father-in-law, who is a dentist. It seems he had this fellow sitting in
the chair, and the guy had an abscessed tooth which had to come out.
And my father-in-law began to put this needle in his jaw. About that
time my father-in-law felt kind of a groping at the lower part of his
abdomen. He looked down startled, and the fellow looked back up and
said, we are not going to hurt each other, are we, Doc?
For those who knew Ronald Reagan, he would get just to the edge of
color, but nonetheless, he knew how to make a point to bring people
together in a very special way; a man never to be forgotten,
recognizing how important it is that we work together.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Hensarling).
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, this week millions of Americans and
people around the globe mourn the loss of one of our Nation's greatest
heroes, Ronald Reagan. From the time that he took the oath of office
until he left the White House, few American Presidents ever enjoyed the
popularity, support and love that Ronald Reagan engendered. He
developed a special bond with the American people, and one can see from
the tremendous outpouring of sympathy and support across our great
Nation that that special bond still endures today.
More than any other person, President Reagan is responsible for
winning the Cold War. He engaged his Communist adversaries in the
battle of ideas and achieved victory by winning the war for the hearts
and minds of people. In his heart he knew these people. He knew the
Bulgarian student who was never allowed to read Thomas Jefferson. He
knew the East German mother who wanted a better life for her children.
He knew the Polish factory worker who longed to be free of Soviet
subjugation.
One 65-year-old Czech who lived under the Soviet regime said, ``For
us, Reagan was important because we knew he was really anti-Communist,
emotionally anti-Communist. For us, he was a symbol of the United
States' genuine determination to bring communism to an end.''
A Romanian man who was recently interviewed struggled to find the
words to describe President Reagan's legacy,

[[Page H3811]]

and then he simply said, ``It is due to him that we are free.''
Thanks to Ronald Reagan's determined leadership, untold millions were
liberated from Communist tyranny and from the palpable fear of nuclear
annihilation.
America was fortunate to have Ronald Reagan. At a time when our
country needed a hero, Ronald Reagan was able to rekindle the American
spirit. He inspired us with his powerful words and unwavering optimism.
He had a steadfast belief in the goodness of America. No amount of
pessimism, strife or tragedy could discourage that thinking or blur his
vision of America as a ``shining city on a hill.''
I was one of perhaps hundreds of thousands of people that had the
privilege to shake the hand of the former President, look him in the
eyes and thank him for all he did for America. Frankly, next to my
marriage and the birth of my children, it was one of the most profound
moments in my life. An earlier generation was inspired to public
service by Barry Goldwater. Many in my generation were inspired to
serve by Ronald Reagan.
A woman in Santa Monica recently stated, ``When I think of him, I
think of America. What is that saying, American, like Mom and apple
pie. He should be in that, too, because he represented what this
country is all about.''
President Reagan was what this country is all about. He believed in
the American dream. He believed in the power of free men and free
markets. He championed less government, lower taxes and lifting
regulation. He believed in our country's ability to produce boundless
possibilities and limitless opportunity. His policies ushered in a new
age of entrepreneurship and innovation, and led to one of the greatest
economic expansions in our Nation's history.
We believed in President Reagan because he believed in us. He always
saw the best in us, and he never stopped believing in the decency and
ingenuity of the American people. He believed deeply in the strength of
democracy and never lost hope of America realizing its ``rendezvous
with destiny.''
Our Nation will deeply miss Ronald Reagan. Undoubtedly future
generations of Americans will remember him among the pantheon of
America's great leaders, among the names of Washington, Jefferson and
Lincoln, but there will never be another President Reagan.
Let us remember his words the way he wished to be remembered:
``Whatever else history may say about me when I am gone, I hope it will
record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears, to
your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will
travel the road ahead with liberty's lamp guiding your steps and
opportunity's arm steadying your way.''
Mr. Speaker, today should serve more than just a memorial, it should
serve as a reminder. As President Reagan also said, ``There is much
work before us. Not easy tasks perhaps, but I would remind you, they
are not impossible, because after all, we are Americans,'' and perhaps
none more so than Ronald Reagan.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), Ronald Reagan's home State.
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, unlike many other Members of this body, I
never had the great privilege of serving with Ronald Reagan. When
President Reagan was elected in 1980, I was raising my four children
and running a law practice out of my home in Hinsdale, Illinois. Back
then I did not follow world events or political developments like I do
now. In those days, it was all I could do to keep up with kids' soccer
games, make it to the school board meetings on time, and ensure that I
did not miss a court deadline for an important client.
This week, like most Americans, I revel in the stories that my
colleagues and others who knew him well have recounted about their
special moments with our 40th President. Like most Americans, I cannot
get enough of Ronald Reagan.
What strikes me as I think back through the years of those Reagan
times of the 1980s are two very important things. They are the things
that he said that touched my life and my interests as a busy mother and
a died-in-the-wool Republican.
First is what later became known as the Reagan 11th commandment.
Ronald Reagan said, and practiced this principle, ``Speak no ill of a
fellow Republican.''
Second was the Reagan rule for success: ``There is no limit to the
good a man can do in this world if he does not care who gets the
credit.''
Mr. Speaker, tonight my thoughts and prayers go out to the Reagan
family. It is true I never met him, but they will never know how much
his words, his deeds and his common sense have influenced and will
continue to positively affect the generations of leaders that will
follow him.

{time} 2200

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 5
minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker), a member of the
Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations.
Mr. WICKER. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I
thank him for controlling the time tonight and affording us the
opportunity even at this hour to pay tribute.
Mr. Speaker, I too rise and join so many of my colleagues on both
sides of the aisle in paying tribute to Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th
President of the United States. I agree with so much of what has been
said here today and throughout the Nation in the past few days about
the incredible legacy of Ronald Reagan and what he left to America and
to the world. Ronald Reagan will always be larger than life to millions
of people around the world who were freed from the shackles of
Communism because he stood firm against what he so correctly called the
Evil Empire. Ronald Reagan's determination and leadership forced an end
to the Cold War. His philosophy of cutting taxes and easing Federal
regulations brought about one of the largest periods of economic growth
in American history. And his eternal optimism and hope for a brighter
day lifted the spirits of a Nation.
Much has been said about Ronald Reagan's charisma, quick wit and
ability to put people at ease. He was also blessed with a great asset
for anyone in public life, a sense of timing. Whether it was one of his
famous one-liners or the ability to do just the right thing at the
right time, he always seemed to disarm a tough national press corps or
defuse a difficult political issue.
Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of witnessing an example of his
instinctive timing and humor in 1980 in Mississippi when then-candidate
Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, came to the Neshoba County Fair in
Philadelphia, Mississippi. The Neshoba County Fair is called
Mississippi's largest house party and has been the premier gathering
for political speeches during the hot Mississippi summers for more than
a century. Ronald Reagan's visit was the first ever by a Presidential
candidate to this most celebrated political event in my home State.
One of the issues that had surfaced in Mr. Reagan's Presidential
campaign was the question of his age. He was 69 years old. Some
questioned whether he might be too old for the job. At the Neshoba
County Fair an incident occurred which could have potentially
exaggerated the issue of his age. After Mr. Reagan's speech, a local
craftsman, Gary Harkins of Mississippi, presented Mr. Reagan with a
rocking chair. I am sure some of the candidate's advisers and staff
were horrified to think of the prospect that the one image coming from
this appearance was a picture of the 69-year-old former Governor
sitting in a rocking chair. But without hesitation, Ronald Reagan sat
down in the chair, grabbed his wife, Nancy, by the hand and pulled her
onto his lap. They appeared at that moment to be the very picture of
vitality and energy. The widely distributed photograph and film footage
which followed went around the Nation and nobody seeing that image
thought Ronald Reagan was too old to be President.
Mr. Reagan's quick thinking probably boosted his candidacy and
dispelled doubts in the minds of some voters. The incident also changed
the life of Greg Harkins, the craftsman who made the rocking chair and
whose fledgling business was energized by his short encounter on the
national stage. Mr. Harkins soon began receiving hundreds of requests
for chairs from across

[[Page H3812]]

the Nation and around the world. His business is still going strong
today nearly 25 years later, and Ronald Reagan provided the spark for
that little bit of business success. Harkins was quoted recently as
saying, ``What they did was give me a foothold on something that I can
be able to carry on for the rest of my life.''
Mr. Harkins represents just one small example of how Ronald Reagan
touched the lives of people in ways that are hard to quantify. We may
not know all of their names or their unique stories, but his fellow
citizens gained inspiration from Ronald Reagan's leadership and his
attitude that it really was ``morning in America.''
Whether it was a young American answering a call to public service or
becoming involved in the growing conservative movement or simply taking
the initiative to exercise their rights and register to vote for the
first time, Ronald Reagan energized many Americans to action. They
followed him because they trusted this man of principled beliefs and
because he captured their imagination, and they simply liked him.
Ronald Reagan, some people said, would be limited because he was only
an actor. He was perhaps the best example of an actor turned
politician; but he ended up being the real thing, the true article, the
genuine American; and, Mr. Speaker, I believe he will be recorded as
being the greatest President of our time.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, before I proceed any further,
pursuant to the order of the House of today and as the designee of the
majority leader, I request an additional hour of debate on the
resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Burgess). The gentleman is recognized
for 30 minutes.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goode).
Mr. GOODE. Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank the gentleman from
California for allowing me a couple of minutes during this period of
tribute. The death of President Reagan reminded Americans and many
around the world of the achievements of his 8 years in office. A
significant part of his legacy is that he helped the United States to
feel good about itself again and the tax cuts that he advocated in the
early 1980s stimulated the economic boom that lasted until the end of
the century.
History may well show that President Reagan's greatest accomplishment
was reestablishing our military strength and bringing about the
collapse of the Soviet Union, which had been the principal adversary of
the free world in the Cold War that had raged since the close of World
War II. The strengthened military was the one that waged Desert Storm
successfully and laid the foundation for the United States military
that is leading the war on terrorism. President Reagan rekindled the
American spirit and patriotic fervor in this country. We shall never
forget the grace and style with which President and Mrs. Reagan
represented America. Our country will always remember Ronald Reagan.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp).
Mr. WAMP. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for taking the
leadership tonight. The previous speaker, the gentleman from Virginia
(Mr. Goode), myself, and President Reagan all shared one thing in
common as many do in this House and that is we used to be Democrats and
we are Republicans. That brings me to what I want to share tonight,
which is the change in the political landscape brought about by the
life and service of Ronald Wilson Reagan; but I want to start by saying
that I believe, and I think this honors his memory, that neither party
has an exclusive on integrity or ideas, neither party always has it
right or always has it wrong and the two-party system continues to
serve our country extremely well.
I am proud of the first half of my life when I was a Democrat and
proud of the second half of my life as a Republican, but the story in
my life as a Southern conservative Democrat goes way back generations.
My father's great great grandfather, Enoch Alldredge, served in the
19th century in the Alabama General Assembly for in excess of 40 years.
My mother's great uncle Reuben Alldridge served in the 20th century in
the Alabama General Assembly for a number of years, both very prominent
political figures from the northern part of Alabama, all as Democrats.
So I grew up honestly as a Southern conservative Democrat.
As a matter of fact, my first real memory of it all as a young person
was watching my parents be involved in local campaigns and then, in the
fall of 1976, going to Woolen Gym at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill as a 19-year-old freshman and voting for Jimmy Carter as
President of the United States and then having my parents attend the
inaugural in Washington here with Franklin and Emmy Haney, two of the
biggest Democrats in the State of Tennessee and being proud that my
parents were here and saluting the new President, Jimmy Carter.
But the years that followed in my formative years certainly gave me
an opportunity and hope when I saw Ronald Reagan. I saw the malaise we
were in. Let me say that Jimmy Carter has proven what a fine and
outstanding man he is over these last 24 years since leaving office. It
was a low point in our country's history, but he is a good and decent
man; and frankly I will stand by that vote as a Democrat at that time,
but over those next 4 years at the University of North Carolina, we saw
a real low in our country's history and then all of a sudden there was
a new day in 1980, and it seemed like someone came from the West and
actually kind of showed us the hope and opportunity that you heard
repeated on this floor over and over and over again.
I can remember as the campaign generated momentum in 1980 at UNC, my
fraternity, the Sigma Nu house, got real energized about the campaign
and by the convention when they had that strong conservative Governor
from the West team up with maybe the best person on paper that had run
in 100 years, George Herbert Walker Bush. It was like that did it. That
sealed the deal. What a great team. And on election night in the fall
of 1980 we loaded up in cars from UNC. It was Lee Ives and Tom Nesbit
and Tony Floyd and Allen Miller and Lyn Thornburg and a group of us,
and we drove to Washington, D.C. and we were here that night in 1980
when Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States.
I was a Southern conservative Democrat who became a Republican. Our
entire family shifted from our party identification over the hope, the
opportunity, the fresh start that Ronald Reagan brought to the
political process. That changed the political landscape in the United
States of America, and it moved our country from what was more left of
center to slightly right of center.
The Founding Fathers did not want things to change dramatically. This
is like a big ship of state. If you turn it one degree, you arrive at a
different destination. The country went from being left of center to
right of center over the leadership, the strength and what I would say
is the constancy of Ronald Reagan. He stood for something, and he
simply articulated to this country what he stood for, and he never
wavered. When people elect a President, they want a strong leader that
can make a decision, that will stand his ground. When the wind blows,
he stands firm. Ronald Reagan did that.
That is why the 8 years is a legacy beyond measure. As the previous
speaker said, in our lifetime, the model, the great leader is Ronald
Reagan. I salute him. He made a Republican out of me, and I have been
in the House of Representatives as a Republican elected official for 10
years. I ran once and lost to get here, and I am proud of the whole
story. I am very typical of a lot of Southern boll weevil conservatives
that believed in that simple limited government, personal
responsibility, traditional values, strong national defense, lower
taxes, take care of yourself and your family first and your extended
family, look to the government last, but do it with a smile on your
face and love in your heart. He is like a father, a big brother, a
great leader who we could trust and have confidence in. Today we
remember a truly great American President, Ronald Wilson Reagan.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.

[[Page H3813]]

The gentleman from Tennessee, I must say, reminds me a bit of my own
youth, for I was raised in a family where my father was a Republican,
my mother was a Democrat. I was somewhat confused. But the gentleman
reminds me of another thing. I remember as a student at UCLA having the
chance to participate in a pre-Peace Corps people-to-people program. I
was headed with a group of 11 other students on our way to India to
talk about freedom and hope and opportunity.
During that time, I was really confused myself. Would I become a
member of one of our great parties, the Democratic Party, or would I
become a member of the Republican Party? It was amazing what that
summer did. I made that decision for myself in the summer in India.
Why? Because one of our great parties was of the view that maybe
individuals in our society needed a little help, maybe individual
people could not do it for themselves and government was a requirement.
It was another of the great parties that thought the individual was
critical, made a difference in our future, and if you apply your
spirit, your talent, your energy within that party, the survival of the
individual was the key. That is how I made my decision. The gentleman
from Tennessee reminded me a lot of that tonight. It is a pleasure to
be with him.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such
time as she may consume to my dear friend, the gentlewoman from Texas
(Ms. Granger).
Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I am tempted to begin by saying that I come
to honor the life of Ronald Reagan; but the truth is nothing I can say,
nothing anyone can say can speak more loudly than Reagan's own
achievements do. His legacy will endure and his memory will remain.

{time} 2215

Many leaders have changed history. Ronald Reagan changed the future.
How soon we forget the environment he inherited in 1981, double-digit
inflation, high interest rates at home, and Soviet aggression combined
with American malaise abroad. Yet through his conviction, his courage,
and his commitment, Ronald Reagan changed the Nation and the world.
The story of Ronald Reagan is the story of America. He was an
ordinary man who led a most extraordinary life. Born in poverty, Reagan
rose to the greatest political office in the world. Along the way he
did not merely argue for American values, he lived them. His
determination was matched only by his decency, his leadership equaled
only by his love of country.
He was a great President who was also a good man, and he was a man so
unlike any other in politics. Politics is filled with people who go
with the flow, change with the times, and exchange principles for
polls. These politicians are like tugboats, pushed back and forth by
the waves. Not Reagan. He was like a battleship, always moving forward
in its destination, always certain of victory.
Though he has now left us, his impact never will. Every time we see a
free person in a foreign land vote in a democratic election, Ronald
Reagan is there. Every time we see a new job created through innovation
and creativity, Ronald Reagan is there. And every time we see an
American taking pride in his country, Ronald Reagan is there.
Ultimately we mourn for ourselves, not for Reagan, for his life was
one of victory. Like few other leaders in history, he lived to see his
vision vindicated. Just as he had predicted, he saw communism
repudiated and freedom spread across the globe.
Ronald Reagan always knew who he was and what he believed. He knew
why America was great and why America must lead. We recognize tonight
his achievements and his legacy, but also let us also remember his
style and his self-deprecating humor. We give him the credit he did not
seek or think important.
At the end of his Presidency, Reagan was asked if he objected to all
the favorable press coverage that Mikhail Gorbachev got. ``Good Lord,
no,'' Reagan responded. ``I co-starred with Errol Flynn once.''
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks).
Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, tonight it is my deepest heart-
felt honor to remember and to celebrate the life of Ronald Wilson
Reagan. President Reagan was a man of unfettered principle. He was not
afraid to do what was right. And not only was he not afraid, he was
tenaciously committed to doing only that that he thought was right in
his own heart.
Mr. Speaker, President Reagan warned us all to beware of the
temptation to ignore the facts of history and the ``aggressive impulses
of any evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant
misunderstanding and thereby remove ourselves from the struggle between
right and wrong, good and evil.'' Mr. Reagan understood that some
things were worth fighting, even dying, for, and he was resolute about
them in his heart.
President Reagan made us all believe that America still had what it
takes to be victorious, to rise above and out of difficult
circumstances, and to face devastating challenges. He said, ``Every
promise, every opportunity, is still golden in this land. And through
that golden door, our children walk into tomorrow with the knowledge
that no one can be denied the promise that is America. Her heart is
full, her future bright. She has arms big enough to comfort and strong
enough to support.'' By the grace of God, those words are still true
today.
Mr. Speaker, President Reagan on so many occasions simply shared his
wisdom and experience with us. He stated that ``the future does not
belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.'' I believe he
would want us to continue to make this Nation great by preserving its
goodness. He would want us to continue in the struggle between right
and wrong and good and evil.
Mr. Speaker, Ronald Reagan's life was a transformed one, one that
reflected the light from within, and he shared that light with all of
us in the brightness and warmth of his smile and in his grace and good
humor.
Mr. Reagan said this of his Savior: ``He promised there will never be
a dark night that does not end, and by dying for us, Jesus showed how
far our love should be ready to go: all the way.'' Ronald Reagan's dark
nights on this Earth have ended, and he is at this moment in the
presence of his precious Savior. And now for Mr. Reagan each day has a
bright new dawn and a shining sunset, and while he was here, he went
all the way. And, Mr. Speaker, if he could speak to us one last time, I
truly believe that he would tell us the same message that he told us so
many times before when he said, you and I have a rendezvous with
destiny. We can preserve this, the last best hope of mankind on Earth,
for our children, or we can sentence them to take that very last step
into a thousand years of darkness. If we do fail, at least let our
children and our children's children say of us that we justified our
brief moment here. We did all that could be done.
Thank you, Mr. President, for your life, and thank you for reminding
us all of our rendezvous with destiny.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me
this time.
It is an amazing thing to join our colleagues tonight and to thank
President Reagan and his family for their decades of service. And as I
have listened to our colleagues tonight, I thought about the first time
I had the opportunity to see and hear President Reagan, and this was
back in the early 1970s, and he had come into Jackson, Mississippi, for
a Republican Party event. And I attended that event with my parents and
was absolutely amazed at several things as I listened to and watched
Ronald Reagan. It was his warmth, his ability to communicate, the way
he used simple words for a very strong message, one that really showed
his principle and his commitment in those still convictions that never
ever wavered.
And one of the things that really impressed me was that this was a
man who really loved America. He loved everything that America stood
for. And I think that it is fitting that we have a world that stands in
awe today as they look back and they remember those commitments in and
accomplishments.

[[Page H3814]]

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to return today with some of my
colleagues from being in Normandy to celebrate and to commemorate the
60th anniversary of D-Day and the fight for freedom that was so
important to our allies and also to our Nation, and to have an
opportunity to share with so many of those individuals their love of
President Ronald Reagan. And I think they all saw in him something that
we appreciated and maybe could not always put into words. But he
promised a renewal of American spirit for us, and by sheer willpower,
he made that happen. And I think, yes, that he believed in us more than
we believed in ourselves as he became the President of this great
country, and he taught us how to enact that belief.
He also taught us that tax relief would make our economy boom, and
that indeed happened with an unprecedented economic expansion. He also
showed us how one could say, I am not going to hide behind diplomatic
platitudes, and I am not going to allow the Soviet Union to slowly eat
away at the West. He simply communicated the truth about communism and
exposed it for what it was: a cruel system built by thugs and
murderers.
And President Reagan truly was the quintessential American hero, the
small-town boy with the can-do attitude who set out with a dream and
ended up changing the world. He had courage, he had wisdom, and he
believed in the best that there was with America. God bless, Ronald
Reagan. He was a true American original.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, from the days I knew Ronald Reagan as Governor, and he
was a key leader who sponsored early development of child care in our
State, recognizing the importance of quality daycare in terms of the
future of America's children, the environmental governor who saved Lake
Tahoe, to the days that I had a chance to watch him rebuild America's
strength by building our defense, he always was straightforward, candid
with the American people.
And not so long ago he was heard to say: ``In closing let me thank
you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me
to serve as your President. 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 now begin the journey that will
lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will
always be a bright dawn ahead.''
God bless you, Ronald Reagan. To Nancy and their family, all of us
share with you our prayers for our great President, Ronald Wilson
Reagan.
Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this resolution, a
fitting tribute to a personal hero of mine, the fortieth President of
these great United States, President Ronald Wilson Reagan.
Mr. Speaker, President Reagan was and is today the personification of
all that is good in America. All that knew him have commented on the
eternal optimism he exuded, much like the hope America presents to the
rest of the world.
He was a beacon of light for freedom and for freedom loving people
everywhere. The fact is that today there are not hundreds, not
thousands, but millions of people in the world who live in freedom, and
these people are free because of the leadership of President Ronald
Reagan. He had a vision that set this nation down a path of greatness
that historians shall look back on as a vital turning point for not
only this country, but indeed the world as well.
There is an old military axiom that there are no bad battalions only
bad leaders. As a corollary, I propose that there are no great nations,
only great leaders.
President Reagan was indeed one of this country's greatest leaders.
During the eight years he was President, he turned this country around
militarily, economically and diplomatically. And as a result, he stands
with many of the great leaders of our country's past--like George
Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
What he left most importantly was a legacy of optimism and a restored
faith in the American presidency. In 1984, the year I was elected to
Congress, President Reagan said while speaking to students at Fudan
University in Shanghai, China, ``We're an optimistic people. Like you,
we inherited a vast land of endless skies, tall mountains, rich fields,
and open prairies. It made us see the possibilities in everything. It
made us hopeful.'' He made us hopeful even in the face of adversity.
Who can forget that cold, grim day the hours after the Challenger
disaster, when our nation was stunned and weeping? He comforted us with
a poem:
``We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them this
morning, as they prepared for their journey, and waved goodbye, and
slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.''
And today, we as American people, are comforted for it is most
certain that as he heads on his final journey, we wave goodbye to our
fortieth President and he ``slips the surly bonds of earth to touch the
face of God.'' Well done, Mr. President. I will miss you and America
will miss you, but we will never forget you.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ronald
Reagan--a beloved President who changed America and the world.
I first want to express my deepest condolences to Former First Lady
Nancy Reagan and the Reagan family. An entire nation shares your
sadness over the loss of our former President; a man of humble
beginnings who rose to capture our hearts and minds, our hopes, and our
aspirations.
Ronald Reagan embodied the spirit of what it means to be an American.
As much as he was a leader of the people, he was also a product of the
people, which helped him to relate with people from all different
backgrounds. He was born to a working family in a small rural town, and
brought up to respect traditional values such as family, hard work, God
and country. Blessed with an unmistakably entrepreneurial spirit, he
set out to pursue the American Dream.
Ronald Reagan lived through and endured tremendous economic hardship
during the Great Depression. Despite these challenges, he put himself
through college by earning a scholarship, washing dishes, waiting
tables, all while sending some of his earnings home to his parents to
help support his family. His strong character was forged by hard work.
Driven by the belief that all people should be able to live freely,
Ronald Reagan joined the American people and the world community to
rally against the tyrannical oppression of the Axis powers and to
defeat Nazism in Europe. United behind the many brave soldiers fighting
for freedom in Europe and the Pacific, Ronald Reagan volunteered his
talents to create instructional videos critical to the training of Army
recruits during World War II. A staunch defender of freedom and
democracy, Ronald Reagan would, after the defeat of the Axis powers,
turn his attention to vanquishing from the world another threat to
liberty: Communism.
Ronald Reagan began his political ascendancy in 1966 during his
campaign for Governor of California. He would go on to win the first of
two terms as California's governor before reaching the White House in
1980. His conservatism appealed to many across political and cultural
lines. We will always remember his optimism and confidence in America's
future.
From ``sea to shining sea,'' President Reagan, recognized the
importance and value of every individual and every community to our
country's strength. On two separate occasions, President Reagan visited
Guam, America's most distant Territory. On these occasions, I had the
honor of hosting President Reagan as First Lady of Guam along with my
husband Governor Ricky Bordallo, experiences I remember fondly. Donning
``island-wear'' rather than more formal business attire, President
Reagan was approachable and personable and put those around him at
ease. His charm and grace left a lasting impression on those he
came into contact with. He was as genuine and real in person as he was
behind the podium or in front of the camera.

He recognized the importance of Guam in promoting American values in
the region, calling our island ``America's flagship in the western
Pacific.'' President Reagan declared: ``It's said that it's here on
Guam each morning that the Sun first casts its rays upon the Stars and
Stripes. Well, my friends, I can't think of a more beautiful way for
America's day to begin.'' While these words are recorded in history, it
is the grace and sincerity with which he delivered those words that are
remembered by the people of Guam.
The outpouring of love and affection President Reagan has received
from family, friends and the entire American family is a testament to
his life and all of those he touched. Through courage, clarity and
compassion, he led the people of this great nation and the entire world
from the perils of the Cold War to the hope of liberty, freedom and
dignity. His spirit will continue to live in the hearts and minds of
all of us for whom he dedicated his life of public service. The advent
of freedom in the former Soviet Bloc and the spread of democracy
throughout the world will forever be linked to his famous challenge,
``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!'' On behalf of myself and the
people of Guam, I want to say ``Adios, esta ki.'' Goodbye until we meet
again.
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Americans and people across the
world respect and

[[Page H3815]]

admire Ronald Reagan. My greatest admiration is for his steadfast
opposition to communist threats to our national security and the
security of our allies.
Many credit Ronald Reagan for winning the Cold War, a bipartisan war
begun under President Truman and lasting forty-five years under
bipartisan U.S. governments. When President Reagan spoke out against
the evils of communism, as he often did, he spoke out for all
Americans: Republican, Democratic, and Independent.
In this long running struggle, President Reagan excelled by working
with America's strong belief in freedom and our patriotic love for our
country.
He was instrumental in keeping the nation united against the threat
that Soviet communism posed to our national security, an important and
difficult task after the domestic and foreign policy conflicts of the
1960s and 1970s.
President Reagan's ability to lead a united America, during eight
years of bipartisan government is conclusive proof that he was a
natural leader who knew to treat all Americans with dignity and
respect. The sincerity of his patriotism and his beliefs were crucial
for uniting America against the threats of communism. Any American
leader could learn from him.
Reagan was also inspiring for an America hit by tragedy. His
underlying faith in America and Americans shone through in a powerful
speech after the Challenger tragedy.
He made it clear, when directly addressing the millions of American
schoolchildren who had watched the disaster, that tragedy was a painful
setback, but was no reversal. The President said on January 28, 1986:
``The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the
brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll
continue to follow them.'' That also applies today.
By bringing America to common terms during international tyranny and
national tragedy reinforced the strong, shared goals of the American
people: to live in freedom, to excel in technology, and the belief in
something larger than ourselves.
Today we mourn the passing of an American giant.
Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, this weekend marked the passing of one of
the most influential Presidents of our era. Our thoughts and prayers
are with his wife, Nancy, and his children at this difficult time.
President Reagan was an American icon. No matter what your politics,
he had a special way of making every citizen feel good about their
country. He made us proud to be Americans. He will be forever
remembered for his warmth and the respect he accorded others.
Even when he disagreed with those who did not share his political
philosophy, President Reagan lived by the noble ideal that at the end
of the day, partisanship ended and we are all fellow Americans and
friends. He taught us that there is a big difference between strong
beliefs and bitter partisanship.
President Reagan is credited with many great accomplishments, not the
least of which is ending the Cold War. In spite of all he achieved, he
once said that the greatest leader is not the one who does great
things--it is the one who gets the people to do the greatest things.
Ronald Reagan's glass was always half full. His optimism, his
patriotism and his sense of duty inspired several generations of
Americans to do great things.
In life, President Reagan enjoyed the affection of a grateful nation.
We all join together to mourn the passing of this great American.
Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Ronald Reagan,
40th President of the United States. I am proud to be a cosponsor of
Congressman Lewis' resolution. Today, Republicans and Democrats alike
honor in unity the life of a man who left a permanent mark on the
history of our nation and the world.
Today we praise the life and accomplishments of the Great
Communicator, and we give our condolences to Nancy, and the entire
Reagan family. President Ronald Reagan was a man who meant much to all
free peoples in the world through his many noble accomplishments.
President Reagan's policies, many of which I disagreed with, were
nevertheless motivated by a commitment to preserve and enhance our
nation's greatness. I remain firm in my admiration of this great leader
whose intellectual integrity was always unquestioned.
As the oldest serving president in American history, President Reagan
was an inspiration for seniors. He showed us that youthfulness can be
found in people of all ages, and that life does not expire at 65. When
President Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, he brought
awareness and understanding to an illness that is too often ignored.
President Reagan will be remembered for his dedication to the
American dream. Although many Americans may have disagreed with his
policies, they were still inspired by his enthusiasm and optimism.
President Reagan should be remembered not just for his role in
Washington, but for his hard work in the State of California as well.
As Governor of California for eight years, he led the state with
dedication and commitment to his convictions. As an actor, he provided
us with entertainment in over 50 motion pictures.
On behalf of myself, the residents of the 43rd Congressional District
in California, and a grateful world that is safer and freer, I pay
homage to President Ronald Reagan--leader, statesman, actor, father,
husband and American hero.
And now, let's make this resolution ``one for the Gipper.''
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to
honor a man who I believe to be the greatest President of the 20th
Century.
President Ronald Reagan succeeded in defeating the most powerful and
dangerous military empire in the history of humanity, without firing a
single shot. Reagan knew instinctively that, despite the imperfections
inherent in every human enterprise, the United States of America
represents good and communism represents evil.
President Reagan never wavered in his conviction that freedom is the
birthright of all mankind. His firm belief that freedom is the
inalienable right of all people changed the world, and is his most
enduring legacy. However he also realized the liberties we hold sacred
must be constantly protected against the forces of tyranny and
oppression. President Reagan proved that when one fights for justice,
for human rights, and for the liberty of those suffering under
repression, one must persevere in spite of the strength of the
opposition and the apparent magnitude of the obstacles one must
confront.
The enemies of the United States never forgave him for his firmness,
for his character, for his faith in the people of the United States and
in the cause of liberty. Even in his death they continue to attack him.
This hatred is evidenced by the declaration made by the tyrannical
regime in Havana yesterday, ``He, who never should have been born, has
died.'' That monstrous statement illustrates the ultimate evil of the
tyrant who has enslaved the Cuban people for over 45 years. President
Reagan knew that Castro, and every Communist tyranny, represents the
antithesis of liberty, freedom and human dignity.
At home, Ronald Reagan forever changed the political landscape of
America. He was a union leader. In fact, he was the only president in
the history of the United States to have been a union leader. He was
also at first a member of the Democratic Party, having campaigned for
Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. However, ideas and times change.
When he became a Republican at the age of 52, he convinced millions of
members of his former party that the superior ideas and the better
reforms of our age belonged to the Republican Party. Inspired by his
leadership and his example, my brother, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart
and I proudly became Republicans.
May Ronald Wilson Reagan, apostle of freedom, democracy and human
rights, rest in peace.
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, on this second week of June, 17 years ago,
President Ronald Reagan stood in the then divided city of Berlin, and
called on Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to, ``tear down this wall.''
President Reagan's critics at home called his speech a publicity ploy.
The Soviets and East Germans called it an infringement of East German
sovereignty--unwarranted meddling by the American President. Two years
later, the wall came down.
President Reagan was a leader with foresight and strong conviction.
He believed in America--then he made America believe in itself again.
He valued freedom--so he brought it to those who had none.
Through wise policies, force of will, and a kind demeanor, President
Reagan conveyed strength and determination alongside reason and
optimism to America and those who yearned for freedom behind the Iron
Curtain. He never doubted what America could do--and he wouldn't let us
doubt ourselves. When tragedy struck, he told us to move forward--and
we listened.
Ronald Regan knew America. He knew what was right about our Nation,
what was right for our Nation, and what America could set right in the
world. Ronald Reagan led America and the rest of the free world against
communism. When his work was finished, the free world had expanded by
over 400 million people in 27 countries.
Today, soldiers from these new democracies fight side by side with
Americans against the new enemies of freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan.
President Reagan showed us that freedom can tear down walls. He
reaffirmed for us that America is a force for good in the world, and
that our proudest achievements will never come without criticism or
sacrifice.
I never had the opportunity to meet Ronald Reagan, but knew him, like
most Americans, as someone who had faith in our ability to

[[Page H3816]]

achieve great things for ourselves and the world.
Mr. Speaker, history will remember Ronald Reagan for bringing freedom
to more people throughout the world than has ever been done before. The
America and the world Ronald Reagan leaves behind is a better place
because of him.
President Reagan, we still carry the confidence you gave our Nation
and will never forget what we accomplished together. A grateful Nation
thanks you.
Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of
President Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan leaves an enduring legacy of character and a dedication
to the American ideal of liberty. His philosophy and values were not
political calculation; they were inscribed in his heart.
I recognize Ronald Reagan as a true leader that remained true to
American principles of the individual over government, sense of duty
toward neighbors, and expansion of freedom.
Moreover, Reagan was a man with vision on a grand scale. He knew
America's greatest achievement was spreading democracy throughout the
world. He was resolute in this endeavor and faced each challenge with
both vigilance and grace. No American did more to spread the gift of
liberty and respect for human dignity to people who had never enjoyed
them. No American did more to persuade our Nation that the contribution
of democracy and human rights to all is the proper goal of the United
States.
Throughout our history, when evil and iniquity has been the common
enemy, Americans have displayed a resolve to create a better country
and a better world. Ronald Reagan personified that American trait.
Reagan's service is considered recent in history's timeline, but his
character and deeds are a model of leadership for all time. We need to
remember in our hearts the dedication to higher purpose. We are duty-
bound to advance each society to Ronald Reagan's shining city on the
hill.
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I conclude by saying that this week's passing
should not be seen as the loss of a man but rather the beginning of a
legend.
Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add my
voice to the chorus extolling the life of Ronald Reagan. On a similar
occasion over a century ago, Lincoln said of Washington, ``How do you
add glory to the sun?'' And I must confess, I feel same futility at
trying to add my few words to a life and legacy that shines so bright.
Ronald Reagan came to the stage when it appeared that America was
grasping at the complexities of modernity. Inflation, recession, and
unemployment appeared permanent and the light of freedom appeared to be
dim. Europe was enthralled with socialism and communism and the
American exception was denounced as arrogant and on the edge of
failure. Much like today, we were told what we needed was more
government not less; higher taxation, not less; more regulation, not
less. Reagan saw all of this and he smiled.
I was at his inauguration. When he said ``It is time for us to
realize that we're too great a nation to limit ourselves to small
dreams,'' my spine stiffened. I got goose bumps when he called out
``that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will
negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for it, now
or ever.''
From that day, I knew America was back. You see many people speak of
the Reagan Revolution, I like to think of it as the Reagan restoration.
Reagan restored our optimism, our belief in our ability to create, and
the belief that God put man on this earth to be free and made America
to prove it.
I was in Washington the day Reagan was shot. I held my breath and was
glued to the TV. The humor, strength and courage that were Reagan's
came through and, along with the rest of America, I laughed when he
said ``honey, I forgot to duck.''
Ronald Reagan changed the paradigm. He changed America's foreign
policy from one of benign containment to active confrontation and for
the first time since communism began extending its sinister reach, we
saw its hand pushed back, and that gave us hope.
Reagan confronted the evil he saw in the world and he did it without
apology. He battled communism. He armed the resistance in Afghanistan;
he sent troops to Grenada; Lebanon; and Pershings to Europe. In a
courageous move he walked away from negotiations at Reykjavik. To the
cries of the left and chattering classes he held firm to the belief
that America never should and never would surrender her right to defend
herself. Mikhail Gorbachev has said Reykjavik was the turning point.
His strength broke the back of the Soviets.
Before the British Parliament, Reagan envisaged that the last pages
of communism were being written and in those famous words predicted
that totalitarianism would be consigned to the ``ash heap of history.''
He was derided. Yet few could know how prophetic his words would be, or
how fast the fall would come.
In 1989, Soviet citizens voted for the first time. Pro-democracy
demonstrations were held in Tiananmen Square. Lech Walesa was elected
president of Poland. Shortly thereafter, the Eastern European Soviet
Bloc closed the door on communism for democracy. In November, the
Berlin Wall was opened and, as Reagan would have it, an anonymous
German struck the first blow at tearing down wall. The following year,
in free elections defeated the communist Sandinistas and the Soviet
Union was dissolved. The light of freedom extended its reach.
Reagan has been so often called the Great Communicator, but I like to
think about his time in office and his legacy in a different way. His
victory was not of communication, but a triumph of content--the content
of his ideas. He reignited the light of freedom. He cut taxes and
regulation and in 8 years created 19 million jobs. He reminded us that
the path to prosperity was one of individual freedom and personal
responsibility. As Reagan has said, these were not his ideas, but they
were American ideas. Reagan thought his revolution was ``more like the
great rediscovery, a rediscovery of our values and our common sense.''
So, as we honor President Reagan let us remember his humility, his
dignity, his kind words and most of all his courage. Let us honor the
legacy of President Reagan with a renewed commitment to the
exceptionalism that makes us American. Let us renew freedom's promise
to those who live in oppressive tyranny. Let us renew our
determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our
faith and our hope.
There are many who stand against freedom and peace. There are many
who criticize and compromise, but let us honor Ronald Reagan by
standing firm, with resolve, in this time of war.
We can do it. Why? As Reagan would say, ``After all, we are
Americans.''
Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I share with my colleagues a poem
by Albert Carey Caswell.

And to This End

And to this end
Approach Heaven, our True American Hero . . . America's
finest of all true friends
Rest now . . . our Great American Patriot . . . as up to
Heaven your magnificent soul as so ascends.

And to this end
And oh, what to this our Country you have so been
With that, your warm smile and that thick brown hair . . .
and what your heart of gold has so meant.

And to this end
The promise, and your gift . . . the pride and the respect .
. . believing in us as if . . . as you'd begin
Bringing your Nation back to shore, our savior . . . rescuing
& seeing the light that others so ignored.

And to this end
Breaking down walls, hearing the children's calls . . .
wearing your heart on your sleeve
To believe . . . In God and Country, and in all of those
things which made us free . . . all in you we see.

And to this end
To dream . . . to start from nothing, as it would so seem
As was yours . . . this The Great American Dream . . . as is
this, our Nation's greatest of all themes.

And to this end
Returning and The Pride and The Respect . . . to America's
greatest of all assets
Her fighting Women & Men . . . her one true fine reason why
we all can dream, you'd not let us forget.

And to this end
As you brought the light, into that battle against the
darkness . . . this your courageous fight
As you have brought us hope, where there was none . . . as
your journey begun . . . for what was right.

And to this end
Yes, Ron . . . there are jelly beans up in Heaven my dear
friend
And to you, I so salute . . . this one's for you Gipper . . .
as the swollen tear drops so roll down my chin.

And to this end . . . ``Well, There You Go Again''
And now, and forever . . . whenever, I look into our flag . .
. I'll see your face
For such men of heart, such men of warmth & character &
grace, Heaven . . . so surely holds a place.

Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, people say that a truly great
athlete is not only gifted himself, he makes those who play with him
better. The same is true of President Reagan, who not only led the
country, but restored America's confidence. He renewed our sense of
America's goodness and America's greatness. And with that assurance,
the American people achieved great things.
When Reagan came into office, America was demoralized. President
Carter had even spoken of our ``malaise.'' Watergate and our defeat in
Vietnam shook our self-confidence. We surrendered control over the
Panama Canal which we had built.

[[Page H3817]]

The Soviet Union was at the height of its power and communism seemed
to be on the march. After Vietnam fell to the communists, Cambodia
followed. The Sandinistas took control in Nicaragua and communist
insurgencies were under way in Ethiopia, Angola, and Mozambique. The
Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and were in the process of
suppressing the Solidarity movement in Poland.
At the same time, the Shah fell in Iran, and supporters of Ayatollah
Khomenini held 52 Americans hostage for more than a year at our embassy
in Tehran. Worse, the American military expedition to free them failed
in the desert, with the crash of two helicopters and the death of eight
servicemen.
The economic situation was just as dire. In 1980, inflation stood at
13.5 percent, and interest rates reached 21 percent. The turmoil in the
Middle East sparked gasoline shortages. People waited for hours in line
just to fill up their cars and worried about people stealing the gas
out of their cars.
People lost their optimism. America no longer seemed special, or a
world leader. It felt like the divine spark at the center of the
American experiment had gone out.
It was Ronald Reagan who turned it around. He never lost faith in the
American people. And he had enough optimism to restore our lost
confidence and get America back on its feet.
He believed we could restore our economy--and we did. By 1990 the
U.S. economy had grown by a third, or roughly the size of the entire
German economy. And 35 million jobs were created.
He believed we could stand up proudly for American values around the
world and stand up to the Soviet Union--and we did. It was President
Reagan's resolve that halted the march of communism in Central America,
and in Afghanistan. It was Reagan's resolve that nurtured the
Solidarity movement in Poland, and gave heart to the dissidents of the
Soviet bloc. Ultimately it was President Reagan's faith in American
ideals that led to the fall of the Berlin wall and the liberation of
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.
It was that leadership and vision for America that made Ronald Reagan
special. Like FDR during the depression, he taught us that there was
nothing to fear but fear itself. Like Winston Churchill during World
War II, he spoke for an entire nation at a time of stress. It restored
our confidence, and that made all the difference.
Let us remember Ronald Reagan. Let us remember what Ronald Reagan
wanted for America. He wanted us always to be that shining city on a
hill. And he wanted us to know that America's best days always lie
ahead.
May God bless Ronald Reagan and Mrs. Reagan and may God bless
America.
Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I join today with others in the House in
expressing deepest condolences to Nancy Reagan and the Reagan family on
the passing of Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United
States of America, and in paying tribute to President Reagan as we
remember his presidency and what he meant to our country and indeed to
the world.
I deeply admired and respected President Reagan. I had the good
fortune to run for the 10th District of Virginia seat in Congress in
November 1980 when he was elected to his first term. Some called my
victory then ``on Reagan's coattails.'' I have no doubt I'm in Congress
today because of him.
I will always be grateful that after my two unsuccessful bids for
Congress, Ronald Reagan led the ticket that I was on and I became a
member of the Class of 1980.
As we remember President Reagan today, I have been moved by the
outpouring of love and support we have been seeing over the past few
days across our Nation and especially in California, where he served
the Golden State as governor for two terms.
``Thank you, President Reagan. You made us proud again.''
That was the sentiment on one of the many posters and other mementos
in memory of President Reagan placed outside the entrance to his
presidential library in Simi Valley, California, the day after his
death on June 5. And that sentiment could well sum up the legacy of
President Reagan, who lost his 10-year battle with Alzheimer's disease
at age 93.
He was the leader of our Nation when Americans needed to know and
more importantly to believe that indeed it was ``morning again in
America,'' and the best was yet to come for our great country--that we
could be proud to stand up and be called an American. He made us feel
good again. He gave us hope. He inspired us. He gave us optimism
because he was an optimist.
And when we needed to be comforted at a time of our own Nation's
mourning in the wake of the space shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986,
he was there for us, speaking to us much like a father, telling us it
would be all right: ``It's all part of the process of exploration and
discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's
horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to
the brave. . . . Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys
continue.''
The June 7 edition of National Journal's Hotline headlined, ``Ronald
Wilson Reagan,'' described Mr. Reagan's presidency well:

The optimism of Morning in America left little room for
mourning in America. So instead of grief, there is respect
for the man, celebration of his boldness, relief for his
widow, and memories of leadership with purpose, grace and
humor.
He literally disarmed his enemies aboard with his tenacity.
He gently disarmed his political enemies at home with his
modesty. If he was overestimated as an actor, he was
underestimated as a political leader. Because he never quite
fit in with official Washington, he stayed connected
inseparably with the people. And for an entire generation of
Americans, he defined the Presidency.
He dreamt, acted out, and embodied the American dream. He
was a leader. Those who agreed with his policies cherished
his principles. Those who doubted his capacities wondered at
his accomplishments.
Friend and foe have come to see him as an American icon,
whose light may forever shine from his city on the hill.

In many ways, President Reagan's profound conviction that every human
being had the right to live in freedom inspired my work for
humanitarian and human rights causes. While he didn't always outwardly
show it, he was a man of deep faith. He said in a speech before the
House of Commons in 1982: ``We must be staunch in our conviction that
freedom is not the sole prerogative of a lucky few, but the inalienable
and universal right of all human beings.''
I saw a poignant television news report from southern California on
Sunday evening which also reminded me that another crucial part of his
legacy belongs not only to America, but to the world. A woman was
interviewed. She was holding a bouquet of flowers. Tears were streaming
down her face.
She had a broken English accent and identified herself as a Russian
emigrant. She said she had to come to the makeshift memorial outside
the funeral home where President Reagan was resting because, ``I owe my
life to President Reagan.''
I was also reminded of how President Reagan gave hope to the
persecuted peoples of the world when I read an opinion article from the
June 6 edition of The Jerusalem Post written by former Soviet political
dissident Natan Sharansky. I will insert the entire text of that
article for the Record. Mr. Sharansky wrote:

In 1983, 1 was confined to an eight-by-ten foot prison cell
on the border of Siberia. My Soviet jailers gave me the
privilege of reading the latest copy of Pravda. Splashed
across the front page was a condemnation of President Ronald
Reagan for having the temerity to call the Soviet Union an
``evil empire.''
Tapping on walls and talking through toilets, word of
Reagan's ``provocation'' quickly spread throughout the
prison. We dissidents were ecstatic. Finally, the leader of
the free world had spoken the truth--a truth that burned
inside the heart of each and every one of us.

Who will ever forget Ronald Reagan calling the Soviet Union ``an evil
empire'' and his challenge to then-Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev
outside the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin: ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this
wall.''
And who would ever have imagined the relationship President Reagan
forged with Mr. Gorbachev which ultimately led to the fall of communism
and indeed, the tearing down of the Berlin wall. Mikhail Gorbachev will
honor that legacy of President Reagan by his attendance at Mr. Reagan's
funeral service at the National Cathedral in Washington on Friday, June
11.
Ronald Reagan was a remarkable man and I believe will be remembered
by history as one of the greatest presidents of our Nation. I will
close by sharing his own words spoken in August 1992 about how he
wanted to be remembered:

Whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I
hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not
your worst fears, to your confidence rather than you doubts,
and may all of you as Americans never forget your heroic
origins, never fail to seek divine guidance, and never, never
lose your God-given optimism.

We thank God for the life of Ronald Wilson Reagan.

Republican Members who were elected in 1980 on the ticket
with President Reagan:
Wendell Bailey, Missouri; Cleve Benedict, West Virginia;
Tom Bliley, Virginia; Hank Brown, Colorado; Greg Carman, New
York; Gene Chappie, California; Dan Coats, Indiana; Jim
Coyne, Pennsylvania; Larry Craig, Idaho; Hal Daub, Nebraska;
Larry DeNardis, Connecticut; David Dreier, California; Jim
Dunn, Michigan; Bill Emerson, Missouri; T. Cooper Evans,
Iowa; Bobbi Fiedler, California; Jack Fields, Texas; Steve
Gunderson, Wisconsin; and Judd Gregg, New Hampshire.
James Hansen, Utah; Tommy Hartnett, South Carolina; Bill
Hendon, North Carolina; John (Jack) Hiler, Indiana; Duncan
Hunter, California; Gene Johnston, North Carolina;

[[Page H3818]]

John LeBoutillier, New York; Bill Lowery, California; Bill
McCollum, Florida; Bob McEwen, Ohio; Ray McGrath, New York;
David Martin, New York; Lynn Martin, Illinois; Guy Molinari,
New York; Sid Morrison, Washington; John Napier, South
Carolina; and Jim Nelligan, Pennsylvania.
Mike Oxley, Ohio; Stan Parris, Virginia; Clint Roberts,
South Dakota; Pat Roberts, Kansas; Hal Rogers, Kentucky;
Marge Roukema, New Jersey; Claudine Schneider, Rhode Island;
Clay Shaw, Florida; Mark Siljander, Michigan; Joe Skeen, New
Mexico; Albert Lee Smith, Alabama; Chris Smith, New Jersey;
Denny Smith, Oregon; David (Mick) Staton, West Virginia; Ed
Weber, Ohio; Vin Weber, Minnesota; Frank Wolf, Virginia; and
George Wortley, New York.
____

[From the Jerusalem Post, June 6, 2004]

The Prisoners' Conscience

(By Natan Sharansky)

In 1983, I was confined to an eight-by-ten-foot prison cell
on the border of Siberia. My Soviet jailers gave me the
privilege of reading the latest copy of Pravda. Splashed
across the front page was a condemnation of President Ronald
Reagan for having the temerity to call the Soviet Union an
``evil empire.'' Tapping on walls and talking through
toilets, word of Reagan's ``provocation'' quickly spread
throughout the prison. We dissidents were ecstatic. Finally,
the leader of the free world had spoken the truth--a truth
that burned inside the heart of each and every one of us.
At the time, I never imagined that three years later, I
would be in the White House telling this story to the
president. When he summoned some of his staff to hear what I
had said, I understood that there had been much criticism of
Reagan's decision to cast the struggle between the
superpowers as a battle between good and evil.
Well, Reagan was right and his critics were wrong.
Those same critics used to love calling Reagan a simpleton
who saw the world through a primitive ideological prism and
who would convey his ideas through jokes and anecdotes. In
our first meeting, he told me that Soviet premier Brezhnev
and Kosygin, his second-in-command, were discussing whether
they should allow freedom of emigration. ``Look, America's
really pressuring us,'' Brezhnev said, ``maybe we should just
open up the gates. The problem is, we might be the only two
people who wouldn't leave.'' To which Kosygin replied,
``Speak for yourself.''
What his critics didn't seem to understand was that the
jokes and anecdotes that so endeared Reagan to people were
merely his way of expressing fundamental truths in a way that
everyone could understand.
Reagan's tendency to confuse names and dates, something I,
too, experienced first-hand, also made him the target of
ridicule. In September 1987, a few months before a summit
meeting with Gorbachev in Washington, I met with Reagan to
ask him what he thought about the idea of holding a massive
rally of hundreds of thousands of people on behalf of Soviet
Jewry during the summit. Some Jewish leaders, concerned that
if the rally were held Jews would be accused of undermining a
renewed hope for peace between the superpowers, had expressed
reservations about such a frontal challenge to the Soviet
premier.
Seeing me together for the first time with my wife Avital,
who had fought for many years for my release, Reagan greeted
us like a proud grandparent, knowing he had played an
important role in securing my freedom. He told us about his
commitment to Soviet Jewry. ``My dear Mr. and Mrs.
Shevardnadze,'' he said, ``I just spoke with Soviet Foreign
Minister Sharansky, and I said you better let those Jews
go.''
Not wanting to embarrass the president over his mistake, I
quickly asked him about the rally, outlining the concerns
raised by some of my colleagues. His response was immediate:
``Do you think I am interested in a friendship with the
Soviets if they continue to keep their people in prison'' You
do what you believe is right.''
Reagan may have confused names and dates, but his moral
compass was always good. Today's leaders, in contrast, may
know their facts and figures, but are often woefully confused
about what should be the simplest distinctions between
freedom and tyranny, democrats and terrorists.
The legacy of president Reagan will surely endure. Armed
with moral clarity, a deep faith in freedom, and the courage
to follow his convictions, he was instrumental in helping the
West win the Cold War and hundreds of millions of people
behind the Iron Curtain win their freedom.
As one of those people, I can only express my deepest
gratitude to this great leader. Believe me, I will take moral
clarity and Shevardnadze any day.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to former
President Ronald Reagan who passed away on Saturday June 5, 2004. At
this time, I extend my deepest condolences to his loving wife, Nancy,
and his children, and I join with our Nation in mourning the loss of a
great leader.
Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois to Nelle Wilson
and John Edward ``Jack'' Reagan. In 1928, Ronald Reagan graduated from
Dixon High School where he served as student body president. From 1928-
1932, Reagan attended Eureka College, a small liberal arts institution
in Illinois. He majored in economics and sociology.
In 1937, Reagan enlisted in the Army Reserve as a Private and was
soon promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in the Officers Reserve Corps of the
Cavalry. While in the Army, an agent for Warner Brothers discovered
Ronald Reagan. In 1940, Reagan wed Jane Wyman.
In 1942, the Army Air Force called Reagan to active duty. He was
assigned to the 1st Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, California
where he made over 400 training films. Reagan was discharged from the
Army in 1945 at the rank of Captain.
After the war, Reagan resumed his acting career and in 1952 wed Nancy
Davis. In 1956, Reagan campaigned as a Democrat for Eisenhower. In
1960, he campaigned for Richard Nixon. In 1962, he officially changed
his party registration to Republican.
In 1966, Reagan was elected Governor of California and was re-elected
in 1970. On November 4, 1980, Ronald Reagan Wilson became the 40th
President of the United States.
Ronald Reagan wished to be remembered as the President who wanted
Americans to believe in themselves. We will remember him for much more.
We will remember Ronald Reagan as a political leader who worked
diligently to stimulate economic growth, increase employment and
strengthen national defense. He was ``The Great Communicator'' whose
words and actions spoke of honor and peace.
Through his convictions, we witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall and
the end of the Cold War. ``Peace through strength'' is what he sought
and achieved.
In his own words taken from 1986 as he sought to comfort us after the
Challenger Disaster, ``We will never forget [him], nor the last time we
saw [him] . . . as he prepared for [his] journey, and waved good-bye,
and `slipped the surly bonds of earth' to `touch the face of God.' ''
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.

____________________