[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 24, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H9414-H9418]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE HONORABLE BUD CRAMER AND THE HONORABLE TERRY EVERETT ON 
                     THEIR RETIREMENT FROM CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 18, 2007, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bonner) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include any extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Alabama?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, as the American people are sitting home 
tonight watching the President of the United States talking about the 
state of our economy with so many uncertain questions that are out 
there about so many different issues, this is a time where the House 
has completed its work that gives us an opportunity to show the 
American people how, at least in the State of Alabama, Republicans and 
Democrats have over the years worked together hand in hand with a love 
of country at heart to try to make our State, our communities and 
certainly our great country a better place. And tonight I am privileged 
to lead this special order which will not take the entire hour but will 
give some of our colleagues an opportunity to recognize the significant 
contributions of two such Members, two men who didn't come to Congress 
at the same time, but who came within a term of each other, and who 
have, with different life backgrounds, made a substantial contribution 
to the betterment of their district, the State that they grew up in and 
love, and certainly this wonderful Nation. And I'm referring to two men 
of different political paths and different political parties, but two 
men who have universal respect here in the House of Representatives, 
Bud Cramer of the Fifth Congressional District of Alabama and Terry 
Everett of the Second Congressional District.
  Earlier this year, Congressman Cramer surprised his constituents and 
really people throughout this city and our Nation's capital that he 
would be leaving Congress after 18 remarkable years of dedicated 
service to the people of Huntsville and his district, the Fifth 
Congressional District in north Alabama. And I think it was actually 
this time last year when Congressman Terry Everett surprised the people 
in the Second Congressional District that he too was going to be 
calling it quits after 16 wonderful years of dedicated service to the 
people of Alabama's Wiregrass community.
  Joining me tonight will be some colleagues who know these Members 
intimately well. And so I will be privileged to recognize them in just 
a moment and let them say a few words of thanks on behalf of the 
American people to these two giant legislative leaders and their 
dedicated service.
  I also have some statements for the Record, Mr. Speaker, that I would 
like to enter, because as the night has drawn on and Members have had 
other obligations, they have not been able to actually be here for some 
of these comments. But I would like to enter one in particular at this 
moment from my colleague, Congressman Robert Aderholt, of Alabama's 
Fourth Congressional District.
  Of Terry Everett, Robert Aderholt said, ``we value very highly 
Representative Everett's service and his work with our delegation over 
the course of his distinguished career. John Quincy Adams once said, if 
your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and 
become more, you're a leader. Terry Everett is the type of leader that 
embodies this quote. His actions have inspired many Alabamians to dream 
more and to learn more. And I am pleased for his great contribution to 
our State. As Terry leaves this institution at the conclusion of this 
110th Congress and goes on to other endeavors, we wish him the very 
best of luck and ask God's blessings on him and his wife, Barbara, for 
many years to come.''
  And Robert also serves next door to Congressman Cramer. And he asked 
me as well if I would take just a moment to mention the following about 
his friend and neighbor, Congressman Bud Cramer. ``Even though Bud and 
I are members of different political parties, we have cosponsored over 
50 bills in this congressional session alone. We've not always agreed 
on every issue that has come before the House, but I have always 
respected him and his leadership no matter what the issue has been. 
Congressman Bud Cramer has served his district and our State well. And 
it is my pleasure to have worked alongside him for 12 years. He has 
been a great partner in working on issues for north Alabama. As Bud 
leaves this institution, he leaves behind friends on both sides of the 
aisle. Regardless of the path he chooses, he leaves this institution a 
better place. And I look forward to watching his successes along the 
way.''
  And also, Robert added ``may God bless Bud in all of his endeavors, 
and we wish him all the best that he looks forward to doing.''
  Now I'm very pleased to recognize for a few minutes my distinguished 
friend from California, the former chairman of the House Armed Services 
Committee and the current ranking Republican on that committee, 
Honorable Duncan Hunter, who has known Congressman Terry Everett for 
every year that Terry has been in Congress. And I would be honored to 
yield as much time as my friend, Duncan Hunter, might choose to 
consume.
  Mr. HUNTER. I thank my good friend for yielding. And to both these 
great sons of Alabama, I want to say, thank you for your wonderful work 
and your wonderful service to our country.
  I was in Terry's house a couple of summers ago. And we walked out to 
his woodworking studio where he makes all of these great cabinetry, 
wood products and molding. In fact he built this beautiful house by 
himself almost single-handedly using all this machinery that he had in 
his woodworking place. And as we walked across the floor, I noticed a 
bunch of red stains. And I said, what is that, Terry? He said, that is 
when I cut part of my hand off. And I keep that blood to remind me so I 
won't do it again. And I immediately decided that I would not become a 
woodworker. It was too dangerous.
  But I am reminded on that trip that Terry Everett was showing me how 
to make cabinets. And he can make cabinets. And if you go in that 
house, you can see he made beautiful ones. I said, Terry, our house 
burned down in California. We're going to have to rebuild it. He said, 
well, Hunter, if you come down here for a week or two, we will make 
some cabinets.
  Terry, let me tell you, having now experienced the cost of California 
cabinets, I wish I had come down and worked with you and made those 
cabinets with you out of some of that good old cypress wood. That would 
have been great.
  And Bud, I want to thank you incidentally for your great support of 
national defense. I have always been in this Congress kind of a Johnny 
One Note focused on defense issues since I got here. You always support 
a strong national defense. That has helped us to do all the things that 
Terry and I have worked on over the years to rebuild our defense in 
such a way that we're able to bring down the Soviet Union and that we 
were able to free hundreds of millions of people, we were able to bring 
freedom to the captive nations of Eastern Europe and to keep the United 
States a shining star in this very difficult, very dangerous world. And 
your

[[Page H9415]]

work to make sure that we kept this country strong is very, very much 
appreciated.
  And I have always thought of you as one of those great voices who 
could reach across the aisle and come together in a bipartisan way to 
make this country strong and to do the right thing. And that is so 
important in this body. In fact the ability to reconcile our 
differences and find common ground may be the best characteristic of 
this body.
  Now let me tell you about Terry. Terry and I have done a lot of 
political planning. And some people would call it conspiracy. But I 
just call it political planning. Terry Everett has either shown 
enormous loyalty to me or terrible judgment. He supported me in every 
campaign I have run in the House. And I have run for the leadership. I 
have lost some of them, and I have won some of them. And Terry would go 
out and make those vote counts and helped me. Sometimes he would sit 
and say, Hunter, I think you're going to be a little bit short here, 
but we're going to drive on. And we always drove on. And in the end, 
it's not whether you won all those contests. It's the great friends 
that you made while you were on the way, while you were competing.

                              {time}  2200

  If you think that loyalty and friendship are important components of 
the American character, then Terry Everett is just full of character. 
And also he is a character. And if you listen to him, you will see a 
great sense of humor, an ability to laugh at the world, even when the 
world has taken some dangerous turns, and go back to work in a quiet 
way and get things done.
  I have also said that Terry, behind closed doors, is one of our 
members on the Armed Services Committee and on the Intelligence 
Committee, so he ties those two committees together; one committee that 
oversees this $600 billion-plus budget and this enormous fighting force 
of the Army and the Navy and the Marine Corps and the Air Force, and 
the other committee which oversees this very important arm called the 
Intelligence Branch, which gives us the information that we need to 
keep this country safe and secure. And many times those two entities, 
the defense community and the intelligence community, have to come 
together and work together, just like they are working together in Iraq 
and Afghanistan right now.
  Let me tell you, a lot of the coordination that is taking place right 
now in Iraq and Afghanistan between people that are working in very 
difficult, inconvenient places and risking a lot, their effectiveness 
and their coordination to a large degree is a result of the work of the 
guy sitting right in front of me, Mr. Terry Everett.
  So, Terry, you are a life-long friend, a great, great American, and I 
have got to tell you, working on the Armed Services Committee with you 
for so many years has been a real joy. It has been a great thing for 
this Nation to have you in the traces there pulling that plow, doing 
that hard work every day. You are going to be tough to replace.
  Bud, I know you are going to be tough to replace too. You have done 
wonderful work.
  Terry, you are one of two guys retiring from political life from the 
Armed Services Committee. Jimmy Saxton is the other one, and I gave him 
his parting gift from the Hunter family. I have got one for you. I am 
going to give it to you now, Terry. I am going to present it to you 
about five times this week so I can get a lot of mileage out of it.
  I want to tell you just a little story about this picture. This 
picture was painted, this is a signed and numbered lithograph by Olaf 
Wieghorst, who at the time he passed away in San Diego, California, and 
he was a great friend, he was the highest-priced Western artist in the 
world. He was a grand old guy who had been part of the American cavalry 
in the early 1900s and became a great artist, without ever taking a 
lesson.
  In fact, if you go rent the movie ``El Dorado'' with John Wayne and 
Robert Mitchum and James Caan, you will see that Olaf Wieghorst is the 
Swedish gunsmith in the movie. He was in that movie because John Wayne 
had a number of his pictures, as did Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater, 
and Wayne told him to come down to the movie set one time, and he did 
that, and they put him in this movie ``El Dorado.''
  So I want you to check out ``El Dorado,'' and you will see my old 
friend Olaf Wieghorst, who painted your picture. And I believe your 
picture is rolled on the screen during the credits as they sing the 
opening ballad in this great Western movie. So I want you to go down 
and look at that.
  But one reason I am going you this Olaf Wieghorst picture of the 
American West is this: The quintessential American Westerner is 
straight ahead, looked you right in the eye, his word was his bond, 
loyalty was his trademark, and that is Terry Everett.
  So, Terry, I want you to look at this picture and remember that the 
Hunter Rancho has lots of rooms in it since we have rebuilt after the 
fire, and we look forward to you coming up and bringing some of your 
cabinet making tools. Maybe you can show Mrs. Hunter and I how to make 
a couple of extras.
  But thank you for your great service to this country. That flag over 
this Capitol waives proudly and waives more securely because you 
served.
  Thank you very much for your service.
  And Bud Cramer, thank you, my great friend, for your service to our 
country also.
  I am going to take this picture back, Terry, because I am going to 
present it to you about five more times.
  Mr. EVERETT. Duncan, before you leave, thank you very for those kind 
words, and, obviously, thank you for that beautiful picture. You are 
still welcome to come to my home down outside of Dothan, Alabama, and 
we will do the cabinet work there. Those cabinet saws are a little bit 
hard to move around. I am not sure I could get it all the way to San 
Diego.
  I want to thank you for allowing me to be the first chairman of the 
Strategic Forces Subcommittee. I think it is some of the most 
interesting work that we do. I am really proud of that committee, of 
the staff that supports that committee and the other members who are on 
it. We have all the missile defense, we have all the overhead stuff, 
satellites, and we have nuclear weapons. So it has been a really 
interesting committee, and I have you to thank when this committee was 
first formed that you allowed me to be the first chairman of that 
committee. So thank you very much.
  I would be amiss if I didn't say that you have made great 
contributions to this country. You have always been straight up for the 
military. You have never let anybody push over our military and not 
provide them with what they needed.
  I remember being in your office when we were having those tragic 
explosions on the roadsides that were killing and maiming our troops, 
and you had somebody from Lawrence Livermore there and you told them to 
get this problem solved and get it solved right now. If we have to go 
over there with welders and put this sheeting, steel sheeting on those 
Humvees, then we would do it. So I appreciate your dedication to the 
military.
  You say you have been a one-note person. That is not true. We both 
know that. We have had a number of issues, for instance NAFTA, that we 
fought. We lost, but we fought that I thought very well.
  I appreciate the dedication and all the years you have been 
contributed to this country and to the State of California. Thank you 
very much.
  Mr. HUNTER. Well, Terry, thank you. You know, we did lose on NAFTA, 
but we were right.
  Mr. TERRY. We were right.
  Mr. HUNTER. In your work on the Strategic Subcommittee on Armed 
Services, what a critical position at a critical time for this country. 
Because being able to renew our strategic capabilities, these systems 
age, being able to match what other people are doing in space now. I 
think when the Chinese knocked that satellite out of space, they 
initiated and heralded a new era of competition in space. Whether we 
like it or not we are in this fight, we are in this competition. And 
being able to maintain that capability that, as you so articulately 
stated, supports American military movements and operations and the 
economy of the United States, what a crucial responsibility, and you 
did a great job at it.

[[Page H9416]]

  But always with that great--you know, you are an Alabama guy, and 
Alabama is a wonderful State, but you have all those great qualities 
that represent the best of the American West.
  Mr. TERRY. Thank you very much. And I do love that committee. I love 
what it has done. We are the leading users of space in the world. We 
have great assets not only for our military, but for our economy also. 
The global economy for space is some $220 billion, and growing about 18 
percent a year.

  I have problems though, and I know one of the things you have 
championed over the years is getting young people interested in 
engineering, math, science and things that we need in the space 
industry. I just point out that China last year graduated 500,000 new 
engineers. The United States graduated 70,000. So we certainly have to 
interest young people in this marvelous thing that we call space.
  Thank you again for your kind words.
  Mr. BONNER. Duncan, thank you so much for being with us.
  Mr. HUNTER. Terry, I want to give you this picture, but you have to 
give it back so I can present it to you on five more occasions.
  Mr. BONNER. As this evening continues to unfold, we have heard from 
so many colleagues from all over the country who are paying homage 
tonight to Congressman Bud Cramer and Congressman Terry Everett.
  Congressman John Tanner, one of Bud's closest friends and colleague 
and one of the leaders in the Blue Dog Coalition asked me, because of a 
last minute conflict, to enter the following statement.
  ``Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join our colleagues tonight in paying 
tribute to my friend Congressman Bud Cramer, who, as you know, will 
retire later this year after representing Alabama in this body for 18 
years. During this time, he has been an important leader in Congress 
and an excellent public servant for the American people.
  ``Several years ago, Bud and I, along with a handful of our other 
Democratic colleagues, formed a small group to fill what we saw as a 
void within the body at the time, a solution-oriented coalition of 
moderate Members who could help forge a bipartisan bridge between our 
colleagues on either side of the partisan aisle. That group was named 
the Blue Dog Coalition, to which we both still belong.
  ``I appreciate Bud's leadership on working on bipartisan solutions to 
the challenges facing our country. A military veteran, grandfather and 
children's advocate, Bud has dedicated much of his life to his country 
and helping others.
  ``Mr. Speaker, Bud Cramer's dedication and commitment have served our 
country well, and his presence in this Chamber will be sorely missed.''
  That comment and so many others from our colleagues in Alabama, 
Congressman Artur Davis, Congressman Spencer Bachus, Congressman Mike 
Rogers. I have already mentioned Congressman Aderholt could not be here 
because of a last minute conflict, but asked his statement to be 
entered into the record.
  Friends of Terry Everett and Bud Cramer, Lincoln Davis of Tennessee, 
Bart Gordon, the distinguished chairman of the Science Committee, Gene 
Taylor, my neighbor along America's Gulf Coast, so many people from 
both sides of the aisle and all political stripes who are opening up 
their heart tonight saying thank you for the leadership that these two 
outstanding gentleman have provided.
  Mr. Speaker, without objection, I would like to enter an article on 
each of these two gentlemen in the Congressional Record.
  On July 27th, shortly after Congressman Cramer announced his 
intentions to resign at the end of this session of Congress, The 
Huntsville Times, Congressman Cramer's hometown newspaper, ran a series 
of articles about the outstanding, dedicated leadership and service 
that Bud Cramer has provided.
  So without objection, I would like to enter this into the 
Congressional Record.
  Likewise, on October 1, 2007, and then a few months later in the 
Dothan Magazine, the first being the Montgomery Advertiser, the capital 
city newspaper, there were editorials and articles alike praising Terry 
Everett for his solid performance as an outstanding leader of Congress 
and an outstanding leader for Alabama.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to enter both of these as well.

             [From the Montgomery Advertiser, Oct. 1, 2007]

                    Everett Has Been Solid Performer

       Residents of Alabama's Second Congressional District--which 
     includes all of Autauga and Elmore counties and a portion of 
     Montgomery County--aren't prone to frequent changes in the 
     representative they send to Washington. A new representative 
     has been elected just twice in 44 years.
       Bill Dickinson won the seat in 1964, the year of the fabled 
     ``Goldwater sweep'' that saw five Republicans elected to 
     Congress from Alabama, something that would have been 
     unimaginable only a few years before. He held the seat until 
     1992, usually with ease, fending off only a handful of 
     significant challenges over the years.
       Dickinson retired from Congress that year and the Second 
     District, to the surprise of many observers, turned to Terry 
     Everett over two better-known candidates. Its voters have 
     elected him every two years since and likely would continue 
     doing so for some time to come.
       But they won't have the chance. Everett announced last week 
     that he would not seek another term in the House in 2008. At 
     70, he said he was looking forward to returning to his farm 
     in Rehobeth.
       The announcement set off a flurry of speculation and 
     exploration. Chances to run for an open congressional seat 
     are rare, so there surely will be no shortage of candidates 
     next year in a district that covers the Wiregrass area of 
     southeast Alabama, then curls upward to reach into Montgomery 
     County.
       There will be ample opportunity to consider those 
     candidacies in next year's campaigns. For now, Everett's 
     tenure in office deserves some reflection by those he has 
     represented since 1992.
       Everett, who previously owned a string of small newspapers, 
     was not exactly a household name when he began his bid for 
     the seat. Nor was he--nor did he ever become--a scintillating 
     campaigner. For those looking for a candidate to ignite an 
     audience or light up a room, Everett was never the guy.
       Yet Second District voters liked Everett from the start. 
     Something in his low-key, receptive manner and steadfast 
     common-sense conservatism resonated with them. He defeated 
     state Sen. Larry Dixon of Montgomery, long considered a 
     likely successor to Dickinson, in the Republican primary and 
     state Treasurer George Wallace Jr., then a Democrat, in the 
     general election.
       He would have opposition in future races, but never any 
     opponent of similar stature.
       Everett understood well the concerns of his district, where 
     military and agricultural issues are especially important. He 
     was a consistent supporter of the major military 
     installations in the district, Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base 
     in Montgomery and Fort Rucker near Ozark. Farmers had a 
     reliable advocate in Washington as well.
       A subcommittee Everett chaired uncovered and addressed 
     serious abuses in health care facilities for veterans. He 
     served for years on the House Intelligence Committee and is 
     now the ranking minority member. He observed wryly in an 
     interview with The Associated Press that ``some of the most 
     important work I've done I can't talk about because it was on 
     the Intelligence Committee.''
       Everett has served the district and the nation well. It 
     should be noted that he's not leaving office right away. 
     Indeed, he'll be there for more than a year. We are confident 
     that he will continue his steady, conscientious 
     representation during that time before entering an honorable 
     and well-earned retirement from public life.
                                  ____


               [From the Huntsville Times, July 27, 2008]

             Staunch Support for Defense, Space a Hallmark

       Over his 18 years in Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer 
     says his connection to defense, NASA and the Space Station 
     has been huge.
       ``In the early years, I had constant battles in defending 
     the Space Station and with protecting NASA,'' Cramer says. 
     ``We won those battles, but it took going member to member 
     asking for votes. It meant building support to preserve the 
     station. One of those victories was won by one vote.''
       In defense, early issues with the Redstone Arsenal arose 
     with the base military realignment--or BRAC-rounds. The 
     congressman says he immediately sought to tell the ``Redstone 
     story,'' often by showing its cooperatives with BRAC.
       Cramer also says there were a host of other developments, 
     like a weather station with NexRad radar. When the National 
     Weather Service intended to close its Huntsville office, the 
     congressman sought legislation to keep it open. After a 
     decade of uncertainty, Cramer helped secure $3 million in 
     startup money for a full service weather forecast office to 
     be located in the National Space Science and Technology 
     Center building on the University of Alabama campus in 
     Huntsville to serve an 11-county area.
       After a four-year battle, the congressman got the National 
     Weather Service to drop its plan to eliminate radar in 
     Huntsville. The radar was kept and Doppler radar was added.
       Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer says, ``Without question, 
     Congressman Cramer has been a stalwart in assisting the 
     growth of the Army and NASA in Huntsville. By be-

[[Page H9417]]

     ginning and continuing the National Children's Advocacy 
     Center in Huntsville, Bud continues to bring positive 
     recognition for our city.''
       Cramer was elected to Congress in 1990 after serving 10 
     years as Madison County's district attorney. He was re-
     elected to Congress eight times and is a strong children's 
     advocate, having founded the National Children's Advocacy 
     Center. In North Alabama, the congressman's support for 
     defense and aerospace industries is well-known. Part of his 
     economic development efforts is the Boeing Company rocket 
     plant.
       In the House of Representatives, Cramer is known as a 
     tireless supporter of the Space Station and a leading 
     advocate for spending increases in missile defense, 
     particularly with Huntsville long being a center for research 
     and development for both. Redstone Arsenal is located in the 
     Fifth District, as well as the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile 
     Command and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
       In 2002, when Cramer joined officials in breaking ground 
     for the world-class Propulsion Research Laboratory at 
     Marshall Space Flight Center, he commented on it representing 
     fortitude.
       ``The groundbreaking today represents years of hard work by 
     many people who are dedicated to making sure Marshall 
     continues to be the leading center for propulsion research in 
     the country. Securing funding for this world-class research 
     lab was one of my top priorities, and I was pleased to help 
     lead our Alabama delegation's efforts to make it a reality. 
     With this new facility, Marshall Space Flight Center will be 
     well-positioned to play a significant role in the future of 
     NASA.''
       Cramer worked to secure funding for the laboratory, 
     including $10 million for design and research equipment, and 
     another $20 million for construction. The facility's research 
     will aid advanced nuclear technology, alternate- and 
     combined-cycle engines, high-energy plasma engines, beamed-
     energy sails and antimatter propulsion systems.
       Building on the Huntsville area's high-tech growth, the 
     congressman called the area ``a natural place'' for the 
     laboratory and a fundamental move toward maintaining North 
     Alabama's excellence in propulsion.
       Two years later, when Cramer helped NASA officials cut the 
     ribbon at the laboratory, he also praised Sen. Richard Shelby 
     for his support for the lab.
       ``Since our space program's earliest days, North Alabama 
     has been a center of space propulsion expertise,'' he said. 
     ``With this new lab, the world-class propulsion experts right 
     here in North Alabama will be better prepared to tackle the 
     propulsion challenges facing NASA and the new Vision for 
     Space Exploration.''
       In June, Cramer continued his support of NASA with the 
     House of Representatives passage of the NASA Authorization 
     for fiscal year 2009. It authorizes $1.2 billion for programs 
     and an additional $1 billion for research and development of 
     space exploration vehicles, including the Orion Crew 
     Exploration Vehicle and the Ares 1 Crew Launch Vehicle, which 
     are being designed to replace the space shuttle.
       ``I am proud to support NASA and all of its field centers, 
     including North Alabama's Marshall Space Flight Center,'' 
     Cramer said. ``The authorization bill passed by the House 
     today gives NASA the resources it needs to sustain programs 
     and research initiatives that are critical to keeping America 
     at the forefront of space exploration. In North Alabama, our 
     space community is poised to continue its major role in 
     NASA's vision.''
       Cramer serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the 
     House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The 
     Appropriations Committee is in charge of spending for all 
     aspects of the federal government, including the U.S. 
     Department of Defense and NASA. Many of the critical jobs 
     performed by these two agencies are based in North Alabama. 
     Cramer was appointed to the House Intelligence Committee in 
     2002, which oversees defense and national security 
     intelligence issues.
       The congressman has been a strong, active supporter of the 
     space program. As one of NASA's top allies in Congress, he 
     fought for Huntsville's NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and 
     programs like the U.S. Space Station. For his outstanding 
     record of support for space exploration, Cramer received the 
     National Space Club's 2002 Von Braun Memorial Award for Space 
     Exploration.

  Mr. BONNER. Now, while I know others would like to speak, I think it 
is appropriate to pause and dedicate the balance of our time to 
recognizing these two outstanding individuals, outstanding public 
servants, sons of Alabama.
  Interestingly enough, they both serve on the Intelligence Committee. 
Bud had become a leader in the defense world on the appropriations 
side. Terry has been a leader in the defense world on the authorization 
side.
  Ironically, but probably not coincidentally, they both came to 
Congress having served their communities as Sunday school teachers and 
long-time community advocates.
  So for the balance of this time, I would like to yield first to my 
friend Congressman Bud Cramer, the dean of our delegation, and then to 
Congressman Everett.
  Mr. CRAMER. Joe Bonner, thank you. On behalf of this Alabama 
delegation, I appreciate your team membership with us. Even when you 
worked in Sonny Callahan's office, you were part of our delegation 
there, because, of course, Sonny was our team leader for a while there 
as well.
  As you and maybe the rest of the country doesn't know, there are only 
seven of us from the State of Alabama. When I came here in the year 
1990, I was broken into, introduced to the Alabama team, and understood 
pretty quickly that regardless of party label, we were one for the 
State of Alabama, and hopefully for the country as well.
  So it has been a pleasure to work with you, and I thank you for you 
taking the time tonight to allow folks to express these words of 
kindness for my service here, but particularly for my colleague Terry 
Everett.
  Terry Everett, this gives me the opportunity to say to you that I can 
think of no one I have enjoyed serving with more than you here, and I 
have many friends on both sides of the aisle. You and I are bookends in 
our State, you from the southeastern part of the State, I am from the 
north-central part of the State.
  But your service on the Armed Services Committee, and then eventually 
on the Intelligence Committee, I joined you there on the Intelligence 
Committee. The Congress may not know, but I am currently the chairman 
of a subcommittee on the Intelligence Committee called the Oversight 
and Investigations Subcommittee, a new subcommittee that was formed two 
Congresses ago. I was ranking member until this term of Congress, and 
now I am the chairman. You are the ranking member of that subcommittee. 
So it is interesting and ironic that Alabama has had kind of service on 
that committee, that we can't talk much more about, but it has been 
particularly important to the rest of the country as well.

                              {time}  2215

  I will miss you. I will miss Barbara as well--your wife, Barbara--
whom I came to know because I got to know you, and we're like family. 
That speaks well of the entire Alabama delegation.
  When we presented our Intel authorization bill on the floor earlier 
in the year, I was able to get a little more specific as Chairman 
Duncan Hunter was able to do tonight about your commitment to defending 
space and to making sure that this country's investment in space is 
preserved. I hope, in your next life, whatever that might be, that you 
continue your expertise in that area because you still have a lot to 
offer to the space intel community and to the defense community as well 
from your service right here in this remarkable arena.
  So I will miss you. I will miss this Alabama delegation. I will still 
be active with you, and will make sure that we, together, continue to 
look after the State of Alabama.
  I will yield back my time, but thank you, Jo Bonner.
  Mr. BONNER. Thank you, Bud.
  Terry, would you like to say a few words?
  Mr. EVERETT. Yes. Thank you very much, Jo.
  First of all, thank you for arranging for this to happen.
  Two of my favorite people and two of the nicest people I think I know 
in the House who I've never heard say an unkind word about anybody are 
Jo Bonner and Duncan Hunter. They're absolutely some of the top people 
who you could have leading this Nation and in this Congress.
  As for my friend Bud Cramer, I appreciate those kind remarks that 
you've given.
  Bud came here one term before I did. I've served with him now for 16 
years, and we have an awful lot of things in common. The Alabama 
delegation, as he referred to it, is a small delegation, but it's large 
in its dedication to the State and to getting things done. A great deal 
of that, being able to operate from a small delegation that does a lot 
of very good things for their State and for the district, is because of 
Bud Cramer's ability to reach across the aisle and work with people.
  Bud is correct. We have worked together. He is an appropriator and 
I'm an authorizer. Some of our key issues have been missile defense as 
well as

[[Page H9418]]

space. We've worked together an awful lot to make sure that that's 
represented well--and it is--up in Huntsville. In my estimation--and 
I've told Bud this before--in Huntsville, there should be one of our 
national labs. I mean what they do in Huntsville, Alabama for our 
missile defense and for our space activities is just outstanding. A 
great deal of that is because of Bud Cramer and his work on the 
Appropriations Committee and on the Intelligence Committee.
  He is the chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee 
on Intelligence, and he has done an outstanding job of moving things 
forward that have to be moved forward in that committee. It is just a 
real honor for me to be able to be his ranking member on that. I, too, 
think that it's good that Alabama has two Members who are in leadership 
positions on that particular committee.
  So, Bud, I want to thank you and I'll miss you. I've appreciated your 
friendship. I've appreciated your loyalty to this country, to the State 
and to your district, and I hope you stay connected. I know that you're 
one of the leading experts in a lot of these areas, and I really hope 
that you will stay connected to space. I certainly intend to stay 
connected to it.
  Thank you very much, Jo.
  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say thank you for allowing us 
to have this opportunity on behalf of the 433 other Members of Congress 
who are not here in person but who tonight, in some form or fashion, 
have expressed their love, their appreciation and their respect for the 
dedicated service of Bud Cramer and of Terry Everett.
  In closing, I just want to tell the people who might be listening in 
Kansas or in Wisconsin or in Florida or in California that this is an 
example of the best of America, of the best of two men who grew up in 
different times but in the same State, who came to Congress 2 years 
apart and who worked their hearts out to make their country a better 
place.
  As the son of an Alabama sharecropper and railroad foreman, Terry 
Everett knew hard times from the day he was born, never leaving his 
home area of Dothan and Midland City until he joined the Army following 
high school. He learned Russian. He served as an intelligence analyst 
in Europe. After his military service, he came back to his beloved 
Dothan and worked as a sports reporter. He then covered the police beat 
for the Dothan Eagle, eventually becoming a newspaper editor and 
publisher and eventually becoming an owner of several newspapers in 
southwest Alabama.
  Terry, on behalf of the people in Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, 
Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, 
Houston, Lowndes, Montgomery, and Pike Counties--635,000 people who 
have benefited from your 16 years of dedicated service--a heartfelt 
thanks for what you have done and for what you continue to do.
  Certainly, without equal, Bud Cramer was named just a few years ago 
by Money Magazine as one of America's best Congressmen. What a tribute 
and what a true statement at that.
  For a remarkable career, the people of Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, 
Limestone, Madison, Lawrence, and Morgan Counties owe a debt of 
gratitude for your outstanding 18 years of service, Bud.
  As the editorial staff of the Huntsville Times said it best, your 
record has been nothing short of remarkable.
  The Times Daily went on to say that he has shown that he can 
represent the people of his district while always considering the best 
interest of his Nation.
  These are two outstanding men who will leave Congress at the end of 
this session, but they will leave a lifetime of service.
  Bud, especially for you, in the area of child advocacy, you certainly 
are the national leader in that area.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I respectfully request the 
attention of the House to pay recognition to a dear friend across the 
aisle. My collegue, Representative Bud Cramer will retire after 
eighteen years of service to the people of Alabama's 5th District when 
this session adjourns.
  Congressman Cramer has been a pleasure to work with during my time in 
the House, and has contributed a great deal to the Alabama 
Congressional Delegation. His willingness to discuss issues across 
party lines speaks to his genuine concern for the well-being of his 
constituents. Congressman Cramer has been a strong, advocate for 
sensible legislation and has used his positions on the House 
Appropriations and Permanent Select Intelligence Committees to champion 
fiscally responsible programs.
  I would like to thank Congressman Cramer once more for his dedicated 
service. I have been honored to work with him over the past 6 years.
  Madam Speaker, I respectfully request the attention of the House to 
pay recognition to a dear friend and exemplary member of this body. My 
colleague, Representative Terry Everett will retire after 16 years of 
service to the people of Alabama's 2nd District when this session 
adjourns.
  Congressman Everett has been an invaluable resource for the Alabama 
Congressional Delegation. His experience and insight were a great help 
to me when I first came to Washington in 2002. As a member of the 
Agriculture, Armed Services, and Permanent Select Intelligence 
Committees, he has furthered the interests of the people of Alabama and 
the security of the United States.
  I would like to thank Congressman Everett once more for his dedicated 
service. He is a gentleman with the highest regard for duty and 
principle, and he will be dearly missed.
  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the time to the Chair.

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