[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 38 (Monday, March 14, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H1776-H1778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR ACCEPTANCE OF STATUE OF GERALD R. FORD
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend
the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 27)
providing for the acceptance of a statue of Gerald R. Ford from the
people of Michigan for placement in the United States Capitol.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:
H. Con. Res. 27
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring),
SECTION 1. ACCEPTANCE OF STATUE OF GERALD R. FORD FROM THE
PEOPLE OF MICHIGAN FOR PLACEMENT IN UNITED
STATES CAPITOL.
(a) In General.--The statue of Gerald R. Ford furnished by
the people of Michigan for placement in the United States
Capitol in accordance with section 1814 of the Revised
Statutes of the United States (2 U.S.C. 2131), is accepted in
the name of the United States, and the thanks of the Congress
are tendered to the people of Michigan for providing this
commemoration of one of Michigan's most eminent persons.
(b) Presentation Ceremony.--The State of Michigan is
authorized to use the rotunda of the Capitol on May 3, 2011,
for a presentation ceremony for the statue accepted under
this section. The Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol
Police Board shall take such action as may be necessary with
respect to physical preparations and security for the
ceremony.
(c) Display in Rotunda.--The Architect of the Capitol shall
provide for the display of the statue accepted under this
section in the rotunda of the Capitol, in accordance with the
procedures described in section 311(e) of the Legislative
Branch Appropriations Act, 2001 (2 U.S.C. 2132(e)).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren) and the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Woolsey) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution
27, providing for the acceptance of a statue of Gerald R. Ford from the
people of Michigan for placement in the United States Capitol.
President Gerald R. Ford was a distinguished Member and minority
leader of this Chamber, a man of the House. He was Vice President of
the United States and our 38th President. A proud citizen of the great
State of Michigan, President Ford served this Nation at a time of great
national pain and turmoil. He ably served and helped us heal our
wounds.
This resolution allows, at the direction of the people of Michigan,
the Rotunda to be used for a ceremony in President Ford's honor on May
3 of this year. It also allows for the statue to be permanently
displayed as part of the prestigious and historic national Statuary
Hall collection.
Mr. Speaker, this concurrent resolution, introduced by my colleague
from Michigan (Mr. Upton) and cosponsored by the other members of the
Michigan delegation, should garner overwhelming bipartisan support. So
I thank Mr. Upton for introducing it, and I urge all my colleagues to
support H. Con. Res. 27.
House of Representatives,
Committee on House Administration,
Washington, DC, March 10, 2011.
Hon. John Boehner,
Speaker of the House, House of Representatives, Washington,
DC.
Dear Speaker Boehner: I write to formally notify you that
the Committee on House Administration hereby waives further
committee consideration of H. Con. Res. 27, providing of the
acceptance of a statue of Gerald R. Ford from the people of
Michigan for placement in the United States Capitol, in order
that the resolution may proceed expeditiously to the House
floor for consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel E. Lungren,
Chairman.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, Gerald R. Ford, Republican of Michigan, served as a
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 to 1973 and also
served as House minority leader from 1965 until he was nominated by the
President and confirmed by Congress to serve as President Richard
Nixon's Vice President. Representative Ford was a highly respected
Member who was well-liked by his colleagues. He was the first person
actually selected to fill a vacancy in the Vice Presidency under
provisions of the 25th Amendment.
Upon President Nixon's resignation in 1974, Mr. Ford assumed the
Presidency and served until January 20, 1977. He is the only person to
have served as President without first having won a national election.
Mr. Speaker, Title 2 of the United States Code allows each State to
have no more than two statues of their choosing to represent their
State in the national Statuary Hall collection in the U.S. Capitol. The
Ford statue, like that of other former U.S. Presidents, will be
displayed in the Capitol Rotunda following the presentation ceremony on
May 3, 2011.
H. Con. Res. 27 follows the customary practice of accepting the
statue into the collection and setting the date for use of the Rotunda
for the ceremony. I urge all Members to support this resolution.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege
to yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr.
Upton) and the original sponsor of this resolution.
Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I certainly rise this afternoon in support of
this resolution which authorizes the placement of a statue of President
Gerald R. Ford in the Capitol Rotunda, with an unveiling ceremony which
is set for May 3.
I'm pleased that this resolution has garnered the support of the
entire Michigan delegation who have lent their names as original
cosponsors. This is a testament to President Ford's high esteem among
Michiganders and Americans of all political stripes.
As one who has the honor and privilege of representing some of the
very
[[Page H1777]]
same people in southwest Michigan that President Ford did during his
tenure in the House--and I would note that Mr. Huizenga is going to
speak after me, and he represents some of the same areas; certainly Mr.
Amash from Michigan has some of that same district and, I believe, Mr.
Camp as well--it gives us pleasure to witness this fitting tribute to
Michigan's native son.
President Ford is a Michigan original and a model for all those
called to public service. A seemingly ordinary American who
unexpectedly found himself in the Presidency at one of our Nation's
most tumultuous times, President Ford led with honesty and integrity.
By standing above the political fray, he allowed a wounded Nation to
heal.
And I would just note that before he lay in state in the Capitol, his
coffin actually passed through this Chamber on the way to lie in state
in the Rotunda, and it is fitting for Michigan to bring his statue here
and for us to pass this resolution.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I have the honor to yield such time as he
may consume to the dean of the Democratic Caucus, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Dingell).
(Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. DINGELL. I thank the distinguished gentlewoman from California
for her kindness in yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be one of the sponsors of the
legislation before us. I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 27, a
resolution providing for the acceptance of a statue of the Honorable
Gerald R. Ford from the people of Michigan for placement in the United
States Capitol. It is an honor to be lead sponsor on this resolution
with my dear friend and colleague across the aisle, Mr. Upton. It is a
fitting tribute to the bipartisanship and the decency that Gerald Ford
espoused as a Member of the Congress for 25 years, and then as Vice
President and then President of the United States, that the resolution
has the support of the entire Michigan delegation and of the people we
in the Michigan delegation serve here in the Congress.
The people of Michigan chose a fine President, wise legislator, and a
decent and extraordinary man to serve as one of the two statues
representing the people of Michigan in the United States Capitol.
Millions of people each year will have the privilege of viewing the
statue and be reminded of the thoughtfulness, courage, and sincerity
with which he led the Nation during his Presidency. Indeed, much like
today, President Ford took office at a time of divisiveness and
uncertainty, and he helped to heal our Nation and to bring us together.
{time} 1720
I was fortunate to serve with President Ford in the House of
Representatives. And though we disagreed on many issues, I was always
able to say that I and my colleagues here respected President Ford for
his decency, and for his ability and desire to bring all people
together at the table and to form consensuses across the aisle. When he
became President, the Congress helped work with him to enact a number
of bipartisan laws, such as the Privacy Act, the Federal Elections
Campaign Act, the Housing and Community Development Act, which
established the Community Development Block Grant program, and many
others.
President Ford and I worked particularly closely during his
presidency on energy matters. He was an honorable man whose word was
good, and his administration always kept in mind the best concerns and
the best interests of the people of the United States. During that
administration, we passed the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of
1975, EPCA, which established the Nation's first fuel-economy
standards.
At a time when our country is deeply divided, I am pleased to have
this moment to reflect on Gerald Ford's legacy. He never abandoned his
beliefs, and he never based his decisions on anything except the best
interests of the Nation. He once said that ``our great Republic is a
government of laws, not men.'' It is wise that we should remember these
good words and pay tribute to Gerald R. Ford by accepting his statue in
the halls of this great institution. I urge my colleagues to join me in
voting for this resolution.
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, at this time I
yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from the State of
Michigan (Mrs. Miller).
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of this House Resolution
that is going to help put a statue of President Gerald R. Ford in the
United States Capitol Rotunda.
Mr. Speaker, before I came to the Congress, I had the great honor and
privilege of serving as Michigan's secretary of State. And sort of an
odd appendage of that job was serving as our State's official
historian, so we did all the historic markers. I tried to get around
the State of Michigan to go to some of the dedications, particularly
the ones that I thought were so outstanding. I recall with such a great
amount of pride having the historic marker dedicated for Gerald Ford's
boyhood home. A couple of young people had bought the home and
completely refurbished it to the period when Gerald Ford was there. And
so we are standing there on the porch of his boyhood home in Grand
Rapids, and there was a very large crowd assembled of family, friends,
neighbors, and others that were there to see the President, who came,
both the President and Mrs. Ford came that day.
I had just gotten elected as the secretary of State, and here I was
introducing him to this crowd of people there. He couldn't have been
more humble and more enjoyable to listen to because he was talking
about playing football out in the streets there, and how much he
enjoyed that and the rough and tumble of playing football then. And of
course then he went on to a couple of national championships at the
University of Michigan. Go Blue!
But from there, you think about where he came from and what he
achieved in his life, and really I think the humility and the honor
that he had that took him from playing football, from those streets to
a couple of national championships, and then to a historic and very
remarkable and impactful legislative career, serving here in this
House, in this Chamber, and then on to be the Vice President of the
United States, and then the President of the United States. It is
really an American story. It's just an American story, a true American
success story.
President Ford took over the presidency at a time when our Nation was
reeling from the nightmare of Watergate, looking for somebody to give
us some stability, some normalcy during those terrible times when the
honor and the dignity of the Office of the President had been so
severely damaged. And he managed to repair America's faith, I think, in
our leaders because he was so clearly an honest man, a true American
patriot, an honorable man. He was the right leader at a very difficult
time in our Nation's history. He reflected so well the humble and the
patriotic, honest people of the great State of Michigan.
So, Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution. I think
this statue of President Gerald Ford joining the other statues in
Statuary Hall is certainly a fitting and appropriate thing. It reflects
the will of the people of Michigan and I think is an honor that is long
overdue to President Gerald R. Ford.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes
to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga).
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. I appreciate the chairman, the gentleman
from California, allowing me this opportunity to speak in favor of
House Continuing Resolution 27.
Mr. Speaker, this is a special opportunity for me, as a freshman
Member of this body, in many different ways. First and foremost, it's
special to me because growing up in west Michigan, my hometown of
Zeeland was represented by the gentleman who went from Congressman to
Vice President to President Ford at various times. And my father, who
was a city councilman for many, many years during that time, actually
had an opportunity to work with him and have a bit of a relationship.
So I grew up around the dining room table with this lore about
[[Page H1778]]
Gerald Ford and what it meant to be involved and to give back to your
community.
The second reason why it was very important to me was because of that
time and that era. Being born in 1969, some of my earliest memories
surrounded that turmoil of Vietnam and of Watergate, and of that time
when, at the time then-Congressman Ford becoming Vice President and
then becoming President of the United States. It very much shaped me as
I was interested in the political process.
The third thing that really makes this special to me was, later on,
just prior to this, I was granted the privilege of serving my community
in the Michigan House of Representatives, where I voted to replace
Zachary Chandler, who had been a Governor, and the statue that
represented him, I voted to replace that with Gerald Ford. Now this was
absolutely nothing against Governor Chandler. He was a great man in and
of himself at the time. He was an abolitionist, fought against slavery,
and many other things. But we felt this was such a special opportunity
to grant to President Ford. So it was really an honor to be able to do
that.
The other couple of things that make this special for me is, I had
the opportunity to attend his funeral here at the National Cathedral.
It was a very moving time. It was especially interesting to see people
from both sides of the aisle talk about him with such respect and the
way that he handled himself as such a gentleman. Even though he was
tough, he came in and did it in a very respectful way. And I thought
that was a true honor. I then that same day flew back to Grand Rapids
and was able to pass in front of his casket at the Gerald R. Ford
museum in downtown Grand Rapids, where there were literally hours and
hours and hours of lines. I literally stood in line for over 4 hours at
midnight as this line, through the entire night, snaked past his casket
to pay honor and respect. Then the next day, as the burial was
happening, crowds of tens of thousands of people literally lined the
streets in honor of this man and Mrs. Ford as well.
And now we arrive at this point, the true honor of being able to be
in this body, to have been an original cosponsor of this legislation,
to be able to be here to witness the placing of this statue here in
this great Capitol, a place where his heart really lied, a place where
he served as minority leader for a number of years in this very
Chamber. And it's truly an honor to be here and to be a part of this
historic time. We are so thankful that we can pay honor and respect to
this wonderful man who served his country nobly.
{time} 1730
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this resolution.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, President Ford was a wonderful person, as everyone has
said here. He was a remarkable man. And one of the most remarkable
things about him was the humility with which he carried himself through
his entire life.
An All-American football player, he was criticized for being clumsy
by the national press at times, when in fact it was because he had a
trick knee as a result of injuries that he suffered. But he never
complained about that.
I'd like to just mention one little anecdote that I think brings to
the attention of people what a genuine person he was. We all know that
President Ford took a rather controversial, and I would say courageous,
act in granting a pardon to President Nixon because he thought it was
best for this country.
Now, some time thereafter, my father actually happened to be the
physician attending to former President Nixon when he was suffering
from his phlebitis attack which led to a near-death occasion while he
was at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.
President Ford heard about that, and President Ford was en route to
California, and he immediately summoned his aides to him on Air Force
One and said, I want to go visit Richard Nixon. His staff replied, Mr.
President, we would advise against it. You've already received
political heat for pardoning Mr. Nixon. And a personal visit like this
would draw attention to that, and we would recommend against it.
In response, Gerald Ford said, Richard Nixon is my friend; he is in
trouble. I want to see him.
So his aides then said, well, Mr. President, perhaps he is not well
enough to see you. And President Ford said to his staff, call his
doctor, call Pat Nixon, ask whether it would be good for me to visit
him, and I will abide by their decision.
They called up and talked to Mrs. Nixon, who then called my dad and
asked whether it would be a good idea. And my dad said it might be the
best thing for his health that could happen. And when that was told to
Gerald Ford, he said, make it happen. And he did. He came and he
visited Richard Nixon at the hospital. After it was over, he turned to
his aide, his Chief of Staff, Dick Cheney, and said, that's as close to
death as I've ever seen anybody, because President Nixon was very, very
sick at the time.
My dad called me up after that was over and said, this was a
wonderful visit. It will help the health of President Nixon. And then
he said to me, this--probably politically incorrect to say today, but
my dad said, That President Ford, he's a real man's man. What he meant
by that was he was a genuine person who, irrespective of the political
consequences, decided to go forward with what most people would
consider to be a genuine act of friendship, trying to help a friend in
need, a friend who was in difficulty and, in fact, almost on the
doorstep of death.
But that was Gerald Ford. He acted the way we would all hope that we
would act, without concern for the consequences politically. Gerald
Ford was, in fact, a man's man.
Mr. Speaker, I would urge our colleagues to support this resolution
so that we might have the presence of Gerald Ford's statue here in our
Nation's Capitol so that generations from now children can come and
visit and ask questions about who that man, President Ford, really was,
and perhaps they will get the real picture.
Mr. AMASH. Mr. Speaker, President Ford served the State of Michigan
and the United States with distinction during a time of immense
upheaval. Placing a statue of President Ford in the Capitol is a great
tribute and is well earned.
I admire President Ford's willingness to take principled stands for
what he believed was right, even if those decisions were unpopular at
the time. I am honored to represent the same district that President
Ford served, and I will continue to strive to live up to his principled
example.
Thank you to the people of Michigan for providing this statue. It is
my hope that this statue will serve as a symbol of political courage to
future Capitol visitors.
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res.
27.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand
the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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