[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 148 (Monday, December 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H8860-H8863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING CONGRESSMAN TOM LATHAM ON HIS RETIREMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2013, the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Idaho?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, we are here today under a Special Order 
because at this time of year--at the end of a session--we have Members 
that are retiring, Members that deserve recognition, and Members that 
other Members of the House would like to talk about for a few minutes.
  Today, we have one of the best that, unfortunately, is retiring at 
the end of this year. He is a gentleman that I have known since I came 
to Congress and have become good friends with. We have had many 
entertaining times.
  I am sorry to say that the thing that people in Washington are going 
to miss the most, probably, is a rendition of Roy Orbison duets by Mr. 
Latham and myself. I don't know how, but we certainly had fun with 
those at various events.
  Before I say anything else, I would like to yield to the gentleman 
from Iowa (Mr. Loebsack).

                              {time}  1700

  Mr. LOEBSACK. I thank the gentleman from Idaho, Mr. Simpson. I didn't 
know that you did ``Oh, Pretty Woman'' and all these other songs. I 
can't wait, Tom, to see you back in Iowa.
  Madam Speaker, it is really an honor for me to be up here tonight to 
speak for and about Tom Latham. When I got elected in 2006, Tom had 
been here for some time, not a long period of time, but for 12 years. I 
knew about Tom from what I had read. I didn't know him personally. I 
was one of those folks who came to Congress with no one expecting me to 
get here, so I didn't know that many folks in this body certainly 
before I got elected.
  When I got elected, one of the first things I did was try to find out 
as much as I could about Tom Latham and meet with Tom Latham and work 
with him on a number of issues because I knew he had a reputation for 
working across the aisle. I also knew that he was very good friends at 
the time with Mr. Boehner, who subsequently became Speaker of the 
House, so I knew it was probably in my interest to get to know Tom 
Latham if I wanted to get things done for Iowa, even though Speaker 
Pelosi took over when I came.
  My job since I have been here, I believe, has been to work with both 
sides of the aisle, and Tom Latham is a model, as far as I am 
concerned, for doing exactly that.
  When I first came, you know, we had a lot of tough issues to deal 
with here in the U.S. Congress, and one of the things that happened 
very early on when I first got elected was the issue of the National 
Guard came up, and I was on Armed Services. A lot of those Guard folks 
were being deployed multiple times, and it was very, very difficult for 
their families.
  A number of us recognized that what we needed to do was build 
facilities, more facilities, upgrade facilities, get rid of those old 
National Guard armories and replace them with readiness centers that 
would be there to train and equip our troops in the event that we had 
to send them overseas on a mission, which we did many, many times, and 
Iowans proudly have served over the years, over these many years, in 
Iraq and Afghanistan and other places.
  We needed to construct those facilities also for their families, for 
their spouses, and for their children. So on the Armed Services 
Committee I did what I could in terms of authorization to make sure 
that the funds were there, and on the Appropriations Committee, of 
course, what Tom Latham did was make sure that we had the funding to 
make sure that we built those facilities as well. So we were able to 
work on that issue together.
  Then when the floods, the great flood of 2008 hit across Iowa, but 
mainly across the eastern half of Iowa--and it would include a lot of 
Tom Latham's district--a lot of it included my district, about half the 
damage was in my district alone. But I worked with Tom, I worked with 
Steve King, Bruce Braley, and Leonard Boswell. We really did a great 
job working on a bipartisan basis to make sure that what we needed in 
Iowa we got. So we worked very hard on that.
  Then also on veterans issues. When we heard about the scandal in 
Phoenix, the first thing I did was I contacted Tom Latham and said, 
``Hey, we need to go to Des Moines together if that is okay with you. I 
know it is your congressional district--it is not mine--but let's go to 
Des Moines together and talk to the folks there about the Des Moines 
facility.''
  I have been to the VA facility in Iowa City in my district many, many 
times, but I wanted to go to Des Moines, and I wanted to go with Tom, 
and I knew that he would work together with me on that to make sure 
that everything

[[Page H8861]]

is right, and if it isn't right that we fix it.
  So he was very much open to that. He didn't hesitate for a second. 
That is the kind of person he is. That has been the kind of legislator 
he is, even at a time--and in this body we have seen a lot of ugliness 
over the years. It seems as though our politics in America has just 
gotten uglier by the day sometimes, and even in the middle of all that, 
when that has happened, Tom Latham has stood tall, he has stood proud 
as an Iowan. He has got a lot of common sense, like most Iowans do, and 
he works with the other side because he knows that the job is to get 
things done. That is what Tom Latham does. He has gotten things done.
  We are going to miss you, Tom, there is no question about that, and I 
think you know that probably better than we do. We are going to miss 
you. I know you have heard that from a lot of folks.
  Tom Latham, he is a humble Iowa guy, that is what he is. He has been 
able to get a tremendous amount done for his district, for my alma 
mater, Iowa State, before he lost that to Congressman King, and for any 
other number of folks in his congressional district over the years. I 
honor you. I honor Kathy. I am looking forward to seeing you later 
tonight, and thank you for everything, Tom. Farewell and good luck with 
whatever you end up doing.
  Mr. SIMPSON. I thank the gentleman from Iowa for his statement. Now I 
would like to yield to another gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King).
  Mr. KING of Iowa. I thank the gentleman from Idaho for yielding to 
the gentleman from Iowa. There are about four people on the floor right 
now that do know the difference.
  I rise today, Madam Speaker, to give a great message of gratitude and 
thanks to Congressman Tom Latham. I want to tell a little bit of the 
narrative about how this unfolds from the perspective of Iowa, and that 
is this: we are all politics all the time. There is no off season for 
us. You are always on season. When the Iowa caucuses emerge, there is a 
big focus on Presidential politics.
  If you are on the State Central Committee, you are in the middle of 
that arena. That is where I first met Tom Latham and first became aware 
of his commitment to the political arena and to conservatism. I would 
want to let the body know, Madam Speaker, that Tom Latham didn't come 
from a place that was a big magnificent megalopolis, unless you would 
want to describe Alexander, Iowa, with 160-some people, as a big 
megalopolis. 168 people would be the population of Alexander, Iowa, 
rooted in now a three-generation seed company, and rooted in the soil. 
I don't have to explain this to the people from either Idaho or Iowa, 
but all new wealth comes from the land, and it regenerates itself every 
year in the form of corn in our neighborhood and soybeans and potatoes 
in Mr. Simpson's neighborhood.
  When you see where their origin of wealth comes every year, and you 
see the families that came across the prairie and turned the sod for 
the first time and maybe built their house out of it and put their 
roots down into that soil, and then took the family farm that raised 
the wealth and boiled that out of there and over from the farm to the 
town to the city, and you see a family business with multiple brothers 
engaged in it, and three generations now, you know that they are tied 
to the heart of the heartland and the good of what is good about Iowa 
and America.
  That is what Tom Latham brought to the political arena from the State 
Central Committee to a primary and to the United States Congress in 
1994, and then catching that wave, that 1994 wave and being elected to 
the United States Congress 20 years ago.
  I take a look at him now, and I think he is no worse for wear. It is 
the same Tom Latham that came here 20 years ago that is going off into 
retirement today, or shortly here at the end of this Congress, and he 
hasn't lost his enthusiasm.
  Here is what I see--this is a Steve King perspective, Madam Speaker--
and that is that everybody that comes to this place has their own style 
and their own way of getting things done.
  But the people that have worked with Tom Latham for these years know 
that it isn't always an issue that is run up the flagpole. It doesn't 
come necessarily with lights and blaring horns, but it gets done. It 
gets done in a quiet way, it gets done, sometimes with just a slow 
persuasion. It gets done with building a network of people that want to 
help and want to get things done.
  So when I was elected to come to this Congress in 2003 and inherited 
a lot of the real estate that had formerly been represented and the 
constituents that had formerly been represented by Tom Latham, I 
noticed that there were ribbon-cutting ceremonies taking place in my 
district, and I wasn't necessarily the lead guy when it came to the 
ribbon-cutting because Tom Latham had laid the groundwork for that for 
years, and they knew it, and they still know it.
  The friends and the relationships that were built by doing a good job 
of representing constituents throughout those years are still there. 
They still exist. And it has been an easy thing for me to step into 
that neighborhood because they were well taken care of and well 
represented.
  So, now, after moving from Agriculture over to the Appropriations 
Committee, I would just remind the body that Tom Latham, today, is the 
only Iowa member on the House Appropriations Committee. He has done a 
good number of things with projects, not only the transportation 
projects, but the Iowa National Guard, ag, economic development, small 
business development, and he is currently chairman of the 
Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban 
Development, and Related Agencies, and he serves on the Appropriations 
Subcommittee for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug, and 
also on Homeland Security.
  That is an influential footprint in this Congress, and the people 
that arrive here as freshmen and sophomores recognize that.
  But I recognize, also, this man that is rooted in Iowa soil, who is 
the continuation of the family farm and the family business that relies 
upon the very foundation of our economy, that all new wealth comes from 
the land, and that there is a core of family and faith and neighbors 
and neighborhood that Tom Latham has brought to this Congress.
  Wherever he ends up in his retirement, we all want to congratulate 
him and say to Tom Latham, ``Congratulations, you have earned it. You 
have picked your time, you have done it your way.''
  There are only about three ways to leave this Congress: one of them 
is to get beat, one of them is to die in office, and the other one is 
to choose your time to retire.
  I am glad that you are fit and vigorous and prepared for a fit and 
vigorous retirement.
  But it wouldn't be appropriate, Madam Speaker, for me to conclude my 
portion of this without saying into this Congressional Record a deep 
and heartfelt thank you to Kathy Latham. It is from me personally, as 
well as, for a lot of reasons, across this Hill that with the work that 
she has done, you got, oftentimes, two for the price of one with Tom 
and Kathy Latham.
  She sacrificed a number of times and made my life easier and made 
things work better for Iowa, for the House of Representatives, and for 
this country, and I think that the best interests of all of us have 
always been what made the decisions in the Latham family, which, by the 
way, now ranks up in about the top three of Iowa political families.
  So pay attention, Madam Speaker, to the Latham family going forward. 
They are not done yet, but they do have a patriarch that is going to 
ride off into retirement.
  Thank you a lot, Tom Latham, for serving our country. God bless you.
  Mr. SIMPSON. I thank the gentleman from Iowa.
  Let me say, Madam Speaker, that Mr. King just mentioned the 
difference between Iowa and Idaho. I will tell you a funny story.
  When I was first elected, Tom had been here for 4 years. When I got 
elected, they used to have a function with a lot of the D.C. reporters 
and political reporters in town at the Washington Hilton, and they 
would select a freshman Republican and Democrat from both the House and 
the Senate to give little speeches, and they were supposed to be kind 
of funny speeches and stuff.
  So I didn't know what to do. They selected me as one of them. So I 
decided

[[Page H8862]]

that I was going to explain the difference between Iowa and Idaho 
because there is a difference. So I went through all the differences in 
Idaho and Iowa.
  Of course I recorded it, and I got home and turned it on to see how I 
had done. Underneath, and this is on C-SPAN, underneath it said, 
Congressman Mike Simpson, Republican, Ohio. So we not only get mixed up 
with Idaho and Iowa also, but also between Ohio and Idaho and Iowa. So 
that has always made it a little more challenging.
  But Tom and I have served together on the Appropriations Committee 
for, I guess the last 12 years that I have been on it, and he was on it 
before that. He has been, as was mentioned, the chairman of the 
Transportation Committee and chairman of the Energy and Water 
Committee, both committees very important to both Idaho and Iowa and to 
the country. We have been able to work cooperatively to try to address 
issues that affect the country and our respective States.
  The thing I have always noticed most about Tom, and both speakers 
have already mentioned it, is the way he works, the way he gets things 
done. I have always noticed that Tom takes the job that he was elected 
to do very seriously, but he never takes himself too seriously, which 
is an important characteristic, I think.
  Others have enjoyed working with him on both sides of the aisle. I 
have certainly enjoyed working with him. And again, we are going to 
miss him.
  At the end of the each session, some people, as Steve King mentioned, 
decide that it is time to retire, and Tom has decided that. Not only 
are we, in Congress, as friends, going to miss him but, frankly, the 
country is going to miss him.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Nunes).
  Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Idaho, my good 
friend. I just want to echo what you were saying, Mr. Simpson, that Tom 
Latham actually is a guy who came here, doesn't seek the limelight, but 
seeks to get things done.
  It is tough for me to say this about him because he is my good friend 
and he is going to rib me about this later. But he really does try to 
get things done. You don't see him running out to the TV, to the news 
shows. You don't see him running out holding press conferences. But 
what you do see is someone who works.
  I can tell you that when I first arrived here in Washington, Tom was 
one of the first people who came up to me and talked to me about--asked 
if he could help me in any way. He was a farmer from, obviously, the 
great State of Iowa, and he knew that I was a farmer from the great 
State of California. We shared what we had in common, and then he asked 
how he could be helpful.
  From day one, Tom has been one of my best friends here, and I don't 
think there has ever been a day that we have been in Congress that I 
haven't spoke to Tom. And then, we always talk over the time that we 
are not here also.

                              {time}  1715

  I have had numerous times when Tom has come out to California to 
visit my district and to do some good, quality work in meeting with 
some of my constituents. At the same time, in talking about Tom's work 
ethic, Tom has had me out to his district in Iowa several times. 
Typically, you think you are going to do a short, little meeting with 
some folks, but I can tell you that, when I went out there, Tom 
actually put me to work. We had to spend a full day working.
  I remember, Tom, that you put on a conference for all of your 
community leaders--your business leaders and your government leaders. 
You had people from all over the State of Iowa who came there for a 
full day's session about how your office, its being the last link to 
the Federal Government, could better serve your constituents.
  That is really what this is about, Madam Speaker. Tom worked very 
hard for his constituents. He didn't try to get press out of it, and he 
didn't try to make a big deal about it; but you could tell, when I was 
on the ground there--the several times I was there--that it was about 
working. It was about working with people, working with his 
constituents, and about trying to represent them here in Washington the 
best way that he could. I know the people of Iowa will miss him.
  I think you have represented almost the entire State of Iowa at one 
point or another.
  His district has moved around so much over the years.
  Tom's family, obviously, great people. His wife, Kathy, deserves a 
lot of praise for having to deal with him over all of these years that 
he has been in Washington, traveling back and forth. It takes a special 
person, and Kathy really is a special, special person to not only deal 
with Tom but also to put up with having to deal with the tough things 
that people say. Mr. Latham has been through many tough elections, and 
it takes a very tough person to have to deal with the things that come 
out in political campaigns, as we are all familiar with.
  I know Tom is very proud of his children and grandchildren, and I 
know that is part of the reason he is leaving us--because he has served 
his country, and he did the best that he could do for the time that he 
was here. I think he has a long tradition of serving the people of 
Iowa--just like his parents, who were community leaders in northern 
Iowa there, and also his brothers.
  I think you had at least one or two brothers who served with 
distinction in Vietnam, as I remember. I have met all of them, I think, 
over the years.
  Anyway, Madam Speaker, it is kind of a sad day for me to be down here 
on the floor of the House but also, I think, a happy day for Tom and 
his family because he will be able to spend time with his children and 
grandchildren, which we know, when we are here in Washington, is tough 
to do.
  Mr. SIMPSON. I thank the gentleman from California.
  The gentleman from California mentioned something that is very 
important that a lot of people don't realize: it takes a special 
individual and a special relationship with your spouse, be it husband 
or wife, to be able to serve in this place. Most people don't realize 
how many nights you spend away from your family when you are here. I am 
certain that with most spouses--when I look at mine and when I look at 
Tom's Kathy--this was not something that they had planned on when they 
got married. To be able to, I want to say, put up with that and the 
separation that it causes and the pressure it puts on a family is 
extremely difficult. Kathy is, truly, a person who is special and has 
put up with him for 20 years in the House and 39 years of marriage. She 
has really put up with him for a long time, and we are honored to have 
spouses like that who support us and keep us going.
  The reason I asked for unanimous consent at the first of this Special 
Order--for people to insert their comments--was that tonight is the 
White House Christmas reception for Members of Congress, so there are 
going to be a lot of people getting ready to go down to the White 
House. Now, one of those individuals who had some responsibilities 
tonight but who wanted to be here was the Speaker of the House, John 
Boehner, who is one of Tom's best friends. They have been together ever 
since I have come, and, consequently, I have been allowed to associate 
with him--I don't know why--but we have gotten along and have done some 
great things.
  We are going to miss Tom, but this process goes on. People will get 
elected--whether it is any of us--who will replace us, and they will 
step up to the plate and do the job. It is an amazing system that we 
have been given by our forefathers.
  At this point, I yield to my good friend from Iowa, Tom Latham.
  Mr. LATHAM. First of all, I will say ``thank you'' to Mr. Simpson--a 
great, great friend--for doing this this evening; to Mr. Nunes, who is 
still on the floor here; to Steve King and Dave Loebsack, who were down 
here. I am not going to sing--we will pass that by--but, again, thank 
you very, very much for the honor you have bestowed on me and for the 
kind words here tonight.
  Madam Speaker, I will just say the thing I will miss most are my good 
friends here. That part of it really is hard because it becomes an 
extended family over time--people whom you know, whom you work with, 
whom you trust on a day-to-day basis. I will miss that. Now, there is a 
lot of other stuff I won't miss here, but I will miss the personal 
relationships and friendships.

[[Page H8863]]

  Mr. Simpson mentioned the Speaker. I will just tell you that there is 
no one who could be a better friend and someone I owe so much to. John 
and Debbie Boehner, Kathy and I owe them so much. They are great, great 
friends. We love them, and we will continue that friendship as we will 
with all of the colleagues here we have come to know and love.
  Anyone who does this job for any period of time understands you are 
never going to be successful or accomplish anything without the great 
work of your staff. I have been blessed both in Iowa and here in 
Washington with tremendous people who have worked so hard for me, who 
have committed themselves to the people of Iowa--to the service to them 
and to this country. All of them are very, very special to me. One 
person, my chief of staff, James Carstensen, who happens to be in the 
Chamber tonight, has been with me since day one--actually, a year 
before I got elected, working on the campaign. So 21 years he has had 
to put up with me.
  Thank you very much.
  Thanks to all of the members of my staff. It has been a pleasure for 
me--a great, great honor to have the privilege of serving with them--
because we have all done it on a cumulative basis, and we have tried to 
do the best job possible for the people of Iowa.
  I have to say ``thank you,'' obviously, to the Iowans. As Mr. Nunes 
said, I have represented a lot of the State in having the different 
districts, starting with the Fifth District, then the Fourth District, 
and now the Third District--moving from northwest Iowa to northeast 
Iowa to southwest Iowa. It is the honor of my life to serve the people 
of Iowa and to have that opportunity to be their Representative in 
Washington to try to accomplish things for their good and for the good 
of the country. Again, I just say ``thank you.''
  Everybody who is in Congress knows the sacrifice of your family. My 
parents, who were such great role models for me, taught me so much. 
They are gone now. I have got four brothers and their families. I have 
my son, Justin; Lynnae; Emerson and Jack; my daughter Jennifer; her 
husband, Brian; and Keaton, Mason, and Carson; and my daughter Jill and 
her husband, Nick, and their son, Will. I love them, and what they have 
done to support me over the years is tremendous and will always be 
appreciated.
  Obviously, there is one person. You could never be successful if you 
didn't have the support of your spouse. Kathy has been just exceptional 
in putting up with all the back-and-forth--having two residences and 
having had to travel here and keep everything going at home while I am 
away. For the first 19 years we were married, I was on the road with 
our family business. For the last 20 years, I have been gone, being in 
Congress. So, obviously, her love and her support has meant everything 
in the world to me.
  Thank you, Dear.
  Let me just say, in closing, that it has been an amazing ride for 20 
years. For a kid, like Mr. Simpson said or Mr. King said, who grew up 
in Alexander, Iowa--who grew up on a farm outside of a big town of 168 
people--to come to Washington to be able to represent Iowa here is, 
obviously, a huge, huge honor from that background.
  I will honestly say to any Member listening, if you ever get to the 
point when you walk across the street and don't look up at that dome 
and get that chill up your spine about something much bigger than you 
are, you probably should go home. Now, I still get that chill, but I 
think it is time for me and my family to go a different course.
  I am extraordinarily proud to have served here. This is a great, 
great body. It is something that is an incredible institution. It is 
truly a slice of America when you come here and you meet the different 
folks and all you learn about this great country. Having to take into 
consideration a lot of different views and constituencies from all over 
the country is an amazing experience. I am very, very proud of that, 
and I will always feel that my time was well spent here. More so today 
I am excited about the future because we are going to have an 
opportunity to spend more time with the family--with Kathy, with the 
kids and grandchildren. We are going to be able to do some things we 
have never been able to do before. So I am proud of the past and am 
excited about the future, and I just thank God that I have had the 
opportunities I have had to grow up in a State like Iowa and in a 
community like I grew up in, with parents like I had and brothers and 
the support of the family.
  This is the greatest country in the world. It will always be because 
of our system of government. As hard as it is to get something done, it 
is very difficult, but it is the right way to do things, and we need to 
get back to everyone listening to each other. There is one thing I will 
say: I never learn a thing when I am talking. You learn things when you 
are listening to other folks. I think we should all, maybe, step back 
and listen to each other more, and I think, maybe, we would be better 
off.
  With that, I will just say ``thank you'' to everyone. It is a great 
country. God bless America. I am excited about the future.
  Mr. SIMPSON. I thank the gentleman.
  Again, Tom, we are going to miss you. We have become good friends. 
Don't become a stranger. You still have another week or two to serve 
before we sine die, and there are some important votes to cast.
  Now that you qualify for Medicare, I wish you and Kathy the best in 
the next part of this journey of life, and I am sure you will do 
fantastic. Make sure you get out to Idaho when you get an opportunity, 
and we will take some famous Idaho potatoes and some famous Iowa corn, 
and we will put them together with some steak and have a little 
barbecue.
  I thank you for your service to this institution, to the State of 
Iowa, and to the country. We will miss you.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________