[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 14, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H1568-H1569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING MARCY KAPTUR AS THE LONGEST SERVING WOMAN IN THE HOUSE OF 
                            REPRESENTATIVES

  (Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker. I rise to wholeheartedly agree 
with the Democratic leader. I am not sure I have ever said that before. 
Look, this is truly an impressive milestone.
  I have got to say, Marcy, the lawmaker that you are surpassing, Edith 
Nourse Rogers, famously summed up her time in office by saying this: 
``The first 30 years are the hardest. . . . You start it, and you like 
the work and you just keep on.''
  Marcy, you have certainly kept on. The leader mentioned it, the World 
War II Memorial. This started in 1987 as an exchange that you had with 
a veteran at a fish fry back in Jerusalem Township in your district. I 
mean, it took, what, 6 years to get a bill into law, then another 11 
years to get the memorial built? That certainly is what it looks like 
when you are keeping on.
  Now, Marcy and I served together on the Budget Committee. What 
serving together on the Budget Committee

[[Page H1569]]

means is, between the two of us, we pretty much disagreed on everything 
we talked about on the Budget Committee.
  But I have got to say, I have always had great respect for how you 
engage in the battle of ideas and how you stay true to your principles, 
and you do it in such an uplifting way.
  Passion is not hard to find in our politics today. There are no two 
ways about that. But passion sustained over a long time, over the long 
haul, without fail, takes an enormous amount of commitment.
  No matter which side of the aisle we are on, we can all take 
something from your example. You have been a tireless advocate for your 
principles, your point of view, and you have done it with honor and 
distinction. And that is a phenomenal example for all of us.
  It is truly fitting that this is happening during Women's History 
Month as well. But this milestone, I would say, is not so much about 
days served; it is a testament to the endless possibilities that are in 
front of us.
  I think of my own daughter, Liza, who was elected vice president of 
her class last year, which goes to show that at least somebody in our 
family can get elected to vice president.
  Her generation is just so fortunate to have all these pioneers to 
look up to, to have stories to hear from and to learn from; whether it 
is Marcy Kaptur or Nancy Pelosi, our first woman Speaker of the House; 
or Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the longest-serving conference chair since 
my mentor Jack Kemp; or Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Hispanic woman 
ever elected to Congress; or Elise Stefanik, the youngest woman ever 
elected to this Congress. Every day we get to work with leaders who are 
making history and inspiring generations now and to come.
  So, Marcy, thank you for keeping on for all 12,858 of these days. 
Thank you for your service. Congratulations on this great distinction 
and honor.

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