[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 11, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6104-H6107]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING CONGRESSWOMAN ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the gentlewoman from

[[Page H6105]]

New York (Ms. Tenney) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of 
the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on my 
Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to stand here with my colleagues 
to honor our friend and our great colleague, Representative Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen, who will be retiring at the end of the 115th Congress after 
more than 35 years in public service.
  I know I speak for everyone on both sides of the aisle when I say 
that we will sincerely miss Ileana's bright smile, strong leadership, 
and fierce advocacy for her constituents.
  Today, we look back on her service with gratitude. We recognize her 
commitment to human rights, providing equal opportunity to all, 
supporting public education and especially our Nation's veterans. We 
recall our memories of her great sense of humor and wish her a fond 
farewell as she begins her next journey in life.
  Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen broke through barriers, becoming 
the first Hispanic woman to serve in the Florida statehouse and senate, 
later rising to become the first woman to chair the House Committee on 
Foreign Affairs. Her record of service is beyond reproach.
  At the age of 8, Ileana's family fled the oppressive communist regime 
of Fidel Castro in Cuba. This life-changing experience has guided her 
journey in public service and led her to remain committed to protecting 
human rights.
  Although I haven't had the opportunity to serve as long as other 
Members alongside Ileana, the time I have spent serving with her has 
been inspirational and an incredible honor.
  One of my great memories with Ileana was a congressional delegation 
where we traveled to South Korea, Taiwan, and India to study the issues 
impacting the region and our Nation's relationship with our important 
allies in Asia. Together, we met with U.S. servicemen and -women near 
the demilitarized zone in South Korea. Then, later on, we were received 
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Tibetan community in exile in 
Dharamshala, India.
  During our trip, Ileana shared with me her experience in Cuba and her 
family's struggle and journey to the United States. Although the 
struggle facing the Tibetan people is different than the suffering the 
Cubans faced under the Castro regime, Ileana has applied her experience 
and firsthand knowledge on human rights issues, including Tibetan 
autonomy and Taiwanese independence, which were highlighted on our 
trip.
  While on the visit, Ileana was presented with a sash for the Order of 
the Propitious Clouds, with a special grand cordon for her significant 
contributions to strengthening U.S.-Taiwan relations.
  I thought it would be fun to share a cute story about Ileana. As we 
were getting ready to give her this great award as the Propitious 
Cloud, the Taiwanese Government officials were placing her sash that 
she received on her. As they were adjusting it and putting it on her, 
she was so funny. She said: ``I haven't been through this since I was 
Miss America,'' which I thought was really cute.
  She worked as a teacher and a principal in the Miami-Dade County 
schools. She saw firsthand stories of financial hardship, which 
eventually inspired her to run for office.
  Throughout her time in Congress, she passed legislation that helped 
thousands of teenagers go to college, and she fought for LGBTQ rights. 
Ileana has a servant's heart and was a champion of issues that were of 
importance to her and the people of Florida.
  Although Representative Ros-Lehtinen may be retiring from her post in 
this Chamber, we know that she will continue to look for ways to serve 
the State and country she so dearly loves.
  Today, we join with her team and her family in recognizing her many 
years of service. We all wish Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, her husband, 
four children, and five beautiful grandchildren all the best in the 
next chapter.
  For me personally, it was a deep honor to work with someone so 
committed to the greater good. The State of Florida, the United States, 
and countries throughout the world facing oppression are a better place 
because of Ileana's fierce advocacy and commitment to our most 
vulnerable.
  I am joined today by some of my colleagues, although we changed our 
time. We will be getting to people as soon as we can. A number of 
colleagues wanted to be here, and, hopefully, they will catch up with 
us, those people who worked with Ileana over the years and even had 
more time with her.
  I see in the Chamber we now have Congressman Charlie Crist, who will 
be getting up and saying a few nice things about Ms. Ileana and may be 
reflecting on his probably extensive experience serving side by side 
with her as a Representative in Florida.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Charlie 
Crist, my colleague.
  We are going to stand side by side for this one. Ileana would love 
it.
  Mr. CRIST. Mr. Speaker, this is very bipartisan. First, I thank Ms. 
Tenney for putting this together. It is wonderful of the gentlewoman to 
do that.
  Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to say a few words about Ileana, what 
everybody knows. I am sure Mr. Gaetz will echo this, too. Just a 
wonderful lady, a great public servant, a heart of gold, and always 
with a smile on her face. Around this place, that is very uplifting and 
wonderful to see.
  I wanted to come down here and testify, if you will, on her behalf.

                              {time}  1845

  What a wonderful shining light she really is. So, again, I thank 
Claudia for organizing this and putting this together. It is great of 
her to do so.
  And, Ileana, if you are watching, God bless you and your wonderful 
family, and I know your future is going to be very, very bright. Thank 
you so much.
  Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman so much for his 
comments. I appreciate it.
  I am a new Member, and the Congressman from Florida (Mr. Crist) is 
also a new Member, but we have been touched by Ileana. And part of the 
way I got to know her was through 1-minute speeches, which you all see 
us do on the floor of the House. We sit down in the front row. She is 
kind of the queen of 1 minutes. She gets to have position A on our 
side, and no one dares to sit in Ileana's seat, although she is the 
most loving, kind person you could ever meet. That is how I got to know 
her.
  She got me so excited and inspired about coming to Asia and joining 
with her and kind of taking on her love and her portfolio on human 
rights, particularly helping the people in Taiwan, and especially 
fighting for the Tibetan Government in exile in Dharamshala, India, 
with the Dalai Lama.
  It was such an honor for me to actually go to Dharamshala with Ms. 
Ros-Lehtinen and to be able to meet the Dalai Lama and sit there with 
him for an hour as he entertained us. He was really charming and just 
an incredible inspiration not only to the Tibetan people, but also to 
the world.
  And we are now joined by our terrific colleague, the boy Congressman, 
our great freshman Representative from Florida's First District, Matt 
Gaetz. We are honored to have him.
  I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gaetz).
  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York for 
yielding, and I also thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from Florida, 
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for her lifetime of service.
  Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was my State Representative the day I was born. 
This is a fact she does not frequently like being reminded of, but it 
shows the duration and the level of her commitment to the community in 
south Florida, to the country, and to the world.
  What I always remember Ileana's service for is the commitment that 
she had to vulnerable people. Whether it was children who were in need 
of good schools or seniors in need of hospice care, Ileana could always 
be counted on to fight for the vulnerable, for those who might not have 
the fancy lobbyists

[[Page H6106]]

or the powerful special interests in their corner. But when Ileana was 
in someone's corner, they had a pretty good chance to be successful, 
whether it has been in the Halls of Congress or in our State capital in 
Tallahassee.
  I am perhaps most moved by the role model that Ileana has set for 
women all over the world. Recently, I had the opportunity to travel 
with Ileana to Jordan, where there are the initial sprout-ups of 
democracy. Ileana met with young women who had an interest in the 
political process, running for office, campaigning, organizing in their 
neighborhoods and in their communities for a better life.
  They were able to bear witness to this amazing American lady who had 
done so much, who had broken through so many barriers. It showed, 
through her life, the great potential that women have all over this 
world to be able to make such a meaningful contribution to their 
governments and to their communities.
  For all Floridians, and particularly those in south Florida who have 
benefited from Ily's great service, I just want to thank her, thank her 
family.
  I want to wish my friend, Dexter Douglas, Ileana's spouse, the best 
of luck in all the extra time he will have with Ily. I know they are 
looking forward to spending time with their children and grandchildren, 
and I look forward to Ileana's next chapter because I know that, even 
in her retirement from the Congress, she will never stop fighting for 
vulnerable people in my State, in our country, and all around the 
world.
  Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Gaetz for his absolutely perfect 
description of Ileana as a champion of human rights and the most 
vulnerable.
  I would just like to mention her husband, Dexter. I haven't had the 
honor to meet him, but we talked about him quite a bit. Obviously, 
traveling to Asia, we had a lot of long flights, and it is really such 
an honor for me as a freshman Member--and you heard from me and 
Congressman Gaetz, Congressman Crist, two freshmen Members, and now 
three who are just so inspired by Ms. Ros-Lehtinen.
  Now I am so honored to also invite one of our great women leaders in 
the U.S. Congress, Mrs. Barbara Comstock, Congresswoman Barbara 
Comstock, to say a few words about Ileana. She has had a little more 
time to serve, but we are so honored to have our great Representative 
from Virginia.
  I yield to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock).
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about our wonderful 
colleague, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and who I was first privileged to meet 
when I was a staffer here in Congress in the 1990s.
  She has gracefully served the people of Florida's 27th District since 
1989, and she embodies the type of success story that people think of 
when they think of people, wherever they come from all over the world, 
who come here to the United States.
  At just 8 years old, she escaped the brutal regime of Fidel Castro 
with her family to come to America in pursuit of a better life, to a 
place where she and her family could find success, and certainly they 
have found that. But she has never forgotten where she came from and 
always fought for the oppressed all around the world and those less 
fortunate.
  So she was not only the first Hispanic woman in Congress who fought 
for all of the things that we have been illuminating here, but she was 
the first--she had many firsts here, but the first chairwoman of the 
Foreign Affairs Committee, where she was able to take that experience 
that she had at 8 years old and now, really, bring it all around the 
world and to be able to bring that kind of heart that we know Ileana 
has.

  Every bit of her heart is matched by a wonderful sense of humor. And 
you know when you see Ileana on the floor, or wherever you see her 
anywhere, she is cheerleading for everybody. She is fighting for 
everybody, and she is always happy. She is here with her grandchildren, 
and she is just a joyful person. We will miss that great smile of hers.
  She has been a mentor here to so many women. When she was first here 
in Congress, there were not many Republican women; and certainly as the 
first Hispanic woman, she was the first Republican Hispanic woman, 
also. So she was a great mentor for those of us who were staffers at 
the time, which is how I was first privileged to meet her. And she has 
taken this calling to heart as a public servant and has always done the 
best for her constituents.
  She is a woman of great honor, a devoted wife, mother, and 
grandmother. She has changed this Congress and our colleagues for the 
better. She is someone for whom we join together in the Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen fan club. And there are, I think, pretty close to 435 Members 
you could have for that fan club.
  We will miss her insight, her intellect, her graciousness, and, as I 
said, her sense of humor and her passion for representing her 
constituents, representing the oppressed, and representing human rights 
all around the world.
  Ileana, it has been a pleasure to serve with you--first as a staffer, 
now, for these past 3\1/2\ years as a Member of Congress where you were 
such a great mentor, and all of us know you will continue to serve your 
community even when you leave here in Congress. We know that is in your 
heart, and we know you will always be a woman who gives to others, and 
we are so proud to have been able to serve here with you in Congress. 
God bless.
  Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, we really appreciate Ms. Comstock's kind 
words.
  And now Barbara is my mentor, as well as one of the early women 
Republicans who has been an inspiration and a hard worker and really 
instrumental in coming up with great legislation and really leading our 
communities.
  One of the great honors, I got to be with Ileana, actually, in, as I 
said, the Tibetan Government in exile.
  I know we have a couple of Members we are waiting to come in. We had 
to change our time, but we have another Member. Before we get to him, I 
just want to say a couple of things.
  I got to travel to the amazing Tibetan Government in exile, and, 
obviously, to meet the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, India, and was 
greeted by amazing students. It was just a life-changing experience, 
and to be able to go there with Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, our wonderful 
Congresswoman.
  We were able to get these scarves. I am going to wear this in honor 
of Ileana. It is called the khata, and it is a Tibetan Buddhist scarf. 
When you are handed this scarf, the words are ``tashi deley,'' which 
the children in Tibet and everyone greets you with when you go there. 
It is such an amazing experience. I want to wear this scarf in honor of 
Ileana.
  And, also, I might add, it is very long, and Ileana is not as tall as 
I am, so we had to fold her scarf up a couple of times so she wouldn't 
drag it on the floor.
  But it was such a beautiful memory to be able to receive this scarf 
and to know how important her advocacy has been on behalf of the 
Tibetan people, who have been suffering under an oppressive regime in 
Beijing that has really bullied this amazing community and left them in 
exile in India, and her fight to bring the Tibetan people back to their 
home country some day.
  We are going to continue on that front, and I hope to carry on the 
tradition and carry on the fight, as Ileana has, with compassion and 
with courage and the inspiration that we received from so many.
  Now it is my great honor to yield to my colleague from California 
(Mr. LaMalfa) to say a few words about our great leader, Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen.
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Tenney, my good friend from New 
York, as well, for leading this night and for this tribute. It is well 
deserved for the great friend Ileana is and a great friend to us here, 
as well as an amazing Member for her district, for representing her 
people with energy and with all that it takes to be effective for the 
many years that she did so. And so you saw that level of energy here in 
this place and in our Conference.
  I was always pleased to be able to work with her on issues, but just 
seeing her for a minute each time because she would--Claudia talked a 
little bit about the height disparity, so for her and me, it is quite 
something else. But she would always come up to me. And me coming from 
a ranching background and farming background in

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northern California, I have always got these cowboy boots on. So I just 
got the handle from her: Hey, Cowboy, how are you doing?
  And I didn't really know what to call her, so I just went with 
``Cowgirl.'' So she is my Miami cowgirl friend. So that was just part 
of the fun of having such a great colleague like that, and I was 
really, indeed, disappointed to see and to hear and to know that she 
was deciding to hang it up here. But everybody--everybody--has that 
time.
  She led here with, again, grace and dignity, but also with enough 
fire to get the job done. I know she was an amazing Representative for 
the people of her district and for all of us to hear the diverse sides 
of all the issues that affect her part of Florida and how that might 
contrast with my part of California. And you take that into mind 
because she is effective at getting a point across respectfully but, 
again, with the pizzazz it takes to be an effective leader here. So we 
will dearly miss her.
  To my friend, from Cowboy: Cowgirl, enjoy your next endeavor here, 
and it has been a pleasure to work with you. God bless you.
  Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, it is a beautiful tribute to a wonderful 
woman who has inspired us all. So much of what Mr. LaMalfa said about 
her sense of humor.

  I always think of the great leaders that you meet. You think of some 
towering figure, but Ileana was a towering figure in her very small 
body, and I think of a few things about her:
  Her courage and her tenacity and her willingness to be truthful and 
to fight the fight. And also a couple of things that I learned from my 
father that I find that, when I find people with these rare qualities, 
like Ileana, her unwillingness to succumb to victimhood.
  She is a fighter. She has never felt sorry for herself. She is always 
fighting the good fight for other people who are less fortunate than 
she is. She probably doesn't even recognize that is one of her great, 
inspiring qualities that I saw in her.
  And, also, her willingness to not hold a grudge and to be bipartisan 
and to reach across the aisle and to work with other Members without 
sacrificing her values and her integrity.
  This may be the first Special Order that we are going to hear on the 
great Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, but I am not sure it is going 
to be the last. We still have, luckily, hopefully, a few more months, 
or several more months of her right to the end of the year, and we will 
be able to continue to honor this really amazing person who has graced 
this institution with leadership, with tenacity, with courage, with 
passion and compassion for those who are less fortunate.
  I know that she is going to continue in her private life, outside of 
politics, on the same mission that she is on because that is who she 
is. She is going to fight the fight every day. She is going to stand up 
for the most needy and the most vulnerable in our communities.
  And just on a personal note, I am so grateful for this position and 
the privilege of serving New York's 22nd District, that I had the honor 
of being able to be in the presence of greatness, to be with Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen and her amazing inspiration. And I just want to say thank you 
so much to her and to her family and to Dexter, whom I hope I get to 
meet some day; and to her children and grandchildren, who are so lucky 
to be among someone and to be able to grow up with someone like Ileana; 
and her constituents, who I am sure are grateful every day for the work 
that she has done in this institution and to change it forever for the 
better.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank you so much for this tribute to Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, the first Hispanic woman to serve in Florida 
state's House or Senate--went on to become the first Latina in Congress 
and rose to be the first woman to chair the House Committee on Foreign 
Affairs.
  She's inspired many of us to follow her public service example.
  For over three decades she's been a champion for the LGBTQ community, 
a critical voice in promoting democracy in Cuba and Venezuela, a leader 
in advancing the well-being of the Hispanic Community, and a tireless 
human rights advocate across the globe.
  I've been proud to work with Rep. Ros-Lehtinen on initiatives like:
  BRIDGE
  United States-Israel Agriculture Strategic Partnership Act
  Hurricane Irma Disaster Relief in Florida
  Hurricane Maria Disaster Relief in Puerto Rico
  She has a gift of bringing people together. Floridians are proud to 
have had Ileana as a public servant and her legacy will live on.

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