[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 194 (Monday, December 10, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H9808-H9809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING PRESIDENT GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady) is recognized for 
60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BRADY of Texas. 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 topic of this very 
Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, few Americans will ever rival the 
depth and the breadth of the service to our Nation exhibited by George 
Herbert Walker Bush.
  Today, I join the Bush family, my colleagues, fellow Texans, and a 
grateful Nation in remembering and honoring the life of President 
George H.W. Bush.
  He was a courageous war hero, a key member of the Committee on Ways 
and Means while he was here in Congress, Ambassador, Director of the 
CIA, Vice President, and the President of the United States.
  That is a remarkable and historical level of service to America, but 
I still think his favorite title was that of husband to his beloved 
Bar, and I believe his greatest accomplishment was in raising children 
and grandchildren who serve their Nation with dedication and 
patriotism.
  I believe our country and our State can agree that we have lost a man 
of honor and character, who leaves a legacy of love and service to his 
Nation and family.
  So, today, we all want to share with you a little bit about our 
relationship with the beloved President Bush.
  I consider myself a proud part of the Bush legacy. On the Ways and 
Means Committee, I hold the seat that was previously held by President 
Bush, then a Member of Congress, and Bill Archer of Houston, later the 
chairman of the Ways and Means Committee from Texas. I am truly blessed 
to be part of a legacy on this committee that has achieved so much.
  As a matter of fact, my interest in major issues from trade to tax 
reform to healthcare is due in large part to President Bush. After I 
became elected to Congress, I spent a lot of time visiting President 
Bush and Secretary James Baker, asking their advice on these issues. In 
fact, one of the reasons I have been involved in 12 of the 14 American 
free trade agreements and led the Central American Free Trade Agreement 
was directly because of my discussions with President Bush and 
Secretary Baker.
  President Bush was incredibly supportive of me, both in my early 
campaigns for Congress and once I started serving. There was always an 
open door to talk about issues dealing in tax and trade, healthcare, 
welfare, Social Security, and Medicare. I always knew I had someone I 
could lean on for sage advice.
  Because I used to represent College Station, I had the pleasure of 
being in office when President Bush's library was opened at A&M, and I 
worked closely with the foundation for the 8 years I represented it.
  The library is remarkable, but it goes way beyond the bricks and 
mortar. It is a tangible reminder of the impact President Bush had on 
College Station and the State of Texas.
  The library brought world leaders to College Station, allowed young 
men and women from the small towns in Texas to interact with President 
Bush as well as United States and world leaders on a one-on-one, close, 
personal level. That incredible legacy for those young people will last 
for ages to come.
  I will finish with this. One of my favorite moments with President 
Bush came just after I was named Ways and Means chairman. President 
Bush's office reached out and said the President wanted me to come down 
to his office in Houston and visit about Ways and Means issues, so, you 
can imagine, I was thrilled about it.
  So I went to his office, and my staff really urged me to take a pair 
of crazy socks to present to President Bush, because he loved them; he 
wore them; he

[[Page H9809]]

had a lot of fun with them. I decided, instead, to bring one of three 
specially made Ways and Means ties that we had just created.
  I brought that to the President, and he seemed thrilled, but it was 
Barbara who was most excited. When I presented the tie, she exclaimed: 
Thank God. No more socks, please.
  I will finish, too, with this. Finally, every Veterans Day and 
Memorial Day as I address our events in the Eighth Congressional 
District of Texas, I often conclude with my most memorable quote from 
President Bush. It is a quote that is emblazoned in the library in 
College Station in letters 10 feet tall, where that Brazos Valley sun 
can catch it every day and afternoon on the library. The quote is this: 
``Let future generations understand the burden and the blessings of 
freedom. Let them say we stood where duty required us to stand.''
  That quote embodies President George H.W. Bush, and it is a call to 
us as well to stand where duty requires us to stand today in all things 
and in the future.
  Mr. Speaker, the next Member to speak will be the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Williams), a dear friend of President Bush for more than 
three decades, a partner and a colleague, and a huge admirer.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time

                          ____________________