[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 195 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H10031-H10032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        FORGING A BETTER NATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rogers of Kentucky). The Chair 
recognizes the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. Esty) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ESTY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the last time 
as a Member of Congress. For the past 6 years, it has been an 
extraordinary honor to serve the residents of central and northwest 
Connecticut as their Representative in the House.
  The title for this job is a humble one: Representative--not emperor, 
not knower of all things, but Representative.
  Congress was not my dream, but making a difference was. In 2005, my 
then 15-year-old daughter challenged me to either run for the local 
town council or stop complaining. I ran. I

[[Page H10032]]

found that I could get things done, first on the town council and then 
as a State representative.
  I came to Congress with a desire to make a difference for people, to 
help solve their problems, fight for affordable quality healthcare, 
ensure education that addresses the needs of every child, work across 
the aisle for better jobs and better pay for Americans, and keep us all 
safe and free
  Yet I arrived in Congress in the aftermath of the terrible shootings 
of 20 6- and 7-year-old children and six educators in the town of 
Newtown in my district, 6 years ago this coming Friday. My task 
immediately became how to truly care for and represent those families 
and be an effective voice for taking action to prevent gun violence. At 
the time, I did not even know how to find the elevator to get to my 
attic office in the Cannon House Office Building.
  John Dingell, the longest serving Member of Congress, took me under 
his wing and helped me navigate these Halls. He gave me invaluable 
advice. He said:

       Elizabeth, always remember this: What you do is very 
     important. But you are not important.

  He also told me:

       It is your job to know your district and vote your 
     district.

  How right he was. I learned my district. My team and I worked with 
others to get lots of legislation passed to help veterans and their 
families, to support STEM education for women, girls, and children of 
color; to modernize and upgrade our infrastructure; and to fight the 
scourge of opioid addiction. We helped thousands of individuals at home 
cut through red tape and get much-needed support. By working with 
people, we were able to help government work for people.
  Here are some things that I have learned:
  The American people are good, great, and eager to see our democracy 
work better;
  Sharing credit is not only the right thing to do, but it works;
  If you listen to others, if you look for and build on common ground, 
you can get things done even with people with whom you disagree on many 
issues.
  The first step is often the hardest. In politics, Mr. Speaker, you 
need to earn support. You are not entitled to it. You will fail 
sometimes. You will not meet your own high expectations. You will 
disappoint people. You will lose an election, but you get up the next 
day and you try harder.
  If there is nothing you would be willing to lose an election over, 
you shouldn't run for office. Democracy needs people who are prepared 
to lose their job to make a difference.
  Democracy is not about perfection. Democracy is about doing your best 
every day and bringing out the best in others; and when we fail--which 
we will--we should not give up. We should get right back to work.
  Mr. Speaker, you shouldn't run because you know you will win; you 
should run because there are things worth fighting for.
  If we remember our common values rather than call into question each 
other's integrity, there is much we can do together. Democracy is 
something we do; it is not something we tweet about.
  Democracy is hard. It is not a spectator sport. You don't need 
permission in this great country. Democracy gives us--each and every 
one of us--the opportunity and the right to run, to serve, and to make 
a difference.
  American democracy is a great thing, but it requires us to pitch in 
and to do our part. We have the opportunity--and in these challenging 
times for our Nation and the world, I believe we have an obligation--to 
get involved.
  I want to thank my amazing family for their love, their support, and 
their sacrifices over more than a dozen years of elected office. I 
thank the voters who entrusted me to work on their behalf. I thank my 
excellent staff who have worked so hard and ably. I thank the many 
colleagues who generously guided me and worked with me on issues of 
common concern for the American people.
  In closing, John Dingell's words return to me:

       If you ever look up at the Capitol Dome at night and it 
     doesn't send shivers down your spine, you don't deserve to be 
     here because you aren't sufficiently in awe of American 
     democracy.

  I can say without hesitation that the white of the Capitol Dome 
gleaming in the night still sends shivers down my spine. It always 
will, for we are fortunate enough to live in this amazing country where 
we have the right to choose our leaders, to raise our voices, and, 
together, to forge a better nation and a better future for all our 
children.

                          ____________________