[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 196 (Wednesday, December 12, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMMEMORATING THE PAST EIGHT YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF 
                              PENNSYLVANIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LOU BARLETTA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 12, 2018

  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, as the 115th Congress comes to a close, so 
does my time here in Washington.
  First and foremost, I want to thank the people of Pennsylvania's 11th 
District who sent me here, who trusted me to make Washington work for 
them. It has been an honor to serve them in the U.S. House of 
Representatives over the past eight years.
  During my time in Congress, I never once forgot that the people of 
Pennsylvania were the reason why I was here, and I am proud of what I 
was able to accomplish on their behalf.
  From initiating the largest reform to our nation's disaster 
preparedness system since Hurricane Katrina, to participating in the 
groundbreaking of the Harrisburg courthouse after years of fighting to 
make it a reality, to watching my legislation to help newborn babies 
suffering from opioid withdrawal get signed into law, I am proud of the 
work I have done to improve not only our district and state, but the 
nation as a whole.
  As a Member of this body I have had the opportunity to help so many 
of my fellow Americans, and for that I am grateful.
  Nothing will ever compare to the day ten-year-old Sarah Murnaghan 
finally got her lifesaving lung transplant, or to when I was able to 
present our nation's veterans with long overdue medals they so 
rightfully deserve.
  I will never forget the sense of amazement I felt meeting with 
students from the SHINE afterschool program as they showed me how to 
program a 3D printer and told me how they planned on running their 
future businesses, knowing I fought to save the federal funding that 
makes their program possible.
  And those moments were just a few of the highlights.
  Over the last eight years, my office has assisted over 14,000 
constituents with casework requests, sponsored over 267 ambitious young 
people dreaming of attending prestigious military service academies, 
and secured over $9 million for our local first responders through fire 
grants, as well as $1.2 million for our law enforcement officers.
  I have fought to provide small businesses with the tools they need to 
succeed, eliminated government waste and saved taxpayers $4.4 billion 
through better management of federal real estate, and worked to make 
our communities more resilient before disaster strikes through local 
infrastructure projects, like the Bloomsburg flood wall.
  I can confidently say that I leave Washington knowing that the people 
of Pennsylvania are better off than when I first arrived.
  Growing up, I never imagined that I could become the mayor of my 
hometown, let alone hold a seat in Congress. I could have never made 
this journey without the support of my family, and in particular my 
wife, Mary Grace, who has always stood with me from city council to the 
U.S. House of Representatives.
  I also want to thank my staff. Their hard work and dedication to the 
people of Pennsylvania's 11th District is part of why we were able to 
accomplish all that we did. It has been a privilege to watch them grow 
into great professionals, and I have no doubt they will continue to do 
great things.
  As I prepare to leave this position, the last few weeks have given me 
the opportunity to look back and reflect on all that my staff and I 
have been able to do, and I couldn't be more proud.
  It is my hope that those elected to this office from this point 
forward will continue to build upon the important work my office has 
done and always fight to ensure that Washington is working for the 
people back home.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been the greatest honor of my lifetime to 
represent the people of Pennsylvania's 11th District for four terms in 
the U.S. House of Representatives, and I thank them for giving me this 
opportunity.

                          ____________________