[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 196 (Wednesday, December 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H10158-H10163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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HONORING THE CALIFORNIA DELEGATION
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North
Carolina (Mr. McHenry).
Recognizing Parker Poling
Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, this is the first time, as a Member, I have given a
speech like this. I have to say, in this body, Members understand that
an essential ingredient for a successful Member of Congress and for
this institution to function is our staff.
With good, talented staff, Members can be successful, the legislative
process can work, and we can serve our country.
We have many faithful public servants here in the House of
Representatives, and I rise today to recognize one of them.
Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize my chief of staff of 12
years, Parker Hamilton Poling. She has served this House of
Representatives in many different capacities, but for the last 12
years, she has been my personal office chief and my leadership office
chief.
She sits behind me today, and she is easily embarrassed. But if she
looks at the gallery, her husband, Todd, and her two beautiful
daughters, Barrett and Eliza, are here to recognize her service and the
hard work she has put in for this country.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today because my chief of staff, Parker, has been
an essential ingredient to my success as a Member of Congress, to
serving the people of North Carolina's 10th District as a Member of
Congress, to being a successful member of the House Financial Services
Committee.
She has been an essential ingredient for House Republicans on getting
the key votes over the last 4\1/2\ years for our agenda. She has worked
tirelessly to count the votes on the House floor to get our agenda
passed. She has worked tirelessly to build relationships with other
chiefs of staff and Members, as well as other staff, to further this
operation in the House of Representatives.
Eight years ago, Parker got a group of female chiefs of staff,
Republican chiefs of staff, who were mothers together and said: We need
to actually have an organization so we help each other and coach each
other along the way through mentoring.
She has developed that into a very solid group that exchanges
information and helps each other.
What I want to say here on the House floor and publicly is that my
success in the last 12 years is as a direct result of Parker's work.
I met her 22 years ago through an organization called College
Republicans. We both cut our teeth in the rough and tumble of that
political operation. I was a student at NC State, and she was a student
at Brown University. She grew up in upstate New York and took this sort
of different background and perspective, and I realized her ingenuity,
her creativity, her strength, and her passion for the cause. And I
learned so much from her.
Then, 10 years after that, as a Member of Congress, I invited her in,
between her law school classes. She thought I was trying to ask for
free legal advice. She had, with coaching from her husband, a really
set answer on how she could not, because she had not passed the bar
yet, give me legal advice, much less free legal advice.
She came in, sat down. She put her book bag down, wearing a pair of
jeans. I said: Well, I would like to hire you as my chief of staff. And
she says: I didn't interview for it, and I am not sure I want it.
After she had a conversation with her husband, and some, you know,
negotiation, she became my chief of staff, and my world as a Member of
Congress changed much for the better.
But I am not the only one that Parker has had an impact on as a
Member of Congress.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California,
Kevin McCarthy, our Republican leader, our majority leader.
Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I want to agree with my friend that all
the success that he has is because of Parker. I say that kind of
jokingly but seriously as well.
I am pleased to be here to take a moment to recognize Parker Poling,
the chief of staff to my dear friend Patrick McHenry. Patrick is the
deputy whip.
Many of you know, being a part of Congress, you have to make tough
decisions; you have to get the votes to pass any bills; and you have to
make things happen. Really, the staff that is around you says a lot
about you.
I could think of no finer staff member in all this service than
Parker. What I admire most about Parker: There were times when Patrick
and Steve and I would be together, and we would come up with a really
good idea. We thought it was brilliant. We would go back to our
offices, and soon I would get a text or a call from Patrick, who would
say: That is a dumb idea.
I would say: Why do you think it is a dumb idea?
Because Parker told me so.
But that was what Parker would do. She understood the Members. She
understood the policy. But she understood, really, what we had to have
happen.
History is going to be very kind to this Congress, what we have been
able to achieve: the lowest unemployment in more than 50 years; being
able to pass the tax bill when people on the other side, even though
they had come to us personally and said they wanted to vote for it, but
the leadership would not let them, so that meant it was resting on one
side.
The person who put the work together, the majority of that, was
Parker. Yes, she would explain the bill, but she was tough at the same
time. There were many times she told me no, and I understood why.
But there is more to Parker than just all that knowledge in legal.
One of the reasons why I am not sad is because she is not going far.
She has a new job, and I want her to be as successful in the new job as
she was in this job.
But Parker is more than just a great mind. She is also a wife to Todd
and a mother to Barrett and Eliza. I think they are with us today, are
they not? We thank them for sharing their wife and mother with us. It
has meant a great deal. From a very grateful Nation, we want to say
thank you.
To Parker, we want to wish her well in her new work. We want her to
be successful, because her success means our success. If I go on her
past behavior, I am looking forward to a very bright future.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Hudson).
Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be recognized and to be
here today to honor my dear friend, Parker Poling, as she leaves
Congressman Patrick McHenry's leadership office to take over as
executive director
[[Page H10159]]
of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Parker has been a friend, a mentor, and a counselor to me and
countless others over the years, none more significantly than Patrick
McHenry. It has been a real pleasure to watch him evolve and develop as
a legislator under her very good tutelage.
We met when we were both chiefs of staff, me coming to Washington out
of North Carolina, and Parker starting out as chief of staff for one of
my best friends, Patrick McHenry.
Parker is intelligent; she is poised; she is wise beyond her years;
and she is a heck of a great person. She is just a pleasure to spend
time with. She has helped me more times than I can count over the
years, including when I decided to run for Congress myself.
She is as well respected as anyone on Capitol Hill, and I couldn't be
more proud of her as she moves on to her new role.
I do feel badly for my friends across the aisle, though, because
Parker will now be steering the ship for House Republicans for the next
2 years, so you had better look out.
Mr. Speaker, please join me in thanking Parker Poling for her years
of service to the House of Representatives and the people of this
country, and in wishing her, Todd, Barrett, and Eliza well in their
future endeavors. Thank you, and God bless you.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North
Carolina (Mr. McHenry).
Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, and I thank Kevin and
Richard for their kind comments regarding the counsel they have
received from Parker and the relationship they have with her.
Now, Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Parker's favorite Member
of Congress, notwithstanding that that includes the majority leader and
my friend, Mr. Hudson, and I on that list. We may be friends with
Parker, and she may like and respect us, but her favorite Member of
Congress is Bruce Poliquin from Maine.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maine (Mr.
Poliquin).
Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, I must tell everybody who is listening
today that there is a reason that I am Parker's favorite Member of
Congress: Because I have earned that respect and that right. With that
said, I am delighted to speak up about Parker Poling.
I notice that her two wonderful daughters, Eliza and Barrett, are up
here in the gallery, along with her handsome husband, Todd. This is a
very special day for Parker, her family, and for this Chamber.
There were and are a number of us, Mr. Speaker, who come to the House
from different backgrounds. We come here to do what is right and to
help our country and, in my case, to help my great State of Maine and
my constituents. This is a big place. Washington is a confusing place.
Many people call Washington a mess. At times, I would agree with that.
Most of the time, I would agree with that.
But when you have an opportunity to find someone who is smart, tough,
fair, gracious, patient, and listens to new Members, you gravitate
toward that person. That is Parker Poling.
I met Parker, actually, before I was elected to Congress in 2014 and
immediately took to her, like so many folks have before. Over the
years, when there were tough decisions to be made in the parliamentary
process here, which is very foreign to businesspeople like myself,
there is only one person I would go to. And God bless Mr. McHenry, but
it was not him; it was Parker.
Parker is the person I always call. And I will continue to call her
as time goes forward because I know I will get very sound advice from
someone who is incredibly knowledgeable and incredibly passionate.
Parker Poling is a strong American woman. I am sure she is a
tremendous role model, not only to her two wonderful young ladies,
young children, young girls, but also to countless other American women
across this land.
We have more freedom in this country; we have more opportunities; we
have a stronger economy; we have a better education system that is
closer to home because of the good counsel that Parker Poling has given
to many of us.
We are blessed to have Parker with us. I am blessed to have known
Parker and will continue to enjoy the time that we spend together on
behalf of the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I could talk about Parker Poling all evening.
God bless.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I yield to the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry).
Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, if I may close. I want to thank Congressmen
Poliquin and Hudson, and the majority leader, Mr. McCarthy, for their
kind comments. I just want to close with that.
Parker grew up in upstate New York but has done a fantastic job for
the last 12 years working for the people of North Carolina's 10th
District. She is a New Yorker but gets the South.
She is a Republican who has friends across the aisle. She is a
Republican through and through and committed to our party, our
ideology, and the work that we are trying to achieve. While she could
be a partisan in her role here counting votes for Republicans, she
never lost sight of those relationships across the aisle that could
make this place work.
While I will miss her counsel on a daily basis, while I will miss her
words of encouragement and also the tough words when you need them,
when Members need them--and I have certainly needed them over the last
decade--I am grateful for her service. I am grateful for what she has
done for this institution, for me, and for the countless staff that she
has mentored along the way. I wish her well.
I say to her two daughters watching that they have a fantastic
example in their mother. While she may be tough with us at work, I know
she cares about them and loves them dearly.
The life that Parker and Todd have built together is a great example
of a loving family, while also both being professionals who have quite
challenging careers.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the indulgence of my colleagues and the kind
comments for Parker, and I encourage folks to wish her well in her new
endeavors.
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The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will suspend.
Members are reminded not to recognize people in the gallery unless
they are family and friends of very capable staff on a day like today.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) to
continue.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight, along with my California
delegation colleagues, to express our thanks and appreciation for those
Members who are departing the House at the end of the session.
Collectively, these Californians have served for decades here in the
House of Representatives. During that time, they have made many
contributions that have benefitted their districts, our State, and
certainly this country. I am proud to join them on the House floor this
evening and pay tribute to their dedication to this institution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy),
the majority leader.
Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be here tonight with my colleagues from
California and recognize our friends who this Congress for some may be
their last, others may be coming back.
I recognize Congressman Jeff Denham, Congressman Darrell Issa,
Congressman Steve Knight, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, Congressman Ed
Royce, Congressman David Valadao, and Congresswoman Mimi Walters.
What makes this delegation unique is our bond with each other. In a
State with 53 members, a class of 14 gets pretty tight pretty quick.
But it isn't simply a matter of proximity that strengthens our ties.
You see, it is our bond and belief in our Nation to be a more perfect
union, to strive to continue to improve.
Being from California does not mean it is easy to get to Washington.
But I will tell you every single week I would see the same faces
getting on that plane going home because they understood who they
represented. They understood who they had to listen to.
[[Page H10160]]
They also understood who they fought for. But they would get on that
plane again and fly back the 8 or 9 hours to be the voice of those that
they listen to. It is amazing--the accomplishments.
You know, for people who walk around this building, at times they
will see these paintings of members of the past, and, I will admit,
portraits last a long time, but a legacy of change lasts much longer.
It is like compound interest or a snowball rolling down a hill. When I
think about the legacy of change of my colleagues, it is tremendous.
When I think about from Transportation and Infrastructure to
Veterans' Affairs, what a better way of life they have today because
Jeff Denham served in this body.
I think of Oversight and Government Reform, the battles and the
fearlessness of Darrell Issa.
When I think of the new programs for veterans getting service after
hours, it wasn't because a bill passed. It was because a man fought,
Steve Knight, because he was a veteran and the work that he has done
that will continue to live.
Or the decades that Dana has served, from every aspect in Science,
Space, and Technology to beyond, that his voice transferred and made a
difference.
Ed Royce, when it comes to foreign policy and what has been
accomplished in this Congress, his name was on the title of many of
those bills, even when he allowed someone else to run it.
And when I look to California, and the statement out there is:
``Whiskey's for drinking. Water's for fightin'', it is one of the most
difficult issues. This entire body got together strong to make a
difference that hadn't been done in a quarter century. And the person
really behind it was David Valadao. He is kind of that quiet leader
that made a major difference, that he would continue to make things
happen.
And it is a unique--but everybody serves a little different. My
friend, Jeff Denham, has a voice as strong as his passion, that he can
be heard without a mic because of what he wanted to fight for.
But when I look to someone who I consider like my sister, Mimi
Walters, she was the one female in our group, but I think we would all
admit, she was tougher than any one of us. To serve on Energy and
Commerce, when you think of California, and the forefront of the world
of the technology of what we have in our State, it continues to lead
because of Mimi's voice.
But they all had something very unique, and we have been friends for
a long time. They put this country first, and they were willing to
sacrifice. Some of us know more of the sacrifice they made than others.
But I want to say: Thank you. I want to say: Thank you for your
service. But I also want to say: Thank you for the fight. You were
willing to go beyond. Yes, your family missed you some days, but you
were doing it for a bigger cause. You were putting people before
yourself.
I know history is going be kind. But history is going to be kind
because the Nation is better off that you were willing to take that
risk. And I want to thank you for your friendship
One thing about family, you might not be here every day, but we will
always be together and friends. From a very sincere heart, thank you.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California
(Mr. Rohrabacher), the Dean of the California delegation.
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in singing the
praise of our staff. But let me just note--and, of course, I have had
great staff as well, Rick Dykema and Kathleen Staunton, who have been
with me the entire 30 years that I have been a Member of this body.
But staff, as well as the Members, we quite often take for granted
what does really enable us to conduct ourselves in this way. It is very
easy to overlook. The American people overlook it. We all overlook
this. And, that is, we take for granted the safety and security that we
operate in. No matter how good our staff is, no matter how great we
are, if we were not safe, we could not be conducting this business of
our democratic country.
Let us note that Officers Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson
were two law enforcement officers who gave their lives while I have
been here in order to secure the safety we need to do the public
business. So as I leave this body, I would like to make sure they
know--I am sure they are listening from above and maybe their families
will hear--that there are Members who are grateful to the sacrifice
that they made. They gave their lives to keep a terrorist out of this
building that would have done damage or murdered Members.
So with that said, I have been here 30 years. I am overwhelmed with
gratitude toward the voters who sent me here and to God that gave me
the opportunity to live life that permitted the voters to elect me as
their representative in Washington.
I spent 7\1/2\ years in the Reagan White House with President Reagan,
and after that, from 1981 to 1988, I came directly into combat--
political combat of running for the House and was elected in 1988, and
I have served here since 1989.
It has been one of the most wonderful, glorious times. It is the best
life I could ever, ever have imagined. And I know a lot of people, they
gripe about the hours and sometimes some of the friction that happens
among debates over important issues, but I am so grateful to have this
chance.
And, again, there are so many people who are serving their country
who are not anywhere nearer to having the wondrous life that we have.
My father was a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps. He joined up
after Pearl Harbor to protect our country.
Again, a lot of people, when they see this happening, they don't
quite understand. This is what was given to us. There is sacrifice
behind us. There is sacrifice in the air of all these people who
sacrificed over our country's history, and especially my father's
generation, the great generation that gave us this freedom that is all
around us that you can feel it.
Thank God that I had a personal chance to participate in this
wondrous, wondrous gift that, yes, God, our Founding Fathers, and, yes,
our parents, in the greatest generation, gave us, and the other people
who now are overseas to this very day defending our right to conduct
ourselves this way.
So what a wonderful life I have had in these 30 years. I have had a
chance to participate and help shape America's space program, and I
have helped bring in commercial space so that we have private
investment to keep our space program operating at the high levels it
should be, actually leading mankind into space.
I was able to also work with the Democrats--and don't let people
think that there isn't cooperation here, because there is. Working on
the space program I worked with my colleagues on the other side of the
aisle.
And on the issue of cannabis, which I consider to be an important
issue today, because people are finally beginning to realize that the
idea of expending enormous resources and our time with our jails and
our own security in terms of police, locally and nationally and at the
State level, what a waste of those resources aimed at trying to prevent
an adult from consuming a weed. And at least I have been able to work
then--and also we now find that there are medical reasons that cannabis
should be legal. And I have worked with Members on the other side of
aisle to achieve a certain degree of progress in that area.
So with that said, let me just note that as people talk about the
lack of civility that we have now, there has always been fighting in a
free society. People have different ideas, and they are struggling, but
whenever we get tough in this body, whenever things would get tense and
people would be fighting on an issue and coming to grips with these
differences that free people can have, I would always look up. I always
say: ``The answer is looking up.''
And if you look up in this wonderful room that we do our business in
here, what do you see? You see an American Eagle and you see the slogan
of our country, ``e pluribus unum,'' which means all of us--we may be
different, we may have different ideas, different races, different
religions, different backgrounds, but we are one people and that
freedom of the one people comes together here on this floor, and I have
[[Page H10161]]
been so proud to be a part of that great debate to direct the future of
this country.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California
(Mr. Denham).
Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for
scheduling this time for all of us to address each other, as well as
address our country.
I rise to express my gratitude to the men and women of California's
10th Congressional District for allowing me the honor of serving them
and representing them here in our Nation's Capitol for the last 8
years.
Together, we were able to accomplish incredible things for the
Central Valley. The recent passage of the farm bill ensures greater
prioritization of the Central Valley and will help our farmers, our
farmland to keep the valley productive for future generations. The
bil includes my VET-2-FARMS Act; crop insurance, dairy, and specialty
crop protections; and several key animal welfare provisions.
We also advanced the debate on immigration reform. I am proud to have
stood with my friend, Pete Aguilar, as we fought to protect our
Nation's Dreamers and secure our borders in a bipartisan manner.
My Veteran Skills to Jobs Act, which passed in 2012, has helped many
veterans find employment using the skills that they learned while
serving their country. There is no greater way to show respect to our
men and women in uniform than allowing them to use the credentials and
the service and the expertise that they had on Active Duty to gain
gainful employment once they depart service.
We passed the Civilian Property Realignment Act, which allows us to
sell off the properties we don't need so we can reduce our debt,
including the first property, which was the Trump hotel, the old post
office.
The Passenger Railway Authorization bill, which forced Amtrak to run
more like a business, actually having pets on trains for the first
time, which allows them to create a new profit center.
The Sandy Recovery Act, which allowed us to not only serve in FEMA
reform, but actually allowed us to build smart policies across the
entire country so that we are building stronger communities resistant
to some of these natural disasters.
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Additionally, in our own area, I am proud to have secured the funding
and authorization for the French Camp veterans healthcare facility,
which will start construction early next year.
We made real progress on the issue of human trafficking as well. In
our community, we have fought to make sure that we were working with
all levels of law enforcement, utilizing the best techniques to stop
the human trafficking, which has much larger impacts even in
California.
But to have Uber as a partner, now for the first time, the 10th
Congressional District has the technology available to align our law
enforcement with the victims that could be stuck in harm's way in an
Uber or some other type of transportation.
Through my work on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,
we secured big wins for the 10th District: two different highways, $29
million in TIGER grants and BUILD grants for local roadways to improve
safety and ease congestion.
Last but certainly not least, for years now, for decades, we have
talked about water. It is the lifeblood of the Central Valley. If you
shut off our water, you shut off our farms, you shut off our economy.
We made big strides, securing funding, making sure that, with the WIIN
Act, we also passed the New WATER Act, allowing for the first time to
have an infrastructure bank so we can borrow money with a guaranteed
payback to build new water storage and new reservoirs.
You want green energy? Hydro is the greenest, most renewable energy
that we have. This is our opportunity to build Shasta with the $20
million upfront, and the new grant for $450 million for Sites
Reservoir. We need four to five million new acre feet of water. We have
the ability now to move that forward.
So some great progress as we move forward on Los Vaqueros, Shasta
Dam, Temperance Flat, and many of our irrigation districts that are
looking to expand, create green hydro energy, new recreation, new
water, and the future of the valley as well.
It has been my greatest honor to bring these achievements home for
the valley. Thank you, again, to my constituents and to all of my
colleagues, especially in the California delegation. We have come
together on many different issues to fight for our State. It has been a
big honor.
Let me end with saying this: I started my public service career
wearing the cloth of this great Nation, and I have been blessed, once
again, to serve this country in a new capacity. There is no greater
honor than being able to serve this body and fight for and represent
the American Dream that we have in our communities, and it is with
great respect and honor that I move into the next chapter of my life.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California
(Mr. Valadao).
Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, my friend from
California, for the opportunity to have this time.
Representing the Central Valley in Congress has been an honor of a
lifetime. There are truly no words to express how grateful I am to my
supporters, neighbors, and all those who make the Central Valley such
an amazing place.
If you would have told me or my parents 10 years ago that I would be
here standing on the House floor, none of us would have believed you.
I have so many people to thank. First off, most importantly, my wife,
Terra, she has been an amazing supporter and, from the day I met her,
she has always just found ways to make my life better and make me a
better person.
My children--Conner, who is 16; Madeline, who is 12; and Lucas, who
is 8--have weathered the storm and been a part of this life for the
last 8 years, 2 years in the State Legislature and 6 years here,
traveling back and forth, many times away from home, not able to attend
soccer games. So it has been tough on them, and I think they are
looking forward to things being a little bit better with me having the
opportunity to be there for them more than I have had the opportunity
in the past. I am grateful for that.
I am also grateful for my team, the staff in my office, back home in
Hanford and Bakersfield, and especially here in Washington, D.C. I have
had an amazing team around me that has helped me be successful here in
Washington and at home, and I am very proud to have had them as part of
my team.
Interns throughout the years, that is something that a lot of folks
don't pay attention to, but those are all people who, even today, I
still see them walking around the halls of Congress and sometimes
around the valley, working in different industries and taking their
careers to new levels and new heights. To know that I played a small
role in their lives is something that I take a lot of pride in.
My fellow Members, the California delegation, others outside of the
delegation, I have made a lot of friends here, people that I didn't
know before, I had only seen on TV in the past and have now become good
friends, trusted, good friends, and people that I trust with so much of
my life today. I am so proud to have had that opportunity.
While I am sad to be leaving, we can take pride in knowing that we
brought about real, tangible change. We have reduced taxes for the
middle class, made huge strides in our battle for water, reformed the
dairy industry for thousands of California farmers, improved access for
healthcare to families throughout the valley, and given our troops the
support they deserve.
I am proud of all the work that we have done. I wouldn't change a
second of it. I just had a great opportunity.
So the Central Valley has always been and will always be my home, and
I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to have served in this place,
representing them.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California
(Mrs. Mimi Walters).
Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight for the
final time as a Member of Congress to say thank yous.
Thank you to California's 45th Congressional District for the faith
and
[[Page H10162]]
trust you have placed in me to represent you and your families in the
people's House.
I first entered this Chamber three decades ago as a young intern for
Representative Bill Thomas. I remember well the sense of wonder I felt
and the goose bumps on my arm. You would think that those youthful
emotions would fade once I became a Member myself, but they did not.
When I exit for the final time, I will still be in awe of the wonders
of those hallowed halls, and I will still have goose bumps.
It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent my home of Orange
County and the communities of Tustin, North Tustin, Orange, Irvine,
Mission Viejo, Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake
Forest, Anaheim Hills, Villa Park, and Coto de Caza.
Every step of the way during this journey of service, I have been
flanked by my husband, David, and my four children: Kate, Caroline, DJ,
and Tristan. They have been my rock, my reality check, my most clever
social media commenters, and the loves of my life. I thank God each and
every day that He has blessed me with them.
To my staff, both in Washington and Orange County, thank you for
making me and every Member of Congress better at our jobs. You are the
unsung heroes of government. Together, we have accomplished a lot: the
historic Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights, major tax and
regulatory reform, and landmark opioid legislation. And we helped
advance the conversation on paid family leave.
My staff helped me stay true to the promises I made to my
constituents, and I can't thank them enough for that.
I am blessed to have grown up and live in Orange County, and those of
us privileged to serve our community in Congress can only hope to have
left it in better shape than we have found it.
One small bit of advice I will impart to all those who succeed me in
this office, and that is: Bring your brain to Washington, but leave
your heart in Orange County. The people of the 45th District will teach
you a lot, and I am wiser from their tutelage.
The House of Representatives can be a loud and hectic place
sometimes, but that is why we love it. Keep your eye on the ball and
remain faithful to the institution.
As then-Congressman Abraham Lincoln of Illinois told this very House
when it was facing turbulent times: ``Determine that the thing can and
shall be done, and then we shall find the way.''
My home State of California and our Nation are fortunate to have such
a dedicated group of citizen legislators working to make both a better
place. I thank them for their guidance and their support over the
years. While we didn't always agree, I seldom have come across a
colleague who I didn't think had his or her constituents' best
interests at heart or cared deeply about our country.
Now, as I close this chapter of my life and leave the people's House
for the final time, I remain as confident as ever in the future of the
House and the Union. I remain forever in debt to the people of Orange
County and the 45th District for bestowing upon me the honor to serve.
May God bless America and the Golden State of California. I will see
y'all back home soon.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California
(Mr. McClintock).
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, for those of us who have had the honor
and privilege of working with our departing colleagues in the
California Republican Congressional delegation, this is a very sad day.
For us, yes, we are losing friends and colleagues whose good judgment
we have often relied upon and whose friendship we will always treasure.
But far more importantly, it is a sad day for our State and our Nation,
for they are losing the service of experienced leaders dedicated to
restoring freedom as the cornerstone of our public policy.
David Valadao and Jeff Denham ably represented communities in the
Central Valley of California, in highly competitive districts where
Republican voters have always been a distinct minority. And yet, their
sincere engagement with their constituencies and their pragmatic
approach to their local challenges and problems saw them elected and
re-elected in the House.
When we served together in the State Senate, Jeff Denham refused to
vote for an irresponsible State budget. Public employee unions tried to
recall him for it, but the voters stood by him.
No one doubts that, but for the hyper-partisan tone of these unique
times, they would have both been handily re-elected.
I first met Ed Royce 37 years ago when we served together in the
California Legislature. When he was already a recognized leader in the
State Senate, one Saturday afternoon, I found him, to my stunned
surprise, wearing an apron and working behind the counter at a
coffeehouse he had just acquired. That work ethic, combined with his
quiet and unassuming nature and keen ability to cut through rhetoric to
reach bedrock reality, has made him one of the most effective Members
of the House and someone I greatly admire.
I met Dana Rohrabacher a few years later when he first ran for
Congress in 1988. It has been said that if you look up Orange County in
the dictionary, you will find his picture. For three decades, he has
been an icon in Southern California, representing the conservative
ideals, the libertarian leanings, and the casual lifestyle that define
the big OC of that era, an era that now closes with his departure from
Congress.
In 1993, I met Darrell Issa when he became a driving force on the
board of directors at the Claremont Institute, a think tank devoted to
putting American founding principles back into the public policy
debate. That same driving belief in freedom and free markets
had already made him a titan of industry and would soon make him an
effective and tireless advocate for these principles in Congress.
More recently, I have had the honor to serve with Mimi Walters and
Steve Knight.
I can tell you that when Mimi sets her mind on something, she is
terrifying. She pursues her objectives with all of the subtlety and
nuance of a heat-seeking missile. Her constituents had an advocate who
pulled out all the stops on their behalf, something I think they will
come to appreciate in retrospect.
I served with Steve Knight's dad in the State Senate and, at that
time, represented the adjoining district. I have sat with Steve every
day on this floor during votes, and I can say with some authority that
he is the full measure of his father and then some. Never have I known
a colleague to agonize more in order to weigh his votes for the
betterment of his community and his country. He is a man of quiet and
firm principle, a voice that I predict his constituents will also come
to sorely miss.
You know, Churchill once observed that politics are just as
interesting as war, and much more exciting, for in war, you can be shot
dead only once, but in politics, many times.
I have found that to be true over my political career, and it is from
that fact that springs my hope that we will see all these heroes back
in new and more influential roles in the years ahead.
{time} 1715
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).
Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Calvert, for
organizing this tonight. Indeed, it isn't pleasant, because we are
losing some great colleagues here.
The people have spoken, it is their will in the election, and we all
know that this is a fleeting time and opportunity to be here. It just
really is a reality check when you have plans and you are going along,
and an election happens, and all of a sudden those plans change for
some of your colleagues or even yourself. Who knows?
But indeed, it has been a great pleasure for me to serve several of
my years here overlapping with David Valadao, Ed Royce, Dana
Rohrabacher, Darrell Issa, Steve Knight, Jeff Denham, and Mimi Walters.
It is a fleeting moment, but also one you will always remember. The
friendships are the most important things. I am not going to list bills
we have passed or this or that, because indeed what I take away are the
friendships.
Having come up in the legislature with Mimi, Jeff, Steve, and David,
we
[[Page H10163]]
came in together, we formed our early competitive political lives
together in that crucible in Sacramento. I think when I think back on
this, I am not going to remember a lot about the bills or a lot about
that, and I don't think any of us really will so much. It is the
friendships. It is the relationships. And I count Mimi, Jeff, and David
as my closest friends in this place.
So when you go around the hallways here and you see that the bronze
plaques have been ripped off the offices there, indeed it is like
having a part of it ripped off your heart, you know? But we soldier on,
because the people have spoken. It is the will of the voters.
I know I have been proud to always stand with them. Whether fighting
for water, for agriculture, for fiscal responsibility, for the right
direction for our Nation, I have always counted on these friends to
help keep all of us moving on the right track, thinking about the right
things.
So indeed in these relationships, the fun that comes along with it,
like with my friend ``Cowadao.'' And Jeffrey, who we always refer to
each other as our full formal first names. And M-I-M-I. We have had a
lot of fun in this. And I think we have all fought hard in the trenches
to advance not only our State at that level, but our country as well.
We are all better off for it. I am better off for having known them.
And it is not going to be as fun, it is not going to be as fulfilling
to be around here without friends like that, but, again, it is the will
of the voters. It is how things go.
We will see each other in many other capacities as we move through
this life together.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the invaluable
contributions made by my California Republican delegation colleagues
who are departing at the conclusion of this term.
I consider these individuals more than colleagues. I consider them my
friends, and I am deeply disappointed they will not be joining us in
the next session of Congress.
Every one of them has served in the House with distinction, making
this institution better for having them a part of it. They have
represented their constituents and our State well by understanding the
unique challenges they faced and effectively fighting for solutions.
The booming voice from Jeff Denham is as unmistakable as it is
effective advocating for California's Central Valley. He knows it is
pretty difficult to farm without a reliable water supply, so he helped
lead the charge for many sensible water policies that help our Nation's
fruit and vegetable farmers keep American-grown produce on the dining
room tables around the country.
Darrell Issa made a name for himself in the car alarm industry before
he came to Congress, where he sounded the alarm on the executive branch
misconduct. As a leader on the Oversight and Government Reform
Committee, Darrell held our fellow agencies to account for their
actions and was a staunch defender of American taxpayers.
Steve Knight comes from a family well known for public service. Steve
proudly carried on that tradition by serving in the Army for 8 years,
then the Los Angeles Police Department for 18 years. Steve then came to
Congress, bringing his tremendous experience to the House Armed
Services Committee, where he has made a big impact.
The dean of the California Republican delegation, Dana Rohrabacher,
always brings a unique perspective to any conversation. Since his days
in the Reagan White House, Dana has been a constant voice for the
defense of liberty and freedom. He has also been a gnarly champion for
California's legendary surfing community.
Ed Royce and I were both members of the incoming freshman class of
1993. As a longtime member and now chairman of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, Ed has served as an effective advocate for American
interests and allies around the globe. I have seen firsthand how
especially tireless he is in being a voice for the safety and liberty
of people so desperate for someone to come to their aid. And to cap it
off, Ed's tribute video featured Bono singing his praises.
David Valadao is a Member of the House who truly understands what it
means to be a champion for his district. David has never been
interested in partisan politics. He just wants to deliver results for
the Central Valley of California. Working with David to solve
California's water challenges and serving with him on the
Appropriations Committee has been an absolute pleasure and honor.
Anyone who spends any time with Mimi Walters knows that she is the
toughest member of the California Republican delegation. I think you
have heard that a number of times. When our delegation needs to
get something done, you can always count on Mimi to be front and center
in the fight. Her tenacity in advancing worthwhile policies will be
sorely missed by our delegation, our conference, and the House.
Time and time again, our California Republican delegation has come
together to respond to the needs of our State, whether it was a serious
drought, a disease threatening to wipe out our citrus farmers, horrific
wildfires and the flooding and mudslides that follow them, there is no
group of representatives I would rather lock arms with to fight for
those solutions that our constituents need.
Mr. Speaker, Teddy Roosevelt so brilliantly said, ``It is not the
critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man
stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The
credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.''
The departing members of the California delegation all leave with
pride of knowing they served in the arena and spent themselves in a
worthy cause.
Again, I am grateful for their service and especially for their
friendship.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________