[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 16, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H606-H607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF ALFRED NEWMAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. O'Halleran) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Navajo 
code talker Alfred Newman, who passed away this week.
  Mr. Newman was one of the last surviving members of the Navajo code 
talkers, a group of brave Navajo marines who used their native language 
to create unbreakable codes that were used in the Pacific during World 
War II.
  He served our Nation with honor, from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima. He was 
recently honored with other code talkers at a White House ceremony and 
was awarded the Congressional Silver Medal for his service in 2001.
  Mr. Speaker, Alfred Newman was a hero. He and his fellow code talkers 
saved the lives of countless troops with their unbreakable codes, and 
they deserve our respect and honor every day.
  My prayers are with Alfred's family and loved ones and the entire 
Navajo Nation as they mourn the passing of this hero and celebrate his 
life.

                              {time}  1015


                     Honoring Milton Bluehouse, Sr.

  Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I was saddened to hear of the passing of 
former Navajo Nation President Milton Bluehouse, Sr.
  Raised in a traditional Navajo lifestyle, President Bluehouse 
graduated from Ganado Mission School and served in the United States 
Army for 3 years.
  Throughout his life, he represented the interests of his community on 
the

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Tribal Council before serving as president for a short time.
  He had many ambitious plans to assist at-risk youth, create good-
paying jobs, and expand programs to improve safety in Tribal 
communities.
  President Bluehouse will always be remembered for his commitment to 
the Navajo people and for ensuring the Federal Government upheld its 
obligations to the Tribe.
  My prayers are with his family and loved ones and the entire Navajo 
Nation as they mourn his passing and celebrate his life.


                    It Is Time to Open Up Government

  Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, it is time to open up government. We can 
no longer think that we are not having an impact on our economy. We can 
no longer think that the safety of Americans who fly in our skies or 
eat the food in America is not at risk. We can no longer imagine that 
the millions of families who are being impacted are not suffering.
  It is time. This is the greatest Nation on Earth. It is the only one 
in my entire lifetime that I have seen that has closed down government. 
Our counties don't do it; our States don't do it; our cities don't do 
it. But the greatest Nation on Earth can find a way to close down 
government?
  This should never, ever happen in our country. We should never put 
our citizens through this. We have the money to pay the staff. We have 
to find ways to get out of this problem and never let it happen again.

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