[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 29 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1396-S1397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING JOHN DINGELL

  Mr. CARPER. The last thing I would like to do, if I could, is I want 
to talk a little bit about John Dingell. I don't know if our Presiding 
Officer ever had a chance to meet him or know him. She says no--nods 
no.
  I had the pleasure of knowing him I guess since 1982, 1983, when I 
was elected to the House. I was a Representative, and he was already 
there. I was the new guy, and I had been a treasurer of Delaware and a 
naval flight officer before that, and I finally retired from the Navy 
as a captain a few years ago.
  He was so nice to me. He was a big guy, a giant of a man and kind of 
gruff. He was kind of gruff, and I can't imagine how the pages would 
have reacted to him if he yelled at them or frowned at them or growled 
at them. But for reasons that aren't all clear, he was really kind to 
me. I think in his heart that is what he was.
  I like to work out. I like to run. I like to work out in gyms. They 
have a gym over at the House in the basement of the Rayburn Building. 
It is a pretty nice gym. We have one here. It is small by comparison. 
It is modest. I usually go home at night, but occasionally I would 
spend the night in DC when I was in the House, and the next morning I 
would go to the gym, and I would either go run out on the Mall, or I 
would lift weights or ride the bike or something in the gym. When I 
finished up, before I took a shower and got dressed, I would go in the 
steam room--the gym had a steam room in it--and a lot of times, John 
Dingell was in there.
  I remember sitting there with him repeatedly over the years--not 
hundreds of times but many times. Sometimes there were several people 
there. We talked. Sometimes it was just the two of us. He gave me 
really good advice. He was like a mentor.
  The day I was sworn in as a Congressman from Delaware, I was the dean 
of our delegation because we only had one, so I didn't really have like 
a big brother or a big sister in my delegation to look up to in the 
House. There was nobody else but me. I was brand new. John Dingell was 
nice, along with a bunch of other folks too. They kind of stepped up 
and gave me some of the guidance that I needed.
  He was an interesting fellow because he chaired the Energy and 
Commerce Committee the whole time I was in the House and a long time 
after that, and he always looked out for his bread and butter. In 
Michigan, that is automobiles. This was a big deal. It was then, and it 
still is. So he always wanted to make sure that they had the 
predictability that they wanted and needed and that they could be 
successful. If I were the Senator or Representative from Michigan, I 
would want that too. But he also was really good on clean air issues, 
clean water issues, natural resource issues, open space issues, and 
agricultural issues.
  I remember once on one of those mornings, we were talking about 
whether it is possible to be a good steward of the environment, mindful 
of air, water, open space, public health--is it possible to do all 
those things and also look out for job creation and job preservation, 
whether it is in Michigan or some other place?
  My staff has heard me say this, I am tempted to say, a million times. 
Folks on the Environment and Public Works Committee, where I am a 
senior Democrat now, have heard me say this more often than they want 
to. I have always said it is possible to have clean air, clean water, 
better public health, do good things for our planet, and create jobs. 
They go hand-in-glove.
  One of the first people who reminded me of that a long time ago was 
John Dingell. He supported the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. 
He supported the Clean Air Amendments in 1990, on which he was nice 
enough to let me offer a provision that was incorporated into the law. 
He did a lot to help preserve the auto industry not just in his State 
but in this country. He was an amazing guy.
  Either the day he passed away or before he passed away, with his wife 
Debbie by his side--she is now a Congresswoman in his old seat--he 
shared with her some thoughts that he wanted to leave as part of his 
legacy at 92, and those words--I am not going to read them here today. 
I think they probably have already been read on the floor or introduced 
into the Record.
  I ask unanimous consent that those words be printed in the Record.

[[Page S1397]]

  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                [From the Washington Post, Feb. 8, 2019]

                John Dingell: My Last Words for America

                          (By John D. Dingell)

       John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who served in the U.S. 
     House from 1955 to 2015, was the longest-serving member of 
     Congress in American history. He dictated these reflections 
     to his wife, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), at their home in 
     Dearborn, on Feb. 7, the day he died.
       One of the advantages to knowing that your demise is 
     imminent, and that reports of it will not be greatly 
     exaggerated, is that you have a few moments to compose some 
     parting thoughts.
       In our modern political age, the presidential bully pulpit 
     seems dedicated to sowing division and denigrating, often in 
     the most irrelevant and infantile personal terms, the 
     political opposition.
       And much as I have found Twitter to be a useful means of 
     expression, some occasions merit more than 280 characters.
       My personal and political character was formed in a 
     different era that was kinder, if not necessarily gentler. We 
     observed modicums of respect even as we fought, often 
     bitterly and savagely, over issues that were literally life 
     and death to a degree that--fortunately--we see much less of 
     today.
       Think about it:
       Impoverishment of the elderly because of medical expenses 
     was a common and often accepted occurrence. Opponents of the 
     Medicare program that saved the elderly from that cruel fate 
     called it ``socialized medicine.'' Remember that slander if 
     there's a sustained revival of silly red-baiting today.
       Not five decades ago, much of the largest group of 
     freshwater lakes on Earth--our own Great Lakes--were closed 
     to swimming and fishing and other recreational pursuits 
     because of chemical and bacteriological contamination from 
     untreated industrial and wastewater disposal. Today, the 
     Great Lakes are so hospitable to marine life that one of our 
     biggest challenges is controlling the invasive species that 
     have made them their new home.
       We regularly used and consumed foods, drugs, chemicals and 
     other things (cigarettes) that were legal, promoted and 
     actively harmful. Hazardous wastes were dumped on empty plots 
     in the dead of night. There were few if any restrictions on 
     industrial emissions. We had only the barest scientific 
     knowledge of the long-term consequences of any of this.
       And there was a great stain on America, in the form of our 
     legacy of racial discrimination. There were good people of 
     all colors who banded together, risking and even losing their 
     lives to erase the legal and other barriers that held 
     Americans down. In their time, they were often demonized and 
     targeted, much like other vulnerable men and women today.
       Please note: All of these challenges were addressed by 
     Congress. Maybe not as fast as we wanted, or as perfectly as 
     hoped. The work is certainly not finished. But we've made 
     progress--and in every case, from the passage of Medicare 
     through the passage of civil rights, we did it with the 
     support of Democrats and Republicans who considered 
     themselves first and foremost to be Americans.
       I'm immensely proud, and eternally grateful, for having had 
     the opportunity to play a part in all of these efforts during 
     my service in Congress. And it's simply not possible for me 
     to adequately repay the love that my friends, neighbors and 
     family have given me and shown me during my public service 
     and retirement.
       But I would be remiss in not acknowledging the forgiveness 
     and sweetness of the woman who has essentially supported me 
     for almost 40 years: my wife, Deborah. And it is a source of 
     great satisfaction to know that she is among the largest 
     group of women to have ever served in the Congress (as she 
     busily recruits more).
       In my life and career, I have often heard it said that so-
     and-so has real power--as in, ``the powerful Wile E. Coyote, 
     chairman of the Capture the Road Runner Committee.''
       It's an expression that has always grated on me. In 
     democratic government, elected officials do not have power. 
     They hold power--in trust for the people who elected them. If 
     they misuse or abuse that public trust, it is quite properly 
     revoked (the quicker the better).
       I never forgot the people who gave me the privilege of 
     representing them. It was a lesson learned at home from my 
     father and mother, and one I have tried to impart to the 
     people I've served with and employed over the years.
       As I prepare to leave this all behind, I now leave you in 
     control of the greatest nation of mankind and pray God gives 
     you the wisdom to understand the responsibility you hold in 
     your hands.
       May God bless you all, and may God bless America.

  Mr. CARPER. I will close with this. I went to the funeral. I couldn't 
stay the whole time. It was here in DC. I missed Steny Hoyer, the 
Democratic majority leader, and his comments. I was told he was 
terrific, as were others, as well. But I did get to hear just about 
everything Bill Clinton said. I was inspired and amused by that. He was 
funny. He really caught the character of John and his foibles, his 
strengths, and brilliance.
  Before I went to the funeral, I went to a breakfast. A friend at the 
breakfast was kind enough to share his words with the rest of us. He 
actually worked for John Dingell at one time. In an off-the-cuff riff 
about John Dingell, he shared some of the things he worked on. Later 
on, I said: Would you share that with me? He was kind enough to do 
that.
  I wish I could say these are my words, but that would be plagiarism. 
I give him the credit, at least in a left-handed sort of way. This is 
what my friend gave to me. I just want to close with these words from 
my friend about John Dingell:

       This morning as I was reading the obituaries detailing 
     Congressman Dingell's life and accomplishments, I started 
     thinking of all the aspects of daily life that he had a 
     direct and meaningful impact on for almost 60 years.

  He went on to say what some of them were.

       The air we breathe, the water we drink. The health of 
     rivers and lakes. The wildlife that exists and depends upon 
     those spaces. The food we eat. The pills we take. The 
     products we use. The electricity that powers our economy. The 
     efficiency of almost every product that uses electricity. The 
     phones we use. The health insurance we count on in a medical 
     crisis. The regulation and cleanup of hazardous waste. The 
     cars we drive, of course! And a host of other things.

  On this Valentine's Day--when we give thanks for our loved ones, our 
families, and those who are special in our lives--I also give thanks 
for John and the many blessings that he has left us and this country.
  With that, I will say I appreciate the opportunity to share these 
words.
  God bless.
  Thank you.

                          ____________________