[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 164 (Thursday, October 17, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING ELIJAH CUMMINGS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I have the sad task of announcing what 
probably most of you already know. We have lost a great American, a 
decent American, a wonderful Member of this body, Elijah Cummings, who 
died early this morning of illnesses he had been suffering from for a 
significant period of time.
  Members of the House, the people of Maryland, and the people of the 
United States of America woke up to this sad and shocking news that we 
had lost this dear friend, a devoted public servant, and a dedicated 
patriot, who reflected courtesy and respect for all.
  At a time of confrontation, disagreement, anger, and, yes, sometimes 
hate, he was a beacon of civility, of fairness, and of justice. He was 
chairman of the Oversight and Reform Committee. He passed away too 
early at 68 years of age.
  All of us who served with him knew his passion for justice; his sharp 
intellect, having graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Howard University, 
where he was president of the student government association; his wit; 
and his devotion to the cause of making government work for the people.
  It will be surely said of Elijah that he worked hard until the very 
end. He was on a telephone call with all of us on Sunday talking about 
how we ought to proceed with the heavy duties that confronted him, his 
committee, and the Congress.
  He never wavered in his dedication to the causes he made the 
hallmarks of his career, even in recent days when, as I said, his 
health was waning.
  Those causes were equality and opportunity for all, the son of a 
sharecropper who rose to be a great leader in this country. He was 
concerned about voting rights, civil rights, alleviating poverty, 
establishing justice, and ensuring that those entrusted with high 
office are held accountable and carry out their responsibilities 
lawfully and ethically.
  Elijah Cummings was, of course, a true son of Baltimore, a city of 
grit and hope, a city of dreams and hard work. He was loved in the city 
of Baltimore. At a time of great distress in the city of Baltimore, it 
was Elijah Cummings in the streets bringing calm and peace to that 
city.
  His life will forever be an example to all of us of striving to 
better one's community and one's country, a passion and service to 
one's fellow man and woman, and a perseverance in the face of adversity 
while in pursuit of making this country and the world a better place.
  Whenever he believed we were falling short of the vision of our 
Founders--and many of you will hear this resonate in your ears--he 
would say to all of us in a loving way, as he said throughout our State 
at a time of trouble and difference: ``We are better than this.''
  As we see conflict, as we see people disparaging one another, we want 
to think to ourselves, ``we are better than this,'' and think of Elijah 
Cummings, a man of great faith, of great humility, of great humanity, 
and of great service.
  We will miss Elijah Cummings. We are a lesser place for losing him. 
Like the prophet for whom he was named, he was taken from us too young, 
too soon, too suddenly. We can say, with Shakespeare: He should have 
died hereafter. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.
  Elijah will not have those tomorrows, and we will not have them with 
him. We will miss him dearly.
  My thoughts are with his wife, Maya, and his three children.
  I offer my condolences to the people of Maryland's Seventh 
Congressional District, who loved their Congressman. They had 
confidence in their Congressman, and they knew that he was, in fact, 
better, and they were better for his service.
  May God bless Elijah Cummings, his family, all of us, and this great 
country.

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