[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 7 (Monday, January 13, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H198-H201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH AND FIRST SPOUSE BARBARA BUSH COIN ACT

  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 457) to require that $1 coins issued during 2019 honor 
President George H.W. Bush and to direct the Secretary of the Treasury 
to issue bullion coins during 2019 in honor of Barbara Bush.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 457

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``President George H.W. Bush 
     and First Spouse Barbara Bush Coin Act''.

     SEC. 2. COINS HONORING PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH AND FIRST 
                   SPOUSE BARBARA BUSH.

       (a) Circulating $1 Coins Honoring President George H.W. 
     Bush.--Notwithstanding subsections (d), (n)(2)(E), (n)(3), 
     (n)(4), and (n)(8) of section 5112 of title 31, United States 
     Code, in addition to the coins to be issued under subsections 
     (r) and (w) of such section 5112, and in accordance with the 
     other provisions of subsection (n) of such section 5112, the 
     Secretary of the Treasury, beginning on January 1, 2020, 
     shall mint and issue $1 coins that bear--
       (1) the image of President George H.W. Bush; and
       (2) an inscription of the year ``2020''.
       (b) Bullion Coins Honoring First Spouse Barbara Bush.--
     Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (5)(C) of section 5112(o) 
     of title 31, United States Code, and in accordance with the 
     other provisions of such section 5112(o), the Secretary of 
     the Treasury, beginning on January 1, 2020, shall mint and 
     issue bullion coins that bear--
       (1) the image of First Spouse Barbara Bush; and
       (2) an inscription of the year ``2020''.

     SEC. 3. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.

       The Secretary of the Treasury shall take such actions as 
     may be necessary to ensure that the minting and issuing of 
     coins under this Act will not result in any net cost to the 
     United States Government.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Watson Coleman). Pursuant to the rule, 
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) and the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. McHenry) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 457, the President 
George H.W. Bush and First Spouse Barbara Bush Coin Act. This bill 
directs the Treasury to issue $1 coins honoring the life and legacy of 
President George Herbert Walker Bush as well as a bullion coin 
commemorating his wife, former First Lady Barbara Bush.
  The dollar coin was one of the first silver coins minted in the 
United States. Since the first dollar coins were struck in 1794, the 
dollar coin has, on occasion, been minted with the images of various 
individuals whose leadership, actions, and deeds have played an 
integral role at key moments in our Nation's history. These include 
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, suffragist Susan B. Anthony, and, most 
recently, Lemhi Shoshone guide and interpreter for the Lewis and Clark 
expedition, Sacagawea.
  Beginning in 2007, the Mint sought to honor our Nation's Presidents 
by issuing $1 coins, featuring their images in the order that they 
served. The last President to be honored under this program was 
President Ronald Reagan in 2016.
  This bill reauthorizes the Treasury to mint a $1 coin in honor of the 
late

[[Page H199]]

President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush, under the 
Presidential $1 Coin Program.
  George Herbert Walker Bush served as the 41st President of the United 
States from 1989 to 1993. A career public servant, President Bush 
served our country as a U.S. Navy pilot during World War II before 
going on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, as a U.S. 
Ambassador to the United Nations, as Director of Central Intelligence, 
and as the 43rd Vice President of the United States. As President, Bush 
presided over the collapse of the Soviet Union, German reunification, 
and the first Gulf war.
  In his post-Presidency, Bush is remembered for using his spotlight to 
support various charities and for working closely with former 
Presidents Carter and Clinton to encourage public service and encourage 
aid for victims of natural disasters both at home and abroad.
  Barbara Pierce Bush also served as First Lady from 1989 to 1993. A 
fierce advocate for literacy, Mrs. Bush was dedicated to eliminating 
generational cycles of illiteracy through her involvement in the 
Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and other reading 
organizations. As First Lady, she was known as much for her humor and 
self-deprecating wit as she was for being a keen adviser and confidant 
to President George H.W. Bush.
  In addition to their decades-long careers as public servants, 
President and Mrs. Bush were the patriarch and matriarch of a family of 
public servants, including the 43rd President of the United States, 
George W. Bush, and the former Governor of Florida, John Ellis Bush. 
Their dedication to patriotism, service, and each other are an 
inspiration to us all.
  So I thank our Senate colleague Mr. Cornyn for introducing this bill, 
as well as Mr. Williams and all members of the Texas delegation, 
including our own Representative Sylvia Garcia, a valued new member of 
the Financial Services Committee, for their hard work on the bill, and 
I urge Members to vote ``yes.''
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  ``There could be no definition of a successful life that does not 
include service to others''--the words of George Herbert Walker Bush.
  ``Each day we should do something to help others''--the words of 
Barbara Pierce Bush.
  We know them as the President and the First Lady. The people of 
Houston know them and knew them as kind and wonderful and thoughtful 
neighbors. That is the reason why so much of Houston is named after 41 
and his wife, Barbara. They are special people, indeed.
  In a special time in American history, they served their country and 
they devoted their life to public service: first, here in the House of 
Representatives, where George H.W. Bush served for but a short period 
of time; then, at the highest levels of government, as Ambassador to 
the United Nations, as Director of the CIA, and as an Ambassador to 
China.
  Sadly, we lost President George H.W. Bush in November of 2018, just a 
few months after his wife, Barbara, passed away on April 17, 2018.
  We know of their devotion to the American people, and what we have 
before us is legislation that authorizes the U.S. Mint to make $1 coins 
honoring the service and extraordinary lives of former President and 
First Lady Bush.
  President Bush's decades of service first began in World War II, 
where he made a rare feat of surviving after being shot down over the 
Pacific. So we know of his full life of service. We know of their 
family's full devotion to us as the American people, and we thank them 
for their service.
  It is an honor to be on the floor of this House of Representatives to 
speak in honor of such an important life and work. This is but a small 
statement of our gratitude for what they did for us and how they served 
us.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Garcia), a valued new member of the 
Financial Services Committee.
  Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for the 
time allotted to me.
  Today, I speak to celebrate the legacies of fellow Houstonians, 
former President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush.
  Before and after Mr. Bush's Presidency, he and Barbara made Houston, 
Texas, their home. They quickly became mainstays in our community, in 
part, because of their support of Houston sports teams--I know; I sat 
in the big box with them at many Astros games--and also for the Houston 
Rodeo. They both wore their hats really well and all things Houston. 
But mostly, it was because of their advocacy for serving the public 
good in all their philanthropic efforts.
  Barbara Bush was an enthusiastic champion of improving literacy for 
families and children. The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, 
for example, donated money to replace books and materials destroyed 
after Hurricane Harvey.
  Former President Bush was equally committed to public service. His 
foundation, Points of Light, mobilized volunteers after Hurricane 
Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005; and, as the chairwoman noted, 
President Bush, together with President Clinton and others, always 
together, formed the Presidents Club to help after any disaster. He was 
able to reach across the aisle and, again, do what he knew to do best, 
which was to serve the public good.
  I am a proud cosponsor of this commemorative coin act to honor both 
of them and their charitable work in Houston and throughout. I cannot 
think of a better ambassador for Houston for all these years than the 
Bushes.
  Many of us went from calling him President Bush to just simply George 
and Barbara because they were always together. I know every time we 
went to a game of the Astros and that kiss cam would go around the 
field, whenever it got there to either George or Barbara, George was 
ready, and the crowd just loved it, because the President was always 
there, ready to kiss Barbara on the spot as long as the kiss cam caught 
them.
  They were truly Houston's greatest ambassadors. They are missed, but 
their legacy lives on.
  I thank the sponsors of this bill, Senator Cornyn over in the Senate 
and Mr. Williams here in the House.
  I thank the chairwoman for giving me the time to say a few words 
about some people who were really very, very, important to Houston.
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
the great State of Arkansas (Mr. Hill), who is the ranking member of 
the National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy 
Subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee.
  Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, the ranking 
member of the House Financial Services Committee, for yielding to me.
  I, too, rise and thank John Cornyn, the Senator from Texas, and my 
good friend, small business man, auto dealer from Dallas, Texas, Roger 
Williams, for his leadership on this commemoration.
  What a treat to be here on the House floor and honor George and 
Barbara Bush right where he served as a member of the House Ways and 
Means Committee some 50-plus years ago.
  He loved the House. He loved an Arkansan named John Paul 
Hammerschmidt, a longtime member of the House Transportation Committee. 
They were best friends. They were freshmen together.
  He always spoke fondly of this House, and it served him well when he 
was Vice President, served him well when he was President of the United 
States.
  My wife, Martha, and I think about one thing when we think about 
George and Barbara Bush, whom we had the pleasure to know for over 40 
years and work for for 4 years.
  When you are at school with your kids or filling out a form, there is 
a line that says, ``in case of emergency,'' and there is a blank, and 
you are supposed to put a friend's name, a neighbor's name, a 
colleague's name. Madam Speaker, when we think of George and Barbara 
Bush, we think of that form.

                              {time}  1815

  In case of an emergency, call George Bush, call Barbara Bush. Because 
that

[[Page H200]]

is what they were. They were neighbors. In their soul, as the ranking 
member from North Carolina said, service was at the heart, whether it 
is pushing the cart across the Randalls' parking lot in Houston, 
serving cookies sitting on the floor of the vice president's mansion 
here in Washington, D.C., welcoming foreign leaders at the diplomatic 
entrance of the White House, service was at the heart. Being a neighbor 
was at the heart. That was George and Barbara Bush.
  You think about our kids and their striving for who to look up to, 
who to have as a hero on the sports field, on the hospital board of 
directors, on the city council, in this House, serving the people of 
America. Who do you think of? George and Barbara Bush.
  America, buy these $1 coins, hand them out to young people and say, 
if you are looking for a hero, you are looking for George Bush. Look no 
further than Barbara Bush. What the Bushes did pre-Presidency, in the 
Presidency, in the limelight for this country was lead and demonstrate 
service from the heart.
  I can tell you a million stories about what a decent person George 
Bush was and what a wonderful woman, biting, bossy, fabulous mom, 
grandmother, and First Lady Barbara Bush was. Don't ever be caught 
chewing gum around her because you will swallow it. She was tough. She 
set high standards. Her children were held to those high standards. And 
she has lifted our whole country up to high standards by being an 
outstanding First Lady.
  Tonight on this House floor it is an honor to be here and honor the 
memory of George and Barbara Bush by unanimously in this House 
supporting John Cornyn and Roger Williams' good bill to have the United 
States Treasury mint a coin to someone we look up to, we remember with 
reverence, we are grateful for, grateful for their service to this 
country.
  From being fished out of the Pacific Ocean onto the fish back all the 
way to the White House, what a story.
  As Chairwoman Waters said, even better was the story after the 
Presidency. George Bush shaving his head in symbolism, support and 
solidarity with the kids at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. 
George Bush wearing that goofy smile with his goofy socks to bring out 
heart and reverence for the good work of MD Anderson. Barbara Bush, for 
something that plagues every community in this country, every age in 
this country, the lack of literacy. How can you be a successful 
American and not be literate? And Barbara Bush from day one said, this 
is a fight I am in. And she fought for literacy for adults and for kids 
all over this country and had fun doing it. Her daughter-in-law, Laura 
Bush, our First Lady also, has carried that mantle forward.
  Thank you, Madam Speaker, for this opportunity to be on the floor to 
pay tribute again to Mr. and Mrs. Bush for their leadership in this 
country. I thank the Members of this House that come together on both 
sides of the aisle and recognize a leader when they see one. I 
appreciate the ranking member from North Carolina for the time. I am 
going to vote ``yes.''
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Williams), my colleague and member of the House Financial 
Services Committee, the lead House sponsor of the legislation we are 
considering today.
  Mr. WILLIAMS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I 
rise today in strong support of the President George H.W. Bush and 
First Spouse Barbara Bush Coin Act honoring one of the most remarkable 
couples in our Nation's history.
  I am proud to have introduced the House companion bill, H.R. 1173, 
this Congress with a bipartisan group of 27 lawmakers from the Texas 
delegation.
  President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush were examples 
of selflessness and sacrifice. And like their country they were tough, 
they were strong and they were kind.
  From President Bush's naval aviation career where he was the youngest 
pilot to receive his wings and was later shot down over the Pacific to 
his small business career, to his tenure as a Texas Congressman, 
ambassador to the United Nations, ambassador to China, director of the 
Central Intelligence Agency and later as vice president, no one was 
more prepared to be President than George H.W. Bush.
  During George H.W. Bush's Presidency, he tore down the Berlin wall, 
and he kept us safe during Desert Storm. He brought to the White House 
with him unwavering strength, patriotism, and humility.
  An example of the latter that comes to my mind, when shortly before 
the USS George H.W. Bush, or CVN-77 as it is called, was completed, 
several of us on the board of directors went to President Bush's 
Houston office and let him know how the ship was doing and it was 
almost ready. Upon learning of its status, he put his head in his hands 
and said, ``This is one of the nicest things that has ever happened to 
me.'' He was the embodiment of a gracious warrior. Tonight I wear this 
tie that is the tie of CVN-77 to remind me of that event and in his 
honor.
  He lived life fearlessly. Later in his life when President Bush 
turned 80, he celebrated his birthday, dubbed as ``41 at 80`` by 
jumping out of an airplane at 13,000 feet at College Station, and he 
did it twice. They were his fourth and fifth jumps, and I was honored 
to shake his hand upon the landing.
  For those who knew the Bushes, their love for country was only 
surpassed by their love of each other. George and Barbara Bush were 
married for 73 years in one of the greatest love stories of our time. 
From their very first meeting to the decades of life and family they 
shared together, the Bushes personified devotion and the truest 
expression of love.
  President Bush and I were often able to share our passion for 
America's favorite pastime while I served as a trustee for the Bush 
School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M. Forty-one was a 
fixture in the world of baseball, and he famously took credit for the 
phrase ``you da man'' while praising the Houston Astros' Rusty Staub 
after a game in the sixties. It was one of the very few things he would 
ever boast about and be braggadocious. He claimed from then on that he 
never received enough credit for coining that phrase.

  I also had the great privilege of awarding him the National College 
Baseball Hall of Fame induction trophy in his Houston office a few 
years ago for his esteemed and great career he had playing for Yale at 
first base and playing in the College World Series. Today I even wear 
this ring as a George H.W. Bush award recipient from the National 
College Baseball Hall of Fame.
  President Bush taught my daughters how to play basketball in 
Kennebunkport preparing them for their future junior high and high 
school careers. He most notably taught them the ``falling leaf'' shot. 
I think this is about how it looked, which in his mind would make them 
all-stars if mastered, while they wore the tennis shoes given to them 
by Mrs. Bush as they practiced.
  First Lady Barbara Bush was a force of nature, and she carried the 
mantle of trusted adviser and family matriarch with unfailing grace. 
Barbara displayed true dedication to her country and her family in 
every phase of her life.
  To this day, one of my most meaningful memories was President Bush 
often saying thank you for being a friend to my family and a friend to 
my son.
  Together President Bush and Mrs. Bush exemplified what all Americans 
should strive to emulate. They were friends of America, and I was 
honored to call them friends of mine.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill honoring the legacy of two 
of our Nation's most devoted servants.
  In closing, I would just like to say this to President Bush, ``Mr. 
President, you da man.'' In God we trust.
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, may I inquire of the Chair the time 
remaining on our side.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from North Carolina has 7\1/2\ 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Arrington), a former George W. Bush administration 
appointee.
  Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from North 
Carolina for yielding and for the opportunity to speak about a great 
American hero and a wonderful family, a class act.

[[Page H201]]

  I was privileged to serve under the great leadership of George W. 
Bush as Governor of the Lone Star State and then President of this 
great country. No doubt his parents, their character, their patriotism, 
and love for their fellow man did not fall too far from the tree, as we 
say in Texas.
  I rise in support of the President George H.W. Bush and First Spouse 
Barbara Bush Coin Act sponsored by friend and fellow Texan, Senator 
John Cornyn.
  George Herbert Walker Bush and his wife First Lady Barbara Bush were 
exemplars of leadership and service to the country and an almost 
perfect picture of a devoted and loving marriage. If there is a perfect 
marriage, they certainly seemed to have it.
  I think, Madam Speaker, it is right and good to honor and commemorate 
the most noble and accomplished leaders and public servants, and no 
doubt, at the top of that list is George Herbert Walker Bush and his 
wife Barbara Bush, and I am grateful for the opportunity to honor the 
legacy of President and First Lady Bush by supporting the issuance of 
these coins.
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, in writing about George H.W. Bush it was said duty was 
duty. In 1975, there is this move in the administration to shuttle off 
George H.W. Bush to a nondescript position. The assumption was if 
George H.W. Bush was offered a job in public service, he was going to 
say no because it wasn't the right job for him. Instead, President Bush 
said yes and served our Nation as director of the CIA at a moment in 
American history where that agency had massive need for reform and 
change and also to rebuild its capacity to protect us as Americans.
  It was written about him, ``Your message came as a total and complete 
shock,'' Bush wrote to his friend, Henry Kissinger. ``Henry, you did 
not know my father. The President did,'' meaning President Nixon. ``My 
dad inculcated into his sons a set of values that have served me well. 
In my own short public life''--not realizing that 20 years hence he 
would still be in public service--``one of these values quite simply is 
that one should serve his country and his President.''
  That is what George H.W. Bush wrote in 1975, his notion of public 
service. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, those words of 
public service of the need for us as individual Americans to do our 
duty when called upon and to offer ourselves to serve the public and to 
serve our fellow man is something that was commendable in 1975 and is 
absolutely commendable and especially commendable this day.
  On the floor this day, on both sides of the aisle, we honor an 
amazing legacy of what he became known as, as 41. The 41st President of 
the United States and his First Lady, not just during his time in the 
White House, but his first lady in his life, Barbara Pierce Bush. We 
know of their family legacy and the generations they have given this 
country in public service, but we also know the amazing legacy of that 
World War II generation that he represented and the legacy of public 
service and trying to get things done for the American people.

                              {time}  1830

  Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to speak in favor of this resolution, 
this bill today, and I ask my colleagues to support this recognition of 
the lives, the dedication, and the selflessness of 41 and First Lady 
Bush.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  This bill honors a couple who devoted their lives to public service 
and were known for their deep faith and commitment to decency and 
civility.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to have worked in a bipartisan manner on 
this bill, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
important piece of legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cuellar). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 457.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________