[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 134 (Wednesday, July 29, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H3968-H3974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




REFLECTIONS OF MEMBERS OF THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE WITH RESPECT TO 
                         CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Wild). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2019, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I have asked the members of the Ways and 
Means family to assemble on the floor tonight so that we might offer 
appropriate praise to the life of one of the iconic figures of not just 
the civil rights movement, but of the Ways and Means Committee.
  I sat next to John Lewis for 25 years on the Ways and Means 
Committee, and I must tell you, Madam Speaker, he was the bravest and 
most gentle person I ever met.
  He nearly lost his life in pursuit of justice and confronted some of 
the darkest facets of our society at the Edmund Pettus Bridge as a very 
young man, but he never lost faith in what America could become.
  During those many conversations--and he offered a tutorial to me 
about the life and the legend that he had offered to America--his 
unyielding optimism and hope lifted the spirits of his fellow Members 
of Congress and the American people in our Nation's most trying 
moments.
  With quiet strength, grace, and love, he shouldered unthinkable 
burdens and changed this world for the better. Through it all, he was 
unfailingly humble, selfless, and kind.
  I must say--and I was commenting a moment ago to some colleagues on 
the committee--if he was in the room, Madam Speaker, you would have to 
get him to come to the microphone. That was that reluctance that he 
had. And we all had known about the great achievements that he had 
offered to this Nation, but it was never, ``Let me get to the 
microphone.'' It was always a much more humble arrangement.
  He came to my constituency in 2015. He was invited by the Sisters of 
St. Joseph, who staffed a small Catholic college in Chicopee, 
Massachusetts. They invited him to commemorate the fact that on Bloody 
Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge they were the only ones, with 
members of the Edmundite priesthood, who would care for them when 
others closed their doors.
  When John greeted Sister Maxyne Schneider upon introduction for the 
commencement address, the two of them broke out in tears, and 5,000 
people in the Springfield Civic Center broke out in tears with them. He 
remembered that moment, and they remembered him--another great story in 
the legacy of John Lewis.
  It is rare that a person has an opportunity in this institution to 
work alongside a real hero. We had that here, and we sometimes forget 
that in the din of incendiary debate. But for three decades, I, along 
with other members of the Ways and Means Committee, had that honor. To 
be in his presence, his wisdom, and his joyful spirit day in and day 
out was a blessing beyond words.
  John served in this Congress until his last day, in part because his 
work was not done. Despite all the advancements he achieved, glaring 
inequities remain in our Nation that demand reform. But lucky for us, 
John Lewis inspired generations of young people to follow in his steps, 
to stand up to injustice, and to fight for what is right.
  Now he can clearly rest, and our prayers are with him as we carry on 
his vital and unfinished business. It is up to all of us to pick up 
where John left off and to be part of his legacy in action.
  For those of us who will join his funeral service tomorrow in 
Atlanta, what a great journey this has been to have served with him in 
this Congress.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady).
  Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for bringing the Ways 
and Means family, as he termed it, together for this important evening.
  These past few days, our country has taken time to reflect on the 
life and the legacy of John Robert Lewis, from the Edmund Pettus Bridge 
to Auburn Avenue. Through streets of the South to the rotunda of the 
United States Capitol, our Nation has come together to celebrate the 
life of a man who rose to the occasion to fight for the rights of all 
human beings.
  A Congressman for the great State of Georgia and an esteemed member 
of the Ways and Means Committee, John Lewis was a blessing to our 
institution. It was an honor of a lifetime to sit next to such giants 
as he, Congressman Sam Johnson, and others who made their way through 
the Ways and Means Committee in the Longworth House Office Building.
  I was lucky to not just sit near John in the committee room, but I 
realized early this session, as I went to look at my old office in the 
Cannon House Office Building, that John Lewis was serving there, too. 
That day I had a big smile on my face as I greeted John, and we 
reminisced a bit about sharing our offices.
  Madam Speaker, you couldn't help but smile if you ever crossed paths 
with him. He was one of the better angels of our nature. He was one of 
our thousand points of light.
  The man who walked in the wind to bring equality to America now is 
walking in the heavens with his creator. We are a better nation and a 
better people because of him, and this institution and all of our 
country will miss him dearly.
  To know John, as every member of this committee will tell you, is a 
blessing. His life, his career, and his legislative achievements will 
be studied by future students for generations.
  It was an honor to have worked on such important issues with him, 
including the first reforms of the IRS in over two decades and in 
making improvements to Medicare for our Nation's seniors.
  It is common knowledge in D.C., and certainly in the Ways and Means 
Committee, that our room happens to be one of the coldest rooms in the 
Capitol. But that was not the case when John walked in. His presence 
alone brought that room warmth, calmness, and reassurance that, if we 
work together, we all can make a difference.

  When I look down the dais in the weeks ahead, I will be sad to miss 
our friend, but I will always be proud to have had the privilege of 
working with such a remarkable man. Each day he walked in these Halls, 
we all witnessed, firsthand, his remarkable integrity, his intelligence 
toward the complex policy issues we debate, and his willingness to work 
across the aisle if it means Americans will have greater dignity, 
opportunity, and equal rights.
  I will tell you, Madam Speaker, if you were poor, if you were born on 
the wrong side of the tracks, or if you felt powerless, John Lewis was 
your man. John Lewis would fight for you.
  God loved this remarkable servant, and I know John is walking hand in

[[Page H3969]]

hand with God and his beloved Lillian today.
  Tomorrow, I will be honored to join Chairman Neal to attend his 
funeral in Atlanta with many of our House colleagues.
  John, it will be a celebration of your life, a chance for us to honor 
you and reflect on all the joy, passion, and love you brought to this 
Congress, to our lives, and to this country.
  May you rest in peace, my friend, and may God continue to shower you 
with faith, hope, and love each day.
  I thank Chairman Neal for having me as part of this dedication today.

                              {time}  2000

  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Thompson), another esteemed member of the Committee on Ways and Means.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, in my time in Congress 
rarely have I participated in Special Orders, but tonight, this is more 
than a Special Order.
  John Lewis was one of the greatest men to have ever served in the 
Congress of the United States of America. He devoted his entire life to 
helping others and to making our country a better place. It was an 
incredible honor to serve with him in Congress and on the Committee on 
Ways and Means.
  My wife, Jan, and I walked with him over the Edmund Pettus Bridge on 
the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. That was 50 years after John was 
almost killed on that bridge after peacefully protesting discrimination 
that disenfranchised Americans in our country.
  He visited my district, and hundreds of my constituents came out to 
see him. One man came in a wheelchair, pushed by his daughter. And his 
daughter said: My father was a Freedom Rider and marched with John 
Lewis. And he checked himself out of the hospital tonight so he could 
be here to see John Lewis. After they said their hellos, he got back in 
the wheelchair and said: Take me back to the hospital.
  I am thanked to this day for bringing John to our community.
  When you would pass John in the halls of Congress, and he would greet 
you with, ``Hello, my brother,'' he made you believe that you were 
actually his brother. We must all commit to working harder to be a 
little more like John Lewis.
  Good-bye, John, and thank you. Godspeed, my brother.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Connecticut 
(Mr. Larson).
  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Neal. What 
an honor to be here with the Committee on Ways and Means' family.
  They said pictures are worth a thousand words, and I am going to try 
to go through these as rapidly as I can.
  The first picture is my son and daughter, who came--as Mike was just 
explaining as part of his family--to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but they 
had to be back in school the next day and so they couldn't actually 
march across the bridge that Sunday.
  John said: Wait a minute. That won't do. He put them in a car and 
drove them out there, and for 20 minutes talked to them about that 
experience and what it was. And it was very tense, very graphic, the 
violence that he endured and what they went through. And I could see 
both my daughter and my son looking at him, and they were taking it all 
in.
  And my daughter, very innocently--she was 13 at the time--said: Mr. 
Lewis, did you ever have any fun?
  And John Lewis put his head back and had the broadest grin. He said: 
Well, sure, darling, we did. You know, at night we used to go back and 
we would pitch our tents, and we would make campfires, and we sat 
around and told stories. And we sang and we danced. He said: I can 
still see Andy Young in his coveralls doing the jitterbug, and he could 
dance. Andy Young in his coveralls doing the jitterbug.
  Madam Speaker, I will include in the Record our other items, but this 
iconic photo says it all about John Lewis.
  Madam Speaker, on the day that we passed the Affordable Care Act, the 
day before, he had been spat on. So was Reverend Cleaver, and so were 
others who were walking over here to vote on that bill that day. But 
John Lewis said: No--we had a caucus that morning with President 
Obama--he said: Say nothing of this. Remember that during the movement, 
we cast this aside. This is a distraction. Don't be taken in by this 
crowd.
  We learned about it the next day. And at that caucus I asked him to 
get up and address the caucus. And he said: Let's stay calm. Let's stay 
together, and let's make sure that we keep our eye on the prize.
  He went to walk away from the microphone, and then he stepped back, 
and he said: 45 years to the day, we marched from Selma to Montgomery, 
he said, and let me tell you, we faced far worse crowds than are out 
here today. So let's lock arms. Let's go across that street and pass 
that bill. And we did.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for convening our 
Committee on Ways and Means' family.
  It was a bittersweet moment this morning as we gathered outside the 
Capitol saying good-bye to John. His visits to Portland touched 
thousands of people, and I heard so much about them. He was not just a 
civil rights icon and a tremendous human being and an inspiration, he 
was a moral compass of our Committee on Ways and Means. He was the 
living, breathing manifestation of policy that impacts every family in 
America, not just merely numbers and dry policy, but things that 
matter.
  Too seldom does the consideration of everyday citizens--especially 
the poor, the weak, and the disadvantaged--get the same attention as 
the rich and powerful and well-connected. Well, that is not the fault 
of John Lewis. And I would hope that all of us here who are celebrating 
his life, would be inspired by his deeds, by his life's work.
  As John would say, ``not just our words, but our deeds.'' And I hope 
our moral compass of the Committee on Ways and Means will guide us as 
we move forward to give the American people the policies that John 
would have expected.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Kelly), our friend, who asked me on the floor last week, will the 
committee be paying a tribute to John Lewis.
  Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, we all have these memories 
of Mr. Lewis, and some of you knew him far longer and far better than I 
did, but I can just tell you this: The time that I spent with Mr. Lewis 
that I remember the most was not so much in a committee hearing or not 
so much on the floor, but in March of 2015 when I took my 8-year-old 
grandson to Selma for the 50th anniversary of crossing the Edmund 
Pettus Bridge.

  We started off in Birmingham and went to the Baptist church. And 
George, my grandson, could not understand, when we were looking at 
this, he was looking at some men in hoods. He said: Grandpa, who are 
those guys?
  I said: Those are the Ku Klux Klan.
  He said: Who are they?
  I said: George, these are people that you don't want to be associated 
with. They are haters.
  He said: Well, what did they do?
  I said: Well, this is the church they bombed, and they killed little 
girls that were practicing for a choir.
  And he goes: Why would anybody want to kill little girls?
  I said: Because they were filled with hate. They weren't filled with 
love.
  Now, at that same trip, Mr. Lewis was with us. Mr. Lewis was there. 
And I said: Mr. Lewis, I just want you to meet my grandson, George.
  And he stopped and he talked to George.
  And George said to him: Mr. Lewis, why do they have on hoods? If they 
are so tough and they are so brave and they are so courageous, why did 
they have to wear a hood?
  He said: George, at 8-years-old, you get it far better than some 
adults do.
  Now, we go to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and Mr. Lewis stops to take 
time to talk to a little boy. Not for a minute, not if you stand off to 
the side, son, I will get with you later on.
  No, he stops, he walks away from other people who were surrounding 
him and talking to him, and he stoops down

[[Page H3970]]

and he talks to an 8-year-old boy to tell him how proud he is that that 
child is going to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge with him.
  And as I watched that, I thought, what better example could any 
person give to a child than to spend that time with them. And I thought 
at that point, Mr. Lewis and I are both grandfathers. What an example 
for grandfathers, not just an example for fellow Americans, but what an 
example of who this man really was.
  And if you look on his tombstone, it is going to say born February 
21, 1940; died July 17, 2020--80 years. The time between his birth and 
the time between his death are some of the most significant years in 
our country's history of someone who stopped to recognize what was 
going on and said: Not on my time. I will do everything I can to change 
this. I will go through any sacrifice. I will endure any type of pain, 
any type of ridicule, any type of beatings to prove a point to say, It 
is time.
  The one thing I always thought--I never, ever called him ``John'' by 
the way, because I just thought that would be disrespectful. Some of 
you know him much better than I did, so it was always ``Mr. Lewis.''
  Mr. Lewis, every time I would see him, I would say: Good morning, Mr. 
Lewis. He would say: Good morning, my brother. We would have a 
subcommittee meeting, and I would say: Mr. Lewis, it was really good 
being with you. He would say: It was good being with you, my brother.
  And I say tonight, as we are here, we are not saying ``good-bye, my 
brother.'' We are saying, ``until we meet again, my brother.'' What a 
phenomenal human being and somebody who is going to be missed forever--
80 years of being the finest example of humankind you could possibly 
be.
  Mr. Chairman, thank you for allowing us to speak tonight. This is 
truly a family of the Committee on Ways and Means. We really do 
appreciate each other.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).
  Mr. DOGGETT. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman.
  Madam Speaker, for the past 3 years, it has been my good fortune to 
sit next to Mr. Lewis on the dais of the Committee on Ways and Means.
  His warmth, his humility, his lack of bitterness after all that he 
endured was truly extraordinary. His decades of service touched so many 
lives. With his multi-volume graphic novel, ``March,'' he found a way 
to reach a younger audience with his enduring message of struggle, 
hope, and love.
  Reading it to my own grandchildren, they were hooked early when John 
talked about the fact that, as a young boy, he preached to his 
chickens--and that is how he became the great orator that we know him 
as being. He noted that: They would never quite say amen.
  The dedication in March reads, ``To the past and future children of 
the movement.'' Not just this work, but his entire life's work was 
dedicated to the past and future children of the movement. For all that 
you have done, for all our children, John, we say ``amen.''
  John knew that America could not call itself a democracy until 
everyone could cast a ballot, and that the struggle for voting rights 
was a struggle for democracy itself. He dedicated himself to completing 
the promise of the Declaration of Independence as he exhorted the crowd 
down the Mall here at the Lincoln Memorial at the March on Washington 
to ``Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and 
hamlet of this Nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 
1776 is complete.''
  And, again, in 2015, as he annually commemorated that March across 
the Edmund Pettus Bridge, John asked ``Get out there and push and pull 
until we redeem the soul of America.''
  John Lewis worked so tirelessly to get in ``good trouble.'' When the 
LBJ Foundation from Austin awarded him with the Liberty & Justice For 
All Award, I learned that he had experienced over 40 arrests, physical 
attacks, and serious injuries. But then I had seen, sitting next to 
him, some of the marks on his balding head of those very attacks.
  Through it all, he maintained that ``good trouble'' was what America 
really needed. There will never be a time when America can afford to 
forget the legacy of John Lewis. He fought so long, so selflessly to 
advance our democracy, and he called the right to vote ``sacred.''
  Madam Speaker, we honor his tireless labor by picking up the baton 
and voting. We honor his legacy when we vote and enable more of our 
friends and neighbors to do the same. John Lewis now rests, but we 
cannot. Inspired by his sacrifice, we must continue his struggle.
  No one can ever replace him, but no one person must. There are so 
many who share John Lewis' dream. And we will grow our numbers, and 
when we do, we will overcome.

                              {time}  2015

  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis), a very close friend of John Lewis.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, you know, if there are 
angels on Earth, John would be one. He was the most angelic person I 
have ever known, generous to a fault, easy to get along with.
  John was known for marching, but I am reminded that the Bible says 
that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. John was and is a 
good man, always looking out for the underdog, always looking out for 
the disadvantaged, the poor, the needy, the hopeless, the helpless.
  John has been an inspiration for me for more than 50 years, when he 
was a mere teenager. If I had a message, I would say that the 
songwriter probably had John in mind when he said:

       If you give the best of your service,
       Telling the world that the Savior is come;
       Be not dismayed when men don't believe you.
       Pick up the cross and run swiftly to him.
       He'll understand.

  And we all say: John, well done. Well done.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Sanchez).
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart. Few men 
ever achieve what John Lewis has in his life, and few men do so while 
genuinely caring about every single person they meet.
  When I joined the Ways and Means Committee as a new member, John made 
a point to make me feel welcome.
  Despite all that he had accomplished in his life, John was never too 
busy or too important for you.
  John made such a profound impact on all of us because his kindness, 
humility, and gentle strength were rooted in his nature.
  He understood that his life's work could never be finished, and he 
never missed an opportunity to inspire younger generations to carry 
that work forward.
  I will never forget when John's inspiration healed deep wounds in my 
own community. In 2005, a high school in my district was struggling 
with racial tension between Black and Latinx students. Students were 
hopelessly divided, and John offered to visit the high school with me.
  He spoke to students and their parents and helped them understand 
that the civil rights movement benefited all disenfranchised 
communities. He reminded us that when minority communities allow 
ourselves to be pitted against each other, we all suffer.
  As serious as John was, he also had a lighthearted and fun side to 
him as well. I will never forget when he made a video of himself 
dancing ``Gangnam Style'' to encourage young people to vote. He was up 
for anything that promoted voting and civic engagement.
  John had a profound impact on my son, Joaquin, when we walked 
together in Selma across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Joaquin, who was 7 
at the time, was able to walk with John Lewis and retrace the footsteps 
of history with a living legend. Joaquin was so moved that he read all 
of John's books and wrote a report on him during a unit on African-
American history in school.
  I will always cherish the memories that my family and I were lucky 
enough to share with John.
  It is a cruel irony that we should lose John when the qualities that 
made him great are needed so desperately today in our government. But 
his passing is a heartbreaking reminder of what really matters.
  Because of John, we know that ridding our society of injustice 
requires

[[Page H3971]]

all of us to get in good trouble. Because of John, we know we can 
withstand true adversity.
  History will remember John Lewis as a hero who made the world better 
for all. It is worth remembering that he did so by showing and 
reminding us all to be better versions of ourselves.
  I am so grateful to have called him a friend, a colleague, and a 
mentor. My husband and son were here this morning to say good-bye to 
Mr. Lewis for the last time. My son thought it was important to see him 
off on his journey to walk with angels. We will miss him dearly.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Higgins).
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Madam Speaker, as has been said, John Lewis 
grew up on a chicken farm to sharecroppers in Troy, Alabama. During 
that time, there was great pain and suffering for our African-American 
brothers and sisters in the segregated South.
  John Lewis's mother, in the summer of 1951, when John was 11, wanted 
to get him out of the heat of the segregated South, and she sent him to 
a place called Buffalo, New York, my hometown. Mrs. Lewis had baked for 
3 days, because stopping in a diner along the way was not an option for 
the Lewis family.
  John Lewis, when he got to Buffalo, he saw young kids, Black and 
White, playing together in Olmsted Park, now appropriately called 
Martin Luther King Jr. Park. He saw White women and Black women 
drinking from the same water fountain. He saw his uncles, Black men, 
working aside White men in the steel and flour mills of Buffalo, New 
York.
  It was from that experience in Buffalo, in the summer of 1951, at age 
11, that John said that he believed the desegregation of the South was 
possible, and he committed his lifework to that cause.
  On March 7, 1965, as we know, John led a peaceful civil rights march 
over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The idea was to march from Selma to 
Montgomery, the State's capital, a distance of about 55 miles. There 
were 148 State troopers waiting at the foot of the bridge for John and 
the peaceful demonstrators.
  The State troopers said to cease and disperse. John led his fellow 
marchers, and they kneeled and prayed. Then, they were attacked.
  They broke John's skull. But before John went to the hospital to be 
administered to, he insisted on waiting till the news media got there. 
With blood pouring down his face, he admonished the President of the 
United States to take up the civil rights cause.
  On August 6 of that year, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law 
by President Johnson.
  John said, oddly, one time that he was grateful for the police 
beating because had that event not occurred, had that not become Bloody 
Sunday, it would have just passed as a local news story. Nobody would 
have witnessed it, and nothing would have changed.
  John always said, you sometimes have to give a little blood to redeem 
the soul of a nation.
  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a testament to the vision of John 
Lewis, a man of goodness and a man of grace, who at the age of 11, in 
the summer of 1951, was inspired by what he saw in Buffalo and had the 
presence of mind and the courage to act on that inspiration.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Alabama (Ms. Sewell).
  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I rise again to honor the life 
and legacy of John Robert Lewis, a civil rights hero, mentor, and dear 
friend.
  It is rare that you grow up to meet your hero and rarer still that 
you get to befriend them.
  Growing up in Selma, Alabama, and a lifelong member of Brown Chapel 
AME Church, year after year, I would sit and marvel at those foot 
soldiers coming to my church to reenact that Bloody Sunday. There was 
Coretta Scott King and Joseph Lowery. There was Amelia Boynton 
Robinson, but, of course, there was John Lewis.
  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would grow up and 
become Alabama's first Black congresswoman and not only walk the halls 
with John Lewis but get to sit on the same committee with John Lewis.
  John was a slice of home for me in Congress. You see, looking into 
his eyes, I would see home, and all I would want to do is emulate home. 
John was a chief deputy whip, so I wanted to be a chief deputy whip. 
John was on the Ways and Means Committee. Sounded good to me.
  John was always allowing people to radiate in his smile and in his 
light. He could never talk about voting rights--if I were within 
earshot, he would say: ``And Terri Sewell represents Selma. Where is 
Terri?'' And we would laugh. Those private moments were so precious to 
me. Those are the moments that I will cherish.
  When I would call him the boy from Troy, he would call me the girl 
from Selma. We would laugh at how far our State had come, how far our 
Nation had come. I would say: ``But, John, we have so much more to 
do.'' He would remind me that the better days of our Nation were ahead 
of it.
  I don't know how I will continue to fight for the right to vote and 
restore the Voting Rights Act that he shed a little blood on a bridge 
in my hometown for, but I know that I am not alone, that John has sowed 
seeds of hope and inspiration into so many of us.
  We are all disciples of John, and we all owe it to him to pick up 
that mantle and to continue the march, the march toward a more perfect 
Union.
  For, you see, John has sowed seeds in all of us. Can't you hear him? 
Just close your eyes. If you see something that is unjust, unfair, you 
have a moral obligation to do something about it, to get in the way.
  Never give up. Never give in. Keep the faith. Keep your eyes on the 
prize.
  Rest in peace, my friend. Know that we all will pick up that mantle 
and continue your march.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Washington (Ms. DelBene).
  Ms. DelBENE. Madam Speaker, I was born in Selma, Alabama, and I was 3 
years old when John Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
  My family moved away when I was young, but I still carried my 
birthplace. We moved quite frequently, and every new town we would go 
to, I would go to a school, and a teacher would ask where I was born. I 
would say Selma, and that started a whole conversation about what 
happened in Selma.
  It is on my passport: Selma, Alabama. So many people who have seen 
that have started a conversation about what John Lewis and so many 
people did, crossing that bridge in Selma.
  The story has become part of me, part of my life.
  And I never, ever imagined, first, that I would be a Member of 
Congress, let alone have the opportunity to serve on the Ways and Means 
Committee with my hero, John Lewis.
  One of the first trips I ever took as a Member of Congress was to go 
to Selma, to go back to my birthplace with Terri Sewell, with John 
Lewis. We were the Selma caucus, the three of us, on the Ways and Means 
Committee.
  Just to be able to experience that, to talk to John--I had the chance 
to go to South Africa with John when he gave a talk at the 50th 
anniversary of Bobby Kennedy's ``Ripples of Hope'' speech and talk to 
John and hear his stories.
  He lifted all of us up. He was an icon, yet when you were with him, I 
think we all became better people. He lifted us up, and he reminded all 
of us--in fact, he showed all of us what is possible, what each of us 
can do, how we can create change if we stand up, if we speak up for 
what is right and for what is just and what is fair.

                              {time}  2030

  So we will continue to honor John, each of us, by doing that, by 
speaking out, by getting into ``good trouble,'' necessary trouble.
  And, John, we will always remember your words, your kindness, your 
leadership. Thank you for passing a little bit of that on to each of 
us. Rest in peace. We will miss you terribly.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Judy Chu).
  Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember 
my friend and colleague, John Lewis.
  To say John Lewis was a civil rights icon barely captures his legacy 
because

[[Page H3972]]

he was so much more than that. He was a living piece of the civil 
rights movement, a connection to historic injustice, and a reminder of 
our power to remedy it.
  John didn't just talk about voting rights, he nearly died defending 
the right to vote. And because of him and his determination to do what 
was right, to stand up to injustice whenever he saw it, and to cause a 
little ``good trouble'' whenever it was needed, our country is a more 
just and equitable one.
  It was one of the greatest privileges of my life that I was not only 
able to serve alongside John on the Ways and Means Committee, but I was 
able to march alongside him as well. In Alabama, he led many of us on 
the annual pilgrimage of Selma across that Edmund Pettus Bridge.
  But throughout his life, he gave voice to the voiceless, fought to 
empower the powerless, and stood up for those who could not.
  I will never forget that June day here in Washington, D.C., after 49 
people were shot dead in Florida in yet another senseless mass 
shooting. John said, ``Enough is enough.'' He came to the House floor, 
right there, in fact, and sat down. We joined him for 26 straight hours 
while the Nation tuned in, transfixed.
  When the President was keeping immigrant children in cages, John led 
us on a march to the CBP offices to demand these children be released. 
It was so hot and humid that many of us felt like fainting, but I 
looked over at John, and there he was still standing strong and 
marching. I thought to myself: His strength is the result of decades of 
civil disobedience.
  This past week, we passed the historic NO BAN Act to stop the 
senseless travel ban against Muslims. And it was John who, 3 years ago, 
went to the Atlanta airport when the ban was first announced to demand 
answers and release. And when he was essentially ignored by Customs and 
Border Protection, he started a sit-in right that moment at the 
airport.
  John was always a moral voice urging us to think of others and to do 
all that we can to improve their lives. Even in the face of the worst, 
John never stopped believing in our capacity for the best. I will miss 
him and his guidance. John may be gone, but we will keep marching.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Kildee).
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for arranging for 
this opportunity for the Ways and Means Committee to come together to 
honor our brother, John Lewis.
  Just listening to my colleagues gives me a greater sense of just how 
privileged we all have been. I think we often take for granted the 
people who are around us, and I don't think we can ever take John for 
granted, but to a certain extent, when I arrived here, I got used to 
seeing him on the floor.
  And it is hard to come to this floor without having a little bit of 
anticipation that, of the many privileges that come with serving our 
country in this place, the one privilege that I could always count on 
was that, even on those tough days when the job wasn't so great, we 
could always plan on seeing John Lewis and getting some encouragement 
from him.
  I met John before I came to Congress, just about 8 years ago, through 
my Uncle Dale. Dale Kildee served here for a long time. He served 
almost a quarter of a century with John and loved John--still does.
  I have talked to Dale about John quite often. That was a relationship 
that led to me wanting to make sure that I tried to develop that same 
relationship and, of course, becoming a member of the Ways and Means 
Committee.
  We spend so much time together, despite the fact that we haven't been 
able to the last couple of months. As a committee, we spend an enormous 
amount of time working together and having meals together and talking 
to one another. It felt like I had a chance to get so much closer to 
John, and I will never forget that.
  As big and monumental a life as he led, as important a voice as he 
was, as such a soldier for justice and a figure in American history, as 
good and decent as a man he was in that respect, as we all know now, of 
course, is that he was that good a friend. He was that good a human 
being. He was that generous a person.
  For me, the last couple of months, obviously, it has been hard, but 
it has been special, because John, under our temporary rules, John, of 
course, hasn't been able to be with us in these last couple of months 
as he was battling a sickness but asked if I would be willing to carry 
his proxy and cast his votes here on the floor.
  I don't know that a greater honor could ever be bestowed upon me by 
him, but he was always grateful to me. I had to speak to him before 
each vote series, and he was always so grateful.
  I thought to myself: John, I am grateful to you that you have given 
me this honor to cast a vote for the person who is most known for the 
sacred right to vote of anyone in our generation, perhaps anyone in our 
Nation's history.
  The way we honor him, though, is with moments like this; but the best 
way that we honor him is to carry his work forward, to continue to do 
his work. And so the way I view it, while, for a couple of months I did 
carry his vote to this floor, even though John is gone, I think we can 
all continue to carry his vote, carry his voice, carry his work to this 
place and all across the country.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for giving us this opportunity.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. 
Estes).
  Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the life and legacy 
of our colleague, John Lewis.
  In my short time in Congress, I have had the privilege of working 
with John as members of the Ways and Means Committee. And in that time, 
I can tell you John is a true statesman.
  Here in Washington, and even inside this Chamber, we see some 
individuals with personal agendas who are only interested in 
transactional relationships; however, John was a compassionate soul, 
dedicated to the cause of equality and justice.
  Because of John's experiences with discrimination and hate, he 
brought to this body a thoughtful and passionate approach to ensuring 
that all Americans can experience the blessings of liberty that are 
guaranteed in our Constitution.
  He understood the pain of a divided nation, the progress we have made 
over the past century, and the challenges we still face. Through it 
all, he met anger and violence with peace and love, a demonstration of 
his character that I think all of us can learn from.
  I used to live in Nashville, Tennessee, and one of John's earliest 
acts was seeking peaceful change and organizing sit-ins at Nashville 
lunch counters. This is reminiscent to me of a courageous group of 
young people in my hometown, Wichita, who also sought equal treatment 
at a popular downtown lunch counter. The 1958 Dockum Drug Store sit-in 
was part of an early movement in cities across the country that helped 
advance desegregation.
  I am so thankful that the youth in Wichita, along with men and women 
like John Lewis, had the boldness and fortitude to advance necessary 
and overdue changes in a racially segregated environment.
  While we served on different sides of the aisle, his compassion for 
others was evident and his love of country unwavering. My memories of 
John will be of his legacy and his service. I am grateful to have 
served alongside him during my tenure in Congress, and I am thankful 
for his dedication to equality for Americans, the Georgians he 
represented, and the United States.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for leading this special hour.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlemen from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Brendan F. Boyle).
  Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the 
chairman for organizing this opportunity for those of us who served 
with John on the Ways and Means Committee to be able to come together 
as a committee and mourn him.
  I have to say sitting here for the last hour or so and listening to 
all of my colleagues share their remembrances about John Lewis and just 
how special he was to them has truly been one of the best hours that I 
have spent on the House floor, and it has just been beautiful to listen 
to. I think it is a side of Congress that people rarely get to see, and 
I think we would be better off, all of us would be better off, if we 
were able to do this more.

[[Page H3973]]

  When I hear the name John Lewis, obviously, this is one of the great 
American heroes in history, but that is not the first thing I think of.
  When he comes to mind, the first thing I think of was just what a 
kind and quiet and humble and gentle man he was, always so nice to me 
from my very first day as a freshman, when I heard a voice behind me 
that said, ``Young man, is this seat taken?'' And I looked to the side 
of me and it was John Lewis, and I couldn't even speak.
  He was just always that person to everyone. And, to me, that is a 
great lesson that should inspire us all to be better people.
  I also believe, as a matter of faith, that I don't think it was an 
accident or a coincidence that the Lord called him home at this time 
during this summer of crisis in our Nation.
  America has not quite become. We are constantly in the act of 
becoming. America is a nation born not of a race or a tribe, but out of 
ideas, a commitment to ideals. Someone who firmly believed that with 
every fiber of his being to deep in his soul was John Lewis. And 
throughout this year, and at this time, I know there are many in our 
society who are questioning the future of America, as it seems like we 
are coming apart at the seams.
  Well, let's listen to the voice again of John Lewis, someone who 
never lost his faith and his optimism in this country, what it stands 
for, what it is called to be, and what he truly believed it will be. He 
gave his blood for this cause. He lived his life for it. And let him 
continue to be an example for all of us today.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 
Beyer).
  Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Neal for doing this. I 
found this the most healing experience since John's loss.
  Madam Speaker, as we approach the end of our life, it is fitting to 
think about how we will be remembered. Will they say: Was he brave? Was 
he kind? Was he humble? Was he honest?
  But time wipes all memories away, and what is left? What impact did 
we have on the lives of others, of the people to come?
  John Lewis is the best of men, the most Christ-like person I have 
ever known, and he changed the personal trajectories of tens of 
millions of people.
  Born into poverty and racism, John has become the desperate hope that 
we need. Hammarskjold wrote that all life asks of us is that we live it 
with courage. I grieve, we all grieve deeply this most courageous man, 
and thank God for his life.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Evans).

                              {time}  2045

  Mr. EVANS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I rise to honor truly a great American, a real-life hero, who I was 
fortunate enough to have as a colleague for 4 years, including the 2 
years serving together on the Ways and Means Committee. Congressman 
John Lewis has been an inspiration to me from a very young age.
  I remember the first time I saw him on the Walter Cronkite evening 
news. He was walking across the Pettus Bridge in Selma. I felt very 
strongly about him and what he was doing. Madam Speaker, I was 10 years 
old, and I found him to be inspiring. He was purposeful. He was driven 
to make a difference. He was driven for ``good trouble.''
  As a result of his action and because of the action of another 
gentleman who was a part of the Big Six, Whitney Young, I worked at the 
Urban League. I recall being elected to the Pennsylvania State House at 
26 years of age, and it was John Lewis that inspired me, though I had 
never been to Alabama, but I had seen him on television. I remember 
that impression that he left upon me, because--although I had heard all 
the words I have heard today--I had never seen such determination.
  So you can imagine growing up in the city of Philadelphia in 
Pennsylvania, him from Selma, Alabama, and the influence he was having.
  I also honored him by welcoming Congressman Lewis to the southeast 
part of Pennsylvania for a gun reform ceasefire. I recall introducing 
him. I recall all of that.
  But now, Madam Speaker, we must carry on his work of civil rights, 
equal opportunity. Most of all, we must rededicate ourselves to 
protecting the right to vote and making use of hard-won rights, a right 
for which John Lewis and many others sacrificed for all of us.
  So I say to you, Madam Speaker and Mr. Chairman, he should rest in 
peace and power.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Schneider).
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and 
for organizing this Special Order this evening.
  This morning the Capitol bid farewell for the last time to our 
colleague and friend, the inimitable American hero, our beloved John 
Lewis.
  In the days since his passing, countless words have been delivered in 
tribute to John's life, his accomplishments, his character, his 
importance to our Nation.
  I have no doubt in the years to come John Lewis will take his place 
in our history books among not only the champions of the civil rights 
movement but also in the pantheon of historical giants who have 
literally reshaped the foundation and recalibrated the moral compass of 
our Nation.
  But as our Speaker clearly recognized on Tuesday when his body was 
brought to lie in state under the Capitol's dome, no words, no matter 
how great the tribute, can match those of John himself. From his famous 
speech in 1963 at the March on Washington to his frequent and inspired 
remarks to his fellow Members of Congress, often in what seemed like 
the darkest moments, John Lewis' voice thundered, but his words were 
always uplifting.
  He talked to us about ``good trouble,'' noting that there is nothing 
wrong with a little agitation for what is right and what is fair.
  He instructed us to see all sides of an issue, ``You have to tell the 
whole truth, the good and the bad, maybe some things that are 
uncomfortable for some people.''
  And he always looked to the future with hope and optimism. ``Take a 
long, hard look down the road you will have to travel once you have 
made a commitment to work for change. Know that this transformation 
will not happen right away. Change often takes time.'' But he also 
said: ``If you're not hopeful and optimistic, then you just give up. 
You have to take the long, hard look and just believe that if you're 
consistent, you will succeed.''
  John may have left this Earth, but his inspiration remains deep 
within us. I hope in the days ahead we can honor his memory by passing 
into law the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
  And wouldn't it be fitting to also rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge--
where 55 years ago John put his life on the line to change the world--
the John Robert Lewis Memorial Bridge to reflect the change that John 
brought to the world.
  May his memory remain a blessing for each of us and for our country 
at these most difficult times and hopefully in better times ahead.
  Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Suozzi).
  Mr. SUOZZI. Madam Speaker, it was such a great gift and honor when 
John Lewis would call me like he called many of us, ``my brother,'' to 
serve on his committee, to ask him to give the closing prayer at this 
year's National Prayer Breakfast, to travel to Selma with him, and like 
all he came in contact with, to learn from him.
  When the Christian church was in its infancy, there was tremendous 
infighting, different tribes and sects, different personalities 
battling over the direction of this new organization that will go on to 
transform the world.
  Paul the Apostle, one of the earliest and most prolific leaders, was 
imprisoned by the Romans and ultimately beheaded for his belief in 
Jesus.
  While in prison in 62 AD, Paul wrote a series of letters to the 
followers of Jesus instructing them how to conduct themselves.
  In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul gave this instruction in chapter 
4, versus 1 to 3: ``I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live 
in a manner worthy of the call you have received,

[[Page H3974]]

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one 
another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit 
through the bond of peace.''
  John Lewis also a prisoner for the Lord many times, lived that model 
life worthy of his calling with humility and gentleness, with patience, 
bearing with everyone through love, striving to preserve unity through 
the bond of peace.

  John Lewis showed us that strength comes from humility and gentleness 
and patience and love, striving for unity through peace.
  I know I need to be better. Thank you, John Lewis. Rest in peace, 
good and faithful servant.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.

                          ____________________