[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 206 (Monday, December 7, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H6896-H6899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     PAYING TRIBUTE TO GREG WALDEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2019, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Upton) for 30 minutes.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, this 30 minutes is a tribute to our leader 
who is leaving us,   Greg Walden, the top Republican on the Energy and 
Commerce Committee and the former chairman, and, obviously, a good 
friend to everyone on both sides of the aisle.
  Knowing that many Members have plenty of meetings that are starting, 
I am going to yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson).
  Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my friend and 
my colleague, Congressman   Greg Walden, on his retirement, following 
more than 20 years representing Oregon's Second District here in 
Congress.
  As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Chairman Walden has 
been a real mentor to me. I have seen firsthand Chairman Walden's love 
for his country, dedication to his district, and hard work on so many 
important priorities for our Nation, like healthcare, energy 
independence, and telecommunications.
  I have so many fond memories of the work we have done together and 
the time we have spent. I especially enjoyed working with Chairman 
Walden on H.R. 6, landmark legislation to combat the opioid crisis.
  Chairman Walden, you will be dearly missed, but I wish you, Mylene, 
Anthony, and your entire family all the best.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in thanking Congressman   Greg Walden 
for his extraordinary service.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Johnson), also a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. 
I, too, rise today to pay tribute to my good friend and mentor on the 
Energy and Commerce Committee,   Greg Walden.
  I spent 27 years in the United States Air Force. We lived by a code 
of conduct every day. We came to work. We embodied those core values of 
integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all that we do.
  In my experience, it is not often that you find people in private 
life or in other sectors of public life who also embody those same core 
values, but Chairman   Greg Walden does.
  Whether he was fighting for healthcare changes for the American 
people, to make America more energy independent and secure, whether he 
was trying to make sure that Big Tech did not overrun the American 
people,

[[Page H6897]]

you could always count on   Greg Walden to be out in front leading, not 
following, and, certainly, not leading from behind.
  I learned a lot in the 6 years that I served with   Greg Walden when 
he was on the Energy and Commerce Committee as the chairman, and even 
before that as chair of our National Republican Congressional 
Committee.
  It is with a great deal of sadness that we see him leave because a 
lot of core institutional knowledge is going to go out the door. But I 
want to say how much I have admired working with   Greg Walden.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. 
Blumenauer), a colleague.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I have been honored to know and work 
around Greg Walden for 40 years. It is kind of scary to think about 
that.
  He came to public service honestly.
  I was privileged to serve with his father in the Oregon State 
Legislature when Greg started as a staff member in the State senate. He 
was bright, capable, and committed to the people of the Second 
Congressional District, a special place in Oregon, and Greg was 
quick to always represent it forcefully, clearly, and effectively.

  We have shared some highlights over the years. I remember floating in 
the Dead Sea early in our congressional career. I was able to work with 
him in a small way on something that he is very proud of, the Steens 
Mountain Wilderness, almost 100,000 acres of cow-free wilderness. Now, 
some of us would have done it a little differently, but knowing where 
Greg came from in his district, that was a signal accomplishment. And 
we were able to work together in the Clinton administration.
  I was pleased to have one of the best field hearings I ever had in 
public service as Greg and I, and his wife, Mylene, and his son, 
Anthony, and our staff members did a 43-mile, 3-day hike around Mount 
Hood, that magnificent mountain that we share in our districts.
  We were able to meet with various interest groups and work together 
to lay the foundation for significant wilderness legislation that was 
signed into law by President Obama but that we worked together on a 
bipartisan basis to make possible.
  Recently, we were able to work on legislation that almost nobody paid 
any attention to. It dealt with a significant change to enhance the 
ability of physicians, particularly in emergency rooms, to know the 
family history of people there who suffered from opioid addiction.
  Again, not many people know about it, and it was several years and 
harder than I thought, but it will make a difference to be able to make 
sure that those emergency room personnel will be able to treat the 
whole person. It solved a problem that maybe shouldn't have been, but 
it is part of that nagging problem that we have, in terms of trying to 
work through the legislative process. And Greg was a master at that.
  I didn't always agree with Greg. Occasionally, we had some 
differences. But we often were able to find common ground to represent 
the people of our State in a way that they wanted us to.

                              {time}  1730

  It is an honor. I will say, even though we didn't always agree, I 
always respected Greg in terms of his commitment, his intellect, and 
his sense of humor.
  It has been an honor, Greg, to serve with you 22 years--really?
  You have escaped, and I can't wait to find out what the next chapters 
in your career bring.
  I wish the very best to you, Mylene, and Anthony, and a long and 
prosperous next step.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Fitzpatrick).
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I speak on the House floor tonight, not as somebody who 
has ever served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, but as 
someone who was a freshman in the 115th Congress with a very, very 
specific and very direct link to a piece of legislation we were 
advocating known as the right-to-try bill.
  When I got sworn in, one of the first people I sought out was 
Chairman   Greg Walden. I went to his office, and I was initially taken 
aback by the photography he had throughout his office of his district, 
which is an incredibly beautiful district in Oregon.
  We have all had many meetings in our time in Congress here, but one 
of my memories is, when I met with Chairman Walden, I have to 
acknowledge I was very intimidated. I was a freshman Member speaking to 
a committee chairperson of a very, very significant committee.
  The time, the attention, and the respect that he showed me and the 
issue that I cared about I will never forget. It is one of those 
memories that I have of my freshman term that I will never forget.
  We have all heard many definitions of character being spoken 
throughout our lives. My favorite definition is character being defined 
as the things that we do and the decisions that we make when nobody 
else is watching.
  Having worked with Chairman Walden on the right-to-try bill, his 
honesty, his integrity, and his commitment to doing the right thing--
not the politically popular thing, not what any interest group was 
advocating for, but trying to get the specifics and the details of a 
piece of very important legislation right--was very, very instructive 
to me. It was probably the greatest experience and the greatest 
learning experience I had as a freshman Member of Congress.
  For Greg to walk away having accomplished all that he has on his own 
is reminiscent of my favorite President, George Washington. Everybody 
wanted him to continue serving, and all he wanted to do was go back 
home to his farm in Mount Vernon, live under the laws he helped pass, 
and make way for a new generation of leadership, which is one of the 
reasons he is so revered throughout history.
  Likewise, we ought to respect Chairman Walden, our friend, Greg, for 
doing the same thing: for understanding the important things in life, 
for valuing his family the way he does, knowing that as much as he 
enjoys this job and how humbled he is to serve in the capacity he has, 
he is going back home to his family because they are the most important 
things to him.
  So, Chairman Walden, Godspeed to you. We love you. Thank you for all 
you have done, not just for this Chamber, but for the United States.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the State of 
Washington (Mrs. Rodgers), the   Greg Walden successor as the top 
Republican on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee and, as we 
like to say, chairman-in-waiting in the next aisle.
  Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. To the former chairman, I will say thank 
you. Thank you for bringing us together tonight. It is a real honor for 
me to join in recognizing the life and the service of   Greg Walden 
here in the House of Representatives.
  Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure of considering him a friend and a 
colleague. He is also my neighbor to the south in Oregon. Both of us 
have deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, although he will be quick to 
remind me that his family came out a few years ahead of mine. I think 
it was 1845. We didn't get there until 1853, I think. Anyway, he is 
always excelling.
  I was thinking he probably has the most frequent flier points today, 
now, because there is no one who has worked harder and traveled back 
and forth across this country in representing the people of Oregon all 
these years.
  I want to join in just celebrating a tremendous leader. He was 
chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He led that 
committee in a way that just reflects what a great history this 
committee has. It is always focused on results and always focused on 
solving the problems of bringing people together to get big things 
done.
  I just appreciate the vision and the foundation that you have led 
during your time on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
  There is a long list of successes and accomplishments here: leading 
on combating the opioid crisis--a huge package of bills--and building a 
21st century economy.
  This committee is at the heart of America's competitiveness and our 
future, such as expanding rural broadband.
  I appreciate all your leadership there. Our districts are very 
similar,

[[Page H6898]]

eastern Washington and eastern Oregon. You worked to make sure that no 
one is left behind.
  Recognizing and reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance 
Program, lowering prescription drugs and the prices of prescription 
drugs, and unleashing innovation in energy and healthcare is a part of 
a long list, and because of your leadership at the Energy and Commerce 
Committee, people's lives have been improved. People have been lifted 
out of poverty, and we have raised the standard of living even more.
  I appreciate the way that he leads, Mr. Speaker, and the joy that he 
brings to every assignment. This is somebody who has held a lot of 
different titles while serving in the House of Representatives. I have 
been around him many times through the years. He is a strong advocate.

  I remember, early on, being down at the White House, when I was first 
elected, with George W. Bush, and Greg Walden was there. But he didn't 
miss an opportunity to put in a good word about the need for better 
forest management and combating the catastrophic wildfires. He was 
always, always on, and always advocating for the people of eastern 
Oregon.
  This is one that we are going to miss. He is just the ultimate 
legislator. He is the one who has come, worked hard, made a difference 
for the people of eastern Oregon, and leaves a high standard for the 
rest of us in his commitment, his hard work, and his record of results.
  So no matter where life takes you next, I know it is going to be 
something good. I wish you, Mylene, and Anthony all the best in this 
next chapter. It is well earned and well deserved.
  God bless you, and the best is yet to come.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State 
of Michigan (Mr. Walberg), who is another member of the Energy and 
Commerce Committee.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I was in my office just finishing up a 
meeting when I saw this going on down here, and I knew I had to come 
because Chairman Walden--
  You don't mind if I call you chairman still?
  I don't know if that violates any House policy, Mr. Speaker.
  You will always be my chairman.
  You were my first chairman as I came on the Energy and Commerce 
Committee, a committee that I wanted to be on for an awful long time. 
Representative Upton and I talked about that for quite some time. He 
assured me that that was the key committee to be on. I knew that for a 
fact, and I have not been disappointed.
  One of the quotes that means most to me is the quote that is above 
the Speakers's rostrum. It is a quote from Daniel Webster, who said:
  Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, 
build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see 
whether we also, in our day and generation, may not perform something 
worthy to be remembered.
  It is a powerful quote, and we all aspire to that, but a few actually 
achieve that.
  Chairman Walden, I want to say that, through the Speaker to you, I 
believe you have achieved that purpose in doing something here that 
will be remembered, if not in all of the policy issues and the 
legislative issues you fronted and pushed for, you will leave that in 
the lives of Members who have served with you on your committee and 
under your leadership.
  I will never forget a 27-hour markup and a debate that went on after 
the pattern that ought to be here in the House of Representatives. I 
remember the firmness with which you led that committee markup, the 
passion that you displayed on the issues, the agreements and 
disagreements that you had and you let in. But you treated us all on 
that committee with respect worthy of this institution, and you treated 
each Member with a purpose that said to all of us: You are important, 
and your ideas should be considered.
  I know for a fact I have served under chairmen and Speakers over the 
course of my tenure in State and in national politics who have led, but 
only a few have led in such a way as you, that the people you led felt 
that you really meant it, that you wanted their best whether you agreed 
or disagreed with us, and you made us better for the calling and for 
the purpose.
  So I want to say to you, Mr. Chairman, thank you for your service. I 
wish you well, your family, and in all of your endeavors. You can count 
on it that I will pray prayers of thanks for you and blessings on your 
life.
  All the best.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I know other Members may be on the way over.


                             General Leave

  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks as part of 
this Special Order for Mr. Walden.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. UPTON. So, Mr. Speaker, this is a farewell for Greg Walden.
  He started off in public service serving as the youngest State house 
majority leader in Oregon's history before he was elected to the U.S. 
House for Oregon's Second District.
  He came to the Energy and Commerce Committee in 2001, and, of course, 
I referenced the Energy and Commerce Committee a little bit earlier as 
the greatest committee, and that is because I simply took the words of 
John Dingell, our former chairman, who agrees with me, I know, but as 
he would say, our committee's jurisdiction is really just two words: 
the world.
  We have jurisdiction over energy, the environment, healthcare, 
telecommunications, trade, manufacturing, and then some, and, of 
course, that very important issue called oversight and investigations.
  Greg chaired the Telecommunications Subcommittee from 2010 until 
2016. He jumped up over others in seniority because of his knowledge on 
that issue and his passion, whether it be broadband or digital 
broadcasting, anything involving the telecommunication industry. He 
became chairman of the full committee in 2017, and, obviously, the top 
Republican now, as Republicans no longer serve in the majority.
  As you look back at his career, Mr. Speaker, and you look at some of 
these landmark issues--Cathy McMorris Rodgers indicated a couple--but 
CHIP, children's healthcare, so important for all of our States. He was 
a leader on that.
  For the first time ever, we actually passed something with a 10-year 
authorization bill called the community health centers authorization.
  Opioids were a big issue 3, 4 years ago. It still is today, but 
literally every member of our committee had a piece of that bill. I 
want to say maybe more than 100 different separate bills were fashioned 
together as one. President Trump signed it into law, and it made a 
meaningful difference for so many people as they struggle with this 
addiction across the country.
  I couldn't forget this one bill, and I had to write the title down, 
the Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Servers. 
I think I got that right. If you take the first letter of every word, 
that spells RAY BAUM.
  Ray Baum was our staff director of the committee for a couple years 
until a terrible brain cancer took his life. This bill was named in 
honor of Ray.
  I will tell you, 911 calls wouldn't work today without this, because 
this provided the location, when that call is made, to make sure that 
the first responder, in fact, is going to get to that delivery site. So 
it is very important legislation, and Ray was just an awesome leader on 
our committee.
  But I see other Members have joined us now.
  May I ask, Mr. Speaker, how much time I have remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Michigan has 8 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
McNerney), who is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Michigan. I can 
tell you a couple minutes is enough time because I am a brief speaker, 
but it says a lot that I am willing to come down here and risk COVID to 
speak in favor of a Republican. So there you have it.
  I have known   Greg Walden for many years now in the committee. On 
trips

[[Page H6899]]

and on new legislation, he has been a gentleman, and he has been a 
person I could work with.
  We have some disagreements, don't we, Greg?
  But that says a lot that we can disagree and still be friends.
  I went to Oregon to visit and to see the eclipse, and Greg invited me 
to go to his place with his friends and watch it with them. I really 
appreciated that. So it shows you that people can get along in this 
institution, work together, and have respect for each other.

                              {time}  1745

  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. 
Brooks), a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend from 
Michigan for organizing this really important Special Order.
  I have to say, many of you probably heard the phrase, a politician 
thinks about the next election, but it is a statesman who thinks about 
the next generation.
    Greg Walden of Oregon is both. He is an amazing politician, but he 
is an even more important statesman for our next generation.
  Representative Walden has been a mentor to many. When he was chair of 
NRCC, he mentored and helped so many people become a part of this great 
institution. But then he mentored people like me, along with 
Representative Upton of Michigan, to make it to the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce, where I knew that big things got done and that the world 
was our jurisdiction.
  Not only was he a mentor, but he rose to chair of that committee, and 
he did it with humility, he did it with humor, he did it with wisdom. 
And I am so glad you talked about all of the things he accomplished, 
but he always reminded us that he was an Oregon broadcaster, first and 
foremost, and that he loved his incredible State of Oregon, and was 
such a leader.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been my pleasure--and my husband David's 
pleasure--to travel with he and Mylene, and more importantly, most 
recently, to get to know his son, that next generation of leaders, 
Anthony.
  I thank you for the opportunities you gave me and so many of my 
colleagues. I wish you the best in retirement. You have been an amazing 
mentor, an amazing friend, and an amazing leader in this country. You 
are a statesman, my friend.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I want to report some breaking news. Roll 
Call has just put something out online, it will be published tomorrow. 
And the headline is: ``Adulting might be alive and well in Congress. 
The retiring Lamar Alexander and   Greg Walden show it's possible to do 
your job in public life while acting like a grown-up.''
  That is Greg. He got things done. He was an Eagle Scout when he was a 
youngster, still is a mighty big Ducks fan. You can't walk into his 
office without seeing the Ducks. He is in a lot better mood on Monday 
when you see him if the Ducks win. They didn't win the other day. But 
he has been a really special individual with real care and handling of 
all the different issues that our committee deals with.
  A partner in leadership on both sides of the aisle, his word is his 
bond. His staff has been terrific, all of them: All the subcommittee 
staff, his personal staff, and obviously, his greatest staff person, 
Mylene. Mylene and his son, Anthony, we have watched him grow up from 
when Anthony was a youngster, but Mylene has been a special friend, 
really, to all of us. She puts up with Greg. Usually, she is on the 
West Coast while he is over here.
  Mr. Speaker, he has been a special talent that has been lent to our 
committee to make this country a better place.
  Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 3 minutes remaining.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. 
Walden).
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank all my colleagues who came down 
tonight to share these words. I want to assure the American people--it 
feels like a eulogy--I am actually still alive but deeply indebted for 
their generosity, their kindness, and their words tonight. It means a 
lot.
  I have told people I am not one of the grumpy, cranky Members 
leaving. This is a great institution with really good people who do 
good work here. We may not always agree, as my friend from Oregon or my 
friend from California said, but it doesn't mean we have to be 
disagreeable. We come here to solve problems. We approach them from 
different angles representing different Americans, but we come here to 
find solutions.
  I have been so blessed to work with people like Mrs. Brooks, Mr. 
Blumenauer, and my friend from Michigan, Mr. Upton, and the others who 
were down here. It is a team effort, and we live in a really, really 
great country. I have been so blessed to be a part of this institution 
for the last 22 years.
  Mr. Speaker, I had hair when I came here. Honest. I can show you 
photos. So it will take a lot out of you. But when I do return home, I 
will complete my 644th round trip between the Nation's Capitol and 
home. I did that because I really wanted to stay in touch, and my 
family is here, and yet it proves the point. On almost every flight, my 
friend from the Portland area, Mr. Blumenauer, has been right there 
with me, and our colleague, Mr. DeFazio, almost every trip. And it is 
what we do as Members here. We go home, we listen to our constituents, 
we come back, we try and find solutions, whether it is on opioids or 
internet connectivity, or all the things that have been referenced 
tonight.
  My success is attributed to the people I have been able to work with, 
my colleagues. And as Mr. Upton said, our terrific, brilliant staff in 
this institution, who work literally day and night. And I know because 
I get texts from them at midnight when they are reading through a bill 
or working on an agreement and negotiating at the staff-to-staff level. 
America is well-served by this institution, and I wish more Americans 
saw the kind of camaraderie that we have here, the comity we have here, 
and the accomplishment that we do here.
  Mr. Speaker, this place still works, and I just wish well the 
incoming class of new Members who bring new energy and new ideas to 
this process. I know they, too, come here to represent their people 
back home.
  Mr. Speaker, to my friends, thank you. This was most generous, over 
the top, and a big surprise. I thought I was just headed off as a 
homeless Member of Congress with no office to find something to eat, 
but instead, Mrs. McMorris Rodgers said I needed to come with her over 
here.

  Thank you to my friends. Mr. Upton, my dear friend--he and Amey and 
my wife and I are very close--thank you for your kindness and your 
words. I will have a more formal farewell speech I will give later this 
week on the House floor, so I will reserve any further comments to that 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I just would, again, thank my friend from Michigan, Mr. 
Upton.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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