[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 8, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H6915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE SERVICE OF CONGRESSMAN WILL HURD AND CONGRESSWOMAN 
                             TULSI GABBARD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
incredible service of two very special Members of this Chamber who are 
retiring after this term, Will Hurd of Texas and Tulsi Gabbard of 
Hawaii.
  Will Hurd is a native son of San Antonio, Texas, and a graduate of 
Texas A&M University, where he was a student body president and 
graduated with a degree in computer science and international 
relations.
  After graduation, Will spent 9 years working and serving our country 
for the CIA. While primarily based here in Washington, D.C., Will was 
also stationed overseas in Afghanistan and Pakistan and India. And 
while in Pakistan, Will worked undercover and became fluent in the 
native language.
  In the CIA, Will worked to keep our national security safe, thwarting 
terrorism across the globe, and putting nuclear weapons proliferators 
out of business. Part of his responsibilities in Washington was to 
brief Members of Congress here on the Hill on intelligence and national 
security issues, which undoubtedly sparked his interest in politics.

  During his time in Congress, Will has been a leading Member on 
cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, immigration, and tech issues. 
He worked incredibly hard to ensure that the Department of Homeland 
Security is able to work efficiently and effectively, modernize our 
immigration system, and speak on the need to stay ahead of our 
adversaries in cybersecurity and technology.
  Also a colleague of ours, Tulsi Gabbard was born in American Samoa 
and was raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. A graduate of Hawai'i Pacific 
University, Tulsi was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives at 
age 21, the youngest legislator ever elected in the State.
  A year into her service, she enlisted in the Hawaii Army National 
Guard and volunteered to deploy with her fellow soldiers in 2004. She 
went on two tours of duty in the Middle East, first in Iraq and later 
in Kuwait, and is currently serving as a major in the Army Reserves.
  In between her tours of duty, Tulsi served as a legislative aide to 
the late Senator Daniel Akaka of Hawaii. During her time with the 
Senator, she worked on issues related to energy, Homeland Security, the 
environment, and veterans. During this time, Tulsi graduated from 
Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy, where she was 
the first woman to finish as a distinguished honor graduate.
  During Tulsi's time in Congress, she has been a fierce advocate for 
veterans, servicemembers, and their families. She has worked to make 
their lives easier and to ensure that Congress never forgets the women 
and men who sacrificed for our freedoms.
  Mr. Speaker, Will and Tulsi have been two amazing Members of this 
institution. I served with Will on the Homeland Security Committee, and 
I served with Tulsi on the Foreign Affairs Committee. This Chamber and 
our Nation are better off because they chose to serve in Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, both Will and Tulsi caucus with different parties in 
this Chamber, but they share an awful lot in common:
  They are both people of class;
  They are both people of honor and dignity;
  They both put their life on the line in service of our Nation;
  They both are independent thinkers;
  They are both people of incredible courage;
  They are both people of intellectual honesty;
  They are both leaders whom I respect and look up to, both before I 
was in Congress and certainly now.
  They are two people who served this institution well, who made our 
Nation proud, and I have no doubt that their time serving our Nation is 
not at an end.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank them both for their service, for their courage, 
for their sacrifice, for being intellectual leaders, thought leaders, 
being honest, staying true to their convictions, and putting their 
country ahead of their party every single day of their lives. I 
appreciate their service, Mr. Speaker.

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