[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H7055-H7056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     EXPRESSING DEEP GRATITUDE FOR PRIVILEGE OF SERVING IN CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Cox) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COX of California. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the individuals, 
families, and communities of California's 21st District, I want to 
express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of being here today.
  I am the son of immigrants who, I am sure, never imagined that their 
son would become a Member of Congress.
  Like my late father, I first started in chemical engineering, but my 
career diverged when my wife, Kathy, and I moved to the Central Valley 
some 20 years ago in order for her to start and pursue her medical 
career, taking care of some of the most critically ill children in one 
of the most deserving regions in America.
  Mr. Speaker, the best thing I can say about myself is I am married to 
her, Kathy Murphy.
  For me, I began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, and from 
there, I can directly trace my path to where I stand before you today 
as a Member of Congress, as a public servant. It is has been an honor 
and a privilege to serve.
  There is nothing more rewarding in life than serving others. As the 
late Martin Luther King, Jr. said and professed: ``Life's most 
persistent and urgent question is: `What are you doing for others?'''
  One of my favorite family stories was about my grandmother, my lola, 
in the Philippines, right after World War II, in Manila. She saw that 
there was a segment of our troops who were being discriminated against. 
They didn't have anyplace to go when they got off duty, no place to 
hang out and have a drink or a meal or just hang out with their 
buddies. So my grandmother, she took it upon herself to open the first 
and only social club for African-American troops there in Manila.
  Now, my grandmother didn't know or even ever speak to or meet our 
friend the late John Lewis, but they were cut from the same cloth. They 
lived by the belief that, if you see something that is not right, not 
fair, not just, you have to speak up; you have to say something; you 
have to do something. My grandmother did something.
  That sense of social justice was passed along to my mom, Perla 
deCastro, my children's lola, who became one of the State of Nevada's 
first equal opportunity officers.
  I am so proud of my children, Molly, Joe, Thomas, and Jack, who are 
considering serving others in the Peace Corps, the Foreign Service, and 
the Armed Forces.

[[Page H7056]]

  For 2 years, I have been so grateful and so proud of my staff here in 
Washington, D.C., and back home in California. They made a positive 
difference in the lives of all the people of the 21st District. From 
the 27 bills we passed, to the $700 million of water infrastructure 
that we got passed through the House, to the over $3.5 million that we 
got returned back to over 300 constituents, they were known to be 
productive, effective, and capable.
  Thank you to my team. You are a shining example of the adage, to be 
successful, surround yourself by people who are smarter than you.
  I want to thank all the House staff for making this place work, the 
Capitol Police for keeping us safe, the ladies in the cloakroom who 
kept us fed, the staff at the gym who kept us in shape; and to our 
leaders--Steny, Nancy, Jim, and Hakeem--our Caucus is in good hands.
  Thank you to all the interns who served in both my D.C. and district 
offices. I am proud that you are considering a life and a career in 
public service.
  I am invigorated by the young men and women who want to make a 
positive difference. They are making it happen, being the change they 
want to see in their own communities.
  My proudest moment as a Member of Congress was that day that we 
passed H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act. A young woman from the 
Central Valley who came out to witness the passage of that act said to 
me afterwards: Thank you, Congressman Cox. You finally make me feel as 
if somebody cares.
  Beyond the legislation we worked on, my measure of success was to 
provide an example that, if you care, advocate and work on the issues 
that matter to you, your voice will be heard here in Washington. I do 
care, and I look forward to continuing to fight to make a positive 
difference in the lives of all Central Valley residents.
  And we have to fight, Mr. Speaker. Democracies aren't taken away; 
they are given away. I am proud of the role I have played to save our 
democracy: first, in 2018, by taking back control of the House, and 
this year, in helping win the White House. It brings a smile to my face 
to be able to say President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect 
Harris.
  But there is a lot more work to do to ensure our democracy. Let's all 
recall our pledge to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United 
States from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

  Let us recall that the Framers of the Constitution established 
Congress first. We are Article I, supreme amongst the three branches of 
the government. The power of the people resides in the Congress, not 
the White House.
  As this will be my final speech for the 116th Congress, I want to 
say, unequivocally, I am proud to be a Democrat.
  Now, sometimes our party is not great at messaging. We try to make 
every voice heard, and sometimes we pay a price for that at the ballot 
box. But here are a few truths that I am happy to sing from the 
rooftops:
  The Democratic Party has always been the party of working people and 
their families.
  The fact is, there is only one party that has consistently fought to 
win healthcare for your family.
  There is only party that will suffer the political consequences of 
telling America the truth about COVID.
  We are the party of purpose. I was proud to run and serve under our 
banner.
  I look forward to the Biden-Harris Democratic House and Democratic 
Senate. We will get back to work fighting for the people.

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