[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 16, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H1367-H1368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          FAREWELL TO CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
New Mexico (Ms. Haaland) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. HAALAND. Madam Speaker, I rise today to deliver my final remarks 
on the floor of the people's House.
  I am humbled to have spent the last 2 years in this Chamber, where I 
proudly served New Mexico, alongside my colleagues past and present in 
the New Mexico delegation. I am thankful to Senators Martin Heinrich 
and Ben Ray Lujan, in particular, for helping to build support for my 
confirmation, and to former Senator Tom Udall for his years of 
friendship and mentorship.
  I love New Mexico. Not only is it my home, where I raised my child, 
went to

[[Page H1368]]

college, started a small business, and started organizing, it is my 
ancestral homeland.
  As a 35th-generation New Mexican, and not unlike the other families 
with roots in our State, I have a deep connection to the land, air, and 
water that sustains our communities. My ancestors settled there because 
they were drawn to the once-mighty Rio Grande and the sacred places 
that dot the sandstone mesas and granite mountains.
  That is why I made the most of my time in Congress. I spent every 
opportunity meeting with families, listening to small business owners, 
learning about our tech industry, connecting with brave servicemembers 
and veterans, and working to deliver for the people.

  When I was a little girl, none of this crossed my mind as a 
possibility for me. I wasn't one of the students picked out to apply to 
college. In fact, I didn't apply to college until I was 28. I was 
constantly struggling to make ends meet, and I raised my child as a 
single mom.
  Growing up, Native women rarely held Federal leadership positions, 
and now little girls everywhere will know that they can run for 
Congress and win and that this country holds promise for everyone.
  In fact, it is the unique experiences and struggles that make good 
leaders and why I became an organizer in the first place. I believe 
that it is the fact that I relied on food stamps to feed my family that 
makes me qualified to advocate for families like mine. It is the fact 
that I overcame addiction that makes me qualified to help people who 
are in their own struggles. It is the fact that I know what it is like 
to be indigenous that makes me qualified to advocate for our country to 
meet its trust responsibility.
  The beauty of this Chamber is that each Member of Congress brings 
their unique experiences to the table and advocates for the causes we 
know best. With Speaker Nancy Pelosi's brilliant leadership, House 
Natural Resources Committee Chair Raul Grijalva's wisdom, and House 
Armed Services Committee Chair Adam Smith's guidance, and all the 
leadership here in the House, I had the opportunity to make a real 
difference for communities everywhere by addressing climate change; 
protecting voting rights; fighting for racial, environmental, and 
economic justice; and providing urgent COVID relief for millions of 
people.
  I am also thankful for the collaboration and mentorship of my 
colleagues across the aisle, including Representative Tom Cole and the 
dean of the House, Don Young, and my colleagues on the House Armed 
Services and Natural Resources Committees.
  We worked in a bipartisan way to address issues, including missing 
and murdered indigenous women and ensuring that our servicemen and -
women and military families have the resources that they need.
  To my colleagues in the Tri-Caucus, thank you for embracing the 
issues facing Native Americans and working to address longstanding 
disparities in our communities.
  I am proud that, with the support of my colleagues, several of my 
bills became law: the Not Invisible Act; Rent the Camo, a pilot program 
for pregnant servicemembers in the 2021 NDAA; the PROGRESS for Indian 
Tribes Act; provisions from my Military Housing Oversight and 
Servicemember Protection Act in the 2020 NDAA; the Native American 
Business Incubators Act; and the Veterans Affairs Tribal Advisory 
Committee Act.
  I thought I would have more time here, but we are called to service 
in different ways.
  Though I am excited to become the first Native American Cabinet 
Secretary in history, I am also sad to leave this Chamber. As a twice-
elected Member of Congress, it has been both a pleasure and privilege 
to serve alongside you in our quest to improve the lives of the 
American people.
  I want each of you to know that I am grateful for the knowledge you 
shared with me, the friendship, and the work we accomplished together, 
and I will miss all of you dearly.
  I wouldn't be here today without my extraordinary staff in 
Albuquerque and here at the Capitol, the Natural Resources Committee 
staff, and the House Armed Services Committee staff. They all put in 
very long hours on behalf of our State and our country. My legislative 
accomplishments are also their accomplishments.
  Additionally, thanks to all of the staff who work right here on the 
floor, whose dedication and experience keep our Congress running. I am 
so grateful to all of you.
  To New Mexico, thank you. Thank you to the activists, supporters, 
families, and communities that make our State an incredible place to 
call home.

                          ____________________