[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 13, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7775-H7776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  WELCOMING THE HONORABLE MARY PELTOLA TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Hoyer) is recognized for 1 minute.
  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, it is a rare privilege to be able to 
introduce as a new Member the dean of a delegation, but that is my 
particular pleasure today.
  There are few honors greater, Madam Speaker, in this country than 
being elected by your neighbors and fellow Americans to represent them 
in the House of Representatives. I welcome Senator Murkowski and 
Senator Sullivan to our Chamber and remind them you cannot be appointed 
to the House of Representatives. Only by election can one serve in the 
people's House.
  It is an extraordinary honor to have your friends and neighbors 
choose you to represent them in this body. When our friend and 
colleague Don Young passed away earlier this year, this House lost a 
giant. The people of Alaska lost a Representative who had served them 
with great ability, energy, courage, and commitment for half a century.
  Earlier this month, Alaskans cast their votes to send a new 
Representative to carry their voice and views in Washington. The woman 
they chose just made history with the oath that she took. She made 
history by becoming the first Alaska Native to be elected to the 
Congress of the United States.

  Madam Speaker, she also made history as the first woman not to 
represent Alaska but to represent Alaskans in the House of 
Representatives. Obviously, Senator Murkowski represents them in the 
Senate.
  In Representative Mary Peltola, Alaskans chose someone who was not 
only a friend of former Representative Don Young but also someone cut 
from the same cloth, someone who believes fundamentally in pragmatism, 
independence, and putting Alaska's unique needs first. The Senators 
applaud that, apparently.
  Representative Peltola is widely known across Alaska not only for her 
strong record as a State legislator but as a champion for rural and 
Native communities who are too often overlooked by policymakers. Don 
Young did not let that happen. She won't, either.
  She has built solid relationships across both parties in Alaska 
because of what many have called her extreme kindness and her 
determination to befriend all that she meets.
  Her record reflects Alaskans' independent approach to the most 
divisive issues, and in her election, she appealed to Democrats, 
Republicans, and Independents. Her campaign slogan reflected what she 
and many others consider the three fundamentals of Alaska: fish, 
family, and freedom.
  Indeed, she has already begun to assemble a bipartisan staff to serve 
her constituents. Representative Peltola has a long record of working 
well with Alaska Republicans and even campaigning for Republican 
Senator Lisa Murkowski, who is with us here today, when she faced a 
primary challenge from an extreme candidate.
  What Alaskans have known and shown by them electing Mary Peltola is 
that, like so many other Americans, they want to be represented by 
someone who is focused on bipartisanship and not on confrontation. They 
want someone who will put people over politics and get things done.
  That has been Representative Peltola's record back home in Alaska, 
and I know it will be her philosophy here in Washington. In so many 
ways, she is a perfect successor to Representative Young, who worked 
hard to make sure his fellow Republicans understood Alaskans' unique 
challenges and preferences on major issues.

[[Page H7776]]

  


                              {time}  1845

  In similar fashion, Representative Peltola will be an important 
addition to the House, helping us better understand the perspectives of 
rural and Native communities and the special concerns of Alaskans as 
our majority works to deliver results and expand opportunities for all 
Americans.
  I know, Madam Speaker, Mary will be warmly welcomed to the House by 
all of her colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
  Because Alaska has only one at-large Representative in the House, the 
honor falls to me today, as the senior-most Member of our party, to 
introduce her. It is an honor I wholeheartedly accept, and I now ask my 
colleagues to join me in welcoming Alaska's new Representative and 
someone we will all very shortly be calling our good friend, Mary 
Peltola.
  The SPEAKER. It is the custom of the House for Members of the 
delegation to join the newly elected and sworn-in Members. So if the 
Senators would like to join her in the well, they are most welcome. As 
the dean of the delegation, you are welcome to join her in the well, 
and any of our other colleagues who would like to join Mary Peltola in 
the well. We invite other Native Americans to join.
  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from Alaska (Mrs. Peltola).
  Mrs. PELTOLA. Madam Speaker, I thank Leader Hoyer for the very kind 
introduction and most especially for his words about my predecessor, 
Congressman for all Alaska, Don Young.
  I thank you, Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, and so many of 
my colleagues from both parties who have been very kind in welcoming me 
to the House of Representatives.
  I am also so grateful to have my husband, my seven children and their 
loved ones, two grandchildren, and two sisters here with me this week. 
I couldn't do this without their love and support and votes.
  It is the honor of my life to represent Alaska, a place my elders and 
ancestors have called home for thousands of years, where to this day 
many people in my community carry forward our traditions of hunting and 
fishing.
  I am humbled and deeply honored to be the first Alaska Native to be 
elected to this body, the first woman to hold Alaska's House seat. But 
to be clear, I am here to represent all Alaskans. I will work every day 
to make all Alaskans proud that they have entrusted me to carry their 
voices here.
  I am excited to work with all of you, to explain and take action to 
address Alaskans' needs, just as you did with my predecessor, the 
Congressman for all Alaska, Don Young.
  Like all Alaskans, I mourned his passing. In Yupik, when we lose a 
loved one, we say ``this is not the end.'' ``Tua-i-ngunrituq.''
  Don was a true institution, an Alaska icon, someone who fought so 
hard and so well for our State for 49 years. I know many of you loved 
Don, and I am sorry for your loss, too. I am committed to securing his 
legacy of bipartisanship and a deep respect for this institution. In my 
few days in Washington, I have already begun forming friendships with 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
  Now, I might have a different approach than Don. You know how soft-
spoken he was. But you will still be hearing all about Alaska, our 
people, and our State's unique needs.
  I promised Alaskans I would fight for our families, to lower the cost 
of living that is pushing too many of us to the brink, to invest in 
high-quality childcare and early education, and to grow Alaska's 
economy with good jobs that pay a fair wage.
  Resource development is important to Alaska's economy and our 
national energy security, and I look forward to working to ensure our 
State remains a global leader.
  I also committed to fighting for our fish. For so many Alaska 
communities, fish are life. Our fish harvest is the best in the world. 
Half of the wild salmon sold in the world comes from our State, 
supporting good jobs that sustain strong communities. Subsistence 
fishing is not only an essential food source for so many Alaska 
families and communities, it is a sacred part of our traditions.
  Again, thank you for your warm welcome. We have a lot to get done, 
and I am looking forward to getting to work.
  ``Thank you very much.'' ``Quyana cakneq.''

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