[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 193 (Tuesday, December 13, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H9697]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING REPRESENTATIVE CINDY AXNE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Nevada (Mrs. Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
outstanding work of one of my congressional classmates, now one of my 
closest friends here, Congresswoman Cindy Axne.
  In 2018, less than 100 years after women gained the right to vote, we 
were elected as part of the largest class ever of women elected to the 
House--a record we broke again 2 years later. Breaking the glass 
ceiling was just the start.
  Cindy Axne is a true trailblazer. No issue is too big or small. As a 
fellow mom in Congress and a lifelong education advocate, I have seen 
Cindy's passion for the next generation. Even before her time in 
Congress, as a mom at local school board meetings, Cindy fought to make 
real change and to promote education equity with the implementation of 
full-day kindergarten across her children's school district. That 
passion and can-do character has followed her to Congress, too.
  Congresswoman Cindy Axne is a rare breed here on Capitol Hill. 
Bipartisanship is a word many of us use here in Congress, but few of us 
can back it up quite like Cindy. Her energy and enthusiasm are endless, 
and I have seen firsthand how she brings it to her work here in 
Washington.
  As the lone Federal Democrat from the Hawkeye State, she has taken 
that Iowa-nice attitude to a whole new level--working with anyone, 
Democrat or Republican, to get the job done.
  Las Vegas, Nevada, and Des Moines, Iowa, may be looking a little bit 
different, but Cindy and I have worked together to find common ground 
that transcends partisanship and works for every single American.
  As the tallest woman in Congress--although Representative Lori Trahan 
might have a point of order on that--she also bears one of the tallest 
lists of accomplishments in her time in this House.
  She personally helped her constituents recover from catastrophic 
flooding. She led the charge to keep our communities safe with the 
Invest to Protect Act. Cindy led the charge to tackle inflation with 
the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, as well.
  Her legacy for Iowa lives on in the millions of dollars that she has 
brought home for her constituents, in the legislation she has fought to 
get across the finish line, and in all of us fighting to end 
the divisiveness and to bring the collective spirit of compromise to 
Congress.

  I thank Cindy for everything--for her leadership, for her unwavering 
spirit, and, most importantly, for her friendship.

                          ____________________