[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 194 (Wednesday, December 14, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H9731-H9732]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          FAREWELL TO CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Hice) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, it has been an incredible honor to 
serve the people of the great State of Georgia and the 10th District 
for the last four terms. This is my last time addressing you as fellow 
colleagues here from the House floor within these hallowed Halls of 
Congress.
  There is no question the history and the marvel of this place, our 
Nation's capital, is something that never ceases to amaze me. I cannot 
express how deeply grateful I am to have had the tremendous privilege 
to represent the 10th District of Georgia among the ranks of so many 
incredible men and women before me and to play a small role in shaping 
our Nation's history.
  With God as my guide, I have set out in the last 8 years to not only 
represent Him well but to represent Georgia's 10th District and our 
country well.
  I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to extend a heartfelt 
gratitude to many in my life who are so important and who have made 
these last 8 years so meaningful; certainly, my wife, Dee Dee.
  We all know this is not an easy place for family, and I cannot 
express to her the deep love and appreciation I have for the incredible 
support that she has given me. Our two daughters, Anna and Sara, their 
husbands, and our four grandchildren as well, have stood by me, and us, 
through all of this so much, and I love and appreciate them more than 
words can say.
  Our staff, both here in D.C., and in Georgia, have been among the 
best here in Congress. I say a heartfelt thank you for serving our 
constituents and for fighting our battles here in Washington with such 
integrity and honor. What a team you have been. You certainly have made 
me look better than I am, and I am deeply appreciative of that.
  My colleagues here on both sides of the aisle, it has been an honor 
to serve, and I particularly express my gratitude and love for those 
fellow men and women within the Freedom Caucus whom I have come to love 
tremendously. It has been such an honor to serve with each of them, as 
well.
  Obviously, without the guidance of God and my faith and those around 
me, we certainly would not have been able to accomplish many of the 
things we have been able to do here. But as a pastor prior to coming to 
Congress, my focus here so much has been on moral matters; things like 
life, faith, and family, protecting the rights of Americans. 
Specifically, the right to freely worship without fear of intimidation 
of harassment has constantly been on the forefront of my life and 
continues to be. And although I am departing from this current post, I 
cannot stress enough the importance of those who will be here for the 
118th Congress to continue fighting for the repeal of the Johnson 
amendment.
  We all know that the First Amendment is for every American citizen, 
the right to speak, to uphold those beliefs in the public square. And 
certainly those beliefs, the epicenter of it, if you will, is certainly 
in churches and the centerpiece of that is in the pulpits. And our 
government has no right entering the pulpits of America determining 
what can and cannot be said. So I urge my colleagues to continue 
fighting that good battle.
  Another piece of legislation that I introduced my very first year 
here was the sanctity of human life, which sought to declare that the 
most fundamental right that we have is the right to life. And I have 
introduced this bill, in fact, every Congress, every session since we 
have been here, and I look forward to being able to pass that on to 
those who continue the fight.
  While it has been of utmost importance to focus on ending abortion, I 
also felt it is important to memorialize the 63 million lives that have 
been lost. That is why I introduced a bill to instruct that the United 
States flag be flown at half-staff on January 22 of each year in honor 
of the unborn who have lost their lives.
  If we ever forget history, it is bound to repeat itself, and if we, 
God willing, see the end of abortion, we need to likewise remember 
those who have given their lives, the innocent, in this struggle, in 
this battle.
  At the heart of it all, it is my prayer that our country will see a 
spiritual

[[Page H9732]]

awakening. I am convinced we can't resolve all the problems in this 
country by passing another piece of legislation or throwing another 
trillion dollars at a problem. We need the good hands of the Almighty 
God to guide us through these days, and we need a spiritual awakening. 
That certainly is my utmost prayer.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish each of my colleagues continued success here in 
Congress and a Merry Christmas to each one.

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