[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 194 (Wednesday, December 14, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H9733-H9734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              IN GRATITUDE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Katko) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, after 8 years of service, in 
gratitude for this body and the people of central New York who have 
entrusted me to represent them in Congress since 2015.
  When I first ran for Congress, I left a job that I absolutely loved 
as a Federal prosecutor, trying cases involving organized crime, 
murder, political corruption, drug trafficking, and every manner of 
awful crime you can imagine.
  As a prosecutor, politics never mattered to me. I worked alongside 
public servants every day who sought to bring justice to victims of 
crime. We were united in our mission to make our community a better 
place. I brought this similar approach to Congress, and I dare say it 
has worked.
  I am proud of the work we have done over the past 8 years--and when I 
say ``we,'' I am talking about myself, my staff, and my colleagues--to 
solve serious problems and unite people across this great land.
  I focused on unifying issues, and I regularly introduced bills with 
Democratic cosponsors. In fact, almost every bill I introduced, I would 
not introduce until I had a Democratic lead on that bill.
  I broke with my own party time and again when it was in the best 
interests of central New York and America. I remained an active member 
of the Problem Solvers Caucus, and I am proud to have led and grown the 
Republican Governance Group to become a very powerful and moderate 
voice in the Republican Party.
  I am proud today to give this speech while some of my colleagues on 
the other side of the aisle are saying good-bye, as well. We did a lot 
of good things together, and I am very proud of them, and I am proud to 
call them my friends.
  I am proud of this approach to governing, and I am honored to have 
consistently ranked among the most bipartisan and effective Members in 
all of Congress. That is not me ranking it or my friends; that is an 
independent group. It yielded the passage of nearly 100 bills in my 
name and the enactment of laws by Presidents from both parties.
  Most importantly, I was able to work across party lines time and 
again to deliver results for central New York. We delivered a 
bipartisan infrastructure package and secured historic investments for 
domestic semiconductor manufacturing that has now brought a 
manufacturer to central New York that is going to invest $100 billion 
in central New York. Stunning.
  We lowered taxes for the middle class. We began work on addressing 
the opioid epidemic and mental health crisis. We worked on efforts to 
strengthen cybersecurity, improve airport and transportation security, 
and protect our homeland.
  In the past year alone, we brought home nearly $9 million in funding 
for initiatives that will improve the quality of life across our 
district.
  Of course, this has not been a one-man operation. I could not have 
had these successes without a tremendous amount of support. I have been 
blessed with family, friends, health, and the most loving and patient 
wife you could possibly imagine, Robin.
  I have been supported by an incredible staff, some of whom I see here 
today. I am so glad they are here. I have been supported by staff 
members who faithfully served central New York and diligently worked on 
the House Homeland Security Committee, as well, to make our Nation 
safer.
  Four times, my constituents in Onondaga, Cayuga, Wayne, and Oswego 
Counties elected me to be their voice in Congress, and they have 
consistently provided me with valuable and, oftentimes, very frank 
input. They have guided my decisions, to say the least.
  These constituents are not just Republicans, and they are not just 
Democrats, and they are not just Independents, but they are all of my 
constituents. I profoundly understood that. I am eternally grateful for 
their input.
  Serving central New York has been an honor that I can't possibly tell 
you.
  Finally, as my time in Congress comes to an end, I urge my 
colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, to consider the impact of 
working across the aisle as they seek to address the many challenges 
ahead.
  Throughout my 8 years in Congress, I have consistently drawn 
inspiration from the relationship between two diametrically opposed 
political giants from the 1980s, Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill. They 
were able to compromise and make progress on issues today that seem 
unfathomable: tax reform, tax cuts, immigration reform, and Social 
Security reform. Imagine trying to do that today in this divided House.
  They did it not because of personal or political gain. They did it 
because of

[[Page H9734]]

love for their country. We should all be instructed by that.
  While Congress is seemingly more divided than ever, our inability to 
find common ground is making us less competitive on the world stage, 
less prosperous, and is getting in the way of solving big problems.
  We were all sent here by our constituents to put the work in and to 
better our districts. When there are only fights and no bipartisan 
cooperation, it is our constituents, not us, who suffer. Please 
remember that.
  I made working across the aisle a priority during my 8 years in the 
House, and I can leave here knowing I achieved real results, along with 
my great team. I worked every day to make my district in central New 
York and this country better.
  So, for the last time, Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the United States 
House of Representatives, I yield back.

                          ____________________