[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 180 (Thursday, December 5, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H6404-H6408]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SERVING IN CONGRESS HAS BEEN THE HONOR OF MY LIFETIME
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 9, 2023, the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
General Leave
Mrs. LESKO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to submit extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Arizona?
There was no objection.
Mrs. LESKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve in these sacred Halls
of the U.S. House of Representatives. Part of that great honor is to
serve with fantastic colleagues, Members of the U.S. House of
Representatives.
I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), my great
colleague.
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my good friend, the
gentlewoman from Arizona, Debbie Lesko, Representative Debbie Lesko.
Representative Lesko has served Arizona's Eighth Congressional
District with distinction and honor. She has fought for Arizonans and
all Americans and has been a champion for the people she represents.
It has been my honor serving with Representative Lesko in the Arizona
delegation. As a colleague, we frequently collaborated as advocates on
behalf of communities in Arizona.
It is an honor to stand here tonight before you and tell my friend
Debbie Lesko how much she means to me and how much I am going to miss
her in these hallowed Halls of the House of Representatives.
However, I am heartened. I know she won't be too far away, and you
can bet I am going to continue to phone her whenever I need her advice
or just to talk.
More importantly, I am confident her character, demeanor, and
principles will continue to serve her well in Maricopa County, where
she has been recently elected to the Board of Supervisors. However, I
am worried about it. In Congress, Debbie represented 800,000 people
with full-time staff, but now she will represent over a million people
with just one full-time employee. DOGE should learn something from you.
Congress' loss is Maricopa's gain. I am grateful to have had the
opportunity to serve with her. I applaud her for her service and wish
her all the best. Arizona is a better place because of Debbie Lesko.
May God bless her and her husband, Joe.
Mrs. LESKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Gosar for his
remarks. It means so much to me.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton),
another colleague.
Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to send off my colleague,
Debbie Lesko, and honor her long career in public service.
I first got to know Debbie when she was working on pension reform as
a State senator and I was working on pension reform as mayor of the
city of Phoenix.
We were both elected to Congress in the year 2018, and over the last
6 years, we have probably canceled each other's votes out more often
than not.
{time} 1830
Mr. Speaker, you know what? We have developed a really great
friendship, spending so many hours together, talking about our families
and politics at Sky Harbor International Airport and DCA as we wait to
board our weekly flights back and forth to Washington.
[[Page H6405]]
I want to say something about Debbie. She inspires me. She is a
survivor of domestic violence, and she got out of an abusive marriage.
Do you know what she did?
She poured herself into our community on the Peoria school board, at
the State legislature, and now as a Member of the United States
Congress. That is a great American success story.
Over her years in public office, she has shown immense courage in
sharing her story as a domestic violence survivor and using her office
to fight for other survivors to receive the care and attention they
deserve.
To Debbie's husband, Joe, I see you on those weekly flights. It is
not easy being a congressional spouse. I see the long hours you put in,
in supporting Debbie. Thank you for sharing her with us.
I am going to miss Debbie in Congress, but she is continuing her work
in public service as a newly elected Maricopa County supervisor.
Debbie, I have one request in your new role. Please don't ever let the
Cyber Ninjas back in Maricopa County.
In all seriousness, I am wishing you all the very best. Godspeed,
Congresswoman Lesko.
Mrs. LESKO. Thank you so much, Representative Stanton. I greatly
appreciate the words. I will tell Joe, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs), my
friend and colleague who I have known for many years.
Mr. BIGGS. Thank you. You didn't have to put the ``many'' in front of
that, Debbie.
It is true. She was a young child when we first met.
Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to speak and recognize my good friend,
Debbie. When I was serving from the east side of the valley and Debbie
got elected to the school board, I started hearing about Debbie Lesko
is going to be this great conservative politico. I did not know Debbie
at that time, but I got to observe her. Then we ended up serving in the
State legislature together, and she was dynamic and exciting and
actually conservative.
As Greg mentioned, she worked on pension reform. The bulk of that
took place after I left, thankfully, because pension reform, as anybody
who has ever done it knows, is one ugly thing and takes a lot of
courage. Debbie exhibited courage, and I would get reports on how she
was doing that.
She brought in people with very disparate interests. She worked with
them. She got them on board, and she would tell them where the rubber
met the road. That was really awesome.
Then I am here, and then the next thing I know, Debbie is here with
me. The bad news for me is that she is going home to Maricopa County.
She is going to do a great job there.
This is great news for Maricopa County which, by the way, is one of
the largest counties in the country. It is about, what, 5.5 million
people in the county, something like that, with only five supervisors.
Debbie has told me this. I know she has told Paul this. I know she
has told Greg this, and I know she has told David and Juan this: she
only has one-and-a-half staffers. That is really bugging her. I can
tell you that. She is going to do a great job.
She has been a great friend.
I will also pay homage to Joe and Debbie's family who have been so
supportive, literally, for many years.
So with that, I----
Mrs. LESKO. Don't make me cry, Andy.
Mr. BIGGS. I am like Winston Churchill. I am a crier.
Debbie, Cindy and I love you.
Mrs. LESKO. Thank you very much, Andy.
Congressman Biggs, you are a great friend. Thank you so much. We will
be working many years together. I am going to keep calling you.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs.
Harshbarger).
Diana and I sit with each other in the women's row. And sometimes
guys want to, you know, infiltrate, and we kick them out.
Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Exactly. Exactly.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the work and legacy of my dear
friend and colleague, Congresswoman Debbie Lesko, from the great State
of Arizona.
I have had the privilege of working alongside Congresswoman Lesko for
almost 4 years. In that time, I have had the opportunity to get to know
her, working on the Energy and Commerce Committee and the caucuses we
share.
Congresswoman Lesko is a true civil servant, leader, and dedicated
mother and grandmother to a wonderful family. I know they will be
grateful to be able to spend more time with her at home.
Throughout her career in Congress, Mrs. Lesko has dedicated herself
to defending the very principles that our Nation was founded upon. She
stood up for religious freedom, speaking boldly in favor of faith-based
institutions faced with encroachments from the Federal Government.
She has defended life, introducing legislation to prevent the
dismemberment of unborn children in the womb. She stood up for justice,
launching the Protect Kids Caucus to defend the innocent children in
our schools' healthcare and government programs.
Mr. Speaker, Congresswoman Lesko's unwavering commitment to faith,
family, and freedom has left an incredible mark on these Halls and the
lives of countless Americans. While her leadership will be deeply
missed, her legacy of service will continue to be remembered for years
to come.
Thank you, Debbie, for being a wonderful friend to me. I will miss
you.
We are going to charge for the seat you are going to vacate if
somebody wants to sit there. Okay?
Mrs. LESKO. Thank you very much, Diana. I greatly appreciate it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Schweikert),
my colleague who is sitting to my left, who I have known for a long
time, too. I went to your wedding reception, I think.
Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Mr. Speaker, one of the magic things about Debbie
Lesko is she has proven you can be conservative and not be angry about
it. You can actually be joyful and kind and sweet and just a decent
human being. I have learned more things about urban chickens from her,
because I have a 9-year-old that really wants daddy to build a chicken
coop. Don't laugh. She really does.
Just an observation, because we sit on this airplane every week,
flying back, and I often sit next to Debbie. Other Members, you see
them on their computers, watching movies. Debbie has a stack of things
because she doesn't use her computer. She has a stack of papers. You
know, they do make these things called laptops.
She is there with her highlighter for hours on the airplane. That is
the sort of thing you notice. You can be kind. You can be loving. You
can be joyful.
Debbie, I think you are going to have an amazing experience with the
leadership of Maricopa County. Remember, Maricopa County is right now
the fourth most populous county in America. I actually still believe it
is going to cross over Harris County's population. If there weren't so
many hurricanes in the area, we probably would have already.
I used to be the county treasurer, and trust me, after some years
around here, I miss those days when you could actually do things.
I am going to miss you. I am going to miss the times when you were my
guiding light. When I am just mad, because I seem to be mad a lot, you
just sort of smile and say, well, that is sort of how it is.
I think you are going to do amazing things for the people of the West
Valley as their supervisor. We are going to make some very tough
decisions here in the next couple of years where we are going to need
the leadership at our State and local levels because we don't have a
lot of dollars to send. So we are going to send a lot of our problems
to you soon.
We love you, Debbie.
Mrs. LESKO. Thank you very much, David. I greatly appreciate the
friendship and the work we have done together.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani) my
other Arizona colleague.
Juan used to work for Governor Ducey, and that is how I met him. He
is such a great Member of Congress, and I am so happy he got reelected
because he is in a tough swing district.
Mr. CISCOMANI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and honor
and pay tribute to my good friend, Debbie
[[Page H6406]]
Lesko, who has been an inspiration to so many.
We worked on different projects together. You have been a speaker and
a panelist for some of the programs that Laura and I have done for
youth and especially for women. I think you are a shining example.
A lot has been said by those that worked closest with you, which are,
of course, our colleagues from the Arizona delegation. They have talked
about your wit, your grace, your smile, the way in which you carry
yourself and how you execute our priorities and our conservative
values.
As has been said before, you are conservative. You are just not angry
about it. You have gone out there and have done the work and have put
in the time.
Seeing you on that plane, you and Joe many times, is great. I would
much rather sit next to you than next to David or Greg. I enjoy those
trips back home when I get a chance to sit with you. You are a hard
worker, giving your best to your constituents every single time. Even
those who live in the southern part of the State, like myself and
others, we have really admired your work the entire time.
I know you are going to do great things for Maricopa County, as well,
and the entire State. Laura, our six kids, and I, wish you the very
best in your next journey.
You were a great source for me in my freshman year when I had
questions, from the most basic ones to the most complex ones. Your
peace and the way you tackled these issues was always very inspiring,
but it also gave me a great deal of confidence in what we could do with
this place.
You have been a great mentor and a great friend. Thank you so much.
We love you, and we are going to miss you. Thank you.
Mrs. LESKO. Thank you so much, Juan. I am going to be calling you
when I need help from the county.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Griffith),
my friend and colleague who is on the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
I serve as his vice chair on the Oversight and Investigation
Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce.
Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend and
colleague from Arizona's Eighth District, Congresswoman Debbie Lesko.
I have had the distinct pleasure of serving alongside her, as she
just told you, on the Energy and Commerce Committee and, more
specifically, on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations,
which I chair. She served this Congress as the vice chair of that
subcommittee.
We explored and investigated many important issues, some of which
included COVID-19 origins. She did some more work on that. There were
investigations into drug shortages and the potential exploitation of
unaccompanied minors crossing our southern border. Her work with me
related to world anti-doping in sports was outstanding. It was really
very much appreciated.
Everyone here who has spoken already knows this. For those folks
watching at home, this is one smart, tough lady. I have really, really
enjoyed working with her on a number of issues over her terms here in
Congress.
Mr. Speaker, her hard work and her strong conservative record is
obviously appreciated back home. As you have heard others say, she just
recently won election to a seat on the Maricopa County Board of
Supervisors.
I congratulate you, Debbie, on a fantastic career in the United
States House, and I applaud your decision to continue public service a
little bit closer to home as a member of the board of supervisors in
Maricopa County.
Your work will be missed, and it is appreciated. It also will be
missed when we reconvene and start trying to tackle some tough issues,
whether it be healthcare or telecom or whatever Energy and Commerce has
jurisdiction over.
I thank you for your service. I appreciate you.
Mrs. LESKO. Thank you very much, Morgan. I appreciate you. You always
have a great legal mind, and I come to you for legal questions. You are
a great person. Thank you.
Mr. GRIFFITH. You are very kind, thank you. You, likewise, are a
great human being.
Mrs. LESKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr.
Guthrie), my friend and colleague who serves on the Committee on Energy
and Commerce.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my good friend,
Debbie Lesko, and her service to our country.
What a great Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. I have
to say I know that people should be excited that she is going to come
back home and serve.
We are really disappointed that you are leaving because you are so
good at what you do. As many speakers have said tonight, you are a
fighter. You are absolutely conservative, and you are a fighter. You
always bring people along with you. You can track people because you
want to bring them into the fold and not try to fight everybody outside
of the tent.
It has just been a pleasure working with you and your grasp of issues
and the way you work before big hearings. You know Debbie is going to
be prepared. You know Debbie is going to be there and is going to make
things happen. It has just been a great privilege.
{time} 1845
I remember when you said that you were running for county supervisor
in Maricopa County, I first thought is--because I used to serve in the
state legislature, and every legislative body in the country is so
vital and so important--I couldn't help but think I first thought, you
are going to leave the United States House of Representatives and serve
in county government. It just shows that it is not a title to you. It
is how you can best serve.
It just means a lot. I had friends of mine and others who say: Do you
think I should run for this or the other? I'd say: You are doing a
great job where you are. Every level of government is important.
I remember when Janice Hahn--I don't know if you remember when she
was here--she left to go be on the L.A. Board of Supervisors. I said:
You are leaving to go back to run for the county board? And she said
that it is bigger than a congressional district. Yours probably is, as
well, or close to it.
It is a great privilege to be here to know that I am with someone who
is about service, not about her own title.
We are going to miss you. I am going to say that first and foremost,
but we are also excited for you. We are excited for the people of
Maricopa County because they are getting one heck of a fighter. They
are getting one heck of a believer.
They are getting somebody that is going to give all their heart and
soul. We are going to miss you here, but they are going to love you
there, as they already do, but they are going to love having you home.
God bless you. You are a dear friend.
Mrs. LESKO. Mr. Speaker, this is kind of overwhelming, but I will
yield next to one of my friends and one of the ladies that sits next to
me in our women's row over here, my friend and colleague from Illinois
(Mrs. Miller).
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the work
and legacy of my friend, Representative Debbie Lesko. It has been such
a pleasure to serve with her in the 117th and 118th Congress.
When I first arrived, Representative Lesko was the most generous with
her time, helping me navigate my way, answering questions, and offering
advice. I was so grateful.
Representative Lesko is a genuinely good person, a true servant of
our country, and a smart and fine lady also. I thank her for that
example that she has given.
Representative Lesko has a sincere care for our children and our
grandchildren, and wants to make sure that they are left with a legacy
and access to the freedom and opportunities that we have all had to
pursue the American Dream.
Debbie, I wish you all the best as you go back to Maricopa County,
Arizona, to serve the good people there.
Mrs. LESKO. Mr. Speaker, I remember when Michelle came in, we shared
someone that helped us with our campaign, and she said you need to meet
Michelle. I met her, and I thought she was great, and I have ever
since.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend and colleague from Minnesota (Mrs.
Fischbach).
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Mrs. Lesko for her
[[Page H6407]]
service. I have been honored to serve with Debbie.
She mentioned we met before I was elected, but I have to admit, it
was in a nail salon the first time we met. Nobody else here can say
that.
I know that so many of the speakers have talked about Debbie's
service. It has been incredible. They have really honored you with that
and talked about that.
I want to say, one of the things I just love about Debbie is I have
never seen her in a bad mood--never seen her in a bad mood. I was her
whip representative, so I had to come and ask her how she was voting.
She always has a smile on her face.
I congratulate you on your new role in Arizona. I think that the
people of Arizona and you county are going to be so incredibly well-
served. You will do a wonderful job for them.
I thank her for her service in Congress and thank her for her
friendship and her kindness. I have been so grateful for the guidance
you gave me as a freshman, and I am sure so many others, because that
is the kind of person you are.
I think she is especially happy that I was elected because I took her
spot on the Rules Committee. I am incredibly grateful that I have been
able to call her a friend for the last 4 years. I have no doubt that
she is going to continue to do incredible things in her public service.
I know you are excited about this new chapter. You are going to be
missed here. Come and visit occasionally. God bless, and all the best
in the world to you.
Mrs. LESKO. Mr. Speaker, this lady, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, is just
an energizer bunny. Every place I go, she is there. I don't even know
how she does it.
I yield to a friend and fellow Energy and Commerce Committee
colleague. I remember we were on a boat somewhere and flying through--
it was raining like heck, and I think she had a towel or something over
her face. I don't know, but it was quite the experience.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).
Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Debbie Lesko,
Representative Lesko.
Although I am not from Arizona, I would wonderfully be in Arizona to
have her as my Representative.
Yes, indeed, we were on a boat in Grand Lake in Oklahoma for a Heat
and Western Caucus event. You don't think of Oklahoma as being cold. It
was cold and rainy and nasty, but we were troopers, and we were out
there.
My next interaction with Mrs. Lesko was approaching her about
steering and how to get on the Energy and Commerce Committee. She was
gracious, kind, knowledgeable, a tremendous mentor, as she was to
everybody. Honestly, I don't think I have ever seen Debbie smile as
much as I have seen her tonight and as I have watched this on video.
Getting on the Energy and Commerce Committee, she was just one tier
above me. Although, I had served on the Select Subcommittee on the
Coronavirus Crisis my first term between 2021 and 2022, she then came
on the committee this term; so we were serving in the 118th Congress
both on Energy and Commerce and on the Select Subcommittee on the
Coronavirus Crisis.
You have heard a lot about her kindness, her mentoring, and her
friendship. You have heard about her grace. You have heard how she is
conservative, but not angry. That is such a great description of her.
What you didn't hear a lot about was her intellect. Debbie studies.
She is smart. She is able to dissect through things. She is able to
prioritize. She is able to condense very complex topics into a 5-minute
question and answer period.
I am telling you, if you are the witness and you are giving
testimony, you don't want to be on the bad side of Debbie Lesko. She
won't be angry. She won't be vindictive. She won't use profanity, but
you are going to know you have been taken to the cleaners.
She will come out with a statement. She will smile. She will lead up
to it, and then, bam. You are going: Where did that come from? That is
Debbie Lesko. That is the power of Debbie Lesko. That is the power of
preparation.
In my time in the military, you learn: If you failed the plan, you
planned to fail. She always plans. She is always on target. She always
studies. She always reads. And quite honestly, isn't that what we, as
Americans, want of our Congress people? If they are going to make laws,
if they are going to hold government accountable, don't we want people
that do the work that their constituents ask them to do? She is a role
model for all of us and an inspiration on what a citizen servant should
be.
Next, if you get to travel with her, you don't have to go on a boat
in the rain in Oklahoma. You can go to some far-off country. She is a
great shopping companion. She likes to try all different kinds of
foods. She does her homework on the plane over and on the plane back.
She is just a genuine and lovely person to travel and be with. When
Members of Congress have to travel places, especially far off, for the
work that they do, you really want to have somebody in the seat next to
you that is a joy to be with and not making all kinds of noises and all
kinds of stuff. They are not high maintenance. She is a shining example
of what a good travel companion and what a good Member of Congress is.
I am probably over my time. It has been a real joy to serve with
Debbie Lesko these 4 years I have served with her. She was a tremendous
asset to the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Select Subcommittee
on the Coronavirus Crisis that we served on together. She will be
deeply missed. I will deeply miss her. She will be missed in our
Conference for all of the reasons that everybody has said.
Mr. Speaker, we know she is going to continue to do great things for
the people of Arizona. We wish her all the best. I know her husband is
very happy to have her back.
Mrs. LESKO. Mr. Speaker, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
has been an honor of a lifetime, very surreal. As someone said before,
I think my colleague Greg Stanton from Arizona, over 31 years ago, I
left an abusive ex-husband, and I had a little daughter. There were
times when I had no money. I remember there was a time when I had no
place to live. I went to see if I could get into a shelter, and it was
full. To go from that, just trying to survive, to serving here shows
you that God is good, and America is good.
Going from that, to flying on Air Force One; to sitting in my
apartment in Washington, D.C., and getting a call from the President of
the United States, President Trump, from staying overnight and being
invited to Camp David--which not too many people get to do--and to be
one of only eight U.S. Congress Members to be selected by President
Trump to serve on his impeachment defense team. Wow, just absolutely
unbelievable.
In the 6 years and almost 8 months that I have been here, I have been
part of history. I experienced so much history that has never happened
before.
I served on the Judiciary Committee during both impeachments, but it
went through committee on the first impeachment of President Trump. I
saw firsthand how I thought it was so corrupt and politically
motivated, and it disgusted me. I was so upset. I really studied hard.
I studied all of the so-called evidence, and it was just a dark time in
the United States.
I was there when Robert Mueller came to Judiciary Committee to
testify, and we all prepared and it was kind of really a surprise of
how he testified and wasn't able to answer certain questions.
I was here in Congress and lived through COVID when Speaker Pelosi
mandated that we wear masks in all of the committees and on the floor;
when Speaker Pelosi put metal detectors right outside of those doors
and every single Member of Congress had to go through metal detectors
as if we were some type of threat.
I was here when Speaker Pelosi instituted proxy voting on the floor.
It never been done before in the history of the United States; not
through different diseases, not through wars, but we did it here. I
joined in the lawsuit against it, thinking it was unconstitutional.
{time} 1900
I was here on January 6. That was just a crazy day.
[[Page H6408]]
I have had one heck of a ride, one heck of a ride here, and I have
met so many great people. Truly, I believe that the vast majority of
Congress Members are good people, good people who want to make a
difference in our lives.
I have been able to help hundreds of constituents, and that is such a
great feeling because they have come up to me, and some of these
constituents have come up to me crying, saying: Debbie, you were able
to help me. I was at my wit's end. I couldn't get my Social Security
payment. I couldn't get my veteran benefit payment. Your office helped
me.
That is really satisfying to me.
I was able to pass legislation. Not only was I a cosponsor of the big
border bill securing the border and other great bills, but there were
my own bills, the Save Our Gas Stoves Act and the Hands Off Our Home
Appliances Act, which were passed out of this House.
I was able to serve on the prestigious Energy and Commerce Committee,
the select subcommittee on COVID-19, the Judiciary Committee, the Rules
Committee, the Homeland Security Committee, and the Science, Space, and
Technology Committee. What an honor it has been.
I also served on the whip team and on the steering committee where we
would select which Republicans served on which committees and which
Republicans served as chairman or ranking member on the committees.
I have made a lot of great friends, some of them are here today, and
I will never forget you.
Now, it is time for me to move on. I have a great family at home. My
mother is 95. My loving husband is home. I have three kids. I have six
grandkids. I have a brother and a sister who all live within 20 minutes
of my house. I am here in Washington, D.C., 60, 70 percent of the time.
There is something wrong with that picture.
As I leave, it is kind of bittersweet, but I am happy. I am happy I
am going home, and I am happy I have had this experience of my
lifetime. I will never regret it.
I thank my constituents who have always put their trust in me, the
voters in my district; President Trump, who has supported me; my staff
that has worked in my congressional office either now or in the past
and the staff here at the Capitol. You have been great people, and I
won't forget it.
Thank you, and God bless all of you as God has blessed me.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________