[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H6586-H6590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     THANKING REPRESENTATIVE CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS FOR HER SERVICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Tennessee 
(Mrs. Harshbarger) for 30 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in

[[Page H6587]]

which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material 
on the subject of this Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues here today to 
honor the life and legacy of my good friend, Congresswoman Cathy 
McMorris Rodgers, from the great State of Washington.
  Through her 20 years of service, she has made an incredible impact in 
the Halls of Congress and touched the lives of so many Members who have 
had the privilege of working alongside of her.
  I will begin by just giving my remarks. Mr. Speaker, it has been an 
honor to serve in the Halls for the past few years, but an even greater 
one to do so beside my colleague, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
  Cathy has served in Congress for nearly 20 years, and she has made 
incredible sacrifices, accomplished incredible feats, and dutifully 
served her constituents every step of the way.
  As I have gotten to know Cathy, I have learned that she leads with a 
servant's heart. It is her incredible affinity for helping others that 
has allowed her to find success and accomplish so much during her time 
here. She never sought the spotlight or the prestigious position she 
held in Congress for her own gain, but did so because of her colleagues 
who encouraged and trusted her.
  She has paved the way for countless women in the GOP, inspiring us 
with her leadership, wisdom, and dedication, and she has achieved some 
of the highest levels of success, become a beloved friend to countless 
colleagues, and in my opinion, leaves us 20 years too soon.
  Thank you, Cathy, for everything you have done for us. I might add, I 
am going to miss our prayer time, and I am going to miss walking around 
the Capitol praying for our Nation and just the incredible mentor you 
have been to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), 
our new chairman of Energy and Commerce.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend and dear 
colleague, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, for her service to our country and 
the committee, everything that she did with the committee, and the way 
it affected our Conference, this Congress, and this country.
  First and foremost, I have been honored to serve with Cathy, our 
chair for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, for more than 10 
years, the last 4 years as our leader. What an outstanding job she has 
done. Under her leadership, we have worked together on healthcare 
policy. She put her faith in me to make me the subcommittee chair for 
the Health Subcommittee.
  By doing that, I was able to gain expertise. I am a manufacturing guy 
by background, and I really dug in and learned healthcare and learned 
other parts of the committee. As I think my good friend from Tennessee 
just said, I was honored by the selection to follow her in her 
wonderful footsteps. I have big shoes to fill, and I look forward to 
having the opportunity to do so.
  Under her leadership, we took on some difficult things. She has 
fought to force the sale of TikTok, something that is really hurting 
all our youth and a lot of people in our country, in a way that the 
court has said works. She took a while to do it, but she wanted to make 
sure it was right. She wanted to ensure that people have access to 
TikTok, people can use TikTok. She did not ban TikTok. All she said was 
a foreign adversary cannot own this type of business in our country.
  Thank you for your leadership and for what you do, but more 
importantly, thanks for your friendship.
  When my friend from Tennessee talks about prayerful leadership, that 
is absolutely the case. When the chair says, I am praying for you, you 
know that she is, and it is really heartfelt.
  Not only do I get the opportunity to follow in your great, great 
path, but I also get to continue to follow you and your young and 
beautiful family.
  What I always say, what happens in this House affects people in their 
homes. Congress is a snapshot of America, and our chair is a fantastic 
wife and mother. The experiences in her home I know she brings here, 
and it affects families across this country because of her leadership.
  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Tonko).
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and pleasure to say thank you, 
Cathy, and to wish you well. I know there was much celebrating when you 
were named chair, breaking that barrier, becoming the first woman to 
lead Energy and Commerce.
  As we know, we just heard from our colleague, Anna Eshoo, that there 
is this breadth and depth to the committee that enables us to serve 
people in so many ways on so many issues. On behalf of the Democrats in 
the House, I thank you for the opportunities you presented to work 
together to do a lot of legislation and certainly to effect policy in 
the realm of energy and environment, which have been strong points for 
the committee and certainly of particular interest for me.
  I do appreciate all the work on the challenged, the differently 
abled, the people in our society who teach us much by their daily walks 
in life. I know your son is an inspiration to you. Thank you for 
carrying the torch for legislation that enables people to showcase 
their abilities, to be able to be included in a very powerful way. It 
is a lifesaving, life-changing opportunity that we can present the 
given community. I thank you for that forcefulness.
  Personally speaking, thank you for the assistance on the medication-
assisted treatment effort, the MAT Act, which will, in my opinion, save 
lives as we enable people to prescribe for those who are struggling and 
living with the illness of addiction. That is going to be a major 
difference for so many people that we will never ever meet. That is the 
joy and I think the soulfulness of this job, where we are able to 
assist those who will be here in this universe well after we have gone 
or people who live here and share the moment with us but that we will 
never meet. Those are great opportunities for us to express in 
compassionate measure making a difference on behalf of individuals who 
have deep challenges each and every day in life.

  Thank you also for the efforts on bringing together, with our side, 
with Ranking Member Pallone, to be able to do the Parkinson's bill. 
There are 1 million people in this country who live with Parkinson's, 
and the fact that we are able to provide for an effort, an all-out 
effort, a collaborative effort with agencies in the Federal Government, 
working with clinicians, patients, and caregivers to make a difference, 
to make certain that we focus on a cure, better, earlier prognoses, and 
better treatments. These are measures that will really speak to the 
dignity of the individual and deliver hope to the doorsteps of so many 
people who struggle with that illness.
  There are countless achievements. I know you will leave here with 
your heart filled with opportunities that presented themselves where 
you were able to deliver. On behalf of this side of the aisle, I say 
thank you. I am sure we haven't heard or seen the last of you. I wish 
you well as you go into the next phase of life.
  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Cammack).
  Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague and 
friend from the great State of Tennessee for yielding to me.
  Tonight we gather to honor and bid farewell to an extraordinary 
leader and friend, Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris 
Rodgers. Tonight we say good-bye, as she concludes her remarkable 
tenure in Congress. Serving under her leadership on the Energy and 
Commerce Committee has truly been a privilege and an honor.

                              {time}  1815

  I first met Cathy when I was a chief of staff. It was 2013, and I 
came to meet with her as she was the Conference chair at the time. I 
was shaking I was so intimidated, and I just remember she exuded a cool 
calmness, an openness, and, most importantly, a warmth that was 
immediately putting me at ease. As someone who was brand new to the 
Hill, someone who was a very young woman at the time who didn't know 
much of anything, she still made me feel like my opinion mattered. That 
is one of her many gifts.

[[Page H6588]]

  Fast forward as a Member of Congress with the honor and privilege to 
serve here, I will never forget the night that I was in the Cloakroom 
and Cathy comes up to me and says, Kat, I think you would be good for 
the Energy and Commerce Committee. I am shaking and intimidated like, 
holy crap, the chairwoman is asking me to serve on the best damn 
committee in Congress.
  It was her faith in me that really gave me an insight into how she 
would be as a leader, as someone who we would look to as we navigated 
some of the toughest pieces of legislation and controversial issues.
  I later recall, after having joined the committee, attending a speech 
where she was asked by the moderator to give her life story. Any Member 
of Congress will start spouting off that I was born here, I did this, 
and I am that. No. Cathy stopped, and she said, I will give you my life 
story and who I am in 10 words. She used the following words to 
describe her commitment to service, who she was, who she is: a pioneer, 
trailblazer, leader, working mom of three, wife, ability advocate, and 
trust builder.
  In my time serving with her, I have learned that not only does she 
embrace these words, but she lives them every single day.
  As a pioneer and trailblazer, she is the first woman to lead the 
Energy and Commerce Committee, paving the way for many others to 
follow. She has forged paths in policy areas that were complex, 
controversial, tough, but, most importantly, critical to saving our 
Nation's future.
  As a leader, she was a unifying force and continues to unify within 
the Energy and Commerce Committee. She has an exceptional ability to 
bring together Members with diverse viewpoints--which as we know here 
in Congress, there are many--ensuring that everyone has that feeling of 
being valued and also being heard.
  As a wife and mother, she has balanced the responsibilities of public 
service and motherhood, which we all know is no easy task. She has 
managed it with grace and unwavering dedication.
  As an ability advocate, she has been an unwavering voice for those 
with disabilities, advocating for policies that promote inclusion and 
opportunity, knowing the experience firsthand. We expect to see Cole on 
this House floor in many, many more years to come. He is going to be 
here.
  As a trust builder, her honesty, transparency, and commitment to 
doing what is right have earned her respect in every single room that 
she has entered.
  Chairwoman Rodgers' legacy in Congress will continue to inspire us 
all. I thank her for her service, her leadership, and her example. We 
wish her every success and happiness in the future.
  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida 
(Mr. Bilirakis).
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I am here to talk about my good friend, 
an outstanding leader, Chairwoman Rodgers. We are going to miss her. I 
am glad we can gather today, actually this evening, to recognize the 
outstanding leadership of Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy 
McMorris Rodgers.
  For the last 4 years, she has been an inspiring partner, leading 
priorities on our side of the aisle to protect consumers from harm, 
hold the administration accountable for regulatory overreach, and save 
children from the mental health crisis of the online generation.
  This leadership is best exemplified in the work done to ban Chinese 
access to Americans' personal data and national security information, 
starting with the divestiture of TikTok from the Chinese Communist 
Party.
  Throughout her tenure, Chair Rodgers' tenacity to fight for the 
people is a trait that should be emulated by us all. It is this 
determination that has served a great service to our committee and our 
country.
  While Chair Rodgers returns to Washington State as a constituent to 
her successor, she does so having improved the lives of Americans, and 
she should be proud of the work achieved under her leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an outstanding individual, what a role model and 
great statesperson. We are going to miss her. She has helped me in so 
many different ways over the years, first as Conference chair and as 
chair of the best committee in the House of Representatives. I will 
always be grateful to her. I thank her, and God bless her.
  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from West 
Virginia (Mrs. Miller).
  Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
  During the time I have known Cathy, I have admired her hard work and 
the devotion that she has toward her constituents and upholding her 
conservative values. Mostly, I admire her love of God. She is a light 
to all who meet her.
  I have always looked forward to her leadership along with my other 
wonderful colleagues during our weekly morning prayers with Speaker   
Mike Johnson in his office.
  Cathy has achieved so much throughout her political career. She 
served in the Washington House of Representatives before coming to 
Congress. She has introduced key pieces of legislation, built 
bipartisan relationships, and ensured that the interests of her 
constituents and the American people are all looked out for.
  Cathy will be sorely missed, but I also know that she will continue 
to go on and do amazing things for others. Good luck to her, and God 
bless her.
  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce 
Committee.

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I don't know where to begin. I think of 
Chair Cathy Rodgers as a friend. I truly mean that. We use that term a 
lot, but in her case, it is truly true. I consider her a real friend.
  The other thing I wanted to say is that you hear me a lot on the 
floor and in the committee talking about how I often blame Republicans 
for being in the pocket or somehow beholden to corporate interests, to 
big corporations, to the wealthy. Forgive me for saying that tonight 
because I do say it a lot, but I have to say it is never the case with 
her. She has a set of values that I don't know if it is just her, it is 
from eastern Washington, or what it is, but she is always looking out 
for what I call the little guy, particularly the children.
  You never get the impression with Cathy that she is here because she 
wants to cater to some special interest group or somebody who is 
wealthy. She is always looking out for the average person in a way 
that--I am not saying there aren't other Republicans that do that; of 
course, there are, many who are on the floor tonight--but there is 
something very special about the fact that she always looks out for the 
little guy. Everything that she does is oriented to trying to help the 
average American and not thinking about any trade association or 
lobbying association, at least from what I have seen.
  I know she was a trailblazer. The very first day she walked in, I 
said I guess I always had hoped that somehow the Democrats would have 
the first chairwoman--not that I would want anybody to replace me as 
chairman or ranking member--but the fact that she was the first woman 
chair as a Republican I thought was rather significant, not only that 
she was the first chair but also that she is a Republican and in that 
capacity as the first chair.
  Our committee has this tradition of being bipartisan. It is easy to 
say, but it is not always easy to make sure it happens because it is 
very easy in the way things are today with the media, social media, 
whatever, for us all to digress into shouting matches, hollering at 
each other, and saying bad things about each other.
  Cathy would never let that happen. Oftentimes, if it was going to 
happen at a hearing or a markup, she would come over to me, or if she 
was sitting next to me, she would say: Look, what can we do to kind of 
calm this down so people don't go after each other?
  We maintained not only bipartisanship when we can but also dignity 
and respect for each other. There were many occasions when, if it 
wasn't for the fact that she was willing to step in and do that with my 
help, we would have digressed into the kind of the law of the jungle or 
whatever you want to call it.

[[Page H6589]]

  I know a lot has been said tonight about the legislation that she 
shepherded through. I missed part of it in the beginning, but a lot of 
it was significant. In all honesty, the nuclear package--we were at the 
White House, I guess in the summer, when the President signed the 
nuclear package. That wasn't easy. There are a lot of people who are 
opposed to nuclear energy, even the President himself in the past has 
often been against nuclear energy. We managed, through her efforts, to 
get that bill passed on a bipartisan basis. It was a major achievement.
  Other bills that I think were very significant was the hospital 
transparency bill. We call it that, but it actually went way beyond 
hospitals. It dealt with PBMs. It dealt with insurance companies. It 
dealt with so many other things. Again, this goes back to, I think, her 
championing the idea that if we pass legislation where people can sort 
of be empowered themselves to do things, that that works. That is what 
that bill was all about. We haven't passed the Senate, but we will get 
it passed at some point.
  It was the idea that we would empower the consumer, the individual, 
or the group to actually be able to do comparison shopping, create 
competition, which is the American way, to create that competition. I 
think that was, again, to her credit that she championed this, made it 
bipartisan, and it passed out of our committee and also passed the 
floor of the House.
  I have to say, Cathy, that many times you would bring up China.
  Oftentimes, we would have a hearing and she would start going after 
not China per se, but Beijing, Communist China. I would often laugh and 
say: Here we go again. She is going to talk about Beijing and the 
Communist Party in China.
  The fact of the matter is, I agreed with her. I mean, I do think that 
the biggest threat that we face is from Beijing, from China, 
militarily. In terms of trade, the competition is there. That 
culminated in the TikTok bill and the data brokers legislation, which I 
know is still being challenged in the courts, but it seems like we are 
doing pretty good.
  That was a recognition of the fact that the Communist Party in China 
was really out to spread misinformation and lead us down a path that 
was contrary and dangerous to our national security.
  I would laugh when she talked about the Communist Party in China, but 
I agreed with her. I totally agreed with her every time she talked 
about it because it is absolutely true. There is no question about it.
  I know another bill that we didn't have complete success on was data 
privacy, but again, that goes back to her caring about kids. I remember 
when she had all of her children. I often wondered: How is she going to 
do this? How is she going to have all these kids while she is in 
Congress? How is she going to have these children and how is she going 
to continue to be a leader? She was head of the Conference, I think, 
part of the time, but she just managed to do it all.

                              {time}  1830

  Mr. Speaker, she managed to be the mother, to be the example for 
women as a mother, as a leader in politics, and as a legislator. I 
don't know how you did it, but you did manage to do it all.
  Of course, when we talk about data privacy, a lot of that was her 
concern for social media and how it is negatively influencing kids.
  I think you felt the same way about fentanyl and the drugs and how 
young people were being hooked on fentanyl and other drugs and that we 
had to do something about it. We have done some things about it in my 
opinion.
  I thank you, Cathy. I don't want to keep going on. I know there are 
others who want to speak.
  Thank you, Cathy. Thank you to your husband, Brian, your three kids, 
Cole, Grace, and Brynn, who basically sacrificed a lot while you were 
here. I know you want to get back to them and to eastern Washington, 
which you love so dearly.
  I also thank Nate, Sarah, and the entire team. They not only made it 
possible for her to accomplish what she did but they really loved her, 
too. That showed, as well.
  We are going to miss you. I know we are going to see you again and 
hopefully see you often.
  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Thank you, Ranking Member Pallone.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Balderson).
  Mr. BALDERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the outgoing 
chairwoman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Cathy McMorris 
Rodgers, on an extraordinary career in public service.
  As a leader of the most powerful committee in Congress, Cathy has 
stood out as a dedicated public servant and a tireless champion for the 
children.
  Under her leadership, we have advanced policies that uplift American 
families and inspire a new era of innovation. Her commitment to service 
and her vision for a brighter future have left a lasting mark on this 
institution.
  Back home in eastern Washington, she is known simply as a humble 
public servant and a dedicated voice for her constituents.
  Cathy has served the people of Washington's Fifth Congressional 
District with grace and dedication for 20 years, and she leaves behind 
a legacy of selflessness and service.
  As she embarks on her next chapter, I extend my best wishes to Cathy, 
as well and my heartfelt gratitude to her husband, Brian, and her 
children for their unwavering support of her and her work.
  Thank you, Chairwoman McMorris Rodgers, for your exceptional 
leadership.
  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah 
(Mr. Moore).
  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in 
celebrating the time we got to spend with our colleague, Chairwoman 
McMorris Rodgers.
  I can sum this up in one thought, and this is what I will take. The 
best part of this place is we get to interact with some of our 
colleagues and learn from others. What I will take going forward was 
what she exemplified, and that was being a well-rounded person.
  When you talked to her, you could dive deep on all of the policy 
matters that go on in the Committee on Energy and Commerce. You could 
also dig in and learn about her experience leading the Republican 
Conference with her efforts on messaging.
  More importantly, what she always loved to talk about was being a 
mother to amazing children, some of which I have had a chance to meet 
and been inspired by, as well. She and her husband have lived and will 
continue to live a life of service.
  She is somebody who doesn't just talk about reading the Bible. She 
lives it. This is somebody who isn't narrowly focused on one aspect of 
life. She embraces a well-rounded way to live and touch as many people 
as possible, and that is what I will learn and continue to take from 
her example.
  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia 
(Mr. Bishop).
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a 
dedicated public servant, loving wife, mother, and a distinguish Member 
of this body, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and to share the 
story of our work together on behalf of America's military families.
  In 2009, we founded the Congressional Military Family Caucus. Every 
year since then, we hosted a summit, alternating between Fairchild Air 
Force Base and Fort Moore, which gives the members of America's Armed 
Forces, their spouses, and their children an opportunity to hear from 
the Department of Defense leaders and subject-matter experts, as well 
as share their families' experiences and challenges.
  The caucus has brought to the forefront and tackled numerous issues 
such as food insecurity, medical care, spousal employment, family 
relocation challenges, childcare, and so much more.
  I have especially been inspired by her advocacy on behalf of 
individuals with disabilities, her dedication to our veterans and 
military families, and her commitment to statesmanship and 
bipartisanship in the United States Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I join all of my colleagues in commending Congresswoman 
Cathy McMorris Rodgers for her dedicated service to the American 
people. While we will greatly miss her leadership on Capitol Hill, we 
wish her and her family the best as she embarks upon the next chapter 
of her life.

[[Page H6590]]

  

  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________