[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 96 (Thursday, June 5, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H2477]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING CHARLES B. RANGEL

  (Mr. Espaillat of New York was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of the 
``Lion of Lenox Avenue'', Congressman Charles B. Rangel. He was a 
friend, a mentor, and a champion for Harlem, New York City, and our 
Nation.
  Now, as most of us know, Charles B. Rangel was a titan, and my 
predecessor, who forged countless programs, trade agreements, and new 
initiatives during his 46 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. 
He became the urban voice, the voice of urban America. When America 
needed a compass, needed a direction for its urban cities, it was 
Charles B. Rangel that spoke truth to power and led the Nation forward.
  He was born in Harlem in the summer of 1930, right on the heels of 
the Great Depression, which cloaked the country in a blanket of poverty 
that spared no community.
  After dropping out of high school, Charles B. Rangel joined the U.S. 
Army's 503rd Field Artillery Battalion within the 2nd Infantry Division 
where he earned a Bronze Star with Valor and a Purple Heart after 
successfully leading his men through a mountain pass under attack by 
the Chinese army.
  After his return to the country, Rangel received his bachelor's 
degree from NYU and his law degree from St. John's University. He was 
appointed Assistant U.S. District Attorney in the Southern District of 
New York by no other than the U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
  In 1970, he ascended to the House of Representatives where he and 12 
other trailblazers formally founded the Congressional Black Caucus 
which slowly became the conscience of this House of Representatives, 
the conscience, of course, of Congress.
  He ultimately climbed to become the chairman of the Ways and Means 
Committee, where he worked on legislation that would uplift working-
class and middle-class families. This included the Low-Income Housing 
Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and Empowerment Zones.
  His international impact was monumental. He forged trade agreements 
in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. He helped bring 
independence and economic prosperity across the globe.
  Informed by his military service, he became a lifelong champion for 
veterans, particularly those who faced discrimination upon their return 
to our Nation.
  Charles B. Rangel was a giant of a man. He was a legendary leader, 
not just for Harlem but for the rest of urban America. He held no 
grudge. He was a true gentleman, and one that chose to help everybody 
in the community.
  This week, our city will stop, our Nation will stop in silence to 
honor the life and legacy of the Lion of Lenox Avenue, Congressman 
Charles B. Rangel. May he rest in peace. May he rest in power.

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