[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 101 (Thursday, June 12, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H2663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING FORMER MEMBER CHARLES B. RANGEL

  (Mr. Neal of Massachusetts was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the passing 
of our esteemed colleague and former chairman of the Ways and Means 
Committee, Charles B. ``Charlie'' Rangel.
  Mr. Rangel served in this House of Representatives for 46 years. He 
was talented, hilarious to talk to in private and public moments, and 
an individual who, time and again, offered broad influence on important 
legislation that passed through this House and eventually became law, 
including the Affordable Care Act while he was chairman of the 
Committee.
  He was one of the longest serving Members of Congress, but he was 
also a legislative titan in the sense that 40 bills or resolutions that 
became law were part of his rich legacy.
  He was a friend, ally, and acolyte of the late Speaker Thomas P. 
``Tip'' O'Neill. He was also a dedicated member of the American 
military and, in fact, was wounded at the Yalu River during the Korean 
conflict.
  His story is that of millions of Americans who, against extraordinary 
odds, succeeded. Educated by a family from Springfield, Massachusetts, 
the Putnams, he made his way through NYU and St. John's Law School and 
became a former assistant district attorney as well as a Member of this 
House and an assemblyman. He defeated Adam Clayton Powell in a very big 
upset, and 46 years later, he retired from this institution.
  Amongst the most pleasant memories I have of Mr. Rangel, who was a 
great friend and mentor to me, and I stayed in touch with him many 
years after he had decided to retire, was his strong sense of 
independence.
  I think for a young man growing up in the thirties and forties in 
Harlem, there must have been many serious challenges, but he always 
finished his sentences after a legislative task had been accomplished 
by saying and referencing ``this great country of ours.''
  After the Yalu River, he wrote a very important book, ``And I Haven't 
Had a Bad Day Since.'' The humor was clear to all of us as it was 
delivered with that raspy voice time and again. I know in reference to 
me it was always ``Richard'' and we knew what he meant.
  One of my last get-togethers with Chairman Rangel was in New York 
City. I was reminded of that sense of independence as we had a seminar 
that was conducted by the Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee, 
and I called to make sure that this former alum would attend.
  I asked if we could do anything, like providing him with 
transportation. He said no. In his early nineties, he would make his 
way there to the restaurant on his own.
  At the end of the night, knowing that he clearly had lost a step in 
terms of some of that independence as he tried to navigate the 
staircase going up, I said: Charlie, can I help you with the staircase? 
And he said: No, you can't.
  That was the Charlie Rangel we knew. It wasn't insolence. It was that 
sense of independence that he always maintained and kept.
  I can't tell you how many nights in the Ways and Means Committee when 
Mr. Rangel would hold forth about the stories of people he had met 
along the way. The stories were always rather colorful and ended with a 
laugh. Those very people are part of the strong personalities that make 
up the institution of the House of Representatives, and he certainly 
was one of them.
  He came from a time very different than the one that we find 
ourselves in now. It had nothing to do with performative politics and 
certainly nothing to do with social media. He found a little bit of 
comfort in taking on his most severe critics on cable TV. He was one of 
those Members of Congress who would accept an invitation from people 
who had been harshly critical of him to define his positions.
  Charlie Rangel was one of those guys that changed this institution 
for the better and forever. I still recall those discussions he had as 
we related conversations to the Chinese Government, to his own upward 
mobility, to the legislation that he paved the way for. Charlie Rangel 
always cared about the people in Harlem, and Charlie Rangel always 
cared about the American people and the United States of America, as 
well.
  He redefined what was possible. He shepherded much of the great 
legislation that we continue to enjoy today in America, but I will call 
attention to those statements that he made, Mr. Speaker, by always 
finishing with what a great country we live in.

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