[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 249]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1010
                 THANK YOU TO MY FRIEND, GABBY GIFFORDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Mrs. Schmidt) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, today I really just want to say thank you 
to a young woman who for the last time in her legislative career as a 
Member of Congress will grace our presence this evening at the State of 
the Union, and I'm talking about my good friend, Gabby Giffords. I 
think the world will all know Gabby as the courageous heroine who, on 
January 8, 2011, was met by an unbelievable mad person who changed her 
life and the life of so many, but I really want to tell all of us in 
this body what a great individual and humanitarian she was for all of 
us.
  She was sworn into office on January 4, 2007. She came out of the 
State legislature in Arizona, so her background was in the State 
legislature, as mine is. She currently represents southern Arizona, the 
Tucson area, which has the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Fort 
Huachuca in Sierra Vista. She is the leading champion on border 
security, energy independence, and the needs of military families and 
veterans, which she knows so well because she is married to an active 
military veteran, Mark Kelly, who not only flew umpteen missions as a 
naval pilot but also flew into space as a NASA astronaut.
  On January 8, when she was having Congress On Your Corner at a 
supermarket in northwest Tucson, an ordinary morning, and many people 
were there, she was met by a madman who not only changed her life, but 
ended the life of 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green; Dorothy Morris; 
John Roll, chief Federal judge for Arizona; Phyllis Schneck; Dorwan 
Stoddard; and Gabriel Zimmerman. Twelve others, including Giffords' 
staff members Ron Barber and Pat Simon, were wounded. She was treated 
initially nearby and then flown to the TIRR Memorial Hermann 
Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston. She continues to be rehabilitated, 
and it is remarkable how far this young woman has come.
  She was a Fulbright Scholar, but more importantly, she is my friend. 
You see, in the House we have a little bipartisan softball team. We 
play folks like the NRCC young folks and the DCCC young folks, and now 
recently we're are playing the press corps. She was a member of our 
team, and she was a really good member.
  I wish Gabby well as she moves to a new direction in her life, and I 
pray each and every morning and each and every evening that God will 
continue to allow her to become a complete human being again. She is a 
great lady, a great friend of this House, a great friend of the folks 
in Tucson and surrounding Arizona.
  Mr. ENGEL. Will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Yes, I will yield to my friend, Mr. Engel from New 
York.
  Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me, and I think 
that her taking the floor this morning is the best example of 
bipartisanship that people say Congress doesn't have enough of, and I 
think that those of us that believe in bipartisanship need to do more 
and more of this.
  The attack on Gabby was really an attack on all of us, an attack on 
Congress, and something that's really unthinkable. I'm very happy that 
she will be here this evening for the State of the Union Address by the 
President.
  I got to know Gabby very well because my son attended the University 
of Arizona in Tucson and graduated from there, and he was campaigning 
for her, and I actually got to know her before she even was a Member of 
the House. I think that all of us can say that she has been one of the 
most collegial, friendly, hardworking and dedicated Members of 
Congress.
  We go out there, all of us, on both sides of the aisle every day and 
meet with thousands and thousands and thousands of constituents. I 
think that she embodied the best of what Congress has to offer. I am 
sorry that she is resigning, but I know that she's doing what she feels 
is best for her State of Arizona and also best for her. I know that we 
all wish her Godspeed, and I know we all wish her as speedy a recovery 
as we can get.
  I know we haven't seen the last of her. She will come roaring back 
and will continue to make tremendous contributions to this country for 
years to come. So I want to thank the gentlewoman for doing this. I 
think that both of us standing here today shows the American people 
that Congress can work together and should work together, and in the 
fine tradition of Gabby Giffords, we are going to make sure that we all 
continue to work together.

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