[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 257]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             REMEMBERING THE HONORABLE EDGAR LANIER JENKINS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Levin) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LEVIN. I want to join my colleagues in remembering Ed Jenkins--
and Mr. Rangel, who served with him for all of Ed's service, as 
chairman, I will yield time to him after I say just a few words on 
behalf of Ed Jenkins.
  The Ways and Means Committee is indeed a key committee, and Ed 
Jenkins was a key person. I was reading some of the tributes, and one 
of them noted what was said in the Almanac of American Politics about 
Ed Jenkins: ``He was a man who must be consulted on many key 
legislative issues.'' How true that was.
  Ed Jenkins showed you could be both gentle and strong. He did not 
seek the limelight, but he shed light on so many issues. One example is 
the textile industry. He comes from an area that once reined close to 
supremely in terms of textile.
  Ed never gave up. He introduced legislation. It passed, but because 
of a veto, it did not become law. But talking about shining light, he 
did expose the importance of the textile industry as part of the 
manufacturing base of this country, and in that sense, he was very 
successful. He also showed his grit when it came to the Iran-contra 
dispute, and he took on Oliver North in his strong though gentle way.
  I close my remarks with memories of Ed Jenkins when he would come 
right up to where I now stand, and almost invariably he would say, 
well, I'm just a poor country lawyer. Well, that's about the only thing 
that he said about himself that wasn't true. He was more than a poor 
country lawyer. He had been an Assistant U.S. Attorney. But he had a 
lot of quiet dynamism.
  And so, as we talk about Ed, we remember the many times he came forth 
to speak in his soft but often strong way. He was an important part of 
this institution. He served his district, he served his State, and he 
served the Nation with dignity, with pride, and with civility that is 
too short available today in this Hall.
  So I join all of you from Georgia who represent that State and 
everyone who has spoken in sending our warmest regards to Ed's family, 
and say to all of you, you should remember your husband and dad not 
only as a wonderful family member, but someone who came here, often at 
sacrifice, and he did so in a way that indeed served this country.
  I would now like to yield the balance of my time to someone who knew 
Ed so well who has served as chairman of our committee and who 
remembers Ed Jenkins with such affection, the senior member for the 
State of New York, Charles Rangel.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 1 minute remaining.
  Mr. RANGEL. I would like unanimous consent that we extend it to 2 
minutes additional. This is the end of it for Ed Jenkins, and I did not 
know.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair cannot entertain the gentleman's 
request.
  Mr. RANGEL. I would like to request the Chair recognize me for 5 
minutes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair cannot entertain the gentleman's 
request at this time.
  Mr. RANGEL. Could the Chair tell me what request you might entertain 
so I can share my views for the late Ed Jenkins?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 1 minute remaining.
  Mr. RANGEL. Well, rules are rules, and they have to be followed. I 
had really hoped that given my long acquaintance with Ed Jenkins that I 
would have the opportunity to share with his family and those that knew 
him.
  Unfortunately, those of us that were raised in the village of Harlem 
have very few opportunities to meet white Southern gentlemen, and it 
took a long while when he came on the committee for me to even 
understand what Ed Jenkins was talking about. But it didn't take long 
for me to understand that people are people no matter where they come 
from; they love, they get angry, they work out things. Now is the time 
I think more than ever that we just need somebody like Ed Jenkins to 
cross that barrier that we seem to have in a partisan way, in such a 
deep, hurting, partisan way in this Congress.
  Sandy Levin can tell you, whenever our chairman Dan Rostenkowski had 
a problem, there was no problem that Ed Jenkins would not take a look 
at and recognize that it was not a Democratic problem, it was not a 
majority problem, but it was a problem that the United States of 
America really faced.
  Since the Chair cannot entertain, I will then go to Reverend John 
Lewis and find out how we can work out something in a faith tradition 
so that all of us will get a chance to know, enjoy, and love the memory 
of a great American, the former Congressman, Edgar Jenkins.

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