[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15578-15581]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                THOMAS P. O'NEILL, JR. FEDERAL BUILDING

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6604) to designate the federal building currently known as 
Federal Office Building 8, located at 200 C Street Southwest in the 
District of Columbia, as the ``Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Federal 
Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6604

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The federal building currently known as Federal Office 
     Building 8, located at 200 C Street Southwest in the District 
     of Columbia, shall be known and designated as the ``Thomas P. 
     O'Neill, Jr. Federal Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the federal building 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Federal Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Denham) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
Capuano) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 6604.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I'd like to thank the majority for bringing this bill up. This is a 
nice way to honor the longest-continuously-serving Speaker in the 
history of this country.
  For those of you who didn't have the pleasure of knowing Mr. O'Neill, 
I'd just like to remind everybody that I don't look at him as the 
historic figure up on the podium. I look at him as a man that I knew a 
fair amount of my adult life, anyway, and as a man who never forgot 
where he came from. And I know that's in a phrase that people hear all 
the time; but for me personally, when people say that of them, it's 
probably the nicest thing they can say. Everyone who serves in Congress 
knows that many of us on a regular basis get treated like something 
special. Somebody opens the door for us, somebody calls us 
``Congressman,'' people we don't know call us ``sir.'' And that's all 
well and good, and it's respectful for the office.
  But at the same time, we all came here for the very simple reason of 
trying to make the world a little better place for the people that 
elected us. It's a simple thing. And we all have different views on how 
that gets done. Mr. O'Neill never forgot how to do that, even when he 
reached the pinnacle of power in this great body. And I will tell you 
that for me that's the most important historic aspect he could ever 
leave for us. All the great accomplishments, all the meetings with 
Presidents and

[[Page 15579]]

Kings and Queens are very important. I don't want to diminish them. But 
at the end of the day, if you've forgotten who you represent, then I 
think you've stayed here too long. Mr. O'Neill never did.
  I knew him even after he retired; and even then he would talk to me 
about regular, ordinary people--the barbers, the bakers, the truck 
drivers that I now have the privilege of representing in the district 
that he once represented. To me, that's the most important reason to 
recognize anyone--someone who gave of themselves to fight day in and 
day out.
  Even then, with all the fighting that we do around here, it's amazing 
to me that even at home today, with all the differences of opinion we 
have, I get the same questions I'm sure we all get: Well, gee, is it 
really as bad as all that, and do you hate each other? And the truth 
is, for me, no. I see the Speaker sitting over there. We disagree on 
probably most every major point. But I like him. I think he's a good 
man. And I think he's here for the exact same reasons that I'm here: to 
make this country a better place to live. And I think that way about 
virtually everyone in this body.
  And Speaker O'Neill not only represented that; he spoke it loudly all 
the time. He loved this body not for all the difficulties that it 
presents, not for all the messes that we create and then try to fix, 
but for the fact that we have a lot of people who come here trying to 
work on the most difficult issues in the world with passion and with 
commitment and with respect for each other.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1300

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the Speaker of the 
House, the Honorable John Boehner.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Let me thank my colleague for yielding.
  I rise in strong support of H.R. 6604, and I commend my colleague, 
the gentlelady from California (Ms. Pelosi), for sponsoring this 
resolution.
  Tip O'Neill needs no introduction to this body. Every Member knows, 
respects, and admires Tip's record and the long shadow that he casts 
over the people's House.
  We've all borrowed perhaps his best known saying, ``All politics is 
local.'' That is certainly true today, as we propose to name a building 
right here at the foot of Capitol Hill, a stone's throw from the great 
dome, in honor of our 55th Speaker.
  This is one of those moments, though, when you wonder how the honoree 
would feel, especially when it's someone like Tip who never quite held 
back his opinions. Perhaps he would have enjoyed seeing leaders from 
opposite sides of the aisle come together to give him a well-deserved 
hurrah. Certainly he would have gotten a kick out of being flanked by 
buildings named after Hubert Humphrey and Jerry Ford--also leaders from 
opposite ends of the political spectrum. Tip actually considered Mr. 
Humphrey one of his heroes, and he had one of Humphrey's quotes put up 
on the wall in his office.
  Now, as for Jerry Ford, well, they didn't, frankly, agree on much of 
anything, but Tip counted President Ford as a true friend. And since 
friends are always honest with one another, when the new President 
would explain what legislation he wanted to pass, Tip would say, well, 
Jerry, that's not going anywhere, but sure, send it over anyway if 
that's what you want to do. That was Tip, who of course would also be 
pleased to see us down here telling an old story or two. Now he will 
stand in good company and, ever the representative, provide the folks 
back home with yet another source of pride.
  Having said all that, Tip might have had one small complaint about 
today's occasion. A proud partisan, Tip relished nothing more than a 
close vote, one that would give him a chance to do just a little more 
wrangling as he tried to secure the vote. Today, when the roll is 
called on this bill, however, the outcome is likely to be unanimous, a 
reflection of this body's vast gratitude and appreciation for the 
gentleman from Cambridge.
  So I would urge the whole House to join me in supporting this 
resolution.
  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 1 minute to the once, 
and future, Speaker of this House, the current minority leader, Ms. 
Pelosi.
  Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank Speaker 
Boehner for his leadership and cooperation in bringing this legislation 
to the floor. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  Tip O'Neill said the Speaker of the House was Millie, his wife. I had 
the privilege of serving in the office that Tip O'Neill had when he was 
Speaker of the House and having in my possession the gavel that was 
given to Speaker O'Neill when he became the leader--not yet the 
Speaker. It's Waterford, Mr. Speaker, so you could only use it one 
time, and perhaps he would use it today. But you made this possible. 
All of us who admire and love Tip O'Neill are grateful to you for that. 
So I thank you, Mr. Speaker, and for your very fine words.
  Two weeks ago, Members of Congress joined members of the O'Neill 
family and many others to plant a tree in honor of the life of Speaker 
Tip O'Neill. Today we honor Tip again by passing a resolution to 
inscribe his name on a Federal building, a lasting tribute to his 
service and leadership to the State of Massachusetts, to the House of 
Representatives, and his leadership for all Americans.
  I thank again Speaker Boehner for leading this bipartisan effort to 
remember the great Tip O'Neill together on the floor of the House, 
where Tip once wielded the Speaker's gavel with courage, dignity, and 
grace. And I thank you, Mr. Capuano, for joining the committee to bring 
this to the floor of the House. You serve in the same district that Tip 
O'Neill did. What an honor. I serve in the office that he had. What an 
honor.
  It is fitting that the Tip O'Neill, Jr. Federal Building will stand 
alongside the office building named for Tip's dear friend, colleague, 
and partner in public service, former President and House Minority 
Leader, Gerald Ford. As the Speaker indicated, they will be neighbors. 
Indeed, reflecting on their long partnership, President Ford once said:

       Tip O'Neill is an outstanding political leader and patriot 
     who always carried the torch for the Congress and the 
     American people.

  Carrying the torch. The statement captured the essence of Tip's 
success: his extraordinary leadership; his unflinching patriotism; his 
belief in the common good; his devotion to the unending fight to ``form 
a more perfect union.'' Yes, Mr. President Ford, Tip carried this torch 
for all who believed that the purpose of politics is to improve the 
lives of others.
  Tip carried the torch for the underdog, for the person on the street, 
for the family struggling to pay the bills. He carried the torch of 
opportunity and equality into every budget negotiation, every 
legislative battle, every bipartisan agreement. Tip was the personal 
manifestation of the American Dream, and he carried the torch for 
anyone else who strived to achieve it.
  For Tip, standing on principle was not about political gain; it was 
about fighting for the voiceless and for the aspirations of the middle 
class.
  For Tip, the effort to reform and save Social Security was not about 
figures on a page; it was about seniors fighting to make ends meet. 
That's why we were so proud of what he did with President Reagan to 
prolong the life of Social Security.
  For Tip, floor debates were not about abstract numbers; they were 
about people and the consequences of a policy to their lives.
  Those were the values that enabled Tip O'Neill to leave his giant 
footprint on the course of American history. This is the spirit that 
made him a legend, that allowed him to help the middle class thrive, 
that ensured his actions would strengthen the character of our country, 
in his time and for future generations.
  By his leadership and his patriotism, Tip O'Neill was a proud 
champion of his district, his State, and our Nation. With his gavel in 
hand, he was a giant of the Congress. With his record of progress, he 
was a bona fide American hero. By adding his name to a Federal building 
in sight of the Capitol he loved, we all carry the torch of the legacy 
of Tip O'Neill.

[[Page 15580]]

  I hope that we have not the close vote that would have been fun maybe 
at that time, but a unanimous vote that shows that we share Tip's 
values and take pride in his leadership as he stands as a neighbor to 
President Gerald Ford.
  Mr. DENHAM. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the ranking member of 
the Transportation Committee, Mr. Nicky Joe Rahall.
  Mr. RAHALL. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts 
for yielding me the time, and I join with our Democratic leader and 
with the Speaker of the House in supporting the pending measure.

                              {time}  1310

  Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill, otherwise known as Tip, was first elected 
to represent the 11th Congressional District of Massachusetts in 1952, 
and he continued to serve for 17 terms. During his 34 years in 
Congress, he served as a chair of the Select Committee on Campaign 
Expenditures, majority whip, majority leader and, finally, Speaker of 
the House.
  Speaker O'Neill holds a special place in my own congressional career 
because when I was sworn in at the beginning of my first term in 
Congress in 1977, it was also Tip's first year as Speaker of this body. 
He held that post for a decade, making him the second-longest-tenured 
Speaker in the history of the House of Representatives.
  Now, there is a litany of legislative accomplishments that could be 
described as defining the career of Thomas P. O'Neill. However, his 
most remarkable guidepost was his dedication to Federal programs that 
addressed the needs of the poor, the middle class, the sick, the 
fallen, and our working men and women across this great country.
  Speaker O'Neill was an unabashed supporter of the New Deal and 
believed that the government had the ability and the responsibility to 
provide for those in need. And he championed programs like public 
education, Social Security, unemployment insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, 
and Supplemental Security Income for low-income people with 
disabilities. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
  Part of his success in protecting and growing these programs was 
Speaker O'Neill's talent in forging political consensus--we've heard 
that described already--his superb political instincts, and being a 
pragmatic deal-maker which allowed him to take on the day-to-day 
responsibilities of holding his caucus together while advancing his 
commitment to liberalism.
  We've heard the Speaker reference Speaker O'Neill and his popular 
saying that ``all politics is local.'' And believe you me, that was my 
first bit of advice in coming to this body; and it's the advice that, 
to this very day, I've taken to heed.
  He had over 50 years of combined public service to both the 
Massachusetts State House and our House of Representatives, a true 
public servant in every sense of the word. So because of this and his 
dedicated service, I am sure that my colleagues will join in a 
bipartisan round of support for the naming of this Federal building 
after Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill.
  Mr. DENHAM. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CAPUANO. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts 
(Ms. Tsongas).
  Ms. TSONGAS. I thank my colleague, Mr. Capuano, for yielding to me.
  I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6604, which recognizes and 
honors the legacy of former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill. Tip 
O'Neill had a long and distinguished career in public service, as we've 
heard. And this was clearly an O'Neill family value, as so many have 
carried on with such distinction.
  Tip, a friend and a mentor to me and my late husband, Paul, when Paul 
served with him in the House, is often remembered for coining the 
phrase ``all politics is local,'' as we in Massachusetts are so often 
reminded. His imprint has shaped the thriving Boston of today and 
protected the glories of Cape Cod for tomorrow.
  And we treasure his innate ability to bring together, with good humor 
and unwavering purpose, people from both sides of the aisle, a singular 
aspect to his legacy which is most embodied in his work with President 
Reagan to strengthen Social Security, protecting this critically 
important program for decades.
  I thank Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi for introducing this 
legislation that will name a building in the shadow of this great 
Capitol after a great Speaker, Tip O'Neill.
  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).
  Mr. McGOVERN. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his 
leadership.
  I know those of us in the Massachusetts delegation always welcome the 
opportunity to pay tribute to Tip O'Neill, a giant of this House and a 
legend in Massachusetts politics. For decades, Tip O'Neill represented 
the people of his district with distinction, hard work, and wit. And 
for 10 years, he led this House as Speaker.
  Tip got into politics for all the right reasons: to help people. As a 
New Deal Democrat, he believed that while government doesn't have all 
the answers, it can and should be a force for good. And while he may be 
best remembered for his admonition that ``all politics is local'' and 
he always put his constituents first, he also made a great mark in 
national and international affairs. He fought to protect and preserve 
Social Security and the safety net. He worked for peace in Northern 
Ireland and against the war in Vietnam.
  And he was a great source of advice to me and so many others: when 
you're running for office, always ask for someone's vote, and always 
say thank you. Never judge a beauty pageant or pick a raffle number 
because you'll make one person happy and hundreds of people mad.
  In his second term, Tip was appointed to the House Rules Committee. 
When he entered the Democratic leadership, my old boss and mentor Joe 
Moakley took that seat. And when Joe Moakley died, I was given the 
honor of taking his place on the Rules Committee. So I feel a strong 
personal responsibility to maintain Tip O'Neill's legacy.
  I want to thank the leadership for bringing this bill to the floor 
and for the effort to designate this Federal building in honor of Tip 
O'Neill.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to say this: Tip O'Neill believed that 
politics was an honorable profession. He believed that government 
should be there for the poor and the vulnerable and the elderly, and he 
believed in extending ladders of opportunity so that everyone--
regardless of their background--could succeed. And I hope that all of 
us--the Congress and the White House--as we enter these discussions on 
our budget, I hope we will remember Tip O'Neill's example. Tip O'Neill 
was a champion for all those who had no voice. We should be too.
  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey), the dean of our delegation.
  Mr. MARKEY. I thank the gentleman so much for holding this special 
session.
  Mr. Speaker, I was elected to Congress 36 years ago. And on my first 
day in Congress, my first vote in Congress in January of 1977 was a 
vote for who would be the Speaker of the House. The Republicans were 
all going to vote for John Rhodes, a very good man. The Democrats were 
going to vote for Tip O'Neill.
  The tradition is that on that first vote, on that first day, the 
Member has to stand to actually say the name of the person for whom 
they are voting. So the first word I ever uttered on the floor of the 
House, standing at my chair at the top of my voice was just saying one 
word, O'Neill. And with that, I had voted for Tip O'Neill to begin his 
first term as Speaker of the House.
  He was a wage-and-hour Democrat. He was a Social Security Democrat,

[[Page 15581]]

but he could work with Ronald Reagan to save Social Security. He was a 
man committed to ending the nuclear arms race, and he led that fight 
here on the House floor; but he did so while ensuring that there would 
be a complete preservation of the security of the United States of 
America.
  He always asked two questions on every issue out here on the House 
floor: Is it fair, and does it work? And he said that if it could not 
pass that two-part test, then it should not become a law in the United 
States of America.
  He passed a comprehensive energy plan off the floor of this House, 
protected Social Security, and advanced so many other issues. In my 
opinion, Tip O'Neill was the Albert Einstein of politics. He knew what 
it took in order to make this institution work. He knew what it took to 
reach across the aisle to find people of goodwill, to make this Chamber 
work, and to advance the agenda for this country.
  So for me, it's a great honor to be here because buildings, as we 
name them, also embody that person. And it is my hope that as people 
walk in and out of this building in the 21st century that they think 
about who Tip O'Neill was, they think about--yes, how much he loved 
political war; but at the same time, he brought his own personal warmth 
to that so that it was not separated here on the House floor. And it's 
my hope that in naming this building, perhaps this process, this great 
institution can be animated by his great legacy.

                              {time}  1320

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I apparently have no more speakers, but I'd 
just like to close out by thanking those Members who spoke on behalf of 
Mr. O'Neill. Thank you very much to the Speaker and the minority leader 
for bringing this bill to the floor and congratulating the O'Neill 
family.
  I will tell you that I know most of the O'Neill family, and I will 
tell you that Tip would be proud of them. He was proud of the ones that 
he knew. But of the ones he didn't know as well, I will tell you he 
would be proud of them. Every one of them that I know is good, solid 
stock people who know what they're doing and know who they represent in 
their lives because they see me on a regular basis. And I want to thank 
them for being so tenacious in trying to remind us of Tip O'Neill, who 
he was and what he was, and for living in his shadow and living the 
type of life that he would have been proud of.
  I would also like to just close out by simply saying ``thank you'' to 
this Congress for providing, not just me, but for all of us, the 
opportunity to come have these debates, have these discussions, have 
these fights. There's nothing wrong with a good fight over important 
issues and to understand that each of us brings to this body exactly 
what Tip O'Neill brought to this body and what the people who come 
after us will bring to this body: a commitment to this country, a 
commitment to their State, a commitment to their district and the 
people they represent. Tip O'Neill epitomized it all, and that's why 
we're there today, to say ``thank you'' to him, to recognize through 
him what this entire body stands for.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I support passage of this legislation and 
urge all of my colleagues to do the same.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bill to name 
the federal building located at the foot of Capitol Hill in honor of 
former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill.
  I understand that above his desk Speaker O'Neill kept a framed copy 
of the famous Hubert Humphrey quotation--``The moral test of government 
is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those 
who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the 
shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.'' So it seems 
particularly fitting that this building being named after Speaker 
O'Neill is adjacent to the Department of Health and Human Services 
headquarters which bears Senator Humphrey's name.
  Speaker O'Neill fought to expand opportunities for the poor, the 
disadvantaged and those working people who get up every day and do 
their best to provide a better life for their children and 
grandchildren.
  Among Speaker O'Neill's many legacies is his commitment to public 
service--and I think public service has become his family's business.
  Speaker O'Neill's children and grandchildren have continued his 
legacy of helping others and making the world a better place. Here in 
the House we have the pleasure of working with Speaker O'Neill's 
granddaughter, Catlin, who serves as Leader Pelosi's Chief of Staff.
  I congratulate Speaker O'Neill's children--Tom, Kip, Susan, and 
Rosemary--and their entire extended family on this great honor, which 
comes just days before what would be Tip's 100th birthday.
  And I hope this kind of bipartisan effort is not a one-time thing but 
a sign of how the majority will conduct legislative business in the 
113th Congress.
  I urge support of this bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Denham) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 6604.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________