[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5459]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           THE BOSTON TRAGEDY

  (Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Madam Speaker, today our hearts remain heavy. 
Our hearts are heavy for those who lost their lives in Monday's 
unspeakable act of violence, for those who remain in critical 
condition, for the parents who lost their 8-year-old son, and for the 
families whose loved ones never came home from the Boston Marathon.
  While our sorrow is great, so, too, is our resolve. We're committed 
to working with law enforcement officers to ensure that those 
responsible are held accountable, and we are committed to stopping acts 
of terror on U.S. soil and abroad.
  We will remain vigilant, demand answers, and seek justice, for there 
is nothing we take more seriously than the protection of American life. 
And in our sorrow, we will find gratitude for the firefighters, 
paramedics, police officers, and first responders who put their lives 
at risk to help save others.
  In the words of Ronald Reagan:

       I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right 
     will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth 
     to each and every life.

  So today let us come together as Americans--as moms and dads, 
brothers and sisters, husbands and wives--and continue to pray for 
those whose lives were forever changed.

                          ____________________