[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17397-17398]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


HONORING CONGRESSMAN FRANK WOLF, INDEFATIGABLE DEFENDER OF HUMAN RIGHTS 
                           AND HUMAN DIGNITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, Chairman Frank Wolf of Virginia 
will cast his last vote this week, capping off a remarkable 34-year 
career of altruistic deeds, selfless service, bold humanitarian 
initiatives, and durable achievement.
  Both of us got elected in 1980, the Ronald Reagan class. Many of us 
wanted to have a Special Order tomorrow night, including the gentleman 
from Virginia, Bob Goodlatte, to honor him. But he said, ``Absolutely 
not.'' That is the kind of guy he is. He never seeks any attention. But 
I am here today. Tough. I am going to speak about him.
  At home and overseas, Frank Wolf, the William Wilberforce of the 
United States House of Representatives, has been an indefatigable 
defender of human rights and human dignity. Last week, WORLD magazine 
named Frank Wolf the 2014 Daniel of the Year.
  Whether it be helping a young mother in a refugee camp in Sudan or 
political prisoners in Russia or jailed pastors in China or any number 
of the marginalized and persecuted, Frank Wolf has always sought to 
rescue and to protect.
  Frank Wolf is the author of the landmark International Religious 
Freedom Act of 1998, which established both an independent commission 
and a State Department office led by an ambassador at large wholly 
dedicated to safeguarding--via sanctions, if necessary--religious 
freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, I saw firsthand his devotion to human rights in a myriad 
of ways, including trips with Frank to a prison camp in the Soviet 
Union, the infamous Perm camp 35; a gulag in China, Beijing prison 
number 2, right after Tiananmen Square; Vukovar, a city under military 
siege during the war in Yugoslavia; and Romania on behalf of persecuted 
believers, just to name a few. He has chaired the Tom Lantos Human 
Rights Commission with great distinction.

[[Page 17398]]

  A man of deep Christian faith, Frank Wolf not only passionately 
believes in Jesus Christ but ``walks'' as St. Paul admonishes us, in a 
way worthy of his calling. Frank Wolf is a devoted family man. He, 
along with his wife, Carolyn, have five adult children and 16 
grandchildren, all of whom are the apples of his eye.
  In his district, Frank Wolf has delivered as well. His casework is 
superb and responsive; his staff reflects their boss' commitment to 
assist and to solve problems big and small.
  As chairman of several Appropriations subcommittees over the years--
including his latest assignment as chair of the Subcommittee on 
Commerce, Justice, Science--he has authored nine major appropriations 
laws, including five transportation statutes that funded major projects 
in his district and throughout the Nation.
  Frank Wolf's many other accomplishments include: His bipartisan Bring 
Jobs Back to America Act, designed to return manufacturing jobs to the 
U.S. from countries like China; raising awareness of the growing threat 
from cyber attacks; efforts to address America's unconscionable debt--
it is $18 trillion now--through bipartisan reforms; the formation of 
two anti-gang task forces operating in the region, as well as the 
creation of the National Gang Intelligence Center in the FBI; and the 
funding of the 103-mile Metrorail system.
  He led the way in obtaining about $1 billion to extend Metrorail 
through Tysons and out to Dulles Airport and to Loudon County. He 
pushed for lower carpool restrictions on I-66 and has helped many 
commuters get to the Capitol and to Washington. He led efforts to place 
Ronald Reagan Washington National and Washington Dulles International 
airports under a regional authority, providing the capital to build a 
new terminal at Reagan National and vastly expand Dulles.
  He has been a leader in fighting with great tenacity Lyme disease. He 
has fought to address hunger by creating the Feds Feed Families food 
drive, which has generated more than 15 million pounds of donated food. 
And in 2014, he put language into an omnibus bill to create the 
National Commission on Hunger.
  And one of the Nation's newest national parks is in his 10th 
District, the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park, 
established in 2002 through yet another one of Frank's laws.
  Finally, let me make it clear: Frank Wolf's departure from the House 
is only the end of his current place of service to humanity and marks a 
new beginning, a transition to the private sector, where he will 
continue and even expand upon his extraordinary life's work.

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