[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17505-17506]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           AN HONOR TO SERVE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Valadao). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2013, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) is 
recognized for the remainder of the hour as the designee of the 
majority leader.
  Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to rise today 
for, perhaps, my last time speaking as a Member of this institution.
  I rise this evening, first and foremost, to pay a debt of gratitude 
to Georgia's 11th Congressional District and to the people there, who 
have graciously allowed me the privilege of serving them for these past 
12 years.
  Growing up modestly in Augusta, Georgia, I would never have dreamed 
that, someday, I would be standing where I am today, and I would not 
have had this opportunity if it weren't for my wonderful constituents 
in northwest Georgia. I may be biased, Mr. Speaker, but I think the 
people in my district are the nicest and the most hospitable in this 
country.
  So, to them, on behalf of myself, my family, and my staff, I extend 
my deepest thanks for allowing us to serve you in this House of 
Representatives.
  To my wife, Billie; my three daughters, Gannon, Phyllis, and Laura-
Neill; and my son, Billy, I am forever grateful that you all have 
stayed by my side and that you have supported me throughout my public 
service. I wouldn't be where I am today without your sacrifices. To my 
family, a huge, heartfelt thanks.
  Mr. Speaker, to my colleagues, it has been the honor of a lifetime to 
serve with all of you. The respect I have for each and every one 
transcends ideology and party line. I have made some of the greatest 
memories of my life with you, and I hope to stay connected with all of 
you in the years to come.
  Of course, in order to be successful in this body, one must have a 
great staff. Thank you to each and every one of the staffers who has 
shown such great devotion in serving the people and in helping me to 
serve them in the 11th District of Georgia.
  Thank you all for joining in my fight to protect the freedoms of the 
Georgians we serve and for working tirelessly for me for a better 
America.
  I entered into Congress during a time of great unrest, not even 2 
years after the 9/11 attacks in New York City. Since then, I have been 
honored to have been a part of this body as it has faced some of the 
largest challenges of the new millennia: the global war on terror, the 
Great Recession, Medicare part D back in 2003, the stimulus response to 
the financial collapse, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, 
fighting for fiscal solvency during the fiscal cliff, and a litany of 
new challenges facing the health care industry due to the Patient 
Protection and Affordable Care Act.
  It is my hope that as history examines my actions as a part of this 
body that the record will show that I always acted and voted the way I 
thought was

[[Page 17506]]

in the best interests of the Georgians I served and, of course, this 
great Nation.
  Now, I can't claim to be perfect. Far from it. Not every piece of 
legislation I championed passed, but no matter the outcome, I take 
comfort in knowing that the work that I have offered this body has 
spurred important debate that betters this institution as a whole and, 
in turn, our country.

                              {time}  2045

  It is that very spirit that led me to cofound the House GOP Doctors 
Caucus, a group of physicians and health care providers, medical 
professionals in Congress, people who had served in the medical 
professions prior to coming here, who utilize our collective firsthand 
medical expertise to develop patient-centered health reforms for all 
Americans.
  Since the group's founding, we have tackled ObamaCare's threat to the 
doctor-patient relationship head-on and have played a key role in the 
fight for SGR reform. That fight continues.
  Though it would be hard to let the Doctors Caucus go, to give up that 
leadership, to say good-bye to my colleagues, I extend my thanks to 
them, who joined with me as Members of that caucus. And I am confident 
that the group will continue its valuable work for many, many years to 
come.
  I would also like to take a moment to thank my Democratic colleagues, 
people like my good friend from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), who is 
sitting here in the Chamber. And I would also like to thank 
Representative Gene Green from Texas and many others for putting party 
lines aside and joining with me to lead on a number of fights, not the 
least of which is the threat of antibiotic-resistant ``superbugs,'' a 
growing threat in hospitals all across the country. We worked so hard 
on that legislation, and we were so proud to see it pass--yes, in a 
bipartisan fashion--through the Energy and Commerce Committee under the 
leadership of Chairman Upton; the vice chairman of the committee; the 
ranking member of the committee, Henry Waxman; the chairman of the 
Health Subcommittee, Joe Pitts; and the ranking member of the Health 
Subcommittee and now ranking member of the overall committee, Mr. Frank 
Pallone. We worked together. And this is the way that exemplifies what 
public service should be all about, identifying a problem and then 
working together to solve it without regard to party lines.
  But no matter how many problems we solve, there lay, of course, many 
hurdles ahead: immigration, continued reckless spending, these new, 
horrible threats in the Middle East, an ever-growing executive branch, 
and, of course, as I mentioned, health care.
  As an OB/GYN physician, it truly worries me to be leaving Congress at 
a time when our health care industry has been tipped on its side--I 
think because of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It is 
critical that this country find a more sustainable path to creating 
quality care and access to physicians. Government bureaucrats have no 
place between doctors and their patients.
  But still, in light of these few frustrations, I have great 
confidence in this body. If history shows us anything, it is that 
despite the day-to-day angst of gridlock--and there is plenty of that 
to go around--this institution remains the greatest representative body 
the world has ever seen. The hurdles we face in this institution are 
always overcome, sometimes with more grace than others, and it will 
survive, as it always has. Our system of government is durable, it is 
resilient, and it is designed to withstand the test of time. It has 
been my greatest honor to have played even a small part in it.
  But now it is time for my wife, Billie, and me to turn the page. We 
are looking forward to having the opportunity to check a few more boxes 
before we leave and then spend more time with all the grandchildren 
back home in Marietta.
  So in short, Mr. Speaker, I guess you could say I am proud of the 
past, and I am excited for what the future may hold. But today, I am 
just happy to say that I am leaving. I feel confident that this body is 
better prepared for the future than it was when even I got here.
  I want to thank, again, all of my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle, Republicans and Democrats, and, of course, last but not least, 
the people of Georgia's 11th Congressional District for giving me this 
opportunity, this honor, and this privilege.
  And I would be remiss, Mr. Speaker, if I closed without honoring our 
military heroes, the men and women and their families who have paid so 
much sacrifice for this great country.
  I think over 40 have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan and 
have paid that last full measure.
  I just want to say, I will never forget you, Patti and Jamie Saylor, 
and your great son, your hero Paul, who gave his life for our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity and the time tonight, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.

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