[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18860]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           FAREWELL STATEMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL H. MICHAUD

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 11, 2014

  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, as my time as a Member of Congress is 
coming to an end, I want to thank the people of Maine's Second District 
for allowing me the privilege of representing them here in the People's 
House.
  From Fort Kent to Lewiston and Franklin County to Washington County, 
Mainers have shared with me their lives, their hopes and their 
concerns. We have worked together to improve our transportation 
infrastructure--which is pretty important when you represent the 
largest geographic district east of the Mississippi. We've worked 
together to stop bad trade deals from taking away good jobs; and to 
attract new businesses to Maine's increasingly diverse and innovative 
economy. I've been down on the clam flats, hiked our new and growing 
recreational trails and walked the floors of our mills. I couldn't have 
asked for better ``bosses'' than the men and women of the Second 
District.
  I'm proud of everything we have accomplished together. We've helped 
support innovative small businesses across Maine through the Northern 
Border Regional Commission. We've protected and created new jobs in 
places like DFAS at Limestone. We've expanded access to affordable 
quality healthcare. We've taken steps to strengthen manufacturing in 
Maine by ensuring that our service members wear American-made footwear.
  I'm particularly honored by the work I've been able to do with our 
veterans. During my time in Congress and with the support of our local 
veterans' organizations, we expanded access to care--making it easier 
for veterans in the County to get care at Cary Medical Center, so they 
don't have to take time off from their jobs and travel hundreds of 
miles, round-trip, to Togus. Working together, we ensured that aging 
veterans could always access affordable and quality healthcare at state 
veterans homes. We secured additional resources to confront the very 
serious problem of veterans' homelessness. We strengthened the GI Bill, 
making it easier for veterans to access important education and 
training opportunities.
  I'd like to thank my fellow delegation members--Representative 
Chellie Pingree, and Senators Angus King and Susan Collins. It's been a 
pleasure partnering with them over the years on a number of issues 
critical to Mainers. I'd also like to thank my staff, who have helped 
me always meet the needs of my constituents. They include Peter 
Chandler, John Graham, Diane Smith, Jane Calderwood, Gene Allen, Dan 
Rafter, Daniel Walls, Ben Goodman, Mac Routh, Andrea Quaid, Chris 
Winstead, Matt Dubois, Barbara Hayslett, Susan Cerini, Brandon Smith, 
Rachel Smith, Cassie Doyle, Rosemary Winslow, Brian Zimmerman, Nora 
Todd, Ed Gilman, Kim Glas, Monica Castellanos, Nancy Dolan, and the 
staff on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. I'd also like to 
thank all of those who have been on my staff in the past, and who 
worked so hard for the residents of the Second District.
  Despite the partisan gridlock we see all too often here in 
Washington, Mainers are known for our tenacity and our willingness to 
roll up our sleeves and get things done. We have a proud history of 
well-respected lawmakers who have done just that, from Margaret Chase 
Smith to George Mitchell to Olympia Snowe. I am confident that if 
Maine's representatives continue to be guided by a commitment to 
partnership over partisanship, we can continue to achieve great things.
  I return home honored by the time I spent serving the Second District 
in Congress, grateful for the people I met and the experiences I had, 
and optimistic for our future. Working together, we've made Maine a 
better place.

                          ____________________