[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1541]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               WEST VIRGINIA'S SECOND DISTRICT PRIORITIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West 
Virginia (Mr. Mooney) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the great 
honor of addressing the Nation as a newly-elected Representative for 
the people of West Virginia's Second District.
  My name is Alex Mooney, and I grew up in a home where the American 
ideals of personal freedom and limited government were cherished.
  My mother was born and raised in Cuba where, at age 21, she was 
thrown in jail for 7 weeks as a political prisoner by the communist 
regime of Fidel Castro. After her release, she fled here to the United 
States where she was welcomed with open arms to restart her life in 
freedom.
  My father was a feisty Irishman from New York and a Vietnam veteran. 
He was an ardent conservative and had great pride in leaders like 
Ronald Reagan.
  Through the hard work of my parents, my three siblings and I had the 
chance to live the American Dream. My older brother, Vincent, is a 
professor of electrical engineers at Georgia Tech. My younger brother, 
Patrick, is a successful businessman. My younger sister, Margarita, is 
a professor of sociology at Yale University where she conducts research 
on happiness, virtues, and the common good. I was blessed to have the 
opportunity to attend Dartmouth College where I played football and 
rugby and graduated in 1993.
  In 2001, my father suffered a stroke and was dying. There was one 
doctor who was particularly compassionate in her efforts to comfort my 
family and me through that difficult time. She also happened to be very 
pretty. One year later, that neurosurgeon, Dr. Grace Gonzalez, agreed 
to marry me.
  My wonderful wife and I have been blessed with three beautiful 
children. My son, Lucas, is 11; my daughter, Camille, is 9; and we were 
pleasantly surprised on October 13 of last year with a third child, 
Gabrielle. My wife and I have been doing the hard work of homeschooling 
our older children, imparting on them an appreciation for the special 
place America holds in the world, just as my parents did for me.
  My parents also taught me personal responsibility enshrined in the 
Constitution must always be protected. Their example showed me we must 
never cower in the face of tyranny, never give up on the God-given 
rights we are entitled to, and never stop fighting for the American 
Dream. They taught me the importance of serving one's Nation and 
community.
  I knew early in life I wanted an opportunity to fight for the values 
which have made our Nation a beacon of freedom and prosperity around 
the world. As a young State senator, I fought for relief for 
hardworking taxpayers, for more personal responsibility, for the right 
to life of unborn babies, for a prosperous business climate, and to 
protect our Second Amendment rights.
  Last fall, the people of the Second District of West Virginia 
afforded me the tremendous honor of representing them in Congress.
  Our Nation faces great challenges. Our President and his liberal 
allies on the left would see us lose the values which make us who we 
are, lose the values my father fought for and my mother escaped 
despotism to enjoy.
  West Virginia is blessed to be abundant in natural resources. I will 
fight so that West Virginians and all Americans are able to seek 
prosperity from our natural bounty. I expect to spend much of my time 
at my home in Charles Town and crossing the district, listening to the 
citizens I serve.
  During my first week in office, I didn't wait to begin delivering on 
West Virginia priorities. I cosponsored legislation to gut onerous 
provisions of ObamaCare, to audit the Federal Reserve, and authorize 
construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. I also cosponsored bipartisan 
legislation to protect the unborn after 20 weeks when they are capable 
of feeling pain.
  I am fortunate to serve on the House Natural Resources Committee, 
where I will focus on policies which contribute to the energy security 
of our Nation and the expansion of our production here at home.
  I have also been selected to serve on the important House Budget 
Committee, where I will fight to fulfill my commitment for a balanced 
Federal budget. It is totally unacceptable for West Virginians and all 
Americans to live within their means while the Federal Government 
continues to allow its spending and debt to run rampant.
  We are a nation whose values are emulated around the world by people 
seeking freedom, justice, and constitutional self-government defined by 
the rule of law.
  This legacy faces great challenges today, and I am proud to stand 
here on the floor of the United States Congress, vigilant in the 
defense of our defining principles and West Virginia priorities.

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