[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 14117-14118]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  WELCOMING THE HONORABLE JAMES COMER TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. 
Rogers) is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, the Kentucky delegation and I 
have the distinct honor and great personal pleasure of introducing you 
to the newest First District Congressman in the U.S. Congress from 
Kentucky, Jamie Comer.
  Jamie, but for the loss in the primary last year in the Governor's 
race by 93 votes, would be tonight sitting as the Governor of Kentucky. 
But their loss is our gain. He is bright. He is committed. He will be a 
great asset for this body, for the country, and for his home State.
  Jamie started a family farm after college. He served 11 years in the 
State legislature. He then served statewide as the elected agriculture 
commissioner, where he quickly got a reputation as the mortal enemy of 
waste, fraud, and abuse, and was a great success in that role.
  But his resume only tells you half the story. He has got strong 
family values. That is obvious because his 9-year-old son, Harlan, and 
his beautiful daughter are here with him on the floor this evening. In 
fact, Harlan's namesake, Jamie's grandfather, was a very close friend 
of mine. In fact, Harlan Comer was with us in this very Chamber when 
President Reagan delivered his final State of the Union address, and I 
was proud to call Harlan, Sr., a friend.
  I am proud to call Jamie a colleague. He will be a great asset to 
this body.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Third District of 
Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth).

[[Page 14118]]


  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to have won the arm 
wrestling match among Kentucky Democrats to welcome Jamie Comer to the 
House tonight.
  Jamie and I have worked together on a number of issues through the 
years, and I can say without hesitation that, no matter what the issue 
is, Jamie will work to put Kentucky interests and the interests of his 
citizens and constituents first. So I am proud to welcome him to the 
House of Representatives and look forward to working with him to move 
the Commonwealth and the country forward.
  Welcome, Jamie Comer.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from 
Kentucky (Mr. Comer).
  The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Kentucky is recognized.
  Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the dean of the majority 
party, the minority party, and the great State of Kentucky.
  I want to begin by recognizing my guests from Kentucky. They are on 
each side of the gallery here today. I thank them for their support and 
friendship over the years and for making the long drive to D.C. 
tonight.
  Next, I want to recognize my lovely wife, T.J., in the gallery and my 
daughter, Aniston. I am also blessed to have my two oldest children, 
Reagan and Harlan, here today.
  It is the honor of a lifetime to join membership in this great 
legislative body, the greatest in the history of the world. Yet, at 
this particular time that I speak to this historic body, our Nation is 
deeply divided. We need statesmen. I pledge to be a statesman who wants 
to get things done.
  I will work with any Member of this body to try to accomplish things, 
especially to create an environment where every American can have 
access to a good-paying job. I pledge to be a strong voice for rural 
Kentucky, rural America, and family farmers.
  Thank you so much for this opportunity. I thank the people of the 
great State of Kentucky. And I believe with all my heart that we can 
work together and make America great again.
  Thank you all very much.

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