[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15320]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        EXPRESSING GRATITUDE TO THE COMMUNITY OF EL CAMPO, TEXAS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Conaway) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the community of El 
Campo, Texas.
  Recently, while surveying crop damage from Hurricane Harvey in and 
around El Campo, two members of my staff and one USDA staffer were 
involved in a serious car accident. They were immediately transported 
to El Campo Memorial Hospital, where they received exemplary care and 
were later discharged. As the stories from the day later unfolded, I 
was struck by the outpouring of kindness and generosity of the many 
farmers, ranchers, and community members of El Campo.
  This is a town and a community that is still recovering in the wake 
of Hurricane Harvey--a community that has suffered tremendous losses 
over the past month. Yet, without a second thought, area farmers and 
ranchers lined up in the hospital waiting room offering spare bedrooms, 
meals, and transportation for my staff.
  These were producers who, in some cases, had never met my team, but 
who felt compelled to lend a hand to those in need.
  America is hurting right now. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria have 
wreaked havoc in States and cities across our Nation; and the good 
citizens of Las Vegas are dealing with another disaster of a different 
making. Nevertheless, folks are hurting there as well.
  We need look no further than the compassion of those bighearted 
farmers, ranchers, and first responders of El Campo, Texas, to 
understand America's strength and resolve. They make Texas strong. They 
make America strong. Together, we will get through all of our 
challenges.
  May God continue to bless Texas, and may God bless the United States 
of America.

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