Veterans' Access to Child Care Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, my fellow colleagues, I rise with great sadness to announce the passing of one of this House's great and good Members, former Representative John David Dingell, Jr., who served in this House for almost a full six decades. His father preceded him for 22 years, and his wife, our beloved colleague, Debbie Dingell, serves now.
At the request of his beloved wife, I have the sad task of informing the House that John died yesterday after a long, distinguished, and committed career of service to community, to this House, and to his country.
John served with honor in wartime and with distinction in this House. He worked for the advancement of his fellow veterans and their care and benefits in peacetime, and he fought all of his life for fairness and opportunity for all. He defended vigorously the working men and women of the auto industry and working families everywhere.
His wit, his humor brought smiles to our faces, and his fearless questions of witnesses in committee brought grimaces to those who believed they had undermined the safety and health of our citizens.
Much will be said. I know that each of you have your own memory of Chairman Dingell. I know that each of you will want to rise at some point in time over the next number of days to give your observations of this colleague with whom we were honored to serve.
Let us begin our remembrances of him, however, by celebrating the love that he had for this great institution about which he cared so deeply. He believed its powers to be: improving people's lives and delivering on the promises of those who came before us and to those who will come after us.
May John's legacy guide us forward as we seek to make this House all he believed it could be and all he did to make it so better than it might have been.
I now yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished Speaker of the House of Representatives.
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chair, I thank the Speaker for her retelling, very briefly, the extraordinary record of our friend and colleague, John Dingell, who made America better, who made this House better, and who believed that in doing so, it was critically important to reach across the aisle, to have legislation that would enjoy the support of both sides of the aisle.
In that regard, I am blessed now to yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), the Republican leader and my friend.
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chair, I thank the majority leader for his remarks.
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chair, the spirit of John Dingell was so present in that remark.
Now, John Dingell apparently was not always right. He wanted to repeal the Senate, but then he wanted to replace it.
Mr. Chair, John Dingell, I will tell you, I was with him Wednesday from approximately 4 p.m. on Wednesday until 6:30 p.m., and Debbie was there. Your dad was there, Andy, our dear colleague. Sandy Levin was there and John Orlando, who served with John on the Energy and Commerce Committee for such a great time. He remembered all of you. He asked me to give each of you his best, to wish you well, and to say that our country needs each of us to work together.
Would that we could leave just some of the legacy that John Dingell has left behind. We are so blessed that we have the opportunity to serve with his wife, his beloved wife, his lovely Deborah. What an extraordinary relationship, what an extraordinary man. How lucky we were and are to serve with them.
The Speaker will be shortly notifying us of when the funeral will be, opportunities to go to the funeral. There will be a memorial service as well, here, and probably a service in the Capitol as well. So there will be opportunities for each of us to stand and testify to the greatness and goodness of John David Dingell, Jr.
Mr. Chair, I ask all the Members of Congress and all the ladies and gentlemen in the gallery to join us in a moment of silence in remembrance of our friend John Dingell.
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