Farewell Remarks to the 117th Congress

Floor Speech

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Mr. DELGADO. Madam Speaker, as I rise today for the last time as a Member of the 117th Congress, I must begin by thanking the people of New York's 19th Congressional District.

I thank them for trusting me to represent them in Washington. I thank them for every phone call they have placed to my office. I thank them for the hundreds of thousands of letters and emails they have sent to me. I thank them for coming to my town halls, and for scheduling meetings with me and my staff. Democracy is a two-way street, and their passionate engagement has helped me to be a more effective Representative.

I would also like to thank Lacey, my wife, and the love of my life, who has sacrificed so much since I decided to run for Congress more than four years ago. I want to thank Maxwell and Coltrane, my two sons, who drive my desire for positive change day in and day out.

I first addressed this Chamber in January of 2019. The longest government shutdown in our Nation's history had just ended, and I spoke about the need for Congress to live up to its charter as outlined in Article I. I said that Democrats and Republicans must work together to shoulder the sacred responsibilities entrusted to us by voters--and that we all must pledge to cast partisanship aside and be good stewards of the republic that we inherited from the generations that came before us.

Congress has done important work in the years since I gave that speech. We passed a once-in-a-generation investment in our Nation's infrastructure; we outlawed surprise medical billing; we delivered pandemic relief that helped America recover better economically than any of its peer nations. All in all, 18 of my bills were signed into law under two presidents--bills to provide emergency pandemic funding to municipalities of all sizes, to support underserved veterans, to provide loan forgiveness to small businesses and to protect family farms. I am proud of this record.

Over the past few years, I have tried to build a brand of politics that puts people before partisanship. I have made decisions based not on whether an idea comes from the right or left, but whether that idea is right or wrong. I fought tirelessly for those I represent; I listened to others before speaking; and I treated all people with love and respect.

Building a political movement based on love, respect, and humility will be the work I carry on in the years to come. The Capitol--this Chamber--is hallowed ground. I hope and pray that Congress will once again become a place where Representatives from every corner of this great country gather together not to emphasize their differences and use them for political gain, but to hash those differences out for the good of the people.

Representing New York's 19th District in Congress has been the greatest honor. But I have not done it alone and I want to acknowledge the incredible team that has made it all possible.

Several members of my team have been with me since day one.

My Chief of Staff, Jessie Andrews, is at the heart of my legislative success and has served our team as a sound and trusted leader.

Amanda DeSantis, my District Director, has logged tens of thousands of miles traversing NY-19 with me and on my behalf and shares my love of New York State and every corner of the district.

My Legislative Assistant, Matthew Gerson, with his intellectual curiosity and commitment to the veterans and small businesses in NY-19.

Vicky Perry has spearheaded my in-district programming--from Military Service Academy nominations to the Congressional Art Competition to our ``Antonio's Summer Superstars'' reading program.

Many others have joined along the way and brought immense value to the work.

My incredibly talented Legislative Director, Robert Dougherty. Christine Bienes, the best Scheduler in Congress. Jacob Salzmann, who accompanied me to countless events across the district. And the rest of my team in Washington and in-district for all their tireless work on behalf of my NY-19 constituents: Gabriela Foster, Sarah Bibeau, Max Prime, Chris Hanse, Daniel Wrenn, Natalie Lincoln, and Marques Grimes.

Madam Speaker, it is with a hopeful heart that I close out my time in Congress. I thank the residents of upstate New York for their love and support and to all who have been on this journey with me.

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