America 250
Floor Speech
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Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and express gratitude for my dear friend and chief of staff, Andrew David, who is seated next to me here.
Andrew has served by my side for over 9 years. We have toiled together to serve we the people.
I have great sorrow in my heart that Andrew is leaving the office. He has accepted a beautiful and meaningful position in our home State of Louisiana, and I have an odd mixture of tremendous joy that Andrew is embracing the illuminated path before him and that he and his beautiful, amazing wife, Holly--who is seated in the gallery; also a native of our beloved Louisiana--are returning home, having served their country with honor here in this, the people's House.
I rise, Mr. Speaker--unscripted, through only the words that the Lord has etched upon my heart--to speak in gratitude of what this man has brought to me and my family and my congressional service for nearly a decade.
Andrew has been an unwavering counselor for me through some very difficult and challenging times and decisions. He has never strayed from the deepest core principles that we attempt every day to embrace as we conduct the business of our congressional service.
As a man, Andrew through the years became perhaps my dearest and most trusted, most immediately available source of sound counsel. I have no doubt--good sir, good lady--that I would have failed to perform my service for we the people time and again had it not been for the quiet, calm, and steady counsel of Andrew David.
I am reminded, Mr. Speaker, as I see the words that we who are honored to serve in this Chamber gaze upon every day in the stone above your podium: In God We Trust. We effort to be worthy of what it is to be His child and to serve in this, His anointed house.
I am reminded this day of His words in Genesis 7:1, when the Lord said to Noah, ``Come into the ark, ye and your household.'' ``Come,'' Mr. Speaker, He said. He didn't say, ``Go into the ark.'' He said, ``Come.''
This is understood to mean that the Lord was already present there. The goodness of the Lord was present there before Noah entered that challenge of entering the ark and traversing the storm to begin anew.
When I came to D.C., I had no experience, no political background. I had a clear understanding of what I thought perhaps should be a servant to we the people in the House of Representatives. When I was elected in 2016 and I came here to this august body, I did not know that the Lord had already placed His goodness. It awaited me. The Lord had prepared a counselor for me, His unworthy son. That man, that goodness, is Andrew David.
We shall continue to serve. We will endeavor every day to be worthy of service to we the people in His Chamber of what it is to be children of God, the most high.
I will strive to be worthy of being called David's friend and brother. I thank him for his decade of service by my side. God bless him as he embraces the illuminated path before him. I wish him luck. I know that great joy awaits him and his beautiful family in our beloved Louisiana.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Maloy for yielding.
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