Congressman Aderholt Offers Reagan Tribute on House Floor

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) today spoke on the Floor of the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC, in tribute to former President Ronald Reagan.

Congressman Aderholt's remarks began at approximately 1:30 pm (ET) and lasted approximately two minutes.

The text of his address follows.

Remarks as prepared, not necessarily as delivered.

Mr. Speaker:

What do you say about a man like Ronald Reagan that has not already been said?

Ronald Reagan took the oath of office here in Washington, DC, in 1981 - just a short distance from where I am standing now. At that time I was 15-years-old. I didn't realize, at the time, the impact that this new president would have on a nation. I didn't realize the moral and strong leadership that he would provide this nation.

Ronald Reagan served in the highest office of our land throughout my time in high school, college and my first couple of years in law school.

As with most of America, I listened to the tributes as they started pouring in over this past weekend. During the weekend and since that time, Reagan's speeches, remarks, and comments have been replayed and reviewed.

However, over the weekend I heard one speech that I never knew he made. It was the speech that President Reagan delivered at a prayer breakfast in Dallas, Texas, on the morning of August 23, 1984.

It was so relevant to our situation today that if you didn't know better it was like he delivered the speech just a few days ago. He discussed religion and its role in the political life of our Nation.

He made clear from the beginning of his speech that he was not speaking as a theologian or as a scholar, but rather as someone who has been around for quite a few years.

He talked about the critical role in the political life of this nation that faith and religion have played, and furthermore, how that has worked for our benefit as a nation. He went on to say that the founders understood that there's a divine order which transcends the human order.

He then eloquently said that he believed George Washington knew the city of man cannot survive without the city of God and that the visible city will perish without the Invisible City.

While time will not permit me to discuss all of his remarks today, Mr. Speaker, I would like to include the remarks in the record that President Reagan made at that prayer breakfast in Dallas back in 1984.

Also, Mr. Speaker, it would not be appropriate to talk about President Reagan unless you mentioned how much he loved and how much he valued life. He was not against the rights of any - he merely believed in protecting the unborn - those most vulnerable. He was a man of compassion and the young people of today would do well to emulate the 40th President of the United States of America - Ronald Wilson Reagan.