Honoring Congressman Henry Waxman and Congressman George Miller on their Retirement

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank two of the finest legislators
in California's history for their contributions to our nation and to
this body over the past forty years.

Henry Waxman and George Miller were both elected in the post-
Watergate Democratic wave election of 1974--one from Southern California, the other from Northern California. They have served together through many legislative
battles that have shaped the modern history of our country, and they
have each chaired committees during times of momentous change and
achievement. It has been my privilege to call both of them my friends,
and it will be my disappointment to see both of them leave this House
when they retire at the close of the 113th Congress.

Henry Waxman has spent his four decades in Congress as a tireless
fighter for clean air and water, a stronger economy that creates
opportunities for all Americans, and a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.
He worked hard to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco and
worked across the aisle to help lower the cost of drugs used to treat
those with rare diseases. Henry wrote major legislation on food safety
to inform consumers about the nutritional value of what they eat and to
keep chemical pesticides out of the fruits and vegetables we feed our
children.

He and George Miller both helped lead the effort to pass the
Affordable Care Act and expand access to affordable health insurance to
more Americans.

George has served as Chairman of both the Natural Resources Committee
and the Education and Labor Committee--now called Education and
Workforce. On the first, he oversaw the passage of legislation that
created new national parks, like Joshua Tree and Death Valley, and he
worked to protect wildlife across the country and around the world. On
the Education and Workforce Committee, of which he is still the Ranking
Member, George helped write legislation to reform and expand student
loans, was instrumental in crafting the new G.I. Bill to send Iraq and
Afghanistan veterans to college, and worked to pass the College Cost
Reduction Act to make higher education more affordable for all
Americans. He and I worked together in 2009 to enact statutory PAY-GO
rules to ensure that Congress must pay for what it buys--rules George
pioneered in the early 1980's when he wrote the first PAY-GO
legislation.

Both George and Henry will leave big shoes to fill in the next
Congress, and I look forward to working with the Democratic Members
their constituents chose to succeed them in order to carry forward the
work they have been engaged in for forty years. I join with a grateful
nation and a grateful House in thanking them both for their many years
of distinguished service to Congress, to the people of California, and
to the United States.

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