THANKING REPRESENTATIVE CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS FOR HER SERVICE

On 2024-12-10, Representative Carol D. Miller (R-WV-1) delivered a floor speech titled "THANKING REPRESENTATIVE CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS FOR HER SERVICE" in the House. The speech addressed healthcare and also covered taxes, the environment.

THANKING REPRESENTATIVE CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS FOR HER SERVICE

Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024)] [House] [Pages H6586-H6590] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] THANKING REPRESENTATIVE CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS FOR HER SERVICE The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Harshbarger) for 30 minutes. General Leave Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in [[Page H6587]] which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Tennessee? There was no objection. Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues here today to honor the life and legacy of my good friend, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, from the great State of Washington. Through her 20 years of service, she has made an incredible impact in the Halls of Congress and touched the lives of so many Members who have had the privilege of working alongside of her. I will begin by just giving my remarks. Mr. Speaker, it has been an honor to serve in the Halls for the past few years, but an even greater one to do so beside my colleague, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Cathy has served in Congress for nearly 20 years, and she has made incredible sacrifices, accomplished incredible feats, and dutifully served her constituents every step of the way. As I have gotten to know Cathy, I have learned that she leads with a servant's heart. It is her incredible affinity for helping others that has allowed her to find success and accomplish so much during her time here. She never sought the spotlight or the prestigious position she held in Congress for her own gain, but did so because of her colleagues who encouraged and trusted her. She has paved the way for countless women in the GOP, inspiring us with her leadership, wisdom, and dedication, and she has achieved some of the highest levels of success, become a beloved friend to countless colleagues, and in my opinion, leaves us 20 years too soon. Thank you, Cathy, for everything you have done for us. I might add, I am going to miss our prayer time, and I am going to miss walking around the Capitol praying for our Nation and just the incredible mentor you have been to me. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), our new chairman of Energy and Commerce. Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend and dear colleague, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, for her service to our country and the committee, everything that she did with the committee, and the way it affected our Conference, this Congress, and this country. First and foremost, I have been honored to serve with Cathy, our chair for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, for more than 10 years, the last 4 years as our leader. What an outstanding job she has done. Under her leadership, we have worked together on healthcare policy. She put her faith in me to make me the subcommittee chair for the Health Subcommittee. By doing that, I was able to gain expertise. I am a manufacturing guy by background, and I really dug in and learned healthcare and learned other parts of the committee. As I think my good friend from Tennessee just said, I was honored by the selection to follow her in her wonderful footsteps. I have big shoes to fill, and I look forward to having the opportunity to do so. Under her leadership, we took on some difficult things. She has fought to force the sale of TikTok, something that is really hurting all our youth and a lot of people in our country, in a way that the court has said works. She took a while to do it, but she wanted to make sure it was right. She wanted to ensure that people have access to TikTok, people can use TikTok. She did not ban TikTok. All she said was a foreign adversary cannot own this type of business in our country. Thank you for your leadership and for what you do, but more importantly, thanks for your friendship. When my friend from Tennessee talks about prayerful leadership, that is absolutely the case. When the chair says, I am praying for you, you know that she is, and it is really heartfelt. Not only do I get the opportunity to follow in your great, great path, but I also get to continue to follow you and your young and beautiful family. What I always say, what happens in this House affects people in their homes. Congress is a snapshot of America, and our chair is a fantastic wife and mother. The experiences in her home I know she brings here, and it affects families across this country because of her leadership. Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko). Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and pleasure to say thank you, Cathy, and to wish you well. I know there was much celebrating when you were named chair, breaking that barrier, becoming the first woman to lead Energy and Commerce. As we know, we just heard from our colleague, Anna Eshoo, that there is this breadth and depth to the committee that enables us to serve people in so many ways on so many issues. On behalf of the Democrats in the House, I thank you for the opportunities you presented to work together to do a lot of legislation and certainly to effect policy in the realm of energy and environment, which have been strong points for the committee and certainly of particular interest for me. I do appreciate all the work on the challenged, the differently abled, the people in our society who teach us much by their daily walks in life. I know your son is an inspiration to you. Thank you for carrying the torch for legislation that enables people to showcase their abilities, to be able to be included in a very powerful way. It is a lifesaving, life-changing opportunity that we can present the given community. I thank you for that forcefulness. Personally speaking, thank you for the assistance on the medication- assisted treatment effort, the MAT Act, which will, in my opinion, save lives as we enable people to prescribe for those who are struggling and living with the illness of addiction. That is going to be a major difference for so many people that we will never ever meet. That is the joy and I think the soulfulness of this job, where we are able to assist those who will be here in this universe well after we have gone or people who live here and share the moment with us but that we will never meet. Those are great opportunities for us to express in compassionate measure making a difference on behalf of individuals who have deep challenges each and every day in life. Thank you also for the efforts on bringing together, with our side, with Ranking Member Pallone, to be able to do the Parkinson's bill. There are 1 million people in this country who live with Parkinson's, and the fact that we are able to provide for an effort, an all-out effort, a collaborative effort with agencies in the Federal Government, working with clinicians, patients, and caregivers to make a difference, to make certain that we focus on a cure, better, earlier prognoses, and better treatments. These are measures that will really speak to the dignity of the individual and deliver hope to the doorsteps of so many people who struggle with that illness. There are countless achievements. I know you will leave here with your heart filled with opportunities that presented themselves where you were able to deliver. On behalf of this side of the aisle, I say thank you. I am sure we haven't heard or seen the last of you. I wish you well as you go into the next phase of life. Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack). Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague and friend from the great State of Tennessee for yielding to me. Tonight we gather to honor and bid farewell to an extraordinary leader and friend, Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Tonight we say good-bye, as she concludes her remarkable tenure in Congress. Serving under her leadership on the Energy and Commerce Committee has truly been a privilege and an honor. {time} 1815 I first met Cathy when I was a chief of staff. It was 2013, and I came to meet with her as she was the Conference chair at the time. I was shaking I was so intimidated, and I just remember she exuded a cool calmness, an openness, and, most importantly, a warmth that was immediately putting me at ease. As someone who was brand new to the Hill, someone who was a very young woman at the time who didn't know much of anything, she still made me feel like my opinion mattered. That is one of her many gifts. [[Page H6588]] Fast forward as a Member of Congress with the honor and privilege to serve here, I will never forget the night that I was in the Cloakroom and Cathy comes up to me and says, Kat, I think you would be good for the Energy and Commerce Committee. I am shaking and intimidated like, holy crap, the chairwoman is asking me to serve on the best damn committee in Congress. It was her faith in me that really gave me an insight into how she would be as a leader, as someone who we would look to as we navigated some of the toughest pieces of legislation and controversial issues. I later recall, after having joined the committee, attending a speech where she was asked by the moderator to give her life story. Any Member of Congress will start spouting off that I was born here, I did this, and I am that. No. Cathy stopped, and she said, I will give you my life story and who I am in 10 words. She used the following words to describe her commitment to service, who she was, who she is: a pioneer, trailblazer, leader, working mom of three, wife, ability advocate, and trust builder. In my time serving with her, I have learne