HONORING THE SERVICE OF REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER WEXTON

On 2024-12-17, Representative Jennifer A. Kiggans (R-VA-2) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE SERVICE OF REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER WEXTON" in the House. The speech addressed healthcare and also covered abortion, gun policy.

HONORING THE SERVICE OF REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER WEXTON

Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 187 (Tuesday, December 17, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 187 (Tuesday, December 17, 2024)] [House] [Pages H7306-H7308] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE SERVICE OF REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER WEXTON The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Grothman). Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer) for 30 minutes. Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to help manage the Special Order hour to recognize our wonderful friend who is now leaving us in the U.S. House, Ms. Jennifer Wexton. I rise with respect and admiration and love for Jennifer. Mr. Speaker, I first became aware of Jennifer in December of 2013 when she won a crowded primary to succeed a State senator who had just been elected attorney general. I mostly saw her on local TV, these ads that showed up again and again. That was a very cold month and a very special election. When she won, I was just starting this race for U.S. Congress, and she was a real inspiration to me at that very time. A couple years later, Gerry Connolly and I served with Barbara Comstock. We were a sometimes good, sometimes tense team from northern Virginia, but we really wanted to take back the House, and we thought the best possible candidate to take on Barbara Comstock was this wonderful State senator from Loudoun County. I remember calling Jennifer and saying, why don't you--not give up your senate seat, but jump into this race and take on Barbara, she has only been in for 2 years. Jennifer has the wisdom of a great politician and knows that timing is everything in politics. She said, no, absolutely not. Donald Trump went on to win that election. Barbara Comstock went on to win it easily. Maybe a bunch of us got something started in her mind because 2 years later, there was a tough, six-way primary, with a number of very good women in that race, and Jennifer prevailed in that primary, went on to beat Barbara with 56 percent, a two-term incumbent. Jennifer has just been a delight and a great resource for Virginia ever since. Mr. Speaker, she actually went to the University of Maryland, but we forgive her because she went to law school at William & Mary. She redeemed herself. I am very proud to represent her parents that live in Alexandria, Virginia. She has a great husband, two sons. Somehow, contrary to the two- parent working families that we have everywhere in America, she was able to work it out with Andrew so that he would be the full-time caretaker at home for the kids, which is relatively unique in current American culture, but it worked beautifully. They got the right people in the right jobs. I am also thrilled that for many, many years, I worked on campaigns against Frank Wolf who actually was a distinguished Member of this House, but I started in 1982 and Frank served for 34 years. All that just goes to say that this district was founded in 1952 at the post-war expansion. Joel Broyhill won in 1952 and held the seat for 22 years. For 66 years, only 6 of those 66 years was that seat held by a Democrat; Joe Fisher was only elected in the Watergate landslide of 1974 and ousted in the Reagan landslide of 1980. Then, after 66 years, finally, we get Jennifer Wexton who comes back, turns the seat blue, gives us great representation, and I believe she is the first Loudoun County Member in the history of the country ever to represent Loudoun County in the U.S. Congress. I have loved working with her, as has Abigail Spanberger, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Gerry Connolly, all of us have come together on northern Virginia issues, and on Virginia issues, to make enormous progress. She is tough, but kind, and the toughness has really come out in the last year when Jennifer first believed [[Page H7307]] that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's. We saw a toughness and a resoluteness, but then when that diagnosis turned out to be much more serious, she called all of us to let us know that she wasn't quitting, that despite the, at least short-term, deterioration in her physical condition, she was resolute. She was full of courage. She was full of commitment, and through these long difficult days, she has been here every single day, cast every single vote, been here patiently listening, contributing whatever she could, using the latest technology to speak up. With her aide at her side, she has been a vital part of this Congress through the super nuclear policy. We hate to see her go. It is a great loss to this institution. It is a loss to Virginia not to have her in this body. She wisely looked at the next primary, the primary to succeed her, looked at all the different candidates and chose one that she thought would best represent her, and I think most people would believe that he only won that primary because he was blessed by Jennifer Wexton. We will all have more to say, but I yield to our dear friend and colleague from across the aisle, our just newly reelected Member from Virginia Beach, Congresswoman Kiggans. Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career of my colleague and friend, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton of Virginia's Tenth District. I first met Congresswoman Wexton not here in the Halls of Congress, but when I was elected to the Virginia State Senate in 2019. I remember the day that she first came and visited us on the floor and how she went around the room, and shook hands with every member, all 40 of us that day. While our time in the Virginia General Assembly did not overlap, her legacy of serving her constituents lived on in the chamber. When I entered Congress, I was elected as the second of three Jennifers to be elected to the 118th Congress from Virginia. I have enjoyed serving alongside these other two Jens as a member of the bipartisan Jennifer caucus. Like so many in Virginia and across the country, I was saddened by the announcement of Congresswoman Wexton's diagnosis in September of 2023. While she announced that she would not be running for reelection in 2024, she fought against the odds to fulfill her commitment to her constituents and serve for the remainder of the 118th Congress. She also became an advocate for her disease process and a loud voice, she brought awareness to so many of us here in the House of Representatives. Members of Congress will oftentimes stand here on the House floor and talk of the sacrifices they make to serve their districts, but Mr. Speaker, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who has sacrificed more for her constituents than Congresswoman Wexton has over the past year and a half. {time} 2130 Rather than leave Congress to spend time with her family and friends in northern Virginia, she has remained here working every day. Even when her physical voice left her, she got very creative, and with the help of technology, has continued to be a strong advocate for the residents of Virginia's 10th District with distinction. The impact she left in Richmond and will leave in Washington is truly impressive and will be remembered by the citizens of Virginia for years to come. I thank my friend for her eagerness to continue serving against all odds and for her years of selfless sacrifice to our Commonwealth and to the United States of America. She will be missed by our entire Virginia congressional delegation, and I know that the Commonwealth of Virginia will be thinking of her and will be supporting her in the future. Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for staying late and for her thoughtful remarks. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), the dean of the Virginia delegation, recently reelected by the steering committee this afternoon, and hopefully to be the next ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee. Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for organizing this Special Order hour and giving us an opportunity to say some nice things about our good friend Jennifer Wexton. She is retiring after many years of dedicated service to the Commonwealth of Virginia and our Nation. Since joining the House in 2019, Jennifer has been a relentless advocate for her constituents and a champion for equality, justice, and fairness. Before serving in Congress, she was a leader in the Virginia State Senate where she led gun safety initiatives, expanded access to healthcare, and supported public education. Her legal background as both a prosecutor and an advocate for survivors of domestic violence still provides an important perspective to her service. During her time here in Congress, she has fought for working families, reproductive rights, and transportation improvements. She has worked to expand broadband access, protect voting rights, and advance climate initiatives. During a time of bitter partisanship, Jennifer has also focused on bipartisan cooperation in working across the aisle to bring people together. Beyond her legislative accomplishments, her courage and resilience in facing her personal health challenges while continuing to serve her constituents exemplifies her strength, character, and grace. She is an inspiration to everyone who serves in this Chamber and many others across the country. She has also placed a much-needed spotlight on the need for Congress to invest more resources in combating Parkinson's and other related neurodegenerative diseases. As the dean of the delegation, I know as the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Kiggans) has just said, I know we will all miss her here in Congress, and I join a chorus of voices thanking her for her service, determination, and dedication to the Commonwealth of Virginia and to our Nation. Thank you, Jennifer, for your dedication. Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman once again for staying late and for his 32 years of service just in this institution not counting all the others. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from