Date: 2014-12-09
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the distinguished gentleman. Mr. RUSH. and I thank Mr. PALLONE for convening this Special Order and all of the members of this committee and Members of this House of Representatives that have come on the floor today with joy. It is often said. "It is not how long you serve. but how you serve." For JOHN DINGELL. that is not mutually exclusive. He served six decades. and he served it greatly and grandly and with distinction. I am reminded of a description of him as a 6foot3inch distinguished gentleman. towering over witnesses. but having the biggest of hearts. coming from the best of legacies in his father that served 22 years. reminded of his commitment to the Clean Air Act. safe drinking water. the endangered species. JOHN has always reminded us new ones. relatively speaking. that his greatest love was to provide affordable health care to every American. Decades after his father introduced such a bill. he never gave up. So I stand here today to thank you. JOHN DINGELL. for the Affordable Care Act. They call it many things"ObamaCare"-but I am getting ready to call it "DingellCare" because you worked without ceasing. Thank you for your service to this Nation. where you stood in the shadows of World War II and stood as an American. willing to serve. I am grateful for the service that he has given and for his long years of service as the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Let me conclude by saying that there is much more that all of us can say. but you can see so many Members have come to the floor. On a personal note. there are two items that I want to acknowledge: Thank you. JOHN DINGELL. for recognizing my voting rightsmy opportunity to vote as an African Americanand those of the thousands of millions that you helped in 1965. I will never forget your willingness to sacrifice personal political stature to do what is right. I also want to thank you so very much for being the kind of person on the floor of the House who asked about every Member. For every Member who came to your attention. you asked them how they were doing. I conclude with these remarks. his final words about the Civil Rights Act. He said that he was glad to vote for a bill that solved a problem that was eating at the soul and heart and liver of the country. Only JOHN DINGELL. JOHN DINGELL. I salute you as a great and a grand American. Thank you. Debbie Dingell. I will continue to look forward to your service. JOHN. we are going to look forward to your service and. of course. to your long life here in this great country and in your great State of Michigan. Again. JOHN. thank you so very much. Serving nearly six decades in the House of Representatives. JOHN DINGELL has earned the distinction of being both the longestserving Member of Congress in U.S. history and one of the most influential legislators of all time. After serving his country in the Army during World War II. JOHN was first elected to Congress in 1955representing the people of southeastern Michigan in a seat previously held by his father. In Washington. JOHN risked his seat to support the Civil Rights Act of 1964. fought to pass Medicare in 1965. and penned legislation like the Clean Air Act. the Safe Drinking Water Act. and the Endangered Species Act that have kept millions of Americans healthy and preserved our natural beauty for future generations. But of all JOHNs accomplishments. perhaps the most remarkable has been his tireless fight to guarantee quality. affordable health care for every American. Decades after his father first introduced a bill for comprehensive health care reform. JOHN continued to introduce health care legislation at the beginning of every session. And as an original author of the Affordable Care Act. he helped give millions of families the peace of mind of knowing they wont lose everything if they get sick. One of the proudest moments in my career in the House was watching the distinguished gentleman from Michigan preside over debate on the rule for the Affordable Care Act. Today. the people of Michiganand the American peopleare better off because of JOHN DINGELLs service to this country. Ending a career that is among the most singular in congressional history. U.S. Rep. JOHN DINGELLwho helped pass. if not author. many of the most iconic legislative achievements of the last 60 years is. concluding a term of service to metro Detroit. Michigan and the nation unprecedented in its length and remarkable in its scope. JOHN DINGELLs length of service stretches back to before Alaska and Hawaii were states and his father. John Sr.. sat in the seat for 22 years before him. Last June. he became the longestserving member of Congress. JOHN DAVID DINGELL. Jr.. was 29 years old when the Detroit native was elected in a 1955 special election to serve out the remainder of his late fathers term. Since then. he has cast tens of thousands of votes and played a role in everything from the Civil Rights Act and Medicare to the Clean Water Act. the Clean Air Act. the Endangered Species Act and. in 2010. the Affordable Care Act. Known throughout Washington as Big JOHNat 6foot3. he literally towered over many witnesses before his House Energy and Commerce CommitteeJOHN DINGELL cut a distinctive figure in the Capitol. A progressive when it came to workers rights. he is also a staunch defender of Michigan industries. including its automakers. and at times ran afoul of environmentalists. He counts as among his most important accomplishments the creation of the Detroit International Wildlife Refuge and the River Raisin Battlefield. In 1964. he voted for the Civil Rights Act. He called that vote the most important one he ever tookone that "solved a problem that was eating at the soul and heart and liver of this country." JOHN DINGELL vastly expanded the scope of the House Energy and Commerce Committees purview during his first stint as chairmanwhich lasted 198195to the point where it was said it handled four out of every 10 bills in the House. By example. he had a photo of the Earth from space behind his desk and when anyone asked him to define the committees jurisdiction. he would point to it. House Speaker Tip ONeill used to say "All politics is local". but in JOHN DINGELLs case. all politics has always been personal. It is only when you have a personal relationship with someone that you establish trust. even when youre on opposite sides of an issue. Through 60 years of public service. JOHN fought for what he believed in. and got things done through relationships and his deep respect for others. And there was no one he respected more than his constituents. He respected their hopes. their dreams. and their values. He has been relentless in his efforts to secure for them the right to live a decent middleclass life. He has always been a staunch advocate for health care for every American. and he has been a player on every significant piece of legislation that has helped make America a more just. fair. and free country for over half a century. It has been a privilege to walk the Halls of Congress with JOHN DINGELL. I have never known a person who has been a better champion of the American worker. and he deserves a great deal of credit for the resurgence of the iconic American automobile industry. The House and the American people are losing a great public servant. But JOHN is gaining a welldeserved retirement. and I wish him many happy years with his family. JOHN DINGELL has always been more than Mr. Chairman to me. He has been Dean. the longest serving Member of Congress and one of the most effective in our history. There has never been a colleague I have admired more. Happy retirement. JOHN. and thank you for your service.