Paul Tonko

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, on May 7, 2018, I was engaged in official business in my Congressional District and was not present to vote on H.R. 4910 or H.R. 4335. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on H.R. 4910 and YEA on H.R. 4335.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, last year, this Chamber rammed through a tax cut for billionaires and wealthy corporations, paid for on the backs of America's middle class. You don't hear them talk about it much anymore though because it was a very bad deal. This year, the President's budget includes $1.5 trillion in cuts to Medicare, and Republicans want to eliminate Medicare and turn it into a voucher. That is a bad deal. The President's budget includes a $1.4 trillion cut to Medicaid. My Republican colleagues have tried to cut Medicaid time and time again with ACA repeals. Those are a bad deal. Today, more than half of our seniors would live in poverty without Social Security. They rely on Medicare and Medicaid to care for them in their golden years--from doctors' visits to prescription drugs to nursing homes. After all, seniors pay toward these programs through their entire working life. Democrats have plans to strengthen Social Security, strengthen Medicare, and strengthen Medicaid. That is a better deal, and America and her people deserve a better deal.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Kaptur. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee). Representative Sheila Jackson Lee is the Congresswoman from the 18th District of Texas.

Mr. TONKO. I thank the Congresswoman for her thoughts. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the New Hampshire District One Representative, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), from New York's 12th Congressional District.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) from New York's 10th Congressional District.

Mr. TONKO. I thank the Congresswoman for those comments. I now yield to Representative Alma Adams of North Carolina's 12th District.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to Representative John Katko from New York's 24th Congressional District.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Representative Barbara Lee of California's 13th District.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to Representative Jackie Speier of California's 14th District.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York's Seventh Congressional District (Ms. Velazquez).

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York's 17th Congressional District (Mrs. Lowey).

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I rise to celebrate the extraordinary life of our great friend, colleague, mentor, inspiration, and much-respected Congresswoman, Louise Slaughter. We met a long time ago in 1983, when both of us entered as freshmen in the New York State Assembly. I understood in that moment of meeting that there was greatness there, and it only built beyond what I anticipated through the years. Louise was a woman of great respect, of great charm, of intellect, integrity, and passion for doing the right thing. And, Louise, this evening, we just say thank you for the impact that you have had on our lives and, more importantly, on the people for whom you have spoken and for those who have been impacted favorably by your sound works. We call to mind this evening the people of the 25th Congressional District of New York, who have lost a great voice in this Chamber, and those of other districts' iterations that she represented through the years that she served in this remarkable body. We call to mind Don and her Rules staff. People who were there as committee people assisting her in her every move. We call to mind Liam and her crew here in D.C. and at home in the district office, and certainly her family and friends, people who have worked with her through the years. It is a great loss for all of us. Louise did everything with charm. When Louise introduced herself to newly elected House Speaker Jim Wright as a newly entering Member back in 1986, she spoke in that wonderful upstate New York accent, inflected with her deep Kentucky roots, which Speaker Wright immediately discerned. In her very forward way, she threw out her hand to shake his, and she introduced herself to the new Speaker: Mr. Speaker, I'm Louise Slaughter from upstate New York. And he responded: It's about time upstate New York elected somebody without an accent. Louise was a great storyteller. She had this way of really personalizing an issue and making it so human that you couldn't shake. She brought the relevance of issues to human life. There was no better storyteller than Louise Slaughter, and she peppered everything with her unique and delightful sayings that were such a signature of her personality. She was a person of extraordinary integrity and courage. I remember sitting with her and some of our colleagues when Bob passed, her late husband. I know how much she loved him and how much he loved her, and I cannot imagine the pain she felt in that moment. But I watched her steel herself, pick herself up and go on, just the way Bob would have been wanted, an expression of the deepest love and respect I have ever been privileged to witness. Louise had a devotion to public service that was born of the 1960s in a truly aspirational moment for our country, an era that gave birth to a newfound driven political generation. And I like to imagine Louise in that moment listening to the voices of the people, reading news of conflict, of hope for racial and social justice, of fights for peace in the face of seemingly endless war in Vietnam, and empowering women and speaking for our environment, all set with extraordinary music. Bob Dylan's ``Blowin' In The Wind'' gave us a series of intractable questions about peace, about war, about freedom, at a time when those questions were on the lips of every single American. And Louise, speaking about blowing in the wind, was never a weather vane politician. Amidst the uncertainty and conflict of that moment, she forged herself a backbone of steel and never wavered, never blew with the wind. She did what was right, and it didn't have to be popular. Bob had a love and passion for politics as great as his wonderful wife, Louise. They were such a Washington couple. Bob would sometimes drive Louise back and forth from Rochester, New York, to Albany. He was known as an incredibly thoughtful and brilliant partner who supported Louise tirelessly. Their activism began with their fight to protect Hart's Woods in Perinton, just outside of Rochester. Louise would go on to organize Democrats in Perinton, and Bob went on to found the Genesee Valley People's Power Coalition, fighting against rate increases by Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation. Bob and Louise loved their family above all, and tonight I want to recognize their daughters--Megan Secatore, Amy Slaughter, and Emily Robin Minerva--and thank them and their families for the gift of their mother's time and their unselfish giving of her so that she could serve our Nation. Megan and Amy and Emily, this Nation owes you a debt of thanks for the extraordinary spirit and achievement of your parents, our great and dearly departed friends, Louise and Bob Slaughter. I have to speak of them as a team. Louise left her imprint on all whom she served in Rochester and in Washington and for a generation yet unborn. Louise's passion and foresight live on through the lasting and extraordinary legacy of her work and through the service that she provided, knowing that that service will continue long into the future. She was recognized as a fighter for the common, ordinary person, and that is the greatest tribute we can offer her. We say thank you to a humble servant who picked up the task and did it masterfully well. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York's 16th Congressional District (Mr. Engel).

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to Representative Yvette Clarke of New York's Ninth Congressional District.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of my Special Order.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Brother John for his comments. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to Representative Nancy Pelosi from California, our former Speaker, our Democratic leader, our minority leader.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, there you have it, just a few of the colleagues of Louise Slaughter who shared their sentiments. You can tell that she had this lasting touch upon each and every one of us. We are made better because we crossed paths in life, we travelled journeys together, and she will leave a forever quality in our hearts and our souls. And to our champion, our trailblazer, the true voice for the weak voice or underheard in government, the pioneer expression, the drum major for women, it goes on and on--she earned so many labels--to our friend, Louise Slaughter, our colleague, our mentor, rest in peace, beloved friend. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to Representative John Lewis, who represents Georgia's Fifth Congressional District.

Mr. TONKO. I thank the Congresswoman for those comments. Mr. Speaker, now we will hear from the gentleman from Texas 35, Congressman Lloyd Doggett.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo). Representative Anna Eshoo represents the 18th District.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur.) Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur represents Ohio's Ninth District.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California for yielding. Marcy, it is an honor to be on the floor this evening. We have joined together many times to share a message for the American public about the fight for what is right. No one leads that fight better than you. We have assembled here to celebrate the extraordinary career of our great colleague and friend from Ohio, my friend from Ohio, Marcy Kaptur. Marcy is a towering giant in the history of Congress. Her legislative achievements are too numerous to count. Her work led the way in the creation of the moving and so powerful World War II Memorial on the National Mall. What great respect for our veterans. And that is who you are, a respectful individual. Marcy was one of the first Members of Congress to raise the alarm for America's workers and industries facing unfair competition from trade policies around the world. She has been a champion of America's farmers, fighting tirelessly to protect the rights of poultry growers and restore some balance to our Nation's increasing consolidated meat industry. She continues to be a champion and a visionary in the fight to bring down skyrocketing prescription drug costs; to restore stability and good sense to our financial system; and to save the Great Lakes and the millions who rely on their resources from the harmful algal blooms-- blooms that threaten to poison their rich waters. There is no Member in this or any Congress who is more committed to serving the needs of her constituents and her district. While she has proven to be truly formidable to her opponents, Marcy is as kind as she is fierce. In just a few days, this Sunday, March 18, Marcy will become the longest serving woman in the history of the United States House of Representatives. What a proud achievement. What a proud moment. What a great moment in history to witness and share: 35 years, 2 months and 14 days, but who is counting? Those numbers are the official numbers that surpass the record set by former Massachusetts Representative Edith Nourse Rogers. Her enduring service has met more than three decades whereby girls have grown up in Ohio and all across America seeing that they, too, could serve and lead in the United States Congress, an impressive example that my friend, Marcy Kaptur, continues to set. I am more than pleased and more than a little relieved to say that Marcy is as passionate and driven as the day we met nearly a decade ago. As the longest serving woman remaining in either Chamber, God willing, in a few years, Marcy will become the longest serving woman in the history of the United States Congress. It is my great hope that I will have the privilege to witness that historic moment, just as I am humbled to share in this one. I want to thank Marcy Kaptur for years of our friendship, our collaboration, our conversations, our coaching--her coaching, I should say--on the floor between votes and in Special Orders here on the floor after session, and for always upholding the values we share in service of the American people. Speaking of values, we cherish the bond that we both hold with a common Polish heritage, something that I know causes her heart to pound nobly and boldly and proudly. Marcy, you are a unique individual, a one-of-a-kind human being. You are a living legend, a leader with a steel backbone, and a treasure of this Congress and our great Nation. We say thank you for your passion. We say thank you for your intellect. We say thank you for your integrity, and we say thank you for leading in the walk for justice, social and economic justice, so that all people can be touched by your soulfulness and your kind and loving being. God Bless you. Congratulations.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Michael F. Doyle).