Political Quotes

“this is not a happy occasion for me to be standing here before my colleagues and to pay a special tribute to the late Congressman Bill Emerson from the State of Missouri. Bill Emerson, I think, can adequately be described as stubborn as those Missouri mules, as I understand it, but Bill Emerson also had a heart. He had a heart full of compassion, and one of real appreciation for the needs of America's elderly and the poor and the hungry. It was my privilege to serve as a member of the Select Committee on Hunger, where Bill Emerson was also one of the senior members of the committee. The occasions that I have had in having hearings with him and to listen to this man, I certainly have respected him very highly for his opinions about the needs of America's hungry. It was also my privilege, Mr. Speaker, to attend or to be a member of the delegation that went to Somalia, as it was cochaired by the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Lewis]. Bill Emerson was a member of that delegation. It was not until that trip that I felt the real sense of compassion that this man had for those who are really in need.”