Political Quotes

“First, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I also want to thank our chair, Congresswoman Karen Bass, and Stacey Plaskett for leading this beautiful tribute tonight. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight in honor of the life and legacy of Chairman Elijah Cummings, who was a great statesman and leader, but also a kind and gentle human being who led with both his head and his heart. My heart is heavy tonight as I offer my deepest condolences to my friends, Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the entire family, his staff, and the people of Baltimore, whom he loved and served with courage and boldness. Yes, he was a person of deep faith, which was that guiding light in everything that he did. Elijah was the son of two pastors, and he took care of his mother and his father in their last years on Earth. Elijah had been a friend and adviser to me since I first came to Congress. When I was first elected, he gave me much-needed encouragement, knowing that I had come in a special election, replacing my mentor and my friend, the late great Congressman Ron Dellums, who had some big shoes to fill. But Elijah told me early on, he said: Hey, you have got to step out there, carve out your own agenda, and get out there and do your job, what you need to do to serve the people of your district. He wanted to help me. We talked about how he could do that. He was the first Member of Congress--and he was so eager to do this--to visit my district early on in my tenure.…”