Political Quotes

“I thank the distinguished Member from Maryland and our distinguished chairman from Virginia for taking up this legislation. Let me start by thanking so many cosponsors, starting with Peter King and Bill Pascrell, the co-chairs of our Congressional Fire Services Caucus, for their extraordinary work; the sheriff, as I like to refer to David Reichert, who I serve with on the Committee on Ways and Means; and Tim Walz, the chairman of the Congressional Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Caucus and ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Amongst the Members who are cosponsors of the bill, many are former first responders as well: Dutch Ruppersberger, former police officer; John Rutherford, former sheriff of Duval County, Florida; Brian Fitzpatrick, former FBI special agent; Jim Renacci, former volunteer firefighter from Ohio. Special thanks to the Committee on the Judiciary for recognizing, however simple a solution, how powerful the meaning for those who have lost a member of their community and their family who, as Lincoln would say, have given the full measure of their devotion. I thank Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers, Steve King, and Steve Cohen also for their work on this. I deeply appreciate it. I especially thank and single out Jim McLoughlin, a veteran firefighter from Connecticut. He is the founder of the National Honor Guard Commanders Association, and it was he who first came to me with endorsing this concept.…”