Kat Cammack: “I thank my distinguished colleague and friend from the great State of Tennessee for yielding to me. Tonight we gather to…”

“I thank my distinguished colleague and friend from the great State of Tennessee for yielding to me. Tonight we gather to honor and bid farewell to an extraordinary leader and friend, Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Tonight we say good-bye, as she concludes her remarkable tenure in Congress. Serving under her leadership on the Energy and Commerce Committee has truly been a privilege and an honor. {time} 1815 I first met Cathy when I was a chief of staff. It was 2013, and I came to meet with her as she was the Conference chair at the time. I was shaking I was so intimidated, and I just remember she exuded a cool calmness, an openness, and, most importantly, a warmth that was immediately putting me at ease. As someone who was brand new to the Hill, someone who was a very young woman at the time who didn't know much of anything, she still made me feel like my opinion mattered. That is one of her many gifts. Fast forward as a Member of Congress with the honor and privilege to serve here, I will never forget the night that I was in the Cloakroom and Cathy comes up to me and says, Kat, I think you would be good for the Energy and Commerce Committee. I am shaking and intimidated like, holy crap, the chairwoman is asking me to serve on the best damn committee in Congress.…”