On the recordSeptember 10, 2024
We are gathered tonight as the Ways and Means family to honor the memory of our friend and colleague, Bill Pascrell. Bill was a giant. He was a fighter. He was a champion. He was a mentor. He was our friend. He cared about each and every one of us just as he cared about each and every one of his constituents. What we know about Bill is he was caring. He was passionate. He was tenacious. He was funny. He was tough. He was honest. He was sometimes loud, but he was always, always beloved. Bill loved his own hometown of Paterson, New Jersey--Paterson with one T. He loved the people he represented. He loved this House--the House, not so much the Senate. He loved every one of us, and we loved him. In his absence, I suspect we are likely to ask a question that not one of us ever had to ask while he was alive. We will find ourselves asking: I wonder what Bill Pascrell would think about this? Bill always spoke his mind, and he always spoke his heart. His heart was always with the people of his hometown of Paterson and always with the best interests of the United States. We will miss Bill. We will forever remember Bill. May his memory be a blessing for his wife, his three kids, and his six grandchildren, for all of us who worked with him, and for our great Nation.
