Mike Pence: “It is an honor to rise for what will be my last time speaking as a Member of the United States House of Representatives.…”

“It is an honor to rise for what will be my last time speaking as a Member of the United States House of Representatives. The people of Indiana have given me a new assignment. But I rise tonight to pay a debt of gratitude to all those who gave me the privilege to serve in this place. As a boy, I dreamed of someday representing my hometown in our Nation's Capital. And 12 years ago, the people of the Sixth Congressional District made that dream a reality, and so I begin tonight by simply saying thank you to all of them for letting me live that dream in these past 12 years, to come to this place again and again and to be some small part of the story of this institution and America's story. My only ambition in Congress has been to look after my family and keep my word to the people that sent me here, to let my yes be yes and my no be no. And it is my hope that as people review the totality of my record and my life, they'll see that we've done just that. But there are those to thank tonight that made that possible, and that's what brings me to this task this evening. First, permit me to give thanks to God, whose grace and mercy has sustained us every day that we have served the people of Indiana in this place. Next, and on this earth most of all, I rise to honor and thank my beloved wife, Karen Pence, whose love, whose support, whose sacrifice, patience and kindness, have made all that I have done in the service of the people of Indiana and this place possible.…”