Hal Rogers: “Let me thank my colleague from Florida for yielding me this time. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a very heavy heart to…”

“Let me thank my colleague from Florida for yielding me this time. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a very heavy heart to honor the memory and service of our dear friend and colleague, Bill Young. Bill served in this House and he served this country for decades with compassion and distinction. I have not known this institution without him--most of us are in that same situation--and I believe it will take a long time to fill the hole that his absence has left. As an appropriator, he was a role model for all of us. When I became chairman of the committee, I knew I had some very large shoes to fill in following in the footsteps of Chairman Young, among others. He fought with determination and enthusiasm to make this country a better place. Bill was a champion for our troops and veterans especially, both in the Halls of the Congress and outside. His fierce determination and dedication to our troops and veterans never wavered. As we all know, he and his dear wife, Beverly, were to be found very frequently at Bethesda or at Walter Reed in the city or at a hospital overseas where troops were sick, and they spent hours and hours helping those who were injured. He was, of course, the chairman of the Defense Subcommittee on the Appropriations Committee for many years.…”