Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for giving me the opportunity to speak on my mentor, my hero, EBJ, who, you see, when I arrived in Congress 11 years ago after the death of my father, the late Donald Payne, Sr., EBJ put her arm around me and said, everything is going to be all right, and whatever you need, I will be there for you. So I rise today to honor a mentor, a trailblazer, and an esteemed former Member of Congress, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson. Representative Johnson served the 30th Congressional District in Texas with distinction for 30 years, and she was the first registered nurse ever elected to Congress. We hear of all the firsts, that our honored colleague was able to break through those ceilings. In the 1960s, Representative Johnson fought for minority women's rights, and her work inspired her to start a long and distinguished career in politics. As we have heard, she was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1972. I have a picture that hangs in my office of my father on the rostrum, as freshman Members are allowed to take their picture there when they arrive here in Congress. My father is standing there at the podium, and right next to him is EBJ. So I am fortunate that I will have a memory of her every time I enter my office in New Jersey.…”