Political Quotes

“I come to pay tribute to the life of Ray Baum, the Republican staff director of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Ray passed away on Friday after a courageous fight against cancer. I will always remember Ray as an optimist. During our ongoing committee negotiations on an autonomous vehicles bill, Ray was always pushing us, looking for a solution that both Democrats and Republicans could support. He was always optimistic about our prospects. Thanks to his prodding, we were able to pass a bipartisan bill out of the committee. Ray was also extremely committed to being a public servant. When we marked up the Republican's ACA repeal bill, the markup went on in committee all night. Ray was sick at that time, but he refused to leave the markup. Finally, Chairman Walden, his staff, and mine convinced Ray to go home. But that did not stop him from watching the lively debate all night long on C-SPAN from home. In fact, my staff was still getting emails throughout the night. My thoughts and prayers go out to Ray's family, Mr. Speaker, the staff of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and everyone else who knew Ray. He is going to be sorely missed. ____________________”