On the recordJune 11, 2015
Once again, I want to thank Chairman Ryan. He epitomizes what can happen when we find a cause that is good for our country and good for the rest of the world. I thank Speaker Boehner, who allowed this meaningful leadership agreement to move forward; Congressman Nunes, who enthusiastically supported the extension of AGOA; my dear and long-time friend from Utah, Senator Hatch, who managed to keep the bill as clean as possible during this journey with the other house; Senator Bill Nelson, who is a longtime friend and supporter of the extension of the trade agreement that we have with Haiti; and also the African Diplomatic Corps. They certainly did gain the confidence of Republicans and Democrats as they shared their problems and their ability to overcome some of the objections that Members had. But most of all, and I know that Chairman Ryan joins me in thanking the staff on both sides of the aisle. We can come up with the great ideas, as we normally do, but it takes the staff to put them in the position and put the legislation in place so that we can move forward with it. So on behalf of the chairman and all of the Members that have played a part in the historic extension of this legislation, I want to thank the staff members that made it possible to bring us to this point that we can pass this important piece of legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.
