Claudia Tenney: “It is a beautiful tribute to a wonderful woman who has inspired us all. So much of what Mr. LaMalfa said about her sense…”

“It is a beautiful tribute to a wonderful woman who has inspired us all. So much of what Mr. LaMalfa said about her sense of humor. I always think of the great leaders that you meet. You think of some towering figure, but Ileana was a towering figure in her very small body, and I think of a few things about her: Her courage and her tenacity and her willingness to be truthful and to fight the fight. And also a couple of things that I learned from my father that I find that, when I find people with these rare qualities, like Ileana, her unwillingness to succumb to victimhood. She is a fighter. She has never felt sorry for herself. She is always fighting the good fight for other people who are less fortunate than she is. She probably doesn't even recognize that is one of her great, inspiring qualities that I saw in her. And, also, her willingness to not hold a grudge and to be bipartisan and to reach across the aisle and to work with other Members without sacrificing her values and her integrity. This may be the first Special Order that we are going to hear on the great Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, but I am not sure it is going to be the last. We still have, luckily, hopefully, a few more months, or several more months of her right to the end of the year, and we will be able to continue to honor this really amazing person who has graced this institution with leadership, with tenacity, with courage, with passion and compassion for those who are less fortunate.…”