Jim Renacci: “I want to thank my colleague for yielding time. As a Representative of the 16th District of Ohio, I really want to thank…”

“I want to thank my colleague for yielding time. As a Representative of the 16th District of Ohio, I really want to thank each one of the departing Members for their service to not only the State of Ohio, but our country. First, Steve Austria, he has become a friend. As a new Member getting to know the House of Representatives, Steve has become a good friend, a tireless advocate for Ohio and his district, but even more important, an advocate for Wright-Paterson Air Force Base during the BRAC process. He also fought to keep KC-135s at Rickenbacker Air and National Guard Base and the C-27Js at the ANG base in Mansfield. That's not just important for Ohio, but also for national security. I want to thank him for his service, and best of luck. The next individual, Dennis Kucinich. Dennis has been a true steward for northeast Ohio. While we don't agree on some of the issues, I have always considered Dennis a very close friend. He has often offered to help me over the past 2 years when it comes to northeast Ohio. I have genuinely enjoyed our discussions, many times traveling back and forth from Washington, D.C., to Cleveland. I will miss serving with Dennis and wish him the best of luck going forward. Congresswoman Schmidt also, when I got here 2 years ago, was someone who I knew that I could turn to. She's been a great leader for her district and someone who has really stepped up when it comes to energy issues in the Ohio delegation, specifically on re-enriching uranium.…”