Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, as the senior woman in the U.S. House, I wanted to say thank you to Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the senior Republican woman in the House, and to say with poignance I received her decision recently to retire from our beloved House. Ileana has been the first Cuban American elected to Congress, the first Latina elected to Congress, and the first Republican woman from Florida to be elected to Congress. She ably chaired the Committee on Foreign Affairs during her tenure, and there were many sessions when new Speakers were sworn in when she and I tabulated the results of that very important election. I can remember when her children were born. I can always say she handled her service with great distinction, with great honor, with great humor, and she made friends on both sides of the aisle. I am glad that she is staying through the remainder of this session, but I must say that this House will lose a spark of brilliance and of wit when she chooses to leave us. I will also say that it has been a particular joy to serve with her because no matter what the issue, no matter what the time of year, no matter what the hour of day, she always approached her position with great professionalism. I regret her leaving, but I know her service has made a difference. For women across America, since she first arrived in 1989, our numbers have quintupled. We now have over 100 women who serve in this House with distinction, and she has helped blaze that path. Mr.…”