Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise to honor truly a great American, a real-life hero, who I was fortunate enough to have as a colleague for 4 years, including the 2 years serving together on the Ways and Means Committee. Congressman John Lewis has been an inspiration to me from a very young age. I remember the first time I saw him on the Walter Cronkite evening news. He was walking across the Pettus Bridge in Selma. I felt very strongly about him and what he was doing. Madam Speaker, I was 10 years old, and I found him to be inspiring. He was purposeful. He was driven to make a difference. He was driven for ``good trouble.'' As a result of his action and because of the action of another gentleman who was a part of the Big Six, Whitney Young, I worked at the Urban League. I recall being elected to the Pennsylvania State House at 26 years of age, and it was John Lewis that inspired me, though I had never been to Alabama, but I had seen him on television. I remember that impression that he left upon me, because--although I had heard all the words I have heard today--I had never seen such determination. So you can imagine growing up in the city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, him from Selma, Alabama, and the influence he was having. I also honored him by welcoming Congressman Lewis to the southeast part of Pennsylvania for a gun reform ceasefire. I recall introducing him. I recall all of that.…”