Joe Barton: “Thank you, Congressman Hoyer. It has been my pleasure to serve for 26 years on the Energy and Commerce Committee with…”

“Thank you, Congressman Hoyer. It has been my pleasure to serve for 26 years on the Energy and Commerce Committee with the distinguished gentleman who is having his 85th birthday. What some of our newer Members may not know is what a gentleman Chairman Dingell is. And the uniqueness of his character is he will impart his wisdom to those of us in the opposition party and encourage us to then go out and use it against him, knowing that he is smart enough, tough enough, and effective enough to beat us at our own game. He is truly a paragon of this Congress, and will go down, in my estimation, in history as one of the top 10 Congressmen or -women of all time. I want to extend him my warmest 85th birthday wishes and get him to guarantee that as long as he is able he will serve in this body, because he is truly a treasure for both sides of the aisle.”