Kevin Brady: “John Lewis was many things. He was a father. He was a Congressman. As you know, he was a civil rights pioneer who…”

“John Lewis was many things. He was a father. He was a Congressman. As you know, he was a civil rights pioneer who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a husband. He was a son of the South, one who walked in the wind to bring equality to America and is now walking in the heavens with his Creator. He was a colleague. John was all these extraordinary things, and he was also my friend. We are a better Nation and a better people because of him. This institution, of all of our country, will miss him dearly. I always struggle to explain back home just what an extraordinary person he was. To know John was a blessing. To get to work with him on so many important issues on the Ways and Means Committee, including the first reform to the IRS in over two decades, making important improvements to Medicare for our seniors and those who need our help the most, that was an honor of a lifetime. I served with him on the Ways and Means Committee for many years. He was a warm, needed, inspirational presence in that storied committee room. When I look down the dais, I will be sad to miss my friend. But I will always be proud to have had the privilege of working with such a remarkable spirit. Each day he walked in these halls, we all witnessed firsthand his remarkable integrity, his intelligence toward the complex policy issues we debate, and his willingness to work across the aisle if it means Americans will have greater dignity, opportunity, and equal rights.…”