Spencer Cox: “Tillie Fowler was a giant in this Congress. Though she served only four terms, 100 percent faithful to her pledge to…”

“Tillie Fowler was a giant in this Congress. Though she served only four terms, 100 percent faithful to her pledge to limit her service in this House, she rose to our elected leadership, and she kept us focused on national security as our highest priority. She was called the Steel Magnolia because she was a hybrid of a southern belle and a marine drill sergeant. She was best known for her roles on the Committee on Armed Services and in the House leadership where she consistently was the voice of the military, calling for a defense budget and defense resources always sufficient to keep America strong. It was Tillie's intellect and her willingness to work across the aisle that advanced her to a preeminent position as vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference and as a deputy minority whip for 6 years. Today, as the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, I miss Tillie Fowler more than ever because nowhere was her national leadership more in evidence than in her work toward terrorism preparedness.”