Political Quotes

“at the close of the 104th Congress we will, with regret but with pride in having known him, bid goodbye to a valued friend and a dedicated Member of this Chamber, the Honorable Sam Gibbons of Florida. I have had the privilege of knowing the dean of the Florida delegation for more than 25 years and during most of that time we served together on the Ways and Means Committee. There he has served with the highest distinction, particularly as chairman of the Trade Subcommittee, a position which I now have the good fortune to hold, and later as chairman of this powerful committee with paramount jurisdiction over taxes, trade, welfare, Medicare, and Social Security. However, I believe it is his commitment to free and fair trade for the United States which constitutes the greatest legacy of the honorable Member from Florida. He has guided numerous trade policy milestones through the sometimes contentious legislative process, including the historic passage of the United States-Israel Free Trade Agreement, the United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement, the subsequent North American Free Trade Agreement, and the Uruguay Round Multilateral Trade Agreements. On both a bilateral and multilateral basis, he has worked tirelessly to expand markets and improve trade relationships all over the world.”