On the recordNovember 28, 2012
I thank the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding me the time, and I join with our Democratic leader and with the Speaker of the House in supporting the pending measure. {time} 1310 Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill, otherwise known as Tip, was first elected to represent the 11th Congressional District of Massachusetts in 1952, and he continued to serve for 17 terms. During his 34 years in Congress, he served as a chair of the Select Committee on Campaign Expenditures, majority whip, majority leader and, finally, Speaker of the House. Speaker O'Neill holds a special place in my own congressional career because when I was sworn in at the beginning of my first term in Congress in 1977, it was also Tip's first year as Speaker of this body. He held that post for a decade, making him the second-longest-tenured Speaker in the history of the House of Representatives. Now, there is a litany of legislative accomplishments that could be described as defining the career of Thomas P. O'Neill. However, his most remarkable guidepost was his dedication to Federal programs that addressed the needs of the poor, the middle class, the sick, the fallen, and our working men and women across this great country. Speaker O'Neill was an unabashed supporter of the New Deal and believed that the government had the ability and the responsibility to provide for those in need.…
