Farewell Address

FAREWELL ADDRESS -- (House of Representatives - April 28, 2005)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. PORTMAN. Madam Speaker, I want to start by thanking the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), who just gave us a wonderful presentation. He is a dear friend. And as I am about to say, there are a number of people in this Chamber I am going to miss, and the gentleman from Texas is certainly one of them.

Madam Speaker, last month I was asked by President Bush to join his Cabinet as the next United States Trade Representative. And tonight I am told that it is likely that the Senate will take up that nomination. If I am confirmed, I am told this will be my last opportunity to speak on the House floor. It is kind of awkward not having the confirmation fully completed, but I do not want to miss this opportunity to say a couple of things to my colleagues.

First, I rise tonight with very mixed feelings. If confirmed, I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to serve our country on the important trade issues that we face. But this was not an easy decision. I am going to miss serving the people of the seven counties in southern Ohio's Second Congressional District. It has been the greatest honor of my life, and I will be forever grateful to the people of the second district for giving me the privilege to serve in this great House.

I ran for Congress 12 years ago to try to make a positive difference in the lives of people and to take the commonsense values and the common sense of the people of southern Ohio to Washington, D.C. To do that, I needed the help of my constituents, who stretch from downtown Cincinnati about 150 miles east through beautiful rural Ohio, all the way to Portsmouth, Ohio. Over the years that has happened.

So many people welcomed me into their homes, into their schools, their businesses, on their farms, into their hospitals, into their places of worship. Others have attended my town meetings, visited with me at parades, county fairs and festivals and invited me to speak at their meetings.

I will miss these sessions, and I will miss the valuable input that I have received. The people of the second district have helped me get a better sense through these meetings of the needs and concerns of the small business owners, the parents, the teachers, the veterans, our seniors, our young people.

Madam Speaker, one thing I am really going to miss is going into the classrooms and reading the children's book called "House Mouse, Senate Mouse," which I would recommend to my colleagues if they do not know about it.

It is a great way to try to explain to kids what we do here and the important work of our legislative branch.

These experiences throughout the district have also made me more hopeful, Madam Speaker, about our future, as a region, but also as a country. I have met so many people and been so encouraged by the dedication of those people, who work hard every day to make our communities a better place to live and to work, and make our communities safer, stronger.

In particular, I will be forever impressed by those who selflessly volunteer their time and their knowledge to help others. And, of course, all of us must be forever grateful to those men and women in uniform who serve us and who put their lives on the line every day for the people.

Together, my constituents and I were able to achieve some great things for our people in the district and across the Nation. We successfully worked together on a wide variety of projects back home, ranging from providing needed funds for the construction of a world-class National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on the banks of the Ohio River, to saving and creating jobs at the Portsmouth Uranium Enrichment Plant in Piketon, an important part of our national energy strategy.

As a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, I am the vice-chair of the Committee on the Budget and a member of leadership, I have also had the opportunity to play a role in some important accomplishments here in Congress; welfare reform, lowering tax rates to improve the economy, responding to the attacks of 9/11 and strengthening our military.

I was also able to take some specific legislation that I authored across the finish line to be signed into law. Often my legislative partner in that was my friend from across the aisle, a good friend and a thoughtful legislator, Congress Ben Cardin of Maryland.

Some of our legislative successes included laws to stop unfunded Federal mandates; the first comprehensive reform of the Internal Revenue Service in more than 50 years, including adding more than 50 new taxpayer rights; four new laws that have helped reduce substance abuse and its consequences through prevention and education; and, of course, three laws that today allow people to save more for their own retirement. All these accomplishments help people.

I could not have done it without incredible staff, and I want to thank my dedicated staff, both past and present. I am so proud of them, so grateful for their professionalism, their skill, their commitment to and compassion for the people of Ohio's Second Congressional District. Without their expertise, their hard work, these accomplishments that I mentioned would not have been possible.

And I want to thank those in the office of the House Clerk who are here tonight, late, and who are always here for us, those in the cloakroom, those in the Doorkeeper's Office, the Capitol police officers and so many others who have become my friends here and who serve us so well as Members and serve our country well.

Madam Speaker, I am very proud of my time here in Congress, and I am proud to have served with a lot of great men and women who are here for the right reasons and who serve honorably. They are good public servants and many have become good friends.

There are too many Members, both Republican and Democrat, for me to mention here tonight, but there is one Member I would like to single out, and that is Dennis Hastert, the Congressman from Illinois's Fourteenth Congressional District. He is known by a lot of different names. He is the Speaker to all of us, he is Coach to a lot of us, he is a loving father, grandfather and husband. But to me, Denny Hastert is a good friend and he has been a mentor. I will be forever grateful to him for the opportunities he has given me to serve in leadership and for the many things that he has taught me.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will wrap up tonight now with a plug for the Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which I do feel strongly about, but with a few words about the most important people in my life.

I would not be here today without the strong and constant support of my family. My inspiration for serving and for giving back to the community comes from my parents. I was blessed with two great parents, they have been tremendous role models, and I cannot put into words the gratitude I feel for them.

I am also very fortunate to have the best partner I can imagine in my wife, Jane. She does a lot for our community and she is the best mother I can imagine.

I could not be prouder of my three kids, Jed, Will and Sally for their many accomplishments. I himself also thankful for their willingness to allow me to serve, to have allowed me to serve here with my colleagues, to allow me to serve the people of Southern Ohio, and to have given their blessing to this new responsibility I will be undertaking, which will require me to travel more than I would like and to be away from them more than I would like.

I mentioned at my announcement that my 10-year-old daughter Sally had to an admit to me that she had never heard of the U.S. Trade Representative, she joins a lot of other people in that, but she said it sounded like a really neat job. And it is. And it is a really important job. Trade affects every one of us. It affects our economic future in very fundamental ways. It also is fundamental to freedom and prosperity around the world.

Fortunately for me, the trade issues are also important to the U.S. Congress, and the House and the Senate are actively involved in so many issues that will come across the desk of the U.S. Trade Representative. As a result, if I am confirmed tonight, I will have the opportunity to work very closely with Democrats and Republicans alike on both sides of the Capitol.

This makes it a little easier, Madam Speaker, to leave the Congress. I want to thank you for allowing me to take the time tonight to express my mixed emotions as I contemplate leaving this, the People's House.

Good night, and Godspeed

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