Respected colleague. It, long lost a dear ime good friend. He came in 1996 to this body. Every time i ran for a leadership position my friend, elijah cummings, nominated me. The passing this morning of chairman delie gentleman cummings of the committee on oversight and reform was a painful shock to all who have served with him. It more, of course, to his family. Dr. Rocky moore cummings, his wife. His children, his three children. Elijah was a profit of god ,rophet of god whose name means y god is the lord. Elijah cummings was true to his name. He was the leader for our country, for our state of maryland, and we have the members, including our favorite daughter. He was a leader for our state. He was a leader like our brother john lewis for principle, for civility. He was a quiet man who did not seek the limelight, but he was afraid to step out into the arena and fight hard for the causes in which he believed strongly. And as all of us know, those equality, justice, opportunity, civil rights, education, children. He liked to say that children are the message we send to a uture we will never see. His parents sent elijah into the future and how much better the future was. He was beloved by his constituents, both those in the city of baltimore and those in its suburbs. Was ndeed, it elijah probably better loved in my district than i am. Most of my colleagues will understand that, of course. He worked hard. Even in his final days the speaker is going to speak, im sure she will Say Something about a telephone call she had with him just days ago doing the peoples business. As his health faltered, his passion for his work did not. In the days ahead we will have many opportunities, of course, to speak about our friend, elijah, about his passion for service, his many contributions to maryland and our nation, and his deep convictions as a moral leader and a man of decency and love for his neighbor. Some of you will recall elijah at the time of great distress in and ore anger, outbusts, elijah walked among them as a man of peace. And like no other person in our state, brought peace where there was no peace. Well have opportunities to remember that and we have a chance to reflect on o the love he had for his wife and his three children. Today in remembering elijah cummings, we have a chance to promote the vision he held of the peoples house coming together in a spirit of unity and purpose. Sadly, today, that purpose is to mourn his passing and remember a dear friend who will no longer be with us as we continue his work to which he gave his all. But hopefully his example will be with us. Elijah used to say when he saw conflict and confrontation. When he saw things he thought were not up to the standards we had set for our country and for ourselves because of our faith or our constitution and our declaration, he would say, we are better than that. T us all say as we human beings do things that from time to time are not kind to one another, not thoughtful, not respectful to one another. Let us say to ourselves, we are better than that. Thats what elijah said to himself. In that spirit of unity i will be yielding shorled to the republican leader to share his reflections. But first as i referred to as marylands favorite daughter, i am honored to yield to the speaker of the house, nancy pelosi. Nancy pelosi dalesandro. She would say Nancy Dalesandro pelosi, i understand that. But we are so proud of our speaker. Madam speaker. The speaker thank you very much. Very disconcerting day for so many of us here. Thank you, mr. Hoyer, for bringing us together to mourn the loss of our dear friend and colleague, elijah cummings. Thank you for your beautiful statement calling forth so many of the beautiful attributes of elijah cummings. As you spoke i was reminded of how he always was a calmer, calming of the waters. No matter how rough and tumble things would be, he would always just calm the waters. Reach out across the aisle or across the issue, across the capitol, down pennsylvania avenue. I know that the people of baltimore, congress, and america have lost a voice. A clarity and truth, beloved mr. Chairman, elijah cummings. Personally devastated by his passing as i know many of us are. We have the flowers in his place where he sat, where we all sought counsel, learned more, calmed down by the wisdom and the graciousness and the goodness of elijah cummings. In the house, elijah cass the north star. He was the leader of towering character and integrity whose sterned voice and steadfast values pushed the congress and country to give rise to a higher purpose of why are we here. His principled leadership as the chair of the government oversight and reform was his commitment to restoring honesty and honor to government and leaves a powerful legacy for years to come. As a Senior Member people think of him as that chairman. But meaning so much to him was his role as a member Senior Member of the transportation and infrastructure committee. He was always fighting for his district, for his state of maryland, and for the country. He was a powerful voice for Building Infrastructure of america and for creating goodpaying jobs. The working class guy in terms of who he was here to serve. I was very proud of him as a member of the u. S. Naval Academy Board of visitors. He took great pride in the Naval Academy. His role on the board, and marylands role in our national security. I know we have some Naval Academy grads here, that was a source of great pride. You have taken me to a new level of decisionmaking in terms of national security. Chairman cummings told the story of america, sharecroppers son who dedicated his life to advancing justice, respecting human knit human dignity, and ending discrimination. He believed in the promise of america because he had lived it and he dedicated his life to advancing those values that safeguard our o republic, justice, equality, liberty, and fairness. As mr. Hoyer said, our distinguished leader said earlier we were always listening to elijah and these flowers remind me of it because of growth and renewal that are there. Children are the living messengers we send to the future, a future we will never see. But he also wanted to build a future that was worthy of the aspirations of our children. He always wanted to make sure that they took with them the values, the values which nurtured him and that he was promoting in his public in his public service. Earlier this year, chairman cummings, he asked us, when we are dancing with the angels, the question will be what did we do to make sure that we kept our democracy intact . Hes now with the angels. Out of pain. Mella said this morning he fought the fight right up until the end. Those of us who communicated with him, i didnt know it was this close. I thought he was coming back in a few weeks. But our members, my republican colleagues, we had a Conference Call on friday, this past friday, not a full week ago, which elijah, as always, passionate about what he believed in, dispassionate in how he conveyed a plan for how we would go forward with fairness, justice, dignity. Worthy of the oath of office that we take to the constitution. Worthy of the vision of our founders in establishing this institution and worthy of the aspirations of our children. His words, messengers to a future we will never see. His leadership made a difference in strengthening our democracy. Again during difficult times has drawn strength from his righteous words that the leader has been reminding us all day. We are better than this. We are better than this. In the congress well miss his wisdom, his dignity, the brilliance of his mind, the kindness of his heart, the friendship that meant so much to us and that we could all call upon. In baltimore we will miss him as a champion. May it be comfort to his wife and convey the good wishes of the congress to whom i have conveyed the good wishes of the congress this morning, be a comfort to mella, his three children, and chairman cummings entire family. I want to add to that his dedicated and devoted staff in every capacity as a member, chairman, as a member of the committee whom he just treated with such fairness and respect to his staff to may be a comfort to them all that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time. May he always be inside our hearts nd how we will be accountable when we are dancing with the angels. God bless you, elijah. But well never forget you and your legacy in united ress of the states and house of representatives. Pleased to yield back, sadly. Madam er thank you, speaker, for your remarks. Felt very strongly about you and the support of you and your leadership and how proud he was that you were from the city of baltimore that he greatly. And now im privileged to yield minority leader, another good friend of elijahs, my mccarthy from california. My friend y i thank for yielding. I thank him for his words and i thank the speaker. Than just a member elijah ess when we lost cummings. She talked about bringing calmness. Have you served in this body that we have been this calm nd this quiet and this reflective . Elijahs work is still good with us right now. Enormous ummings had presence. Times hed be an adversary. He was a respected adversary, tough. He was he had such a presence on this impression aisle and that when we would sit inside committee, and maybe im breaking the rule, we are never supposed to talk about there, whenever wed select a chair or ranking ember, this is the one committee we weighed who we went against. We spoke of e selecting an individual that can occasion, to be in debate with him, wed look for strong. Thats and every time someone would was selected, theyd come back to be very best friend of elijah cummings. Its a tough committee. Its a committee of accountability. Its a committee of debate. You how many friends would call me and be in fear because they got a letter cummings. Was a man of fairness. Dont know this because in committees at times you have these debates, but when youre and ranking chair member, what we would talk elijah would share with us the life lessons. You know what he would say to the chair or the Ranking Member on the other side, what hed same to jim hed say to trey gowdy . Shared with me today, never stopped talking even though he left congress. Jordan shared with me today he was talking to elijah just ast week about committee business. A story and bout on one pretty tough prosecutor. Trey is a prosecutor and can get point. And elijah turned to him and said, not a government employee. Family and she has children. Ou can be a little softer next time. And that hit on his heart. A world todayr in hat when they look at us, they get this persona through cameras social media, but it doesnt show our character. There the only ones who get window into one anothers character of how we act. Ones who should share the message. Was so strong in his beliefs, i am afraid some people what type wont know of character he actually had. As a member of congress and not as a political figure but as a person. Because thats how i knew elijah. Fighter. So many times in his life people old him no and hed say, he could. A was a leader, but not in sense that america probably thinks as a member of congress. Is entire life he wanted to overturn racial injustice. A member shared with me the him time he got to know was on a codel down in mexico. Ost of the bus people were asleep because its one of those long trips. Himelijah sat and talked to and this member was from the south and he talked how his grandparents were there but his moved him away. Because he felt he would have a of er chance just because the color of his skin that hed education. R i jah didnt only heard respect for how he carried out the business. We respected him because he was good. We respect him because he beat us many times. We respect him because what he fought for he believed in. Deepest prayers go to maya, because in those life lessons that window that we get to see, its not the easiest to in these jobs. We have a lot of things pulled us, but we knew where his heart stood, where his family mattered, and where he continued to believe in. So, yes, today we lost more than a member. As the days progress, as the times change, and our heated again, that we reflect on this moment of on this momentct of thinking of one another, and the idea that, yeah, television may give us a persona who we are but, yes, you and i get to see the window of the character of us. And every one of i think thats what elijah would want us to do. That his honor, lets find tomorrow will be better than today and that this calmness last longer than the next vote. I yield back. Mr. Hoyer i thank the gentleman for his remarks. Speaker, i rit, mr. Will ask for a moment of silence. Before i do that, let me of the leaderarks aisle. Other side of the a moment of silence will not be to respect life of elijah cummings. Will be enough is if we ollow his example for a lifetime, not for a moment, but lifetime. If we give one another the to ect that he would give us, if we give one another the onsideration that the leader him, ted that he gave to so, mr. Speaker, i will ask that of silencer a moment nd a lifetime of following an example. The speaker pro tempore the chair asks that all members to for a moment of silence in remembrance of our and colleague, the honorable chairman elijah e. Cummings