House Special Order on Protecting America's Values — Congressional Record, September 15, 2020
Summary
Page H4423 of the House section of the Congressional Record for September 15, 2020, in a special order on protecting America's values. Baird of Indiana speaks on freedom, equality and opportunity, and a speaker on riots says the David Dorn Act of 2020 increases the maximum imprisonment penalty for rioting to 10 years and sets the minimum fine at $1,000. The speaker says the answer is not to defund peace officers but to defend them, and that in the Commitment to America House Republicans propose to increase funding by $1.75 billion for better police training. The page closes with a tribute to Rebekah and a list of Members on the Committee on Oversight and Reform.
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“House Special Order on Protecting America's Values — Congressional Record, September 15, 2020.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-09-15-crec-2020-09-15-pt1-pgh4423-b4fe47aaa2/
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September 15, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H4423
Daily we are shown footage of yet an- nizing and promoting a riot to partici- yield to the gentleman from Indiana
other riot in one of America’s great pating or assisting those who do. Those (Mr. BAIRD).
cities. Mobs are destroying property, who loot and destroy must be held to Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I appre-
defacing buildings, breaking out win- account. ciate the time, and I thank my friend
dows of family-owned businesses, and That is why I am proud to support from Texas for giving me this oppor-
looting the merchandise. Cars are H.R. 8031, the David Dorn Act of 2020. tunity.
being set on fire, and people are getting This bill increases the maximum im- Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor
hurt. prisonment penalty for rioting to 10 the timeless American principles of
We need safe and secure neighbor- years and sets the minimum fine to freedom, equality, and opportunity.
hoods again. We need law and order to $1,000. These principles are the foundation on
be restored. We need peace to prevail in It sends a clear message to rioters which our Nation was built, an idea
our hearts, in our families, and in our that their reckless actions are rep- that all men are created equal and
communities. rehensible and that we are committed have certain unalienable rights given
That is where our peace officers come to making sure not a single peace offi- by our creator.
in. They are the ones who keep the cer faces the same fate as David Dorn. You can come to America and be free
peace. They are the ones who allow our The answer to this mayhem is not to to pursue your dreams and be equal to
families to live in safety, security, defund our peace officers; it is to de- your peers in the eyes of the law.
peace and quiet. We need that now. We fend them and to give them the tools There are some people who believe
need them now. that they need to keep the peace. that socialism is a better tool to
They sometimes are called law en- In the Commitment to America achieve the American Dream. Using
forcement officers. That is accurate, House Republicans announced today, history as a guide, we know that this is
but I like another term, peace officers. we propose to increase funding by $1.75 wrong.
Because that is what they are. billion for better police training, com- Our Constitution is special because it
Every year during Police Week, May munity policing, and more equipment, limits the power of government while
15 is designated as Peace Officers Me- including 500,000 more body cameras. safeguarding our freedoms and our civil
morial Day to pay tribute to the local, This is the right way to secure the rights.
State, and Federal peace officers who peace, not by destroying our neighbor- As we strive to make this country
have died or who have been disabled in hoods. better, let us remember the selfless
the line of duty. Mr. Speaker, I call on all Americans Americans who throughout our history
Sadly, I have had a police officer to work together to be peacemakers have struggled, fought, and died in the
from my district, whose name was and restore peace and quiet and secu- hopes of creating a more perfect union.
added to this memorial. And sadly, rity to our neighborhoods and to em- I will fight to keep America as the
many more names are going to be brace and defend the values that made shining light on the hill.
added to the memorial next year, in- America great. Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the
cluding a selfless peace officer from Now is our time of decision; now is gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Missouri named David Dorn. when we will choose which road we will ARRINGTON).
David had served his fellow man pre- go on; and now is the time to stand up Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, we
serving the peace for over 38 years. He and to defend what we know is best and have one more defender of America’s
was a loyal friend, a devoted husband, true and right and will truly bring se- values, and he is a constitutional
and a beloved member of the St. Louis curity and peace to our neighborhoods. scholar and attorney, but he also is the
community. And on the night of June Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I leader of the largest conservative cau-
2nd he volunteered to help a friend in thank the gentlewoman and dear friend cus in the Republican Conference and a
need who owned a small business, from the Show Me State for showing us dear friend of us all. We are grateful for
which was in danger of being destroyed the right path to condemn this vio- his time, Mr. MIKE JOHNSON from the
by looters and rioters. He didn’t want lence, to support our men and women great State of Louisiana.
his friend’s life’s work to be turned in uniform who are risking life and Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the
into rubble, so he went down to help by limb to keep us safe and to keep the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. JOHN-
sitting in front of the business and, bad guys away. SON).
hopefully, discouraging any harm from Mr. Speaker, how much time is re- Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr.
being done to his friend’s business. maining on our Special Order? I fear Speaker, I give thanks to both the gen-
Tragically, David was fatally shot by my time is running short, as you stand tlemen from Texas for organizing this
violent protestors, and left to die on from your chair. Special Order tonight, to all of our col-
the sidewalk. His execution was broad- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- leagues who have spoken tonight, and
cast live on Facebook while his son tleman from Texas has 15 seconds re- to my dear friend Congressman BAIRD
watched at home. No arrests were maining. for all that he has given for his coun-
made. His killer got away in the thick- Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I try. The words that he shared he means
et of violence and riots. know we have 30 more minutes that from his heart, and he has shown and
Nothing about this protest was the gentleman from Texas (Mr. ROY) proven that.
peaceful. There are peaceful protests, was kind enough to share in the con- We organized this Special Order to
and I commend them. There is a na- text of Defending America’s Values. talk about protecting America’s values
tional conversation that is worth hav- Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative and protecting our communities.
ing to ensure everyone feels safe in our CHIP ROY for joining me tonight on the There is a lot of outrage. There is a
communities, but what we are seeing Special Order, and I yield back the bal- lot of alarm in the country today. And
night after night in many of our cities ance of my time. it is justified.
is not a peaceful protest. It is thugs hi- f It was just a couple of days ago, of
jacking a legitimate cause to advance course, in Los Angeles where two sher-
PROTECTING AMERICA’S VALUES iff’s deputies, a 24-year-old man and a
their agenda of personal gain, anarchy,
and destruction. And it must end. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under 31-year-old young mother, were bru-
We must work to bring peace back the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- tally attacked as they just sat in their
into our communities by restoring law uary 3, 2019, the Chair recognizes the police cruiser.
and order, by valuing our selfless peace gentleman from Texas (Mr. ROY) for 30 As they were rushed to the hospital,
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with HOUSE
officers, and by establishing clear puni- minutes. protesters were blocking the entrances
tive consequences for those who incite Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the and exits to the emergency room,
violence. gentleman from Texas (Mr. ARRINGTON) chanting: ‘‘We hope they die. Kill the
for organizing this Special Order to police.’’
b 1845 talk about such an important topic. It is outrageous. It is alarming.
We must deter and stop those who in- Mr. Speaker, I have some things that This is just the latest example, of
cite riots in any capacity, from orga- I am going to talk about as well, but I course, of the violence and vitriol
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H4424 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 15, 2020
going largely ignored by the Democrat ment of our imagination. One month posturing by the true privileged who
majority in the House. Unfortunately, after the chairman made those re- play sports for a living?
it is the predictable result of what hap- marks, a self-proclaimed Antifa mem- These are real people.
pens when leaders make radical calls ber murdered a Trump rally partici- David Dorn died June 2 at 2:30 a.m. in
to defund the police. pant in Portland in cold blood. the middle of the street after he was
We have widespread unrest in major We have been calling for weeks for shot in the torso while attempting to
cities across this country right now. the chairman to hold hearings in the protect a friend’s pawnshop from sus-
We have violent riots and businesses Judiciary Committee to look into this pected looters. Mr. Dorn had served 38
being destroyed and law enforcement widespread violence. We in the Judici- years in the St. Louis Police Depart-
officers being targets of heinous ary Committee are uniquely situated, ment before retiring.
crimes, things that would have been because of our jurisdiction, to dive into David Patrick Underwood died from
unthinkable even a couple of years ago. this crisis of leftwing violence and for- gunshot wounds after he was shot from
In Portland, we have leftwing groups mulate policy solutions that will pro- a vehicle on May 29 in Oakland, Cali-
that set a police station on fire, be- tect the life and property of all Ameri- fornia. He was working as a contract
sieged a Federal courthouse for weeks cans. But the chairman would rather security officer for Federal Protective
on end. sweep things under the rug and brush it Services.
In Seattle, leftwing activists created off as a mere myth. According to authorities, the man
an autonomous zone, they said. They The Democrat silence and charged in the murder of Mr. Under-
evicted police and occupied the aban- dismissiveness have turned into a real wood had specifically traveled to Oak-
doned precinct. life-or-death situation for millions of land with the intent to kill police. He
In Chicago, 31 police officers were in- Americans now. thought he could get away with it due
jured in riots that occurred in July and I know our side is ready and willing to the large protest gatherings.
August. to act. This is not just idle discussion Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller was in-
In Minnesota and Wisconsin, rioters
tonight. We are not just standing up vestigating a suspect vehicle linked to
exploited peaceful protests as a vehicle
here talking about America’s values this case when he, too, was killed after
to incite violence and create chaos.
and the need to protect our commu- being ambushed with explosive devices
Here in the Nation’s Capital just up
nities. We are ready to act. and an assault rifle. He had served the
the street, leftwing groups staged a
It is time to call out these leftwing Santa Cruz County community since
mock execution of the President of the
groups for what they are, to denounce 2006.
United States and then harassed people
specifically the violence and the chaos Shay Mikalonis, a Las Vegas Metro-
as they left the White House.
The economic fallout from all this, of they create, and to restore law and politan Police officer, was seriously in-
course, will be disastrous. The human order for the American people. This ac- jured after being shot in the head while
toll will take generations to recover. tion is our responsibility, and it is long attempting to disperse protesters in
We have seen reports from minority- overdue. We will keep pushing on this June.
owned small businesses, for example, in side of the aisle to make this happen. This week—we have already alluded
these communities where a person has Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman to it—two L.A. County sheriff’s depu-
worked their entire life just to build a for the time, and I appreciate what my ties were sitting in their vehicle when
business, to build a legacy to pass friend stands for. they were ambushed and shot, am-
along to their children and grand- Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the bushed and shot in the streets of Los
children, all to have it go up in flames gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. JOHN- Angeles. The deputies, a 31-year-old
SON) for his heartfelt remarks about mother and a 24-year-old man, were
because their city leadership refused to
preserve law and order. something that is such an important transported to a local hospital. While
We have seen the President’s actions, topic. I thank him for his steadfast fighting for their lives, a group of
and we know that he is doing all that commitment to the Constitution. protestors arrived at the hospital and
he possibly can to restore order in Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman shouted: ‘‘We hope they die.’’
these cities. But, of course, he is being from Texas (Mr. ARRINGTON) for ar- This is what is happening on the
rebuffed by these leftwing mayors at ranging this earlier gathering where we streets of America right now, and it is
every turn. could all join together in this impor- being fomented by our so-called na-
I mean, the Portland mayor has re- tant moment to talk about this. tional leaders.
jected offers of Federal assistance mul- Mr. Speaker, I would like for those Again, I would like to say, where is
tiple times. The rioters who are actu- sitting at home to focus in on this the people’s House? Going out for a
ally arrested by local police are simply number 43. This number 43, you want fundraiser? Having a nice dinner here
released by the district attorney so to know what this number represents? in Washington, D.C., right now? Get-
they can just return again to create This number represents the number of ting a steak dinner with somebody,
chaos the next evening. law enforcement officers who have patting each other on the back? Where
Despite this stonewalling, Attorney been killed thus far in 2020—43 law en- are they?
General Barr is doing his job. Sec- forcement officers who have been Mr. Speaker, do you hear the echo of
retary Wolf is doing his job. They have killed thus far in 2020, over 40 percent my voice? It is echoing for a reason.
been able to secure the arrest of dozens more than in the same period in 2019. This Chamber is empty, with the ex-
of bad actors, but we all know this is Eight were categorized as premedi- ception of one or two colleagues.
just the tip of the iceberg. tated murder. Two were a victim of Where is the Speaker? It is almost
The question remains, what do we in unprovoked attacks. Eight fatal shots like that book, ‘‘Where’s Waldo?’’
Congress begin to do to tackle this were fired at pointblank range, zero to Where is the Speaker? Let’s walk
issue? 5 feet from the officer; eight shot in the around Washington, D.C. Let’s go try
I would suggest that my friends on front of the head, two from the back of to find the Speaker because she sure as
the other side can start right here in the head, six in the neck, nine in the heck is not here right now on the floor
this building by at least first acknowl- chest. of the House of Representatives leading
edging that there is a problem. I mean, These are 43 law enforcement officers this body. We are sure not having any
it doesn’t seem too much to ask to de- who have lost their lives in 2020. votes right now. We are not having
nounce the violence that is plaguing so Where is the NBA? Where is the amendments. We are not having any
many parts of the country. NBA? debate.
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with HOUSE
Mr. Speaker, you could imagine our Where is the Speaker of the House? Forty-three. Forty-three dead law
dismay in the House Judiciary Com- That is what I want to know. Where is enforcement officers.
mittee when we heard our chairman the Speaker of the House? Condemning
call the Antifa violence in Portland a 43 law enforcement officers who have b 1900
‘‘myth.’’ been murdered. You know what else we are not focus-
I mean, he contends that all this Are their names on the back of any ing on? The businesses destroyed by
chaos and destruction is merely a fig- jerseys, or is that just for preening and riots and the businesses ravaged by
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September 15, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H4425
government shutdown in the face of a having a debate in this Chamber. We taurants closing, family-owned estab-
virus. never do that. lishments that have been there for dec-
As we talked about all these riots, I We haven’t had a vote on an open ades closing.
read with interest the story of 93 per- amendment on the floor of the House Now we are playing Russian roulette
cent peaceful, leaving 7 percent since May of 2016. That is both parties with other people’s lives. You have got
unpeaceful. All the headlines said 93 in control of this Chamber, by the way. local politicians and Governors who
percent peaceful. That is absurd. It is facially absurd. have shut down people’s livelihoods:
Well, how about that 7 percent, in- We are a nation governed by a Rules wineries, breweries, distilleries, live
cluding roughly 550 violent demonstra- Committee that throws bills on the music venues, restaurants unable to
tions across the county since June? floor and then says: Hey, you are going stay in business in significant part be-
Minneapolis Star Tribune: More than to vote on this with a gun to your cause of government action, in part be-
360 businesses across Twin Cities van- head, and we are going to put whatever cause of the virus and people’s con-
dalized, looted; 66 destroyed com- we can in there to make it a tough vote cerns.
pletely by fire. Property damage to so that we can then run ads against Why aren’t we doing something right
more than 1,500 locations. Set fire to you and then have a campaign in No- now?
nearly 150 buildings. vember. What is more important at 7 tonight
Insurance experts estimate the cost That is no way for a representative than us, this body, meeting and coming
to be $500 million. government to work. up with solutions? A dinner? A fund-
Portland: $20 million in damage. We make policy based on Twitter. We raiser? An interview on MSNBC, CNN,
How about some of these headlines? don’t have legitimate hearings where or FOX? Some meeting with some
‘‘Riots, Arson Leave Minnesota Com- we go through all of the information higher-ups and the Speaker and the
munities of Color Devastated.’’ and make tough additions, roll our leader and some folks in the adminis-
Philadelphia, ‘‘Philadelphia Black- sleeves up. That is the way this body is tration telling us what to do when we
Owned Businesses Damaged and supposed to work. It hasn’t worked are every bit as duly elected as they
Looted.’’ that way in a long time—either party are? But that is what is happening, be-
New York Times said: ‘‘ . . . busi- in control, by the way. cause there sure as heck isn’t anybody
nesses, already ailing from an outbreak One day we might aspire for this on the floor of the House Chamber here
of the coronavirus that has been par- body’s approval rating to jump above at 7.
ticularly devastating to small and mi- 20 percent. Wouldn’t that be some- Over the last 180 days, since mid-
nority-owned business, may not re- thing? But why would you approve of March when we all left, around spring
cover.’’ this body? What do we ever do? break time for a lot of our kids, over
FOX Milwaukee: ‘‘Many Milwaukee Rhetorical question. this 6 months, 180 days, we have met
businesses damaged by vandals during I would actually like to ask the ques- and voted, I think, 19 of those days.
violent protests are minority owned.’’ tion: What do we actually do? Today might be the 20th. That is ab-
Between May 25 and June 8, in the We sure as heck don’t pass appropria- surd. And none of those votes, by the
heat of a lot of these protests, at least tions bills that have any chance of way, were us actually sitting down
17 people were killed. being reasonable or financially pru- here and debating.
What is the carnage in the Black My friend agrees. He knows.
dent. $27 trillion of debt later, we are
Have we been down here debating?
community? I read a stat recently that barreling toward $30 trillion. Every- Have there been any grand debates
upwards of 45 percent of Black-owned body knows it. Our dollar is going to be here on the floor of the people’s House?
businesses have closed down since the devalued. Our economy is going to be There have not.
beginning of the pandemic as we know weaker. Our kids are inheriting $30 I can’t tell you how many Members
it and during this time of civil unrest. trillion-plus of debt. on the other side of the aisle and this
Is the NBA wearing anybody’s names What are we doing? side of the aisle I talk to about want-
who lost a business on their jersey? Are The Speaker, leader in the Senate, ing to restore regular order. It is the
they painting any of their names on Treasury Secretary, they are all meet- fundamental problem we have among
the floor while they make $20 million ing in rooms—I don’t ever see any of our so-called leaders in this town is we
to play basketball, or $50 million? No, this stuff till I read about it in the don’t do that.
I don’t see that. press—figuring out which number they Right now, we have H.R. 7894 that I
Why aren’t we having a resolution are going to put in front of trillion for did with my friends Congressman CUR-
here with 435 Members saying we stand some deal. TIS, Congressmen WILD, MEUSER, VAN
up for law enforcement? That is not to Why don’t we start with a bill on the DREW, a number of folks, bipartisan,
say we can’t have a vigorous debate floor of this Chamber? For example, that would extend the PPP.
about court-created qualified immu- why don’t we just start with a PPP ex- You know what? I don’t care. Don’t
nity. tension bill? Why not? use that bill. There is the RESTART
I am a conservative. I don’t like We managed to pass a bill in June, Act. There are others. But why don’t
courts creating law. I don’t like that DEAN PHILLIPS, freshman Democrat we just pull up a bill, debate it, and
the court created qualified immunity from Minnesota, and myself, seven vote on it? It is a novel idea.
and that is not as perfect as we could pages, because we ignored the normal Or no, why don’t we just wait for the
make it. But I believe there should be process. And we went out and we got a powers that be to put together a $3 tril-
some level of immunity, so let’s have bunch of support for it and we, basi- lion bill that has virtually no chance of
that conversation. Let’s debate it. cally, forced the issue. We got a vote getting any kind of unified support be-
Let’s discuss it. and it extended the PPP, granting true cause it has got 50 different moving
Or I can just sit here and speak to an reprieve and help to small businesses in parts and then wonder why the Amer-
empty Chamber and have a speech that Texas and throughout this country. ican people look at us and say: What is
is on C–SPAN and then tweet it out, The PPP is at 5.2 million loans and wrong with you?
and then there will be some speeches $525 billion since the spring. In Texas, Just put a bill on the floor and let’s
and people will go out and then there over 400,000 loans of $41 billion. Eighty- debate it and vote on it. What are we
will be an election in November. six percent of the total count were less afraid of? I am happy to vote, and my
Let’s be honest. We know that is than $150,000. The average loan is constituents can choose what to do in
what all this is about: posturing for a $101,000. November. But let’s debate and vote.
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with HOUSE
November election. We have $130 billion left. Why don’t That bill I just mentioned, it has 35
Well, you know what? I could be out we extend it? Why don’t we add to it? significant organizations and entities
doing one of these dinners. We could be Why don’t we make this work for small that support it: National Restaurant
doing something. We are all in races. businesses that, I am told, in Texas are Association, a bunch of the business
Or we could be right here doing our going to run out of money in Sep- community that supports it.
darn job, because that is what we tember, run out of money in October: Fine. Again, I don’t care, that bill,
should be doing. We should actually be live music venues closing, small res- another bill. Let’s just have a bill and
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H4426 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 15, 2020
a vote on a bill that will help our small with poise and self-confidence. Re- b 1915
business community. bekah learned to work through her dif- She loved America; she loved her
But again, where is the Speaker? ficulties and blossomed into an aspir- God; she loved Jesus Christ; and she
Why are we playing politics with small ing architect and historian. She would loved her German Lutheran heritage.
businesses? I don’t get it. eventually follow her big brothers to She will be remembered as a very good
Where is the Speaker? Where is this Trinity University. German who loved her God, her family,
body on 43, 43 dead law enforcement of- Rebekah was a student of history and
and her country.
ficers, up a significant amount, almost a lover of architecture. She loved to
She served as an inspiration to me
50 percent since last year? read about World War II, particularly
I would say, as I said before, that bill and someone that I have honored, am
the Battle of the Bulge.
that we got passed in June on a bipar- I thank my friend, a veteran, for honoring now, and will continue to
tisan basis, the PPP bill we passed in coming in and holding this for me just honor as I serve not just in the United
the spring, this is just my district as I am talking about the sacrifices of States Congress but the rest of my life.
alone, the district I represent, Texas our wonderful World War II generation. Thank you, Rebekah. While your
21: businesses supported, 18,400; non- As a self-described architecture geek, time on Earth has come to an end
profits supported, 511; total jobs sup- she worked hand in hand with her fa- sooner than we all would have liked,
ported, 90,900; funding distributed, over ther to design their new home. your legacy will remain long after. You
$600 million. That is one congressional Having just finished her freshman are an inspiration for many and will
district. year at Trinity University, Rebekah not soon be forgotten.
Let’s do our job. Let’s pass an exten- was just beginning to come into her I thank my friend for his assistance.
sion of that. own. I thank Rebekah for her service. I
Mr. Speaker, how much time do I Her classmates at Trinity University thank her family for their love and
have remaining? remember her as a devoted Christian support that they are offering to each
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- who lived out her faith every day: other and everybody in the commu-
tleman from Texas has 7 minutes re- warm and enthusiastic, charmingly nity.
maining. silly and unsure of herself, but brave I will just say this in closing. We all
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I would like and willing to ask for help. They will have these stories. We all have people
to use the time that I have remaining also remember her as a keenly aware we lose. I went through a battle with
not lamenting some of my frustrations friend. cancer. We are here to make this coun-
about the floor of the House but talk- Her family will forever remember her try better. We are here to represent the
ing about why it matters. I would like as the introvert who just needed a people of the United States. I would
to talk about this magnificent young stage to perform on; the sister who was just ask that we come together and
lady, Rebekah Wendt. already planning out who would host let’s solve those problems. Let’s roll up
I rise here tonight to remember Re- Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving; our sleeves and do our job. That is
bekah, who loved her country, a mar- an apologetic history buff who would what we were elected to do. And let’s
tyr who lost her life striving to do blurt out a fact only to excuse herself stand up for America together.
what we all came here to do: to make for being a self-described nerd; an old Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance
America better. soul who found comfort in ‘‘MASH,’’ of my time.
Rebekah is the granddaughter of ‘‘Golden Girls,’’ and anything vintage;
f
Chuck and Judy Wendt, daughter of a fighter who overcame the odds and
Tim and Erika Wendt, and sister of two never gave up on her dreams, with a LETTER SUBMITTED PURSUANT
of my staffers, one current and one smile that lit up rooms and a roaring TO SECTION 4(b) OF HOUSE RES-
former, Jonah and Manfred Haden laugh that the whole neighborhood OLUTION 965, 116TH CONGRESS
Wendt. knew. COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND REFORM
On July 10, a little bit before mid- Her mother, Erika, will fondly recall
SEPTEMBER 14, 2020.
night, I received a phone call from my her daughter as her best friend, kitch-
Hon. NANCY PELOSI,
aide, Jonah. He informed me that his en partner, an ally in all things gluten- Speaker, House of Representatives,
sister, Rebekah, had just passed away free, and caretaker of her two brothers. Washington, DC.
in a car accident while working on a They need some caretaking. DEAR SPEAKER PELOSI: Pursuant to section
campaign in west Texas for a candidate Her father, Tim, will never forget de- 4(b) of House Resolution 965, we are writing
she believed in to make a little extra signing the family’s new house with his to inform you that the Committee on Over-
money to buy textbooks for school. beloved daughter. While Rebekah may sight and Reform has met the requirements
Rebekah Susanna Wendt was born on have gone to Heaven, the family house for conducting a business meeting outlined
May 12, 2000, to Tim and Erika Wendt. will remain here on Earth as a testa- in regulation E.1 of the remote committee
proceedings regulations, inserted into the
She was baptized on August 13 of 2000 ment to her love and devotion for her
Congressional Record on May 15, 2020, and
and confirmed on May 17 of 2015 at St. family. that the Committee is prepared to conduct a
Paul Lutheran in Fort Worth, Texas. Following Rebekah’s service, a friend remote meeting and permit remote partici-
She was a rising sophomore at Trinity of the Wendt family noted that the fu- pation.
University, which I am proud to rep- neral had reminded her of Matthew In meeting these requirements, the Com-
resent. 25:21: ‘‘Well done, my good and faithful mittee held a non-public business meeting
On July 10, 2020, she was embraced at servant.’’ rehearsal on Friday, September 11, 2020; pub-
the pearly gates of heaven by our Lord Well done, Rebekah. You have run lic full Committee hearings with remote par-
and Savior Jesus Christ. She was greet- the race. You have kept the faith. ticipation, including on Thursday, Sep-
Rebekah’s story has touched the tember 10, 2020; and public subcommittee
ed by those who had gone before her: hearings with remote participation, includ-
Oma, Opa, Anita, Willard, and Jeff. lives of many people who she didn’t
ing on Monday, August 3, 2020.
Rebekah’s story is nothing of inspira- even know. Sincerely,
tional. She passed away doing what I CAROLYN B. MALONEY, Chairwoman,
As a child, Rebekah struggled with pledged to do when running for Con- Committee on Oversight and Reform.
language. Speaking, reading, and writ- gress: preserve the promise of America Wm. Lacy Clay, Eleanor Holmes Norton,
ing—putting her thoughts into written for our children and our grandchildren. Stephen F. Lynch, Jim Cooper, Raja
language—were difficult for Rebekah. She didn’t have to be out on a cam- Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Debbie
Many thought she would never be able paign knocking on doors during a virus Wasserman-Schultz, Peter Welch,
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with HOUSE
and all the chaos of 2020, but she did. In Robin L. Kelly, Brenda L. Lawrence,
to read, but she overcame and flour-
fact, Rebekah was not particularly po- Gerald E. Connolly, Jamie Raskin,
ished. Kweisi Mfume, John P. Sarbanes, Jack-
As a child, she was able to do what litical, but she loved her country, and
ie Speier, Mark DeSaulnier, Stacy E.
most adults today cannot even do: ask she was proud of our history and all Plaskett, Jimmy Gomez, Ayanna
for help. who had come before her in the name Pressley, Katie Porter, Alexandria
Rebekah had a wonderful gift for the of life, liberty, and the pursuit of hap- Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Members,
fine arts. She danced and sang choir piness. Committee on Oversight and Reform.
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