Recognizing the 92d birthday of Ronald Reagan.

Mr. Speaker, we are here today to commemorate the birthday of President Reagan. As you know, he turned 92 just a few days ago, and as you know, Mr. Speaker, we were delayed in honoring him here on the floor because of the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy. It is fitting that we remember President Reagan in this context because in his time, during his presidency, he helped heal and bring together our Nation in the wake of the Challenger disaster.

Just as his words honored the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger, President Reagan's eloquence continues to comfort and console us as we now remember the fallen crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia. President Reagan's words of January 28, 1986, speak to us 17 years later with all of their original force and beauty. He said, ``We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye, and `slipped the surly bonds' of effort and `to touch the face of God.' ''

At 92, President Reagan is America's oldest President ever. The previous record was set by John Adams. You remember, Mr. Speaker, that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day, and they died, even more remarkably, on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

As we think back years from now, as we think back on our founding, on our founders, on the Declaration of Independence and our great Presidents, I am quite sure that we will recall Ronald Reagan, for he has already distinguished himself as one of America's most remarkable individuals.

Any one of his careers would itself be worthy of recognition by this Congress. He was an accomplished sports announcer on radio. He was a very renowned film actor. As you know, he was one of the best-known actors in America. He was a labor leader, twice elected president of the Screen Actors Guild. He was a very successful two-term Governor of California, and a very successful two-term President of the United States, elected twice in landslides.

He was called the Great Communicator, in part because he spent so much time on television explaining his policies to us. He was quite good at it. But it was more than communication skill, because he had something very important to communicate. Lady Thatcher, then Prime Minister Thatcher, compared Ronald Reagan to Winston Churchill. She said, ``Like Winston Churchill, he made words fight like soldiers, and lifted the spirit of a nation.''

If the events of September 11 have taught us anything, it is that America still requires a strong national defense against enemies who would destroy freedom and democracy.

When Ronald Reagan became President, we had endured an era of national malaise, bereft of any sense of moral direction. Throughout his term of office, throughout 8 of the fastest-moving years in history, President Reagan brought our Nation back with his Irish twinkle and that homespun style of his, which seemed never to abate. He brought a new assurance to America.

He not only was America's oldest President, he was one of America's most active Presidents ever, and he was one of the most energetic leaders of the Free World that the world has ever seen. With a toughness that we had not seen in a long time, he stood toe-to-toe with what he unabashedly described as the Evil Empire. For such moral clarity, he was dismissed as naive and dangerously undiplomatic.

When he said, ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,'' he was criticized. The realists among us knew that the Soviet Union was going to be there forever and we should learn to accommodate it. President Reagan saw a different future, and he worked hard to bring it about. As a result, hundreds of millions of people, not just in the Soviet Union, but throughout Central and Eastern Europe, were liberated.

If he were with us here today, President Reagan would humbly acknowledge that he appreciated the birthday wishes on the 53rd anniversary of his 39th birthday.

When former President Clinton was running for office, he once said America needed a President for the '90s. Perhaps now, if we could repeal the 27th Amendment, we could have a President in his 90s. Hope springs eternal.

Mr. Speaker, President Reagan and his vision will not be forgotten. His love of country and his ability to see the best in all of us revitalized our common faith in the American dream. President Reagan's enthusiasm and big-hearted spirit of America continues to inspire us with a vision of our potential and the limitless possibilities that dwell just beyond the horizon.

As he said at the end of his D-Day speech in Normandy, we can say of President Reagan: Mr. President, we will always remember, and we will always be proud. Happy birthday.

Mr. Speaker, happy birthday to Ronald Reagan. I am sure Nancy is watching, and she knows how much we care for and love Ronald Reagan; and she has been at his side from the beginning.

I met Ronald Reagan when I worked in his campaign for Governor in 1966. I worked on both of his presidential campaigns; and then, after he won his presidential race in 1980, I went with him to the White House for 7 years and worked with him as one of his principal speech writers. Let me note, I had never written a speech for anyone before I wrote a speech for Ronald Reagan as President of the United States. He taught me all about speech-writing. We always used to say, if President Reagan was not a President, he was a good enough writer to be the President's speech writer.

But more than that, his skill was his principles that counted. He had principles and ideals. He had a philosophy that included an economic philosophy and a personal philosophy. He brought about a change in the national spirit that saved America. He brought about a change in the economy that saved America. He brought about a change in America's strategic position that saved the world. His tax cuts turned our economy around and gave us the longest period of growth in American history. And yes, there were deficits. But had we not had Ronald Reagan's economic policy in place, those deficits charted out the way it was before Reagan would have been twice as big as what happened under Reagan's period of growth.

Bill Clinton could not even change the direction that Ronald Reagan started. That is how strong an influence he was on the American people. Remember, right up here, Bill Clinton declared the era of big growth or big government is over.

But what is most important, Ronald Reagan, criticized by people on the other side of the aisle, criticized as a war monger, criticized as someone who had a bad heart, stood firm and strong, supported freedom in the world, and demanded that Gorbachev tear down the Wall. This is what changed the world. It was his strength of character, even when he was being criticized personally and undermined every step of the way for political purposes, he stood strong and the will of the Communist bosses in Moscow crumbled, for the first President they ever had to stand up, who really believed in freedom and democracy and was willing to make that part of America's offensive policy against Communist tyranny.

That changed the world. It has made it safer. It gave us the opportunity to spend less money, hundreds of billions of dollars less on a national defense over the years. We would never have had that respite, except that Ronald Reagan stood firm. When people said, let us have a nuclear freeze that leaves the Soviet Union in a dominant position, Reagan said no. If we are going to do anything with nuclear weapons, it has to leave us both on par. We will have a mutual reduction of nuclear weapons, and that is exactly what happened. They said it could never be done, and they called him a war monger for demanding something that could never happen, that the Communist bosses would never agree to.

Mr. Speaker, we are all the recipients of Ronald Reagan's wisdom. We all are benefiting from the strength of character of this man who carried us from uncertainty and in retreat and left an America on the rise, an America that was growing economically, but an America that was reinvigorated in its commitment to freedom and justice and to treat the people of the world decently. We captured, we captured the hearts and souls of the people throughout the world, the young people, especially those in the Soviet Union.

Today, we should take heed of what Ronald Reagan did and remember, those people in Iraq are our greatest ally. Those people in China are our greatest ally, those people who want democracy and freedom and suffer under their tyranny; and we should be on their side and we too can make this a better and more peaceful world as Ronald Reagan did. We are grateful to Ronald Reagan. Happy birthday, Ronald Reagan. We are grateful to you. We really appreciate it.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 19) recognizing the 92nd birthday of Ronald Reagan.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.J. Res. 19.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, House Joint Resolution 19, introduced by our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox), recognizes the 92nd birthday of President Ronald Reagan.

Last Thursday, February 6, Ronald Reagan became the first President to reach the age of 92. This resolution honors the man whose very name represents an era, a leader who saw in America that shining city on a hill when we had lost our sense of national purpose.

Reagan's legacy transcends the decade in which he served. He has become the standard bearer of expectations for modern-day Presidents. And as time passes, history is judging him well. Those who once doubted Reagan's vision have come to recognize his greatness.

During two terms in office, Reagan bounced back from a would-be assassin's attack with humor and courage. In an all-too-familiar scene, he comforted a Nation coping with the loss of our Challenger 7, and he kept his promises. Reagan campaigned on tax relief, and he delivered tax relief. In the process, he fueled record growth and expansion.

Reagan's accomplishments were not just on do the domestic front. At the Brandenburg Gate, he defied the diplomats and said what millions of Americans were thinking: ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.'' Today, we know that Communist Russia was shaken to its core by this new type of a leader, one who was not afraid to stand tall for freedom.

Now I hope this House will join all Americans in honoring President Reagan's 92nd birthday and, more importantly, his remarkable life.

Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I urge all Members to support the adoption of House Joint Resolution 19.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox), the distinguished sponsor of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for introducing this very worthwhile measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Beauprez).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Chocola).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Garrett).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), who knew and worked very closely with President Reagan.

Mr. Speaker, for all of the reasons that have been articulated by my esteemed colleagues, I urge adoption of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 92nd birthday of our 40th President, the honorable and great Ronald Reagan.

We live in a world today that is very similar to the world that Ronald Reagan faced as President in 1981 to 1989. Just as the President overcame an economy that at the time was buried in a recession and he fought to rid the world of communism, so too our President today, George W. Bush, is working hard to put in place an economic package that will spur on the economy, while continuing to fight terrorism, both here and abroad as well.

President Reagan entered the White House in 1981 when the economy was in a recession. His solution to that problem was dubbed then, and we still call it today, ``Reaganomics.'' It involved an immediate and across-the-board tax cut; and it was designed to create jobs, encourage investment, and provide economic efficiency in this country.

His policies essentially laid down the foundations for a prosperous and generous society. His tax cuts eventually led to higher government revenues, not less; greater economic efficiency and, ultimately, pulling us out of that recession.

President Reagan also took a strong moral stance against communism on all fronts. Knowing that our Nation faced grave threats on a daily basis, he provided our military with the resources they needed at that time to get the job done, and they were able to get the job done.

President Reagan is really one of the greatest figures of our time, and he will be remembered in the White House and in this Nation as a man of great talent and great character.

We must honor his legacy today by continuing to ensure that tyranny is

conquered by liberty and that every American sees permanent tax relief in their checkbook.

I believe we do this, Mr. Speaker, by continuing to make every effort to stand for freedom, defend our citizens, and to help make the world a safer and better place to live. We do that by bringing terrorists to justice and spreading prosperity to all Americans with job creation and immediate tax relief.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself of such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, a bigger-than-life screen actor and television personality, Ronald Reagan moved from being Governor of California in the 1960s to President of the United States and dominating American politics in the 1980s.

He was the first President to be reelected to a second term since Dwight Eisenhower. Media-made and media-presented, Ronald Reagan got millions of Americans to feel proud of their Nation. America's 40-year Cold War with the Soviet Union cooled considerably and perhaps actually ended during Reagan's presidency. Many Americans credit him with having achieved what became a significant outcome.

Born the son of a shoe salesman in small-town Illinois, Reagan's impoverished but loving parents instilled in him a sense of optimism that carried him through college as an average student. After graduation, he worked for a few years as a sports broadcaster in Midwestern radio before landing a film contract with Warner Brothers, which took him to Hollywood in 1936. Over the next 30 years, Reagan made scores of films, including many Army films produced during World War II. He hosted two popular television series and he actively engaged in politics as president of the Screen Actors Guild.

In the 1950s, Ronald Reagan changed from being a Roosevelt New Deal Democrat to a conservative Republican. In 1966, he became Governor of California. He was reelected in 1970. Using his popularity in California, Reagan unsuccessfully challenged President Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination in 1976. He tried again and won the nomination in 1980, and thereafter defeated the incumbent Democrat, Jimmy Carter. With his 1984 reelection victory, President Reagan became the most politically successful Republican President since Eisenhower.

Today, we celebrate former President of the United States Ronald Reagan's 92nd birthday. We wish him well, and trust that he will continue to carry on.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.