Columbia Space Shuttle Memorial Study Act

Madam Speaker, the House just isn't going to be the same without Henry Hyde--one of the rarest, most accomplished and most distinguished Members of Congress ever to serve.

Henry Hyde is a class act. He is a man of deep and abiding faith, he is generous to a fault and he has an incisive mind that works seamlessly with his incredible sense of humor. He is a man who inspires and challenges us to look beyond surface appeal arguments. He is a speaker of truth in a society that all too often is willing to accept cheap sophism, the plausible and the fraudulent. And Henry Hyde compels us to take seriously the admonitions of Holy Scripture to care for the downtrodden, the vulnerable and the least of our brethren.

The Almanac of American Politics has written that Henry Hyde is ``one of the most respected and intellectually honest members of the House'' and ``has proven himself as one of the most eloquent members of the House'' and that his ``speeches are classics.''

In abortion debates Henry Hyde remains the great defender of children and their moms, the champion of the most fundamental of all human rights--the right to life. Because of the Hyde amendment countless young children and adults walk on this earth today and have an opportunity to prosper because they were spared destruction when they were most at risk. With malice towards none, Henry Hyde often took to this microphone to politely ask us to show compassion and respect--even love--for the innocent and inconvenient baby about to be annihilated. In one speech here on this floor he stated, ``for over two centuries of our national history, we have struggled to create a society of inclusion--we keep widening the circle of those for whom we are responsible--the aged, the infirm, the poor. Slaves were freed, women were enfranchised, civil rights and voting rights acts were passed, our public spaces made accessible to the handicapped, Social Security for the elderly--all in the name of widening the circle of inclusion and protection. This great trajectory in our national history has been shattered by Roe v. Wade and its progeny. By denying an entire class of human beings the welcome and protection of our laws, we have betrayed the best in our tradition. We have also put at risk every life which someday someone might find inconvenient. What I ask here today, ``welcome the little stranger.''

In another speech on U.S. foreign policy in the 21st century given in Committee back in 2001, Henry eloquently summed up the challenges and I quote in part ``As a new century opens, the United States finds itself at a unique moment, not only in its own history, but in that of the world as well. We stand at the pinnacle of power: in virtually every area--military, economic, technological, cultural, political--we enjoy a primacy that is unprecedented and virtually unchallenged. Our potential at times seems unlimited, to some perhaps even permanent. . . . But as pleasant as these thoughts may be, I confess that I also see much that concerns me. . . . The concern I speak of is the longer-term, specifically how well we will use the enormous power we currently possess to secure the future for our country and the generations to come. The wealth of opportunities we currently possess are not permanent; the luxury of choice may be a passing one. To believe that we shall always be above the fray, untouched and untouchable by the forces of destruction still at work in this world, is a dangerous illusion . . . The principal problem, the one that concerns me the most, is that we have no long-term strategy, no practical plan for shaping the future. . . . Despite our power, we must resist the temptation of believing we can fix every problem, indulge in every wish. Part of our strategy must be to decide what we cannot do, what we choose not to do, and to ensure that others take up their responsibilities. . . . So even as we revel in our good fortune, my great hope is that we will use this gift of time to plan for the future, unhurried, uncoerced, but mindful of the task at hand, aware that our opportunity to do so is a mortal one. The choice is clear: We can either shape the future or have it shape us. A century ago, Britain stood majestically at the height of her power. Within 40 years, the knife was at her throat, and she survived only because the United States was there to rescue her. But, Mr. Secretary, as you are well aware, there is no one to rescue us. That is why we must think long and hard about how we can use the opportunities that Providence and the labors of two centuries have provided us to so shape the world that the need for rescue never occurs.''

A Congressman for 32 years, a Chairman for 6 years of the Judiciary Committee and for another 6 years Chairman of the International Relations Committee, Henry has been a prodigious lawmaker. With uncanny skill, determination and grace, he has crafted numerous, historic bipartisan laws and common sense policies that have lifted people out of poverty, helped alleviate disease, strengthened the U.S. Code to protect victims and get the criminals off the streets and has been magnificent in his defense of democracy and freedom both here and overseas.

One of his many legislative accomplishments includes his authorship of the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a 5-year $15 billion plan to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. During the debate Chairman Hyde was positively incisive as he compared the HIV/AIDS crisis to the Bubonic plague of the 14th century--the black death--and challenged us to enact a comprehensive program, which we did, to rescue the sick, assist the dying and prevent the contagion from spreading.

Having served with this brilliant one-of-a-kind lawmaker for my 26 years here, I hope Henry Hyde knows that I--and so many others--will truly miss him. He is as irreplaceable as irreplaceable can get.

Madam Speaker, we meet here today to commemorate the service to the United States of our colleague Henry Hyde of Illinois. Henry

Hyde, from our Sixth Congressional District, currently is retiring as the chairman of the House International Relations Committee and has become one of the most intellectual and respected Members of the House.

Henry comes from Chicago Earth. Raised as a Catholic and a Democrat, he was an all-city basketball center when he went off to college in Georgetown and then enlisted in the Navy. Henry Hyde served our country in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946, serving in the Lingayen Gulf and then the Reserves from 1946 to 1968, finally retiring from the Navy as a commander. After the war, he finished college and law school and practiced law in Chicago and in 1958 switched parties, convinced that Republicans were in line with his anti-communist beliefs. He ran for the House in 1962 and lost by a six-point margin.

He then ran for the Illinois House in 1966. He served as the majority leader between 1971 and 1972. He ran for Speaker of the Illinois House, but didn't make it after a narrow battle.

Henry was elected to the Congress in 1974, after originally planning to run as president of the Cook County Board until Congressman Harold Collier told Henry that he was not going to run for Congress again. Hyde's first campaign for Congress was against the Cook County State's Attorney, Edward Hanrahan, and in that race Henry won by a victory of 53 percent.

It was a big Democratic year in 1974, but what a leader the people of the Sixth Congressional District elected when they chose Henry Hyde, not only as chairman of the International Relations Committee but also of the Judiciary Committee and someone who had a key role in expanding the fight for freedom and democracy in Central America.

I first worked closely with Henry Hyde when I served in the United States State Department on behalf of the Central American Peace Process. It was Henry Hyde, his intellect and his voice, that saw the growing danger in Central America. It was Henry Hyde that helped lead this House on a bipartisan basis to back the democracy in El Salvador in its resistance against a communist-backed insurgency. It was Henry Hyde that worked with the Assistant Secretary of State Bernard Aaronson to back elections in Nicaragua where for the first time a communist dictatorship was lulled into an election and then defeated by the people there. It was Henry Hyde that really laid the groundwork in this House as a minority Member on behalf of a new pro-democracy strategy in Central America that ended all of those terrible wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua and in Guatemala, laying the groundwork for peace, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, and much greater prosperity and security.

Today, we, his colleagues, mark his service, since 1974 in this House of Representatives, as an intellectual leader.

I would now like to recognize Congressman Ray LaHood for his remarks on the service of Henry Hyde to our country.

Madam Speaker, I would like to yield now to my colleague from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).

Madam Speaker, I would now like to yield to another admirer because Henry had so, so many admirers on both sides of the aisle and one of them was our colleague from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

(Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, we have a number of admirers of Henry Hyde. One who served with him longer than almost any other Member in the House of the Representatives is my colleague from California, Congressman Lungren.

Madam Speaker, Henry Hyde was known as a strong Republican partisan, but he also had a number of bipartisan achievements, one of them in backing the assault weapons ban, also in supporting Jesse Jackson, Jr. on his effort to build a third airport in Chicago at Piaton. And one of the men who have worked with Henry Hyde and seen his legacy is my colleague from Illinois, Congressman Lipinski, and I yield to him.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the majority leader.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize one of his subcommittee chairmen, Congressman Royce from California.

I yield to the chairman of the Agriculture Committee, another

Henry Hyde aficionado, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).

(Mr. GOODLATTE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I thank the chairman. Pat Durante, who has worked for Henry Hyde since 1974, said that Henry is now in the Guinness Book of World Records as having done the most number of parades of any sitting Member of Congress at that time.

To mark that service, I yield to my colleague from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo), the chairman of the Small Business Committee.

I thank my colleague from Illinois.

Madam Speaker, I would just note that the conference report on the bill that we just filed, H.R. 5692, is called the Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006.

To mark that bipartisan spirit of Henry's leadership on our foreign policy, that partisanship should end at the water's edge, I recognize my colleague, Congressman Faleomavaega.

I yield to my colleague, Henry Hyde, a neighbor and colleague representing DuPage County, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), the Speaker of the House, and also a next-door neighbor of Henry Hyde in his service.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

It is a privilege and a distinct pleasure to be able to say a few words about Henry Hyde, someone I consider to be a friend but also who I consider to be part of the institution of the House of Representatives and in many ways a true hero.

We count probably on one hand the number of inspirational people that we either have read about in history or have met in person. I count my father as one of my heroes. I count Abraham Lincoln as one of my heroes. I count Ronald Reagan as one of my heroes, and I count Henry Hyde as one of my heroes. Of that group, there is only one with whom I was able to serve in the House of Representatives on the Judiciary Committee for 10 consecutive years, a number of those years sitting directly beside Henry Hyde. He was not only an excellent practitioner of the art of politics, but he was a true scholar. If you have ever had the opportunity to sit with Henry Hyde as he thinks about a response to a question, thinks about a response to an argument that has been made on the floor or the committee, you see a man in real thought, in deep thought.

If you have ever had the opportunity to be there when he then began his response, you were educated, you were edified, you were inspired by what he had to say. And you knew he took it seriously, but he never took himself too seriously. We could do no better in this House of Representatives as we embark on a new Congress in which the majority has shifted, and as we attempt to try and figure out how we treat one another, to think of the example of Henry Hyde.

I can recall in the years when we were in the minority, Henry Hyde oftentimes arguing in the well of the House with passion and compassion, with intellect, sometimes with a slight bit of humor, sometimes even sarcasm, but it was good-natured sarcasm. And as he ended, he would go to the other side of the well and seek out his opponent and oftentimes give him or her a playful punch in the arm and tell them a joke to alleviate the pressure. And that was Henry Hyde, fighting for his principles, but always attempting to have a level of civility in this House that we desperately need.

Henry Hyde was here a couple of years before I first came in 1979, and he was sitting on the floor of the House with another Member when a certain appropriation bill came through, and they thought, you know, we have been talking about doing something on the issue of the unborn, and maybe we ought to put pen to paper and write out an amendment. That was the birth of the Hyde amendment, not something that had been done by staff, as good as they are, and worked on for months or for years, but sitting here on the floor of the House, inspired by the debate that had gone on and thinking, you know, maybe I can make a difference by just writing out an amendment and sending it up to the Clerk and having it read, having it introduced and having it become an issue of prime importance on which Members can disagree here; but there is no doubt that it, in many ways, focused that debate in a very serious way, and it continues to this day.

I was with Henry Hyde when he thought about the speech given by the Governor of New York, Mr. Cuomo, at my alma mater, Notre Dame, about the proper role of someone who has faith and seeks to be a politician and elected official. And Mario Cuomo's speech at Notre Dame was lauded by many across the Nation as the best exposition of one in public life attempting to try and make that proper balance between their private views and their public views. But Henry was troubled by the overall approach that was utilized by Governor Cuomo, and he had the opportunity to respond about 2 months later when he spoke to the law school at the University of Notre Dame. He later put that speech in a small book and it was called ``For Every Idle Silence.'' And it is a phrase that suggests that we will be held responsible, not only for every act that we do, but for every idle silence we do in the face of a moral dispute. If anybody has the occasion to go back and look at that speech, it is one of the most profound statements on how one can resolve in his or her own mind how you can be faithfully an American and faithful to your faith, all at the same time.

Henry Hyde had that unique ability to bring the force of intellect, the power of faith, and unquenchable desire to make sure America stood tall, and a profound understanding of the Constitution that you rarely see combined in one individual. This place has been ennobled by the participation in the debate by Henry Hyde. This place has been honored by Henry Hyde's presence here. And while he leaves us as he retires, his spirit will not leave. His example will not be in vain. And those of us, as we look through troubled times, as we attempt to try and come up with a public policy to respond to the threat that some call the war on terror and I call the war on Islamofascism, as we attempt to try and figure out how do we garner the power of this Nation to respond to that threat and at the same time guarantee the protections of civil liberties that are enshrined in our Constitution, we could do no better than look to Henry Hyde for inspiration.

And I know that as long as I serve in this body, my model for a Member of the House of Representatives will always be Henry Hyde.

I do thank my good friend and colleague for giving me this opportunity, Madam Speaker. I had to literally run to the floor, only to find out that this important piece of legislation is a special tribute not only to our colleague, but certainly a special friend and a mentor, and what I consider as an institution, an institutional, outstanding leader in our Nation, about to retire.

Madam Speaker, in this conference report I want to express my support of the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Act of 2006, and I commend the chairman, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and the ranking member, Mr. Lantos, of the International Relations Committee, Senator Richard Lugar and Senator Joseph Biden, chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Foreign Relations in the Senate, for moving this legislation forward.

With my time remaining, I wish I had more time, I cannot help but to say that we are going to miss one of the most outstanding leaders that we have had in our Nation, and I want to pay that special tribute to my good friend, and he is like a father to most of us, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), whom I am going to miss very much.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the U.S. and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006 and I commend Chairman Henry Hyde and Ranking Member Tom Lantos of the House International Relations Committee, and Senators Richard Lugar and Joseph Biden, Chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, for their leadership in moving this legislation forward.

While some of our critics may argue that India has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPS), I submit that had it not been for our country's indifference, or benign neglect, if you will, India may have been a member of the nuclear club years ago and our discussion about the NPT would be a moot point. To be specific, India had a civilian nuclear program in place prior to the NPT being opened for signature in 1968 and, at the time, India was only months away from possessing nuclear weapons. But, in 1967, the U.S. joined with the Soviet Union in crafting a nuclear nonproliferation treaty which to this day states that only the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, China, and France are permitted to own nuclear weapons because only these five nations possessed nuclear weapons at the time the treaty was open for signature.

Again, India had a civilian nuclear program in place and was only months away from possessing nuclear weapons prior to the NPT being opened for signature in 1968. But U.S. policy toward India precluded India from becoming a member of the exclusive nuclear club and this is why I agree with India's position that the NPT is, and has always been, flawed and discriminatory.

In fact, history speaks for itself. In 1962, when China attacked India, the U.S. responded by saying it might protect India against a future attack. But when China exploded its first nuclear bomb in 1964, the U.S.

welcomed China as a member of the nuclear club and we also supported China's bid to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

In 1965, when Pakistan attacked India, the U.S. remained neutral while China outspokenly supported Pakistan. Concerned for its own security and having little reason to rely on the U.S., India announced in 1966 that it would produce nuclear weapons and it is little wonder that India exploded its first nuclear device in 1974. Recent U.S. State Department declassified documents on U.S. foreign policy show that India had little choice given the hostile attitude assumed by the United States towards India during the Nixon/Kissinger years.

As we all can agree, India then and India today lives in one of the world's toughest regions and it is somewhat Eurocentric for the U.S. to treat India as if it is beholden to us for the safety, protection and well-being of her people. It is no grand gesture on our part that we now offer India civil nuclear cooperation. Instead, U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation is long overdue and, quite frankly, the deal is as good for us as it is for India.

Madam Speaker, I commend President Bush and Prime Minister Singh for bringing this initiative to the table. I also applaud the efforts of Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns who is the unsung hero of U.S.- India civil nuclear cooperation. As the lead negotiator for this agreement, he has represented this nation's interest with unprecedented distinction and I am honored to have worked with him during these critical months leading up to today's historic vote.

I also want to thank Mr. Sanjay Puri who worked in cooperation with Under Secretary Burns and Members of the House and Senate to bolster support for this agreement since the day it was first announced. I commend him for being a part of today's victory and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the conference report.

Thank you, Congressman Kirk. I appreciate the fact that you were able to arrange the time for those of us here in the House that want to pay high honor to Henry Hyde for his service to our country and to the people of Illinois and to the people of the world.

Certainly his service as chairman of the International Relations Committee has been service to not only Illinois and our great country but also to people all around the world, because he has become somebody who has been an advocate for those who have had little voice in their own countries and an advocate for those who have had little voice in their opportunities to share in the same kind of democracy that we have in this country.

Illinois has a rich heritage of sending to Washington, DC, distinguished Americans, not the least of whom certainly was Abraham Lincoln, who served in this House for one term; not the least of whom was Everett Dirksen, who served in this House for several terms and then went over to the other body; not the least of whom was my predecessor, Bob Michel. So I have had the privilege of coming from a State that has sent to Washington, DC, men of great honor, great integrity, men and women who have served the country so well. And Henry will certainly go down in the annals of the history of Illinois, the history of our country, as being one of those men.

A distinguished career here in the House. A career that, unlike probably almost any other Member, he has been able to chair two very significant committees, the Judiciary Committee for 6 years and because of the term limits on our side, he had to give up that chairmanship, but he served with great distinction on that committee and handled one of the most contentious issues ever to come before the House of Representatives in the history of the House, and that was the impeachment of a President. And he did it with great integrity, great honesty, and in a way that I think distinguished him and distinguished the Judiciary Committee and distinguished the House of Representatives. As the chairman of the International Relations Committee, he has served the House very well and served the Members very well.

As he retires, tomorrow marks probably the last day for the 109th Congress and the last day for Mr. Hyde to have an opportunity to be a voting Member of this great deliberative body. I know that so many on both sides of the aisle have the highest regard and respect for his service here.

In addition to serving in both important committees, as Chair of important committees, Judiciary and International Relations, the one thing that I think Congressman Hyde will be remembered for certainly is being the loudest and the strongest voice for the unborn, for those who have not had a voice, for those who have not had the opportunity to have their voice heard. He has been the strongest advocate for what has been commonly referred to as the ``Hyde amendment'' that restricts Federal funding for abortions. And that issue is an issue that he will long be remembered for, along with many other issues, but one that I know he is very, very proud of. His service to those who have not had a voice but he has given them voice in this House of Representatives.

So as we say fond farewell to our friend from the northern part of Illinois, from the Sixth District of Illinois, we say God speed. We say job well done. We say what an honor it has been for those of us not only from Illinois but for the entire body to say that we have served with a giant, a giant in so many ways, a giant known as Henry J. Hyde, the Congressman from the Sixth District, the former chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the current chairman of the Committee on International Relations, someone who has made a mark in the history of the House, made a mark in the history of politics in Illinois, and will long be remembered for his distinguished career.