Expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald, a Representative from the State of California.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague Diane Watson for her leadership in gathering us together, and I rise with my colleagues to extend my condolences, heartfelt, from this body to the family, to the friends, to the constituents of Congresswoman Juanita Millender- McDonald.

This is a somber hour because we are, as my colleague, the dean of our California delegation, mentioned, we are heartsick over this loss, and maybe it is because Juanita was such a striking presence, so dynamic, so poised and articulate. When she entered a room, you knew she was there; and now, today, as we gather so soon after we heard of her death, just yesterday, walking through the doors of the Capitol, I thought it is not the same place now because she is not going to be there, wearing something striking, something beautiful, and with her elegance and grace.

We will miss her. We will always miss her. She served in this place, as she served her community and her family and her city council and the State legislature, with such distinction, with passion and with dedication for the benefit of her community and with enormous patriotism.

This talented public servant was a champion for several years, including fighting HIV/AIDS, improving women's health, encouraging women in business, protecting voting rights, stopping the genocide in Darfur. As I mention these issues, I think to myself her charge to us this evening would be to stop the sweet talk about her and get busy and solve these problems. That is the best thing we can do in her memory, in her name.

She knew where the challenges lay in our country, in the way we go to the polls and the fairness of our elections, the availability of the opportunity to vote for every single American. She was not content. It is not solved yet and we have to do this in her honor.

The genocide in Darfur, until that is a thing of the past, we cannot rest. We have got to do this now for Juanita.

HIV and AIDS and all of the other things she cared about, now we have an increased motivation, and that is how we can turn our sorrow into something positive, the way she did with her life.

We have heard from our colleagues this evening, and we will hear many things, but in particular, I want to speak today as I follow in her footsteps as cochair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues. During the 107th Congress, she was cochair of the Caucus for Women's Issues, serving ably with Congresswoman Judy Biggert.

Under their leadership, the women's caucus initiated the first annual Memorial Day tribute to women in the military at the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Now this event, thanks to Juanita, has become an annual tradition and highlights the caucus' strong commitment to supporting our brave women in uniform. I know Juanita will be proud of us as we continue in this tradition.

As cochair of that caucus, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald also convened the first meeting between women Members of Congress and the Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Gingsberg in order to discuss issues of national importance to women, especially in the judicial area.

On a personal moment, I will never forget the first time I met with my colleague, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald. It was during a very difficult moment in my life after the passing of my husband Walter. The first thing I knew she was there in my district with every single one of her staff members to help me to succeed him in office. It was a very rainy time, and there they all were, walking precincts in my district, and that was how I met Juanita Millender-McDonald.

She made a special effort to reach out to me and to my family in ways that were very meaningful to me. She shared with me that her father was a preacher like mine was, so we had that kind of bond as well. And I know it has been mentioned how ferociously she worked on issues like the C-17 and the Alameda Corridor, but if you ever flew with her in her service on the Transportation Committee, you knew very well that she wanted that airline to work for, not her, but for all of us Members and all of the passengers, and she made sure whatever flight we were on was going to be on time to the best of her ability.

These are stories that I am not going to ever forget and I want to be grateful for her kindness to me, and pledge during this very challenging time in my life, she was there for me, and now we reach out to her family members. All of us are going to miss our colleague and our thoughts and prayers are with her during this difficult time.

It was just pictured, such a wonderful picture of Juanita Millender- McDonald in her local paper, the Los Angeles Sentinel, and ironically, it is dated Thursday, April 22, and that was when she took leave. And who would have known on the paper in her community

that just a few days later she would be gone. But I think it would be befitting her to have this entered in the Congressional Record in memory of Juanita.

[From the Los Angeles Sentinel, April 19, 2007]

Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Will Take Four to Six Weeks

Off To Seek Treatment for Cancer

(By Yussuf J. Simmonds)

Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald is taking a leave

of absence until May 25 in order to seek proper care and

spend quality time with her family after being diagnosed with

cancer.

It had been rumored for some time that her health was

troubling especially since she had been placed on the

``prayer list'' at her local church, Second Baptist Church in

Los Angeles. However, she has always been a fighter for the

community and now the community stands ready to return her

hard work and efforts on its behalf with prayer and best

wishes.

McDonald is currently serving her seventh term in Congress

representing the 37th Congressional District, which includes

parts of Carson, Compton, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Signal

Hill. Presently, she is the chairwoman of the House

Administration Committee, the first Black woman to hold that

position. As chairwoman, she has investigated the voting

irregularities and disenfranchisement in Ohio, which was the

first election reform field hearing in Congressional history.

Glamour Magazine recently dubbed her as ``one of the eleven

women who will change the world'' and a recent news report

cited her as one of the five most effective members of

Congress because of her ability to reach across party lines

to effectively move bipartisan legislation.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the vice chair of the

Congressional Black Caucus and the representative of the 9th

Congressional District of California, extended warm greetings

to her colleague and offered these words of comfort.

``Our prayers are with Congresswoman McDonald and her

family. We wish her a speedy recovery and hope that her

leadership and courage will soon be back with us in the

nation's capital,'' Lee said.

Councilman Isadore Hall of Compton's Fourth District was

touched when he received word of her health concerns.

``Right now we are holding her up in deep prayer and hoping

for a speedy recovery,'' said Hall. ``Certainly her presence

will be missed, but we know she has competent staff who will

be able to move swiftly with the agenda she has set for the

community.''

This is not the first time that McDonald has faced health

issues. In 2005, she underwent major surgery for an unknown

illness. Last year, her son, R. Keith McDonald, requested a

furlough from his 41-month prison sentence for political

corruption charges in order to see to her condition at the

time.

The judge granted him a six-month release but again, there

was no official comment from McDonald on her condition then

and there is no comment now if either incident is related to

her current situation.

Dr. William Epps, pastor of Second Baptist Church where

McDonald is a parishioner, relayed his thoughtfulness by

saying that he stays ``in touch with her weekly'' and that

``I'm keeping her in prayer for strength as she faces her

health.''

She reportedly will maintain a limited schedule

particularly in her district and this apparently will be to

expedite her recovery process. She has requested respect for

her privacy at present and all of her constituents have

offered their prayers and best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the time.

I rise with great sadness to remember my friend, my sorority sister in the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and my colleague, Juanita Millender- McDonald. And I want to extend my deep

condolences to her husband James, her children, friends, and loved ones.

I was privileged to serve with her on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and her diligent service is evident in many of California's roads, bridges, and highways. I worked with her when she was cochair of the Congressional Women's Caucus. She did it with such charm, grace, poise, and dignity. This body is diminished and dismayed by her sudden absence, but we were inspired and enriched by her presence.

Her spirit will live on. Her work will be felt by those who don't even know she helped. We celebrate her life. It was a wonderful, wonderful life. And we love her and her family.

Madam Speaker, I rise with great sadness to remember my friend, my sorority sister and my colleague, Juanita Millender-McDonald. I want to extend my deep condolences to her husband, James, her children, friends and loved ones.

As chairwoman of the Committee on House Administration, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald will be recorded in history as the first African- American woman to chair a full committee of the House.

Those of us privileged to know and work with her will remember her tireless advocacy for justice and her example of meaningful public service.

Throughout her career, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was a friend to women's causes and to young people. Her work to end human trafficking and slow the transmission of AIDS has improved countless lives.

The results of her work--improved lives for women and girls worldwide, expanded voting rights for the disenfranchised, greater assistance for the sick and the poor--are a testament to her character.

From the beginning, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was a trailblazer:

She was the first African-American woman to serve on the Carson, California City Council.

In her first term in the California State Assembly, she became the first woman to chair two powerful committees.

She was the first African-American woman to give the national Democratic response to President Bush's weekly radio address as well.

But for all her firsts, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was also a champion for the least and the last. She fought injustice wherever she found it: Whether in the voting booth, the classroom, the research lab, or the workplace.

Congresswoman Millender-McDonald rigorously investigated widespread voting irregularities and disenfranchisement.

She was a vocal opponent of genocide around the world and a tireless fighter for human rights.

Her Mother-to-Child HIV/AIDS Transmission Act became the President's $15 billion African AIDS initiative.

Congresswoman Millender-McDonald also worked to increase diabetes research in minority and female populations; she pushed the Department of Education to improve the dismal dropout rates among minority high school students and secured millions to reduce the backlog of Equal Employment Opportunity complaints.

The first time voters in Ohio can feel more confident their votes will count because of Congresswoman Millender-McDonald.

The elderly diabetics in her home State of Alabama have a better chance of avoiding amputation because of her.

She had a hand in granting diplomas to thousands of Native American students growing up on reservations; and countless girls in Cambodia and Sudan have her to thank for a childhood free from kidnapping and assault. They may never know where to direct their gratitude, but the alleviation of their suffering stands as her lasting legacy.

Her influence is also inscribed on the physical landscape of California's 37th district. I was privileged to serve with her on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and her diligent service is evident in many of California's roads, bridges and highways.

Congresswoman Miliender-McDonald's record of exemplary public service includes life memberships in the NAACP and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

She served on the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Board of Directors, and founded the League of African-American Women.

Congresswoman Millender-McDonald also founded the Young Advocates to train young people for political leadership.

This body is diminished and dismayed by her sudden absence, but we were inspired and enriched by her presence.

Her commitment to equal opportunity, civil and human rights will be greatly missed.

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

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

Madam Speaker, let me begin by expressing my appreciation to both of my California colleagues, Ms. Watson and Speaker Pelosi, for their very thoughtful words, and, obviously I would, as all of my colleagues I know want to do, would associate ourselves with the very, very thoughtful remarks offered by Speaker Pelosi.

Madam Speaker, this is a very sad time for me personally, for a number of reasons. Juanita Millender-McDonald was my friend and my neighbor. And she was my neighbor not only in California representing an adjoining congressional district, but my neighbor right here on Capitol Hill. We were next-door neighbors. So, Madam Speaker, I have to say that I had the privilege of spending a great deal of time with Juanita.

As Speaker Pelosi said in her statement that she released yesterday, Juanita Millender-McDonald truly was a trailblazer. She was an individual who showed amazing commitment throughout her entire life to her beliefs, and I was very happy that she as a Democrat and I as a Republican were able to work together and find areas of agreement.

I have to say one of the biggest challenges that we face in Southern California, I know my California colleague Ms. Watson understands this very well, is the area of transportation. The gridlock challenge, as is the case with many metropolitan areas around the country, is particularly bad in the Los Angeles area. Juanita Millender-McDonald served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and worked tirelessly to try and focus on those challenges, the difficulties that we faced.

There was one particular project that I was pleased to work with Juanita on, and that was something known as the Alameda Corridor Project.

A huge percentage of all of the goods going to and from the United States, exports and imports, come through the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Juanita represented large parts of Long Beach, and she understood the importance of international trade. So she was one of those in the vanguard in the quest to deal with construction of the Alameda corridor which allowed those goods to move from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to the rest of the United States and, similarly, goods exported from America. I am very happy to see the distinguished Chair of the Transportation Committee, Mr. Oberstar, nodding in agreement. He knows how important this issue is, and he worked very closely with Juanita Millender-McDonald and all of us who have been involved on that issue. I know she championed it with great enthusiasm.

I also would like to say she was a very proud alumna of the University of Redlands. She went to the University of Redlands at age 40 and got her degree from the University of Redlands. One of the reasons I am proud to point to that is the distinguished former chairman, now ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations, Mr. Lewis, has specifically asked me to raise this issue.

As I said, we were neighbors. As Speaker Pelosi correctly pointed out, while a number of us knew that Juanita had not been well, very few knew of the seriousness of her illness. I remember standing with my two California colleagues, Ms. Watson and Mrs. Napolitano, just last week, and we talked about making a video that we were going to provide for Juanita because we knew she had not been well.

So her passing has come as a great shock to every single one of us. She is the first woman to ever chair the Committee on House Administration. She was a trailblazer on so many issues. Her passing is a loss to my State of California and to this institution and to the entire country.

Madam Speaker, at this point I am going to ask unanimous consent that my California colleague, Mr. Calvert, be able to manage the time from this point forward, and with that I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren).

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

Last week, as for many of us, I first heard about Juanita's illness. That is surprising because there is a group of us on both sides of the aisle that fly back and forth to California every week. I know there is a lot of talk about partisanship nowadays, but we have a pretty close group. Many times we sit next to each other on the airplane, and we talk about parents and children and golf or whatever. And Juanita was always a delight to be with, always had a positive attitude, always someone you looked forward to seeing.

I was deeply saddened to hear of Juanita's sudden passing. I was sitting at home writing a note to her this weekend; and, unfortunately, that note can't be delivered. But I hope she is listening right now as we state our condolences to her family and to her friends.

It has certainly been an honor for me to have worked with her for the last 11 years that she served in Congress. She was a faithful representative of her district.

I worked with her specifically on the C-17 factory in Long Beach, California, where they make the great C-17 aircraft, and she was a champion for that. She worked for the employees that worked at that plant to make sure that the aircraft which is doing a wonderful job for our country continues to be manufactured in Long Beach, California. As a matter of fact, the last conversation I had with her was about what we can do to keep that going.

There are no words I can use to convey the sense of loss when a colleague passes. She was a champion, and a champion for California. Our delegation will miss her very much. We will miss her smile.

I join all of my colleagues in supporting this bereavement resolution and extend my sympathies to her families and friends. Juanita Millender-McDonald was a patriot who faithfully served her country. Her contributions and commitment will not be forgotten.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague from California (Mr. Doolittle).

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my colleague from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 additional minute to the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining on both sides.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Baca).

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

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of our time.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Santa Ana, California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt).

Madam Speaker, as my final speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), who has also had a difficult week. He lost his brother this week, and our condolences are with him, also.

I would close, Madam Speaker, by saying that we heard many great stories about Juanita and remembrances of her life, and we have lost a great friend, a great champion for our home State of California, and a great champion for our country. And as we mourn her loss, our condolences are shared with her family. Godspeed, Juanita.

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

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I first met Juanita Millender-McDonald in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which is a wonderful committee, and I am sure the current Chair would agree with that. A great diversity of tasks there, and I came to know her at that committee.

I was amazed at Ms. Millender-McDonald in a number of ways. You just heard the previous speaker talk about her grace and elegance. That was apparent from the moment you saw her and talked to her.

She and I became rather good friends because it happened that her father was a pastor, and my father was also a pastor. There is a special bond between preachers' kids or PKs as they are called, and we used to jokingly discuss the need to develop a PK caucus in the Congress so that we could address major issues of the times, particularly those with a moral or human content to them.

Our friendship continued over the years, and I have to confess, I was continually amazed at new things I discovered in Juanita Millender- McDonald.

First of all, just imagine being born African American in 1938 in Alabama and becoming the first African American woman to chair a committee in the Congress. That is a long and difficult road, and she traversed that road, once again, with elegance and grace.

After having five children, she went back to school, received a bachelor's degree and then became a teacher. She later went back to school again and obtained a master's degree, showing amazing persistence and drive to do that. She then entered the political arena, became the mayor of the city in her district, and then later the State Assembly, and then the Congress.

So she had considerable drive and interests in serving others, and that stood out from the moment you first met her.

But I found it interesting, too, on a personal relationship, she was a good friend of mine but a very private person, and I was dismayed recently to find out that she had cancer because she had never discussed this with me and never alluded to it in our discussions. I knew something was wrong, but I did not know what. I wish I had known so I could have offered her more comfort and help.

We have had our amusing moments as well. One time she insisted in talking far past her limit in our committee when I was chairman, and I gaveled her out of order, which she refused to admit and kept talking. So I gaveled louder and she kept talking, and I gaveled louder yet, until she could no longer speak. She was not pleased with that. But when she became the chairwoman, I called her to congratulate her and I said, now, I fully expect you to gavel me out of order every opportunity you get, and that was the type of relationship we had.

In spite of our differences of party, in spite of occasional differences in perspective and differences on how we should accomplish things in this Congress, we remained good friends throughout. And I think because of that, together, we were able to accomplish a great deal in that committee this past year, and we were continuing to do that this year under her leadership.

We have lost a good friend. We have lost a good compatriot. We have lost a good Member of Congress. It is not easy to deal with that type of loss, and our comfort is that she is in a better place, that she has served our country well. She has served her people well. I am sure as a teacher she served her students well. I think she has left the Congress a better place because of her having been here and with the example that she set for us.