Expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable Tom Lantos, a Representative of the State of California.

Madam Speaker, so many of us have risen and expressed how heavy our heart is tonight. Those of us who served on the Foreign Affairs Committee with the late Chairman Tom Lantos see every day, as we come into that room, his regalness, his royalty, but yet his humbleness. We also get to see the family, his wonderful staff, and his lovely and solid friend, bride, wife, and enormously important person, his wife, Annette.

I got to see them working together. I saw Tom's passion in the committee room. He was not afraid of hard issues, and I am so proud to have been able to have joined him as a member of his Human Rights Caucus and to serve in his absence on a number of occasions when we talked about the abuse of children around the world or the abuse and the violence against women around the world.

Tom was a fighter. We know that as the only Holocaust victim and survivor to have come to this place. He talked unwavering about human rights and the standing up against despots, and he never feared in doing so. The Human Rights Caucus became part of him. When you saw Tom walking, you knew he exuded a fight for human rights.

He also was concerned that we continue to fight in this Congress against oppressive regimes. So even though there are advocates for China and Russia, Burma, and certainly there is constant opposition from the Sudanese Government, he never wavered on Darfur. You heard someone say he was even arrested.

I've been proud to stand with him on these fights.

He led the fight to end wartime sex slavery by the military; another resolution recognizing the massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide; and, yes, he held hearings condemning Internet giant Yahoo's complicity with Chinese oppression of dissidents. And I tell you, he didn't worry about whether that was a constituent; he only worried about human rights.

Thank you, Tom, for letting us know your family. I met his daughter, Katrina, and Dick in New Hampshire. What a wonderful spirit they had. I am certainly saddened by his loss, but the fighter he was should live in us.

Tom, rest in peace. May God bless you. We fight on with you.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 975, ``expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable Tom Lantos,'' and to express my profound sadness upon the passing of my extremely distinguished colleague.

Madam Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I mourn the passing of my colleague Congressman Tom Lantos. Chairman Lantos was an extraordinary leader, a man who demonstrated, by his life, that one individual truly can make a difference. As the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress, Congressman Lantos brought a moral voice to Washington, and he relentlessly drew U.S. attention to those suffering throughout the world. It has been my extreme honor and privilege to serve on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, under Chairman Lantos' leadership.

Since he was elected to Congress in 1981, Congressman Lantos has used his position in Congress to combat violations of fundamental human rights. Almost immediately following his election, Congressman Lantos established the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, which, for over two decades, has focused congressional attention on struggles against oppressive regimes and human suffering across the globe, including in China, Russia, Burma, and Darfur. I have been proud to stand beside him, as a member of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and I know my colleagues share my commitment to ensuring that his work here in Washington continues.

As a fierce advocate of human rights, he continually pressed the Bush administration to take steps to prevent the state-sanctioned massacre and rape of hundreds of thousands of people in Sudan's Darfur region. On April 28, 2006, I was honored to stand side by side with Congressman Lantos and protest the role of the Sudanese Government in carrying out genocide in the Darfur conflict.

As chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Congressman Lantos did not shy away from controversial issues. Under his leadership, the committee passed a resolution calling on the Japanese Government to end wartime sex slavery by its military, and another resolution recognizing the massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide. He has brought landmark anti-trafficking legislation before the committee, held hearings condemning internet giant Yahoo!'s complicity with the Chinese suppression of dissidents, and, tomorrow, the committee is scheduled to consider a groundbreaking reauthorization of the PEPFAR global AIDS relief program.

Congressman Lantos was a truly courageous man, and a true leader for our Nation. His legacy is best expressed in his own words, ``It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust . . . could have received an education, raised a family and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a Member of Congress. I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country.''

I offer my condolences to the family of Congressman Lantos: his wife Annette; his two daughters, Annette and Katrina, and 18 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. I also join with other Members of Congress in mourning the passing of an extraordinary person, leader and colleague.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution, and in recognizing our distinguished colleague.

Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA) Dies

Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), an important voice for Tibetan

freedom, died today at the age of 80. He had served 14 terms

in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Born into a Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, he twice

escaped from a forced labor camp in Szob during the Nazi

occupation of his country. The second time, he was sheltered

by Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg. After the Soviet army

liberated Hungary, he discovered that his parents and

most of his family had been killed during the occupation.

The only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress, Rep.

Lantos was chairman of the United States House Committee on

Foreign Affairs. He was also co-chairman and founder of the

Congressional Human Rights Caucus, a group dedicated to

raising awareness about human rights violations around the

world.

Rep. Lantos was a tireless supporter of the Tibetan

independence movement and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His

contributions are too numerous to count, so I'll point you to

one of the most recent: his speech in San Francisco for the

2007 Tibetan Uprising Day. He also joined Richard Gere and

Robert A.F. Thurman in talking about his friendship with and

admiration for His Holiness as part of A&E Biography's 1997

documentary Dalai Lama: Soul of Tibet. In addition, Rep.

Lantos was the driving force behind the awarding of the

Congressional Gold Medal to His Holiness last year. When the

House of Representatives ultimately voted to give His

Holiness the honor, he said:

``In his quiet but persistent way, His Holiness the Dalai

Lama has devoted his life to asserting the Tibetan people's

rights, lifting their spirits and upholding their dignity. By

his humble personal example, through his prolific writings

and in his addresses to audiences in every corner of the

earth, the Dalai Lama has provided exceptional service to

humankind. Such a vast contribution to the betterment of our

world deserves special recognition and support. After nearly

three decades of friendship with His Holiness, I am deeply

honored and proud to have rallied my colleagues to award him

the Congressional Gold Medal. We can now look forward to the

day when he once again meets with members of Congress--this

time to stand before us all to receive this unique and well-

earned honor.''

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for the formal notification of the Congress that he presented earlier to the House of Representatives, and thank him for bringing us this opportunity to express our sadness over the passing of our colleague, Tom Lantos.

Madam Speaker and my colleagues, yesterday morning when I received the very sad news of Chairman Lantos's passing, that call was followed very quickly by a call from the President of the United States expressing to me as Speaker, but through me to each and every one of you, his sadness over Tom's passing and his words of praise for Tom Lantos's leadership. I told the President how appreciative I knew we would all be of his kind words and that I would convey them to this House of Representatives.

Madam Speaker, you know that the House, not only the House, the Congress, the country, has lost one of its most talented leaders, and the world, indeed the world, has lost one of its greatest champions for human rights with the passing of Chairman Tom Lantos. He was a statesman, he was a gentleman, and he will be deeply missed.

As the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress, Tom Lantos devoted his public life to shining a bright light on the dark corners of oppression. From his earliest days in the House, when he founded with Congressman Jon Porter the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, to his final days as

chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, he used his powerful voice to stir the consciousness of world leaders and the public alike.

Because he had lost his mother and so much of his family in the Holocaust, his wife, Annette, his two daughters, Annette and Katrina, his grandchildren and great grandchildren were the center of his universe.

Madam Speaker, I told some of our colleagues earlier that Tom and Annette were a team in every way. Whether it was establishing the Human Rights Caucus or working together for the benefit of his district and our country, they were a team. And all who knew Tom knew how devoted he was to his family and to Annette, whom he adored. They worked as a team, bringing great intellect, experience, and compassion to their outstanding work in public service.

Annette was alone after the Holocaust as well, and when they married, they had two daughters, Annette and Katrina, who produced this wonderful family of 18 grandchildren. Two daughters, 18 grandchildren. They said to their parents, you lost your families in the Holocaust. We are bringing to you a new family. And how proud Tom was for all of that.

Having lived the worst evil known to mankind, Tom Lantos translated his experience into a lifetime commitment to the fight against anti- Semitism, for Holocaust education, and commitment to the State of Israel.

Tom Lantos was not only a champion of human rights. He was an expert on foreign affairs and diplomacy and the security of our country. He had a rare combination of extraordinary knowledge, great wisdom, extraordinary skill and judgment, and a great moral compass.

He rallied us to the cause of defending basic human freedom within the borders of the most powerful countries and in the most remote places in the world. He stood tall in the sometimes lonely fight for the people of China and Tibet. I was proud that we had the opportunity to work together, with the President of the United States in a bipartisan way, to honor the people of Tibet by presenting the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama last year. Tom, along with Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, were coauthors of that legislation. Thank you, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen.

He fought to end the genocide in Darfur and recently helped enact legislation to crack down on the Sudanese regime. He worked to strengthen sanctions against the military junta in Burma and worked for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. In just his first year as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Lantos also helped enact the 9/11 Commission recommendations to better protect the American people.

Throughout his three decades in the House, Tom Lantos always used his experience and intellect to empower the powerless and give voice to the voiceless throughout the world.

Here at home, Tom Lantos championed working families. Working families had no better friend in the Congress of the United States than Tom Lantos, and he was a strong leader in protecting our family for the future.

He also authored key provisions of our landmark energy bill, which the President signed into law. Thanks to Tom Lantos, that law includes provisions that will help the United States assume a greater leadership role in the world to fight climate change.

He will long be remembered for his efforts to expand and protect the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which is one of the Nation's most visited national parks and a treasure for Bay Area residents. I had the privilege of serving with Tom as we shared representation of the City of San Francisco, and it was one of the privileges of my service in Congress, to work with him on behalf of the people of San Francisco.

Congressman Lantos was also well known for his strong support of infrastructure improvements, including the expansion of BART service and other mass transit solutions. Though his leadership was felt around the world, he always remained a fierce advocate for his constituents in the 12th Congressional District.

Tom Lantos called himself ``an American by choice.'' America is a stronger nation, a more caring nation, a nation more true to its founding ideals, because Tom Lantos chose to call this land his home.

My thoughts and prayers are with Annette, dear Annette, their daughters Katrina and Annette, his 18 grandchildren, and his great grandchildren. I hope it is a comfort to them that so many people throughout the entire world mourn their loss and are praying for them in this sad time.

Good-bye, Tom, my friend. It was an honor to call you colleague, a privilege to serve with you, and a joy to be your friend.

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

Madam Speaker, as is very evident, this is a sad day and evening for the House of Representatives, and, of course, the Lantos family, and for all of the American people and all who are lovers of freedom.

``Tom Lantos devoted his life to shining a bright light on dark corners of oppression.'' That was a quote from Speaker Pelosi in her official statement in responding to the tragic news of Tom's passing.

I am going to quote Speaker Pelosi once again, Madam Speaker. ``Tom Lantos devoted his life to shining a bright light on dark corners of oppression.''

We have heard that Tom Lantos is the lone survivor of the Holocaust to ever serve in the Congress of the United States. We know of his tremendous accomplishments. We know the

fact that 58 years ago this coming July he and Annette were married. And we know that he had an absolutely wonderful family.

His two daughters did provide those 18 grandchildren and two great grandchildren, and I have to say that I personally have had the opportunity to spend time with all of them. The reason is that I am one of Annette and Tom's neighbors here on Capitol Hill, and we always knew when the Lantos household was filled over at Justice Court, because kids were running around all over that area, and it was such a wonderful thing.

When I heard the Speaker say today what Tom's daughters said to him, the fact that he lost his family in the Holocaust would lead them to provide him with a family that he no longer had, obviously they did. I have known of no parent or grandparent to be prouder of their children and grandchildren than Annette and Tom Lantos have been of their wonderful family, and having heard Speaker Pelosi's words, I now have an even greater understanding of the importance of the role that Annette and Katrina played in providing them with that family.

We got the news I read this morning in the paper that just last week the Prime Minister of Hungary was scheduled to present Tom with the highest honor that Hungary bestows on anyone; and, sadly, he was too ill to receive that honor. But we know that Tom regularly described himself as one who was born Hungarian, but was American by choice; and I think that underscores the extraordinary importance of immigration and the great importance of what it is that has made the United States of America as great as it is.

One of the things, I am the first Republican to stand up but I am going to be turning this over to the distinguished ranking member on the Committee on Foreign Affairs in just a few minutes, but as the first Republican to stand up, I have to say that one of the greatest things about Tom Lantos is that he regularly transcended political party. He was known for the wonderful working relationship that he had with the former chairman of his committee who, as we all know, passed away sadly last year, our colleague Henry Hyde.

And I regularly, as a member of the Rules Committee, had the opportunity to see Henry Hyde and Tom Lantos come together, arm in arm, working together on behalf of a very positive foreign policy for the United States. Now, don't get me wrong, there were more than a couple of occasions, especially in the last couple of years, where there was disagreement between Henry Hyde and Tom Lantos. But time and time again, both men demonstrated their extraordinary patriotism and their commitment to the greatness of the United States of America.

On January 2, just last month, our friend Tom announced that he would not be running for reelection. Of course, he had gotten the news of his illness. And in that statement announcing his retirement, Madam Speaker, he said, ``It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a Member of the United States Congress. I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country.''

Madam Speaker, one of the things that I regularly say about the United States of America, and I think like most of the people who are here in this Chamber at this moment, we were born here; and people who were born here can have a tendency to take the greatness of the United States of America for granted. But I will say that Tom Lantos demonstrated fully, through every single aspect of his life, the profound appreciation that an immigrant has for something that many of us who are native born have a tendency to take for granted. And I regularly fight against that, and seeing someone like Tom Lantos has played a big role in inspiring me. And I know there are other great immigrants who serve in this Congress and obviously in this country as well. And I think that his life underscores that.

As I look over and see our distinguished majority leader, Mr. Hoyer, I am reminded of the great work that he did on the Helsinki Commission and, as has been stated on the issues that Mr. Stark raised, environment and other issues. But when it came to fighting on behalf of human rights, in 1983 Annette Lantos became the volunteer director of the Human Rights Caucus because of her extraordinary commitment to that cause. And, obviously, it was led by Tom through these so many years.

And I will just say that for me, personally, I was elected with Tom in November of 1980, 28 years ago this coming November; and this is a professional loss, but obviously for so many of us, a very profound personal loss. And I want to say to all of the family members how much I have appreciated the friendship. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. And the world is a better place, the world clearly is a better place for the life of Tom Lantos.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, and ask unanimous consent that my colleague from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) be able to manage the balance of our time.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased and honored to yield to our majority leader 1 minute.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to recognize for 2 minutes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

Madam Speaker, I recognize for 2\1/2\ minutes Tom's colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), the distinguished chief deputy whip.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter).

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to Tom's colleague from California, and the subcommittee chair on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Brad Sherman.

I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes, Madam Speaker, to the gentlelady from California, Tom's colleague from California, Lois Capps.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to another colleague of Tom's from California, the gentlelady from California, Barbara Lee.

I thank the gentlewoman very much for doing that and appreciate her and all the comments of our colleagues from that side of the aisle. I think they were a fitting tribute to Tom and his bipartisan approach to foreign affairs and to issues that go far beyond party divisions.

I am pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to another of Tom's colleagues from California and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ambassador Diane Watson.

Madam Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman representing the State that Tom had such close connections to, the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Hodes).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

I am pleased to recognize my friend and colleague from Tennessee, Mr. Steve Cohen, for 2 minutes.

I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from Missouri, Mr. Russ Carnahan, for 2 minutes.

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield to Tom's good friend, chairman of the Asia Subcommittee of House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eni Faleomavaega from American Samoa, 2 minutes.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.

I thank the Speaker.

A great deal has been said about Tom Lantos this evening, wonderful, eloquent words that captured just the profound effect that he had on this institution. Many serve in this institution. Some leave a mark on their districts of their presence here; some leave a lasting mark on the institution. It's hard for me to think of anyone who left such a mark around the world as Chairman Lantos did in so many different areas.

You read that statement that David Dreier read earlier, and I'm going to read it again because it captures his love of this country. He and Annette, they were the greatest Americans because they knew what the alternative had been, and they paid back with their work and with their gratitude what America offered them.

This is Tom Lantos' words after he is diagnosed with a very advanced stage of esophageal cancer, ``It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a Member of Congress. I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country.''

He not only loved America; he hated tyranny and oppression. And I served with Tom on the committee for 26 of his 28 years in the Congress, and that anger and hostility and willingness to fight against dictatorship and tyranny covered the dictatorships of the communist regimes, and it covered the dictatorships and the oppression of the rightwing authoritarian regimes. He wasn't one side or the other; he was against tyranny for human rights. Stood firm.

It's very easy for us to attack forces that have no direct impacts on our district; it doesn't take that much courage to do that. Tom Lantos, notwithstanding what some company in his

district might be making in terms of sales to a particularly oppressive country, stood firm and constantly dealt with the pressures coming back from his own constituents about our livelihood, our jobs, because he couldn't tolerate the notion that, in effect, American companies, American individual interests, American corporate interests were giving governments around the world the tools of that repression.

In closing, I just want to tell one story. It was a profound experience for me, I'll never forget. I had the opportunity to see Tom a few weeks ago at his home here in Washington with Annette, with Katrina, with their granddaughter and with a baby grandson, which, by the way, was one part of what gave him his strength was this unbelievable family structure. And he looked much better than he had looked in his last few weeks here, and he talked about being at peace. Yes, he would have loved to have been able to be here a few years longer, but for him, he felt what a wonderful life he had had, what a wonderful family, what a country, the colleagues. He was at peace with what awaited him. And there was a serenity and a strength there that just was stunning to me. I'll never forget it.

To the family, to Annette, our prayers are with you. And you know that the work he did, the lives he affected around the world, his presence will be maintained long after his passing.

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

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

As we gather in this hallowed place to honor the life and work of our beloved colleague, Tom Lantos, our sorrow at news of his death is tempered by our admiration for his extraordinary contributions to our great country. An unfailingly gracious and courageous man, Tom was recognized by colleagues as a leader who left an enviable legacy of service to our country. We were fortunate indeed to have known him. Annette and the entire Lantos family have our heartfelt condolences.

Tom and Annette's heroic journey to America through extraordinary adversity is well known to us all and is the topic perhaps for a future biographer who can adequately capture the tenor of life under the oppressive yolk of fascism during those terrible times more than half a century ago.

Tom's unsurpassed work as a champion of human rights and for human dignity cannot be separated from his fiery trials through which he passed as a young man.

His life bears witness to the endurance of the human spirit. As a colleague, Tom enjoyed the respect of his peers across the political spectrum, because all of us admired him as an ardent American patriot.

During our many meetings together, when we met with foreign leaders here and abroad, his love of country was always evident. He understood an old truth that all of us would do well to relearn: united we stand, and divided we fall.

To be sure, Tom could be a vehement critic of an administration policy during House debate. But he would not hesitate to remind a visiting group of European parliamentarians to temper their criticism of U.S. policy or risk being labeled as hypocrites for their feeble resistance to genocide at Auschwitz or at modern-day death camps in Sudan.

His defense of the national security policies would surprise and perhaps rankle some, but not those of us who knew Tom as an unbeatable foe of Communist tyranny.

All of us here tonight have so many stories to share about Tom, about his life with Annette, and his vital work; and we will surely honor him in the months ahead in other appropriate ways. It is fitting, though, that we honor the life of this great patriot, for it was his work and his life that enriched us. So tonight, rather than merely mourn his passing, let us thank God that Tom lived among us and left such a strong legacy for us to follow.

I often said to Tom before our committee hearings that it was a great testament to a wonderful Nation that two naturalized citizens, witnesses to the evils of communism and oppression, would serve as chairman and ranking member of the committee charged with developing and overseeing our foreign policy efforts. And I cannot fully explain to Tom and his family my deep gratitude to Tom for his service and for his dedication.

And, Annette, our prayers are with you and your family. And how odd to say, as Mr. Hoyer pointed out, how odd to say ``Annette'' without saying ``Tom and Annette,'' for they were a unit. Thank you, Tom. Godspeed, my friend.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), a member of our Foreign Affairs Committee, and someone who worked so closely with Chairman Lantos on human rights issues worldwide.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) to share her thoughts about our beloved friend, Tom Lantos.

Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Hunter, a member of the California delegation who worked so closely with Chairman Lantos on a range of issues.

Madam Speaker, we will continue to reserve for two more speakers, and then we'll recognize Mr. Shays.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to Mr. Shays from Connecticut, a former member of our Peace Corps, who served, along with his wife, a good team, just like Tom and Annette, and who shared Tom's faith in the human spirit, and a fighter for human rights as well.

Madam Speaker, this side has no further requests for time, and I would like to offer our remaining time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman).