To designate the federal building currently known as Federal Office Building 8, located at 200 C Street Southwest in the District of Columbia, as the "Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Federal Building".

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

I'd like to thank the majority for bringing this bill up. This is a nice way to honor the longest-continuously-serving Speaker in the history of this country.

For those of you who didn't have the pleasure of knowing Mr. O'Neill, I'd just like to remind everybody that I don't look at him as the historic figure up on the podium. I look at him as a man that I knew a fair amount of my adult life, anyway, and as a man who never forgot where he came from. And I know that's in a phrase that people hear all the time; but for me personally, when people say that of them, it's probably the nicest thing they can say. Everyone who serves in Congress

knows that many of us on a regular basis get treated like something special. Somebody opens the door for us, somebody calls us ``Congressman,'' people we don't know call us ``sir.'' And that's all well and good, and it's respectful for the office.

But at the same time, we all came here for the very simple reason of trying to make the world a little better place for the people that elected us. It's a simple thing. And we all have different views on how that gets done. Mr. O'Neill never forgot how to do that, even when he reached the pinnacle of power in this great body. And I will tell you that for me that's the most important historic aspect he could ever leave for us. All the great accomplishments, all the meetings with Presidents and Kings and Queens are very important. I don't want to diminish them. But at the end of the day, if you've forgotten who you represent, then I think you've stayed here too long. Mr. O'Neill never did.

I knew him even after he retired; and even then he would talk to me about regular, ordinary people--the barbers, the bakers, the truck drivers that I now have the privilege of representing in the district that he once represented. To me, that's the most important reason to recognize anyone--someone who gave of themselves to fight day in and day out.

Even then, with all the fighting that we do around here, it's amazing to me that even at home today, with all the differences of opinion we have, I get the same questions I'm sure we all get: Well, gee, is it really as bad as all that, and do you hate each other? And the truth is, for me, no. I see the Speaker sitting over there. We disagree on probably most every major point. But I like him. I think he's a good man. And I think he's here for the exact same reasons that I'm here: to make this country a better place to live. And I think that way about virtually everyone in this body.

And Speaker O'Neill not only represented that; he spoke it loudly all the time. He loved this body not for all the difficulties that it presents, not for all the messes that we create and then try to fix, but for the fact that we have a lot of people who come here trying to work on the most difficult issues in the world with passion and with commitment and with respect for each other.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 1 minute to the once, and future, Speaker of this House, the current minority leader, Ms. Pelosi.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the ranking member of the Transportation Committee, Mr. Nicky Joe Rahall.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey), the dean of our delegation.

Mr. Speaker, I apparently have no more speakers, but I'd just like to close out by thanking those Members who spoke on behalf of Mr. O'Neill. Thank you very much to the Speaker and the minority leader for bringing this bill to the floor and congratulating the O'Neill family.

I will tell you that I know most of the O'Neill family, and I will tell you that Tip would be proud of them. He was proud of the ones that he knew. But of the ones he didn't know as well, I will tell you he would be proud of them. Every one of them that I know is good, solid stock people who know what they're doing and know who they represent in their lives because they see me on a regular basis. And I want to thank them for being so tenacious in trying to remind us of Tip O'Neill, who he was and what he was, and for living in his shadow and living the type of life that he would have been proud of.

I would also like to just close out by simply saying ``thank you'' to this Congress for providing, not just me, but for all of us, the opportunity to come have these debates, have these discussions, have these fights. There's nothing wrong with a good fight over important issues and to understand that each of us brings to this body exactly what Tip O'Neill brought to this body and what the people who come after us will bring to this body: a commitment to this country, a commitment to their State, a commitment to their district and the people they represent. Tip O'Neill epitomized it all, and that's why we're there today, to say ``thank you'' to him, to recognize through him what this entire body stands for.

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

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank Speaker Boehner for his leadership and cooperation in bringing this legislation to the floor. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tip O'Neill said the Speaker of the House was Millie, his wife. I had the privilege of serving in the office that Tip O'Neill had when he was Speaker of the House and having in my possession the gavel that was given to Speaker O'Neill when he became the leader--not yet the Speaker. It's Waterford, Mr. Speaker, so you could only use it one time, and perhaps he would use it today. But you made this possible. All of us who admire and love Tip O'Neill are grateful to you for that. So I thank you, Mr. Speaker, and for your very fine words.

Two weeks ago, Members of Congress joined members of the O'Neill family and many others to plant a tree in honor of the life of Speaker Tip O'Neill. Today we honor Tip again by passing a resolution to inscribe his name on a Federal building, a lasting tribute to his service and leadership to the State of Massachusetts, to the House of Representatives, and his leadership for all Americans.

I thank again Speaker Boehner for leading this bipartisan effort to remember the great Tip O'Neill together on the floor of the House, where Tip once wielded the Speaker's gavel with courage, dignity, and grace. And I thank you, Mr. Capuano, for joining the committee to bring this to the floor of the House. You serve in the same district that Tip O'Neill did. What an honor. I serve in the office that he had. What an honor.

It is fitting that the Tip O'Neill, Jr. Federal Building will stand alongside the office building named for Tip's dear friend, colleague, and partner in public service, former President and House Minority Leader, Gerald Ford. As the Speaker indicated, they will be neighbors. Indeed, reflecting on their long partnership, President Ford once said:

Tip O'Neill is an outstanding political leader and patriot

who always carried the torch for the Congress and the

American people.

Carrying the torch. The statement captured the essence of Tip's success: his extraordinary leadership; his unflinching patriotism; his belief in the common good; his devotion to the unending fight to ``form a more perfect union.'' Yes, Mr. President Ford, Tip carried this torch for all who believed that the purpose of politics is to improve the lives of others.

Tip carried the torch for the underdog, for the person on the street, for the family struggling to pay the bills. He carried the torch of opportunity and equality into every budget negotiation, every legislative battle, every bipartisan agreement. Tip was the personal manifestation of the American Dream, and he carried the torch for anyone else who strived to achieve it.

For Tip, standing on principle was not about political gain; it was about fighting for the voiceless and for the aspirations of the middle class.

For Tip, the effort to reform and save Social Security was not about figures on a page; it was about seniors fighting to make ends meet. That's why we were so proud of what he did with President Reagan to prolong the life of Social Security.

For Tip, floor debates were not about abstract numbers; they were about people and the consequences of a policy to their lives.

Those were the values that enabled Tip O'Neill to leave his giant footprint on the course of American history. This is the spirit that made him a legend, that allowed him to help the middle class thrive, that ensured his actions would strengthen the character of our country, in his time and for future generations.

By his leadership and his patriotism, Tip O'Neill was a proud champion of his district, his State, and our Nation. With his gavel in hand, he was a giant of the Congress. With his record of progress, he was a bona fide American hero. By adding his name to a Federal building in sight of the Capitol he loved, we all carry the torch of the legacy of Tip O'Neill.

I hope that we have not the close vote that would have been fun maybe at that time, but a unanimous vote that shows that we share Tip's values and take pride in his leadership as he stands as a neighbor to President Gerald Ford.

I thank the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding me the time, and I join with our Democratic leader and with the Speaker of the House in supporting the pending measure.

Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill, otherwise known as Tip, was first elected to represent the 11th Congressional District of Massachusetts in 1952, and he continued to serve for 17 terms. During his 34 years in Congress, he served as a chair of the Select Committee on Campaign Expenditures, majority whip, majority leader and, finally, Speaker of the House.

Speaker O'Neill holds a special place in my own congressional career because when I was sworn in at the beginning of my first term in Congress in 1977, it was also Tip's first year as Speaker of this body. He held that post for a decade, making him the second-longest-tenured Speaker in the history of the House of Representatives.

Now, there is a litany of legislative accomplishments that could be described as defining the career of Thomas P. O'Neill. However, his most remarkable guidepost was his dedication to Federal programs that addressed the needs of the poor, the middle class, the sick, the fallen, and our working men and women across this great country.

Speaker O'Neill was an unabashed supporter of the New Deal and believed that the government had the ability and the responsibility to provide for those in need. And he championed programs like public education, Social Security, unemployment insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income for low-income people with disabilities. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Part of his success in protecting and growing these programs was Speaker O'Neill's talent in forging political consensus--we've heard that described already--his superb political instincts, and being a pragmatic deal-maker which allowed him to take on the day-to-day responsibilities of holding his caucus together while advancing his commitment to liberalism.

We've heard the Speaker reference Speaker O'Neill and his popular saying that ``all politics is local.'' And believe you me, that was my first bit of advice in coming to this body; and it's the advice that, to this very day, I've taken to heed.

He had over 50 years of combined public service to both the Massachusetts State House and our House of Representatives, a true public servant in every sense of the word. So because of this and his dedicated service, I am sure that my colleagues will join in a bipartisan round of support for the naming of this Federal building after Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill.

Let me thank my colleague for yielding.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 6604, and I commend my colleague, the gentlelady from California (Ms. Pelosi), for sponsoring this resolution.

Tip O'Neill needs no introduction to this body. Every Member knows, respects, and admires Tip's record and the long shadow that he casts over the people's House.

We've all borrowed perhaps his best known saying, ``All politics is local.'' That is certainly true today, as we propose to name a building right here at the foot of Capitol Hill, a stone's throw from the great dome, in honor of our 55th Speaker.

This is one of those moments, though, when you wonder how the honoree would feel, especially when it's someone like Tip who never quite held back his opinions. Perhaps he would have enjoyed seeing leaders from opposite sides of the aisle come together to give him a well-deserved hurrah. Certainly he would have gotten a kick out of being flanked by buildings named after Hubert Humphrey and Jerry Ford--also leaders from opposite ends of the political spectrum. Tip actually considered Mr. Humphrey one of his heroes, and he had one of Humphrey's quotes put up on the wall in his office.

Now, as for Jerry Ford, well, they didn't, frankly, agree on much of anything, but Tip counted President Ford as a true friend. And since friends are always honest with one another, when the new President would explain what legislation he wanted to pass, Tip would say, well, Jerry, that's not going anywhere, but sure, send it over anyway if that's what you want to do. That was Tip, who of course would also be pleased to see us down here telling an old story or two. Now he will stand in good company and, ever the representative, provide the folks back home with yet another source of pride.

Having said all that, Tip might have had one small complaint about today's occasion. A proud partisan, Tip relished nothing more than a close vote, one that would give him a chance to do just a little more wrangling as he tried to secure the vote. Today, when the roll is called on this bill, however, the outcome is likely to be unanimous, a reflection of this body's vast gratitude and appreciation for the gentleman from Cambridge.

So I would urge the whole House to join me in supporting this resolution.

I thank the gentleman so much for holding this special session.

Mr. Speaker, I was elected to Congress 36 years ago. And on my first day in Congress, my first vote in Congress in January of 1977 was a vote for who would be the Speaker of the House. The Republicans were all going to vote for John Rhodes, a very good man. The Democrats were going to vote for Tip O'Neill.

The tradition is that on that first vote, on that first day, the Member has to stand to actually say the name of the person for whom they are voting. So the first word I ever uttered on the floor of the House, standing at my chair at the top of my voice was just saying one word, O'Neill. And with that, I had voted for Tip O'Neill to begin his first term as Speaker of the House.

He was a wage-and-hour Democrat. He was a Social Security Democrat, but he could work with Ronald Reagan to save Social Security. He was a man committed to ending the nuclear arms race, and he led that fight here on the House floor; but he did so while ensuring that there would be a complete preservation of the security of the United States of America.

He always asked two questions on every issue out here on the House floor: Is it fair, and does it work? And he said that if it could not pass that two-part test, then it should not become a law in the United States of America.

He passed a comprehensive energy plan off the floor of this House, protected Social Security, and advanced so many other issues. In my opinion, Tip O'Neill was the Albert Einstein of politics. He knew what it took in order to make this institution work. He knew what it took to reach across the aisle to find people of goodwill, to make this Chamber work, and to advance the agenda for this country.

So for me, it's a great honor to be here because buildings, as we name them, also embody that person. And it is my hope that as people walk in and out of this building in the 21st century that they think about who Tip O'Neill was, they think about--yes, how much he loved political war; but at the same time, he brought his own personal warmth to that so that it was not separated here on the House floor. And it's my hope that in naming this building, perhaps this process, this great institution can be animated by his great legacy.