Gerald E. Connolly Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act of 2025

Mr. President, I rise today to ask unanimous consent to complete a unanimous consent request.

Tomorrow, it will be 1 year since we lost Congressman Gerry Connolly. I first met Gerry Connolly when he was a rising supervisor on the Fairfax County Board in the late eighties. Jerry took great pains to never forget his Irishness, the famous St. Patrick's Day party.

He was a fighter. He was kind and funny; but boy, you did not want to get on the wrong side of Gerry Connolly because sometimes that fighting spirit would show itself in his relentless--relentless--efforts. Getting in an argument with Gerry was not something anybody ever looked forward to.

So it was a great loss that we lost him. Literally tomorrow will be a year. But beyond the personal loss to his family and to folks like me and my friend from Virginia as well Tim Kaine, both considered him a longtime friend. And frankly to communities in Northern Virginia and beyond, Federal employees lost a leader who never, ever stopped fighting for them, never stopped fighting for their rights, never stopped fighting for their due process, and never stopped making the case to

Americans the value Federal workers bring to our everyday lives.

And in his final days, Gerry continued to center Federal employees in his work. Two days before he died, he introduced H.R. 3490, which will direct the Government Accountability Office to report on esophageal cancer in Federal employees.

The bill directs GAO to help us understand the landscape of esophageal cancer among Federal employees and retirees, particularly access to early screening and early treatment.

For some folks, they have a precancerous condition that if treated early, can help prevent esophageal cancer completely. This bill is simple. It would ask GAO to study if Federal employees who are at high risk are getting screened as early as possible to help them make sure they get the care they need as early as possible.

The bill was passed unanimously, 42 to nothing in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and then passed by a voice vote on the floor.

In a moment, I am going to ask unanimous consent that we pass this bill here on the Senate floor, but before I make that request, I want to defer and yield my time to the Senator--fellow Senator from Virginia Senator Kaine.

Mr. President, as if in legislation session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3490 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

I yield the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3490) to require the Government Accountability Office to produce a report on esophageal cancer, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives has lost a true statesman.

Gerry Connolly was a father, a husband, friend, and a lifelong public servant that dedicated his life to his constituents, his community, and his country. I was deeply saddened to hear about his sudden passing.

From the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Gerry Connolly was a devoted public servant from Virginia's 11th Congressional District.

In Congress, Gerry Connolly was a friend to many of us. He was steadfast in fighting for what he believed in, but he was always committed to bipartisanship where he thought we could agree.

Over his tenure on this committee, I am proud to say we cosponsored eight bills together, including the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act, the FedRAMP Authorization Act, and the Federal AI Governance and Transparency Act.

Mr. Speaker, I know I am not alone in that.

Many of my Republican committee colleagues found Gerry Connolly to be a partner and a friend. I extend my condolences to his family and also to the members of his staff. We lost our colleague after a short but courageous fight against esophageal cancer, one of the deadliest and fastest growing cancer diagnoses among Americans today.

The symptoms of this cancer are often overlooked or misdiagnosed, leading to late detection and limited treatment options.

Through this legislation, we hope to raise awareness about esophageal cancer to improve the odds for those who contract this disease. I am proud to have joined Ranking Member Gerry Connolly in cosponsoring the Gerald E. Connolly Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act and look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on its passage into law.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill honoring the legacy of our friend and colleague, Gerry Connolly. I hope that this legislation can shed some light on the impact of esophageal cancer on Federal Government public servants.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I also thank the majority for their courtesy in moving this bill expeditiously to the floor.

The Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act was introduced by our dear friend, the late Ranking Member Gerry Connolly and by a bipartisan and unanimous vote of our committee, the bill was renamed in his honor.

First of all, I acknowledge Gerry's wife, Smitty, and his daughter, Caitlin Rose, who are in the gallery, along with many of Gerry's current and former staff to witness the debate on this bill.

Our Ranking Member, Mr. Connolly, lived his life serving others and making our country a better place. He was a steadfast advocate of the disadvantaged and the voiceless, and he stood up for what was right and what was just.

Gerry was a skilled statesman, an accomplished legislator, and a fierce defender of democracy. I am sure he would want everyone here to continue fighting like hell to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, to defend the rights of every American, and bring accountability and transparency to power.

Esophageal cancer is the fastest increasing cancer among American men. It is also one of the deadliest. This bill would direct the GAO to report on key issues relating to esophageal cancer, including Federal spending for it under the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program and the screening rates among high-risk individuals within that program. This bill will hopefully offer some significant amount of help in the fight against esophageal cancer.

Mr. Connolly was the epitome of a public servant and will be deeply missed. It is our job now to continue this fight in his memory.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garcia) for his remarks.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge all Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I am so pleased to be with my colleague Senator Warner to talk about Gerry Connolly prior to offering a unanimous consent motion on this bill.

If you met Gerry once, you would remember a very, very fun and colorful guy. He studied for the priesthood to be a Maryknoll priest and then left the priesthood to marry his wife ``Smitty'' who studied to be a nun and then left her order.

His first job after he left the seminary was a staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and then he went onto this wonderful career, as Mark described, on the Fairfax Board of Supervisors before eventually becoming chairman of that board and then coming to Congress.

Gerry personified a pride in Irish Catholicism. As Mark said, his St. Patrick's Day parties were absolutely legendary in Virginia, and he was a tireless advocate for so many.

The point that Mark made about esophageal cancer and its effect and its growing effect in this country is important to underline. This was the condition that claimed Gerry's life, but how powerful not even 2 days before died, he was trying to advance our understanding of this.

Esophageal cancer is the fastest growing cancer among men in the United States. We are not exactly sure why, but we can get more data and do more analysis of this and then provide options for care should this resolution pass.

That is why I am so glad to stand with my friend Senator Warner to honor a great public servant, a great American Gerry Connolly.

I yield the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I thank our acting ranking member for his leadership here and to honor our incredible ranking member.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this bill, which of course, supports our fight against cancer and to improve healthcare for all Federal workers.

This is such an important way to honor the legacy of our colleague, our Ranking Member Gerry Connolly.

Gerry was a dedicated public servant, a fighter, and a mentor to all of us on the Oversight Committee. Gerry worked to hold our government accountable for over 30 years and was dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans.

He was a champion of our Federal workforce, of transparency, and in making government work for all the people that we serve.

He believed in the power of Congress and in fighting tirelessly for the constituents that he served and, of course, for the rule of law and our Constitution.

He served as a county executive where he fought to expand affordable housing and to invest in infrastructure, and he always supported public workers. He delivered for his community. He delivered for the country, and he left a proud legacy.

Now, Gerry represented the best among us in public service, which is why we strongly support this bill. We all miss him greatly, and I know every single member of our committee will work to carry on his legacy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge every Member to honor Gerry by supporting this bill.