Mr. Speaker, I rise today, after 8 years of service, in gratitude for this body and the people of central New York who have entrusted me to represent them in Congress since 2015. When I first ran for Congress, I left a job that I…
Mr. Speaker, I rise today, after 8 years of service, in gratitude for this body and the people of central New York who have entrusted me to represent them in Congress since 2015.
When I first ran for Congress, I left a job that I absolutely loved as a Federal prosecutor, trying cases involving organized crime, murder, political corruption, drug trafficking, and every manner of awful crime you can imagine.
As a prosecutor, politics never mattered to me. I worked alongside public servants every day who sought to bring justice to victims of crime. We were united in our mission to make our community a better place. I brought this similar approach to Congress, and I dare say it has worked.
I am proud of the work we have done over the past 8 years--and when I say ``we,'' I am talking about myself, my staff, and my colleagues--to solve serious problems and unite people across this great land.
I focused on unifying issues, and I regularly introduced bills with Democratic cosponsors. In fact, almost every bill I introduced, I would not introduce until I had a Democratic lead on that bill.
I broke with my own party time and again when it was in the best interests of central New York and America. I remained an active member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, and I am proud to have led and grown the Republican Governance Group to become a very powerful and moderate voice in the Republican Party.
I am proud today to give this speech while some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are saying good-bye, as well. We did a lot of good things together, and I am very proud of them, and I am proud to call them my friends.
I am proud of this approach to governing, and I am honored to have consistently ranked among the most bipartisan and effective Members in all of Congress. That is not me ranking it or my friends; that is an independent group. It yielded the passage of nearly 100 bills in my name and the enactment of laws by Presidents from both parties.
Most importantly, I was able to work across party lines time and again to deliver results for central New York. We delivered a bipartisan infrastructure package and secured historic investments for domestic semiconductor manufacturing that has now brought a manufacturer to central New York that is going to invest $100 billion in central New York. Stunning.
We lowered taxes for the middle class. We began work on addressing the opioid epidemic and mental health crisis. We worked on efforts to strengthen cybersecurity, improve airport and transportation security, and protect our homeland.
In the past year alone, we brought home nearly $9 million in funding for initiatives that will improve the quality of life across our district.
Of course, this has not been a one-man operation. I could not have had these successes without a tremendous amount of support. I have been blessed with family, friends, health, and the most loving and patient wife you could possibly imagine, Robin.
I have been supported by an incredible staff, some of whom I see here today. I am so glad they are here. I have been supported by staff members who faithfully served central New York and diligently worked on the House Homeland Security Committee, as well, to make our Nation safer.
Four times, my constituents in Onondaga, Cayuga, Wayne, and Oswego Counties elected me to be their voice in Congress, and they have consistently provided me with valuable and, oftentimes, very frank input. They have guided my decisions, to say the least.
These constituents are not just Republicans, and they are not just Democrats, and they are not just Independents, but they are all of my constituents. I profoundly understood that. I am eternally grateful for their input.
Serving central New York has been an honor that I can't possibly tell you.
Finally, as my time in Congress comes to an end, I urge my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, to consider the impact of working across the aisle as they seek to address the many challenges ahead.
Throughout my 8 years in Congress, I have consistently drawn inspiration from the relationship between two diametrically opposed political giants from the 1980s, Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill. They were able to compromise and make progress on issues today that seem unfathomable: tax reform, tax cuts, immigration reform, and Social Security reform. Imagine trying to do that today in this divided House.
They did it not because of personal or political gain. They did it because of
love for their country. We should all be instructed by that.
While Congress is seemingly more divided than ever, our inability to find common ground is making us less competitive on the world stage, less prosperous, and is getting in the way of solving big problems.
We were all sent here by our constituents to put the work in and to better our districts. When there are only fights and no bipartisan cooperation, it is our constituents, not us, who suffer. Please remember that.
I made working across the aisle a priority during my 8 years in the House, and I can leave here knowing I achieved real results, along with my great team. I worked every day to make my district in central New York and this country better.
So, for the last time, Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the United States House of Representatives, I yield back.
