Commemorating The Past Eight Years Of Service To The People Of Pennsylvania
Mr. Speaker, as the 115th Congress comes to a close, so does my time here in Washington. First and foremost, I want to thank the people of Pennsylvania's 11th District who sent me here, who trusted me to make Washington work for them. It…
Mr. Speaker, as the 115th Congress comes to a close, so does my time here in Washington.
First and foremost, I want to thank the people of Pennsylvania's 11th District who sent me here, who trusted me to make Washington work for them. It has been an honor to serve them in the U.S. House of Representatives over the past eight years.
During my time in Congress, I never once forgot that the people of Pennsylvania were the reason why I was here, and I am proud of what I was able to accomplish on their behalf.
From initiating the largest reform to our nation's disaster preparedness system since Hurricane Katrina, to participating in the groundbreaking of the Harrisburg courthouse after years of fighting to make it a reality, to watching my legislation to help newborn babies suffering from opioid withdrawal get signed into law, I am proud of the work I have done to improve not only our district and state, but the nation as a whole.
As a Member of this body I have had the opportunity to help so many of my fellow Americans, and for that I am grateful.
Nothing will ever compare to the day ten-year-old Sarah Murnaghan finally got her lifesaving lung transplant, or to when I was able to present our nation's veterans with long overdue medals they so rightfully deserve.
I will never forget the sense of amazement I felt meeting with students from the SHINE afterschool program as they showed me how to program a 3D printer and told me how they planned on running their future businesses, knowing I fought to save the federal funding that makes their program possible.
And those moments were just a few of the highlights.
Over the last eight years, my office has assisted over 14,000 constituents with casework requests, sponsored over 267 ambitious young people dreaming of attending prestigious military service academies, and secured over $9 million for our local first responders through fire grants, as well as $1.2 million for our law enforcement officers.
I have fought to provide small businesses with the tools they need to succeed, eliminated government waste and saved taxpayers $4.4 billion through better management of federal real estate, and worked to make our communities more resilient before disaster strikes through local infrastructure projects, like the Bloomsburg flood wall.
I can confidently say that I leave Washington knowing that the people of Pennsylvania are better off than when I first arrived.
Growing up, I never imagined that I could become the mayor of my hometown, let alone hold a seat in Congress. I could have never made this journey without the support of my family, and in particular my wife, Mary Grace, who has always stood with me from city council to the U.S. House of Representatives.
I also want to thank my staff. Their hard work and dedication to the people of Pennsylvania's 11th District is part of why we were able to accomplish all that we did. It has been a privilege to watch them grow into great professionals, and I have no doubt they will continue to do great things.
As I prepare to leave this position, the last few weeks have given me the opportunity to look back and reflect on all that my staff and I have been able to do, and I couldn't be more proud.
It is my hope that those elected to this office from this point forward will continue to build upon the important work my office has done and always fight to ensure that Washington is working for the people back home.
Mr. Speaker, it has been the greatest honor of my lifetime to represent the people of Pennsylvania's 11th District for four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and I thank them for giving me this opportunity.