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“TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE TOM EWING ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM CONGRESS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H10798-H10803 on Oct. 24, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE TOM EWING ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM CONGRESS
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Goodling). Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 6, 1999, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I come to the floor tonight to spend some time to think about a good friend and colleague who is also leaving, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Ewing). I have been joined by a couple of my colleagues that because of the lateness of the hour I would like for them to have the opportunity to address the House and then I will pick up.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from upstate Illinois (Mr. Porter) whom we have heard a lot about tonight already.
Mr. PORTER. I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding to me. I am very pleased to be able to participate in this tribute to our colleague, Tom Ewing. Mr. Speaker, I was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1972. Tom Ewing was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1974. I had the privilege of serving with Tom for 4 years, 1974 to 1978 in the Illinois House of Representatives. He roomed with another Illinois representative elected in his class of 1974, Lee Daniels of Elmhurst, and I sat next to Lee Daniels. Now, I was a one-
term member when Lee Daniels and Tom Ewing arrived in the chamber and the first order of business because the Democrats had achieved in 1974 a very large majority in the Illinois House as a result of the Watergate problems and the first order of business was the election of a Speaker of the House. Two Democrats vied with one another, and Bill Redmond, who was from Lee Daniels' area, had not quite enough votes to be elected Speaker. The balloting went on for 14 days with 88 ballots being cast without a result, and no Speaker having been chosen, when Lee Daniels, a Republican, finally broke the tie, or broke the impasse and cast a Republican vote for his Democratic colleague, Bill Redmond, to become Speaker of the House, and that caused Bill Redmond's election. Now, I sat there pleading with Lee Daniels not to cast that vote. I assumed it would be the end of his political career. It is fascinating that Lee later became the Illinois House Republican leader and Speaker of the Illinois House and is today the minority leader of the Illinois House. But Lee Daniels was kind of the glue that brought Tom and I together. The three of us became very close friends, and others I might add became very close friends in the Illinois General Assembly, and I was very privileged to have the opportunity to serve with Tom for those 4 years.
In 1977, I felt that I was conducting two full-time jobs. I was practicing law, which seemed to take my full time, and I was also in the general assembly; and that seemed to take my full time. And so I said to myself, I am going to let my constituents decide whether they want me to become a lawyer or a legislator full time, and I am going to run for Congress. I took on the incumbent Democrat in my district and after one of the really truly classic elections I think fought on the issues, I lost that election by 650 votes out of 189,000 cast. My constituents decided they wanted me to be a lawyer. Actually, I then gave them another chance when my opponent immediately was appointed to the Federal bench by President Carter, and I was elected in a special election and left the general assembly. I came here to Washington.
Mr. Speaker, frankly it was lonely here without Old Tom. I like to call him Old Tom because he and I are exactly the same age. Actually, I am 4 months older but I do not admit it. And for 11 years I waited for Tom to come to Washington, and he finally arrived in July of 1991 when he was elected in a special election. In the meantime, he served as one of the outstanding representatives in the Illinois General Assembly, heading the revenue committee, acting as assistant Republican leader under Lee Daniels from 1982 to 1990.
Finally, after all that time, Tom came and joined us here in Washington. He brought with him, Mr. Speaker, his great commitment to fiscal responsibility. He brought it here to Washington where it was really, really needed. And from the very first time when he arrived here in 1991, he worked to ensure that we attempted to balance the budget, to protect Social Security, to promote economic growth, and he has during his time in Washington been repeatedly recognized for his commitment to balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility by the Citizens Against Government Waste, by the Watchdogs of the Treasury, by Americans for Tax Reform, by the American Taxpayers Union, by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, by the National Federation of Independent Business.
Over and over again, all of the organizations who watch this very closely have recognized Tom's commitment to fiscal responsibility, and he has been one of the great leaders here in bringing that about. Today, we enjoy balanced budgets because of legislators like Tom Ewing. He brought, of course, his friendship with our Speaker, Dennis Hastert, with him. Both served in the Illinois General Assembly together as well. And he brought with him a commitment to agriculture so important to central Illinois and to his district, to health care and to education, and he has received award after award for his work in each of those three areas.
Mr. Speaker, he also has brought a commitment to transportation. He has served on the transportation committee. One of the things that brings us together as we work as an Illinois delegation is our commitment to the use of ethanol in American automobile fuels. And Tom has been a great leader in respect to bringing agriculture and transportation together in respect to ethanol. He has also, and this has been the area of his greatest expertise, he has served the entire time as a member of the agriculture committee. He is chairman of the Subcommittee on Risk Management, Research, and Specialty Crops of the Committee on Agriculture, and as you may know, Mr. Speaker, Tom's predecessor was Ed Madigan, a gentleman that you served with many years here, a gentleman who chaired the agriculture committee and became Secretary of Agriculture under President George Bush, and very frankly, and I will admit to my downstate colleagues this at any time, my district has no farms.
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If I receive a letter regarding an agricultural issue from one of my constituents, it would be likely to begin, my uncle or father died and left me his farm in Iowa and then the agricultural issue may be raised. So my knowledge of agricultural issues, which is a very difficult segment, a very deep part of American law, I always look to my downstate colleagues for guidance. Whenever I had to cast a vote on an agricultural issue in the House of Representatives invariably I would look to see where Ed Madigan was when he was here, and when he became Secretary of Agriculture and Tom replaced him in that seat I would look to see where Tom Ewing voted because I knew that he would know that issue backwards and forwards and I could count on him to exercise the kind of judgment that I respected, and I always felt complete confidence both in Ed Madigan and in Tom Ewing in casting those votes.
Mr. Speaker, Tom Ewing is the kind of person you want in a legislative body of this type, an honest person, a smart person, a man of very sound judgment, a conservative who is not necessarily conservative in a philosophical sense but conservative intellectually. You have to convince him that change is necessary and change is the right way to go; conservative in his personal outlook but willing to listen to sound arguments for change that may be needed.
Mr. Speaker, Tom has served in legislative bodies, the Illinois General Assembly, from 1974 to 1991, and here in the Congress from 1991 to the present time, a total of 26 years. I was most fortunate to be there at the beginning when his political career started in the Illinois General Assembly and to be his colleague there. I have been most fortunate to be here through the 9 years that he has served in this body, and to be his colleague here as well. Our two careers have been exactly parallel in time and in place in large measure, at different times in the same place, but we have served together and it has been a wonderful, wonderful part of my service in Congress to be able to call Tom Ewing my colleague and my friend. He has earned the accolades of his colleagues and constituents for his work. He has earned a deserved retirement with his wonderful wife, Connie. I cannot tell you what it has meant to me to be a friend and a colleague of a gentleman like Tom Ewing. I wish him well in his retirement, in all that he undertakes in the future. He has been a true credit to American politics, to public service and to the Illinois General Assembly and this esteemed institution.
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit for the Record the following statements, a statement from Congressman Ewing's staff, a letter by the Governor of the State of Illinois, and a letter by Eric Nicoll, former staff director for Congressman Ewing and now an industry representative in Washington.
As members of Tom Ewing's staff, we have a unique perspective on what makes Tom such a great person and Congressman. He is a man who is straightforward and honest, a solid, upstanding, good-hearted person--a true Midwesterner. Tom is one of the hardest workers in Congress, setting an example we could never meet, being the first person in the office in the morning, and the last to leave.
Tom's quiet leadership, friendly manner, gentle guidance and terrific sense of humor created a great working environment. He made sure that we all worked hard, but never took ourselves too seriously, constantly joking with and teasing us all. Staff always had a lot of latitude to work on their issues and projects, and the door to Tom's office was always open. He was always interested in our opinions and input, and tolerant of mistakes. We will always remember him as the ideal boss--a mentor, friend, and someone we could look up to and on whom we could depend.
Tom considers his staff an extension of his family, and takes great interest in all that is happening in our lives. He is first and foremost a family man, and when members of our staff faced family emergencies, Tom made sure that our families came first.
In short, Tom Ewing reminds us all that public service can and should be an honorable profession--he is a shining example of why citizens could get involved in their government. Tom has said that in politics, ``it is always best to leave with your hat in the air.'' That he has done. We will miss Tom greatly, and wish him every success and happiness as he moves into the next chapter of his life.
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State of Illinois,
Washington Office,
Washington, DC, October 11, 2000.Hon. Thomas W. Ewing,House of Representatives, Rayburn House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Tom: On behalf of the State of Illinois, please accept our profound appreciation for your tireless efforts and myriad contributions for people throughout the State of Illinois and our nation.
As the 106th Congress of the United States nears adjournment, we understandably pause to reflect on the benefits for all of us from your 17 years of service in the State Legislature and nearly a decade in Congress. As a family man, farmer, business owner, lawyer and a devoted public official, your unassuming, yet effective leadership, in both the Illinois and the US House of Representatives will not soon be forgotten.
Those of us who have had the good fortune to work closely with you know how important your family has been to you throughout your years of public service. You and your wife, Connie, have six wonderful children and five very special grandchildren. Your mother, Harriet, is justifiably proud of your many awards and accomplishments. Hopefully one of the benefits of the days to come will be more relaxed moments with your family. In any event, you have earned and will be able to savor a host of memories--including more election nights then you care to remember, along with the Ewing for State Representative signs on the back of your father's horse trailer!
Since our days together in the Illinois House of Representatives, nearly 25 years ago, you have remained an esteemed colleague, and more importantly, a dear friend. Side by side, we weathered debates when our views did not easily prevail. Whether in the majority or the minority, you always advocated common sense solutions and fought effectively and wholeheartedly for your constituents.
Your deep commitment to sound fiscal policy, quality education, free trade, along with your dedication to farmers and their families are but a few of the reasons why your constituents value your lifetime of public service so very much. You have known when to speak out and when to listen. You have earned a national leadership role among those who have unselfishly provided future generations with so much.
Your friends at home, in the Illinois General Assembly, among Members of Congress and admirers of yours from around our state and nation join Lura Lynn and me in communicating an enthusiastic thank you, in wishing you and yours the very best of health and happiness, and in expressing our hope that we will find new and creative ways to work together with you in the future!
Very truly yours,
George H. Ryan,Governor.
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October 3, 2000.Hon. John M. Shimkus,House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Congressman Shimkus: Thank you so much for sponsoring a Special Order to honor Congressman Ewing on his retirement for the House. Congressman Ewing hired me as his Legislative Director on the day he was sworn in on July 10, 1991 and I worked in his office for over six years.
I know that I speak on behalf of dozens of current and former staff and interns over the years in saying that we are proud to have had the chance to work for Tom Ewing. He is one of the most decent persons I can think of--in or out of Congress.
Congressman Ewing helped many of us start our careers in politics and gave us opportunities to grow professionally. But more importantly, he looked out for us personally and acted as a second father to many of the staff--listening to our problems and giving us helpful advice. In fact, he helped me buy my first home and even gave me pointers in negotiating my first job off the Hill!
Congress will be losing a fine man when Tom Ewing retires. And, you'll be losing that cutting Midwest human! Thanks for recognizing him with this Special Order.
Sincerely,
Eric Nicoll,
Director of Government Relations.
Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, now I would like to turn to one of the great agricultural leaders of the country and in the Congress, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), showing the bipartisan aspect of this period of time to reflect on Congressman Ewing. I appreciate him coming down.
Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), very much for yielding, and I thank him for his extra kind remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I would say to the previous speaker, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Porter), I have not known Tom as long he has, but I can say that evidently he learned his trade well in the Illinois legislature because he carried that over into the House of Representatives.
As a Texan, I cannot say that Tom and I have always agreed on every aspect of agriculture, our States being a little different, the rainfall, climate being a little different, but I believe it would not be an overstatement to say that in the 9 years that I have served with him on the Committee on Agriculture that I cannot think of a time in which we have not been able to find a constructive middle ground. For the last 6 years, Tom has chaired the Subcommittee on Risk Management, Research, and Specialty Crops, and that has been a challenge. Consensus building, though, has been the hallmark of Tom's leadership. His legacy is well established through some very difficult pieces of legislation. Soon after he became chairman, he brought together administration and industry officials to develop a compromise that broke a long-lasting stalemate over the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. His work for peanuts, tobacco and sugar farmers have made this Northerner a welcome and well-known guest in rural communities throughout the South. When it comes to promoting agricultural exports, again Tom Ewing has been a leader. Whether it was NAFTA, whether it was attempting and ultimately getting the permanent normal trade relations with China, Tom recognized for his farmers, as most of us who represent rural areas recognize for our farmers, the absolute necessity of increasing trade.
Ninety-six percent, for example, of all of the world's consumers live outside of the United States and Tom recognized that and he was a great ambassador for American agriculture.
Research is another area of Tom's hallmark, where he has been a very forward thinking member. The promise of our future food and fiber production system depends on having solid research foundation and Tom has been a dedicated member of the House Committee on Agriculture, ensuring that innovations and efficiencies continue to bring forth from our research system.
Tom Ewing also deserves a great deal of credit for the enactment of the Agricultural Risk Protection Act earlier this year. He understands the risk that our producers face and his mark on our risk management policy will be long lasting.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, Tom made some previously unimaginable strides this year in driving agreements that no one thought could be reached with regard to the Commodities Exchange Act, having fought for that particular piece of legislation for years, but under Tom's leadership the House last week passed by a vote of 377-4 the Commodities Exchange Act, a remarkable achievement. I hope the Senate acts quickly to make this work complete so that it can be a true legacy to Tom Ewing's leadership here in the House.
One other comment, as so many of us readily admit that we have over married as far as the better half of our family, certainly Connie and the friendship that Cindy and I have had with Tom and Connie over the years is very indicative that behind this good leader there has been an even better woman, and that is something that many of us appreciate, and I certainly do in Tom and Connie.
I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) for yielding me this time tonight to say how much this Texan has appreciated, Tom, your leadership in serving in the House and we will truly miss you.
Mr. SHIMKUS. I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) for taking the time out late to honor our friend and colleague.
General Leave
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the subject of my special order tonight.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Goodling). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield time to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), for taking the lead on this tribute to Congressman Tom Ewing tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a few moments to recognize and reflect on the outstanding public service record of our friend and colleague from Illinois, Tom Ewing. Tom is retiring after devoting more than 25 years, including 9 years in this House, to serving the people of Illinois and the people of this Nation. Over that time, I think that Tom has established himself as one of the most valuable, well liked and well respected Members of the House, and I think I speak for all of us to say that it has been a pleasure to serve with him. He did begin his public service in 1974 as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives which we have heard reference to several times, and he served there with distinction for 17 years. While in Springfield, Tom served as the assistant Republican leader of the Illinois House from 1982 until 1990, when he was named deputy minority leader. I too served in the Illinois House and as assistant Republican leader, but to my regret we never served there together. As ships that pass in the night, Tom left the General Assembly in 1991 and I was elected to serve there in 1992.
In a way, it was agriculture that brought Tom to this House, the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be exact. When President Bush named the late former Congressman Ed Madigan as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tom ran in the 1991 special election for the seat and won handily. In fact, he won so handily that he turned around and ran again during the next year, 1992, and won again handily.
So there are many reasons, I think, why this body will miss this Member in particular, and will sorely miss this Member Tom Ewing.
I would like to address the four top reasons that I will miss him. First and foremost is his invaluable expertise on all things relating to farms, farmers, farm financing, agriculture commodities and agriculture in general. In fact, before I actually met Tom Ewing, I thought of him as ``Mister Illinois Agriculture.'' That was not because of his impressive leadership role in this body but, frankly, for his weekly interviews on WGN's radio farm report with Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong. Each week as I commuted from Chicago to Springfield, Illinois, for the Illinois General Assembly legislative session, the road that took me through this rich farmland of Tom's district, I-55, as I drove along I would hear these discussions with Orion and Max which enlightened me on the farm policy.
So now as one whose suburban Chicago district has seen acres of rows and rows of corn replaced by rows and rows of single family dwellings, I must admit that it was Tom that I turned to for advice on issues relating to agriculture. He was always patient, always insightful and always frank.
The second reason that I will miss him is that together he and I represent two-thirds of the Illinois Delegation on the Committee on Science, and together we have fought many a battle to ensure continued funding for two of the world's premier research institutions: The University of Illinois at Champaign and Argonne National Laboratory located in our respective districts. I cannot say that I rely as heavily on Tom's advice in the Committee on Science as I do on agricultural issues, however, but on occasions that he was sighted at a committee meeting I was always confident of his advice and always confident that we would be voting on an issue of interest to the University of Illinois at Champaign.
The third reason that I will miss Tom is for his devotion to the principles of free and fair trade, and his leadership in pressing open markets for our products and services abroad. Together we served on the whip team for permanent normal trade relations with China and together we spent a lot of time locked down in Seattle during the WTO ministerial last year. Tom's district exports the farm products that feed the world, just as my district exports the manufactured products and services that the world demands.
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His efforts to open markets, not just for American farm products, but for all products and services will long be remembered. His council on agricultural trade, not to mention his insights into the issues that have dominated the past decade's trade negotiations are without compare.
Last, but not least, I will miss Tom for his candor, his humor and his joy in life. Tom will be remembered for the great things he accomplished during his service here, from drafting and guiding passage of the Freedom to Farm Act of 1996, to fighting for the repeal of the unfair death tax, to leading the way in reforming and reauthorizing the Commodities and Exchange Act.
But for those who of us who have had the privilege of serving with him, Tom will be remembered the best and missed the most for his warm friendship, his ready humor and his generosity of spirit and time. So I join my colleagues tonight in wishing Tom and his wife, Connie, and their wonderful six children all the best that their future life has to offer. So I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) for allowing me to participate in this tribute.
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).
Mr. Speaker, I am now joined by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra), and we are glad to have him and please entertain us with your reflections of Congressman Ewing.
Mr. HOEKSTRA. I thank my colleagues from Illinois for pulling together the special order to recognize the accomplishments of our colleague, Mr. Ewing. Before I do that, I cannot help but acknowledge the contributions of the gentleman sitting in the chair this evening, who has been my chairman for the last 6 years, who was my ranking member for the 2 years before that, who still every once in a while pulls me aside for a couple of words of wisdom, especially on one project that we remember so fondly from 1993 where he continues to say I told you so, in a very good-humored way, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, (Mr. Goodling).
Thank you for the contributions that you have given to this Congress, to this House, to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, to me personally for the last 8 years and trying to keep me under your wing, sometimes being successful, sometimes wishing you had a little bit of a tighter rope to pull me back. But we have had a great colleagueship and a good friendship over the last 8 years, and I want to again express my appreciation to you for that, and to wish you Godspeed as well as you move into your retirement, which probably will include some work, probably will commit some time to the passion that you have for education and public service, and probably will continue some time for your passion with the horses and that side of your business, and the orchards, the apples and those types of things, and the peaches, I think.
Thank you very much for the contributions that you have made. I could not start talking about another friend of mine without recognizing your service and seeing you in the Chair tonight. So thank you very much.
Mr. Speaker, Tom and I kind of developed a special friendship over the years that I have been here. Tom came in to the Congress in a special election in the Congress before I did. I got elected in 1992. Tom had served here a short period of time prior to me coming here. We came here in different routes. Tom having had experience of 25 years, 26 years, or at that point in time 17 years, 18 years in the State legislature, and before I came here, I came directly from the private sector.
When I came here, Tom, I think, still regrets the day that he came to his office on the third floor of the Longworth and found out that he had this freshman Republican from Michigan next door, and for the next 2 years, I constantly would just kind of move. I would come into my office. As I faced an issue or whatever or just had a little bit of extra free time, we just kind of meandered and roamed over to that guy next door and to his staff. And we really developed a very good and, I think, a very unique friendship that I cherish over the last 8 years.
Tom was a great neighbor. I have gotten to know at least part of the family having met them here in Washington or having spent some time with them back in the district. I have had the opportunity to go back into Tom's district a few times and spent some time with Connie and also with their son Sam. I have not had the opportunity to meet all the other children. But it is a great district that has been very, very well represented, and the time that I spent going back through the district, recognized that he is as well liked in his district as he was here by his colleagues. I think that is a great testament to the work that he has done.
I also recognized that his golf game is not a whole lot better than mine, it is not a whole lot better than the Chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. I think what we all have in common is we have a pretty mediocre game of golf. That is the thing that I have cherished most in the 8 years that I have gotten to know Tom, is the hospitality, the friendship, some of the other things that the gentleman has talked about, just a great fun spirit, always an open heart and a willing hand to help a new Member to the political process get done what we needed to get done.
Mr. Speaker, it is more than just about friendship. It was also about mentorship. Tom took the time, the energy and the effort, sometimes the tremendous effort that it would take to teach me the ropes, explain to me how things worked here, explain to me how things would not work here, and how some of the things that I thought might be important in the way that I might want to get them done, was very willing to provide some minor suggestions on how I might modify some of the things that I would do to maximize the impact that I could have in here, that I could have here in Washington, taking the time to introduce me to his friends, both the staff here in the House, his friends in the Congress that he knew, and also friends outside of the Congress who are very knowledgeable about the issues that Tom and I would have to work on.
The second thing I remember is the mentorship and the caring that he took, not only with me, but I think with a lot of other new Members who were coming into the House. Recognizing that we had a huge class that came into the House in 1992, I think we ended up with 47 new Members on the Republican side of the aisle in 1992, joined by another 80-plus Members in 1994. So there was a tremendous need for the friendship and the mentorship that someone like Tom Ewing could provide.
Then the tremendous background. I think some of the other Members tonight have talked about his background and his depth of experience on some of the issues, his depth of experience on the Committee on Agriculture, the way that he dealt with those issues, and the effectiveness with which he would take ideas and move them through the political process. The same type of depth and background that he has on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
He and I spent a short period of time together on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I then moved off of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and had been on the Committee on the Budget for 5 years out of the last 6 years. But again he had the same kind of depth of background and experience again that he was very, very willing to share, and again with something that he has in common with the gentleman who is presiding tonight, the gentleman tonight of course presiding with his experience and the whole area of education.
So they in their background and experience were very willing and are willing to lead us through the maze and the complexity of the issues that they had to deal with in those areas. So in closing, I would just say, Tom, you will be missed. We have had a great time here together. I appreciate the friendship, the mentorship, the colleagueship, and the experience that you have shared with me and that you have shared with other Members in the House.
I wish you Godspeed on your retirement. I recognize that your retirement will include some work. I bet it will include some overseas trips. I know how much Tom likes to travel, how much Tom and Connie like to travel, and I am sure that it will include some work on that pretty mediocre game of golf that you have at this point in time. You will be missed. Thanks to Tom. Thanks to Connie, and thanks to the family for sharing him with us here in Washington for the last 8 years to 9 years.
Mr. SHIMKUS. I thank my colleague from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) for taking the time out tonight to speak about my colleague and friend and a person who we are going to miss here in Washington.
And I finally will rise to pay tribute to my dear friend, Tom Ewing. Tom was elected in 1991 to replace Ed Madigan who was appointed Secretary of Agriculture. Since that time, he has been overwhelmingly reelected by the constituents of the 15th District in Illinois.
During his 9 years in Congress, Tom has worked tirelessly for our Nation's farmers, whether it has been to increase the use of ethanol, rewrite our Nation's outdated farm laws or work to open new foreign markets.
Tom has been a champion for U.S. agriculture, especially with MFN status for China, or as we know it now NTR, and as we now know as PNTR. Tom saw the huge market potential for our farmers in China and fought hard to make it a reality. Being a farmer himself, Tom knows the importance farmers play in our national economy.
Before his election to Congress, Tom served 17 years in the Illinois House where he was assistant Republican leader from 1982 to 1990, and was named deputy minority leader in 1990. Prior to that, Tom was the assistant State's attorney in Livingston County, Illinois. Like myself, Tom also served in the United States Army, and as I always like to say, go Army. Beat Navy.
My connection with Congressman Ewing goes back to 1991, during my first unsuccessful campaign for Congress. And, of course, there are always good stories that occur on the campaign trail, Mr. Speaker. But even though I had Tom's help and he traveled around my district, I was not successful. But in 1994, I was being courted to run again.
I met with Congressman Ewing in his office in Bloomington, Illinois one cold February morning. I was concerned about running, understanding the great challenge of a large rural district and just having had my first son, we sat down and talked about it. And the political history of this Nation will mark 1994 as a very, very important year for especially the change in the House of Representatives.
There was a great pressure to continue to bring good candidates to the floor, and I asked the question that I think many Members who run for Congress ask who are concerned about their family, and I asked now that I have a young son, how is this going to impact my family. And Congressman Ewing looked at me and he said, John, if you ever think Congress is going to be family friendly, if you ever think that that job is going to be family friendly, forget it, because no matter how they restructure it, no matter what they try to do, the basic aspect of working in Washington, representing the large district is not, by nature, by definition family friendly.
He was concerned more about my family than he was concerned about recruiting a viable candidate to win in a congressional district. He put my family and his recommendation about my family to the forefront. And for that, I will always thank him. History now shows that in 1996, I did have a chance to run again. Tom was there at my side again, helping me negotiate the environment issue, helping me negotiate the DC environment, and with his help and the help of many other people, I had the fortune to represent the 20th district, which is south and west of Congressman Ewing's district.
Since that time, it has been my honor to serve Tom these past 4 years; and he was my mentor and advisor as a candidate. He quickly became a mentor and advisor to me in Washington. He has been someone I have been able to look up to since I have been here. He will listen to every argument before making a final decision, and he will make sure he listens to opposing views.
While that may not seem like a big deal to most Members, it has meant a lot to me. Oftentimes we meet with people or groups who are opposed to a particular stance we may take. Instead of working against these groups, Tom has listened and tried to find areas of compromise and agreement; that is why the people of the 15th district sent him back to Washington time and time again.
Aside from Tom's work in support of agriculture on the House Committee on Agriculture, he has also served on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Committee on Science, and the Committee on House Administration.
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On the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, he has been a champion for the transportation needs of rural areas in this country, especially in downstate Illinois. As a member of the Committee on Science, Tom has worked diligently for increased funding for university research. With two major universities in his district, he realizes the importance of university research and the impact it has on our country.
During our reorganization meetings for the 106th Congress, Tom Ewing placed a name as a nomination to be a majority leader. Some people forget that this occurred. Another young Member from the Illinois delegation seconded that motion. That motion was for the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert) to become the majority leader. The vote was taken, and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert) had committed his vote and, of course, the gentleman did not get elected to the majority leader's position and stayed in his role initially as chief deputy whip. But history now shows another conclusion of that time in the history of this House.
One cannot really talk about Tom Ewing and his role in the House of Representatives without also talking about the great friendship and working relationship between Tom Ewing and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. They roomed together, they worked together, they fought on issues for Illinois together, and I am sure of the comments that will be submitted in this Record, along with those will be a submission in the Record by the Speaker of the House to remember his great friend and colleague, Tom Ewing. So the record would not be complete without mentioning that dynamic duo that brought so much to the State of Illinois and to this Nation.
I would also like to thank Tom and his wife, Connie, for the years of service to this Congress. Connie has been a great friend to my wife, Karen. Tom and Connie will be greatly missed and not easily replaced. The people of the 15th district should be proud to have had a man like Tom serving in Congress. We thank you, Tom.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to pay tribute to my friend and colleague, Congressman Tom Ewing. Tom Ewing is retiring from the U.S. House of Representatives after almost a decade of service to the people of the Fifteenth Congressional District of Illinois. Tom will be missed by the Members of this House and by the Members of the Illinois delegation in particular.
Tom and I both serve on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. We worked together to help make sure that the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, the massive highway and transit funding bill that passed in 1998, provided increased funding for transportation infrastructure in the State of Illinois. Due in part to Tom's efforts, Illinois received a $200 million increase in federal highway funds under TEA 21. In addition, during this year's debate on the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century, Tom was a tireless advocate for improved air service to small and rural communities, such as those that he represents. In particular, Tom has been particularly effective in advocating the Central Illinois Regional Airport, which recently gained increased jet service by both United Airlines and American Airlines.
Tom also serves on the House Agriculture Committee and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Risk Management, Specialty Corps and Research. Because of his position on the Agriculture Committee, Tom is able to look out for the interests of the soybean and corn growers in his district. For example, Tom is a vocal supporter of the use of ethanol, which is produced from Illinois prairie grain. In fact, in 1998, because of Tom's strong support and tireless efforts, the federal subsidy for ethanol was extended to the year 2007. In addition to protecting the interests of Illinois farmers, Tom has been an advocate for farmers across our nation. Tom, a farm owner, knows firsthand the needs and concerns of America's farmers and has successfully encouraged Congress to help farmers in rural America.
Tom has served the constituents of the Fifteen Congressional District of Illinois well. Tom has also served the nation well. Tom has been an active leader on a number of national issues, ranging from crime prevention, welfare reform, preserving Social Security, balancing the budget, promoting economic growth, recognizing our nation's veterans, improving education and improving health care. Personally, I want to thank Tom for his work on changing the Health Care Financing Administration's policy regarding Medicare coverage of insulin infusion pumps. Because of Tom's efforts, many diabetics and senior citizens on limited incomes will now be able to afford this needed device. The American Association of Diabetes Educators reports that the use of the insulin pump will result in a substantial reducing of many long-term complications of diabetes. This is great news in the fight against diabetes in this country.
Tom has an impressive record of service to this nation. Not only did Tom serve in the U.S. House of Representatives for five terms, but he also served for 17 years in the Illinois House of Representative. In addition, he is a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army. I want to thank Tom for all of his service to the State of Illinois and the United States. His leadership and valuable contributions on a number of issues will be sorely missed. I wish him the best of luck in all of his future endeavors.
Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to rise today to join my colleagues in paying special tribute to my good friend and colleague from Illinois, Mr. Tom Ewing. Mr. Ewing and I have served together on both the Science and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. We have worked on many bipartisan issues to improve our nation and home state of Illinois including the promotion of ethanol use and production as well as many transportation initiatives.
Tom Ewing has represented the 15th District and State of Illinois well over the past decade. Mr. Ewing began his distinguished career as an attorney, having graduated from John Marshall Law School in 1968. As a member of the House of Representatives he worked hard to ensure his constituents were well represented.
Mr. Speaker, Tom Ewing has served this institution well and he will be greatly missed. I wish Mr. Ewing and his family well in the years to come.
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