In recognition of Senator Robert C. Byrd's historic 18,000th vote, Rep. Nick Rahall released the following statement:

EXTENSION OF REMARKS

Honorable Nick J. Rahall, II

Of West Virginia

In the House of Representatives

Senator Byrd's 18,000th Historic Vote

June 21, 2007

Madam Speaker, today is an historic date in the United States Congress, and for my State of West Virginia. Today, our State's senior Senator - the senior Senator of all Senior Senators - and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Robert C. Byrd, has just cast his 18,000th vote.

On April 30, 1990, Senator Byrd cast his 12,134th vote, surpassing Senator William Proxmire, the previous record holder.

Now, he has cast 18,000 votes. Talk about a record. They say records are made to be broken. I will be very surprised if anyone ever breaks this one. It would take a Senator on super steroids!

Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity, not only to congratulate my fellow West Virginian, and my mentor, but to say how proud the people of West Virginia are of him.

Senator Byrd was a virtual orphan boy raised by his aunt and coal­mining uncle in the hills of southern West Virginia. Through hard work, determination, a strong religious belief, an unrelenting drive to gain knowledge, and his belief that the United States is indeed the land of opportunity, he has climbed to the highest pinnacle of political success. He went from a coal miner's shack to the ornate Appropriations Committee Suite he now occupies in the U.S. Capitol. Unable to afford college after graduating from high school, he became the first person to begin and complete law school while serving in the United States Congress.

He has worked pumping gas and as a butcher in a local grocery store, and as a welder in the shipyards of Baltimore and Tampa during World War II. After the war, he owned and operated a grocery store in Sophia, West Virginia. These are unlikely jobs for someone with the kind of power our Senator has come to wield in Washington. But I believe they helped to mold the man in a way that I think would be of benefit to more of our leaders, and, in turn, to our nation. I think the world of politics would have a better reputation if more politicians lived the kind of hardscrabble life that Senator Byrd endured in his younger days. Certainly, it would be better if more of us had a wonderful woman like his gracious Erma - his angel in heaven - by our sides, giving us counsel and encouragement.

Now Senator Byrd has cast more votes than any other U.S. Senator, and he has done so approaching each vote with depth of thought and breadth of experience.

He has held more Senate leadership positions than any other Senator, including two stints as the Senate Majority Leader. And, as I have already mentioned, he is the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

While he is the longest serving Senator in history, I am pleased to point out that on December 2, 2009, he will have served in the U.S. Congress for a total of 56 years, 10 months, and 29 days, making him the longest serving member of Congress in history. I am already preparing my remarks for that historic day.