e-News 9/25/15

• The Resignation of the Speaker
• Pope Francis Visits the Capitol: We Are Deeply Thankful
• Windmills off New Jersey
• Salute: Farewell Yogi

The Resignation of the Speaker

We were witnesses to history today as the Speaker of the House, third in the line of succession to the Presidency, announced he will resign from Congress at the end of October.

I thank John Boehner for serving as Speaker of the entire House.  We should all be grateful for his unqualified support of our men and women in uniform, and their families, as they do the work of freedom around the world.  The Speaker has consistently allowed us to meet our primary Constitutional responsibility to provide for a strong national defense. 

I wish the Speaker and his family well.

Pope Francis Visits the Capitol: We Are Deeply Thankful

I was honored to be in the House Chamber yesterday morning for Pope Francis’ address.  It was an optimistic, up-lifting pastoral speech in which he recognized the greatness of the “land of the free and the home of the brave” and reminded us of the great influence the United States wields around the world. 

Much of the Pope’s message centered on values on which we all agree and hope to make a difference: caring for the poor, the sick, and the homeless are fundamental to a compassionate society. 

It is fitting that he has visited America, because this is a nation which shares his vision of putting people in position to be able to pursue their dreams and enjoy the blessings of liberty.  The Pope’s historic visit to Congress reinforces our shared goal of putting people first so they have every opportunity to pursue their dreams.

Of course, I will allow others to draw their own personal lessons from his words, but all of my colleagues are deeply thankful for the time he spent here.

To read Herb Jackson’s story on the visit of Pope Francis to the Capitol in the Bergen Record, click here.

To watch Pope Francis’ entire speech, click here.

To read the text of Pope Francis’ speech, visit the Bergen Recordwebsite.

Windmills off New Jersey

“The federal government plans to lease nearly 344,000 acres of the ocean floor off the coast of New Jersey to companies interested in building offshore windmills to generate electricity.” The Associated Press reports that the lease area would run roughly from Long Beach Island to the southern tip of the state near Cape May.  Read more here.

Salute:  A fond farewell to Yankee great Yogi Berra.  I was pleased to have Yogi and his wife, the late Carmen Berra, as constituents for several years.

I recommend to you Cindy Boren piece in the Wednesday Washington Post, “Why Yogi Berra Matters.”