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HONORING FORMER CONGRESSMAN PAUL MITCHELL
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 4, 2021, the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join several of my colleagues tonight to recognize our former colleague, Mr. Paul Mitchell.
Paul was recently diagnosed with cancer, and so many of us wanted to send our well-wishes that we decided the best way we could do it was from the well of the House, a place that Paul Mitchell loved and spent so much of his time.
Paul represented Michigan's 10th District in our State's thumb from 2017 until his retirement just this year. In that time, he proved himself to be the kind of principled, practical leader that Michigan is known for.
Paul knew that the path to good government runs through reaching across the aisle. The proof is in his record. Paul was intentional about ensuring key legislation be introduced in a bipartisan fashion, and the folks he drew to his legislation ran the gamut of the political spectrum.
Paul was an advocate for students, for investing in innovation, and for economic development. Whether you were on the left or the right, Paul worked with you to get things done.
These days, some might call that behavior an independent, being a maverick. But to us, that was just Paul.
When he announced his retirement in July 2019 in order to spend more time with his family, we, of course, wished him all the best. But I also felt a twinge of sadness in losing a funny, charming, and humble servant leader.
He charted his own course in Congress as both a legislator and a friend. His presence is deeply missed in this Chamber.
Earlier this month, we received the news that Paul had been diagnosed with renal cancer. Weeks before, he had had emergency surgery to remove a mass and a blood clot that had moved to his heart. His doctors at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital estimated a 10 percent chance of survival, but true to form, Paul pulled through.
I am happy to announce that last night Paul went home to his family in Dryden. He has a long road of recovery ahead of him, one that will require things like physical therapy and immunotherapy, but Paul is approaching his recovery with a typical can-do approach.
We want to send him all of our love and all of our strength for recovery, those of us who spent so much time with him. Here assembled, we have members of the Michigan delegation and members of the Problem Solvers Caucus, two groups that spent a ton of time with Paul Mitchell.
Mr. Speaker, it is, therefore, my privilege to turn the floor over to some of those friends to recognize him in the place that we know he loved so much.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin).
{time} 1745
Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Slotkin for yielding and for organizing this Special Order in honor of our dear friend, Paul Mitchell.
Mr. Speaker, I represent parts of Macomb and Oakland counties. And during my first term in Congress, Paul and I shared representation of Macomb. Paul represented the northern part; I represent the southern part. And while there were plenty of policies we disagreed on, there were a lot of things we connected on, too.
We wanted to bring better water infrastructure to Macomb. And, Paul, I am still working on it, and we are going to get there.
We talked about our shared history in the workforce world. Paul was a real leader in workforce policy through his company, and I used to run the State workforce system in Michigan. And he was a real leader and a thought leader in that area. And, Paul, I am trying to carry that on as best I can, too, as we look towards WIOA reauthorization.
And when we did spar over policy positions, it wasn't mean-spirited. In fact, it was really close to my ideal of what it means to serve in this body. It was real, honest debate, the kind I was happy to have and honored to have.
Paul and I now share one more connection, and it is one we didn't share. As a two-time cancer survivor, I know what it is like to get that diagnosis, and I know the stress and the pain that Paul and his family are facing. It is something I wouldn't wish on anyone, and I am devastated that they have to go through it.
I want Paul to know that Mary and I are thinking about you and praying for you as your treatment begins, and that I am here to lend an ear or even talk through this experience, the same way that you did for me when I was just coming to Congress. You were one of the most generous colleagues I knew.
Mr. Speaker, I was lucky to have a neighbor like Paul Mitchell, and I look forward to the day we can celebrate your remission, Paul, and joust happily once again over the issues of the day.
God bless you.
General Leave
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Virginia
(Ms. Spanberger).
Ms. SPANBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear colleague from Michigan for putting together this Special Order for us to talk about our former colleague--and for so many of us--our friend, Representative Paul Mitchell.
Mr. Speaker, I first had the opportunity to meet Representative Mitchell on the floor of the House when his youngest son was visiting. We were on the House floor, entering our cards in for a vote, and Paul's son wanted to help push the voting button for different Members. Paul, at that time, was a Republican; I am a Democrat. And if you gave your card to Paul's son, he would invariably vote with the Republicans, regardless of who you were. So there were quite a few engaged Democrats who thought they were being so kind letting a child vote, who had to run over to the well right behind me to change their vote, because, indeed--I believe he was 10 at the time--a 10-year-old had somehow mischievously voted incorrectly.
Paul was simultaneously delighted by what was a bit of a funny experience on the House floor, but also a little bit embarrassed that people were running over,
That was Paul. He would bring, and does bring, joy to every meeting. He is a serious person, focused on policy, focused on truth, on reality, on the things that matter to him, which were: his incredible career in business, on his wonderful family, eminently proud of his children; and, particularly, always willing to draw on his personal experiences in business, as a parent--as a parent of a law enforcement officer--to find commonality and to advocate for the things that he believes in.
And during our time in Congress, I was so grateful to serve on the Problem Solvers Caucus, or to be part of the Problem Solvers Caucus with Paul, where invariably during our weekly meetings, he would be a jovial part of those meetings, focused on the hard work of legislating, but also on bringing a bit of humanity and commonality to the people gathered around the table, sometimes engaging in very, very difficult conversations.
Paul made the very hard decision to retire after his terms in Congress. It was one that, as a friend, I heard him talk through the pros, the cons, whether he was ready to leave this place. A place that, while he was here, he so deeply loved, and a place where I believe as a colleague, I saw him make a significant impact. But ultimately, with a young child at home, a beautiful farm with lots of sheep, and a renewed interest in a love of racing, Paul did decide that it was time for him to retire.
Since his retirement, I have been a friend who has been on the receiving end of so many photos, as I am sure so many of our colleagues here have been, of snowy days on the farm in Michigan, beautiful views of the water, and race cars.
As a Virginian, we have a NASCAR racetrack just on the line of my district--I generally like to claim it. And Paul was scheduled before his diagnosis to come to Virginia for a race. And I just thought how hysterical is that for a man I used to talk hard policy issues and debate policy and disagree--sometimes very fervently--with is now going to be literally racing through my district--or just adjacent--in his race car.
So I look forward to the time when Paul--because he is a fighter, regardless of any diagnosis--I think we know that he is intent on getting back in his race car, back to his farm, and certainly continuing to be engaged and focused.
I look forward to the time when we could welcome him in Virginia for him to race around the track. I am unsure whether or not I may choose to enter into that vehicle with him, but I might stand on the sidelines and cheer.
Mr. Speaker, Paul was an incredible friend. He was an incredibly good Member of Congress, because at every moment, he just was focused on what was right. I know that is how he was in business, in his personal life before he came here. I know that is how he continues to be.
Certainly, as a new Member of Congress, witnessing someone who has always genuinely shown kindness and heart, every conversation he had here in the Halls of Congress was a great example to me. I am so proud to have served with him during his time in Congress, but far more than that, I am deeply honored to call Paul Mitchell a friend, a real friend, and deeply honored to know that he is someone who will always stand up for truth, who will always stand up for what is right, who will always stand up for his family, for his friends, and for his country.
So my dear friend, I wish you the very best as you continue in your recovery. We are all thinking of you. I am so grateful for your friendship.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Mr. Mitchell, we will now start going Democrat-Republican, Democrat-Republican to demonstrate our bipartisanship.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Meijer).
Mr. MEIJER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the great State of Michigan, and I guess, I would thank Paul for all of the service he has given this body, has given our country, has given our State.
The morning when I was supposed to first meet Paul, was the same morning that he announced that he was not running for reelection. He defined that spirit of making decisive moves.
It is no secret that for the freshman class who have entered, the past 6 months have been less than normal. I take the assurances of my colleagues, who have been in this body for many terms, that what we have seen so far has been atypical. But I cannot thank Paul enough for the example that he set, for the wisdom that he shared, and for his perennial, ever-blunt honesty.
All too often people, especially politicians, can walk and dance and do a jig around the truth. And Paul was always incredibly clear about where he stood and what he believed. So I am grateful for the friendship that I have been able to develop with him as a freshman, and I look forward to many more of those moments.
I want Paul and his family to know that he is in our prayers. My wife, Gabrielle, and I will keep him in our prayers. The challenges that he is dealing with are being felt by too many, but I am proud to call him a friend as he continues to fight on.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton).
Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for doing this, and I am sorry to sort of jump people in line, but we are in a committee markup, so I have to get back.
Mr. Speaker, I have to say that my friend, Paul Mitchell, grew up the eldest of seven kids. Literally, a natural born leader of the pack. He was the first of his extended family to graduate from college. He has noted that his mom raised him to believe that those with talents and resources were expected by God to make a difference in the world. And by God, he did.
Tenacious and focused like a laser beam, he set and met goals. A scrappy fighter, he has now met his most formidable foe, that is for sure, and he is all in for that fight.
And in a text that I got from him a little bit earlier today, he said, ``as you know, I am one tough cuss.''
Yes, Paul, you are. And you know what, everybody knows it--not only your Republican and Democratic colleagues, but certainly the former President, and probably all of your constituents back in Michigan as well. You are a tough cuss.
Yesterday, my colleague, Diana DeGette, and I introduced a discussion draft called 21st Century Cures 2.0.
Mr. Speaker, 392 of us in this Chamber, including Paul, voted for the 21st Century Cures enacted in 2016, which expedites the approval of new drugs. This bill that we are working on now, 2.0, could well indeed speed the approval of new drugs even faster. So it indeed could be the very lifeline for Paul and so many like him--thousands of Americans and around the world--that somehow are impacted by this terrible disease that we all want to survive.
Paul's life is characterized by exceeding expectations, defying the odds. And we know that is what he intends to do now, for sure. And if anybody can, it is Paul. So we are with you, Paul--you may be watching--every step of the way. All of us.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record Paul's farewell address that he stated back in July of 2019 as part of this tribute.
Representative Paul Mitchell's (MI-10) Floor Remarks on Wednesday July
24, 2019
Madam Speaker, America is an amazing place and we too often as Americans take that for granted. Opportunities exist in this country that simply aren't available in much of the world. And my life is an example of the many possibilities in the United States of America.
I ask you: Where else can a kid born into poverty, beginning life in a subsidized housing project, become a national legislator? Yet--here I stand as a Member of Congress.
In how many countries can the oldest of seven children with parents that were an hourly autoworker and a Salvation Army office manager become the first in their extended family to graduate from college, build a career and become CEO of a major workforce development company and, after retiring, be elected to Congress?
America is truly a unique and special place that we must love and respect with all our heart and soul.
My mother raised me to believe that those with talents and/or resources were expected by God to make a difference in the world. I have tried to do that throughout my life.
My mission for 35 years was to assist people in identifying and securing career opportunities. My professional career allowed me to support my family while assisting adults of all ages and backgrounds develop skills to support their families and build careers.
I assisted individuals ranging from laid off steel workers and autoworkers to long term public assistance recipients develop the skills they needed to secure a job and build a new career.
I worked with individuals requiring literacy education or ESL and adults that had worked in the same job for years and suddenly found their jobs and industries had evaporated, and their lives turned upside down.
I worked, in some way or another, with tens of thousands of people searching for assistance in securing a job and a career path.
I believed then, and I continue to believe, that most Americans find value and opportunity in working--sometimes they just need a hand and assistance to overcome adversity.
I brought that passion and commitment to Washington. I was, and remain, committed to making a difference in the world. I literally approached being a Member of Congress like my earlier career--full tilt and leaving no stone unturned to have a meaningful impact, and to make a difference on issues where I could.
It is an honor to stand on this floor, debate issues, and represent the people of Michigan's 10th Congressional District. I am proud to be among the 12,500 or so Americans that have had the privilege of serving in Congress.
But I have also begun asking myself about making a difference for my family. My children of all ages--but the youngest just nine years old--have accepted their dad traveling this country extensively, working a demanding schedule, and frequently interrupting ``family time'' with calls, emails and text messages. My spouse Sherry has been so supportive and more patient than probably warranted.
A career in Washington has never been my objective. My objective has always been simply to work to address significant challenges this nation faces: health care, immigration, and infrastructure for example.
However, it appears to me that rhetoric overwhelms policy, and politics consumes much of the oxygen in this city.
The time has come to make a difference for my family--to focus my time and energy upon them--their needs and goals.
As George Washington is quoted: ``I would rather be on my farm than emperor of the world.''
As a result--I have decided I will not seek to continue to represent Michigan's 10th District next term. After serving out the remainder of the 116th Congress--I will return to my family and our small farm..
Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Elissa, again, for organizing this time for many of his friends that would like to say a few words tonight and push him forward to get to that finish line and come back.
God bless you.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens).
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Slotkin, for organizing this tribute session to our friend and former colleague, Paul Mitchell.
It is very symbolic of what it is like to be a member of the Michigan delegation. There are 14 of us--7 Democrats, 7 Republicans--
representing a State of just a little over 10 million people. And yet, we come together time and time again to champion matters and issues for our State, whether it is the Great Lakes or veterans' issues or our automotive industry.
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are doing here today. We are standing up for our friend who is in a fight--a fight against cancer. And we are doing it on the floor of the House of Representatives, for this man loves the floor of the House of Representatives. So there is no place more symbolic than this to tell Paul, ``You have got this.''
Sherry, you have got this. And to your kids, who I know you love dearly, we are standing by you every step of the way.
{time} 1800
Paul was certainly a champion not only for the legislative process and the business of doing government right by people, but he was a champion for Michigan. And if you hear his words, if he has talked about his experience, his recent diagnosis, you hear Paul saying: This was a gift from God. This was a gift from God.
Even when it got scary, because he is getting a little bit more of life. He is getting more of a chance to continue to push and to stand up for what he knows he has worked his life for, which is the creation of his wonderful family, and being in the State he loves so dearly.
Paul, I will just tell you, I have so many fond memories of you. I have fond memories from learning from you on this very floor. I have fond memories of being at Chrysler with you, which was really exciting for a first-term Congresswoman to be alongside you, seeing the new vehicles, and having discussions with the workforce at Chrysler in my district, but I know you have many Chrysler employees in the Michigan 10th District as well.
So those are the memories and those are the things that we celebrate with your service and also with your continued dedication. So it is a real privilege and honor to be here with my colleagues, telling you, Paul: You have got this, you are going to keep going, and we are going to keep fighting another day.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reed).
Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I truly thank my colleague for organizing this Special Order this evening for our friend Paul Mitchell.
Mr. Speaker, I come here this evening with no prepared remarks other than to make some comments, as shared by my colleagues about this great man.
Paul Mitchell is truly a friend. Paul Mitchell is someone I have gotten to know over the years here in Congress, and watched him develop in his own right. I watched him become a very serious and astute legislator. I watched him join the Problem Solvers Caucus that we started, and many of the colleagues have talked about the Problem Solvers Caucus.
Paul came to us from leadership, and in that process he did some things, because that is a very special club, and we have some very special rules and commitments to each other. In order to fulfill those commitments and those terms of honor in serving in that caucus with our colleagues, he demonstrated publicly, privately, and to our fellow members of the Problem Solvers Caucus what it means to be an honorable Member of Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I will tell you, for that, I was forever grateful to have been in a position to encourage Paul to join the Problem Solvers Caucus. And he, in particular, one day exhibited that very limited leadership quality that is so lacking here in the United States House of Representatives today, in my opinion. He showed true courage, true statesmanship, true leadership.
I just have to tell you, Paul, as we got the news about your diagnosis--and I am speaking to you directly here from the floor, Paul--we all immediately came to your side. We all, immediately in our thoughts, in our prayers, in our bond of friendship, stood with you and your family. And we are standing with you and your family as you go through this next chapter of your life, and please know that you are not alone.
To you and to your family, as a Member of this body, as a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, as a member serving your country, as a great citizen, we all stand with you and your family as you go through this ordeal that you face.
That being said, I join with my colleagues in saying, We know Paul Mitchell. We know your heart, Paul. We know your tenacity and your perseverance. And we know you are going to get through this, and you are going to get through this in a way only Paul Mitchell can get through it.
So as we come here today to give some fine words on behalf of you, Paul, and on behalf of your family, know we are also sending more than words. We are sending our shoulders to cry upon; our shoulders to lean upon; and, as you have exhibited over the years, even a shoulder to laugh upon during this difficult time.
And it is those lessons of life that you taught me, serving with you here in the House, that you cannot take life too seriously; that life is too short.
That is why, as my colleagues noted, Paul retired to be with his young family and his other children, to make sure that he kept his priorities straight.
And you did, Paul. You put your family, you put your health, and you put your future first in regards to the time of your life to make that decision to retire from this body.
So I am just humbled to be here with my colleagues. I truly thank my colleagues on the Democratic side and on the Republican side for coming here tonight to honor one of our best from the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul, and that is you. And for that, we will be forever grateful to be able to call you a friend; a colleague; and, in the end, a survivor.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Reed for those heartfelt words.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Phillips), another member of the Problem Solvers Caucus.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Michigan and all my friends for this Special Order hour.
Paul, you might not know this, but you are an important mentor of mine, one of the most important mentors I have had in my brief career in this Chamber. You represent the very most precious and sometimes rare of attributes in the U.S. Congress, and that is principle.
You are a man of principle at a time when our country needs that and you more than ever. You are a man of great intelligence and success and decency and empathy and honesty and integrity.
I remember my first conversation with Paul, we were speaking about higher education. And it was that conversation that reminded me that we can learn so much more from people of different perspectives than we do from those who are cut from the same cloth.
And when Paul made the difficult but very principled decision to become an Independent at the end of his career here in Congress, he wrote a letter to the House Clerk to announce the change in affiliation, and the last line of the letter read: ``While admittedly symbolic, we all know that symbols matter. We all know that symbols matter.''
And when you retired from Congress, Paul, you said: ``I can't begin to express to you how difficult it is to say something like `I am done' because I have never been done before.''
And let me tell you, my friend, you are not done yet, and we sure as heck are not done with you. We love you, Paul, and America joins me in sending our love to you and yours as well.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Phillips for his heartfelt words.
In conclusion, Paul, as you can imagine, we, of course, had our schedule changed 12 different times today. There are many, many more of our colleagues who are submitting official notes for the Record, and who are stuck in various places and will reach out directly.
But to you and your family, for the legacy that you left in this place, please know that we see you, we recognize you, we believe in your will to fight, and we are behind you 100 percent.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for joining on both sides of the aisle.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman, and I wouldn't have missed this.
We have an Energy and Commerce markup that continues on.
I guess through the chair to Paul, I wouldn't miss the opportunity to encourage you, and express through the chair, Paul, my deep appreciation for you as a friend, as a colleague, as a fighter.
Though I have not heard all the comments of my colleagues, I am sure that they have said to you: We love you. We are pulling for you, for Sherry, for the family. We are in your corner. But we also know that you are the one who has to fight this; and friends sometimes feel that, in a very unique way, it is a helpless feeling.
As we think about you and pray for you, and as a co-chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, you probably ought to expect that I am praying for you, and I will. I am praying that God will give you strength, patience, endurance, and even a joy in the process of what you are modeling to your family as you go through this.
I know you are a tough guy. We have had our verbal battles together all the time, and I am not even going to admit today that you may have won on a few occasions. I know that you race cars, and you race cars not to lose, and you race cars to take that victory lap after you went through the checker flag. And right now we are expecting you to race, to give it your absolute best, to use all the resources necessary to continue on because your life is important to your family, to your friends, and to those of us who look on.
If we admit, though you are going through a physical challenge that none of us are going through right now, but in the reality of life, none of us on the floor right here now have any more certainty about any longer time given to us than you have. I might not make it tomorrow. So it is important that we buy up the day that we have. And my prayers are that you are doing that in the challenges that you face, Paul, in the disappointments, in the discouragements that come, and the dark hours at night.
Yet there is someone. And I am not saying this to you simply because I am a preacher, even though I have gone to the dark side. I am saying it to you because my relationship with the Savior makes it possible for me to look to the future, whatever that future means, with hope, with certainty. The Jesus who I hope is a spirit I exude to my colleagues, my friends, my neighbors, and to you tonight, Paul, is the same one who said: I come that you might have life and have it abundantly.
He is the same one who came to die for each of us and understands our needs. He is the same one who said: I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he die--and we all will--yet shall he live. For whosoever lives and believes in me shall never abide in death.
That is an eternal thing. And, Paul, you and I have talked about those spiritual things as well. Pull on to your faith. You and Sherry pull on that faith. Let it strengthen you. Let it encourage you. Let the loving, loving Savior who gave himself for you and me and everyone give you the strength to battle on, to go on that racetrack of challenge and whatever, to find a certainty that in Him there is an eternity, there is an eternity that begins here and now.
Paul, we love you. I love you. I will be praying for you. I am counting on you to do everything you can. I am counting on your family to be blessed because of the example you are setting. But I am also saying to you that we are going to keep on supporting you. God bless you, brother.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Walberg for those kind words.
Paul, I hope you know the strength that we are sending you, all of us on both sides of the aisle. We feel it, we have been talking about you and Sherry and the kids constantly. And we hope that from our convening on you, you feel that strength and the power to fight back and beat this thing.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, and I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 109
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