Members of the House recognized Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) as dean of the lower chamber on Wednesday, with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) honoring the longest-serving member in floor speeches.
Rogers, 84, who was first elected in 1980 and previously served as chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, assumed the symbolic post in the wake of Rep. Don Young’s (R-AK) death earlier this year.
McCarthy paid tribute to Young before praising Rogers’s dedication to public service.
“I thank the gentleman for yielding. And as you talk, you’re runner-up almost to the dean too. So, I appreciate your service. Before I begin, I do want to take a moment — I do want to recognize and talk about our former member Don Young. He took this job very seriously. And he’s greatly missed,” he said.
RAND PAUL SAYS FAUCI RETIRING WON’T STOP INVESTIGATION INTO ORIGINS OF COVID-19
“And the new dean, there are some similarities to you and Don: You both have your assigned seats — Don was in the back, but you’re up front,” McCarthy added. “Don was a yeller; you’re more of a Southern gentleman. Don preferred a knife in his boot; you just like cigars, which I think is a little improvement. I’ve known Hal for the 15 years I’ve been here. I don’t know of another person that has a greater respect for this institution or more caringness for both sides of the aisle.”
McCarthy highlighted Rogers’s willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion.
“I’ve watched Hal in a position of power as chair of appropriations work with people on the other side simply because the issue is right. I watched him defy his party to stand up to do what is right,” he said.
“If you haven’t ever had a moment or time, if you get [Rep. Steve] Womack or [Rep. Tom] Cole to step aside, take a moment and sit with Hal. He might speak soft, and at times, he’s hard of hearing, especially when he goes through the magnetometers. But he will tell you stories that a historian would love,” McCarthy continued. “He will tell the times before, of what this body would do together. He’ll tell you the moments and the highs and the lows, and all of them would end in a story with America being a little better for tomorrow. Now, Hal, I know the first question you’re going to ask me — no, you get no more extra pay for being the dean. But you have a lot of responsibility, and, in essence, you’re the mentor to the House. I know you’ll do your job well because all you’ve ever wanted to do was do what was right — your love for the institution, your love for the body, but, more importantly, the love for the country.”
Hoyer also praised Young before honoring Rogers and his work in the House.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I want to join the Republican leader in congratulating Rep. Hal Rogers on — Mr. Speaker, Mr. Rogers of Kentucky has achieved that distinction and become our new dean of the House. It is humbling to think that our dean is from the same freshman class as I am. He was just shy of five months here before me,” he said.
“Those of us who know Hal can testify to the respect and love he has for this institution and for the role of dean,” Hoyer added. “He will surely uphold its traditions and continue to carry forward this chain of history for the House and for our democracy. I rise to congratulate the dean of the House, Hal Rogers of Kentucky.”
As dean, Rogers will have the responsibility of swearing in the next speaker of the House.
