to complete his business administration degree at bradley university he joined the cappella choir there where he would meet the love of his life, corrine woodruff. it was immediately after graduation that michael's path into politics started after the then-president of peoria university amoched -- approached him about a candidate running for congress. after interviewing, the on his hired michael staff. michael ultimately succeeded him. that led him to rise to house leadership and serve a stint as minority whip and eventually minority leader for 14 years. throughout his rise in leadership, bob michael remained growned to his district, never forgetting where he came from. he was masterful at building

personal relationships and represented the gold standard for public service. that reputation revied from his commonsense approach and mid western upbringing. this past saturday, we laid bob to rest in his hometown of peoria, illinois. bob was remembered at that time and honored as an american hero a tremendous public servant, a devoted father, husband, and a friend. mr. speaker, the life of this incredible statesman will never be forgotten and the legacy is left -- he's left behind should serve as a reminder for how we as public servants can continue our work moving forward. again i'm proud to stand with my colleagues tonight as a successor to congressman michael's seat and to honor our beloved friend, colleague, eader, and mentor. mr. speaker, at this time, i now yield to congressman john

shimkus of illinois, the dean of our republican delegation, as much time as he may consume. mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. to my colleague and friend, congressman lahood, thank you for having this time tonight. bob michael was a giant here in washington. and he left this world in a manner in which he probably would like to have. without fanfare. without parades. just going home. was said, bob michael was active in this house for 38 years. he loved the house of representatives. he cherished this chamber. and he cher herbed this institution. he served as minority leader for 14 years and as he lovingly called the people's house.

in this institution, he -- in this institution he dearly loved. few are left in this chamber who actually served with him. it's my hope that minority -- that minority whip hoyer gets to the floor, served with him. and i think steny also tries to represent that era of time when agreed s people who without being disagreeable. who would work across the aisle. and i look forward to hearing steny's remarks. been was known for his aw, shucks demeanor and his baritone singing voice. i remember once at a lincoln day dinner when he was leaving and i was running and people always wanted him to finish the lincoln day dinner singing "god bless

america." always. it was mandatory. but that should not -- his aw, shucks demeanor and his baritone have voice should not distract from his keen legislative ability where he steered the reagan revolution through this chamber as minority leader. as those of us who served post bob michel know, that's a difficult thing to do. many times you see bob michel wearing his c.i.b. on his lapel pin. for those of us who served in the military, the c.i.b. is one of the most treasured awards because it means he was an infantryman who served in combat and my colleague, congressman lahood, relayed his service from normandy to the battle of the bulge, herer tos you service awards and wounded in combat. you can see bob's presence here in the chamber, the speaker's

office is named the bob michel room. go to peoria, which i was fortunate to attend this weekend and go to the funeral, drive across the bob michel bridge. the funeral service was on the cam poufs bradley university, the student union is named after bob michel. bob loved baseball and as an avid player myself, we had shared fond memories. he pitched, i pitched, i think he won more games than i did. one flaw in bob michel's character was being a cub fan and as a cardinal fan i was able to say that. but when all the ceremonies were going on with the cubs winning the world series, i finally found a reason to be happy about the cubs' success. bob was alive to experience it.

in fact, stories over the weekend said he stayed up to see the final play in the final -- and the final out. there's a great picture of him on his porch with the -- flying the w. bob was laid to rest in peoria on saturday. i remember one of the statements made i remember one of the statements, peoria is good enough for me and he was laid out to rest. my thoughts go out to his family his so vickie, who after wife's death became a loyal companion. i appreciate this time to reflect. and i'll end with -- you get to meet some great people in this chamber. and one of those that i'll cheer is my opportunity to get to know him and become friends with

leader bob michel and i yield back. mr. lahood: thank you, congressman shimkus, for those wonderful words for leader michel. at this time, i yield to . ngresswoman bustos nd she was at the funeral on this past weekend. >> i yoin with my colleagues to recognize the life and legacy of a great man who dedicated his life to service. for decades the hardworking men and women were proud to have bob michel fighting for them. even though we were from opposite parties, i learned a ot from bob michel who was a friend to my family. he pleeved in america to his

core. e believed in the midwestern values. hard work, service, community and working to achieve a common good. these are the common values that bob michel lived by. he gave a life of service. it was in 1956 that he ran and won his seat in several communities across central illinois. even though he went to washington, bob michel's heart was always in peoria and never

loft sight of the people he served. and for nearly 40 years he rose through the ranks to become the longest serving minority leader in our nation's history. and even though i might not have agreed with him on every single vote, bob michel proved you can disagree without being disagreeable. over the last several days, i have heard from members from both sides of the aisle about their memories of leader michel and there are several things we can all agree on. first, if bob michel gave you his word, you could always count on it. second, if you had a good idea, whether democrat or republican, if it helped the families he represented, you could count on his support. and finally, if he didn't agree with you on something, well, you could probably count on a fight, but not a fight like we think today.

not divisive and partisan battles that become far too partisan. he believed in healthy debate, grounded in mutual respect for both sides of the aisle. because when it gets down to it, all of us are here with the intent of bettering the families we serve, bettering the communities we represent and bettering nation. that's what bob michel stood for and we as a nation come together tonight to mourn his loss. i am proud to stand along with mr. hultgren and mr. lahood and mr. shimkus and my colleagues in illinois in offering our condolences of the house of representatives to scott, bruce, laurie and robin as well as their families. the city of peoria will remember the life of service that bob michel gave. with that, i yield back.

mr. lahood: i now yield as much time he mate consume, randy hultgren. mr. hultgren: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, congressman lahood, congresswoman bustos, good to be with you to join in mourning the loss and more so celebrating the rich life of illinois' bob michel who passed away at the age of 93. bob embodied a combination of decency, civility, a deep patriotismism. observers across the spectrum agree bob defined bipartisanship during his long tenure in congress as minority whip and

leader. he was called to the legislative process. a workhorse, leader michel pushed forward conservative priorities under democratic and republican presidents. building relationships across the aisle helped move legislation through the house chamber. to him treating others with respect and care was essential in making deals to get solutions to america's problems. and he carried little, if he obtained credit for his efforts. as commented in "the "national review" bob made little noise but made things work, unquote. bob was a patriot. this son of illinois landed at normandy. he was wounded and awarded two bronze stars and purple heart among other recognitions and joins fellow members of the greatest generation whose steady love of country carried us through difficult seasons. i wish his family peace and hope

during his time of mourning. he will be deeply missed. i yield back. mr. lahood: thank you for those wonderful words. i yield as much as he would consume to the minority whip, mr. hoyer. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman from peoria, but bradley. mr. speaker, we rise tore honor one of the most decent, patriotic americans with whom i have ever served in any legislative body. i had the great honor of being bob michel's friend. great honor of being his colleague. and the great honor of believing that what bob michel represented in this congress was the best of us.

the most decent of us. the most krt of us. and deeply committed to his country. and respectful of those with whom he served. perhaps differing with them, but nevertheless, deeply respectful of his colleagues. he and tip were good friends. they could argue their side and their policies vigorously. but be the best of friends after we adjourned that day. i thank my colleague from illinois for leading this tribute. and i rise to join in emembering this great man. great american leader, bob

michel. mr. speaker, bob's entire life was given to service to his country, from his time in the army as an infantryman on the front lines for the fight for democracy in the second world war and long career in government, leader michel sought to make america and the world safer and to protect the american dream for all of our people. mr. speaker, i did not want to lose the majority in 1994. but when we lost, i lamented the fact that bob michel did not become the speaker of the house of representatives. in my opinion, if he had, civil would be a more place today.

and this body would be a more collegial body than it is. i want to congratulate the gentleman who represents bob michel's district now, succeeding in that office, his father, who is a very dear and close friend of mine. all three of them represented e best of that which america hopes, which serve it well. bob michel and i didn't always agree on policy, but as colleagues we reached consensus and achieved results. i remember in 1989 when tony and i were working to pass the house's version of what would become the landmark disabilities

act, bob michel saw how important and asked my friend steve bartlett from texas to work with me on the -- from the republican side of the aisle to achieve a bipartisan version that could become law. that's how bob michel operated. this house would be a better house if we followed the example of bob michel. he saw a problem and looked for a way we could come together around a compromised solution, not focused first on confrontation. deesens si and friendlyness were as evident as his seriousness as a legislature. as a republican whip and leader, he set an example on how to lead not based on obstruction but identifying on ways to work together to achieve common

goals. to that extent, and in so many other ways, as i have said, bob michel represented the best of us. now, bob, mr. speaker, could be tough. he could be really tough. he knew how to defend his party's interest and advance its goals in the minority. but bob belonged strongly that those who are sent by our constituents have first and foremoss the responsibility to make policy and not play politics. and that's how bob michel served by always, always, always putting country first. mr. speaker, i hope his example will be an inspiration for all who serve today. bob, nd by condolences to scott, robin and laurie and the entire family.

and i join the people of illinois, 18th district in mourning the man who was their champion for so many years. linois, this house and our country lost a great life, but one i hope will continue to shine through its reflection by inspired. bob michel i was one of those. we'll miss him. there aren't enough bob michels. and i yield back to the gentleman from illinois. >> i want to thank the speaker for those warm words. this means so much for his family and for all of his colleagues. i want to thank everybody that

spoke here tonight. from the elroy delegation who spoke so fondly about mr. michael. when we think about the traits that he exemplified, integrity, genuineness and disability that everybody talked here tonight, i think it is also important to remember where he came from in illinois. the congressional district that he represented, the 18th congressional district was the same district that congressman abraham lincoln represented. same districte that bob michael represented. you think about those strong, midwestern values they never forgot. another thing unique about all three is a they were all very within one hour of each other. oak ridge cemetery, president lincoln, p come cemetery --

bob michael couldn't been buried in arlington cemetery but he chose to be very next to the love of his life in pr at illinois.- peoria, drive you can's guess the all of their grades. another thing i want to mention enclosing is he served his 14 years as of the republican leader. the longest of anyone in this institution as a leader of the minority party. thatd a number of people he meant toward and tutored, from dick cheney to newt gingrich, people who served under him. that should not be lost. bob michael was a conservative republican but the way he went about the work that he did, his style of civility in treating being ablefoe alike,

to work across party lines when he needed to make this institution a better place. we need more people like bob michael and public service. he is a shining example of what public service should be. i'm proud to serve in the same congressional district that he representative -- that he represented. and lastly, he made us proud to oria, illinois. he made this country a better place for his service of over 50 years. tonight we say recipes. with that ideal back. announcer: in case you missed it, here are some clips of see in programming this week. joe biden at a bipartisan ceremony to award him a patriot award. some of the press guys are

lousy just like some senators are lousy, like doctors are lousy, lawyers are lousy, but it doesn't matter. we should never challenge to the basic truth that an independent and free press is fundamental element and functioning our democracy. the house floor, majority leader kevin mccarthy on the affordable care act. and they traded 23 co-ops, but in $23 billion. for the last six years we have been holding the camera, we have been listening to the public and we have been working on this bill. announcer: olympic gold medalist onhael phelps at a hearing how to improve the international anti-doping system. ani think i stood up at international competition and the rest of the field was clean. i know when i do stand up in the

u.s. i know we are all clean because we're going through the same thing. we're going through the out competition tests. for me, in terms of internationally, i think there has to be something done. it has to be done now. announcer: representative jason on transportation issues. knowledgebest of my the guidance is not in writing. wait a second, he does make this up, it is not in writing? >> sir, it is a standard practice. >> know it is not. is this a standard practice? no, there is no attorney client privilege when one government agency is investigating another agent the. announcer: senator bernie sanders on the trump administration.

>> we have struggled from the inception of this country. racism, theainst fight against sexism, the fight against xenophobia and homophobia. andwe are telling mr. trump his friends loudly and clearly we are not going backwards, we are going forwards. senator marco rubio at a hearing on financial fraud targeting senior citizens. >> if you look at the list of the top medicare fraud in america, they are almost entirely in south florida. they leave to cuba with millions of dollars. it is an outrage, it is protests, it is extensively covered by the press in south florida. people may not think seniors are victims, they are victims. announcer: all programs are available on our news website c-span.org.

earlier this evening, the gridiron club held its annual dinner in washington dc. the gridiron club was founded in 1865. it 65 members represent major newspapers and broadcast networks. the annual dinner is a white tie affair and close to two cameras. it is known to feature satirical skits of members of the media and politicians from both parties. president trump did not attend last night's gathering but president -- vice president theretnts -- penz as well as minority leader nancy pelosi. here's a look at some of the arrivals.

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announcer: c-span, where history unfolded daily. created as aan was public service by america's television cable company and is brought to you today by your cable or satellite water. -- provider. announcer 1: the washington press club foundation held its annual congressional dinner this week in washington dc where former npr host diane rehm was honored. in addition pbs newshour , executive producer sarah just announced the creation of a journalism fellowship in honor of gwen ifill. other speakers included tim

scott and louisiana congressman cedric richmond. this is just over an hour. [background chatter] margaret talev: ladies. [laughter] margaret talev: why does it work so much better when you do it? tim scott: because we are a team. margaret talev: welcome to the 73rd annual dinner of the washington press club foundation. i am from bloomberg news and i am the foundation president and i would like to introduce the table. starting on my right into your left, deidra walsh of cnn. she is our secretary. [applause]