WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) spoke on the House Floor today prior to a moment of silence observed on the House Floor in honor of Chairman Elijah Cummings. Below is a video and excerpts from his remarks:     “All of us in this House lost a respected colleague. Many of us lost a dear, long-time, good friend… The passing this morning of Chairman Elijah Cummings of the Committee on Oversight and Reform was a painful shock to all who have served with him.”

“He was a leader for our country and for his home state of Maryland… He was a leader, like our brother John Lewis, for principle, for comity, for civility.”

“He was a quiet man who did not seek the limelight, but he was not afraid to step out into the arena and fight hard for the causes in which he believed strongly. And as all of us know, those, of course, were justice, equality, opportunity, civil rights, education, children. He liked to say that children are the message we send to a future that we will never see.”

“He was beloved by his constituents, both those in the city of Baltimore and those in its suburbs… He worked hard... As his health faltered, his passion for his work did not.”

“In the days ahead, we will have many opportunities to speak about our friend Elijah, about his passion for service, his many contributions to Maryland and our nation, and his deep convictions as a moral leader and a man of decency and love for his neighbor… And we have a chance to reflect on the love he had for his wife Maya and for his children.

“Today, in remembering Elijah Cummings, we have a chance to promote the vision he held of the people’s House coming together in a spirit of unity and purpose. Sadly, that purpose is to mourn his passing and remember a dear friend who will no longer be with us as we continue the work to which he gave his all.”