Washington, D.C. – Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ) gave the following speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today in support of H.Res. 364, Designating room HVC 215 of the Capitol Visitor Center as the ‘‘Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room.” Rep. Schweikert and Rep. Wasserman Schultz are co-authors of this resolution:
“Today, I rise in support of House Resolution 364, re-naming HVC 215 the Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room.
“As Members of Congress, each of us consider our staff more than employees or people we work with. They are part of our team, part of our family. They are also the voice, the eyes, and ears in our communities. They solve problems. They work very long hours and so often we forget to say ‘thank you.’
“Today, we say thank you to Gabriel Zimmerman who was truly one of these dedicated staffers.
“He had a great reputation of being one of the most caring individuals you could possibly ever meet. After receiving his master’s degree at Arizona State University School, he chose to give back to Arizona, making our state a better place.
“On the morning of January 8th, he had organized a ‘Congresswoman on the Corner’ meeting outside Tucson so constituents could meet and talk with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. That Saturday morning in southern Arizona was democracy at its finest. Then the unimaginable happened.
“Gabe Zimmerman is the first Congressional staffer to lose his life in the service of this House.
“Today, we honor Gabriel’s talents, and compassion, and the wonderful things he did for Arizona.
“Naming something as simple as a room will never be enough for his sacrifice. But it is the right thing to do for Gabe, for all the things he did for Arizona, the things he did for Tucson, and also this Congressional family.
“And 100 years from now, there will be a young congressional staffer taking a first tour of this building. And during that tour they will come across a room with Gabe’s name on it. And when they read about it, they are going to understand the sacrifice that he gave just like so many members here give. But, Gabriel gave the ultimate sacrifice—his love and his talent for this body and this family.
“Madam Speaker, I yield back.”
BACKGROUND: Earlier this year, Rep. Schweikert, Rep. Wasserman Schultz, other Members of Congress, and members of Gabe Zimmerman’s family introduced this resolution at a press conference. Pictures of that event are here.