Pelosi Floor Speech Honoring Gabe Zimmerman
Washington, D.C. - Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor today in support of H.Res. 364, which designates room HVC 215 of the Capitol Visitor Center as the 'Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room." Below are the Leader's remarks.
"Thank you, Madam Speaker. I thank Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz for taking the time today to bring this important legislation to the floor. Yes, we did indeed experience an emotional moment to see Gabby open her eyes, but we all experienced an emotional moment here on August 1st when Congresswoman Gabby Giffords came back to the floor of Congress to cast a vote. With all the smiles that we had that day--and we were part of history--we had deep inside of us the sorrow of those who lost their lives last January. And one of those people was Gabe Zimmerman.
"So I'm pleased and saddened to come to the floor of the House of Representatives today to join my colleagues. Thank you, Congressman Fleischmann and Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz and the Congresswoman from the District of Columbia for their leadership here. And joined in a bipartisan way, especially with the leadership of Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz and the Arizona delegation, in a bipartisan fashion speaking on behalf of this resolution.
"As has been mentioned, Gabe Zimmerman and five others were tragically taken from us on January 8th of this year and the attack on Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. All the nation watched and prayed.
"Today, in permanently naming a room in the Capitol complex after Gabe, we honor his life. As Gabe's mother, Emily Nottingham, said, ‘it's not [Gabe's] death, but his work and his ideals that should be recognized here…'
"Gabe's ideals were rooted in service: he had worked, as has been mentioned, as a social worker assisting troubled youth, served on the boards of several community organizations in Tucson, and tirelessly assisted the constituents of Congresswoman Giffords.
"The work that he did made a difference: to veterans seeking the benefits they were owed, to families facing foreclosure, to seniors who had lost their Social Security checks.
"As this resolution notes, there are more than 15,000 individuals serving as congressional staff. In honoring Gabriel Zimmerman today, we recognize all of them for their service.
"I want to particularly acknowledge Pia Carusone, who is the Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, for her leadership in guiding the staff through this tragic time but not for one moment diminishing the concern and the service to the people of the district that Gabby Giffords represents in Tucson.
"Today, we pray for Gabe's mother Emily, his father Ross, his stepmother Pamela, his brother Ben, and for his fiancé Kelly. We hope it is a comfort to them to know that Gabe will be forever remembered here in the Capitol complex. When people walk through that complex and they see that name, that signage, whether it's above the door or directly next to it, some may ask a question: Who is Gabe Zimmerman? They may not know him by name, but they know him by sacrifice. And we all honor that here today.
"May Gabe Zimmerman, of course, rest in peace. May his memory always be a blessing to us. We know that it is, but we want everyone else to know it as well.
"With that, again, I thank Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz for her leadership, persistence, determination, advocacy, relentlessness in making this possible. In honoring Gabe we honor the work of all of our staff: past, present and future."