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Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions members such as Michael Baumgartner.
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July 21, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. Baumgartner of Washington was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.)
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to note the passing of a great American, a great patriot, and a friend, Mr. Wes Anderson of Spokane, Washington.
exemplary service to fellow veterans who knew him best as “Doc.”
in Vietnam where he served as a hospital corpsman and later across our communities where he had time for every veteran.
serve veterans when, on his return to the United States, he had to fight his way through a crowd of war protesters on his flight home. His service to veterans took the form of over five decades of service through leadership roles in the Veterans of Foreign Wars, where he was honored for his work as a chaplain, and through various initiatives, small and large, that included his support for the residents of Spokane's veterans homes, 20 consecutive years of cleaning the Spokane Vietnam Veterans Memorial on each Memorial Day, and his volunteer work for veterans organizations such as Heroes Homestead.
Mr. Speaker, Wes was a patriot, a great American, and a friend. I speak for the entire Spokane community when I say that he will be sincerely missed.
recognizing the ewu eagles football team
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Eastern Washington University Eagles football team as they prepare for what promises to be a fantastic 2026 season.
exciting brands of football in the Western United States, and I know personally that their tailgating in Cheney is second to none.
away games at Northern Arizona, South Dakota, University of Washington, UC Davis, University of Idaho, and Utah Tech, while welcoming schools like Northern Iowa, Cal Poly, Northern Colorado, Montana, Montana State, and Portland State to Cheney.
Eastern Eagles will be very competitive. I am sure the coach, his staff, every student-athlete, and the student body of Eastern all look forward to this exciting season.
Go Eags.
{time} 1045
recognizing tim merck
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Spokane native Tim Merck, an outstanding businessman, philanthropist, and family man. He and his wife, Beth, have raised an outstanding family.
up, Old World Christmas, which was known across the country and across the world as providing the best Christmas ornaments anyone can find.
Today, I also want to recognize a bit of trivia about Tim. When he sent his son and daughter to Notre Dame, he realized that there was not a leprechaun sculpture on Notre Dame's campus, and Tim set out to rectify that. Tim and Beth Merck, along with their children, Jon and Katherine, have long demonstrated a commitment to preserving stories and dreams in their operation.
attending and graduating from Notre Dame. When they noticed that the leprechaun was not there, they reached out to the president, and today, there is this leprechaun statue at gate 10 of the Purcell Pavilion, the very gate through which the Leprechaun Legion enters the arena to cheer on their basketball and volleyball teams.
This is a tremendous story. Tim is also a very proud graduate of the University of Idaho, and upon presenting the leprechaun, he said: I guess it takes a Vandal to make sure that the students of Notre Dame have a leprechaun to celebrate.
Mr. Speaker, Tim is a great American and a great friend. I love him and Beth. Go Vandals. Go Irish.