Paul Ryan's House Floor Speech Following Virginia Shooting (Full)

>> I ASK TO REVISE AND EXTEND MY REMARKS AND SPEAK FOR ONE
MINUTE. >> GENTLEMAN IS RECOGNIZED.
>> MY COLLEAGUES, THERE ARE VERY STRONG EMOTIONS THROUGHOUT THIS
HOUSE TODAY. WE ARE ALL HORRIFIED BY THIS
DREADFUL ATTACK ON OUR FRIENDS AND ON OUR COLLEAGUES AND THOSE
WHO SERVE AND PROTECT THIS CAPITAL.
WE ARE ALL PRAYING FOR THOSE WHO WERE ATTACKED AND FOR THEIR
FAMILIES. STEVE SCALISE, ZACHARY BARTH,
MATT MIKA, SPECIAL AGENT DAVID BAILEY, SPECIAL AGENT CRYSTAL
GRINER, WE ARE ALL GIVING OUR THOUGHTS TO THOSE CURRENTLY
BEING TREATED FOR THEIR INJURIES AT THIS MOMENT.
AND WE ARE UNITED. WE ARE UNITED IN OUR SHOCK, WE
ARE UNITED IN OUR ANGUISH, AN ATTACK ON ONE OF US IS AN ATTACK
ON ALL OF US. [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>> I KNOW WE WANT TO GIVE OUR THANKS TO THE FIRST RESPONDERS
AND THE ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT WHO WERE ON THE SCENE
IN MINUTES AND I KNOW THIS HOUSE WANTS TO STATE UNEQUIVOCALLY
THAT WE ARE, AS EVER, AWED BY THE TREMENDOUS BRAVERY OF THE
CAPITOL POLICE. [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>> I SPOKE WITH SPECIAL AGENT BAILEY AND SPECIAL AGENT GRINER
THIS MORNING. ONE WAS BEING TREATED AND ONE
WAS ABOUT TO GO INTO SURGERY. I EXPRESSED OUR PROFOUND
GRATITUDE TO THEM. IT IS CLEAR TO ME BASED ON
VARIOUS EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS THAT WITHOUT THESE TWO HEROES AGENT
BAILEY AND AGENT GRINER, MANY LIVES WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST.
[ APPLAUSE ] I KNOW WE ALL WANT TO LEARN AS
MUCH AS WE CAN ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
WE JUST RECEIVED A BRIEFING FROM THE SERGEANT AT ARMS.
I HAVE COMPLETE CONFIDENCE IN THE INVESTIGATION THAT'S BEING
CONDUCTED BY THE CAPITOL POLICE, THE FBI WHO ARE ALSO WORKING
WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. I KNOW WE WANT TO EXTEND OUR
GRATITUDE FOR THE OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM
THROUGHOUT THE CAPITOL AND FROM THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
AND NOW, KNOWING STEVE SCALISE AS WE ALL DO, HE IS LIKELY
REALLY FRUSTRATED THAT HE'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO PLAY IN THE
BASEBALL GAME. [ LAUGHTER ]
I ALSO KNOW STEVE WANTS ALL OF US TO COMMEND THE BRAVERY OF
THOSE WHO CAME TO THE AID OF THE WOUNDED.
IN THE COMING DAYS WE WILL HEAR THEIR STORIES AND WE WILL HAVE
THE CHANCE TO HOLD UP THEIR HEROISM.
MY COLLEAGUES, THERE ARE SO MANY MEMORIES FROM THIS DAY THAT WE
WILL WANT TO FORGET AND THERE'S SO MANY IMAGES THAT WE WILL NOT
WANT TO SEE AGAIN. BUT THERE IS ONE IMAGE IN
PARTICULAR THAT THIS HOUSE SHOULD KEEP, AND THIS IS A PHOTO
I SAW THIS MORNING OF OUR DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES GATHERED
IN PRAYER THIS MORNING AFTER HEARING THE NEWS.
YOU KNOW, EVERYDAY WE COME HERE TO TEST AND TO CHALLENGE EACH
OTHER. WE FEEL SO DEEPLY ABOUT THE
THINGS THAT WE FIGHT FOR AND THE THINGS THAT WE BELIEVE IN.
AT TIMES OUR EMOTIONS CAN CLEARLY GET THE BEST OF US.
WE'RE ALL IMPERFECT. BUT WE DO NOT SHED OUR HUMANITY
WHEN WE ENTER THIS CHAMBER. FOR ALL THE NOISE AND ALL THE
FURY, WE ARE ONE FAMILY. THESE WERE OUR BROTHERS AND
SISTERS IN THE LINE OF FIRE. THESE WERE OUR BROTHERS AND
SISTERS WHO RAN INTO DANGER AND SAVED COUNTLESS LIVES.
SO BEFORE THIS HOUSE RETURNS TO ITS BUSINESS, LET'S JUST SLOW
DOWN AND REFLECT, TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE'RE ALL BEING TESTED RIGHT
NOW. BECAUSE WE ARE BEING TESTED
RIGHT NOW. I ASK EACH OF YOU TO JOIN ME TO
RESOLVE TO COME TOGETHER, TO LIFT EACH OTHER UP AND TO SHOW
THE COUNTRY, TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT WE ARE ONE HOUSE, THE
PEOPLE'S HOUSE, UNITED IN OUR HUMANITY.
IT IS THAT HUMANITY WHICH WILL WIN THE DAY AND IT ALWAYS WILL

Paul Ryan's House Floor Speech Following Virginia Shooting (Full) | NBC News

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