♪ president.

of the united states.

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>> let us pray. whose arms have bound the restless waves. we thank you for the inspiration of a consequential and laudable life. as we celebrate the legacy of james earl carter jr., the 39th president of the united states. we proclaim your generosity to this nation and world for giving us the gift of someone with the ethical congruence to be salt

and light to his generation. lord, he made the world more palatable. we thank you for his passion, for integrity, his commitment to lead -- leave the world better than he found it and his exemplary love for his precious rosalynn. inspired by his great life, teach us to know you more clearly, to love you more dearly, and to follow you more nearly each day. we pray, in your matchless name,

amen. >> madam vice president, mr. speaker, leader schumer, leader jeffries, jack, chip, jeff, amy, and other members of the carter family and distinguished guests. mr. thune: today we gather for a farewell to jimmy carter. navy veteran, peanut farmer, governor of georgia, and president of the united states. sunday school teacher, nobel prizewinner, advocate for peace and human rights. and first and foremost, a faithful servant of his creator and his fellow man. in the commencemman.

in the commencement speech he delivered at liberty university in 2018, president carter told a story about going on a mission to massachusetts back in his younger days under the auspices of the southern baptist convention. during that trip, president carter was impressed by the success of a fellow missionary in winning souls to christ. and so as the mission was winding down, he asked him what made him so successful. he was a little embarrassed by my question, president carter recalled, but then he finally said, i try to have two loves in my heart, one love is for god, and the other love i have in my heart is for the person who happens to be in front of me at any particular time. it was a statement president carter said that he never forgot. i also think it's fair to say it's also a statement he lived by. president carter's team of

president ended in 1981. for the remainder of his life, the longest post presidency of any american president ever, he focused on making the lives of his fellow man better. that meant things like the carter center, which among other things, works for the eradication of disease in some of the poorest areas of the globe or his work with the habitat of humanity to provide affordable housing for those in need. when i say his work with habitat for humanity, i do mean his work. jimmy carter knew his status as former president could bring attention to good causes. it's why he encouraged habitat to make use of his name and image. but simply lending his name or attending a gala or two wasn't jimmy carter's style. he was here to get down in the weeds and the dirt.

and he did that literally on numerous habitat bills, including one back in 1994 in eagle butte, in my home state of south dakota. well into his 1990's, he could be found with his hardhat and tools on construction sites doing the practical work required to get families into homes. son of man did not come to be served but to serve. and jimmy carter did his very best to live according to the calling of his lord and savior. today i join all americans in mourning president carter and remembering his example. but i rejoice in the thought that he, together, with his beloved wife rosalynn, is now before the face of his father.

mr. johnson: to the family, jeff and chip and ka'imi, the entire carter family, vice president harris, members of the cabinet, leader thune, my colleagues in congress and my fellow citizens, we meet in this sacred hall of self-government to honor an extraordinary man, a man who modeled the virtues of service and citizenship as well as any other american. surrounding us are the statues for those who gave their time, energy and lives for the good of america. before us lays a man who now joins their midst as a patriot, veteran, a humanitarian, and the 39th president of the united states. when jimmy carter walked out on the east front of the capitol and took his oath of office, i was just 4 years old, and he's

the first president that i remember. looking back, it's obvious now to me as an adult why he captured everyone's attention. jimmy carter was a member of the greatest generation. he lived through the great depression. he did that on a farm in rural georgia. he knew the value of a dollar and he modeled thrift his entire life. as long as he was in office, he hated government waste. his father, an army veteran of the world war i era, taught patriotism to his children and eventually his son, this young man from plains, followed his father's example of self sacrifice, and he joined the naval academy in the middle of world war ii. in the army, lieutenant carter learned from the legendary admiral rickover to always do his best as he served on the first fleet of nuclear submarines. it's telling that today the u.s.s. jimmy carter, a top

secret attack submarine now roams the oceans bearing the name of the only president who served in such close quarters. president carter's life, his self-less service, his fight against cancer, and his lasting contributions to his fellow man are all truly remarkable. whether he was in the white house or in his post presidential years as was discussed, president carter was willing to roll up his own sleeves to serve and get the job done. we all know about his work with habitat for humanity, and that was mentioned, and the origin story goes it was in 1984 when he first became aware of the work. he was in new york for a friend's anniversary, millard fuller, founder of the floundering charity at the time called the president and asked if he'd like to visit the site of brooklyn in his trip. president carter agreed and found his way to the lower east side.

standing on the roof of the the dilapidated building he looked to the wealth of wall street to the south and to the power of midtown manhattan to the north, and then he looked down and saw an image he'd never forget, an elderly woman cooking breakfast over an open fire in the rubble of the building there in the heart of the richest city in the world. the habitat for humanity worker that was there with him turned to president carter and said if there's anything that you can do, we would take it. he said, if there's anything i can do, let me know. the worker said, maybe you can send some volunteer carpetten terse from your church. the very next day he called habitat for humanity and said he'd send some carpenters already, he would be one of them. and thus became the tradition of giving one week to build and restore homes for his fellow americans. it's remarkable to think one of

the 45 men who served as president and one of the only 13 who held the role in nuclear age would humble himself to such service. we all know that his care for humanity didn't stop at building homes. in the face of fullness, president carter brought life-saving medicine and in the face of conflict he brokered peace. and in the face of discrimination, he reminded us that we're all made in the image of god. if you were to ask him why he did it all, he likely would point to his faith. i'm reminded of his admonition to, quote, live our lives as though christ were coming this afternoon. and of his amazing personal reflection. quote, if i have one life and one chance to make it count for something. we all agree that he certainly did. so today in these hallowed halls of our republic, we honor president carter, his family, and enduring legacy he leaves not only upon this nation but

upon the world. vice president harris: leader schumer and leader jeffries, mrs and distinguished guests, it's an honor to be here with you this afternoon and to jack, chip, jeff, amy and jason and all the other members of the carter family. on behalf of the american people, doug and i offer our deepest condolences. being with you today, i'm reminded of the enduring words of a favorite hymn. may the works i have done speak for me. today we gather to celebrate the life of a man whose works will

echo for generations to come. a man from plains, georgia, who grew up without electricity or running water and served as the 39th president of the united states of america. and lived every day of his long life in service to the people. president james earl carter jr. so i was in middle school when jimmy carter was elected president and i vividly recall how my morad meyered him, how much -- my mother admired him, how much she honored his determination and work ethic,

his intelligence and generosity and spirit. we've heard much today and in recent days about president carter's impact in the four decades after he left the white house. rightly so. jimmy carter established a new model for what it means to be a former president and leaves an extraordinary post presidential legacy, from founding the carter center which has helped advance global human rights and alleviate human suffering, to his public health work in latin america and africa. to his tireless advocacy for peace and democracy. jimmy carter was the president

of the united states and ahead of his time. he was the first president of the united states to have a comprehensive energy policy, including providing some of the first federal support for clean energy. he also passed over a dozen major pieces of legislation regarding environmental protection. and more than doubled the size of america's national parks, including protecting our beloved red woods in my home state of california. he was a president who between the years of 1977 and 1981 appointed more black americans to the federal bench than all of his predecessors combined. and appointed five times as many women. and in the wake of watergate,

jimmy carter passed historic ethics legislation to help rebuild america's faith in government. jimmy carter as president was also a respected global leader. to be sure, the years of his presidency were not without international crises or challenges. but his legacy of global leadership is well established. in asia, he instituted full diplomatic relations with china, which he would later call one of the most historically significant accomplishments of his presidency. and his legacy lives on in the middle east because do recall in the decades before jimmy carter became president, israel and egypt had been at war numerous

times. few thought peace could be achieved between them. yet jimmy carter did that. through his persistence and perseverance. through his unshakable belief in the power of american diplomacy, he secured the camp david accords. one of the most significant and durable peace treaties since world war ii. and throughout the world, jimmy carter elevated the role of human rights in america's foreign policy priorities and uplifted the importance of civil society in doing that work. jimmy carter was a forward-looking president with a vision for the future. consider his establishment of the department of energy.

in 1977, which anticipated the central role it would play in addressing the climate crisis, his creation of fema in 1979, which enabled our nation to mobilize a national response to disasters which has helped countless communities rebuild and recover. and his founding of the department of education later that year which elevated public education institutions and increased national standards for the education of america's children and future leaders. jimmy carter was that all too rare example of a gifted man who also walks with humility,

modesty, and grace. recall the stories from the 1976 campaign about how he slept in the homes of his supporters to share a meal with them at their table and to listen to what was on their minds. how on their first trip for habitat for humanity, jimmy and rosalynn rode the bus with the other volunteers. and when the group stopped for the night to stay at a local church, jimmy and rosalynn gave their private room to a young couple who had put off their honeymoon to join the trip. and with the other volunteers, they then slept on the floor of the church basement. and then of course his work to eradicate the vicious guinea

worm disease that once disabled millions of people a year. it was one of the carter center's greatest triumphs. and jimmy cart, of course, given his nature, attributed his success not to his own leadership but to the thousands of everyday africans who are on the ground doing the work. throughout his life and career, jimmy carter retained a fundamental decency and humility. james earl carter jr. loved our country. he lived his faith. he served the people. and he left the world better than he found it. and in the end, jimmy carter's work and those works speak for

him. louder than any tribute we can offer. may his life be a lesson for the ages and a beacon for the future. may god bless president jimmy carter and may god bless the united states of america. >> ♪ my country 'tis of thee ♪ ♪ sweet land of liberty ♪ ♪ of thee i sing ♪ ♪ land where my fathers died ♪ ♪ land of the bill -- pilgrim's

pride ♪ ♪ from every mountainside ♪ ♪ let freedom ring ♪ ♪ my native country thee ♪ ♪ land of my noble free ♪ ♪ thy name i love ♪ ♪ thy name i love ♪ ♪ other the land of hills ♪ ♪ my heart with pleasure thrills ♪ >> ♪ when music fills the breeze ♪

♪ and breathe of hope ♪ ♪ sweet freedom so ♪ ♪ let rocks their silence break ♪ ♪ four father's god to thee ♪ ♪ author of liberty ♪ ♪ to thee i sing ♪ ♪ my country 'tis of thee ♪ ♪ protect us by thy light ♪

♪ my country 'tis of thee ♪ ♪ sweet land of liberty ♪ ♪ of thee i sing ♪ ♪ land where my fathers died ♪ land of the pilgrim's pride ♪ ♪ from every mountainside ♪ ♪ let freedom ring ♪ ♪ from every mountainside ♪ ♪ let freedom ring ♪♪

>> ♪ my father sent to save ♪ ♪ from the mighty ocean deep ♪ ♪ life and liberty ♪ ♪ o hear us when we cry ♪ ♪ o christ whose voice the

waters can calm ♪ ♪ who walkest on ♪ ♪ >> ♪ o hear us when we cry ♪ ♪ most holy spirit ♪

♪ ♪ o hear us when we cry to thee ♪ ♪

[amen ♪ ♪ amen ♪

>> would you pray with me? >> holy and of loving god, receive unto your eternal joy, your good and faithful servant james earl carter jr. reward him richly and grant him your own well done. for his humble and honorable life worth far more than the many accolades and attributions we have gladly given. may president jimmy carter now rest from his labors and be received into the embrace of your everlasting arms. and when the ceremony and fanfare due this man of character and compassion fades into history, when the processions and parades have dispersed, leave with us o god, the lasting impression and inspiration of a life well lived. ignite in us the same passion for public service, the courage to champion the underserved, the

strength to bear as faithfully the weight of the call to which you have called each one of us to do as justly, to love mercy as unreservedly, to walk as humbly with you as we have witnessed in the testimony of president jimmy carter's life of faithfulness. we offer our prayers in the name of the one whom jimmy carter would have known to be the first and the last, the alpha and the omega, his rock and our redeemer. amen. , georgia.

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