What they said. What they meant.

“Firefighters from my district are great. I want to say nice things about them. They help people. They do good work. I like them.”

“A school superintendent in my district is retiring. I want to say nice things about him. He was in charge of many things. He went to good schools. He worked for the government. He volunteered. I like him. I will miss him. I want to congratulate him.”

“I want to say nice things about a business group in my district. They have been around for 125 years. Many companies are members. The group does many things. They train workers. They help students. They help women to join the industry. I want to congratulate them. I am happy that this group has been around for a long time. I hope they keep doing well.”

“I want to say nice things about a political group in my district. They help leaders talk to people. They train young people. They have been around for 25 years. I want to congratulate them. I am happy that this group has been around for a long time. I hope they keep doing well.”

“A fire chief is retiring. He was the fire chief for a long time. He did a good job. He made the fire department better. He got money for the fire department. He helped the firefighters talk to each other better. He helped the fire department do more things. He did a really good job. I am very happy. I want to say thank you and good job to the fire chief. I represent the fire chief in Congress. I am very happy to do that.”

“A pie shop in my district is very good. It was on TV. A newspaper said it was the best pie shop in America. I want people to know that. This business makes a lot of pies. They use their own fruit. They built this business a long time ago. The people who started it were in a camp during the war. They worked hard. They made a good business. They sell pies and food. They are very good at it. They make the community happy. I am happy that they got an award.”

“A man in my district is retiring. He was a firefighter. He was a police officer. He was a chief. He is from Lincoln. He worked there his whole life. He went to school there. He worked hard. He did many things. He did them for many years. He did them for the people. I am saying thank you. I am saying he did a good job. I am saying that because I am the Congressman here. I want people to be proud of him. I want people to remember him.”

“A nurse in my district did a good job. She worked hard for many years. She helped many people. She won some awards. She works with old people. She knows a lot about them. She cares about her patients. She cares about the people she works with. She helps the new nurses. She works late at night with them. She does this to help her hospital be good. I want to say thank you to her. I want people to be proud of her. I want to talk about her in Congress. I am happy to do that.”

“I want to honor a nurse. He did a good job. He worked hard. He helped many people. He showed kindness. I want to thank him. I want people to be proud of him. He helped a coworker. She had a sad time. He loaned her his car. That was nice. He did that because he is a good person. He cares about people. It made people feel good. It made people want to work hard too. I am happy to talk about him in Congress.”

“It's Nurses Week. I want to praise a hard-working nurse. She did many jobs. She worked many years. People like her. People admire her. She won an award. She made a special room for kids in the emergency department. That made care better for kids. She talks to coworkers about how to do their jobs well. She is kind to patients. I want to thank her. I want people to know her name. We should honor people like her. I thank her for her work.”

“It's Nurses Week. I want to praise a hard-working nurse. She did many jobs. She worked many years. People like her. People admire her. She won an award. She is kind to patients. She helps new hires. I want to thank her. I want people to know her name. We should honor people like her. I thank her for her work.”

“It's Nurses Week. I want to praise a hard-working nurse. She did many jobs. She worked many years. People like her. People admire her. She won an award. She is kind to patients. She helps new parents. She started a program. She teaches classes. I want to thank her. I want people to know her name. We should honor people like her. I thank her for her work.”

“A kid named Konnor did a brave thing after a car crash. He helped his mom and sister. He stayed calm. That's good. I think he will do more good things later. I want my district and this House to say we are proud of him.”

“A grocery co-op in my district is 50 years old. They have two stores. They sell healthy food. They are big now. People in my district like them. The co-op buys from local farms. They put up solar panels. They started online orders during COVID. I want this House to say we are proud of them.”

“I don't want private companies to build in Yosemite. I think it's bad to sell any part of it. Abe Lincoln said it was inalienable for all time. Teddy Roosevelt said it was beautiful. This is important to my state and to our history. I oppose it. We need to protect it. I am joining a letter with other politicians to stop this.”

“I want taxpayers' money spent in my district. I'm happy the government is spending on a new transit line in my city. The government should spend on many things to plan for the future.”

“I don't like the governor's policies. The governor did things without asking voters. I think the governor should ask voters first. I want my party's ideas to win. I want the government to do what I want.”