Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle bid farewell Thursday to Rep. Elijah Cummings, hailing the son of sharecroppers as a “master of the House” while the veteran Maryland Democrat became the first African American lawmaker to lie in state in the Capitol.
Lawmakers, some choking back tears, eulogized Cummings as a mentor and close friend, with a voice that could “shake mountains,” in the words of Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and a passion for justice and his hometown of Baltimore.
“He had a smile that would consume his whole face. But he also had eyes that would pierce through anybody that was standing in his way,” said conservative Republican Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, whose bond with the liberal Cummings was among Congress’ most surprising friendships.
“Perhaps this place and this country would be better served with a few more unexpected friendships,” Meadows added, growing emotional. “I know I’ve been blessed by one.”
Cummings’ death at 68 on Oct. 17 stunned many on Capitol Hill accustomed to seeing him with the gavel as chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee — or zipping by on his scooter between votes.
On Thursday, his casket rested in the National Statuary Hall for the service and was later moved to a passage directly in front of the House chamber, where he served for 23 years.
Cummings never left Baltimore, friends and family recalled Thursday, even as he tended to official duties in Washington.
Another child of Baltimore, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), remembered the man she’s called “sweet Elijah” as the “North Star” for the Democrats he served alongside.
“Elijah was truly a master of the House. He respected its history, and in it, he helped shape America’s future,” Pelosi said.
Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Cummings was respected and revered in the caucus, calling him “a quiet giant” whose words carried weight.
“He pulled no punches. He was authentic to the core and a champion of our democracy,” Bass said.
Later in the services, the Morgan State University Choir sang “If I Can Help Somebody” from the balcony overhead.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky recalled Cummings’ efforts to calm his native Baltimore amid violent 2015 protests following the death of a black man, Freddie Gray, in police custody.
By day, Cummings was at the Capitol in the halls of power, McConnell said, but at night he returned to Baltimore to encourage unity.
Taking to the streets with a bullhorn, Cummings helped quiet the disturbances.
“Let’s go home. Let’s all go home,” McConnell recalled Cummings saying at the time.
“Now our distinguished colleague truly has gone home,” he said.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), recalled that during the protests, Cummings was “a calming influence in a sea of rage.”
Hoyer and other speakers also remembered a frequent Cummings lament when events went awry or politicians acted badly.
“We are better than this,” Cummings would thunder in his baritone.
With AP