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Click here to watch the full speech.

WASHINGTON — Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) gave her final remarks on the House floor. She reflected on her accomplishments over the past eight years and recommitted to the work ahead. Below are her remarks as prepared and a full video of her speech can be found above.

M. Speaker, today I rise to address this body for my final time as the sole representative of the great – and First State – of Delaware.

I remember how I felt back in 1988, standing on the steps of the Capitol as an intern with our then-Congressman, Tom Carper.

From intern to caseworker, cabinet member, colleague, and now his successor – building on his incredible legacy fills me with great pride. Thank you for everything, Senator Carper.

I also remember how I felt the first time I entered this chamber as Delaware’s Congresswoman.

Humbled. Honored. Hopeful.

Because this is, to borrow the words from the musical Hamilton, “the room where it happens.”

It’s where legislators have convened to debate ideas and uphold our ideals.

It’s where we’ve heard legendary speeches from Presidents, world leaders, and influential past and present members of this body.

It’s where Jeannette Rankin become the first female member of Congress, only after the House’s month-long debate on whether a woman was fit for the job. 

Where I got to serve with luminaries like John Lewis.

It’s also where we passed landmark legislation – from the Civil Rights Act to the Affordable Care Act to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

This is the room where we the people have forged America’s future.

The first time the House of Representatives used this room was on December 16, 1857 – 167 years ago almost to this very day.

It was also the year the Supreme Court ruled Black Americans were not citizens under the law.

The Dred Scott decision pushed this nation to the brink of civil war.

So, 167 years later, I stand here – the first woman and Black person elected to Congress from Delaware – on the shoulders of my ancestors, delivering my final speech before being sworn in as a United States Senator.

My journey represents the promise and potential of America.

When I decided to run for Congress, it was after the unexpected death of my husband, my love, Charles Rochester.

His death shook me to the core.

I was completely lost.

Then I saw a father in line at the grocery store put back grapes because they cost $9.

In that moment, I realized I had more to give.

I ran for office having never run for anything before.

Our small but mighty state made history in 2016 and sent me here, to the “room where it happens,” to deliver for Delaware!

And it’s their voices, their stories, and their concerns that have always informed my work to make a difference in their everyday lives.

From Delaware’s farmers advocating for a strong Farm Bill,

To North Bethany Beach residents unable to access FEMA aid and flood insurance after disasters,

To families in small towns like Ellendale struggling for clean drinking water,

And small business owners hurt by a pandemic and broken supply chains,

I took their experiences with me, and by working across the aisle, we passed bipartisan legislation to help support families, strengthen our communities, lower costs, and protect our national security.

I would be remiss if I did not mention a touchstone piece of my work in the House – my Jobs Agenda, the culmination of my jobs-focused work.

However, not every day in this room has been filled with progress.

People often ask me what my worst day was as a member of Congress.

Indelibly etched into my mind is that spot in the Gallery where I was trapped on January 6th.

A day when insurrectionists attacked this temple of democracy and I prayed for love over hate, and hope over fear.

As terrible as that day was, it was also one of my proudest moments.

Because we came back, fulfilled our constitutional duty, and carried out the will of the American people.

In that moment, I recommitted to this work, to our democracy, and the hope of a brighter future.

But let me be clear: the race to liberty and justice is not over.

And in running it, we must remember that saying, “the race is not given to the swift or strong, but to the one who endures.”

If we are to build a democracy, a planet, and a future that endures it will take each and every one of us doing our part.

In closing, to all my friends and colleagues: thank you.

To the many dedicated staff members who have been on this journey, I could not have done any of this without you.

To my family, including my mom; Marla, Thea, Alyssa, Lex, Ebony, and Lennox, thank you for your unyielding love and support through it all.

And to my late father, Ted Blunt, thank you for showing me the true meaning of service.

Dad once said, “You become what you see, unless you see what you want to become."

Dad, in you, I still see someone I want to become.

And finally, to the countless Delawareans who have entrusted me with the responsibilities of this office and the next, I am honored, grateful and ready, to again, serve you.

To borrow another line from Hamilton,

“There’s a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait.”

Thank you, and I yield back.

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