Dr Frank Islam, Chair and President of the Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman Foundation, hosted a fundraiser for the Democratic Party last week to assist in its campaign to retain the majority in the 2022 midterm elections. The reception was held at the residence of Dr Frank and Mrs Islam in the Washington area.
Dr Islam is a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, civic leader and thought person with a special commitment to civic, educational and artistic causes. He currently heads the FI Invest Group, a firm that he established after he sold his information technology firm, the QSS Group in 2007.
Frank serves on number boards and advisory councils including the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Woodrow Wilson Center, and the Brookings Institution. He also serves on various boards and councils at more than half-dozen universities including Johns Hopkins, University, American University, and George Mason University. Below are remarks he uttered at the fundraiser that was graced by former President Barack Obama, President Biden, and Vice President Barack Obama.
2022 DCCC Reception and Dinner Opening Comments by Frank Islam.
Good evening. My name is Frank Islam. On behalf of my wife Debbie and our co-host Congressman Jamie Raskin, it is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you to this “crossroads” reception and dinner for the DCCC.
I call our coming together tonight a “cross-roads” event because we are here to help the DCCC implement its Pathway to Victory. That Pathway is a plan to re-elect our front-line Democratic Incumbents and to convert Red house seats to Blue house seats in these mid-term cross-roads elections. It is essential for the Democrats to follow that Pathway at these crossroads in order to protect and maintain its majority in the House.
This is not only important for us as Democrats. It is critical for the future of this nation. That is because in 2022 our democracy itself is at a crossroads.
Our inalienable rights as citizens are being threatened. States are restricting voting rights, women’s rights to control their own bodies, and children’s rights to go to school safely. If the Republicans gain control of Congressin these mid-term elections, they will use it for purelypartisan purposes and to stymy any and all constructive initiatives of the Biden administration. They will move us from these crossroads toward autocracy.
We are at this crossroads event, to help the DCCC generate the financial resources to prevent this from happening. At the outset, therefore, I want to thank each of you for being here, for your contributions to the DCCC, and for you concern for America.
I have been asked to introduce Majority Leader Steny Hoyer this evening. Before doing so, let me recognize our special guests who are here with us this evening. They are: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, DCCC Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney, Congressman Anthony Brown, and Don McEachin and Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton. I also want to thank Congressman Jamie Raskin whose support and supporters contributed to help make this dinner and reception successful.
Now, let me focus on House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. As most of you know, Congressman Hoyer is the secondhighest ranking member of the House Democratic leadership.
Many congress people are known as “speechifiers” who talk a lot. That is not who Congressman Hoyer is.
He knows that actions speak louder than words and that is why he not only follows the examples of others he sets and serves as an example himself. He has accomplished this through his leadership for his congressional district and the state of Maryland and in national and international arenas.
Congressman Hoyer has done so much for the constituents of his district and the citizens of Maryland that I could spend the rest of the evening talking about his accomplishments. Instead, I will highlight two areas of significance. For the Fifth Congressional District that he represents, the congressman has been a driver of economic development. Through the years he has helped create or save nearly 23,000 jobs in the region. For Maryland, he has been a protector of the environment. He was a co-sponsor of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act that help to renew and preserve Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries
For the United States writ large, Congressman Hoyer has been a champion of civil and human rights. Let me give you two exemplary examples. First, Congressman Hoyer was the lead House Sponsor of the historic Federal election reform bill, Help America Vote Act, that was signed into law by George W. Bush in 2002. Second, he managed the passage of the American Disabilities Act with overwhelming approval in the House in 1990. That bill which was signed by George H.W. Bush in that year has helped millions of disabled Americans enter the workforce, achieve independence, and fully pursue the American dream.
Congressman Hoyer’s impact in foreign policy and international affairs rivals his accomplishments throughoutU.S.A. Most notably, he served as the Chair and Ranking Democrat on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. In that capacity he was a foremost advocate for the causes of human rights, individual freedoms, democracy and religious liberties throughout the world.
Those are just a few noteworthy examples of Majority Leader Hoyer’s leadership. Let me shift gears for just a moment and talk about his public service. Simply stated, public service has been his life’s work.
In closing, let me state unequivocally that public service has been the Majority Leader Hoyer’s life’s work.
In 1966, he won a seat in the Maryland Senate at the age of 27. Congressman Hoyer was elected to the U.S. House in 1981.
He is now serving his 21st term and is running for re-election to his 22nd. It’s not how long you serve in office that matters though.
What counts is what you accomplish there. Majority Leader Hoyer has always been in the front lines of making things happen no matter whether it was for his constituents in Maryland, for Americans throughout this nation, or for citizens around the world, his record of achievement speaks for itself.
That is why it is my distinct honor and without further ado, to introduce House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Mr. Majority Leader the floor is yours.
