119-hres614

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 614 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 614

A resolution honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Edwin J. Feulner, and 
commending Dr. Feulner for his life-long commitment to the conservative 
 movement and his distinct contributions to his country.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 July 25, 2025

 Mr. Pfluger (for himself, Mr. Cline, Mr. McDowell, Mr. Collins, Mr. 
 Bean of Florida, Mr. McCaul, Mr. McGuire, Mr. Grothman, Mr. Mann, and 
 Mr. Rulli) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

A resolution honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Edwin J. Feulner, and 
commending Dr. Feulner for his life-long commitment to the conservative 
 movement and his distinct contributions to his country.

Whereas Dr. Edwin John Feulner Jr. was born on August 12, 1941, in Chicago, 
 Illinois to Helen Joan Feulner and Edwin J. Feulner Sr., who owned a 
 local real estate firm;
Whereas Dr. Feulner was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family, an upbringing 
 that would ultimately have a major impact on his life and work;
Whereas Dr. Feulner excelled in his academic studies, graduating from the 
 Immaculate Conception High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, graduating with 
 a Bachelor of Arts from Regis University, earning an M.B.A from the 
 Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and 
 receiving a PhD in political science from the University of Edinburgh in 
 Scotland;
Whereas Dr. Feulner's lifelong commitment to public service began in the 1960s 
 when he served as a confidential assistant to Congressman Melvin R. 
 Laird, and eventually as chief of staff to Congressman Philip M. Crane;
Whereas, in 1973, Dr. Feulner founded the Republican Study Committee alongside 
 Paul Weyrich, serving as the Committee's first Executive Director;
Whereas Dr. Feulner's leadership of the Republican Study Committee, which 
 remains in existence 52 years later as the conservative conscience of 
 the House of Representatives, radically altered the way the conservative 
 movement operated within Congress, giving influence and agency to 
 conservative legislators in an unprecedented way;
Whereas Dr. Feulner's immense contributions to the conservative movement 
 continued outside the halls of Congress, when in 1973 he founded the 
 Heritage Foundation;
Whereas, in 1977, Dr. Feulner became President of the Heritage Foundation, 
 spending the next 36 years at the helm of the Nation's preeminent 
 conservative think tank;
Whereas Dr. Feulner grew the Heritage Foundation from a small outfit of just 12 
 employees to one of the most influential forces within the conservative 
 movement, a think tank that The New York Times referred to as the 
 ``parthenon of the conservative metropolis'' and that revolutionized the 
 way conservatives developed and executed on public policy;
Whereas, in 1989, President Reagan awarded Dr. Feulner the Presidential Citizens 
 Medal, the second-highest civilian award in the United States that 
 recognizes individuals who have, ``performed exemplary deeds or services 
 for his or her country or fellow citizens'';
Whereas Dr. Feulner was the author of 9 books including The March for Freedom, a 
 seminal piece on the future of the conservative movement in the United 
 States, and Conservatives Stalk the House, a history of the Republican 
 Study Committee;
Whereas Dr. Feulner was married to the love of his life, Linda, for over 50 
 years, had 2 children, Edwin J. Feulner III and Emily V. Lown, and 3 
 grandchildren;
Whereas, on July 18, 2025, Dr. Feulner passed away at the age of 83, surrounded 
 by his loving family;
Whereas Dr. Feulner was, in the words of his successor, Heritage Foundation 
 President Dr. Kevin Roberts, ``a visionary, a builder, and a patriot of 
 the highest order'' whose unwavering love of country and determination 
 to safeguard our Nation's founding principles shaped every fiber of the 
 conservative movement; and
Whereas Dr. Feulner leaves behind an enduring legacy of a man singularly 
 committed to the cause of freedom and the determination to further the 
 promise of America, whose tireless efforts at the forefront of the 
 conservative movement have made our Nation a better place for all her 
 citizens: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

    (1) mourns the passing of Dr. Edwin J Feulner, former 
 President of the Heritage Foundation and Executive Director of 
 the Republican Study Committee, and extends its sympathies to 
 his family;

    (2) honors the life and legacy of Dr. Feulner and his 
 indelible impact on American history and policy; and

    (3) respectfully suggests to the President that Dr. Feulner 
 be posthumously awarded the Nation's highest civilian honor, 
 the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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