FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Top Republicans lawmakers honored the life and legacy of Heritage Foundation founder and former President Edwin J. Feulner in a video tribute Monday.
“You could make the argument that Ed [Feulner] did more for the advancement of conservative thought than any person in this arena,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in the video featuring the current and previous leaders of the House Republican Study Committee.
“We stand on his shoulders today,” Johnson said of Feulner, later adding that Feulner “lived out the ideals that he impressed on everybody around him. He lived it. He showed us the way.”
Feulner helped to found the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus of the House of Representatives, in the 1970s and served as its executive director before becoming Heritage’s president in 1977. The RSC promotes legislation rooted in conservative principles.
“Ed Feulner remains one of the greatest heroes of the conservative movement,” said Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., who served as chairman of the Republican Study Committee during the previous Congress. “His dedication has strengthened and inspired the conservative movement for more than 50 years.”
When Feulner spoke at any RSC meeting, “people listened,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, the current RSC chairman, said. Feulner “was passionate about these conservative ideals that we now are continuing to champion,” Pfluger said.
Feulner passed away on July 18 at the age of 83.
Feulner’s “fingerprints are all over the conservative movement,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.
Using one of Feulner favorite calls to action, Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., called on conservatives to respect Feulner’s memory and move “onward” in the advancement of conservative principles.
In addition to the video tribute, Pfluger introduced a congressional resolution honoring Feulner’s life and legacy.
“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,” the resolution states.