{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fedorchak.house.gov/media/press-releases/fedorchak-calls-americans-embrace-theodore-roosevelts-bully-spirit", "Fedorchak calls on Americans to embrace Theodore Roosevelt's Bully Spirit", "2026-06-30", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "House", "ND", "Julie Fedorchak", "F000482", "fedorchak.house.gov", "fedorchak", "https://fedorchak.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Ahead of America 250 and the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, ND, Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) delivered a speech on the House Floor honoring President Theodore Roosevelt's legacy and the profound influence North Dakota had in shaping his life. She encouraged Americans to embrace Roosevelt's Bully Spirit by choosing to \"live courageously, serve faithfully, and leave our country stronger than we found it.\"\n\nImage\n\nBelow are her remarks as prepared for delivery:\n\n\u201cMr. Speaker,\n\n\u201cAs our nation celebrates America's 250th birthday, North Dakota has the extraordinary privilege of marking this milestone in a truly historic way.\n\n\u201cTomorrow, on July 1, we open the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in the Badlands of western North Dakota, a place that forever shaped one of America's greatest presidents.\n\n\u201cFirst, I want to recognize the countless people whose vision, generosity, and determination made this remarkable library possible.\n\n\u201cThey are too numerous to mention each individually. To the TR Presidential Library Foundation Board and its staff, donors, volunteers, community leaders, Secretary Doug Burgum, Robbie Lauf, Ed O\u2019Keefe, Thank you.\n\n\u201cBecause of your efforts, future generations will come to North Dakota to experience the place that shaped Theodore Roosevelt.\n\n\u201cTheodore Roosevelt famously said, \u2018I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota.\u2019\n\n\u201cHe arrived in the Dakota Territory as a young man grieving unimaginable loss. He left transformed.\n\n\u201cThe rugged landscape, the hardworking ranchers, and the independent spirit of the people he met there. These things forged the character that would later define his presidency.\n\n\u201cNorth Dakota didn't just change Theodore Roosevelt. North Dakota helped shape the leader who would shape America.\n\n\u201cRoosevelt embodied what he famously called the Bully Spirit\u2014an expression of enthusiasm, optimism, courage, and confidence in America's future.\n\n\u201cHe believed in living boldly, embracing challenges, and approaching life with energy and purpose.\n\n\u201cThis is a spirit that has defined our nation for 250 years and one we should carry forward into the next 250.\n\n\u201cTR was a rancher, a soldier, a conservationist, he was a reformer, an explorer, an author, a statesman, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and one of the most energetic presidents our nation has ever known.\n\n\u201cHis life was filled with stories that have become American legend.\n\n\u201cAfter being shot while campaigning for president, Roosevelt refused to leave the stage. The bullet had been slowed by the thick manuscript of the speech folded inside his breast pocket.\n\n\u201cHe insisted on finishing his remarks before seeking medical attention. His White House reflected that same fearless, determined, and adventurous spirit.\n\n\u201cHis children filled it with dogs, snakes, birds, ponies, and every imaginable creature, they showed us that public service and joy are not mutually exclusive.\n\n\u201cTheodore Roosevelt lived a big life because he believed America was meant to dream big, build big, and accomplish big things.\n\n\u201cInterestingly, today\u2019s president carries some of these same qualities. At President Trump\u2019s 2025 inauguration, he said, \u2018In America, impossible is what we do best.\u2019\n\n\u201cConsider some of the big accomplishments of Roosevelt: he strengthened our Navy, completed the Panama Canal, won the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating peace between Russia and Japan, and changed the way we think about conservation by protecting public lands, forests, parks, and wildlife.\n\n\u201cBut perhaps Roosevelt's greatest legacy wasn't simply what he accomplished. It was what he asked of every American.\n\n\u201cHis words from \u2018The Man in the Arena\u2019 remain just as relevant today as when he first delivered them over a century ago.\n\n\u201cThis strikes me so profoundly on the cusp of our 250th birthday, when our country is so divided, so angry, and so critical of each other.\n\n\u201cTheodore Roosevelt gives us encouragement. \u2018It is not the critic who counts. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.\u2019\n\n\u201cThose words are a challenge to each of us, and every generation. To participate, to lead, to serve, and to have the courage to act rather than merely criticize.\n\n\u201cAs we dedicate this remarkable library in my beautiful state of North Dakota during America\u2019s 250th year, we are reminded that the strength of our republic has never come from spectators. It has always come from citizens willing to enter the arena.\n\n\u201cMay every visitor who walks through the doors of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library leave inspired.\n\n\u201cInspired by the example of this president whose character was forged in North Dakota, whose leadership strengthened America, and whose enduring message still calls each of us to live courageously, serve faithfully, and leave our country stronger than we found it.\n\n\u201cThat is Theodore Roosevelt's legacy. That is the Bully Spirit. As we begin our nation's next 250 years, may it continue to inspire all of us.\n\n\u201cThank you, and I yield back.\"", 1, "2026-07-01T06:34:07Z", "2026-07-01T06:35:35Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fedorchak.house.gov/media/press-releases/fedorchak-calls-americans-embrace-theodore-roosevelts-bully-spirit"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6830679960548878, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}