[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 2 (Thursday, January 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E43]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING SORROW OF THE HOUSE AT THE DEATH OF THE HONORABLE ROBERT T. 
        MATSUI, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ROSA L. DELAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 4, 2005

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise with great sadness as we honor our 
dear friend and colleague, Congressman Bob Matsui, who passed away this 
New Year's Day. I always say that it is a privilege to serve in this 
body. But for 25 years, it was this institution that was privileged--
privileged to call Bob Matsui one of its Members. He was a 
compassionate man dedicated to his constituents and family, and 
resolute in his ideals.
  Each of us knows the adroit knowledge of Congress Bob possessed--from 
his grasp of tax and trade law intricacies, to his drive for basic 
social justice, to his tireless opposition to those who would weaken 
Social Security's guarantee. He was not only smart--he was also 
principled, and he used both to the fullest throughout his illustrious 
quarter-century in public life.
  I know he would have relished the forthcoming debate to fundamentally 
reform Social Security, to which he surely would have brought the same 
passion and intelligence he took to his efforts to help his party over 
the years. As was the case with all things he put his mind to, win or 
lose, whatever the battle--whether it was welfare reform, Social 
Security or his chairmanship of the Democratic Congressional Campaign 
Committee--the level of discourse was elevated when Bob Matsui added 
his voice to the debate. At a time when the tenor of politics in our 
country has become so abrasive, what Bob Matsui offered was a precious 
commodity indeed.
  On a personal note, I always felt a close bond to Bob, as we were 
both children of immigrant parents--his from Japan, mine from Italy. He 
spoke of how spending the first 5 years of his life in a Japanese 
internment camp haunted him for the rest of his life. But the 
experience unquestionably gave him a lifelong commitment to civil 
rights and social justice. It gave him a genuine empathy for people 
that one could trace from his friendships to his work on issues like 
trade, welfare and retirement security.
  He was, in the truest sense of the word, a patriot--someone for whom 
America meant the promise of a better life for one's family and 
community. As such, Bob Matsui will be sorely missed, but his legacy 
will live on for generations. My thoughts and prayers are with him and 
his family.

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