[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 96 (Thursday, July 20, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H5494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO SECRETARY NORMAN MINETA

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, for more than 5 years, we 
have been honored to have Norman Mineta serve as Secretary of 
Transportation, selected by President Bush, to be the longest-serving 
Secretary in American history.
  Secretary Mineta served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army 
in both Japan and Korea. He was the 59th mayor of San Jose, California, 
and served as a Member of Congress for 20 years. He was the first Asian 
American elected mayor of a major city, and the first to hold a Cabinet 
position when he served as Secretary of Commerce from 2000 to 2001.
  As the Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta oversaw an agency 
with almost 60,000 employees and a $62 billion budget. Created in 1967, 
the department brought under one umbrella air, maritime, and surface 
transportation missions. Today, I honor his service to the American 
people and wish him and his wife, Deni, the best in their future 
endeavors.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops and we will never forget 
September 11.

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