[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 154 (Monday, December 15, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S6828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             MARY LANDRIEU

  Mr. REID. Madam President, a noted author and analyst of human 
behavior, Stephen Covey, said, ``Strength lies in differences, not in 
similarities.''
  For the last 18 years, Senate Democrats were stronger because of 
Senator Mary Landrieu. Her ability to shun political labels--instead of 
just going the route with Democrats and Republicans and Independents, 
she went her route. She made the United States a better place. She made 
the Senate a better place.
  She had good training for being a consensus builder and somebody who 
liked compromise. I had the good fortune to serve in the Senate with 
other Louisiana Senators. I served with Bennett Johnston for many years 
on the Appropriations Committee. He was chairman of the Energy and 
Water Subcommittee on Appropriations. He was a good legislator. Not 
only did he help Louisiana a lot, he helped the country. And then there 
was John Breaux. He and I came to the Senate together. He was the 
dealmaker. He could put a deal together when no one thought one could 
be put together. So Mary Landrieu has had good Louisiana genes with 
those two men, and that is one of the reasons she has been as effective 
as she has been.
  As I indicated, Mary came to the Senate with no partisan agenda. She 
was not interested in representing just liberals or just conservatives. 
She worked to represent all of Louisiana, which meant that sometimes 
she and I were not on the same side of an issue, and other times we 
were on the same side of an issue, but one thing was always certain: 
She was always on Louisiana's side.
  The Landrieu family's political legacy runs long and deep in the 
State of Louisiana. She is the oldest of nine children. She is the 
daughter of Moon Landrieu, and her brother Mitch Landrieu is the mayor 
of New Orleans. Moon was a former mayor of New Orleans from 1970 to 
1978, and was Jimmy Carter's Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development.
  A number of years ago, I toured New Orleans because she asked me to, 
as a member of the Appropriations Committee. I said, OK, I will go, but 
I have to see those pumps--p-u-m-p-s. I watched this show on national 
public broadcasting, and they talked about these old pumps that had 
been there since 1900 that still worked every day pumping the water.
  New Orleans is below sea level and those pumps have to work 24 hours 
a day. I went to see those old, old pumps. They were so clean. That 
place was spotlessly clean using those very old pumps.
  I toured Lake Pontchartrain. I learned so much about it. Most all of 
the highways in New Orleans were built using the seashells from that 
lake. Thousands and thousands of tons of shells have come out of that 
lake. They recently stopped doing that, after so many years, because 
they thought it would be damaging to the environment. But over the last 
50, 60, 100 years, thousands and thousands of tons of shells came out 
of that lake. We all heard about Lake Pontchartrain during that huge 
storm that hit.
  Also, as part of the tour of New Orleans, you had to go to her home, 
that little home where nine children were raised. It is really a 
beautiful little home--but nine children, wow. Her mom and dad were 
there. That was the first time I had been able to meet the famous Moon 
Landrieu.
  When we came there, unannounced, he was making peanut brittle, and I 
got some peanut brittle. On occasion, that good man has sent me some of 
his homemade peanut brittle. So I think the world of Mary and her 
family.
  She was very quick to follow in her father's footsteps. At the age of 
23, she was elected to the State legislature, making her the youngest 
woman to have ever been elected to that body.
  After 8 years in the legislature, she became the State treasurer for 
8 years. In 1996, she was elected to the Senate, becoming the first 
woman in Louisiana ever elected to a full Senate term.
  Since coming to the Senate, Mary has chaired the Senate committee on 
small business, and she was really good there. She is now the chair of 
the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the same full 
committee her predecessor Bennett Johnson chaired.
  On the committee on small business, she reduced heavy Federal 
regulations and created tax relief for small businesses. As chair of 
the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Mary Landrieu 
fought for Louisiana's industry and jobs. Even before she became chair 
of that committee, she did something that was impossible. People had 
been trying to do something like this in Louisiana for 50, 60 years, 70 
years, 80 years, but she did it--she was able to get New Orleans and 
the whole State of Louisiana and the gulf coast some financial benefit 
from the offshore drilling. She did that. That is a legacy she will 
always have.
  She always had Louisiana's interests at heart, and the people of 
Louisiana have been all the better because of it. For example, in the 
aftermath of Katrina, she stood up to the Bush administration and 
demanded more disaster relief for the people in Louisiana. The New York 
Times called her ``the national spokeswoman for victims of the 
hurricane.''
  As her time in the Senate comes to an end, all Louisianans will miss 
having Mary in their corner. I wish Mary Landrieu and her husband Frank 
and their children Connor--who was recently married--and Mary Shannon 
the very best.
  I remember when Mary brought that little baby Mary Shannon to the 
Senate. She was a tiny little baby. Now this beautiful child has grown 
to be an expert horsewoman. She is one of those people who rides horses 
all the time. She has entered her horses in different contests and has 
done very well.
  I have known Connor since he was a little boy. He is married, and 
they have a little baby named Maddox, and Mary is so proud of her 
grandchild. Her husband Frank is a wonderful human being. I think so 
very much of him. I hope we will continue seeing them. Very often Mary 
will bring her family to my office. She takes them out on the balcony 
that overlooks the Mall.
  Mary has touched my heart for a number of things, but the one thing 
she has done, which has been unsurpassed, is her caring for children 
who have no parents--adoptions. She led the Senate in adoptions. Her 
two children were adopted. Connor and Mary Shannon were adopted. She is 
so involved in that program, and I know she will continue to be 
involved.
  Here on the Senate floor we will all miss Mary, her voice of reason 
and moderation. I consider her to be a good friend, and I appreciate 
all she has done for me, the people of Louisiana, and our country.