[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 60 (Friday, April 13, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3311-H3313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE MEMORY OF SENATOR DANIEL K. AKAKA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rutherford). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 3, 2017, the Chair recognizes the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hanabusa) for 30 minutes.
  Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, we are here today to honor the memory of 
our dear friend and colleague, Senator Daniel Akaka.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Gabbard).
  Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory and in celebration 
of my friend and mentor, Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka, who took his 
final breath exactly 1 week ago today.
  I was in Hawaii and woke up very early to a text message from one of 
his children, who let me know that he had passed away around 5 o'clock 
that last morning. We all took that day to remember him and his life 
and to think back on the memories that we have of how he dedicated his 
life to serving the people of Hawaii and our country.
  From his service in the U.S. Army back during World War II, to his 
years that he spent taking care of our ``children,'' ``keiki,'' as a 
public school teacher and a principal, his work in the State, and then 
serving more than 36 years in the United States Congress.
  He was the first Member of Congress to serve of Native Hawaiian 
ancestry and made history in many different ways.
  He is known throughout Hawaii for so many reasons, but when you say 
the word ``Akaka,'' it is synonymous with ``aloha,'' because that is 
what he represented throughout his life. And the warmth and the 
fondness, the love and the kindness that he shared with everyone, made 
it so that he was not known so much as Senator Akaka so much as Uncle 
Danny.
  He did all of this with his wife, Millie, by his side. Mother of five 
children, Auntie Millie herself is a force of nature. She was ever-
present here in Washington, with Senator Akaka in his travels, and 
expressed aloha in her own way.
  In everything he did, Senator Akaka put service before self. He truly 
walked the talk. He carried the spirit of aloha with him in his heart 
and at the forefront of his actions.
  Now in the last week, the people of Hawaii, many people across the 
country, many of our colleagues here in Washington have been sharing 
their own personal stories about how Senator Akaka touched and inspired 
their lives, talking about the legacy that he left behind and the 
example that he set with his life.

  And the central theme in each of these stories that I have heard all 
comes back to aloha. ``Aloha,'' which means kindness, respect, and love 
for others, regardless of any differences that we may have, whether 
they be by race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, or anything 
else.
  To this day, here in the Capitol, sometimes I will bump into some of 
his former colleagues in the U.S. Senate, even here people he served 
with in the U.S. House, and as soon as you mention his name, you can 
kind of see their shoulders fall, their stress fall away, and they get 
a smile on their face as they think about the time that they had 
serving with him.
  They will have little stories about a codel that they went on with 
him or a committee that they served on with him, and they always talk 
about how kind he was. No matter who you were, no matter what was going 
on around you, he always took that moment to share the warmth of his 
own heart with yours.
  This even came from those who disagreed with him. This even came from 
those who fought him hardest on the signature bill that he tried to 
pass, the Akaka bill.
  Even if they opposed his policies, none of them had anything ill to 
say of him.
  This speaks to the impact that he left on the United States Capitol, 
on Washington, on this country, and on Hawaii.
  And it speaks to the legacy that he leaves behind that will continue 
to inspire leaders of our country and leaders in our community, people 
everywhere, to serve in their own lives in that same spirit of aloha 
and respect for everyone.
  After I returned from my first deployment to Iraq with the Hawaii 
Army National Guard, I had the privilege of being able to work in 
Senator Akaka's office as a legislative aide. He was chairman of the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee at the time, and coming back, this was a 
great opportunity, I felt, to be able to help him in that service to 
help make reforms and changes to our VA and our country's policies and 
how our veterans are cared for, in particular the post-9/11 veterans, 
in particular the large number of National Guard and reservists who 
were being activated to serve in the Middle East, and who were not 
being treated with the kind of respect and honor and dignity that they 
had earned through their service. This included everything from the GI 
Bill to VA services and qualifications that they earned.
  I was able to experience firsthand on a daily basis the impact that 
he made, his example of aloha. Taking the time as he was rushing to a 
committee or rushing to vote to stop and say ``hello'' to the janitor 
who was mopping the floor; to stop and say ``aloha'' to visitors who 
were coming from Hawaii or from other States; to stop and talk to the 
staff and ask how they were doing, how was their family, how were 
things going.
  He invested in building lifelong relationships. He spent that quality 
time, whether it was short or long, because he understood how important 
every individual is, and how he wanted to take advantage of that moment 
to share his aloha, recognizing that only by working together, only 
through aloha and bringing people together, can we make real positive 
change.
  For those of us who had the opportunity to work with Senator Akaka, 
either in his office in Washington, in Hawaii, on one of his campaigns, 
or in some capacity, we have bonded over the years; and every year we 
got together with Senator Akaka, his wife, and his family to celebrate 
his birthday in September of every year.
  During this last year, this past September, I was able to spend some 
time with him and chatted a bit. And as he always does, he asked: How 
are things going in Washington? And he expressed his sadness about how 
divisive things have become, how the kind of collegiality and respect 
that existed when he was serving in the U.S. Senate for so many years 
that allowed people to disagree without being disagreeable, that 
allowed people to debate strongly their disagreements on issues but 
come together at the end of the day to find a solution, that that has 
largely been lost.
  And as a result, we are seeing the gridlock and the divisiveness and 
the lack of results, the lack of delivery to our constituents, in large 
part, because

[[Page H3312]]

of no aloha. This respect has largely been lost. He has always spoken 
about how aloha is the solution.
  So as we remember Senator Akaka's legacy of service and aloha, the 
best way that we can honor his life is by doing our best to live aloha 
in his example: serving others; doing our best to protect our planet; 
finding common ground where we can; seeing that even though we may 
disagree on certain issues, there will be others that we agree on; 
fighting for justice; fighting for equality; and fighting for peace.
  He was a courageous leader. I am grateful to have the opportunity to 
serve my constituents in Hawaii in the same congressional seat that he 
once held, and I will forever be inspired by his friendship and the 
life that he lived.
  ``Thanks very much,'' ``Mahalo nui loa,'' to his wife, Auntie Millie, 
and to his entire family for sharing him with us, and thank you to 
Uncle Danny for sharing your aloha with the world.
  You will be missed. ``Until we meet again,'' ``a hui hou.''
  Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Alaska 
(Mr. Young). As everyone knows, Alaska and Hawaii's relationship is 
more than legendary.
  (Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewomen from Hawaii 
(Mses. Hanabusa and Gabbard). I am privileged to stand on this floor 
because of them and honor, to me, a great friend.
  I know that we are saying we are honoring Senator Danny Akaka, or 
Daniel. I would like to refer him to the higher body as Congressman 
Akaka.
  Thirteen years we served together. I have never found a gentleman, as 
you said before, one that loved and remembers better than he.
  He worked with me, and I probably knew Danny better than anybody 
else. I call him Danny because we were friends. I knew him probably 
better than anybody else because his locker was right next to mine down 
in the gym.

                              {time}  1315

  We would have conversations about Alaska and about Hawaii, and how we 
worked together with Danny Inouye, Senator Stevens, and myself. It was 
a marvelous combination. And I believe that Alaskan combination with 
Hawaii still exists today because of the two congressional ladies. We 
work together. We have a unique difference from all of the other 
States.
  We are not contiguous to the big body of the United States. We are 
actually scattered far north and far west, but we work together. 
Although they have a tropical climate and we have a frozen climate, we 
have the comradeship that is necessary to work together, and we 
continue to do that.
  Danny was a soldier, a teacher, and, yes, a great Congressman. I will 
tell you that the people of Hawaii will miss him, but I hope he has 
left a legacy that will continue to encourage young people to become 
involved in the political arena to try to solve problems.
  I can't agree more with what was said by the previous speaker about 
the lack of aloha, the lack of recognition for one another in 
differences of opinion. I do not think that you can accuse me of that 
because I recognize each person elected in this House is elected by 
730,000 people, and they represent those people. So recognize and 
respect the beliefs, but work out and solve problems. Danny did that.
  All the time that we worked together, there was never a Democratic 
problem or a Republican problem. There was a problem, and we would 
reach across the aisle, one another, with all of the chairmen that 
served together collectively, and we would solve those problems. We 
were able to legislate.
  Somewhere along the line, the well was poisoned, and we no longer 
legislate. I think Danny would be deeply disturbed by that. I think he 
would wish us greater things. I believe he would understand that it is 
time for us to work together as a nation.
  I am proud to say that we still work together as Alaskans and 
Hawaiians trying to solve those areas where problems exist in no other 
place in the United States, and we do work together to solve them and 
we do get it achieved.
  Now, if we can just do that, maybe we ought to send the rest of the 
Congress to Hawaii in the wintertime and bring the rest of them to 
Alaska in the summertime, and everybody would love one another and we 
would get a lot more done.
  So, again, it was mentioned about Millie, his wife, and his family, 
and he would be proud.
  There are great people in our history, and I can tell you, I 
considered Danny Akaka, Senator or Congressman, as one of the greater 
ones. As we know, he is gone, and I know he will be looking upon what 
we can achieve if we actually aloha one another.
  Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Guam 
(Ms. Bordallo).
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, hello--hafa adai and aloha.
  I rise today to honor the life and the legacy of the late Senator 
Daniel Akaka.
  Senator Akaka was a very dear friend and a champion for the people of 
Hawaii and all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. His tireless 
advocacy for 22 years in the Senate and 14 years in this House before 
that led to better Federal policies for and a recognition of the unique 
needs of Pacific Islander communities.
  As the first Native Hawaiian Senator, Senator Akaka fought for the 
advancement of Native Hawaiians and the rights of all native people, 
including Guam's Chamorro people.
  He understood the need to support minority Americans and was a 
passionate voice for native people. He understood the need to support 
minority Americans, and Senator Akaka was a true friend of Guam, 
working diligently to ensure that our issues were prioritized.
  He gave Guam a voice in the United States Senate, and I was very 
proud to work closely with him to ease the burdens of the Compacts of 
Free Association on our islands, to promote better education for 
Pacific Islanders, and to fight for veterans services for those who 
sacrificed for our Nation.
  I could always count on Senator Akaka among Guam's strong advocates 
in the United States Senate. Our concerns and, indeed, the concerns of 
all territories were always his concerns as well.
  I am deeply saddened by the passing of this great statesman, friend 
of Guam, and treasured colleague. I will miss Senator Akaka's kindness, 
his aloha spirit, and his shared love for the islands and all of our 
peoples. During his tenure in the Congress, he was a voice for peace, 
tolerance, and equality.
  So on behalf of Guam, I extend our deepest sympathies to his lovely 
wife, Millie, my friend; his children; his grandchildren; his great-
grandchildren; and the people of Hawaii.
  Our country has lost a great man, but his legacy will endure through 
the lives of the countless Americans he helped during his storied life, 
and his career.
  Senator Akaka, thank you--si yu'os ma'ase, and mahalo.
  Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of my 
dear friend and former colleague, Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka.
  For 36 years, Senator Akaka represented Hawaii in the Congress of the 
United States. He was the first person of Native Hawaiian descent to 
serve in the United States Senate.
  A 22-year veteran of that body, he chaired the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs, Committee on Indian Affairs, the Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Government 
Management, and was a senior member of the Senate Committees on 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and Armed Services.
  Prior to serving the Senate, he proudly represented Hawaii's Second 
Congressional District for 14 years in this Chamber. He fought with 
humility and respect for his beloved home State of Hawaii and its 
people.
  A relentless champion of Native Hawaiians, an indigenous people, he 
advocated for increased access to healthcare, education, and economic 
opportunity. He worked to secure recognition and benefits for veterans.

  Before pursuing elected office, he served in the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers during World War II. He used the GI Bill to earn his 
undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University

[[Page H3313]]

of Hawaii before teaching math, music, social studies, and serving as a 
principal.
  He would later transition into State government as a director of the 
Hawaii Office of Economic Opportunity, focusing on policies and 
programs to help alleviate poverty.
  Senator Akaka's distinguished service and congressional contributions 
are numerous and distinguished. He embodied the aloha spirit, and his 
kindness and empathy is his greatest legacy.
  Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to articulate how much he means to the 
people of Hawaii. Senator Akaka represented everything that is and 
could be good in all of us. He saw the best in everyone and never had a 
bad word to say about anyone. If you were fortunate to meet him, as I 
was humbled to do so on many occasions, you walked away feeling better 
about yourself and the world. Your spirit refreshed and refocussed.
  He preached that kindness and aloha must never be sacrificed to get 
things done. We do not need to emulate the aggressive brinksmanship and 
bullying that too often define our policy debates here. Senator Akaka 
embraced bipartisanism and knew that, if we could empathize with those 
we disagreed with, we were that much closer to a compromise.
  Toward the end of his service in the Senate, he remarked: ``I feel 
that since I came here, one of the things I've tried to do--and done it 
as much as I can--was to bring about a feeling here of a spirit that 
comes from Hawaii, that we call aloha spirit, because it opens things 
up, it cuts down fences, it helps people to feel the need to work with 
each other.''
  Whenever deciding how to vote, it wasn't about looking to the left or 
looking to the right, but what was inside his heart. He recalled many 
instances in which he disagreed or voted differently than his friends, 
but he never let a policy difference impact that friendship.
  Always a schoolteacher, he was a stickler for grammar and 
punctuation. Senator Akaka mentored generations of public servants. In 
every office of the Hawaii delegation, you will find the Senator's 
staff carrying on his mission. One of his former legislative assistants 
is now my colleague in the House, who spoke earlier, Congresswoman 
Tulsi Gabbard.
  My legislative director, Elizabeth Songvilay, and military 
legislative assistant, Dan Kouchi, were fortunate to work for the 
Senator.
  Liz shared a story, one of many that live on, about how the Senator 
and Auntie Millie managed the annual Senate ice cream reception. They 
insisted that the entire office, including committee staff, go with 
them into the Senator's-only section, where Members and their immediate 
family were served with no lines. Auntie Millie would walk in and tell 
everyone the staff was her and the Senator's grandkids.
  He maintained one of the most diverse offices on the Hill, which 
usually included people of all races who definitely did not look like 
they were related to the Akakas. That was the Senator, always generous 
and striving for equality. There was no special line for Senators. He 
considered that everyone he ever worked for was his partner and equal.
  Mr. Speaker, I will forever be grateful for what Senator Akaka meant 
to me as a friend and mentor. I was humbled and honored to have his 
support. I urge my colleagues to honor the Senator's legacy by 
committing to bipartisan leadership and civil discourse but, more 
importantly, by living with aloha.
  Mr. Speaker, Senator Akaka was known to break into song at special 
occasions, and his favorite song was called the ``Hawaiian Lullaby,'' 
words by Hector Venegas and Peter Moon, music by Peter Moon. These are 
the words, and they epitomize him:

     Where I live, there are rainbows,
     With life in the laughter of morning and starry nights.
     Where I live, there are rainbows,
     And flowers full of colors and birds filled with song.
     I can smile when it's raining,
     And touch the warmth of the Sun.
     I hear children laughing in this place that I love.
     Where I live, there are rainbows,
     With life and the laughter of morning and starry nights.

  Mr. Speaker, that is Senator Akaka.


                             General Leave

  Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the 
subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. HANABUSA. I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________