[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 182 (Monday, October 18, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7020-S7021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Remembering Colin Powell

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, like so many others in the Senate across 
America, I was saddened to learn this morning of the passing of Colin 
Powell.
  In his lifetime, he broke down so many barriers, and he held some of 
the most important titles in this great Nation: General of the U.S. 
Army, National Security Adviser, America's first Black Joint Chiefs of 
Staff, and our first Black Secretary of State.
  But before he held any of those positions, and after he stepped away 
from them, Colin Powell was always a patriot and a public servant. He 
was the son of immigrants--Jamaican immigrants--who raised their 
children to make the most of every opportunity that America offered and 
to show their gratitude to this Nation by giving--giving back however 
they could.
  That story of opportunity and obligation is a story told by every 
immigrant parent to their children. It is the same story my mother 
taught to me and my brothers.
  Much has been said and written about Colin Powell's historic and 
distinguished career as a soldier and a statesman. He was respected in 
a way that transcended partisan labels.
  He wasn't perfect. His speech in 2003 to the U.N. General Assembly 
claimed incorrectly that Iraq likely possessed weapons of mass 
destruction. It was based on information he was given and later learned 
to be false. It helped make a case for a war about which he had 
misgivings, and he would come to regret those remarks the rest of his 
life.
  But he never stopped trying to serve, even after leaving public 
office. In 2010, Colin Powell spoke out publicly about a cause that is 
deeply personal to many people, including myself. He and other military 
leaders urged this Senate to pass the Dream Act--legislation that would 
give young immigrants who grew up in the United States a chance to earn 
their citizenship.
  Who better could speak to that issue than Colin Powell, the son of 
immigrants who served this Nation with distinction and combat and in 
public service? Regrettably, at the time, while a majority of Senators 
supported the Dream Act, it was filibustered and did not pass. Still, 
tens of thousands of immigrants are risking their lives today defending 
our Nation in uniform. Among them may very well be another Colin 
Powell.

  It would be a fitting tribute to Secretary Powell for us to pass 
immigration reform now--this year--and recognize what a great patriot 
and son of immigrants like Colin Powell brought to this Nation.
  One last point. Colin Powell survived one form of cancer nearly 20 
years ago. He was being treated for another when he passed away. 
Multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, weakens the immune system. So 
despite the fact that he was fully vaccinated, General Powell died of 
complications of COVID.

[[Page S7021]]

  It is sad and ironic that a man who spent so much of his life 
defending others from danger, in the end, died from a common enemy that 
too many of our fellow citizens continue to deny, thus giving the virus 
an opportunity to replicate and wreak havoc. We are not each other's 
enemies; the virus is the enemy.
  Today, it claimed the life of an American statesman. By this time 
tomorrow, it will have taken another 1,500 family members, neighbors, 
heroes to many.
  Especially for young children who can't be vaccinated yet and for the 
millions of Americans with compromised immune systems, we really have 
to increase our vaccine rates.