[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 5, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S32-S33]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Tribute to Harry Reid

  Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life and memory 
of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Mason Reid. To some in this 
Chamber, Senator Reid was a colleague, a mentor, a friend. To me and to 
so many Nevadans, he was also a source of inspiration and pride. His 
life, coming from the humblest of beginnings, is the definition of the 
American dream.
  During his decades of public service, from the State assembly to the 
Lieutenant Governor's Office, to chairing the Nevada Gaming Commission, 
he became the most powerful leader in Congress. This former boxer from 
a tiny town called Searchlight always put Nevada first.
  Senator Reid served five terms in this very Chamber, and what he 
accomplished during those decades here, particularly as majority 
leader, is remarkable. Senator Reid stopped Yucca Mountain. He made 
sure Nevada would not become the Nation's nuclear waste dump. He is the 
reason we passed the Affordable Care Act into law, providing quality, 
affordable healthcare to tens of millions of Americans. He did more 
than anyone to rescue Nevada's economy from the depths of the great 
recession. He passed crucial Wall Street reform to hold the big banks 
accountable for that economic crisis and prevent a future one. He 
established Nevada's first national park, Great Basin National Park. He 
saved Social Security from being privatized. He was a fearless champion 
for bold action to stop climate change, and he was a tireless fighter 
for comprehensive immigration reform and the Dream Act.
  Because Senator Reid celebrated our State's diversity and recognized 
its importance, Nevada is an early State, the first in the West when it 
comes to choosing each party's nominee for the White House. No matter 
the issue, if it impacted Nevada, you can be sure Senator Reid would do 
anything to deliver for our State. He was a voice for all Nevadans, and 
if you ever went to an event for Senator Reid, he would remind you by 
making sure ``Home Means Nevada''--that is our State song--was sung in 
honor of our beloved State.
  This is how he got things done. He was blunt. He was direct. He was a 
real straight shooter. He didn't mince words. When he identified a 
problem, he would work relentlessly to find a solution. As so many of 
us here know, you could try as hard as you wanted to, but you could 
never leave the conversation or hang up the phone before he did. He 
said what he needed to and was on to his next piece of work.
  I want to share the best advice Senator Reid gave to me. He said 
this: Take every call. Listen to every person, whether you agree with 
them or not, and then tell them when you are with them and tell them 
when you are not. Be open and honest in your conversations.
  These are words I try to live by here every day. They were things 
Senator Reid was respected for.
  Senator Reid also knew that the constituent services, the work we do 
with our teams, literally saves lives and directly helps families, and 
it touches so many people. It is the most important and personal work 
we do and, through that work, can often become the foundation for 
legislation at the Federal level.
  When I was thinking about whether or not to run for the Senate, 
Senator Reid invited me and my husband Larry over to his home to talk 
to him about making that decision. Well, in Senator Reid's style, 
instead of taking the lead to tell us what to do and give us advice, he 
actually asked his wife Landra to talk to us about her experience.
  Well, anyone who has met Landra Reid knows what an incredible woman 
she is. Senator Reid was a family man, and he adored her and their 
children, of course, grandchildren, and I believe even great-
grandchildren so very much. As my friend Brian Greenspun wrote the 
other day in the Las Vegas Sun, ``To Harry Reid the greatest 
accomplishment he had was his family.''
  Anyway, in Senator Reid's living room, Landra told me and my husband

[[Page S33]]

how she juggled being a mom of not one, not two, not three, not four, 
five kids--five kids--while Harry was working as a Capitol Police 
officer to put himself through law school while running tough campaigns 
and while serving long days and nights in Washington. Needless to say, 
there is not much that can top that. So the Reids provided my family 
with the inspiration I needed as I was considering what a life in the 
public view would look like.
  Their love for each other, their journey and ability to make it work 
over six decades--raising kids, keeping their love strong--showed me 
how important it was to have a strong family, of course, and friends as 
the foundation for this work of public service.
  You know, we spend a lot of time here in Washington talking about 
politics every day, but it is the personal things at the end of the day 
we all know really matter, and that is the work that Senator Reid did 
for Nevadans. He fought to make families' lives just a little bit 
easier, whether they knew it or not, so that they could focus on what 
matters, what was most important to them.
  I want to honor Senator Reid for his lifetime of fighting the good 
fight for our State. He helped make Nevada what it is today--a world-
class destination and truly a great place to live, work, and raise a 
family.
  I want to thank Landra and the entire Reid family for sharing their 
husband, their father, and their grandfather with Nevada and with the 
Nation. The American people have benefited so much because of their 
sacrifices and his willingness to serve. Thank you.
  Thank you, Senator Reid.
  I yield the floor.

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