[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 81 (Thursday, May 12, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E490-E491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2022

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the legacy of a dear 
friend, a mentor, and a colleague, Norm Mineta.
  Secretary Mineta was an American patriot who served his country with 
distinction in the military, in Congress, and as a cabinet secretary in 
two administrations. He was a trailblazer and a man of many `firsts'. 
He was the

[[Page E491]]

first Asian-American mayor of a major city, San Jose, California; the 
first Japanese American from the contiguous 48 states to serve in 
Congress; and the first Asian-American cabinet secretary.
  When I entered Congress in 1993, I was fortunate to serve with and 
learn from Norm Mineta. With our Congressional Districts bordering each 
other, we worked shoulder to shoulder on behalf of our constituents. 
Our staffs worked closely together as well, and our offices had a 
friendly baseball competition in which Team Eshoo faced off against 
Team Mineta.
  Secretary Mineta held a great love of his country, and despite being 
interned during World War II, he was not consumed by bitterness. Among 
his many contributions to our nation was the key role he played in 
enacting the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided reparations 
and an official apology to Japanese Americans who were interned during 
World War II.
  While serving as Secretary of Transportation, he was highly regarded 
for his steady leadership after our country was attacked on September 
11, 2001, when he grounded all air traffic in the U.S. in little more 
than two hours. He is also remembered for his work to establish the 
Transportation Security Administration, the TSA, and for his 
insistence, informed by his personal experience having been interned, 
that the agency never engage in racial profiling.
  It is fitting that he was recognized during his life by having the 
San Jose International Airport named in his honor, and being awarded 
the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. 
Bush.
  Through his lifetime of service, Norm Mineta made our country better 
and stronger. He was a hero in Silicon Valley and beyond, and I'm proud 
to have worked with him and proud to have been his friend and 
colleague. I shall miss him greatly and hope that my prayers are a 
source of comfort to his beloved wife Deni, his sons David and Stuart, 
his stepsons Robert and Mark, and his many grandchildren.

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