[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 159 (Friday, September 29, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4801-S4802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING DIANNE FEINSTEIN

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, there will be many opportunities in the 
next few days and in the weeks following to reflect on the life and the 
contributions of Senator Dianne Feinstein and, as has been noted, the 
significant legislation that she advanced over three decades here, what 
that meant to her State, to her constituents, really, to her country, 
but also to us.
  And as I think about the work that we all take on here, we know that 
we are capable of much, but we are made even more capable by 
extraordinary staff. And one of the things that I have noted over the 
years is the extremely loyal staff that Senator Feinstein had built 
around her. I know that they are grieving today, as is Dianne's family 
and so many friends. But I think we acknowledge them at the same time 
of this very significant loss of not only a colleague but of a friend.
  And I think it is important that people understand that, here in the 
U.S. Senate, a place that can be so divisive at times, true friendships 
actually exist. And whether it is the Republican leader and his wife 
over the years dining together or, as Senator Collins has stated, just 
the very generous nature of Senator Feinstein sharing--sharing her 
works, sharing her art, sharing a purse--I still have that seersucker 
suit.
  I still have that seersucker suit. When we all engage in the annual 
ritual of donning the seersucker suit--mine is now 20 years old; I 
think yours is, too--our reality is, it is a direct reminder of the 
spontaneous generosity of a woman.
  Dianne Feinstein was generous. She was gracious. She was thoughtful. 
She was kind. There were many times when

[[Page S4802]]

we were looking into a weekend when we were going to be here, and she, 
being from California, and I, being from Alaska--recognizing that 
probably neither one of us was going to be making it to that other 
coast, she would say: ``Lisa, let's go to dinner.'' Sometimes, we would 
just spontaneously make that happen, and other times, we would just 
make the plans. But that was that outreach to do so.
  What she did as one of the female leaders in our women Senators group 
was she made sure that the dinners we have engaged in over the years, 
that those continued. She would come and say, ``Isn't it about time we 
have another dinner?'' And she would be right, and we would organize 
it. It was, again, a reminder of what it means to come together as 
colleagues, yes, but really the more that we can do to build those 
relationships that make a hard job just a little bit easier. Dianne was 
able to focus on that in a giving and, again, a very generous--
generous--way.
  I think it pained us all--it certainly pained me--in just these past 
months to see what I believed to be grossly unfair attacks on a woman 
who was in failing health. And I think for some who would focus on 
that, they would fail to appreciate what this extraordinary woman, what 
this extraordinary leader had contributed not only to the Senate but, 
again, to her State and to her country.
  So as we speak of the beauty of Dianne Feinstein and all that she 
gave to this country, I hope we reflect on the words that Senator 
Murray shared with us--that her commitment to this job, her commitment 
to the people was so much that she would put her physical health, how 
she was feeling--some days, we just don't feel like coming in, you 
know? Senator Feinstein was here. Senator Feinstein was with an 
institution that she cared about. She cared deeply about it. She wanted 
to make sure that we were the best of the best and we reflected that.
  I think she would actually be really pleased with the resolution 
about dress. I don't need to go into that on the floor. But Senator 
Feinstein was a woman who was put together--put together in her 
presence and in her bearing. I think she wanted to see the Senate in a 
dignified and a respectful manner at all times.
  As I walked in this morning, I thought she probably wouldn't approve 
of my shoes, and I am sorry, Dianne. But I share this because I think 
it demonstrates again where the commitment of this woman was. It was to 
the people she served, but it was also to an institution that she loved 
and she dignified with everything she did right until the end.
  We have lost an extraordinary woman, and we have lost a friend. But 
they never leave. They will always be with us, as will Dianne.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.

                          ____________________