[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 163 (Wednesday, October 4, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4924-S4925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Remembering Dianne Feinstein

  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, as our dear colleague, Senator Dianne 
Feinstein, is lying in state in San Francisco today, the home where her 
leadership started for us and for the country, and as we prepare to 
remember her tomorrow in a special celebration of her life, I rise to 
pay tribute--tribute to an incredible leader and my dear friend, who 
dedicated her life to serving the people of California and the Nation.
  Perhaps ``leader'' isn't strong enough. It is not a strong enough 
word. She wasn't just a leader. She was an American icon. She inspired 
generations of women to stand up and suit up and push our way into the 
halls of power that weren't particularly welcoming.
  Like so many of us, she started in local government. Unlike many of 
us, her rise was sparked by tragedy. As president of the San Francisco 
Board of Supervisors, it was her job to announce the horrific 
assassination of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.
  She was heartbroken. But she was also calm. She was determined. She 
vowed that her grieving city would recover and rebuild.
  She was a crucial part of that rebuilding, serving as mayor for 9 
years. In 1990, she ran for Governor and lost, but she picked herself 
back up and said she wasn't done serving her State.
  In 1992, she ran for the Senate and won, joining five other 
groundbreaking women who changed the face of this institution forever.
  Keep in mind that before 1992, there were no women's restrooms 
anywhere near the Senate Chamber. This is actually something we all 
noticed.
  Through sheer determination and a lot of hard work, she rose to 
become the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee 
and chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
  Through her leadership, she left her mark on this institution over 
and over again in so many ways. She was a fierce and courageous 
advocate for commonsense gun laws, as our Presiding Officer is as well, 
including the 1994 assault weapons ban signed into law by President 
Clinton. That legislation alone saved so many lives from gun violence 
during the 10 years that it was law. I so wish that it had been able to 
be continued permanently. She stood up for American values when she led 
the years-long investigation into allegations that the CIA had used 
torture against terrorism suspects. Despite CIA and White House 
objections, Senator Feinstein courageously chose to publicly release 
what is known as the torture report. It was such a historic moment that 
it was even turned into a major motion picture starring Adam Driver and 
Annette Bening as Senator Feinstein.

  I will never forget sitting in this Chamber behind Senator Feinstein 
to show support for her courage that day. She spoke to the American 
people about the horrific details outlined in this report.
  Senator John McCain, who understood the horrors of torture more than 
anyone, commended Senator Feinstein and her staff for the report and 
added this:

       Our enemies act without conscience. We must not. This 
     executive summary of the Committee's report makes clear that 
     acting without conscience isn't necessary, it isn't even 
     helpful, in winning this strange and long war we're fighting. 
     We should be grateful to have that truth affirmed.

  In response to the report, Senator Feinstein and Senator McCain's 
anti-torture amendment was included in the 2016 National Defense 
Authorization Act. The amendment restricted interrogation techniques to 
those authorized in the ``Army Field Manual'' and

[[Page S4925]]

required that the International Committee of the Red Cross have access 
to detainees in U.S. Government custody--a law that stands today.
  Senator Feinstein was also a tireless champion for women, including 
the Violence Against Women Act, legislation to fight human trafficking, 
and our freedom to make our own reproductive health decisions. She was 
a leading voice for decades on behalf of our LGBTQ+ friends and 
neighbors. She fought to protect California's forests and water 
infrastructure.
  Beyond her many, many accomplishments, she was also my friend, and I 
so enjoyed hearing the stories from colleagues in the last number of 
days about her.
  Yes, Mr. President, I, too, have a seersucker suit, which she bought 
for each of us to make sure that the women of the Senate could 
participate in seersucker suit day.
  Yes, I also have a piece of art. In addition to watercolors, she drew 
beautiful pictures with colored pencils, and I am so honored to have 
one of those hanging in my house.
  Yes, Dianne also used to say: Are you staying in DC this weekend? Why 
don't you come over for dinner?
  I was grateful for the times I was able to join her.
  Dianne was always giving people, particularly all of us as women, 
items of hers that we admired. We had to be careful what we were 
admiring or we would end up getting one.
  One day, I got the opportunity to return the favor in a very small 
way. We were on the floor, and Dianne said to me: I love your lipstick, 
the color of your lipstick. Where did you get it?
  And I thought, aha, this is a moment for me to give Dianne something, 
as small as it was. So I came in a couple of days later with a package 
with several of the lipsticks she had admired, and the smile on her 
face was priceless.
  She said: You don't have to do that.
  I said: Yes, I do. You do so much for us every day that this is just 
a small token I can give in return.
  Senator Feinstein once said this:

       Women have begun to see that if I go through that doorway, 
     I take everybody through it.

  Today, I am remembering my friend for all of the barriers she broke, 
the glass ceiling she shattered, the doors she held open so that so 
many others could follow.
  May her memory be a blessing to her family, to the people of 
California, and to all of us who are feeling her loss.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHMITT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.