[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 96 (Monday, June 8, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2661-S2662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING BARNEY FRANK

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, Barney Frank was one of the brightest 
Members of Congress I have ever had the pleasure of serving with. He 
was smart, outrageous, colorful, and courageous. Most importantly, he 
was a good man. Barney passed away last month, and I would like to take 
a moment to recognize his lifetime of public service.
  Born in Bayonne, NJ, Barney discovered his interest in government at 
the age of 10 watching Senate hearings on his father's television set. 
Barney said in his own words: most children were interested in becoming 
``a cowboy, a boxer, or a puppeteer. I preferred the idea of sitting 
behind an impressive dais grilling colorful Mafiosi.'' To feed his 
passion, Barney volunteered for Adlai Stevenson's second Presidential 
campaign in 1956 while he was in high school, and the next year, he 
arrived at Harvard University to study public policy. Barney remained 
in Massachusetts for 56 years, rising in the ranks of government from 
executive assistant to the mayor of Boston to the Halls of Congress.
  Anyone who met Barney knew that he was the last person you would want 
to argue with. His sharp tongue and acerbic retorts were legendary, and 
Barney was never afraid to use his talents to defend the causes that he 
believed in. Fortunately for our country, his cause was often that of 
the disenfranchised and powerless. Elected in 1980--the same year as 
President Ronald Reagan--Barney fought against the Reagan 
administration's attempts to cut government programs that helped 
working families, and he passionately defended the Legal Services 
Corporation, which was facing backlash for assisting the United Farm 
Workers. Barney's political acumen was as strong as his intelligence, 
and he achieved huge success for a new congressman.
  Yet Barney's early years in the House are perhaps best remembered for 
his courageous decision to come out as gay at a time when LGBTQ+ people 
were still banned from serving in the Armed Forces or holding a 
security clearance. That decision took guts. No congressman had ever 
come out of the closet willingly before Barney, and many had warned him 
that doing so would jeopardize his ability to reach higher office. But 
Barney refused to take the easy way out, and in 1987, he became the 
first openly gay Member of Congress. Barney had already been a staunch 
advocate for gay rights long before he came out; he even introduced the 
first gay rights bill in Massachusetts history as a State 
representative in 1972, and he continued that fight long after he 
announced his sexuality. Barney worked to remove homophobic provisions 
from America's immigration laws, advocated for funding for AIDS and HIV 
research and treatment, and fought passionately against the 
discrimination of the LGBTQ+ community at every level of government. By 
the time Barney left Congress, gay people were able to openly serve in 
the military, sodomy laws were declared unconstitutional, and hate 
crimes based on an individual's sexuality were explicitly prohibited by 
law.
  Behind Barney's brilliant wit and courage was also a statesman who 
was just as comfortable crafting bipartisan compromise as he was 
delivering a soundbite. Barney was indispensable in picking up the 
pieces of our economy in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. 
Not only did he work with the Bush administration to prevent the crisis 
from deepening, but he also joined forces with Senator Christopher Dodd 
to pass the Dodd-Frank Act, the largest reform to Wall Street and the 
American financial system in the post-war era. This bill created the 
Consumer

[[Page S2662]]

Financial Protection Bureau, an Agency tasked with defending American 
consumers from dishonest business practices; it regulated the 
securities and derivatives markets that brought our Nation to financial 
ruin; and it increased capital requirements for banks to avoid future 
defaults. While Barney wished that the rules enshrined in Dodd-Frank 
went further in protecting Americans, it still made a meaningful 
difference for millions of families.
  Before leaving office, Barney had one more accomplishment he was 
determined to achieve. On July 7, 2012, Barney married his partner Jim 
Ready and became the first Member of Congress to be married to a same-
sex partner. I am pleased to say that while they were the first, they 
are no longer the only partnership in this category. While more must be 
done to end discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, it is worth 
recognizing Barney and Jim's contributions to equality in America. 
Loretta and I would like to offer Jim our deepest condolences for his 
loss.
  Barney refused to allow the prejudice and bigotry of his time to 
define him. His courage and intelligence were an inspiration to many of 
his colleagues, and his legacy is still felt in Congress today. He will 
be missed.

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