[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 53]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               AN EXCELLENT SELECTION FOR TRANSPORTATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 3, 2001

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend President-elect Bush for his 
nomination of Norman Mineta to be his Secretary of Transportation. 
Secretary Mineta will bring great distinction to his new role, building 
upon a distinguished record in this body and as Secretary of Commerce.
  When I was first elected to Congress, Norm Mineta took me, a freshman 
in the minority party, around Congress and helped in any way he could. 
I will never forget that generosity, but it reflects the personality of 
this true gentleman. Secretary Mineta has lived a life that we can all 
learn from.
  Growing up in California during the Second World War, I have strong 
feelings on the national shame perpetrated against the Japanese-
American community during the war. I have been touched by how that 
experience formed Norm, a period prominently displayed in his official 
portrait that hangs in 2167 Rayburn. Instead of harboring a lifetime of 
bitterness against the country that imprisoned him and his family, Norm 
Mineta devoted much of his life to public service. He has helped make 
this a better nation and has helped us become better Americans.
  During his 21 year in this House, Norm Mineta was a leader in 
transportation policy and a fair chairman of what was then called the 
Committee on Public Works. He is well suited to leading the Department 
of Transportation in the years to come. Congress--and this body--has 
fought hard to provide our nation the funding necessary to address the 
many problems facing transportation today. Norm Mineta brings with him 
the intelligence, experience, and disposition to be an excellent member 
of the new Administration and I look forward to working with him in the 
years to come.

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