[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 22370-22371]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING CONGRESSMAN STEPHEN SOLARZ

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a good friend 
and former colleague of mine, former Congressman Stephen Solarz, who 
passed away late last month at the age of 70. I would like to take this 
moment to convey my heartfelt condolences to

[[Page 22371]]

Stephen's wife, Nina, the rest of his family, and everyone else who 
knew, worked with, and enjoyed Stephen during his life.
  Stephen and I were both elected to the House of Representatives for 
the first time in 1974, members of a historic class of 75 Democratic 
freshmen who came to Washington in the wake of the Watergate scandal. 
Stephen remained a stalwart of the House, serving the people of his 
Brooklyn-based congressional district with distinction for nearly two 
decades.
  Throughout his tenure in Congress, Stephen was always attentive to 
the needs of his constituents, even going so far as to nickname himself 
``Representative Pothole'' for his work on local issues. But in spite 
of this, Stephen's tenure was perhaps most clearly defined by his work 
on foreign policy issues. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs 
Committee throughout his nine terms, Stephen demonstrated a strong and 
abiding passion for world affairs. Indeed, during his first month in 
office, Stephen went on an 18-day congressional delegation trip to the 
Middle East, meeting with the leaders of Israel, Syria, Jordan, and 
Egypt.
  Beginning in 1979, Stephen took on some important leadership 
positions within the committee, serving first as chairman of the 
Subcommittee on African Affairs, and subsequently as chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs. During that time, Stephen 
was absolutely committed to ensuring that human rights and respect for 
the rule of law remained key pillars of U.S. policy in those regions.
  He was an uncompromising supporter of sanctions against the apartheid 
regime in South Africa; one of Congress's most vocal and persistent 
critics of the authoritarian government led by Ferdinand Marcos in the 
Philippines; and a tireless advocate of peace in Cambodia. Stephen was 
also a strong proponent of diplomacy and engagement, becoming the first 
United States Congressman to visit North Korea in nearly three decades 
in 1980. And perhaps just as significantly, Stephen was a committed 
defender of the House of Representatives who worked extremely hard to 
carve out a more prominent place for that body in foreign policy 
discussions.
  As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee myself, I had 
the opportunity to work with Stephen on a number of occasions. And I 
must say that I was consistently impressed by Stephen's tenacity, 
intelligence, and commitment to justice and democracy. In nearly 
everything he did as a Member of Congress, Stephen was always well-
prepared, knew the issues inside and out, and was not afraid to 
challenge those with whom he disagreed. That is the Stephen Solarz that 
my colleagues and I got to know over the years, and that is, in my 
view, the kind of Congressman Stephen will most be remembered as.
  Once again, I would like to express my sincere condolences to 
Stephen's family and all those individuals who, like me, had the 
privilege of knowing him over the years. And I take this opportunity to 
thank Stephen for his many years of service to this country and his 
tireless efforts to create a more just and peaceful world.

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