[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16381-16382]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO HARRY REID

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to take a moment to express my 
appreciation to the Democratic leader, Senator Harry Reid, who spoke 
earlier on the floor.
  I was here with many of my colleagues and listened to his incredible 
story about his background from Searchlight, NV, to his ascension to 
the Senate and becoming the Democratic leader.
  When I first came to the Senate, Senator Reid asked to meet with me. 
I

[[Page 16382]]

thought he was going to talk about my philosophy on different issues or 
what my interests would be or how I was going to try to move forward on 
particular bills, but what he really wanted to talk about was my 
family, what I thought was important in life. He was very interested in 
my family traditions and how that would be impacted by my life in the 
Senate.
  I must tell you, it was very personal. I think many of us have seen 
many sides of Harry Reid, but one side of him is clear. He treats the 
Senate as his family, and he treats each one of us as his family.
  I wish to express my appreciation for his service in the U.S. Senate 
and for his public service over so many years.
  Myrna and I are friends of Landra and Harry. We wish them only the 
best as he moves forward from his career in the Senate.
  It has really been a pleasure to serve with him in the Senate. This 
is an incredible place to serve. Senator Reid has certainly made this 
Senator's life in the Senate much more enjoyable and productive.
  Mr. President, part of American culture is to celebrate our small 
towns. There are few American towns smaller than Searchlight in Clark 
County, NV. That is the hometown of our beloved Democratic Leader, 
Senator Harry Reid.
  Senator Reid epitomizes the American Dream. He grew up without indoor 
plumbing, in a small cabin built out of scavenged railroad ties, and 
attended a two-room elementary school. His father was a hard-rock 
miner. As a young boy, Senator Reid would go deep into the mines with 
his father. Searchlight didn't have its own high school so Senator Reid 
had to hitchhike each week to Henderson, 40 miles away, where he 
attended Basic High School and boarded with relatives and other 
families.
  Local businessmen saw his potential and helped him attend Utah State 
University, a debt he repaid. He earned his law degree from George 
Washington University and supported his young family by working as a 
U.S. Capitol Police Officer.
  Senator Reid started his career in public service as Henderson's city 
attorney. He revised the city charter and extended the city's 
boundaries by acquiring Federal land. In 1968, when he was just 28, he 
was elected to the Nevada State Assembly. As an assemblyman, he 
introduced the first air pollution legislation in Nevada's history. Two 
years later, Senator Reid became the youngest lieutenant governor in 
Nevada history, winning election as Governor Mike O'Callaghan's running 
mate. Mike O'Callaghan had been Senator Reid's mentor in high school as 
a teacher, boxing coach, and friend.
  In 1977, Senator Reid was appointed chairman of the Nevada Gaming 
Commission. For 5 years, he was engaged in an unrelenting fight with 
organized crime syndicates to clean up Nevada's gaming industry. In 
1981, his wife--high school sweetheart Landra--found a bomb attached to 
the family station wagon.
  In 1982, Senator Reid won the first of two elections to serve in the 
House of Representatives and then he was elected to the Senate in 1986. 
In 2005 he became the Democratic Leader, two years later, he became the 
majority leader, a post he held until the Republicans gained control of 
the Senate last year. As the Las Vegas Sun put it, he went from being 
the underdog to the top dog.
  I have talked about Senator Reid's hardscrabble upbringing because it 
has made him one of the toughest people I have ever known. Yet he is 
also one of the kindest, and most compassionate.
  Senator Reid may be the top dog, but he has always fought for the 
underdog. I think that quality is best exemplified by his advocacy on 
behalf of Native Americans, which includes helping to build the 
Nation's first utility-scale solar project on tribal land in Nevada. I 
know how much he is respected in Indian country.
  Senator Reid was instrumental in passing the Affordable Care Act, 
ACA, which--along with the Medicaid expansion--has provided health care 
to more than 20 million Americans.
  Senator Reid's efforts to choose qualified Federal jurists for the 
U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada will be felt for decades 
after he leaves office. Senator Reid has recommended and helped confirm 
five of the six judges currently serving on the court. As a result of 
Senator Reid's commitment to diversity, there have been numerous 
``firsts'' for the court.
  In 1998, Senator Reid recommended Johnnie Rawlinson to be the first 
woman to serve as a judge on the Nevada District Court. At his request, 
she was elevated to the Ninth Circuit in 2000.
  In 2010, Gloria Navarro became the first Hispanic woman to serve as a 
judge on the Nevada District Court.
  In 2012, Miranda Du became the first Asian-Pacific American to serve 
as a judge on the Nevada District Court.
  In 2014, Richard Boulware became the first African-American man to 
serve as a judge on the Nevada District Court.
  The Senate still has the opportunity to confirm Anne Traum, who would 
be the first Jewish person to serve on the Nevada District Court.
  Senator Reid has fought hard on behalf of his fellow Nevadans. He has 
prevented the Federal Government from building a nuclear waste 
repository at Yucca Mountain. He authored and passed legislation 
establishing Nevada's first national park, Great Basin National Park. 
He has led the fight to protect and restore Lake Tahoe. He prevented 
the removal of the Nevada Air National Guard's C-130 aircraft and the 
closure of the Hawthorne Army Depot, and he secured over $600 million 
for the Southern Nevada Veterans Administration Medical Complex.
  When it comes to combatting climate change and promoting the 
development and adoption of clean, sustainable, renewable energy, 
Senator Reid has been a visionary. He has incentivized $5.5 billion in 
investments in Nevada's clean energy resources through tax credits, 
grants, and loan guarantees. He helped to create a new fast-track 
permitting process for clean energy development on public lands. He 
facilitated the public-private partnership needed for the One Nevada 
Transmission Line, which connects northern and southern Nevada's 
electricity grids for the first time, helping to unlock the State's 
vast clean energy potential. While his interest in promoting clean 
energy--especially solar--may have a local origin, the benefits will 
accrue to all humanity for generations to come as we transition from 
our reliance on fossil fuels.
  Serving as the Leader, whether in the majority or the minority, is a 
tough job. The leader has to fight the most intense partisan battles. 
The Leader has to say ``no'' on many occasions. The leader has to stand 
up for other members of the party. Senator Reid has been tough enough 
to be an extraordinary leader. If I were in a foxhole, I would want 
Harry Reid by my side. I know every other Democratic Senator feels the 
same way--and surely most Republicans. We are going to miss Harry Reid. 
I wish him, his wife Landra, their five children, and 19 grandchildren 
all the best.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hoeven). The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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