[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 1 (Monday, January 10, 2005)]
[Pages 4-5]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Death of Representative Robert T. Matsui

January 2, 2005

    Laura and I are saddened by the passing of Bob Matsui. Bob Matsui 
was a dedicated public servant and a good and decent man who served with 
distinction and integrity in the U.S. House of Representatives for more 
than 25 years. In the Congress, he was a leader of his party admired by 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Through long-time service on the 
House Ways and Means Committee, he helped pass important legislation on 
issues ranging from trade to small business to child welfare to mass 
transit. He was always devoted to California and his native Sacramento, 
where he served on the city council and as vice mayor in the 1970s. A 
third-generation Japanese American, Bob was interned along with his 
family during World War II. Four decades later, he played a leading role 
in Congress in securing passage of the landmark Japanese American 
Redress Act. Laura and I send our prayers and condolences to Doris, 
their son Brian, and the entire Matsui family.

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