Expressing Sorrow of the House at the Death of the Honorable Robert T. Matsui, Member of Congress from the State of California

Floor Speech

EXPRESSING SORROW OF THE HOUSE AT THE DEATH OF THE HONORABLE ROBERT T. MATSUI, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA -- (House of Representatives - January 04, 2005)

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Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

I rise to join my colleagues in paying tribute to an extraordinary human being, Bob Matsui. Like so many others across this country, the celebration of this new year was for me shaken by the incredibly sad news of Bob's demise. I awoke this Sunday expecting to be consumed with the challenges and work of the new year, only to be stunned to learn of the passing of an old friend.

Libby and I had only a couple of days before shared the beauty of Bob's family that he and Doris send out each year at this time, reflecting on the last time we shared a meal with them, only a couple weeks before at a dinner table here in Washington, knowing of the pride that Bob felt in Doris' professional accomplishments and how often he mentioned Doris and Brian and his family in conversations on subjects here in Washington.

There is a Greek proverb: ``The measure of man is what he does with power.'' By this measure, or really by any measure, Bob was indeed a great human being. Although he had significant power here in Washington as a senior Member of this House, he was viewed as a soft-spoken advocate for the things that he believed in and the people he represented. And yet on more than one occasion I have seen his temper flare at injustice.

Bob was a great and principled policymaker. He gave a great deal of thought to the issues and the decisions before he spoke, and often took positions that were not popular but that represented his principles. He also was willing to grow and adjust those principles, certainly being committed to more trade, and yet over time he recognized that trade was more than just counting how many widgets crossed country lines, but how that trade affects people.

He was committed to not only Social Security but to retirement security, and took a very forceful stance in this House about the concern that we do more to help those who have no retirement, not just to add to the retirement of those who already have much.

It was my good fortune to serve with him on the Committee on Ways and Means, to come on that committee as a new member and find Bob as someone that I could turn to when I had a problem for personal advice and always get a thoughtful hearing and sound advice.

While his passing is most premature, we can only seek to renew our strength inspired by his very strong example, to remember the causes that he championed and how he championed them, and to be strengthened in our efforts by his spirit and his fight for fairness, to stand up for what is right for the American people.

It is fitting for us to honor Bob with our words, but certainly we must honor him in this Congress with our actions, to continue to champion the causes that he would champion and had so often, from this very microphone. Certainly that is true with regard to Social Security, as he stood up to those who would destabilize, privatize and piratize it. Without our ally, our work will be harder, our burden will be greater, and our responsibility will also be greater.

As the Los Angeles Times editorialized about Bob recently, ``He epitomized an ideal of public service that has largely vanished in a partisan Congress.''

Mr. Speaker, we salute Bob by our deeds as well as our words tonight.

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