Mike Levin: “as this session of Congress comes to an end, I want to speak about my friend and colleague from the State of Minnesota…”

“as this session of Congress comes to an end, I want to speak about my friend and colleague from the State of Minnesota, Senator Rod Grams. A former television news personality, Rod Grams, in his term in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, quickly established himself as a proponent of assistance to farmers and as an advocate for the establishment of a national nuclear waste repository. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has been an opponent of international agricultural sanctions and a strong supporter of vigorous foreign trade. He supported IMF funding, trade with China and review of the U.S.-Cuba relationship. He joined the bipartisan effort to enact strong brownfields cleanup legislation. Rod Grams earned a reputation as a strong supporter of tax relief, favoring elimination of the marriage penalty and other tax cut proposals. While Rod Grams and I have disagreed on a number of issues, I respect the commitment which he has brought to policy debate. Where we disagreed, I found Rod Grams to be a straight-talking and agreeable adversary. I wish him and his family well in the future.”