On the recordDecember 19, 2012
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Tonight, we come to the floor to pay tribute to two people--Barney Frank and John Olver--who, in many ways, could not be more different. They are the same in this respect: they have made important marks on the Congress of the United States. What is special about them is that they are so different. But in their shared values, in their effectiveness, their knowledge of the issues and their ability to persuade our colleagues to join them in a vote, they share that talent, especially those values representing Massachusetts in the Congress. I had the privilege of serving with John Olver on the Appropriations Committee. So I saw firsthand and very close up his extraordinary mastery of the facts and the substance before us and his political astuteness to find a way to get the job done as a chairman and ranking member of an important subcommittee of Appropriations, Transportation, better known as THUD. He's a cardinal on that committee. That's what they call them. So as a cardinal, he commanded a great deal of respect from our colleagues, though that came easy to us because, as I say, we knew him well, his values and his judgment. I want to point out one thing in particular, and that is he always had an interest in promoting or empowering women, whether it was in the Congress or in the country or in the world.…
