Richard Gephardt: “today, we say goodbye to a good friend and colleague, Bruce Vento. Bruce was a humanitarian in every sense of the word.…”

“today, we say goodbye to a good friend and colleague, Bruce Vento. Bruce was a humanitarian in every sense of the word. He called environmental issues his one ``true passion'' and he pursued that passion in a way that lifted up all Americans. He was a strong leader in the Committee on Resources with a keen understanding of environmental issues. He worked to protect and strengthen America's national treasures--our urban parks, our public lands, and other public resources, and he fought for tropical rain forests and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He believed in making our country not just a wealthy country but a beautiful country, marked by forests, rivers, mountains and streams that all American could visit and enjoy. Bruce was `'a hero'' who had ``done more for parks than anyone I know,'' one of his fans said of him. Bruce was also special because he cared so very deeply about all people and the sanctity of the places in which they lived. He earned a reputation as a strong advocate for the homeless, and it was well-deserved. He tried to lift people up through better housing and emergency shelter, a powerful reminder that this country should not leave behind anyone. Bruce spend the last decade working for the Hmong people who fought on the side of the United States in the war in Vietnam, and who were trying to become citizens of our country.”