Frank Lautenberg: “I join with my colleagues, so many of whom have already spoken, in tribute to our Nation's 40th President, Ronald…”

“I join with my colleagues, so many of whom have already spoken, in tribute to our Nation's 40th President, Ronald Reagan. My first term in the Senate coincided with the last 6 years of his Presidency. I had the opportunity to work with him on several occasions. As someone who came from modest beginnings and a working-class family, I understood the fact that he rose from his humble beginnings to become one of the crucial world leaders. He was respected greatly. I had a chance to work with him on several occasions, not the least of which was something as simple as raising the drinking age to 21 across the country, thereby saving thousands of families a year from having to mourn the loss of a young person in their household. The bill was signed in the morning at the White House, and I was pleased I was able to return from a convention in San Francisco in time to be there and share those good moments with President Reagan and then-Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole. We did a lot of good for families across America with that legislation, and also offered support to say to those who would pollute our environment, 'If you pollute, you must pay to clean it up,' and that was Superfund.”