Jack Reed: “I rise to pay tribute to our colleague Dianne Feinstein, who passed away, as we all know, this morning. As California's…”

“I rise to pay tribute to our colleague Dianne Feinstein, who passed away, as we all know, this morning. As California's senior Senator and the longest serving woman Senator ever, Senator Feinstein was a trailblazer. Everyone has made that point, and it is a true, accurate, and compelling point. In representing the country's most populous State for over three decades, she occupied the national stage as well, and for many people inside and outside this Chamber, she became the archetypal Senator: prepared, professional, pragmatic, and unfailingly civil. Californians rewarded her hard work by voting for her by wider and wider margins. She fought hard for the things she believed in and very often succeeded, but she never bullied or belittled those who took a contrary position. Her achievements are many: the enactment of the Federal assault weapons ban in 1994, the 6-year review of the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program, which prompted significant reforms in the intelligence community. She was the leader in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. She delivered for the people of California, enacting laws to protect public lands and national treasures and doing the hard work to bring stakeholders together to resolve thorny issues and complex environmental challenges in her home State. She led on national environmental issues, including legislation to improve the fuel economy of automobiles.…”