FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 13, 2005

CONTACT: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider 202-226-7616

Pelosi Statement on Naming Sacramento Courthouse in Honor of Late Congressman Robert Matsui

Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi honored the life of the late Congressman Robert Matsui today.  She supported House Resolution 787, which names the United States Courthouse in Sacramento after Congressman Matsui.  Pelosi submitted the following statement into the Congressional Record:

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution to name the United States Courthouse in Sacramento after my dear friend and our beloved former colleague, Bob Matsui, who passed away so suddenly on New Year’s night.

“Time and time again, Bob’s constituents elected him to serve as their Representative in the United States Congress.  As all of us know, he rose to national prominence as a senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, a national spokesman for Social Security, and as the first Asian American in leadership of the Congress. 

“Bob was a living combination of intellect and passion – someone who understood the complexities of the Social Security system, and who never forgot what it meant to the lives of America’s seniors.  As an architect for a better America, Bob expanded opportunities for our county’s children, built a more secure future, and protected precious freedoms for all of us. 

“In our more than 30 years of friendship, I deeply admired Bob’s personal courage.  Despite being imprisoned in an internment camp as a very young boy during World War II, Bob always had hope in the promise of America.  He loved America enough to want to make it better.  In fact, he worked tirelessly to pass legislation that awarded payments and an apology from the government to Japanese Americans who had been sent to internment camps.

“When it came to politics, Bob was a maestro, orchestrating campaigns across the country that addressed the aspirations of the American people, particularly on his signature issues of economic opportunity, civil liberties, and retirement security.

“It seems like only yesterday that Bob was among us, doing the people’s work here in Congress.  Bob’s spirit and energy have been greatly missed.  We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague, but we are fortunate to have his wife Doris here to continue and build on Bob’s outstanding work. 

“President Bush rightly called him a “dedicated public servant and a good and decent man who served with distinction and integrity.”  I know that our friends on the other side of the aisle miss Bob as well, and join in paying him this tribute.

“Bob Matsui was a true patriot who had a dream for a better America.  I urge my colleagues to support naming this courthouse in his beloved Sacramento in his honor.”

“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi