December 18th, 2012
Press Contact: Ryan Nickel (202) 225-3481
“I knew Senator Inouye since my earliest days working for Senator Warren G. Magnuson and have worked with him throughout my career in the House of Representatives. His death represents a great loss for the nation, and a deep personal loss for many of us in Congress. He was a constant source of help and advice for me on every major initiative I undertook, and a great friend of the Pacific Northwest.
“During the late 1980s when he served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, he traveled nine times to Washington to support and encourage our negotiations regarding the Puyallup Tribe’s land claims in Pierce County, and he was pivotal in the success of the settlement agreement which today remains a remarkable achievement. Senator Inouye always took a personal interest in Washington State and he has remained a great friend to many of us in the state during his long career in the Senate.
“We also worked closely together as chairs of our respective Defense Appropriations panels, where he was an extraordinary leader on national security. I’ve always been grateful for his partnership in finding additional funding for public schools on defense facilities. He was one of our nation’s greatest war heroes and over his historic career in Congress, a stalwart defender of our troops and their families. His death leaves a great void in the Senate and among all of those who cherished his friendship."
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
