Norton Statement on Senator Daniel Inouye
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the following statement on the passing of Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI):
"Dan Inouye will, of course, rightly be remembered by the nation as a war hero, for the second longest tenure in Senate history and for being a fierce advocate for Hawaii, but the residents of the District of Columbia will also remember him with great appreciation for his commitment to their quest for equal citizenship, particularly as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Inouye supported D.C. statehood, voting rights, and budget autonomy and opposed all restrictions on the use of local D.C. funds, freeing D.C.'s budget of anti-home-rule riders in the 111th Congress for the first time in memory, and produced a rider-free bill in the Senate this year. In June, Senator Inouye, working with Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee Chairman Dick Durbin, got the Senate Appropriations Committee to approve one of the most important D.C. appropriations bills ever. The bill allows D.C. to remain free to spend its local funds in the event of a federal government shutdown, permanently preventing D.C. government shutdowns, and approved the placement of D.C.'s Frederick Douglass statue in the Capitol, which has since been signed into law as a separate bill. We got the first $1.2 billion for the Department of Homeland Security construction project underway in Ward 8 thanks to Senator Inouye's efforts, and he kept the funding coming for that project when the House tried to defund it. He was a consistent supporter of funding for our D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant program. Senator Inouye was always attentive to funding for D.C.'s priorities. The nation, including his friends in the District of Columbia, has lost a senator who brought with him to the Senate the courage and determination to do what had to be done well."
Published: December 18, 2012