Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 28.
Reid, age 82, passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He served as Majority Leader from 2006 to 2014 and served in the Senate for 30 years after four years in the House of Representatives and a term as Lt. Governor of Nevada.
U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) released a statement on the passing of his friend and former Senate Majority Leader.
“My wife, Annette, and I were saddened to learn of the death of Senator Reid this afternoon,” Shelby said. “Harry and I were long-term friends. Even though we had different political philosophies, we served respectfully alongside one another in the U.S. House of Representatives and later in the halls of the Senate. We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Landra, and his family members.”
“Under his watch as Senate Majority Leader, Harry helped pass the Recovery Act to prevent another Great Depression,” President Joe Biden said. “He helped rescue the American auto industry. He helped pass the Affordable Care Act and Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform, ended Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and ratified the New START Treaty. Throughout his entire career in the Senate, he led battles over budgets, fought to give our troops what they needed in battle and what they earned and deserved upon their return home. He was a bulwark against efforts to privatize Social Security. He was the champion who created Nevada’s Great Basin National Park. And, he was a leader who believed the Federal bench should reflect the diversity of America."
Vice President and former Senator Kamala Harris (D) said, “Our country has lost an honorable public servant. Harry Reid rose through the ranks in Washington, becoming Senate Majority Leader, but he never forgot his humble beginnings in Searchlight, Nevada – and he always fought for working families and the poor. Leader Reid also got things done: from expanding access to healthcare through the Affordable Care Act, to getting economic relief to families and businesses through the Recovery Act, and much more, he made a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Whenever we had a chance to speak, Leader Reid was kind, generous, and always to the point. Tonight, Landra and the entire Reid family are in our thoughts.”
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