05/20/2026
I’m deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my friend Congressman Barney Frank. When I was first elected to Congress, I had the privilege of serving on the Financial Services Committee under the leadership of then-Chairman Frank. Our most immediate task was to salvage the nation’s economy in the midst of the Great Recession. Chairman Frank – undaunted by the monumental challenges before him – set to work negotiating, and ultimately signing into law, one of the most consequential pieces of banking legislation in our nation’s history, credited with staving off a total economic collapse. Barney accomplished this with unmatched wit, a mastery of the politics at hand, and searing analysis of his critics with his famous sharp tongue.
Barney’s tenacity and clear-eyed focus on protecting the American people from the worst possible outcomes of the Great Recession set the baseline for how I, and many of my colleagues elected in 2008, would approach our work in this institution. Moreover, his courage to out himself as one of the first openly gay Members of Congress underscored his deep personal commitment to confronting, and correcting, prejudice. He was a tireless housing advocate, working to create affordable opportunities for people to both rent and own a decent place to live. He will not soon be forgotten, and I know I speak for many when I say we are grateful to have known him, learned from him, and counted him as our friend.
