October 10, 2024 Press Release WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today regarding the passing of Ethel Kennedy: "Ethel Kennedy was a force of nature – a woman of extraordinary courage and dedication to her family and to her country. Her loss will be mourned by all who respect courage and conviction. "Like her late husband, she was a great American patriot and an energetic advocate for human rights around the world. Crucially, she was an excellent mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. "My prayers are with her family as they mourn her loss. We grieve with them. Her passing is a tremendous loss for our country and for all those who cherish human dignity and decency. "Being able to call Ethel Kennedy my dear friend will always remain one of the greatest joys of my life. I fondly recall sitting beside Ethel with President Biden at her 90th birthday party in Florida as well as visiting her just this past July at her home in Hyannis Port with my wife, Elaine. Ethel remained just as vivacious, tough, humorous, and demanding of excellence as when I first met her decades ago. "Even in her final days, she displayed what Tennyson once described as 'that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven' – a person with a 'heroic heart made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.' That was Ethel Kennedy. "May God bless Ethel Kennedy and all those who loved her and lament her loss."