Former Sen. Harry Reid honored in U.S. Capitol

The former Senate majority leader became the 15th to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday. Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and an array of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle paid their respects to Nevada Democrat Harry Reid, who died last month after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

How did they remember him? In keeping with Reid’s trademark habit of abruptly hanging up the phone as soon as he was finished talking, leaders made succinct remarks about his legacy. Reid worked in Congress for 30 years, making him the longest-serving legislator from Nevada. He was the Senate majority leader under two presidents—from 2007 through 2014—and was influential in passing an economic recovery bill during the Great Recession. His record also includes the passage of President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare law. In retirement, Reid argued the Biden administration needed to nix the filibuster rule if Congress was to get any work done.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Edward Lee Pitts’ report on Reid invoking the nuclear option to limit Republican power in 2013.