Pelosi Lauds Sen. Feinstein Following Death: ‘A Pioneering Woman Leader’

Speaker of the House Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Friday responded to the passing of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., calling her former Congressional colleague "a pillar of public service in California."

"Dianne was a pioneering woman leader, who served as San Francisco’s first female Mayor with unmatched courage, poise and grace," Pelosi said in a statement. "In the United States Senate, she was a champion for the Golden State: bringing home billions of federal dollars while defending our state’s natural wonders."

Pelosi noted her personal connection with Feinstein, with whom she served in Congress "for decades."

"We were not only colleagues, but neighbors and friends," said Pelosi. "May it be a comfort to her daughter Katherine and her husband Rick, her granddaughter Eileen, and the entire Feinstein family that all Americans joins them in mourning at this sad time.”

On the House floor, Pelosi called for a moment of silence in Feinstein’s honor Friday.

“Today at this time, just hours since her passing, rather than talk about her, let us pray that she rest in peace,” said Pelosi.