Senator Markey Statement on the Passing of Congressman Barney Frank

Washington (May 20, 2026) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement upon the passing of Congressman Barney Frank. Senator Markey and Congressman Frank served together in the Massachusetts Legislature from 1972-1976 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981-2013. “Massachusetts and the entire country have lost a giant of American politics with the passing of Congressman Barney Frank. His legacy of reform and consumer protection reaches from the Wall Street trading floors that he reined in, to the homes of the South Coast fishermen whose way of life he championed and protected. Barney was simultaneously visionary and effective, a liberal and a pragmatist. He loved softball, and no one hit more home runs in Congress than Barney Frank. “Barney’s wit was legendary, and he used it as a powerful tool of engagement. No matter the situation, he got people laughing. And he could use that laughter to pierce the arguments of his antagonists on the House floor and in the hearing room, simplifying what they called intractable problems, but what he knew were simple solutions that everyone understood. He embraced his role as LGBTQ icon, advocating for the people and communities who had been long overlooked. Through both personal example and public legislation, he strove to make the lives of the LGBTQ community more just and more equitable. “Barney and I sat right next to each other on the floor of the Massachusetts statehouse, in seats 67 and 68. We didn’t have staff. He didn’t need it. He was one of the smartest, funniest, most insightful, most unapologetic yet practical leaders I had ever met, and he remained so for the entire time we worked together and after. “I was honored and inspired to serve alongside him for Massachusetts, to vote alongside him in the most consequential of national debates, and to call him a lifelong friend. My deepest condolences are with his husband Jim, his sisters Ann and Doris, his brother David, their family, and loved ones. May his memory be a blessing.” ###