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EK: Martha, could you talk a little bit about the political climate and whether you think something like this could get funded today?

MW: In today's environment, no. I mean, I would emphatically say there is no way it could happen. One of the reasons why we were able to get the money is because, at that time in Congress, people reached across the aisle to each other and they built friendships. The perfect example is Norm Mineta and Alan Simpson. I don't know if you've heard that story, but when Norm went to Heart Mountain in his Boy Scout uniform and all that, he was a Boy Scout. In Cody, Wyoming, which is the big town near where they were, is where Alan Simpson was born. His Boy Scout troop and Norm's Boy Scout troop got together, and they happened to end up being tent mates. Norm can tell you all sorts of stories of the rascalness of the two of them, but that's where they first met. They reconnected again when both were elected to Congress. So there were different friendships then, and the Simpsons and Minetas are still good friends, in fact, they're going on vacation together in a couple of weeks. But I think then it really was, to get anything passed, you had to reach across the aisle because you still needed x-amount of votes for your bill. But it was civil, and that was the thing. Recently, I heard Norm Mineta talk, and that's what he was saying. He said, "The climate is so different now that reaching across the aisle is the last thing anybody wants to do and will do." He says, "But, then, we had to do it." And then he thought about it and he goes, "No, we really didn't have to do it, but we thought that was the civil thing to do." And so, consequently, I think that's why the bill got passed. And it was a lot of nitty-gritty stuff, right? I mean, they were constantly badgering all of their coworkers, and tried to inform them and all of that. Could that happen now? No, and it's unfortunate the way Congress has changed.

I remember the day that the House was passing the bill. About a week before, I was friends with a staffer in a congressman's office from Kansas, and he was like, "You know, I don't know about this bill. I got some mixed feelings. We have few Japanese Americans in Congress, I have none in my constituency. It's a heck of a lot of money, I just don't know." And so Roger was like, "You know, let me tell you about..." so he was able to share that history with him. And they called and said, "I'm still not sure how the boss is going to vote on it, Martha, but I at least was able to give him background." I'm like, "Cool." So one of the things that I was doing when I was in the gallery watching, I said, "Oh, here he comes," and I was sort of curious. He did his vote, and he goes past, Norm Mineta was presiding over the House, and as he goes by, he gives Norm a thumbs-up, and I was like, "Yes." [Laughs]

EK: Thank you.

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