Sen. Pete Domenici and Bread for World

Wikimedia Commons

Sen. Pete Domenici passed away on Wednesday, September 13.The senator was a very influential legislator because of his role as chair or minority member of the Senate Budget Committee. While we often differed with Sen. Domenici on funding for domestic and global nutrition and anti-hunger programs, we found that the senator was very approachable and would listen to our concerns. (Because of that, many New Mexicans often referred to him as just "Senator Pete.")
 
A lot of times we communicated our concerns to him through his very competent and open-minded staff. Elizabeth Turpen was especially good on foreign affairs. There were occasional times when we succeeded in scheduling a meeting with the senator in Washington or Albuquerque to state our case about saving or enhancing programs that help poor and hungry people in our country and overseas.

However, our most memorable encounter with Sen. Domenici was an informal meeting. We were presenting an ask to a junior aide in the inner lobby Sen. Domenici's office in Washington. (The person with whom were originally scheduled to meet had an emergency, so that's why we were meeting with a junior aide).  Sen. Domenici happened to walk by, and he made a point to stop and ask about our request. It turned out to be the Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2007. He did not hesitate to sign on as a co-sponsor.

During an address to Bread advocates in Albuquerque in 1994, Bread for the World president David Beckmann  underscored the importance of Sen. Domenici to our movement.

Sen. Pete Domenici doesn't always vote with us, but he has repeatedly shown up at Bread for the World events. He makes it his business to get to these receptions.  He knows about the Bread for the World presence  in New Mexico. And we're not talking about a lot of people--I' think it's 200 members in New Mexico or something like that.

And there's a little group that meets once a month, so that they remind each other to write letters.  But even though it's just a little group, Sen. Domenici knows you're there, and because of that, he's a real leader on international child survival issues. He's a fan of the WIC program, and he came to WIC's 20th Birthday Party on Capitol Hill.  He knows that Bread for the World in New Mexico is a real presence to deal with.