I
want to take a few minutes to speak about Orrin Hatch, who many of us were
fortunate to work with for many years.
He
had a tremendous impact on the U.S. Senate, and the country.
Barbara
and I first want to express our condolences to his wife Elaine, their six
children, their families and all those who mourn the passing of this
outstanding public servant and humble servant of the Lord.
In
December of 2018, as his incredible 42 years in the U.S. Senate were drawing to
a close, Orrin Hatch delivered his farewell address on the Senate floor.
Concerned
about the direction he had seen this institution take in recent years he said, "We
must restore the culture of comity, compromise and mutual respect that used to
exist here – and still does, in some respects.”
He
also said, “We must not be enemies but friends."
In
his farewell address, and in the quote I just read, Orrin’s commitment to
mutual respect and integrity is made clear.
It’s
also a charge to us to honor his memory by taking his words to heart as we go
about our work here and across the country.
During
Orrin’s career, he served as chairman of the Finance Committee, the Judiciary
Committee and president pro tem of the U.S. Senate, as I have.
The
Finance Committee and the Judiciary Committee are powerful committees that deal
with matters of broad importance to our nation.
Decisions
are made there that directly affect the lives of all Americans.
Many
times, dearly held beliefs and principles of different senators come into
conflict during long hours of work on important legislation or high level cabinet
and judicial nominations.
Many
of the tributes to Orrin have already made an observation, which I share from
our decades of work together at the negotiating table.
Orrin
was an unflinching, dyed-in-the-wool statesman, who stayed true to his values
and convictions and finessed disagreements with a spirit of collegiality.
He
always remembered he was working with friends and not enemies.
And
he always remembered why he was in the U.S. Senate, to represent the people of
Utah.
Orrin’s
ability to disagree – without being disagreeable – is evident from his
incredible level of productivity.
According
to the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, when he retired, he had passed more
legislation into law than any living senator, and sponsored or cosponsored more
than 750 bills that were enacted into law.
As
anyone who has spent any length of time in the Senate knows, getting
legislation enacted into law, especially any enduring legislation, requires the
ability to develop relationships and build trust with members of both parties.
To
be productive over the long term, those relationships need to be able to
withstand the unproductive partisanship that tends to dominate the fleeting
issue of the day.
Some
of Orrin’s most significant legislative accomplishments highlight his ability
to work across the aisle.
A
prime example is the Drug Price Competition
and Patent Term Restoration Act, also known as Hatch-Waxman, stemming from
his work with long-time Democrat Representative Henry Waxman.
Another
is the State Children’s Health Insurance
Program, on which he worked with Senator Ted Kennedy.
Orrin
regularly talked about working with his good friend Senator Kennedy.
For
many people, Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy appeared to be complete opposites. They
couldn’t imagine that two senators with very different views could work
together, much less be friends.
Orrin’s
spirit of bipartisanship didn’t come at the expense of his principles. Whether
he was criticized for compromising with Democrats or for not compromising
enough, Orrin stuck with what he believed was the right thing to do.
As
chairman of the Finance Committee during consideration of the Tax Cuts and Job Act, Orrin took the
lead in drafting the most important tax reform legislation to be enacted in
more than 30 years.
When
staff would discuss provisions to be included in the legislation, Orrin would
repeatedly ask what the correct tax policy was.
This
was always his primary concern – not what was the most politically expedient
policy, or the best policy to win re-election.
Orrin
wanted to get the details right, and the rest of his decisions flowed from that
perspective.
Despite
the criticism he would get from all sides, Orrin never let that drive him off
course from sticking with his values, and from being civil with his colleagues.
In
his office, Orrin had a statue of a red-tailed hawk that staff had given him.
It
had a plaque on it that said “tough old bird.”
He
adopted that phrase to describe himself to reporters and many who met him in
his office.
His
“tough old bird” status was fully evident one late night during Finance
Committee consideration of the Tax Cuts
and Jobs Act.
When
Republicans were accused of only being interested in looking out for the rich,
Orrin forcefully noted his own very humble origins.
He
shared how he had worked his whole career for “people who don’t have a chance.”
Another
principle Orrin shared with me is of the importance of staff.
To
be effective day in and day out, and to sift through the avalanche of
information that comes into any senator’s office, good staff are vital,
particularly when a senator has served for a lengthy period of time.
Staff
are important to preserve the institutional memory of a committee.
From
years of around-the-clock work, they become a second family.
They
may not share blood ties, but they share loyalty and service to dig down into
the trenches when policymaking and politics become a blood sport.
So,
having longevity and cohesion within a staff is important.
A
tradition that I believe was unique to the Hatch office was the election of a
Pioneer Day “King and Queen.”
Pioneer
Day is a Utah state holiday that celebrates the entry of the first Mormon
pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847.
To
recognize the holiday, everyone working for Senator Hatch, whether in his
personal office or on a committee, would vote for a king and queen from a slate
of candidates from within the office.
At
a lunch attended by the whole office, Orrin would announce the winners and
crown the king and queen.
The
coronation was a salute to their service to the people of Utah whose enduring
pioneering spirit rings true today.
Outside
of ensuring his office was a place that good staff would want to work, Orrin
was not an aloof boss.
His
sincerity shined through with me and his Senate colleagues and with his staff.
He
wanted to know what was happening in his staff’s lives and made sure to say
that he appreciated their advice even when he might not take it.
In
closing, I return to what Orrin said in his farewell address.
I
associate myself with his remarks that we must be friends and not enemies.
That
is how we can honor Orrin Hatch and keep his spirit within the institution he
cared so much for and devoted much of his life to here in the U.S. Senate.
Orrin’s
lifetime of public service helped generations of families in Utah achieve a
better quality of life and made America and the United States Senate a better
place.
