Today, I come to the floor to pay tribute to the President
Pro Tem of the United States Senate.
He’s the longest serving Senator currently serving in this
institution. And he is my friend from Vermont, Senator Pat Leahy.
As many of you know, the Senator from Vermont also happens to
be a talented photographer. His photos have been published in the New York
Times, USA Today and elsewhere. Senator Leahy has also appeared in front of
the camera in Batman movies.
But this shutterbug was bitten by the political bug. And he’s
certainly made his mark in Vermont politics.
At age 34, he became the youngest and very first Democrat
elected to the U.S. Senate from the Green Mountain State. And today, he is
Vermont’s longest serving Senator, having put his name on the ballot two dozen
times throughout his career.
A year ago in November, my friend and colleague announced he
would not seek re-election to a ninth term. At the Vermont Statehouse, in the
very room where he announced his very first Senate campaign, Pat recalled the
words of Edwin Burke, the Dubliner who served in the House of Commons during
America’s Revolutionary War. The words Burke imparted to the electors of
Bristol in 1774 inspired Senator Leahy’s approach to public service.
Burke said, “Your representative owes you, not his industry only,
but his judgment.”
Burke also said a representative ought to have, “the most
unreserved communication with his constituents.”
In my mind, that is the essence of representative government.
Although we serve on different sides of the aisle, find ourselves on opposite
sides of the ideological spectrum and hail from different regions of the
country, Pat and I are called to serve our constituents.
Senator Leahy and I have battled together in the trenches
countless times over the years. He’s a worthy adversary and countless times, a
trusted legislative ally. It takes grit, grace and gravitas to score victories
and stick to the courage of one’s convictions.
Indeed, Pat and I have more in common than meets the eye.
He’s a dyed-in-the-wool liberal from New England with a law
degree from Georgetown. I’m a Midwestern conservative and lifelong family
farmer. As Senate colleagues, we share an abiding respect for this institution
of the Senate. We value bipartisanship. For decades, we’ve earned the
public trust of the voters of Vermont and Iowa. That tells me Vermonters and
Iowans prioritize hard work and constituent service.
At his announcement last November, Pat shared that he and his
wife Marcelle, made the decision together and that it was “time to put down the
gavel.”
First, I want to say how much Barbara and I cherish their
friendship. Barbara and I celebrated 68 years of marriage on August 22. Two
days later, Marcelle and Pat celebrated their 60th wedding
anniversary. Barbara and Marcelle are both cancer survivors and have developed
a close friendship over these many years. They are strong and resilient and use
their voices to advocate early detection and treatment to save lives. Now, I
can only speak for myself, and believe my friend would agree: the unconditional
support of Marcelle and Barbara have made us better men and better members of
the United States Senate.
As I mentioned, Pat and Marcelle arrived at their heartfelt
decision, made in partnership, to “put down the gavel.” As you can see here
from this photograph, Chairman Leahy certainly knows how to wield a gavel. He’s
had plenty of practice. In his nearly half-century of service, Pat has chaired
the Agriculture, Judiciary and Appropriations Committees.
This photo was taken in 2015, when then-Chairman Leahy
presented me with an engraved gavel as I prepared to take the helm of the
Judiciary Committee.
By the size of the gavel he’s firmly holding in his hands,
I’m awfully glad Senator Leahy and I get along so well.
Although we don’t always see eye to eye on politics, we found
common ground on issues that matter. We respect each other’s views and values
and build consensus based on mutual trust.
We’ve served many years together on the Agriculture Committee.
Senator Leahy added tens of thousands of acres to the Green Mountain National
Forest and is one of the few people on Earth who can explain federal Milk
Marketing Orders. And boy, did he go to bat for Northeast dairy farmers.
Senator Leahy has cultivated expertise in foreign affairs
that’s recognized here at home and around the world. He leveraged his
leadership to help ban the export of anti-personnel land mines and secure
justice for war victims.
For years, Senator Leahy and I partnered together to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act and
whistleblower protections. We’ve worked
together to root out fraud and protect national security with reforms to the
EB-5 investor visa program. We share a fierce commitment to securing our states’
fair shares as champions for small, rural areas of America.
From broadband, to infrastructure to the opioid crisis and
pandemic relief, Senator Leahy and I roll up our sleeves and put in the work to
ensure the people in Iowa and Vermont don’t get short ended.
For decades, Senator Leahy and I have served together on the
Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group to advance bilateral economic and trade
issues. In May 2000, the conference was held on the Steamboat Delta Queen along
a route from Memphis to New Orleans. I co-chaired the committee discussing
international trade and Senator Leahy co-chaired the panel on international
affairs.
In May 2011, our group met with international partners in
Belgium and traveled to Russia where Senator Leahy gave a very important speech
on the judiciary and the rule of law. And then to Ireland to advance diplomacy,
peace and prosperity. I have enjoyed working together to forge fruitful
relations around the world.
As I reflect on our years of service together here in the
U.S. Senate, some observers might suggest times sure are different than when we
first came to Washington. Pat was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1974, the same
year Iowans elected me to the U.S. House of Representatives as the only
Republican in the Iowa delegation. Despite the partisanship and polarization
that’s defining civic life this year and for the last few years, I have great
hope for America.
Senator Leahy and I share an abiding fidelity to uphold the
promise of America. I’m honored to have served these many years in his company.
Vermonters placed their trust in Senator Leahy’s judgment. They
counted on his vote, his voice and his leadership to represent their values and
needs. And Senator Leahy delivered.
Barbara and I wish Pat and Marcelle joyful days ahead, in
each other’s company on their farm, for many years to come.
