[Senate Document 110-13]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
TRIBUTES TO HON. TRENT LOTT
Trent Lott
U.S. SENATOR FROM MISSISSIPPI
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
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Trent Lott
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Tributes
Delivered in Congress
Trent Lott
United States Congressman
1973-1989
United States Senator
1989-2007
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Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Letter of Resignation.................................
viii
Farewell to the Senate................................
ix
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
34
Allard, Wayne, of Colorado.....................
39
Barrasso, John, of Wyoming.....................
73
Bennett, Robert F., of Utah....................
32
Bond, Christopher S., of Missouri..............
72
Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
82
Brownback, Sam, of Kansas......................
75
Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
54
Burr, Richard, of North Carolina...............
56
Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia..............
78
Casey, Robert P., Jr., of Pennsylvania.........
85
Chambliss, Saxby, of Georgia...................
41
Coburn, Tom, of Oklahoma.......................
86
Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi..................
12
Coleman, Norm, of Minnesota....................
47
Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
64
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
85
Corker, Bob, of Tennessee......................
87
Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
38
Craig, Larry E., of Idaho......................
69
Crapo, Mike, of Idaho..........................
55
Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
87
Dole, Elizabeth, of North Carolina.............
15
Domenici, Pete V., of New Mexico...............
51
Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
14
Ensign, John, of Nevada........................
56
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
59
Feingold, Russell D., of Wisconsin.............
61
Feinstein, Dianne, of California...............
21
Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina.............
91
Grassley, Chuck, of Iowa.......................
26
Gregg, Judd, of New Hampshire..................
66
Hagel, Chuck, of Nebraska......................
71
Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
17
Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
61
Inhofe, James M., of Oklahoma..................
74
Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia....................
46
Kyl, Jon, of Arizona...........................
19
Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
36
Lieberman, Joseph I., of Connecticut...........
65
Lugar, Richard G., of Indiana..................
89
Martinez, Mel, of Florida......................
50
McCaskill, Claire, of Missouri.................
82
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
5, 6
Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
83
Nelson, Bill, of Florida.......................
3
Pryor, Mark L., of Arkansas....................
83
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
3, 5
Sessions, Jeff, of Alabama.....................
43
Smith, Gordon H., of Oregon....................
13
Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine....................
28
Specter, Arlen, of Pennsylvania................
21
Stabenow, Debbie, of Michigan..................
31
Stevens, Ted, of Alaska........................
81
Sununu, John E., of New Hampshire..............
90
Thune, John, of South Dakota...................
76
Vitter, David, of Louisiana....................
40
Warner, John, of Virginia......................
49
Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
Tributes by Representatives:
Barton, Joe, of Texas..........................
93
BIOGRAPHY
Trent Lott served for three decades in the U.S. Congress
on behalf of the people of the State of Mississippi. A
champion of a strong national defense, he remained
dedicated to encouraging economic growth and protecting
Americans' economic security by getting government off
their backs and out of their pocketbooks.
Seven Presidents have known both his cooperation and his
opposition, for he kept Mississippi and his country ahead
of partisan and personal concerns.
As the House Republican whip in 1981, he forged the
bipartisan alliance that enacted President Ronald Reagan's
economic recovery program and his national security
initiatives. Part of the reason for this and other
victories was Congressman Lott's creation of the House of
Representative's first modern whip organization, focusing
on regular Member-to-Member contacts and extensive
outreach to sympathetic Democrats. Counting votes,
building coalitions, and moving legislation were things he
seemed born to do, and he genuinely enjoyed the process.
Elected to the Senate in 1988, he was a member of the
group of pro-growth stalwarts who opposed the tax increase
forced on President Bush in 1990. When he became the
Senate's 16th majority leader in 1996, he again put his
coalition-building skills to the test and, along with
House Speaker Newt Gingrich, enacted the historic welfare
reform bill of 1996.
The next year, Lott, Gingrich, Congressional Budget
Committee chairmen John Kasich, and Pete Domenici together
produced a historic budget and tax cut agreement that
limited some Federal spending. But more important, it
created new incentives to save and invest, thereby
stimulating the economic growth that brought the Federal
budget into balance for the first time since 1968.
As the Republican leader during the first 2 years of
President George W. Bush's administration, Senator Lott
led the fight for passage of the President's tax cut
package, the President's landmark education reform bill,
the largest increase in defense spending since the cold
war, the most significant trade legislation in a decade,
and the resolution supporting the President on military
action in Iraq.
During the Senate's lame duck session of November 2002,
Senator Lott, drawing on his experience as a legislative
negotiator, reached the compromises that created the
Department of Homeland Security.
For 16 years in the House of Representatives and 14
years in the Senate, Trent Lott was a driving force behind
America's military success. He was instrumental in
bolstering America's military recruitment, retention, and
overall readiness. In 1998 he led the charge for the first
pay raise in a decade for military men and women. His
leadership led to the development for the 21st century of
a new generation of Navy vessels to maintain America's
pre-eminence at sea.
He worked with the Pentagon to advance Mississippi's
prowess in shipbuilding and weapons construction as well
as the State's strategic location for its numerous
military installations.
In 1998, as the Senate's majority leader, he led a
Senate delegation to visit the leaders of Poland, Hungary,
and the Czech Republic and thereafter led the Senate to
ratify NATO's expansion to those nations.
Senator Lott's top priorities for the State of
Mississippi were its schools and its transportation
system. His success in securing major transportation
projects like Interstate 69-- which will traverse the less
developed Mississippi Delta--and in doubling Federal
research funding for Mississippi's public universities has
enabled a new generation of Mississippians to build a
brighter future. He was particularly supportive of
university research programs that can both enhance the
academic curriculum and help create new private industries
within Mississippi. One example is the remote sensing
research program that is feeding information gathered by
space satellites to military, commercial, and agricultural
interests.
Senator Lott's focus on economic development and job
creation was instrumental to Nissan Motor Company's
selection of Canton, MS, for its new $1 billion automotive
manufacturing facility. This will bring 6,000
manufacturing jobs at the plant and an estimated 30,000
jobs for suppliers around the State. Senator Lott also
convinced Lockheed Martin to place a state-of-the-art
space satellite manufacturing facility at NASA's Stennis
Space Center in Hancock County, MS, providing over 500
high-tech jobs at one of the Nation's most promising
space-related installations.
In the 108th Congress Senator Lott chaired the Aviation
Subcommittee within the Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation, which oversees the security and stability
of the Nation's aviation industry. He also chaired the
powerful Rules Committee. He was a member of the Finance
Committee, which oversees tax and health care policy, and
served on the Select Committee on Intelligence.
Born on October 9, 1941, the only child of Chester and
Iona Lott, in the little town of Grenada, MS, Trent Lott's
early years were shaped by the no-nonsense values of hard-
working parents in hard-working times. More than once, his
family moved to take advantage of a job opportunity and a
chance at a better life. He grew up in a home where
frugality countered economic uncertainty and where
personal advancement had to be based on personal
achievement.
When his family set down roots in the port city of
Pascagoula, where his father was a pipefitter and his
mother taught elementary grades, Trent Lott attended a
public school that would later bear his name. He received
his bachelor of science in public administration in 1963
and his juris doctorate in 1967 from the University of
Mississippi in Oxford.
He is married to Patricia (Tricia) Thompson Lott, his
college sweetheart. They have two children--Chester Trent
Lott, Jr. and Tyler Lott Armstrong--and have been blessed
with three grandchildren, Chester Trent Lott III, Lucie
Sims Lott and Shields Elizabeth Armstrong.
Letter of Resignation
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
December 18, 2007.
Hon. Richard B. Cheney,
President of the United States Senate,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. President: I hereby give notice of my
retirement from the Office of United States Senator from
the State of Mississippi. Therefore, I tender my
resignation effective at 11:30 p.m., December 18, 2007.
Respectfully submitted,
Trent Lott,
United States Senate.
Farewell to the Senate
Tuesday, December 18, 2008
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I can't help but feel honored
and humbled by all that has been said here. My mother
would have loved it and would have believed it all.
I feel totally inadequate to properly respond to much of
what has been said. I thank my colleagues one and all,
and, of course, the venerable symbol of this institution,
Senator Byrd, and his comments, ending as he always does
with magnificent quotes, from memory. So maybe it is
appropriate that I would begin briefly by telling some of
my experiences with Senator Byrd.
When you enter my son's home in Kentucky, on the wall,
framed, is a tribute he gave to my first grandchild--a
grandson--the week he was born. I was majority leader and
came on the floor that Friday, and he asked me if I would
be around for a few minutes; he had something he would
like to say. It was truly one of the most beautiful things
I had ever heard in my life. Maybe it was because I
thought my grandson was the most beautiful I had ever
seen, but it was so magnificent, and he ended with a quote
of how a grandfather wants his grandson to remember him.
So it hangs there in a place of great pride. ``Chester
Trent Lott, III'' is the title.
Senator Byrd and I have worked together, and of course
we have disagreed. There have been magic moments. I
remember when I was involved in our little singing group,
he came on the floor one day and asked me if I had a
little time; he had something he would like to show me. So
he went down to his office and he showed me a video of
himself at the Grand Ole Opry playing great fiddle. So we
were bonded by music, by heritage, by faith, and in so
many ways.
I could tell a story about certainly each one of these
colleagues here and a lot on the other side and how I have
enjoyed being here and have enjoyed my work, and a lot of
it has been on a personal, one-to-one basis. Sometimes,
when I really, really cared about something, on a personal
basis, for my State or for the Senate or our country, I
would go to that Senator's office. I remember one time it
took me quite some time to track down Pat Roberts, because
he was hiding from me, but I found him.
I remember one time I needed a vote, and I needed some
votes on the Democratic side. So the simple thing I have
always thought is, you know, go where the ducks are. If
you are looking for votes, you have to go talk to them,
you have to pursue those votes. So I went to Senator
Byrd's office. As always, he graciously welcomed me into
the inner sanctum. I think I smelled a cigar, which
delighted me, and I sat down, and he listened to me as I
made my pitch. I talked about the attributes of this
nominee for a very important position and why it was so
important, I thought, to the institution and why it was
important to me and my State. He listened, he asked a
couple of questions, and asked me to repeat the name.
At the end, he said: ``Well, I think everything will be
OK.'' He didn't say: ``I will vote for him.'' He just
said: ``I think everything will be OK.'' I figured it was
good enough and time for me to take my leave, and I did. I
talked to my senior colleague, Senator Cochran, and said:
``What does that mean? He said: `I think it will be OK.'''
So the vote came, and it was OK. He was one of a number
of Democrats who did vote for that confirmation. It was
just sort of the epitome of Senator Byrd. I respect him as
a great Senator, I respect him because of the way he loves
this institution, and I respect him as a friend.
I take occasion, when I am in the Senate, sometimes when
I am leaving, to go over and say: ``How are you doing,
Senator Byrd?'' Because I know how he felt about Erma, I
know how he loved Billie, and he has so many things that
appeal to me and that make him a great man. I single him
out now because of the beautiful remarks he just made and
because really he is emblematic of the relationships I
have had with so many of my colleagues here.
I guess, to tell you the truth, I really was kind of
hesitant about this moment and about being here today and
what you would say, but it all sounded so good, now I am
thinking of changing my mind and maybe announcing for
President or something.
But to our leaders, Senator Harry Reid, the majority
leader--he and I did work together on many occasions and
without a lot of fanfare. I remember we would bring up a
bill, and 100 amendments would always appear. I got to
thinking it was the same 100, but then he and I would go
to work, with me in the leadership of my party and he as
the whip on his side, working with Senator Daschle, and we
managed to get it done over and over again. We established
a relationship of trust and honesty with each other that
is so critical.
I think he has the toughest job in the whole city, being
the majority leader in the Senate, and not just because I
had it but because I got to see what it was all about. The
President has the whole administration, the Speaker has
the Rules Committee, but the leaders of the Senate, on
both sides of the aisle, they lead because of who they are
and the power of persuasion they have and the respect for
the position they hold. Nothing in the Constitution gives
them special powers.
So I appreciate what Harry Reid has said. He has been a
friend, he has been a supporter, he has offered me
encouragement when I was down and when I was up. He has
been very generous and magnanimous in what he has had to
say, and I admire him. I wish him only the best because
when he succeeds in working and making this institution
work and produce a result, most of the time the country
succeeds.
To our Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, you knew just
a little bit too much about my background, all these
personal references, but I appreciate it. It means so much
to me. You have been a great friend. We have been in the
leadership together, we have kept our word to each other,
we have been supportive of each other in tough times and
good. I really enjoyed having you work with me in the
leadership when I was leader, and I have been so honored
and thrilled to be a part of your leadership team.
I told you that I knew what your job was and I knew what
the whip job was, and I would be your whip and I would
support you. And I want the Record to show here, and for
one and all, I think you have been a magnificent leader
for our party this year. It has not been easy. It has been
tough. Both of you are going to get criticized, but I have
been riding shotgun for you, and it has been a great
pleasure, my friend. You have done a magnificent job for
our party.
I have to recognize our most senior Republican, too,
Senator Stevens. He told me yesterday he didn't like my
nickname for him, so I am working on a more appropriate
one for him, but he has been a good and loyal friend too.
When I was a whip in the House and he was a whip here in
the Senate, he took me under his wing, even took me on
some flights with him. But I admire you so much, Senator
Stevens.
And I have to say to my colleague from Mississippi, it
has been quite a ride--35 years--but we have enjoyed each
other's company. No matter how tough things get, we could
always sit down and talk about Ole Miss. I really thought
I would be the head coach this year, but that didn't work
out. But the thing I will always say about Senator
Cochran, and typically of him, after Katrina, which was a
seminal event in my life, obviously in the lives of my
families and neighbors and friends, and my State, we had
so many needs, and Senator Cochran immediately went to
work and produced appropriations--more than one--and he
got everything we needed. He didn't jump up and down and
brag about it.
He helped not only my State but, as Senator Vitter said,
Louisiana and the entire gulf region, and here is what
really impressed me about it. We all took credit for what
he did--I did, our Governor did, our mayors did--and he
sat there quietly in the second row in Biloxi, MS, on the
1-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and public
official after public official got up and took deep bows
for what they had done. Finally, I had all I could stand,
and I got up and said: ``I am glad we all got to take
credit. Now it is time we recognize the man on the second
row who actually did it.'' I will forever be grateful for
what you did after Hurricane Katrina, which was obviously
a very tough event.
To my staff, who are lined up back here--I have a great
team. Typically, Senate staffers do so much of the work
and we take the credit, but I have been blessed with super
staff this year, and there are some former staff members
in the balcony. I have a rule in my office that once you
work for Trent Lott, you always work for Trent Lott, no
matter who pays your salary, and, you know, it seems to
work. I never let them go. They are always on call and
they are always there, and I thank you all for that.
I want to do something, too, that I have done before. We
don't do enough to thank our entire Senate family,
everybody from the elevator operators to our policemen and
the people here. I think the staff of the Senate here on
the floor appreciates it. I have always tried to think
about you too. One of my speeches about the sun is
setting, isn't it time to go home--as most of you know, I
was serious when I said I wanted to go home and have
supper with my wife Trish, and on occasion, I did it and
didn't come back either.
But to all of the staff: Thank you. You have helped in
so many ways. Our leaders on the staff--I think of
Elizabeth Letchworth, Dave Chiappa, and Marty. They just
do great jobs, and so I want to express my appreciation to
them.
To my State of Mississippi, they have shown me a lot of
leniency. They have honored me, and they have put up with
me sometimes, and it has been quite a pleasure to
represent that State. I love it, always will, and will
always be working for the State.
But especially to my wife Tricia and our two children,
Chet and Tyler, and now our four grandchildren, they have
been very supportive, and they have always stood by me. My
wife has been a lot more than a wife and mother, she has
been a real helpmate. I thank them for all they have done.
I do want to say again to the Senate itself, I have
learned to love the institution. Senator Byrd occasionally
accused me of trying to make the Senate into a mini-House,
and I have denied it, but maybe I was, in my desire for
order and neatness. The messiness of the Senate sometimes
was hard for me to take.
But I love this place, and I was thinking about it
today--the friendships. They are real here, but they don't
go away. Some of our colleagues have gone before us whom I
have dearly loved as friends and not just colleagues,
people such as Connie Mack, Dan Coats, Phil Gramm, and
Paul Coverdell was mentioned. These are friendships which
will last forever.
Dianne Feinstein. One of my regrets in deciding to
retire is that now we have sort of formed a team, and I
think maybe she is a little peeved at me that she took a
stand with me after I took a stand with her, and now I am
going to the house. But this is a great Senator, and she
is a symbol of what I hope the Senate will remember to do,
and that is to really go the extra mile to be a friend and
to have a personal relationship.
She took on the Seersucker Thursday. When we lost
everything, she was the one who made sure my wife had some
glasses for us to drink out of. She didn't do it for
publicity, and I never talked about it publicly, but it
was a very special gesture. I thank my colleagues for
letting me be in the leadership. Thanks to my colleagues
and the American people for allowing me to have some fun
while being in the Senate. I commend it to you, for the
future. I didn't form the Singing Senators, the quartet,
just because I like to sing bass or because I enjoyed
music, but because I wanted to show that side of the
Senate. Could the Senate really have soul? Could the
Senate really have music in its heart? As bad as we
sounded, there was method in my madness. I also thought it
would lead me to find ways to get one of our Senators to
vote with us more. I think it got one more vote than we
would have otherwise.
But the kilts--you know, just being a little looser I
think is a good idea every now and then. I believe
whatever you do in your life you should find a way to
enjoy it and have fun. I have to say I have had fun in the
Senate because I really enjoyed it. That is all there is
to it. But I tried to find a way to do some things that
made us closer as friends.
I am glad we recorded some history with the Leaders
Lecture Series. I urge my colleagues to restart that,
bring in experts to talk to us, men and women who led the
Senate, who led the country, who know the history of our
country and the history of this institution, and give us
some opportunity to have an intellectual discussion about
what the Senate is, what it has been, and what it can be.
I do hope we will always find a way to be just a little
bit family friendly. Remember, we all have families at
home, back in our States. Our leaders sometimes could give
us a little reward; if we would behave and allow them to
get to a vote quicker, maybe we could get home to our
families a little quicker.
Senator Byrd mentioned the fact that I have been on
mountaintops and down in the valleys. I thought many times
about my high school class motto. As class president--we
had a class flower, we had a class color, we had a class
song, we had a class everything. We had a class motto that
has lived with me since those years at Pascagoula High
School in 1959. Our class motto was: The glory is not in
never failing, but in rising every time you fail. I have
had opportunities to fail, and I have had opportunities to
persevere, as the people I represent. It has been a great
motto, one I have learned to live by.
I am not going to give a long speech today. I quoted a
great philosopher about how you should speak on occasions
such as this. He said: ``You should speak low, you should
speak slow, and you should be brief.'' John Wayne. I am
going to try to honor that. I am not going to give you a
list of achievements because I have been so pleased with
what my colleagues have had to say. But among the things I
really am proud that we have done in my years in the
Senate: We have built our military, we have made it
stronger, we gave them better pay, we gave them better
retirement benefits. I will always be proud of that. We
had tax cuts, tax reform, and strengthened the economy,
even things such as safe drinking water. I had communities
in my State that literally couldn't drink water out of the
faucets. We have improved on that. We had insurance
affordability, welfare reform, transportation.
When I announced my retirement a couple of weeks ago,
one reporter asked about what was I most proud of. I said:
To tell you the truth, I am not the kind of guy who sits
around meditating on what I am going to put on a marker
somewhere. I am proud of all of it. But I think I am the
most proud of the effort we had with colleagues on both
sides of the aisle, working very closely with Senator
Domenici and Senator Grassley and others. So in my 6\1/2\
years as majority leader we have had balanced budgets,
four, and surpluses two of those four. It hasn't happened
since 1968, and we are kind of struggling again. That is
something we need to do. Fiscal responsibility is a very
important part of what we can do for our children and our
grandchildren. I hope we will find a way to do that again
in the future.
I have one regret. I guess I was part of the problem
along the way. The one thing I always hoped we could get
done for our children and our grandchildren we have not
been able to do, and that is to find a way to preserve,
protect, and ensure that Social Security will be there for
our children and grandchildren in the way that it is here
for us now. I hope we will find a way before it is too
late to get that done.
With regard to recommendations, I have no anger,
complaints, I have nothing but hope and joy in my heart
for the future. I am so appreciative of the way the Senate
and the Congress and the American people stepped up and
helped us after Hurricane Katrina. But if there were just
two things I would like to urge the Senate to do--I have
touched on them, but I repeat them now--first, find a way
to make sure Senators have a life and have some time with
their families. When you lose that, you have lost an
important part of those pillars that make us who we are--
family and friends, faith and freedom. You have to make
sure you pay close attention to that and learn to know
each other and know each other's families. It will make us
better people.
Then, last, find a way to keep the human side. It has
been hard for me, with my Scottish roots, to tell people
when I really do appreciate them and love them; to call
people when they are celebrating and call them when they
are hurting. But when I hurt, myself, I know how much it
has meant to me to have some of you call and offer your
support and your encouragement. Find a way to do that. It
is more important than anything else that happens in the
Senate. Keep that personal, human touch.
Always find a way to disagree if you have to, but don't
be disagreeable. There has come sort of a meanness,
sometimes, that I do not think is befitting of the
institution. I hope we will find a way to stay away from
that.
Again, I repeat something I said a moment ago. This
morning when I was doing my morning Bible devotional, the
message that came through to me was one of hope and joy
for the future. I look forward to my opportunities after
the Senate. I am not going to say a fond farewell because
I am not leaving. I will not be here, but my heart will be
with you and I will be watching and I will stay in touch
for the rest of my life.
Thank you so much for being able to serve with you. I
thank you all for what you have had to say today. I do
have a quick card in my topic. I do want to talk to you
about some folks who will be coming up later this week.
Thank you very much. God bless this institution.
(Applause, Senators rising.)
?
TRIBUTES
TO
TRENT LOTT
Proceedings in the Senate
Monday, December 3, 2007
Mr. NELSON of Florida. ... I will conclude on a
completely different topic. I must say with absolute
frankness that I was saddened when I heard that the
Senator from Mississippi, Mr. Lott, was going to resign. I
think he is one of the most delightful of all the Members
of this body, in a legislative body of some exceptionally
talented and engaging people. We have seen Senator Lott
use his legislative prowess, often in a bipartisan way, to
bring about the consensus in order to get things done and
to move the legislative process along, which is so
necessary and, as the Good Book says: For us to come and
reason together.
He has been a legislative master who got along so well
as the majority leader with Senator Daschle, the minority
leader, and then, because of the turn of events in 2001,
for Senator Lott, the minority leader, to get along with
Senator Daschle, the majority leader, so they could move
the business of the Senate along.
He is a personal friend. I have had the privilege of
going to the University of Mississippi to speak on a forum
at the Trent Lott Institute at that great university. And
for this Senator, he will be very much missed in the
Senate. We wish him and Tricia and all his family
Godspeed.
I yield the floor.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Mr. REID. Mr. President, during my time in public
office, I have had the opportunity to serve with many good
men and women. During my time serving in Congress, I have
had the opportunity to form a friendship with Trent Lott.
Senator Daschle gave me the freedom, during the 6 years
I was assistant leader and he was the leader, to spend all
my time on the Senate floor, and I did that. Senator
Daschle did other things, but he trusted me. I hope I did
the right thing--I sure tried to do that all the time I
worked with him--but I lived on the floor of the Senate.
During much of that time Trent Lott was the Republican
leader, and we worked together over those years, I think,
in a way that speaks well of our country. We made deals.
Legislation is the art of compromise, consensus building.
Even though Trent Lott is certainly a true conservative,
we were able, in his pragmatic fashion, to work things
out.
Trent has an interesting background. He was born in
Mississippi. His family settled in a place called
Pascagoula. His father was a pipefitter. His mother taught
school. She was an elementary school teacher. The public
school that Senator Lott attended now bears his name. He
received a degree from the University of Mississippi and
also got his law degree from the same institution. That is
a wonderful community, Oxford, MS. I have had an
opportunity to spend a little bit of time there. There is
a beautiful community square. It is like I envision the
South as it used to be.
He married a beautiful woman, Tricia--Tricia Thompson
Lott. They were college sweethearts. My wife, who is a shy
woman--always has been--has worked with Tricia on a number
of different issues and has been so enamored of her, with
what a wonderful woman Tricia is. She is a hard worker.
Whenever projects are involved, she does more than her
share.
They have two children, Chet and Tyler. They have four
grandchildren.
Trent has been in Congress 35 years. He is the only
person in the history of this country who has served as
both the House and the Senate whip. He has been a champion
for Mississippi, as we all know, but he has also been an
important instrument in the Senate accomplishing what it
has during the time he was here. I am disappointed that
Senator Lott is going to be leaving the Senate, and I will
miss him. I have been impressed with his ability to get
things done. Other than John Breaux and Trent Lott, there
are no two people able to accomplish as much as they did.
John Breaux was a dealmaker, and the place he always went,
as a Democrat, to start his deal, was with Trent Lott.
They developed a friendship that lasts to this day. As a
result of their ability to work together on different
sides of the aisle, we were able to accomplish a great
deal. During the Clinton years, much of what Senator
Breaux was able to accomplish for President Clinton was as
a result of his relationship with Senator Lott.
There is no need for me to dwell on my friendship with
Senator Lott other than to say he is my friend, I wish him
well, and certainly I wish Tricia and Trent and their
family the very best. They deserve it.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we will, indeed, be saying
goodbye to our friend and colleague, Trent Lott, over the
next few weeks. Senator Reid and I will work out a time
certain for tributes to Senator Lott and his extraordinary
career sometime between now and the end of this session.
...
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Mr. REID. Madam President, I have publicly stated my
feelings about Trent Lott on a number of occasions since
he indicated he was going to retire by the end of this
year. We had a lovely reception for him in the Mansfield
Room. Other people have their own views as to the
strengths of Trent Lott, but having worked with him here
on the Senate floor for these many years, his greatest
attribute can best be summarized by the statesman Edmund
Burke: ``All government ... every virtue and every prudent
act--is founded on compromise ...
That is not negative. That is positive. Compromise is
something we as legislators must do. Legislation is the
art of compromise. That is what we have been taught, and
that is the way it is. There is no better example of that
than what we have before us now or should have in a short
time from the House, the omnibus spending bill. That has
been the epitome of compromise by legislators and by the
White House as the executive. That is what Trent Lott did
best, approaching a difficult issue, trying to figure a
way out of it. No one who has ever legislated and gotten a
bill passed with their name on it has had what they really
started out to do. We all must compromise. That is a
negative term in some people's minds, but it really isn't
if you are a legislator.
The special skill Trent Lott has, the special kind of
understanding and pursuit of the common good, requires us
to find common ground. Trent Lott embodies that skill. He
is a true legislator. In all my dealings with Trent Lott,
he is a gentleman. I have never, ever had Senator Lott say
something to me that he was not able to carry through on.
His commitments are as good as gold.
We have had some jokes here about his dealings with John
Breaux. They have a lot of qualities, but their qualities
were the ability to make deals. When we needed something
done during the Daschle years, the first person we went to
was John Breaux. I am confident the first person he went
to was Trent Lott. They have been close personal friends
for all these years. As a result of their friendship,
their trust of one another, it kind of spilled off on the
rest of us, and we were able to get a lot of work done.
It goes without saying that we disagree on policy often,
Senator Lott and I, but with Trent, these disagreements
never seemed to be that important because he was always
able to approach these challenges with a genuine desire to
find a solution.
The history books will be written about this
institution. I am confident they will be written about the
State of Mississippi. There will be chapters that will
have to be dedicated to Trent Lott because he has been
part of the history of the State of Mississippi and of
this institution and the House of Representatives. No one
has ever, in the history of our country, some 230 years,
served as the House whip and the Senate whip, but Trent
Lott has. I believe he has made our country more secure in
many ways. When we talk about security, it doesn't mean
necessarily the military because our security depends on a
lot more.
Senator Lott, I wish you and your wonderful wife and
your family the very best. I believe my dealings with you
have made me a better person and a better Senator.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The minority leader is
recognized.
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, after the news of
Trent's retirement had spread, a young farmer in Jackson
had this to say about the man he had called ``Senator''
most of his life: ``He's a good person to represent the
State, caring for people like he does.'' That farmer had
it exactly right because whether Trent was making sure an
old man in Pascagoula got his Social Security check or
ducking into a kitchen in Tunica to thank the cooks after
a political event, no service was too small, no task too
insignificant when it came to serving the people of
Mississippi.
One time, when Trent was a young Congressman, a
constituent called his office to have his trash removed.
When Trent asked why he hadn't called the town supervisor
first, the man replied that he didn't want to start that
high.
Nobody ever saw Trent Lott as a Congressman or a
Senator. To them, he was just Trent. As he vowed last
month, that commitment to the people of Mississippi does
not end here. ``I will work hard for the State, the last
day I am in the Senate,'' he said, ``and I will work hard
for this State until the last day I am alive.''
In a plaque on his office wall, visitors will find
Trent's rules. The most important one he always said was
this: You can never have a national view if you forget the
view from Pascagoula.
He never forgot his roots. Trent dined with Presidents,
yet he still remembers facing the winters of his childhood
without indoor heat. He also remembers his first hot
shower. And he never forgot the source of that luxury.
``It came from hard work,'' his mother said. He would
spend a lifetime proving that he took her words to heart.
The love of politics came early, thanks in part to some
lively debates with his folks around the dinner table.
They always treated him with respect--``as an equal,'' he
said--and they watched with pride as he threw himself into
his studies and everything else that was available to a
blue-collar kid growing up along the gulf coast in 1950s
America.
Trent was an early standout. His high school classmates
voted him class president, most likely to succeed, most
popular, a model of Christian conduct, most polite, and,
of course, neatest. One friend recalls that Trent was the
only guy he ever knew who tidied up his bed before going
to sleep at night.
Of course, Trent's reputation for neatness outlasted
high school. It has been the source of a lot of jokes over
the years. But some of those jokes really are not fair. It
is not true, for example, that Trent arranges his sock
drawer according to color every day. He is perfectly
content to do it once a week--black on one side, blue on
the other.
In college, the connection to Mississippi deepened.
Surrounded by the white pillars and ancient oaks of Ole
Miss, he formed lifelong friendships and grew in respect
for the traditions of honor, integrity, duty, and service
that had marked his beloved Sigma Nu from its beginnings.
There was always something to do, and Trent did it all:
frat parties, swaps, campus politics, singing, leading the
cheers at the football games, and, occasionally, even
studying. One of Trent's college friends recalls that Mrs.
Hutchinson's sophomore literature class was Trent's
Waterloo.
But after a less than impressive showing on her midterm
exam, he refocused--and one of the things that came into
view was a pretty young girl he had first met in high
school band practice. One day Trent told a fraternity
brother he had met a girl he wanted to date. When he
showed him Tricia's picture, the friend said: ``Yes, I
think you should do that.''
Then it was on to law school and marriage and private
practice. Then, in the winter of 1968, a surprise phone
call came that changed absolutely everything. It was
Trent's Congressman, Bill Colmer. He wanted to know if
Trent would be interested in a job as one of his staffers
in Washington.
It was a tough decision. Trent had never thought of
coming here, and the money was not good. But it seemed
like a good opportunity. And, as Trent says, he never made
a choice in his life based on finances. So he took it. And
Tricia was behind him all the way. That spring, they
packed everything they could pack into their Pontiac and
headed north. It was the first of many gambles that would
pay off for Trent Lott.
The new city and its temptations did not change the boy
from Pascagoula. He put his energy and his people skills
to work, learning the rules and customs of the House and
cementing new friendships over a glass of Old Granddad and
a cigar--always a cheap cigar--by night.
The second big gamble came when Congressman Colmer
decided to retire. Trent wanted to run for his boss's
seat, but he would do it his way. Although more than 9 out
of 10 Fifth District voters were Democrats, Trent decided
he would run as a Republican.
It was the hardest race of his life, but Trent loved
every greased-pig contest, every county fair, every
parking lot rally, and every conversation in every living
room he burst into--often unannounced, and usually
uninvited. And the voters loved him back.
Buoyed by the Nixon landslide and a last-minute
endorsement by his boss, he won. And so at 32, Trent had
achieved what so many others in this country have
experienced: the realization, through wits and hard work,
of an outrageous dream. The boy from Pascagoula would
return to Washington as the gentleman from Mississippi,
full of energy and ready to put it to use.
A year later came Watergate, new wisdom, and soon the
recognition by Trent's colleagues that he was a leader.
It was an exciting time to be in Washington. The Reagan
revolution was about to take hold. As Trent later
recalled: ``You could feel the political ground shift.''
And he would play a leading role.
Rising up the leadership ladder, he revolutionized the
House's whip operation and found his place in the push and
pull of counting votes. The only Member in history to
serve as whip in both Chambers, Trent put his skills on
display every day on the floor and in some close
leadership races over the years, three of which he won by
a single vote. ``If you win by two,'' Trent always said,
``you've wasted a vote.''
But his special gift back then, as now, was his ability
to bring people around to his point of view. One of his
college friends put it this way: ``Trent could carry on a
conversation with a tree stump--and make it feel good
about itself.'' His colleagues soon learned that Trent
Lott's word was as solid as a Mississippi oak. So armed
with a reputation for honesty, charm, wits, and a group of
trusted soldiers--including an Arizona lawyer named Jon
Kyl and a young former Maine State senator named Olympia
Snowe--he turned minority Republicans into a potent
legislative force, ensuring some of the biggest victories
of the Reagan revolution.
At the end of the Reagan years, Trent set his sights on
the Senate, and his opponent in that first race came right
at him. But Trent was ready for the fight. When the
opponent said Trent's hair was too neat, Trent politely
offered him a comb. When he falsely accused Trent of being
an elitist, the pipefitter's son responded the old-
fashioned way: He and Tricia met just about every voter in
the State that summer. The voters could judge for
themselves what kind of guy he was.
And, of course, they liked him, and they made him their
Senator. And he did not disappoint. Again, he rose
quickly, becoming conference secretary and then whip. Then
came another retirement, sending Trent to the top of the
class again as his party's leader in the Senate. On
passing tough legislation, he did not understand the word
``no.'' On working out deals, he was without equal.
We all saw it up close after Katrina, when Trent became
a ferocious advocate for the people of Mississippi and the
wider gulf coast, many of whom would rather live in tents
than move away. And in a fight that brought together all
his skills as a politician and home State advocate, he
won.
We all know how valuable good staff is. Trent has always
had the best. We honor all of them today--past and
present--for their tremendous contributions. To those who
stay behind, we are glad you will be here. For those who
do not, we wish you every success.
Trent has lived life fully, never afraid to reach higher
and always ready to accept whatever fate would bring. Who
in this Chamber was not impressed by the way he dusted
himself off after stepping down as leader? He never quit.
And there is something deeply admirable in that.
To me, Trent has always been the perfect colleague. We
have been in a lot of tough spots together. He has always
helped me in every possible way, and he has taught me a
lot.
Looking back on his beginnings, it is astonishing to
think of how far the son of Chester and Iona Lott has
come. He leaves this place with a remarkable 35-year
record of accomplishment of which he can be justly proud
and scores of admirers from across the ideological
spectrum. He will leave a mark on this institution that
long outlasts the political fights of the day.
It is hard to believe Trent will not be around when we
all come back in January and the gavel drops on another
session. But when it does, we will remember at some point
in the days and weeks that follow that mischievous grin or
a heavy slap on the back or some happy tune we heard him
whistle once when he passed us quickly in the hall.
Then we will be glad to have served with a man like
Trent Lott, and renewed in the hope that this institution
and this Nation that he loves--to borrow the words of
another Mississippian--will not merely endure, they will
prevail.
Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 409, which is
at the desk.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report
the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 409) commending the service of the
Honorable Trent Lott, a Senator from the State of
Mississippi.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to
consider the resolution.
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent
that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed
to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it
is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 409) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 409
Whereas Chester Trent Lott, a United States Senator from
Mississippi, was born to Chester and Iona Watson Lott on
October 9, 1941, in Grenada, Mississippi;
Whereas Trent Lott was raised in Pascagoula,
Mississippi, attended public schools, and excelled in
baseball, band, theater, and student government;
Whereas after graduating from Pascagoula High School,
where he met his future wife during band practice, Trent
Lott enrolled in the University of Mississippi in 1959;
Whereas Trent Lott pledged Sigma Nu, rising to become
its president; formed a singing quartet known as The
Chancellors; and was elected ``head cheerleader'' of the
Ole Mississippi football team;
Whereas upon graduating college, Trent Lott enrolled in
the University of Mississippi Law School in 1963,
excelling in moot court and as president of the Phi Alpha
Delta legal fraternity;
Whereas upon graduating from law school in 1967, Trent
Lott practiced law in Pascagoula, then served as
administrative assistant to United States Representative
William Colmer until 1972;
Whereas upon Congressman Colmer's retirement, Trent Lott
was elected to replace him in November 1972 as a
Republican representing Mississippi's Fifth District;
Whereas Trent Lott was reelected by the voters of the
Fifth District to seven succeeding terms, rising to the
position of minority whip and serving in that role with
distinction from 1981 to 1989;
Whereas Trent Lott was elected to the U.S. Senate in
1988 and reelected three times, serving as chairman of the
Senate Committee on Rules and Administration from 2003 to
2006;
Whereas Trent Lott was chosen by his Senate Republican
colleagues to serve as Majority Whip for the 104th
Congress, then chosen to lead his party in the Senate as
both Majority Leader and Minority Leader from 1996 to
2003;
Whereas Trent Lott was chosen by his peers to serve as
Minority Whip for the 110th Congress;
Whereas Trent Lott's warmth, decency, and devotion to
the people of Mississippi and the country have contributed
to his legendary skill at working cooperatively with
people from all political parties and ideologies;
Whereas, in addition to his many legislative
achievements in a congressional career spanning more than
three decades, Trent Lott has earned the admiration,
respect, and affection of his colleagues and of the
American People;
Whereas he has drawn strength and support in a life of
high achievement and high responsibility from his faith,
his beloved wife Tricia, their children, Tyler and Chet;
and their grandchildren: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate
Notes with deep appreciation the retirement of Chester
Trent Lott;
Extends its best wishes to Trent Lott and his family;
Honors the integrity and outstanding work Trent Lott has
done in service to his country; and
Directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit a copy
of this resolution to the family of Senator Trent Lott.
Mr. McCONNELL. I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Mississippi.
Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, the decision made by my
State colleague to retire from the Senate has left me with
a deep sense of loss. I respect his right to leave the
Senate, and I know he will enjoy a well-earned respite
from the demands and challenges that go with this job.
Trent Lott has served with distinction, and he has
reflected great credit on our State and Nation. I have
enjoyed his personal friendship and the opportunity to
come to know his family, his wonderful wife Tricia and
their two fine children, Chet and Tyler.
Trent and I were elected to serve in the U.S. House of
Representatives in 1972. At that time, he was serving as
the administrative assistant to Congressman William
Colmer, who was the chairman of the Rules Committee in the
House. So I looked to him for advice and counsel because
of his experience on the Hill and his insight into how the
House really worked, as only an insider such as he would
know.
We became friends right away. We were the first
Republicans elected from our districts in Mississippi
since the Reconstruction period following the Civil War.
In due course, we were elected to serve in this body,
and we have worked together over the years on the many
challenges that have confronted our State.
I will truly miss serving with Trent in the Senate. I
have come to respect him and appreciate his legislative
skills and his great capacity for hard work. He is a
tireless and resolute advocate for causes and issues which
he decides to support. In a word, he is a winner. He gets
things done.
I know Trent and his family will enjoy the new
opportunities they will have following his great career in
the House and the Senate. They have certainly earned the
right to new, less burdensome, and more rewarding
experiences in the years ahead.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Oregon.
Mr. SMITH. Madam President, I have been privileged to
serve as a U.S. Senator now going into the 12th year of a
second term. In all 12 of those years, it has been for me
a great privilege and a high honor to serve as a colleague
of Trent Lott.
Over the course of those 12 years, Trent Lott has told
me many times that he has visited every State in the Union
except Oregon. Notwithstanding that, this Oregonian feels
great pride today in speaking for Trent Lott.
I hope Trent will come to Oregon someday, and when he
comes to Oregon, there is a place I would like to take
him. We have in Oregon many groves of very ancient trees.
It is tall timber. These trees go back 2,000 and 3,000
years. But because they are old, occasionally one of these
sequoias will fall. And when they fall, a hole in the huge
canopy in the sky is opened.
When you are in one of these groves, you feel something
of the presence of the sacred, a sanctuary. That is a
feeling that I often have when I come to the floor of the
U.S. Senate. Occasionally, some tall timber leaves our
presence--through retirement or death or from other
causes--and when that happens, a great hole is left in the
Senate. That is the feeling I have as I contemplate the
retirement of Trent Lott. In this sanctuary, a great hole
in the canopy will be opened.
Madam President, when I think of the men I have known,
the women I have known in the Senate, they are people of
extraordinary ability, but one stands apart in my mind as
how to get things done, and that is Trent Lott. I have
never seen his equal in the Cloakroom. We have all felt
his warm slap on our back, a steely look in his eye, and a
strong urging to vote this way or that. But it was always
done with understanding that we represent not just a party
but our country and our States, and that is where our
obligation lies.
It was because Trent was so good, in my mind, that he is
still, and will forever be, something of an ideal because
he was my first leader. What I saw in him was someone who
knew this institution deeply, who worked relentlessly, who
could define differences and help us to reach honorable
compromises so that when we went home, we could look back
on something of an accomplishment.
I am proud of the example my first leader set for me. It
is a high standard. I thank you, Trent, for that standard.
It is the gold standard, in my mind.
I was halfway around the world when an event befell
Trent Lott that shook me deeply. I was celebrating my
reelection and on vacation. I watched over international
news as his words were misconstrued--words which we had
heard him utter many times in his big warm-heartedness,
trying to make one of our colleagues, Strom Thurmond, feel
good at 100 years old. We knew what he meant, but the wolf
pack of the press circled around him, sensed blood in the
water, and the exigencies of politics caused a great
injustice to be done to him and to Tricia. It was a wrong,
but it was a wrong that was righted.
I was privileged to be asked by Trent Lott to speak for
him when he ran for whip. On that occasion, as I thought
of Trent, I thought of more than my leader, my first
leader. I thought of him as something much more. I thought
of him as a friend and as a father figure. I recalled on
that occasion words I spoke regarding my own father at his
funeral that seemed to define the man--the man I called
dad and the man I called my leader. They are words that
were put into the mouth of the character Anthony by the
great writer Shakespeare. Shakespeare said of Caesar, when
Caesar had fallen, these words: ``His life was gentle and
the elements so mixed in him that nature might stand up
and say to all the world: this was a man.'' I am
privileged to call this man my friend. May God bless Trent
and Tricia Lott and thank God for their service to
Mississippi and even to Oregon and to the United States of
America.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority whip is
recognized.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I join my fellow Senators
in wishing my colleague, Trent Lott, the best of luck as
he begins the next chapter in his life. You are getting to
hear your eulogies today, Trent, and they are pretty good.
Most of us never think we will have that opportunity.
Senator Lott and I sure have had our differences in the
11 years I have served in the Senate, and I guess we
always will when it comes to some issues, but serving
together this past year as whips for our respective
parties has given me a chance to work closely with Trent
on a number of issues and this I can say: Trent Lott is a
committed Republican. He can be a partisan, but he cares
about the Senate. He understands that politics, in the
Senate and in life, is the art of compromise. He has been
willing to reach across the aisle to try to find a way to
make the Senate work and make our government work and I
respect him very much for that.
F. Scott Fitzgerald famously declared that: ``There are
no second acts in American lives.'' Well, Mr. Fitzgerald
obviously didn't meet Trent Lott.
In the first act, Trent Lott began his career on Capitol
Hill working for a Democratic Congressman from
Mississippi. He then, of course, was elected as a
Republican Congressman from the same State. He spent more
than three decades in Congress serving the people of
Mississippi. As a leader in the Senate, he helped steer
America through some of the most turbulent chapters in our
recent history: Two shutdowns of the Federal Government,
an impeachment trial, a 9/11 terrorist attack on our
Nation, and anthrax attacks on the U.S. Capital. With my
friend, Tom Daschle, he negotiated the delicate terms of
our Nation's first-ever 50-50 Senate split.
Seven years ago this week, Trent Lott stepped aside as
majority leader. Some wondered then whether Senator Lott
might be through with the Senate. But he stayed and he
managed in a short time to write one of the most
remarkable second acts in this Senate in recent memory.
I know Trent must be feeling mixed emotions as he leaves
the Senate. I can assure my fellow whip he has left a mark
and will be remembered for a long time, not for Seersucker
Thursday, not for wearing kilts on the floor of the
Senate. Trent Lott will be remembered because he is one of
us.
I wish Senator Lott and his wife Tricia and his family
the best of luck as they begin another new act.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from North
Carolina is recognized.
Mrs. DOLE. Madam President, Harry Truman was wrong.
Truman famously defined a statesman as ``a politician who
has been dead for 20 years.'' It is a good line, but it
wasn't true then, as Truman's own career attests, and it
is not true today. That said, we can never have enough
statesmen and women to validate our democratic creed,
which makes our sense of loss all the greater when an
authentic statesman leaves this place.
For 35 years, Trent Lott has served the people of
Mississippi with distinction, never forgetting their
interests, even as he advanced our national interests:
Economic development for Mississippi, meeting
transportation infrastructure needs, persuading businesses
to build plants and provide jobs. His effectiveness is
legendary, whether championing a strong national defense,
encouraging entrepreneurship in a dynamic economy, or
expanding both educational opportunity and accountability.
Through it all, Trent kept faith with the people who sent
him here. Just as he long ago earned their trust and
confidence, so he impressed Members on both sides of the
aisle with his integrity and his decency.
The only person ever to serve as a party whip in both
Houses, Trent soon became much more than a party leader.
To his lasting credit, he helped convince us tax cuts were
the road to economic revitalization. At the same time, he
argued for a bipartisan approach to education reform. In
the bleak aftermath of 9/11, Trent appealed to what
Abraham Lincoln called the better angels of our nature.
Similar to Ronald Reagan, he wears an optimist's smile,
for he never confused an adversary with an enemy. Trent
Lott will be remembered as someone who preferred to narrow
our differences rather than exploit them.
The junior Senator from Mississippi has scaled the
heights in his political career and he has experienced
life's valleys as well. With dogged determination, he made
adversity, whenever it occurred, a strengthening
experience. As one who has shared Senate Bible studies
with both Trent and his beloved wife Tricia, I know that
his has been a profoundly spiritual journey and one that
is far from over.
In a town where talk is cheap--indeed, it is the only
thing that is cheap--Trent prefers solutions to
soundbites, and he has never mistaken civility for
weakness. One of his basic principles is to respect others
whose views might differ. More often than not, he found a
way to distill the best of each, which to me is the
definition of a statesman.
His ability to get things done--to work effectively and
foster relationships with colleagues from both parties--
resulted in his numerous triumphs as the Senate majority
leader. In his first year as leader, he personally led his
colleagues to pass two landmark legislative items: Welfare
reform and the budget compromise, which resulted in the
first balanced budgets with surpluses in 30 years.
Of course, the Senate is also a family, and on this day,
I must mention some of my most cherished memories in the
Dole family album, of Trent and Tricia campaigning for me
in Rocky Mountain, NC, in autumn 2002; of Bob Dole showing
up for the Spouses Club, presided over by Tricia, though
begging off on a tour of the Capitol since he said he had
already seen the place. Nor will I ever forget sitting in
Trent's cherished rocking chair on the front porch of his
Pascagoula home--a home that would vanish on a brutal
morning a little more than 2 years ago, when a tempest
named Katrina scoured miles and miles of Mississippi
coastline.
Similar to so many who looked out on the gulf, the Lotts
lost everything that day--everything but life and love and
the faith that gives to them both a meaning that no storm
can wash away. In the years since, the victims of Katrina
have had no more passionate advocates than Trent and
Tricia Lott. No one has worked harder, longer, to ensure
that we honor the promises made to our fellow men and
women along the gulf coast. As the mayor of Gulfport said
about Trent:
Although suffering catastrophic personal losses himself,
he has tirelessly fought our battles and won our wars for
us time and again. His legacy will be recognized in every
corner of our great State and the pages of history will
reflect the honor and service of the Senator from
Pascagoula who restored hope in the citizens of
Mississippi.
I would add I have great respect for Tricia's enormous
efforts to provide needed supplies and hope to the Katrina
victims.
Houses, we have learned, are vulnerable to the fury of
nature. Supremacy in politicians is even more transitory.
Majorities shift similar to the sands of Biloxi. But some
things endure. Honor endures. True leadership generates
its own legacy. True leaders stake their own claim to
posterity's gratitude. That is the stuff of statesmanship,
and that is the essence of Trent Lott.
The gentleman from Mississippi has had a lengthy and
purpose-driven career in this institution, and he will be
greatly missed. With deep admiration and respect for a
trusted colleague, I wish Trent and his family all the
best.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Utah
is recognized.
Mr. HATCH. Madam President, when I came to the Senate
after the election of 1976, the chairman of the Judiciary
Committee was a very distinguished gentleman from
Mississippi named James Eastland. I can remember the first
time I met Senator Eastland as a citizen newly elected to
the Senate, when nobody thought I was going to make it. I
was invited into his office and the first thing he did was
offer me a cigar. I said: ``Well, I am sorry, sir. My
faith does not permit me to smoke.'' He said: ``Well,
then, have a drink.'' I replied: ``Well, sorry, sir, but
my faith doesn't permit me to drink.'' Senator Eastland
then exclaimed very loudly: ``What the expletive is the
matter with you Mormons?''
I want everybody to know Senator Lott has never offered
me a cigar nor has he ever offered me a drink, although I
think he has been tempted a few times.
Let me say this: I have such admiration for Senator Lott
and his wife Tricia and for the love and respect they have
shown to all of us and this institution, and for all of
their hard work.
It is no secret that I bitterly resent the way Senator
Lott was treated after Senator Strom Thurmond's 100th
birthday party. It was wrong, and it was hitting below the
belt. It would have crushed any one of us to go through
what he went through, facing such harsh attacks knowing
that he certainly did not mean to say what others tried to
put in his mouth. But Trent fought his way back, kept his
head high, became a friend to everybody in the Senate
again the very next day, and, of course, won the respect
of virtually everybody who has ever known him or what he
stands for.
I have tremendous respect and love for Trent and Tricia
for the sacrifices they have made for their State and for
this country. He and Senator Cochran have been one of the
best duos in the history of the Senate--two real
gentlemen, two strong, tough people. But, they are also
two people who have shown respect for this body and all of
its Members in ways that not many others have.
All I can say is I wish Senator Lott and Tricia the best
of luck in all of their future endeavors. While I am
certain he will be an asset to any effort with which he
becomes involved, I am equally certain the Senate is going
to be a lesser place without him.
Supporting Senator Lott throughout his time in the
Congress is one of the most beautiful and noble women in
the history of the Senate. Tricia Lott has been the
quintessential Senate wife, and I doubt Senator Lott would
have been as great as he has become had it not been for
his relationship with Tricia.
Elaine and I are going to greatly miss you, Trent. I
know I am not supposed to refer to you by your first name,
but I am going to make an exception in this case. We will
always be pulling for you, your success, and your
happiness in this life. This old Senator is going to miss
you greatly. We are going to miss the efforts you put
forth. We are going to miss the talents you have. We are
going to miss the energy you bring to the Senate. And, we
are most certainly going to miss your ability to bring us
together, making better Senators out of us all.
God bless the Lotts. We in the Senate will surely miss
them.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Arizona.
Mr. KYL. Madam President, almost exactly 21 years ago,
after I had been elected to the House of Representatives
from the State of Arizona, my wife Caryll and I came to
Washington and almost immediately met Trent and Tricia
Lott. In fact, we have a photograph that is displayed in
our home with Trent and Tricia on which Trent made a
wonderful inscription.
I learned from the very beginning that Trent Lott was a
leader--a leader in the House of Representatives and a
leader among his colleagues. I have been following Trent
Lott ever since as House whip, as Senate whip, as Senate
Republican leader, and as a colleague in battles too
numerous to mention.
Chaplain Black began this morning asking that we come
here to serve. No State has ever been served better than
by their representative, Trent Lott. He always puts
Mississippi first, yet always is able to balance his
devotion to his constituents with the national interest
and with his responsibilities in representing his
colleagues.
That he came to serve, again to use the Chaplain's word,
is best illustrated by his decision to run for reelection
a year ago. Many of us knew Trent had come to believe that
he had to prioritize his family responsibilities and had
concluded it was about time for him to leave public
service. But the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina hit the
coast of Mississippi, destroying not only the Lotts' home
in Pascagoula but so many of the homes and businesses of
his friends in Mississippi. It did not take Trent too long
in pondering what he faced to conclude that he owed it to
his constituents in Mississippi to continue to use his
skills in Washington, DC, to represent them, to help them
recover from the devastation that had been visited upon
them. It was this service, after he had already concluded
that his time had come to move out of public service, that
I think illustrates perhaps better than anything else his
devotion to the people of Mississippi, to his friends
there. He did not decide to leave the Senate until his
work was done, and for that the people of Mississippi, I
know, will be forever grateful to Trent Lott.
Trent has always been known as being a person who has
been able to find the common ground among his colleagues.
That is a very special skill. Some people call it
dealmaking. Some people talk about it in terms of the art
of compromise, frequently talking about Trent's ability to
move across the aisle and to work with friends on both the
Democratic and Republican side.
I think his ability to do this, which is unprecedented
in my 21 years in Washington or unequaled, I should say,
is due to a variety of qualities. First, Trent's
intelligence; second, his boundless energy; third, his
knowledge of the institutions, of both the House and the
Senate. Again, I know of no equal in terms of the
knowledge of how these bodies work and how we can achieve
great things by working with people in both bodies.
His knowledge of the nature of man--this is something my
father taught me and I have tried to learn from people
such as Trent Lott--what makes people tick--you can find
that common ground and achieve great things if you
understand people. I think that is one of Trent's greatest
qualities and one which will be missed in this body. And,
of course, his commitment to what he has always believed
was right for Mississippi and America. Also contributing
to his success is his faith, and it sustained him more
than we will ever know. And finally, of course, his
family.
It is interesting that everybody who has commented about
Trent's service in the Senate has quickly moved to also
comment about his commitment to his family and in
particular his wonderful wife Tricia. It has to say
something when that is one of the first things people
think of when they think of you. I know if that is the way
Trent is remembered, he will be a very happy man.
Trent Lott has been serving almost his entire adult
life--the people of Mississippi, the people of America,
his colleagues in the House and Senate. And I have been
honored to serve with Trent for 21 years. I have learned a
lot. Most important, I have enjoyed my time with Trent,
especially quiet times.
Now it is time for Trent to serve his family more in
accordance with his priorities, and no one can argue that
he has not earned that right.
So Trent Lott, a man for all seasons--Representative,
Senator, servant, leader, husband, father and grandfather,
proud American and Mississippian, and friend--thank you.
God bless you.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Pennsylvania.
Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, I noticed the Senator from
California and I rose virtually simultaneously. I yield to
her.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I thank the Senator
from Pennsylvania very much. It is very generous of him.
My remarks are very brief and they are very personal.
Trent, I want you to know how much I have enjoyed
working with you. I have enjoyed your friendship, I have
enjoyed your sense of humor and, yes, I have even enjoyed
your singing.
(Laughter.)
I have found you to be both forthright and truthful. I
have found that when you give your word, you keep it. I
tend to judge people on two bases: how they go through the
tough times and whether I would want to be in a bunker
with them in a real debate.
I watched you go through the tough times. I remember you
showing me a picture of a chair that had gone a mile from
the home that blew down in the hurricane. I remember your
fight with the insurance company, and I can only say to
that insurance company: Give up, you are going to lose.
I want you to know how much I treasure the relationship
we have had. You have a great future. For you and your
family, you are probably doing the right thing. For us, it
is going to be a real loss. I want you to know how much I
enjoyed the times we had socially, the seersucker caucus,
seeing you turn up here in white bucks, all clean,
spotless, a seersucker suit, a pink shirt, and a pink tie.
No one in seersucker quite equals you, Trent Lott. For me,
a westerner, to see a southerner at his peacock best was
incredibly special.
I thank you for your contributions to the Senate. I
thank you for your friendship. I wish you well, and may
the wind always be at your back.
I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Pennsylvania.
Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, I join my colleagues in
expressing my heartiest congratulations to my good friend,
Senator Trent Lott, on his historic career of 35 years as
a Member of the U.S. Congress. I also express deep regrets
that following the new year, we will no longer have Trent
Lott as a Member of this body. His announcement that he
will be retiring was a shock to some of us here in the
Senate. Trent has been the embodiment of what's good in
this body for so long, that it will be difficult to think
of the U.S. Senate without the Senator from Mississippi. I
applaud Trent's outstanding service to the people of
Mississippi, and the Nation, which he has successfully
undertaken in both wings of the U.S. Capitol.
Trent Lott was born on October 9, 1941, in Grenada, MS,
the only child to a shipyard worker, Chester Lott, and a
schoolteacher mother, Iona. Trent attended a high school
which in later years would bear his name, the Trent Lott
Middle School. Lott went to the University of Mississippi
where he achieved an undergraduate degree in public
administration in 1963 and a law degree in 1967. During
his time at college he married his wife Patricia Thompson
in December 1964. Together the couple had a son and a
daughter, Chester and Tyler.
After graduating from law school, Trent began a law
practice in Pascagoula, MS, but left after less than a
year when he was offered a job working in Washington as an
administrative assistant for Congressman William Colmer, a
Mississippi Democrat. When Congressman Colmer announced
his retirement from the House of Representatives, Trent
Lott announced his candidacy as a Republican to seek the
vacant office. Lott, even as a Republican, won Colmer's
endorsement, vowing to fight the increasing power of
government that was developing in Washington. Lott went on
to win the seat with 55 percent of the vote. The next 35
years would mark a series of extraordinary moments in
history as Trent Lott begins his career as a Member of
Congress.
I have had the privilege of serving with Trent in the
Senate for the past 19 years. I have watched him
throughout his Senate career develop into a strong and
effective leader, mastering the art of compromise, a feat
which is hard to accomplish in these times. These
qualities served Trent well as he climbed the ranks in
House and Senate leadership: he served as House minority
whip from 1981 to 1989; Senate majority whip for 5 months
in 1995; and in June 1996, he succeeded my good friend,
Senator Bob Dole, to become the 16th majority leader of
the Senate. Trent served a brief stint as minority leader
after the 2000 elections produced a 50-50 split in the
Senate, with Vice President Al Gore still being the
tiebreaking vote. As the Bush administration came into
office, with Vice President Dick Cheney now being the
tiebreaker, control went back to the Republicans and Trent
resumed his duties as majority leader. Later in 2001,
Trent would once again become minority leader as Senator
Jim Jeffords, a Republican from Vermont, became an
Independent and caucused with the Democrats, allowing them
to regain the majority. Presumably, Trent will leave the
Senate while serving in his most recent leadership
position; he was elected this Congress to serve as the
Republican whip. Senator Trent Lott is the first person to
have served as whip in both Houses of Congress.
Drawing on his impressive experience as a legislator and
a negotiator, Majority Leader Lott was instrumental in
promptly moving legislation from Congress to the
President's desk. Working harmoniously with the executive
and legislative branches of government, the country
witnessed landmark bills being signed into law. Major
policy initiatives, such as the Welfare Reform Act of 1996
and bringing balance to the Federal budget for the first
time since 1968, were both accomplished under Trent's
leadership. However, I was most impressed with the role
Trent played in the impeachment proceedings for President
Bill Clinton. Working with him during this difficult time
in our country's history was an experience I will always
remember.
Aside from a distinguished career as majority leader,
Senator Lott has been a champion for his own State of
Mississippi. Recognizing that the top priorities in
Mississippi are an expanded transportation system and
innovative education, Trent time and time again proved to
the people of his State his ability to deliver. He has
secured Federal funding to improve Mississippi's
transportation expansion and has more than doubled
research funding for Mississippi's public universities.
Recognizing Trent's leadership through public service, the
University of Mississippi in Oxford, where he received
both his undergraduate and law degrees, named its
leadership institute after him.
On a personal note, I believe all my colleagues can
agree with me, that along with his remarkable
accomplishments in Congress, what we will miss most about
Trent is his affability, commonsense persona, and his
enjoyable sense of humor. He brings a breath of fresh air
to Washington, a town which desperately needs it at times.
No one questioned Trent's motive when he revived a long-
forgotten Senate tradition known as Seersucker Thursday, a
tradition which this Senator has participated in, and will
continue to participate in.
Senator Trent Lott's service and leadership were
invaluable to this institution. Truly a great Senator, he
will be missed in this body. I wish him, his wife
Patricia, and all his family the very best in the years to
come.
I am pleased to join in this tribute to Senator Lott. My
only regret is that it is occurring perhaps 18 years too
soon.
I would characterize Trent's attributes, among many, as
his talent, his character, and his flair. He has brought
to this body enormous intellectual capability and great
street smarts. Ordinarily, the two do not go together, but
with Trent, they have been united to the great benefit of
the body.
We have watched Trent in his positions in the Senate
before taking a leadership role after his election in
1988, being the majority leader, and the way he makes
contacts on the Senate floor. We all move around, none
with the speed and alacrity of Trent Lott. There is always
an intensity to his conversations. He doesn't buttonhole
people or lean over as Lyndon Johnson was reputed to have
done, but there is a real intensity. Usually at the end of
the short conversation, the other person is nodding in the
affirmative.
At our Tuesday luncheons, the way he moves around from
table to table, it was almost as if he were in Club 21.
Here again, moving in and out with a great deal of speed
and, again, the conversations and what I surmise at some
distance to be success.
He has been characterized as a dealmaker, a term which
is not always used in the highest sense, but with Trent
Lott it is. The great problem with our body is there are
not enough deal makers. Not enough Senators willing to
come to an accommodation. It is an understanding of the
varied points of view.
On the rare occasions when I have disagreed with a
majority vote--may the record show Trent is smiling--he
has been understanding in his leadership position, never
conceding, and frequently advocating, but always
understanding.
If there is one thing this body lacks, it is a sense of
accommodation. That is evident by anybody who will take a
photograph of the Chamber today and note how many people
on the other side of the aisle have appeared here. I hope
their numbers will be increased before this proceeding is
concluded.
The business about our political process being dominated
by the extremes of both parties is very much to the
detriment of the country. Those who are willing to cross
the aisle, as the last speaker did on the Democratic side,
the Senator from California, the country owes a great debt
of gratitude to. And to those such as Senator Lott who
have been able to forge compromises, it is in the greatest
tradition of the Senate and the greatest tradition of the
United States.
Just a word or two about his character. I attended the
100th birthday party of Senator Thurmond on December 4,
2002. I have seen many comments blown vastly out of
proportion during my tenure in the Senate and before, but
never have I seen one blown as much out of proportion as
that one was. And I said so at the time. My record on
civil rights is one which no one yet has questioned. What
Senator Lott said was in no means out of line. And then to
continue in the Senate and really move as a Member without
leadership credentials was to his enormous credit. Then to
come back and to run for another leadership position and
be successful was in the greatest tradition of the phoenix
rising from the ashes. I haven't seen any greater display
of character in this body in the time I have been here.
Then there is the matter of flair, which this body needs
more of. Always a smile, always a pat on the back, always
the joviality, and the great tradition of Seersucker
Thursday. It is always an interesting time when people
come, not recognizing Seersucker Thursday. One day, our
leader, Bill Frist, went out and bought a suit--and I have
a picture hanging proudly in my outer office--and Bill
couldn't get the trousers adjusted, and the highlight of
the picture is the unadjusted trousers of one of our
Senate colleagues.
Let me end on a note which I have debated whether I
should comment about, but it is relevant because of the
response Trent made to a short story I told recently at
the celebrity comedy evening. I dusted off an old story
from Mayor Bill Daley at the 1968 convention and made
Trent the object of the story. It went to the effect that
when Trent came back to the Senate after the losses in
Mississippi, he was devastated and very glum.
I approached him on the Senate floor one day and said:
``Trent, why are you so unhappy? What is wrong?''
I knew, in one sense, but he seemed especially morose.
He said: ``Well, Arlen, not only was my entire property
destroyed in Mississippi, but my entire library was
destroyed--both books--and I wasn't finished coloring one
of them, either.''
Well, that little bit of joviality at Trent's expense
was met with his approaching me on the floor--and this
part of the story is true and what makes it perhaps
relevant to these comments--and with a scowl on his face,
he said: ``Arlen, I thought you and I were friends. We
have been in this body a long time together. Now I hear
you are making me the butt of jokes at comedy hour, so I
don't really understand. And besides your unfairness and
your incivility, you are wrong--I have more than two
coloring books.''
In a sense, that characterizes Trent Lott's magnanimity,
and we are all going to miss him very much. He has made a
great contribution. When Trent decided there was another
course for him and his family, I had great respect for
that decision as I have great respect for him.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Iowa.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I had an opportunity to
hear the first half hour of this tribute to Senator Lott,
and then I had to go on to another piece of business, and
I have just returned. But in all of this conversation
about Senator Lott, there has been some levity. I am not
going to be able to add to that because my wife always
tells me every time I try to be funny, I kind of screw up.
So I want to add to the business aspect of Senator Lott
and the Senate.
I think most of the tribute I heard praised Senator Lott
for making the Senate work, the process of the Senate,
moving things through the Senate, making the Senate a
great part of our institution of self-government, and he
does that. But I would like to talk about the substance of
policy I have seen Trent Lott bring to the Senate and
bring to the people, and whatever I talk about is part of
the laws of the United States to which I think he has
contributed.
Like all of my colleagues, it is hard for me to imagine
the Congress, and especially the Senate, without Trent
Lott being a part of it.
I met my friend Trent Lott when I was elected to the
House of Representatives in 1974. He had already been in
the House of Representatives at that time for 2 years. As
has been said so many times, he went on to become a very
competent House Republican whip, first showing what a
successful national leader he would prove to be again and
again, as he is now in that position in the Senate.
I also remember talking with Congressman Lott 8 years
after I came to the Senate, as he was imagining whether he
should run for the Senate. But it has really only been in
the last 12 years that I have had the opportunity to work
most closely with Senator Lott. He has been a very strong
ally, particularly for me as a leader on the Finance
Committee, but he has also, on occasion, been a worthy
opponent.
Senator Lott has fought tirelessly for legislation that
respects the principle of less government and more
freedom, particularly economic freedom. His support for
tax relief, expanded market opportunities for U.S.
manufacturers and for job creation, and for consumer-
driven health care has been essential to the many
successful legislative initiatives that have come from the
Committee on Finance in recent years.
Back in 1997, as a new member of the Finance Committee,
Senator Lott worked for passage of the Tax Relief Act of
1997. This legislation included a $500-per-child tax
credit, a 20-percent capital gains tax rate, the Roth IRA,
and estate tax relief for small businesses. In fact,
Senator Lott was a leading proponent of capital gains tax
relief, and he remains unfailing today in his commitment
to this vitally important pro-growth tax policy.
In 1998 Senator Lott was a key player on the Finance
Committee in putting together a final agreement on the
highway bill.
In 2001, when I became chairman of the Finance Committee
and we had the opportunity to pass the largest tax relief
bill in a generation, Senator Lott was Republican leader
at that time, but he continued as a member of the Finance
Committee and in turn an essential supporter and
contributor to what has become known as the Economic
Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. This
legislation lowered rates for all taxpayers, made the Tax
Code more progressive, and created the first ever 10-
percent marginal tax rate.
Two years later, after September 11, we were at work on
the Finance Committee to pass legislation to stimulate the
economy. Again, Senator Lott was in the forefront as an
advocate for reducing the capital gains tax rate to 15
percent, where it is today. Senator Lott weighed in
heavily to get it done. Also, with lowering taxes on
income from dividends and capital gains, the Job Growth
Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 accelerated some of
the tax changes passed in 2001 and increased the exemption
amount for the alternative minimum tax. These initiatives
encouraged economic growth and were vital to mitigating
the economic shock of the terrorist attacks of September
11, 2001. By spurring economic activity, those tax
policies altogether resulted in recordbreaking revenues
collected by the Federal Treasury.
Senator Lott has brought tremendous energy to policy and
tremendous energy to getting the work of the Senate done.
But I am going to remember his contribution to the policy
this Senate has made--very good policy--and he has been
there working very hard as a member of the Senate Finance
Committee to do that. The drive to get the work done has
helped me get my work done in the Senate.
Now, there is no doubt he served his constituents of
Mississippi very effectively. After nearly two decades in
the Senate, he showed his loyalty by staying in the Senate
after a planned retirement just last election. He decided
to run for reelection in order to do what he has done for
an entire life as a public servant--to help the people of
Mississippi, and in this specific instance to help the
people of Mississippi recover from Hurricane Katrina.
Mississippians didn't quit, and neither did Senator Lott
quit. He used his influence and power in the Senate to
help his State recover.
As a Republican leader in the Senate, Trent Lott's
experience and knowledge of the Senate and the Senate's
procedures have proven to be invaluable. It will be a long
time, if ever, that we see anyone work the whip process
better than Senator Lott has.
Senator Lott leaves the Senate with a great legacy of
accomplishments. Woven throughout everything, though, is
Senator Lott's ability to lead. He demonstrated repeatedly
his talents and abilities for building winning coalitions.
He led with commitment to getting things done. He
understood that there are different points of view but
that they can be brought together for the right approach
that brings results and, as a result, good policy.
I salute Senator Lott's tremendous success as a leader
in the Senate, and I am truly sorry to see Senator Lott
leave the Senate. I will miss him as a colleague and as a
friend. Trent Lott has made the Senate, he has made his
home State, and, for sure, the Nation a better place.
Thank you for your service, Trent Lott.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Maine.
Ms. SNOWE. Madam President, I wish to join all of my
colleagues, sadly and regrettably, in a big farewell to my
very good friend, a good friend to this institution, a
giant in this institution, as Trent prepares to leave the
Senate and usher in a new chapter of his much-accomplished
life. With his 35 years of distinguished service, his
leaving the Senate represents an enormous loss to our
Nation and to his beloved State of Mississippi, to the
Senate, and to many of us personally.
There is no question that it speaks volumes about his
dedication and commitment to his beloved State of
Mississippi when he could not and would not leave the
Senate until his State found solid ground and footing in
the aftermath of the horrific devastation of Hurricane
Katrina.
I must admit I feel as if I bear some responsibility in
Trent's leaving the Senate. You see, a few weeks ago,
prior to the recess, Trent said: ``Olympia, if you don't
vote with me, I am leaving the Senate.'' Always the
straightforward approach. Trent, I just didn't realize you
were serious. So I am a little relieved to know it wasn't
about me.
But, you know, I have known Trent for 28 years, since we
first served together in the House of Representatives, and
I have always known him to be an adept and thoughtful
legislator in his various leadership capacities in both
the House and Senate. He forged the template for reaching
out and solving problems and strengthening the respective
institutions in which he served.
I saw first hand his masterful skills as minority whip
when he was elected in 1981. In 1982, he raised a few
eyebrows when this conservative man from the South named a
centrist woman from Maine as his chief deputy whip. That
was groundbreaking at the time because it was the first
Republican woman to serve in that capacity. But in 1981,
we only had 192 Republicans in the House, and Trent
demonstrated his legendary abilities to cross party lines,
secure the votes, and was so instrumental to instituting
President Reagan's agenda. So it was no surprise that
President Reagan would frequently call Trent and his whip
organization to the White House, because he knew Trent was
central and crucial to securing those early threshold
victories for his key initiatives.
For those who served at that time in the House of
Representatives, we had epic budget and tax-cut battles.
We were rebuilding our hollow forces after Vietnam and of
course, the cold war was in full force. Indisputably,
Trent rose to the occasion time and time again. He was a
consummate coalition builder. He created what he described
as the buddy system, bridging the political divide,
understanding that there would be regional, political, and
philosophical differences that would divide us, but he
would find a way to unite us.
At that time we had, what was it, Gypsy Moths, which
were the Northeast-Midwest Republicans, those of us who
were there, Republicans, and then the Boll Weevils, who
were southern Democrats. I will leave it up to you to
decide whether it is appropriate to name Members of
Congress after insects. Nevertheless, that was the
regional divide and it was Trent's challenge to bridge
that divide, and he did it time and time again. Even after
the 1982 election--we lost 26 Republican seats in the
House of Representatives, now we were down to 166 Members
of the House--he managed to secure votes that would have
eluded others. In fact, we were able to obtain a 100-
percent increase in defense spending in 5 years. That is
what he was able to accomplish, because he systematically
and mathematically as well as philosophically worked with
people across the political lines to make it work. As he
says himself, he is a congenital doer, who wants to solve
the problems of this great Nation.
It is no surprise, then, that he would be the first
person elected to whip in both the House and Senate. He
rose rapidly here within the ranks of leadership, with the
culmination as Senate majority leader in 1996. He
characteristically wasted no time once again applying the
same formula for coalition building and achieving the
passage of watershed legislation, as has been mentioned--
whether it was the minimum wage, Kassebaum-Kennedy
legislation on health care portability, or the landmark
welfare reform, even after it had been vetoed twice by the
President.
We all know during that period of time as well his
tenure was bookended by unprecedented and historic
events--the impeachment trial, a 50-50 Senate for the
first time in 120 years, and the worst attack on American
soil. He managed to achieve the first balanced budgets in
probably more than a half a century. He, as we all well
know, guided this institution with dignity and skill
during those tumultuous times.
On a more personal note, one of the crowning
achievements of his persuasive powers is when, as others
have mentioned here today, he was determined to dedicate
Thursday, one summer day, for Seersucker Day. He
approached me with the idea. He said, ``Olympia, are you
going to wear a seersucker suit?'' I said, ``Trent, be
serious; I am from Maine. We don't wear seersucker suits
and I will not wear it. Not over my dead body.''
Of course, when Seersucker Day arrived, I showed up in a
seersucker suit, to his surprise, alive and well. But that
is an indication of his ability to persuade.
Finally, I think there can be no discussion of Trent's
legacy without paying tribute to his extraordinary wife
Tricia. Theirs is truly a special partnership. I know
Trent would be the first to say he could not have done any
of it without Tricia. She in her own right has contributed
immeasurably, in both the House and the Senate, and their
wonderful children as well.
To the Senator from Mississippi, Senator Lott, you have
been a pivotal and positive and powerful force for the
good for our first branch of government, bearing a close
resemblance to what our Founding Fathers had in mind--
Madison in particular--when he said he expected of the
Senate ``to prefer the long and true welfare of our
country.''
It is with profound gratitude we say farewell and wish
you well. God bless you and Tricia and your entire family.
I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Michigan is recognized.
Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I rise today also to
express my friendship and gratitude to the great Senator
from the State of Mississippi. When I think about comments
that have been said about his effectiveness, I have to say
from this side of the aisle, we have lamented his
effectiveness from time to time--and appreciated, as well,
the desire and the practical side of the Senator from
Mississippi, to want to get things done, to be able to
make things work. I, for one, am very grateful for that.
I am assuming some of that comes from having been on the
staff side as well as having been in the House and the
Senate and learning how things work and valuing governing,
valuing relationships, and wanting to get things done.
Back in my home State of Michigan, when I talk about the
legislation Senator Lott and I have championed, folks
raise their eyebrows. What are you two doing working
together on something? I talk to them about the fact that
if it weren't for Senator Lott and his leadership, joining
with me, we would not have achieved something important
earlier this year based on legislation we introduced to
provide more competition in the area of prescription
drugs, and to lower the price of prescription drugs
through the ability of generic drugs to come into the
marketplace. We were successful in amending the FDA bill.
It got tough in conference. A lot of folks didn't want to
see those loopholes closed. I thank Trent for hanging in
there or we would not have achieved that. Businesses
around the country will benefit from lower prices on
prescription drugs for their employees as a result of your
leadership. Seniors will benefit as a result. I thank you
for stepping up at the time when it was not easy to do.
It has been a great pleasure to work with you in many
different ways. I have to say also, always to me you have
been a southern gentleman. I, too, never thought in my
wildest dreams I would wear a seersucker suit. Along with
Senator Snowe, and with the help of Senator Feinstein--who
chided and pushed and persuaded all of us, and helped all
of us be able to find seersucker suits--we have all joined
and had a great time every year being able to come
together for that great picture I have in my office.
I know you will be missed on both sides of the aisle. We
understand that you understand the process. I know your
book ``Herding Cats'' reflects what in fact it is
oftentimes in the legislative process. But you have been
able to do the herding and been able to get people to come
together, and you will be known for being an extraordinary
leader in the Senate.
I rise today to congratulate you, to thank you, to wish
you and Tricia and your children and grandchildren nothing
but happiness as you move to the next chapter of what I am
sure will continue to be a very meaningful and exciting
life.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Utah.
Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, one of the words we often
hear as people talk about relationships is the word
mentor. It is always assumed that the older person mentors
the younger person. The record is clear that I am 8 years
older than Trent Lott. But the record is also clear that
he has acted as my mentor as I have come here to the
Senate.
We have all heard about his legislative accomplishments.
I wish to pick out three items of my relationship with
Trent where he has taught me things that have been
valuable. First, when Trent ran for the whip position, I
worked for the election of Alan Simpson. I didn't know
Trent all that well. Alan and I were friends from long
ago. We first met up in the family gallery when our
respective fathers were being sworn in as Senators. He
introduced me to his child bride and I introduced him to
mine. He made the Simpson-like comment. He said: ``Having
married younger women, this means in our older age we will
smell perfume instead of liniment.''
After I got to know Trent and appreciate his abilities,
I made the comment, ``If I had known you to have been as
good a leader as you are, I would have voted for you in
the beginning.'' He corrected me and said, ``No, your
relationship with Simpson was so strong and so personal
that you should have supported him, and I didn't even ask
you because I respected that relationship.''
That was a very important thing he taught me there about
relationships and commitments that I have tried to
remember ever since.
Second, as a freshman Senator who was sure I understood
the institution, I moved out aggressively in a variety of
circumstances and suddenly found myself caught in a vise
between two very senior, very powerful, very opinionated
Senators, whose names I shall not disclose.
I didn't know what to do. Whatever I did, I would offend
one or the other and both of them had reputations for very
long memories and determination to take revenge. In my
moment of great panic, I called Trent and laid this before
him, more or less seeking some kind of balm or salve, and
received instead a solution. He, with his expertise, knew
how to maneuver between these two giants, and what was in
some ways my most difficult day in the Senate became, with
Trent's help, one of the better days I experienced in the
Senate, as I watched these two clash together, with me on
the sidelines, staying out of it because of his help. He
taught me again: Don't get yourself into that kind of
problem in the first place.
Finally, emotions run high around here. People get all
wrapped up in the issue of the time. We had one of those,
where some members of the Republican conference deserted
leadership and there was a sense of great anger. Some
people were talking about retaliation. Trent taught me
this great truth. He said: ``The most important vote is
the next one. Do not allow your concern over that vote to
damage your relationship that you may need on the next
vote.''
Those among us of the Republican conference who wanted
to retaliate--Trent did his best to say to them: ``No,
don't carry that grudge, don't carry that forward.
Understand, the most important vote is the next vote.''
Those were the three things I wanted to highlight that I
have learned from Trent. But I want to point out that he
himself, when the blow fell--as Senator Specter has said,
in a vastly overblown reaction to an appropriate comment--
he himself demonstrated in his own life his commitment to
those principles. He did not allow anything that had
happened as a result of that to destroy his relationships,
the friendships he had built. Even if there were some who
could have been attacked for having abandoned him, he did
not attack those relationships. He did not show any desire
to retaliate. He may have felt it. Indeed, he would not be
human if he didn't. But he came back to the Senate with
his optimism showing, his determination to stay calm, his
determination to stay engaged and not allow a sense of
revenge or retaliation to take him over. That, of course,
served him in good stead when he was returned to
leadership by the same massive majority that he had when
he took the whip's job the first time--by 1 vote.
This is a man we shall miss. This is a man who has
taught us a lot. This is a man who served as a mentor to
me, and because of him, I now own a pair of white bucks.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Tennessee is recognized.
Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam President, once upon a time in
spring 1968, even before Ted Stevens was a Senator, a
young man with carefully combed hair came from Pascagoula,
MS, to Washington, DC, and he moved into a spare bedroom
in the house at the corner of Klingle Street and Foxhall
Road.
It was almost 40 years ago. I remember it very well,
because I was already in that house along with four other
single young men in our twenties. Our new resident from
Mississippi was different in several ways from the rest of
us. No. 1, we were single, and he was married. Tricia and
Chet, then a baby, were still back in Mississippi. No. 2,
he was a Democrat and we were Republicans. But at that
age, that did not matter to us very much.
And No. 3 is--and this is hard for anyone in the Chamber
to imagine, for me even to say--I remember him as quiet.
Maybe it was because he did not stay long, because he
remembers that we were noisy--playing the piano, staying
up late, having parties, and then getting up at 6 a.m. and
going to work.
So for whatever reason, maybe because of those
differences, our friend from Mississippi moved out after a
few months. Tricia and Chet came to Washington, I believe,
and he continued his job with Mr. Colmer, the Congressman
from the area where he grew up.
My other roommate was Glover Robert, who was from
Gulfport, who had introduced us all to Trent, and who
later was Trent's campaign manager in his race for
Congress. I can remember Glover saying at that time that
everybody in Mississippi knows Trent Lott is one of two
young men in Mississippi who is going to grow up to be
Governor of Mississippi. The other young man who Glover
talked about was Thad Cochran, who we also met that year
in 1968. At that time he was also a Democrat. Neither of
them grew up to be Governor of Mississippi, at least not
yet. But one became the chairman of the Appropriations
Committee, and one became the leader of the Senate, and
both are our friends.
Now Trent, after 35 years in Congress, is moving on to
the next chapter of his life. I understand his decision.
We talked about it. As far as anyone can say from outside
the Lott family, it looks like a wise decision on a
personal basis. But on a personal basis too, I am truly
sorry to see him go, because over those 40 years, we have
been in different places most of the time--I mostly in
Tennessee, he mostly here--but we have stayed in touch in
many different ways.
When our roommates got together at the Governor's
mansion in Tennessee in the 1980s, I remember reading to
the group after dinner from a book on manners. When I came
to the Senate, I received a book, ``George Washington's
Rules of Civility,'' that was inscribed, ``To my friend,
Senator Alexander, the history professor, Trent Lott.''
In 1986, I became a little bit exasperated with the
House Republicans from a distance and I called up Trent
and said: ``What is going on? Are we Republican Governors
and the House Republicans on the same page?'' He
introduced me to Newt Gingrich, and a group of the
Governors and the Republican leaders in the House met at
Blackberry Farm in the Smoky Mountains for a whole weekend
and had a terrific weekend, in terms of charting the
future course for our party.
A few years later I came to Washington as Education
Secretary and immediately turned to Trent--who was always
in some sort of leadership position, usually some
different one--for advice and support.
Those who follow the Senate know that Trent has, along
the way, taught all of us various lessons. He has
especially taught me lessons, particularly how to count.
It is because of Trent Lott that a year ago, it was
necessary for me to write 27 thank-you notes for 24 votes
in the race for whip. I have worked hard to learn my
lesson from him over a period of time.
About 6 weeks ago, Trent and Tricia invited my wife
Honey, me, and the Greggs down to their home outside
Jackson. We spent a weekend. It was following up a nice
weekend we had had in the mountains of Tennessee sometime
earlier. Most of the remarks today about Trent have been
about Trent in Washington, DC, and they are all very
appropriate. And here in the Senate we often think of
Trent as having the wiliness of Lyndon Johnson and the
joyfulness of Hubert Humphrey--two other great figures in
Senate history--but it is more fun to see him in
Mississippi. Going through the airport, every single woman
in the airport in Mississippi wanted to talk to Trent
Lott, and he talked to them all of the way through the
Jackson Airport.
To see the number of buildings in Mississippi already
named after him--and he is not even dead yet--and to see
the beautiful home they have outside Jackson, MS, is
something to behold. Judd and I counted five different
tractors in his garage, and we rode in most of them. We
should have known, or I should have known, from seeing how
happy he is there and how much he loves to do this, that
his mind was probably more on becoming farmer of the year
in Mississippi than it was on spending another 5 or 10
years in the Senate.
Trent, transitions--I have had a number of them--are not
always easy, but they have been for me the most rewarding
parts of my life. I believe for you and Tricia this next
transition will be the same--liberating, not entirely
easy, but perhaps the most rewarding period of your life.
I tried to think of some words that would describe it,
and I thought of words that better describe the Smoky
Mountains where I am from than the Mississippi area where
you are from. But the thought still applies. They are
words from Emily Dickinson, which say:
Goodbye to the life I used to lead and the friends I
used to know. Now kiss these hills just once for me, for I
am ready to go.
It is a reassurance for us to know that you are not
going far. I hope it will be reassuring to you to know
that you are not going far, that your old friends are
still here and we are still your friends.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from
Vermont.
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, let me note--it has probably
been noted here on the floor already--that it is so much
nicer to hear your eulogy in person than afterward. In
many ways you know it is more heartfelt because the
Senator from Mississippi is here and has the ability to
correct it, something he would not have 40 years or so
from now when he might rejoin his Maker.
I think, though, about Trent Lott. Trent is one of those
Senators who has great respect on both sides of the aisle.
I think it is because he is from the old school. I do not
want to damage his reputation in Mississippi to have one
of the more liberal members of the opposite party praise
him, but I do it easily. Because, as I told Trent within
an hour after he made his announcement--we were on the
phone, and I told him that one of the things I liked about
him is he followed that rule Mike Mansfield told me my
first week here in the Senate: Senators should always keep
their word. Every time Senator Lott and I have worked
together, to find our way, sometimes through a very
tangled parliamentary or legislative morass, we got
through because I could always count on him once he made a
commitment to keep his word and he would keep his
commitment. I think he knows I did the same with him. As
Senator Mansfield tried to instruct all of us, those of us
who were here at that time, this is the mark of what a
real Senator should do. Because while you may disagree on
one issue, you are going to be allies the next day on a
different issue. And that is what makes the Senate work
best.
Marcelle and I have had the opportunity to travel with
Trent and Trish, and I must admit this is a great deal of
fun. I think he even has some of the photographs I have
given him from some of those trips. As they have told me
in Vermont, on occasions when he came up, a number of
Vermonters came up to me afterward and said, ``Boy, the
Senator from Mississippi is really good looking.'' I said:
``Well, yes, he is.'' ``He has got all of that hair.'' I
said, ``Yes, he does.'' And they said, ``He can really
sing well.'' And I said, ``I do not need to talk with you
anymore.''
They would go on. Those trips--and I will close with
this--one of the reasons why more of us should take such
trips, bipartisan trips, is you find that you have so many
things in common. Trish and Marcelle would talk about
children and their hopes for them growing up. All four of
us would talk about the difficulties in maintaining homes
in our home State and in Washington, and doing it if you
are not wealthy. We would talk about those things where we
felt the Senate should come together. We talked about our
backgrounds, our faith, our hopes for this country. I
think somebody listening in would have been hard pressed
to know which one was the Democrat and which one was the
Republican.
I have served all these years with Trent Lott. I will
miss him as a colleague, but I might say I will miss him
especially as a friend.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Casey). The Senator from
Texas.
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, my State, like many States,
has produced some political giants: Lyndon Johnson, Phil
Gramm, John Tower, many great political figures. But one I
recall specifically: Bob Bullock, a Democratic Lieutenant
Governor in what was generally considered the most
powerful political position in State government. I
remember one time he said that there are two types of
politicians: one who wants to be somebody, and the other
who wants to do something. Most decidedly, Trent Lott is
of the latter category.
I have heard comments today about his great ability to
compromise. I think compromise is in and of itself
underrated. Compromising with principle, looking for
common ground while staying true to your convictions and
your principles, is an art and one that Trent Lott has
practiced throughout his congressional career.
Since the foundation of our Nation, Congress has been
the workplace for many men and women who have come from
modest beginnings and who took it upon themselves to
shoulder great responsibilities. They have undertaken the
noble yet difficult work of governing in the best
interests of the American people. This has always been the
defining characteristic of our country. In Lincoln's
phrase: ``Government of the people, by the people, and for
the people.'' This year, after more than three decades of
public service in the Congress, we bid farewell to a man
who has embodied this notion.
Trent Lott from Pascagoula, MS, always took to heart his
responsibility as a representative of the State, and he
has never lost touch with his roots. We have heard
reference to his memoir, ``Herding Cats,'' which I told
him, after reading it: ``It was surprisingly good.'' He
said: ``Why were you surprised?'' I said: ``I am not going
to go there. It was surprisingly good.''
But he answered one particular critic in his memoirs by
saying: ``I ascended to the leadership of the Senate
because I was from the Magnolia State.'' I found this to
be a telling statement about a man who not only
represented his State's interests but sought to represent
its character and was literally impelled to public
service.
As we know, he served Mississippi in both the House of
Representatives and the Senate, in the majority and
minority, through the administrations of seven Presidents.
He has experienced just about everything a life in
politics has to offer--the good, the bad, and the ugly.
When his beloved home State was hit by a natural disaster
named Katrina, he made it his top priority to see that the
people of Mississippi were shepherded through the most
difficult of times. Throughout his life and service,
Senator Lott has served his home of Mississippi with
unflinching resolve. His principled and dedicated service
has earned him a national reputation as a strong leader.
His fervent desire to solve some of our Nation's biggest
problems has put him at the forefront of national
politics.
Trent has always sought to find common ground on
important legislation, and there is no doubt in my mind
his absence will be profoundly felt. But as many have
already observed, Senator Lott has paid his dues. He has
done his time. He has served his State. He served his
country. So while it is with sadness we say goodbye to a
colleague and a statesman and, most important, a friend,
it is with great joy that I wish Senator Lott the best of
luck in the next stage of his life.
Trent, thank you for everything you have done for our
country, for the Senate, this great institution, and for
everything I have learned from your example. I know you
and Tricia have a bright future ahead, and I know you
especially look forward to spending more time with your
children and grandchildren. We wish you the very best.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.
Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I rise to say a few words
about the retirement of my friend and colleague, Senator
Trent Lott. Trent has visited Colorado. However, he
complained he was kept busy and couldn't appreciate
Colorado's vistas. Now he will have time to appreciate the
great State of Colorado, and I invite him to revisit us
because he will have time.
Trent was majority leader when I came to the Senate in
1997. A large percentage of the views I have of how this
body should work and how we can best come together,
despite differences of opinions and goals, was formed
watching Trent Lott shepherd through legislation
organizing 100 competing agendas into a manageable
schedule. I have always felt we were sent here by the
people of our States to solve problems and achieve
results. I know ideas can and do vary as to what solutions
are or even what the problems are. That makes the end goal
of finding solutions most of us can agree to that much
harder and the skills required to do so much more rare.
The Senate has been lucky to have Trent in our midst as we
worked through the pressing issues of these times.
It should be noted Trent has done his work here, all the
while remaining a genuinely decent man and a true
gentleman. He is, everyone agrees, a fundamentally nice
person who enjoys the human contact and personal
relationships that come with his position. He enjoys
working on behalf of the people of Mississippi. He has
represented their interests well, and they have made it
clear they approve of his service.
Trent attended Pascagoula Junior High, which is now
called Trent Lott Middle School. He is truly an example
for future Americans to emulate. I join my colleagues in
thanking Trent and his wife Tricia for their service and
thank God for providing him to public service in the
Senate, where I personally know of his service.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.
Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I rise to pay great tribute
to Trent Lott. Similar to so many on the floor, I felt
compelled, had a great desire to come to the floor because
of my deep respect and affection for Trent. I mean that.
It is probably a great testament to Trent, given those
very deep and sincere feelings of mine, to remember how we
were introduced politically. I was running for Congress
and he endorsed my opponent. For a lot of people, it would
have meant that person would never have built a strong
working relationship with the other or it would have taken
a long time. For Trent, it took about 5 minutes. After I
won, he called me and congratulated me and explained that
my opponent was a former colleague of his and a friend and
he felt loyalty and affection for the person. But the past
was the past and the future was the future and he wanted
to build that same friendship and sense of loyalty with
me. So that was that.
It wasn't just words. He put that into action and made
it perfectly clear from the beginning he was sincere. That
is Trent. That is probably the first and one of the most
important lessons he imparted to me.
I will always feel privileged to have learned other
lessons in two particular settings. First, I was honored
to be asked to join his whip team over the last couple
years, and I did so. I have learned an enormous amount as
a member of that team. I will always remember his being
very forthcoming in asking me for advice and ideas and
what I thought about this or that, all the while paying
compliments about my insight into things. I will remember
it not because any of those compliments were true but
because it showed his spirit and effectiveness at
including people, getting the best out of them and
bringing folks together.
As a member of his whip team, I will also always
remember and appreciate his taking me under his wing and
trying to help me develop relationships and friendships
with other Senators more and, as he would put it, be able
to schmooze more effectively. I hope, Trent, you continue
your work with me as you join the private sector, because
obviously we still have a long way to go. But I appreciate
the spirit of that work.
The second setting that is so important, in terms of my
personal experience with Trent is, of course, the
experience of Katrina and dealing with that horrible
hurricane. There couldn't have been better allies in terms
of our recovery work than Trent and Thad. I will always be
deeply indebted to them for all their work on behalf of
the entire gulf coast. In south Louisiana, occasionally in
the press there would be some story or comment resentful
toward Mississippi in terms of the recovery, saying they
got this per capita and we got this; we didn't do well
enough. I would always explain that, boy, they got it
exactly wrong. Because our best allies throughout all that
horrible experience were Trent and Thad. Were it not for
them, we would not have fared nearly as well. I will be
the first to admit that. I thank them on behalf of my
State for their tireless efforts on behalf of the entire
gulf coast.
So, Trent, I join everyone in wishing you and Tricia and
your family all the best. You deserve it. I know this is
not the end of anything. It is the beginning of new great
things. I look forward to our continuing tutorials on
schmoozing and maybe even getting me to wear a seersucker
suit someday.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, those of us who come from
the South take great pride in our heritage. Part of the
heritage we are very proud of is the fact that whether it
is the State of Mississippi that sent John Stennis and
Senator Eastland to this body or whether it is my State
that sent Richard Russell and Paul Coverdell and Sam Nunn,
we are very proud of the folks we have sent to the Senate.
Come January, we are going to add the name of Trent Lott
to those great men who have represented the South in this
body.
When I think of Trent Lott, I think about something that
a lot of people probably can't relate to, but he and Thad
will directly relate to. Trent is the epitome of the
genteel southern gentleman, married to a beautiful belle
with whom he went to college.
In the fall in Oxford, MS, there is a special occasion
that takes place on football Saturday afternoons. They
have a place down there called the Grove that is unlike
any other area I have ever been to on any football
afternoon. The Grove is what one might think. It is truly
a beautiful spot with trees and green grass. All the
University of Mississippi football fans gather in the
Grove and, instead of backing up SUVs and pickup trucks
with beer kegs on the back, as we do in Athens, they pull
out silver goblets, white tablecloths, chandeliers on the
table, and they enjoy a great festive atmosphere. Trent
Lott brings that same gentility, that same mannerism of
our part of the world to the Senate.
A couple of quick personal anecdotes that somewhat
relate to that. Trent has a way of being able to look at
somebody and, whether it is trying to figure out how they
are going to vote, what they are feeling like that day or
whatever it may be, boy, he can get right to the heart of
it. I am reminded of when I was thinking about running for
the Senate back in 2002. Trent came to me in the summer of
that year. I remember this conversation like it was
yesterday.
He said: ``Look, I know they are working on you to run
for the Senate. You and I have been good friends for
several years during your House days. I don't think you
have got the fire in the belly. Unless you do, you better
not run.''
He was exactly right. About 6 months after that, he came
to me again and said: ``I have heard you speak more and
more about what you want to do, and you have the fire in
the belly. It is the time to run.''
The other anecdote I will never forget about Trent is
that during my campaign, we had a farm bill we had
finished in conference. It was a late farm bill that year.
It was in early spring 2002. I needed to be all over my
State campaigning. Unfortunately, I got stuck in
Washington for a weekend with the farm bill conference.
Trent was coming to Georgia to campaign for me. I told
him: ``Trent, I am not going to be able to go. I feel bad
about this.'' He said: ``Don't worry about it. Stay here
and do what you have to do. Julianne and I will take care
of this.''
So he went to Georgia, spent the whole day traveling
around to five different events in different parts of my
State, and drew big crowds because he was Trent Lott.
He called me up on Sunday morning when he got back and
said: ``Saxby, I got this thing figured out. I know how
you are going to win this campaign. What you need to do is
stay in Washington and let Julianne and me take care of
that campaign for you.''
Trent is one of those people whom those of us junior
Senators looked up to from day one. As I think back on my
class, Lindsey and a couple of us served in the House
together, where we got to know Trent. But whether it was
Elizabeth or Norm or Lamar or others in our class, from
day one, Trent has been one of those individuals whom we
admired so greatly because of his knowledge of the
institution, because of his ability to come to you when
you knew you were struggling with an issue. He could talk
to you for 2 minutes and all of a sudden you would feel
better about whatever it was you were struggling with.
That is the kind of person Trent Lott is and that is the
part about Trent Lott I truly am going to miss.
His office happens to be right around the corner from
mine. There is many a day we will be on the elevator
together going back after a vote. He will start picking at
me about something. He will say: ``I know you have been
worried about something. What is it?'' Invariably, again,
he is right. He has had the ability to say a couple words
that all of a sudden changed my perspective on whatever
the issue was I was struggling with.
So, Trent, we are mighty proud of you as a southerner.
We are mighty proud of you as an American. And we are
certainly mighty proud of you as a Member of this body.
You are truly going to be missed. But I treasure the last
13 years of having the privilege of serving with you in my
House days as well as my Senate days.
God bless you, and may God bless your family.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I appreciate so many of
these remarks. I would like to say a few things about
Trent.
I think Trent's strength, first, is his roots. He knows
where he came from. He knows how he was raised. He is
loyal to his constituents and his people. He loves the
people of Mississippi, and they love him. If he chose to
move to Alabama and run for the Senate, he would be a
winner there. He is well known in our State. He used to
have a television program with the three Congressmen from
that region, the ``Gulf Coast Report.'' It went for 35
years and just ended last year. He started that with
former Congressman Jack Edwards of Mobile and it had such
a tremendous following. In fact, it was front page news in
Alabama when Trent Lott announced his retirement.
Second, Trent was at the forefront of what clearly has
been a historical movement of mainstream Republican
thought in the South. It has been a trend that has been
steady and strong, and has shaped the Nation. It ended up
helping provide a Republican majority in the House and the
Senate to accomplish things that would not have been
accomplished otherwise.
I am not that much younger than Trent, but I remember
when he made that fateful decision to run for Congress as
a Republican in Mississippi. Those of us who were
following politics at that time knew his decision was an
important one. We young Republicans, throughout the South
in particular, all watched with tremendous interest to see
whether he would be successful. He and Thad both were
successful that year. It was a movement of significant
historical importance because many have followed his path.
Trent has had an incredibly wise way of dealing with
people. I remember sitting right over here, having not
been here long, and a very important bill was on the
floor. A very critical amendment was being decided, an
amendment, if it had gone the wrong way, could have
derailed the entire legislation. I had reasons to vote
against it, but I had not made up my mind. There were a
lot of reasons I could have voted against it. Some good
friends were on the other side. He sidled up to me, and
all he said was: ``Look at old Phil. This is his first big
bill on the floor. It would be a shame to see him lose
that bill.''
(Laughter.)
He did not say any more. Those simple words touched my
concerns, and I thought about them for a day and a half
before I decided to vote with Phil and Trent. He had a
gift to sense your concerns, to know where Members were.
I will mention two other things I think were of
historical importance.
We could not agree on how to handle the impeachment.
Trent was the leader of the Senate. The Senate was
supposed to try the House charge of impeachment. The Chief
Justice who sat back here off the floor was asked: ``What
procedures shall we use, Mr. Chief Justice?'' He leaned
back in his chair and said: ``Well, it is the Senate's job
to figure out how to conduct the impeachment trial. That
is what the Constitution says. It is your problem, not
mine.'' And still we could not agree.
Trent thought and worried and did everything he could
possibly do to reach an agreement on procedure. That
agreement could not be reached, so he took an
unprecedented step of calling the Senate together in the
Old Senate Chamber. Do you remember that? That is when we
had, what Trent called, the great epiphany when Ted
Kennedy and Phil Gramm spoke up and an agreement was
reached. We did not embarrass the Senate. We did our duty.
We followed through successfully. We met the
constitutional responsibility we had. He was creative in
trying to impress on us the importance of reaching that
decision.
I can think of another one from the Republican side. In
our movement in 2001 to reduce taxes the vote was close,
with every single vote critical. Senator Domenici was the
Budget chairman at that time, and I believe the critical
vote was over the budget reconciliation. Trent called a
meeting of the Republicans in the Senate Chaplain's
Office.
(Laughter.)
The room has a high arched ceiling--so I guess we had a
prayer meeting up there. You could look down the Mall and
see the Washington Monument. Such a location had never
been used before or since. There were a couple of votes
Trent had to have. He knew he could count votes. Maybe
there was just one vote he had to have. So that meeting
was orchestrated carefully, and it worked. Our tax cuts
passed, with every vote crucial and ultimately on the
floor the vote was a 50-50 tie, with the Vice President
breaking the tie. For 10 years, however, we will have had
tremendous tax relief for Americans. It has surged our
economy.
Without a truly skilled leader in both those instances,
this Senate could have gone the other way and the history
of our country could have turned out quite differently.
I have enjoyed my friendship with Trent Lott and Tricia.
I think he is a fabulous leader who has done remarkable
things for our country. It has been an honor to serve with
him.
If you come to Alabama, you can have my Senate seat,
Trent.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
Mr. ISAKSON. Trent, this is the time, on an occasion
like this, where somebody always rises and says: Whatever
could be said about this subject has been said, it is just
that everybody has not said it yet. But in this case, it
is not true. We have only been talking for 2 hours 7
minutes. It would take a lot longer than 2 hours 7 minutes
to say all the things that could be said about your
distinguished career.
But there are two things I wish to say, the two most
powerful words in the English language: Thank you--first,
on behalf of the late Paul Coverdell and his lovely wife
Nancy.
I will never forget in March 1993 meeting Paul--as I had
for 20 years, as I led the Georgia House and he led the
Georgia Senate--at the International House of Pancakes in
Buckhead at 7 a.m., his first time back in Georgia after
being sworn in. I had him tell me about the place known as
the Senate. All he could talk about was Trent Lott. He
said: ``Johnny, Trent Lott has the two l's. He can
legislate and he can lead.''
So on behalf of Paul, whose legislation--the Coverdell
Education Act, and many other things--was done here, thank
you for what you did for him. I know you always have
shared with me how much you appreciate what ``Mikey'' did
for you.
But, second, Trent, thank you on my behalf. If every one
of us in this room stood up and thought about it, we could
take a specific incident that in our career has been
accomplished that would not have happened were it not for
your insight, your leadership, and your commitment.
For me, it was the pension bill last year and the
pensions of 91,000 Delta employees in Georgia. We got down
to the lick log, as they say in Georgia, on the last day,
in the last hour before the August recess. Bankruptcy was
pending, and it was almost over. Thanks to your tenacity
on Finance and your care and your willingness to be able
to do what you did, that legislation passed. I got the
credit, but the benefit belongs to you.
Thank you for what you have done for all of us.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to my
friend, my encourager, my mentor. Mae West once said:
``Marriage is a fine institution, but I am not ready yet
for an institution.''
Reflecting on the comments of my colleague from Georgia,
I think when we get here, I don't know how many of us are
ready for the institution. What I had--and what I know my
other colleagues had--in Trent Lott was somebody who put
his arm around you. He shared with you the importance of
your word is your bond, the importance of family--more
than things you can read in a rules manual or a procedural
manual but the history of the heart and the soul of the
institution, embodied by my friend and my encourager,
Trent Lott.
This Chamber has been home to some of the great
statesmen in American history. I say this not with
hyperbole or superlatives, but I say it as a matter of
established fact: that among the great statesmen in the
history of this country, one is sitting in this Chamber
today, who will move on to do other great things, I am
sure.
Similar to me, he governs from the bank of the
Mississippi. It is a little colder where I come from, the
State I represent. But he is an outstanding representative
of the Heartland, the heart and soul of America.
On my way to the Senate complex, as I walk through, I
sometimes stop and take a look at the words that are
written in one of the office buildings by Everett McKinley
Dirksen. I wish to read these words because this is
inscribed on the wall: ``His unerring sense of the
possible that enabled him to know when to compromise; by
such men are our freedoms retained.'' Such a tribute
belongs to Trent Lott.
Freedom requires that we all express our views strongly
and to do that on the floor. But in the end, you need
those who can knit together, who can craft legislation. We
all have stories of being in Trent's presence and watching
him do that. He truly is today's current master of the
Senate. He understands the art of what it takes to get
things done.
Some of us have said the worst sin in politics is not
knowing how to count. If that is the case, then Trent is
pure as the driven snow because he knows how to count. And
not only knowing how to count, what he does is use that in
a way to kind of guide us to ultimately get things done.
That is what it is about.
I believe what we are suffering from in this country
today is a deep partisan divide. So the American public
looks at and wonders about our ability to do what we have
been elected to do. If there is somebody today who has the
antidote to that infection, it is Trent Lott. Because in
the end, that is what he strives to do.
We all have our stories. I served on the Conference
Committee on Homeland Security to reshape the way in which
we do intelligence, to look at somehow getting rid of the
silos that were problematic on 9/11 that the 9/11
Commission talked about, and to figure out a way to put
together a system of gathering intelligence which works
together, is seamless.
I watched time and again, when it seemed like we were
not going to get it done--and it was not, by the way,
partisan; it was not just Democrat versus Republican;
sometimes it was House versus Senate--and I can tell you,
almost every time, on every occasion--and Chairman Collins
could tell you the same thing, and Ranking Member
Lieberman could tell you the same thing--at the moment you
needed that, where it seemed like it was not going to get
done, the voice that arose was the gentleman from
Pascagoula, the Senator from Mississippi, who would offer
a little something that would kind of pull us back
together and move us forward. In the end, we passed the
bill. The Nation is better for it.
I had the opportunity earlier this year to be honored
with Senator Lott by the Ripon Society, with the Theodore
Roosevelt Rough Rider Award. That is, by the way, the
progressive wing of the Republican Party. Trent got up
there, when he received his honor, and said: ``Before I
got here, I used to be called a conservative.''
He is still a conservative, a principled conservative.
But the reason he was recognized by the Ripon Society--and
I think by folks regardless of what side of the aisle they
are on, what side of the political spectrum they are on--
is because of his incredible ability to find common
ground, to pull people together.
In Minnesota, we all know of the Scandinavian who loved
his wife so much he almost told her. There are many in
this institution who care so much they almost get
something done. But Trent Lott is one of those who both
cares so much and he gets things done.
I thank the Lott family for sharing him with our Nation.
I know the foundation of Trent's service is commitment to
freedom, to faith, and to family. That is about as solid a
foundation as one could have. That is something this
first-term Senator has seen, has appreciated, and carries
in his heart.
I thank him for his lifetime of service to all
Americans. I ask that God continue to bless Trent, Tricia,
and the Lott family.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, there are others seeking to
be recognized and I shall be brief. But I think of my good
friend in many ways, not the least of which, we are two
Senators who stood in the well in kilts with our knobby
knees showing and voted--to the astonishment of all our
colleagues.
You have helped me through the years in many ways,
particularly on the defense bill. You have served on the
committee. When that bill was dogged, disparaged, cast
aside, you always were there to bring it back, sometimes
six or seven times in the course of the spring, until we
were able to pass it, always, always being guided by your
heart and your concern for the men and women who wear the
uniforms and their families.
But I wish to speak of you in a very personal way. We
had our differences in elections. Like Bob Bennett, I was
on the Alan Simpson team. I remember sitting in your
office discussing that and voting for Simpson. You won,
but you never held it against me or Bob or others. That is
the way you managed this institution.
But I think back on my own career, insignificant as it
is, and I reflect on the fact that I have been privileged
to serve with 271 Senators in the 29 years that I have
been privileged to serve. My dear friend Thad Cochran and
I have that record together as we came to the Senate in
fall 1968.
What I didn't know about the Senate--and surprisingly, I
had the opportunity as Secretary of the Navy to come here
for 5 years and testify many times and to come and respond
to the calls of Members who, for whatever reason, wanted
to talk to the Secretary about their particular problems--
I never realized how all-consuming this body would be in
terms of it becomes your family, they are your friends,
and those bonds continuously grow year after year. When
one Member is celebrating exhilaration, accomplishments,
be they on the floor of the Senate or be they in private
life or whatever the case may be--winning an election, as
Thad and I have done five consecutive times--you share
those moments. But you also share the moments when a
Member is faced with despair.
They often say the fall may be painful, but the road
back is doubly challenging. I have watched you in those
situations, and the strength that you and your lovely wife
exhibited has been instilled in me. I pray to God that I
never face some of the challenges that faced you: the
devastation brought to your State, your graceful step down
from the leadership, and your comeback, your magnificent
and courageous restoration of your career in full--I say
to you, Senator--in full. You made a tough decision, as I
have done, not to return to this body and to our dear
friends, but you did it on solid ground, and all of us
join in our hopes that in your next challenge in life, you
will make a contribution to this country you love, to the
State you love, and to the Senate you love. Thank you for
your friendship.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida is
recognized.
Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, this statement comes from
the back row but no less love from us back benchers. Let
me tell you the Senate career that, for me, now completes
3 years has known no better friend than Trent Lott. I have
certainly appreciated your willingness to mentor me. I was
astonished to hear that Bob Bennett considered you a
mentor. I thought you did that for those of us who have
just gotten here but, frankly, it looks as though you
mentored about everybody in the Senate. So I consider
myself very fortunate.
I think back to when we first met. I was first here in
Washington as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development,
and Trent was the leader, the Republican leader of the
Senate. We had occasion to meet, and shortly thereafter we
were building a Habitat for Humanity house on a cold day,
much like today, and I got the opportunity to know him on
a more personal level and got to know Tricia as well. That
has only endured and continued. I also very much
appreciated you shepherding my nomination as HUD Secretary
through the Senate, which I know was no easy feat, but you
have my gratitude, in fact, then and now.
But, to me, as I look at my short career in the Senate,
there was no issue that punctuates my time more than the
very divisive issue of immigration. You didn't need to get
involved in that--you really didn't. I know a lot of
people in Mississippi probably wish you hadn't. The fact
is, you saw a problem that needed solving. I remember you
saying: ``Is there a problem?'' In fact, there was. And
does this bill improve the situation from what it is
today? And you said that it did, which I agreed with. Then
you went on about trying to solve the problem, which is a
quality that I greatly admire. You were moving the ball
forward. You were trying to do what in your heart you felt
was best for the Nation and something that would, in fact,
move the ball forward and get it done. So you courageously
worked, I know, sometimes against the grain. But I, for
one, would rather have no one in a foxhole than Trent Lott
during difficult times when they are lobbing them in at
you.
So I very much appreciated the fact that you taught me a
great deal in that difficult time, but also throughout my
time in the Senate. I very much thank you for taking an
interest in me and in my career, and I very much thank you
for what you have done for our Nation and for your State.
As I look forward, my Senate career will be diminished
by not having the opportunity to continue to work and
learn from you, but I am grateful for the time I have had
and what I have learned by your side. Thank you very much
for your service and all the best to you and Tricia.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico is
recognized.
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, let me first say of Senator
Lott I must make a slight confession. You know I am
leaving next year, and one of the reasons I am leaving is
because I have an ailment that has an impact on my brain.
I say that in all honesty. I already told the whole world
that. The point of that is I have difficulty remembering
some things. I still am a pretty good Senator, so nobody
is fighting about that. I just know that you and I have
gone through some incredible legal situations, legislative
situations, and I am trying to pull them up now in the
next few minutes just to share them with you and to share
them with everybody here.
I have been here 36 years, which is a little bit longer
than Trent, and that is six elections. You must know that
I was in the middle of a lot of things or I couldn't have
been here 36 years. I am not a back bencher or an under
the tabler. I am where the action is, and I lucked out on
the committee that did a lot of exciting things.
One of the things Trent Lott has taught me about
leadership is that it is quiet. It takes place without you
knowing it is happening. That is what you did. When we had
to put together the votes for the balanced budget and for
the reconciliation tax bill, which was one of the most
monumental acts, and we had to use that Budget Act drafted
by the distinguished Senator Byrd and he didn't quite
think we would be able to use it the way we did, and we
had that battle and we won that on a vote, then we were
using it to reconcile tax cuts for America. It is hard to
explain, when you would get everybody around and then you
would say: ``We are almost there, but we are not there.
And here I am, I have been working on it forever, and we
have this very unique process, and we just have to get the
votes. We can't come back a second time on this kind of
thing. We will get killed. It has to go right now.'' He
would say we are one vote short or two, and you just knew
that it was going to happen. He knew what was there, and
when he would tell us to go, we would go, and sure enough,
that is how it happened.
So I have had all kinds of situations, from the huge
balanced budget, to--I remember when we reformed welfare.
Many of these things came from the budget process, the way
I used it on behalf of the Senate. We put in the numbers
so that you couldn't avoid--if you did the welfare reform,
you would get the protection of the budget. And I can
remember that was an exciting day because it all of a
sudden became bipartisan.
Do you recall, Trent, that it didn't end up with just
us; it was them. They came to the party, and so ultimately
did the President. It was one great big party. But it was
also, in the end, absolutely imperative that we had the
reconciliation instruction that came with it that Senator
Lott--he wouldn't fuss with me. He wouldn't ask me to
prove it. He would just say: ``Is that the way it is?'' I
would tell him yes. And he said: ``Well, that is what we
will do.''
It was just terrific to be a chairman of important
matters and have a leader like Trent who would say: ``If
that is what it takes, that is what we are going to do.''
We didn't redo it or rethink it because it got tough. Many
times the path I chose was probably the harder one. He
would say: ``If that is the way we are going to do it, we
are going to do it.'' It was rather terrific to be part of
a team like that.
Now, I want to tell you, it works both ways because
Trent Lott was on the opposite side of something very
important when he was over in the House. We did a Social
Security change here to permanently fix Social Security--
we thought--and Trent--we heard from over in the House
that the rocks and the stones weren't coming from the
Democrats.
We said: ``Where are they coming from?''
They said: ``They are coming from Trent Lott.''
I said: ``Well, maybe I have to go over there and talk
with him.''
Then I said: ``Well, maybe I won't. Maybe I will just
let him stew.''
It was something Reagan was for and we were for, but his
little team wasn't for. I think they were right. I think
we made a mistake. But we didn't do that. We didn't get it
done. Do you remember, Trent? It died. You were over there
and, clearly, you knew what you were doing, and I don't
think you liked it very much because it was Republicans
against Republicans.
But we did get back together, and for the one angst we
had many memorable pluses that are just terrific when it
comes to thinking back on the life of the Senator over a
complicated, tough period of time, when we learned how to
use a Budget Act for innumerable things. In fact, the
Budget Act was used, over a period of 16 years, by me, as
chairman, with my staff, as an instrument beyond which
anybody ever thought it would be used. It changed how we
functioned as a Senate because it permitted us to do
things through the reconciliation process that were
absolutely impossible without that act.
Then we got around to the balanced budget. That was the
big monster event of our time. We had to get that done,
and we got it done, sure enough, by reconciliation
instruction that was really gigantic, and then sitting
down in a little room that I use over here that I call my
hideaway. I hope somebody puts a sign on it after I leave
because that little room was the room wherein we
negotiated, four people negotiated the balanced budget.
Trent was the guy who would come in every now and then
to see if we were making headway and see if we needed
help. It was Speaker Gingrich, myself, and somebody from
the White House. Sure enough, when we were through, he was
right there by our side, having participated as if he
really knew what the budget was all about. He could put on
a terrific face. He didn't have any knowledge of what I
was doing in there, but he just asked: ``Is it going all
right?''
``Yes, all right. Is it going all right? Fine.'' Then he
would walk out and have a terrific press conference. They
would all think he really knew what this budget was about.
I mean, I have to admit, you don't have to tell him very
much. We were still a long way from getting there, and he
would walk out and say: ``They are making great headway.
This is really moving ahead.''
I would go home after having not slept for 2 weeks, and
I would be worried that he shouldn't be saying that
because we were so far apart, and all he would say is:
``Don't worry. Just give them a little bit of optimism; we
have to keep them alive a little bit.''
I close by saying, Trent, I know what it is to sacrifice
to be a Senator. I did that. I came here, believe it or
not, with my eight children--and I am going to just
mention it once because you had it a little bit better,
not much--but the pay was about $38,000 with eight
children, and we couldn't find a way to change the pay
because we were scared to. That is the kind of suffering
we went through. Trent did the same in his early days.
When he and his wife came here, the Senate had decided for
a number of years that we did not want to pay ourselves a
salary, which is one of the worst things we did. A
democracy should not do that. We must pay people for these
important jobs.
That wasn't what kept him going. He loved the place, and
his family loved it, it is obvious. His son was ambitious
and rambunctious, wanting to get ahead, and he did get
ahead. He was able to do that while his dad served here,
and that is truly to their betterment and a compliment.
I say thanks for the sacrifice for serving us, for
serving in the Senate, and for serving our Nation. It is
important you are leaving at a time when you are strong
and have a lot of energy left. That means you will have a
second life and you will say to me what James Baker has
said at least 10 times. He said: ``Domenici, there is life
after the Senate.'' And I say that to you: ``May that life
be as good as the Senate or better, and may your family
enjoy it as much as they have enjoyed the Senate, and may
it be successful for all of them.''
I yield the floor.
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I rise today to honor my
friend from Mississippi, Senator Trent Lott. Trent and I
have been friends since my first year in the House in
1987.
He was the minority whip in the House during my first
year in Washington, DC. Now that we are in the Senate
together, 20 years later he is my minority whip again.
Trent and I have enjoyed our time together on Wednesday
afternoons in Chowder and Marching. My wife Mary and I
have enjoyed spending time with Trent and his lovely wife
Trish. Trent and Trish are college sweethearts and two of
the great warming personalities in our Senate family.
We are proud that members of the Lott family call
Kentucky home. Trent and Trish often come to the Bluegrass
State to see their son Chet and his family.
He has served the people of Mississippi well for over 30
years. After the devastation of Katrina, the gulf coast
region had no stronger advocate than Senator Lott.
Trent has risen from humble roots in his beloved
Pascagoula to one of the top leaders in Congress. I know
his family and the people of Mississippi are proud to call
him one of their own.
Mr. President, I would like to thank Trent for his
contributions to the Senate and wish him and his family
well as they open a new chapter in their lives.
Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a dear
friend and colleague here in the Senate whom I have served
with in this body as long as I have been in the Senate.
Over the course of his 35 years in Congress, Senator Trent
Lott has developed a reputation for strong leadership, a
bipartisan approach to legislating, and an unwavering
commitment to Republican ideals and values. As you know,
he is the only Senator to have served as whip in both the
House of Representatives and the Senate, and it was under
his watch as a younger legislator that our Nation saw
significant economic recovery and increased national
security in the 1980s that had the support of those on
both sides of the aisle. Over the years, from my time in
the House of Representatives to my time here in the
Senate, I have looked to Trent for collaborative examples
of how to accomplish important, conservative goals such as
tax reform, support for our military, and health care
transformation, to name just a few. He has gained a
remarkable, lasting reputation for being able to bring
competing interests to the table, to work out successful
answers to policy challenges--a quality that is in
increasing deficit here in Congress these days. Trent has
committed his congressional service to Mississippians to
furthering policies that stand for America: a strong
national defense, responsible and fair tax policies that
encourage economic growth, and health care that puts
patient needs above government mandates. I am especially
heartened that Trent remains unequivocal in his belief in
second amendment rights.
Trent and I have worked together over the past few years
on the Finance Committee, and I have been pleased to have
his support on legislation that we have moved through the
committee, legislation that advocates tax policies that do
not penalize Americans for saving or investing. Trent
understands that tax structures that favor small business
investments, individual saving and investing, and a
financial services system unburdened by onerous
regulations are critical keys to a healthy economy for the
United States, one that translates into a more stable
global economy.
I have been pleased to host Trent when he has come to
Idaho, and I have had the pleasure of visiting the great
State of Mississippi. Trent's retirement from the Senate,
while in his best interest and in the interest of his
family, will be a loss for the Senate and the promotion of
conservative values here in Congress.
Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a man who
is my close friend but who, more important, is an American
patriot and statesman.
Today we pay tribute to Trent Lott, whom many, including
myself, consider an institution within this great
institution.
I have known Trent for a number of years. He has served
as an able and well-accomplished leader, a great
Republican whip, and a distinguished Congressman and
Senator from the State of Mississippi. A man of impeccable
character, Trent always shows the utmost respect for his
colleagues and for Congress itself, always putting the
interests of the country before his own. Trent Lott has a
leadership style that I personally admire and I believe
often went underappreciated. He loves this institution,
and we respect him for that.
During his tenure in Congress, Trent has been a
legislative warrior fighting for commonsense solutions to
our country's most difficult challenges. He does not seek
credit for his achievements--they are too numerous to
list--even though he has been instrumental in shaping our
great democracy.
Trent Lott is a modest and honest man who has made the
United States a better place from where it was when he
first took the oath to serve in Congress decades ago. He
is a true gentleman, and I have no doubt that his
impressive legacy will live on for generations to come.
God bless Trent Lott and his beautiful family. Your
service to this great Nation will certainly be missed but
will never be forgotten.
Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President. I rise today to celebrate the
career of Senator Trent Lott--an accomplished leader, a
great American, and a true friend. Trent has spent more
than three decades in Congress tirelessly fighting for a
State and a people he dearly loves.
Trent's path in life has followed closely that of the
great American story. His humble beginnings, as the son of
a hard-working teacher and pipefitter, established the
foundation to value an honest day's work. These principles
have remained ingrained in Trent's heart throughout his
historic rise to the Senate.
In his more than 30 years in Congress, Trent has earned
an immense amount of respect among his peers. Easily said,
he knows all the ins and outs. While there are many things
we can all learn from his legacy, the most notable of all
is the power of compromise. Senator Lott has proved to
every one of us the impact reaching across the aisle can
have on this country. It seems simpler these days to say
``I am a Republican'' or ``I am a Democrat'' and to leave
it at that, but for Trent Lott reaching across the aisle
and working with others has led to results.
Trent has shown all of us that we share the commonality
of serving the American people in the Congress. We are
here to make the best decisions we can for our country and
its people, and bipartisan solutions are a vital component
to the legislative process.
When looking back at Senator Lott's accomplishments, the
list is long and distinguished. In the areas of foreign
policy and national defense, Senator Lott has been a
strong supporter of our armed services, stationed both
domestically and abroad. He has fought hard for the
security of our Nation and the protection of our
servicemen and women. Likewise, he has not forgotten the
commitment our veterans have made to this country and has
upheld what he knows is our responsibility to support our
veterans at every opportunity.
As a public servant, my colleague has fought strongly to
keep government off the backs of the American worker and
set the stage for the Republican revolution through the
pro-growth gang the Five Amigos. Alongside Congressman
Jack Kemp, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Senator Connie
Mack, and Congressman Vin Weber, Trent advocated President
Reagan's approach to politics, tax cuts to promote
economic growth for everyone in America.
Never far from his mind is his beloved home State of
Mississippi, the sparkle in his eye. He has stood by the
people of his State with unwavering devotion. When the
people of his State were devastated by Hurricane Katrina,
Senator Lott shared their pain with his own family's loss
and jumped into action. He dedicated his efforts to secure
disaster relief and restoration construction.
Senator Lott has recognized the importance education
plays in developing tomorrow's leaders and has been a
staunch advocate of improving the education system in
Mississippi. Over the past few years, Senator Lott has
sent several excess Senate computers to public schools in
Mississippi in an effort to increase their students'
access to the vast amount of information in the 21st
century. His commitment to education in his State will be
enjoyed for years to come.
I have had the great privilege of working with Senator
Lott on a variety of issues. During my years in the House
of Representatives, I remember when, as the Senate
majority leader, Trent worked tirelessly to help pass the
landmark welfare reform bill of 1996, such a monumental
piece of legislation that it is already receiving
history's praise.
It has been a pleasure to work with him in Senate
Republican leadership and to serve alongside him on both
the Commerce and Finance Committees. Last year, on the
Commerce Committee, Trent and I worked together to
establish broad video franchising reform. This year, as a
member of the Finance Committee, Senator Lott has been a
very strong advocate for enacting permanent tax relief
without increasing other taxes.
There can be no question that Senator Lott is a man of
results; his remarkable list of achievements illustrates
this very point. But it is important to highlight that
Trent does not overpromise. He will tell you just as
straight as he can, ``I'll be with you until I can't be
with you anymore.''
Senator Lott stands among few men in this world; a
promise isn't simply a word to him, it is a commitment to
make good on a pledge. Trent carries around a small
notebook in which he records every promise made to him or
by him. Senator Lott is a man of his word who will hold
you to yours.
For the 7 years I have been in the Senate, I have been
in a small group with Trent who have met to pray together
and to share each other's burdens. I have seen him on the
highest mountain and the lowest valley. Through it all he
sought his Lord for wisdom, comfort, and strength.
On a personal level I will miss serving alongside my
friend. But I know wherever this life leads you, I am
certain the Lord will bless both you and your incredible
wife Trish. I also know you will bless those whose paths
you will cross.
As his role as a Senator nears an end, I ask that we
remember Senator Lott's legacy to this country, his State,
and its people. Senator Lott, I wish you and your family
the best of luck. It has been a privilege to serve
alongside you in the Senate.
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, as we come together for this
last week of legislative activity before we adjourn for
2007, I appreciate having this opportunity to join my
colleagues in expressing our appreciation for the many
contributions to the Congress that have been made by one
of our colleagues who will soon be retiring. We have heard
many great speeches, seen a lot of passion and emotion--
all well-deserved and heartfelt.
Trent Lott, who has a well-earned reputation as a hard
worker and great fighter for the people of Mississippi,
has announced that he will be leaving the Senate so he can
spend more time with his family. Although I understand the
reasons for his departure, I know I will miss him and his
presence and active participation in our work and the day
to day life of the Senate.
Trent's story begins in a town called Pascagoula in
Mississippi. It is where he was raised and it is the place
he still calls home. His dad worked in the shipyards and
his mother was a teacher. Together they taught him the
great lessons of life, and when he left for college he was
already showing the presence of the leadership qualities
that would someday help to lead him to a career in
politics.
Trent enjoyed his school years and after a year of law
practice, Trent got a job with Congressman William Colmer,
who was from his hometown. When Congressman Colmer retired
after 40 years in the House, he encouraged and endorsed
Trent as Trent ran for and won his seat.
I have often heard it said that the great formula for
success is preparedness plus opportunity. I know that
Trent believes it too, which is why when the opportunity
came for Trent to run for the House, he was fully prepared
and that ultimately led to his success. He then served in
the House from 1973 until his election to the Senate in
1988.
Here in the Senate, Trent has compiled a remarkable
record of achievements because he understands the
importance of working together to reach common goals. I
have a similar rule I have often put into practice during
my service in the State legislature and here in the
Senate. I call it my 80/20 rule. Simply put, it means we
can agree on 80 percent of every issue. It is the other 20
percent that can sometimes throw us off track and prevent
a solution to the issue at hand. If we are going to make
any progress, the key to success is to focus on that 80
percent and not allow ourselves to get sidetracked.
Trent fully understands that principle and he has put it
into effect throughout his political career. Whenever he
was working on an issue he knew that it was better to walk
away with half a loaf than wind up with nothing. He knew
that, with half a loaf in hand, he could always work on
negotiating for the other half sometime later on down the
road.
That spirit of cooperation and compromise has been
Trent's hallmark and his guiding philosophy during his
service in the House and Senate. That is why he was able
to get so much done for his State.
There is no doubt that the people of Mississippi love
Trent and they greatly appreciate how hard he has been
working for their best interests. That is why they kept
sending him back to Washington after every election.
I will never forget when I was running for reelection in
2002 and Trent came to Wyoming with his wife Tricia to
help. He was a big hit and he received an enthusiastic
response everywhere we went. It made a big difference to
me to know that our leader in the Senate was willing to
take the time to help a fellow Republican who was up for
election.
I wasn't the only one, of course. Whenever Trent saw an
opportunity to help one of our nominees, he was always
there to lend his support and provide whatever was needed
to increase our chance for success.
Trent has been very fortunate in his life, but nowhere
has he done better than in his choice of a spouse. The old
adage is true. He and I both ``over-married'' and our
lives have been blessed with the presence of a spouse who
makes it possible for us to do everything we need to do as
Senators. Without them, our lives and our jobs would be
impossible.
Now Trent has decided to leave the Senate and pursue
another adventure in his life. He will be greatly missed
and, after more than 30 years of fighting for the people
of Mississippi, he will be very difficult to replace.
Trent will always be remembered as someone who had a
talent for putting together agreements so that everyone
came out a winner. He has been in more battles than I can
count on the floor and in committee and through it all he
has always stood up and fought for the things he believes
in, like keeping our taxes low and providing a strong
defense to keep us safe and free from harm.
In his statement about his retirement, Trent reminded us
of the Bible passage that tells us that everything has its
own time, everything has its own season. For Trent, this
will be a time of great change and the beginning of
another new season in his life. One thing that won't
change, however, will be Trent's continued service to God
and the country he loves.
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I join my Senate colleagues
in wishing Senator Trent Lott well as he leaves the
Senate. I have known Senator Lott since I arrived here in
1993, and he has always been a model of civility, and
someone whose word you can rely on. While we don't have a
great deal in common politically, we still have worked
together on important issues like media concentration and
527 reform. One of the best things about working in the
Senate is finding ways to reach across the aisle and work
together, and I am pleased that Senator Lott and I could
find that common ground. I think that is what the American
people want us to do, and it is something that Trent Lott
has always done very well. It was a pleasure from time to
time to be on the same side as Senator Lott. He is an
effective and tenacious legislator, and I think we both
enjoyed the strange bedfellows aspect of our work
together. I particularly enjoyed appearing before the
Rules Committee when Senator Lott was its chairman.
Senator Lott has given so much of his life to public
service, serving 35 years in Congress, in a number of
different leadership posts. I have appreciated his
willingness to work together on a number of issues, and I
have appreciated what a fair and courteous colleague he
has been. I know that the people of Mississippi will miss
his leadership, as will so many in this body. I wish him
all the best as he leaves the Senate and returns to
private life.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I rise today to
congratulate my friend, Senator Trent Lott, on his 35
years of service to the people of Mississippi in both
Houses of Congress, and also to wish him well as he leaves
the Senate, and begins the next chapter of his incredible
life.
Senator Lott was born in Grenada, MS, in 1941. His
father was a shipyard worker, and his mother was a
schoolteacher. He went to the University of Mississippi in
Oxford, where he earned an undergraduate degree in public
administration, and a law degree.
After finishing his education, he went to work for his
local Congressman, William Colmer, for 4 years. When
Congressman Colmer announced his retirement in 1972, he
endorsed Trent Lott as his successor--even though Colmer
was a Democrat, and Lott ran as a Republican. Trent Lott
won that election. And he was reelected to Congress seven
times.
As a Congressman, Trent Lott had a major, positive
impact on his colleagues, and also on the economic
vitality of America. After the 1980 election, he was
elected to serve as House minority whip, and he became the
first southern Republican to ever hold that position.
Counting votes, building coalitions, and moving
legislation were things he seemed born to do, and he
genuinely enjoyed the process. In 1981, he helped forge
the bipartisan alliance that enacted President Ronald
Reagan's historic, across-the-board tax cuts.
Those tax cuts have been extremely successful. Since
they went into full effect, the U.S. economy has almost
quintupled in size, the Dow Jones has surged from less
than 1,000 to over 13,000, and a wave of revolutionary
technologies, including cell phones and the Internet, have
strengthened America's position in the global marketplace.
In 1988, Trent Lott ran for, and won, a seat in the U.S.
Senate. Since he arrived, Trent has earned strong marks
from the people of Mississippi, and they have reelected
him to the Senate three times.
Senator Lott has never forgotten the needs and concerns
of his constituents. I know about his compassion,
dedication, and hard work because I have seen it first
hand.
In 2005, as we all know, Senator Lott's house was
destroyed by Hurricane Katrina--a storm that created so
much destruction throughout the gulf coast.
Since then, Senator Lott--along with his partner from
Mississippi, Senator Cochran--have helped lead the fight
to make sure that Washington meets its obligations to the
people of the Gulf Coast States, who are rebuilding still
today. His commitment during this time is a good part of
why he decided to run for reelection.
Throughout his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Trent Lott has
demonstrated tremendous leadership ability.
After the 1994 election, he was elected Senate
Republican whip, and in 1996, he succeeded another Senate
legend, Bob Dole, as Republican leader.
During the next 6 years, Senator Lott was a strong
leader for several pieces of legislation that improved
life in America in a wide variety of ways.
First and foremost was the landmark welfare reform bill
of 1996.
The next year, Senator Lott worked to produce a
bipartisan agreement that cut taxes, cut spending, and
most important, balanced the Federal budget for the first
time in almost 30 years.
Then, in 2001, Senator Lott led the fight for President
Bush's tax cut package. Combined with the tax cuts that
followed in 2003, lower taxes have once again recharged
America's economy, even as the global economy grows more
competitive.
Since 2003, we have created 8.3 million jobs, which is
more jobs than all the other major industrialized
countries in the world combined. The economic growth
caused by those tax cuts has also led to record tax
revenue. Federal tax receipts are up more than 37 percent
over the past 3 years. This has enabled us to cut the
budget deficit in half, and if trends continue, we will be
able to eliminate the deficit as soon as 2012.
During recent years, Senator Lott has also taken a
leadership role on other issues, including improving
education and strengthening homeland security. In fact, he
brokered the compromise that created the Department of
Homeland Security. He was also instrumental in passing the
Rail Security Act.
Senator Lott's ability to round up votes and get results
is clear for anyone to see. That is why his Republican
colleagues elected him assistant Republican leader again
last year.
I have had the privilege to serve with Senator Lott as a
member of the Republican leadership and have watched him
affect the outcome of every major piece of legislation
that has gone before Congress.
Last month, when Senator Lott announced his intent to
resign from the Senate, I was saddened--like all of my
colleagues--to hear of his plans. However, like all of my
colleagues, I also understand his desire to have time for
himself and his family. After 35 years of public service,
he deserves that and more.
America is a better place--and has a brighter future--
because of Trent Lott.
I wish Trent and Tricia, and their family all the best
in the future.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, as this session of the
Senate draws to a close, I want to say thanks and farewell
to one of our most dedicated Members, Senator Trent Lott
of Mississippi, and to wish him all the best in the next
phase of his life.
In his 35 years of service as a Member of both the House
and the Senate, Trent Lott has consistently demonstrated
his deep commitment to our Nation and to his State. His
amazing understanding of intricate Senate rules and
procedures has guided us through many challenges. His
outstanding work as our Republican whip has strengthened
our caucus and our two-party system.
I have had the privilege of working with Senator Lott on
two issues of paramount importance to the safety and
security of our Nation. Like me, he comes from a
shipbuilding State and he fully understands how essential
seapower is to preserving our freedom. We have worked
together to strengthen our Navy and to pursue a dual-
shipyard strategy because it is in the best interests of
America.
As a leader of the Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs Committee, I had the opportunity to work closely
with Senator Lott during our investigation of the response
to Hurricane Katrina. His knowledge of the gulf region was
invaluable, and his compassion for the victims of that
disaster was inspiring. Although his own home was
destroyed by the storm, Senator Lott was on the front
lines from the start, directing resources where they were
most needed and helping cut through the red tape. Before
Katrina hit, he had planned to step down from the Senate
last year, but with the needs so great and with a
contribution yet to make, he instead ran again so that he
could continue to serve at a time when his experience and
dedication were most needed.
Although Maine and Mississippi are separated by great
distance, both are rural States facing similar challenges,
and I have always found Senator Lott a strong ally in
meeting them. I was especially pleased to cosponsor his
Amtrak reauthorization bill, which recognized that the
benefits of modern rail service must be made available to
all States and to all of the American people.
Last April, I had the honor, at Senator Lott's
invitation, of addressing students at his beloved
University of Mississippi. Specifically, I addressed
students at Ole Miss's Trent Lott Leadership Institute, a
designation made in honor of his commitment to public
service. It is a commitment that has greatly benefited our
Nation, and it is the legacy for which Senator Trent Lott
will always be remembered.
Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, it is with sadness and
affection that I note the imminent departure from the
Senate of my dear friend and distinguished colleague Trent
Lott of Mississippi. Trent and I came to the Senate
together almost 20 years ago. Over that time, I have come
to respect Trent's leadership abilities, but most of all I
have treasured his friendship and counsel.
Trent and I come from different places but we share a
deep love for our country and a deep respect and
appreciation for this institution in which we have been
privileged to serve. Trent not only represented his
beloved home State, but he became a national leader
because his colleagues recognized that he had
extraordinary abilities to make this institution work.
Like all successful and effective Senators, Trent
understood that for this institution to work for the
American people, the 100 Members of this body must find a
way to cooperate despite the differences in region,
ideology, party, and even personality. Trent had a seventh
sense of what motivated his colleagues and how they might
approach an issue that was before the Senate. Sometimes it
was uncanny how prescient Trent could be about the outcome
of a particular vote on the Senate floor. He understood
that one could compromise in order to achieve results
without compromising core principles.
Yes, Trent was a conservative Republican partisan when
he needed to be. But Trent also knew there were times when
it was critical to put partisanship aside for the national
interest. Particularly in the area of national security,
Trent comprehended that Republicans and Democrats must
find a way to unite to promote America's interests.
In addition to being an effective legislator, Trent is a
man of considerable charm and warmth. Hadassah and I have
great memories of the times we spent with Trent and his
wonderful wife Tricia. When we would travel abroad, Trent
was a terrific companion and always carried himself with
honor, style, and grace. I even remember a moment when we
were staying in a hotel in Scotland when we were forced to
hurriedly exit in the middle of the night because of a
fire alarm. Yet, there was Trent, perfectly coiffed and
unruffled. Our leader!
Although Trent was always devoted to the institution of
the Senate, he was also devoted to another critical
American institution--the family. Trent did not merely
talk about family values--he lived them. Trent saw no
contradiction in being a good Senator and being a good
husband and father. That is to his tremendous credit, and,
for all of us, a tremendous lesson.
Above all, Trent appreciated the miracle of America. He
rose from modest means in Grenada, MS, to ascend to the
legislative heights in Washington, DC. However, Trent
never abandoned the values of faith, family, and hard work
that were his inheritance from his beloved parents,
Chester and Iona Lott.
Trent, as you begin this new chapter in your life, I
wish you well. Your example of doing what is necessary to
make this institution work is something we have all
benefited from. The people of Mississippi and the people
of America are grateful for your service. Hadassah and I
look forward to continuing our friendship with Trish and
you for years to come. May God bless you and yours, dear
friend.
Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise to speak about Senator
Lott. The Senate is a place--and we have heard it today
for 2 hours with wonderful eloquence and thoughts and
humorous stories and anecdotes about Senator Lott--it is a
place of words and language. It is also a place,
obviously, of legislation, and legislation leading to
laws. But, most significantly, the Senate is a place of
people, of individuals--individuals who come here from all
over our Nation, representing their people but always
representing America, and who meld into the institutions
and traditions of this extraordinary place in various
ways. Certain individuals leave an indelible mark. There
are not too many, but there are some who have.
I would expect that Trent Lott will be one of those
individuals.
I have had the great pleasure and honor of working with
Trent Lott off and on for a long time. I was elected in
the class of 1988 to the House of Representatives. He was
Republican whip of the House at that time.
Somebody mentioned in their statement--and I served in
the House with him and have served in the Senate with him
for many years--that he won three major leadership
elections by one vote. I know I, at least, voted for him
in those three elections, so maybe I was that one vote.
Our wives and our families have integrated over the
years and have been close and done a lot of interesting
and fun things together. Kathy and Tricia are very close
friends. Trent and Kathy are close friends. And I am a
close friend of Tricia. We really enjoy that friendship,
and it goes back to a lot of different instances.
There are a lot of stories told about Trent Lott. One of
my favorites is that Trent tends to like to sing and
dance. I guess that comes from his cheerleading days at
Mississippi. But he has so much energy he has to let it
out through song and dance. On occasion, he can be drawn
into this. In fact, it does not take too much to get him
to sing.
We were at a gathering once, where Tricia and I and
Kathy were sitting around a table near a stage, and Trent
was up on the stage singing with his good friend, Guy
Hovis, and then there was dance music that started.
Tricia, knowing Trent as she does so well, turned to Kathy
and said under her breath: ``If you don't look at him, he
won't ask you to dance.''
Little did Tricia know that Kathy actually likes to
dance too. So the two of them went off and danced away and
had a great time. Tricia and I sat at the table dancing
inside. But as a practical matter, he has an energy and a
personality that is effusive and effervescent, and it
draws everybody in.
He is truly the American story. He is not a southern
story, he is an American story. He came from a family of
moderate means. His father was a pipefitter. His mother
was totally committed to him. He raised himself up and
went to his beloved University of Mississippi, which I
think he still thinks he is going there some days he talks
so much about it.
His whole life has revolved around Mississippi and the
people of Mississippi and the people he has helped in
Mississippi. This is what has made him go: his ability to
reach out and make people's lives better, to change their
lives and improve their lives.
He has brought all those Mississippi values here. I
think there is some sort of almost genetic quality to
Members of the Senate from the South. They just have this
ability to move through this body with ease and with
comfort and make everybody feel relaxed and enjoy them.
They do not have that stoic nature that we might have,
those of us from the Northeast. Rather, it is just the
opposite. They have an energy and an effervescence and a
personality that brings people in and causes people to
want to work with them.
Of course, numerous statements have been made about what
a great individual he is, about going across the aisle and
understanding how you go across the aisle and make things
work here. That is absolutely true. He is a tremendous
doer of legislation because he has the capacity to bring
together coalitions. He knows how to reach out to people
in a comfortable way. He also knows how to fight a fight
and win it.
But it goes well beyond this issue of working to reach
compromise to make legislation pass because he has had a
passion for getting things done. He also has a philosophy
of how we should govern. He is truly a conservative, a
fiscal conservative, an individual who understands the
importance of giving the individual opportunity, giving
the individual the capacity to succeed in our Nation
because he had undertaken that and accomplished it.
But it always goes back to his Mississippi roots, I
believe. He now has--I think it is something Senator
Alexander described because Senator Alexander and his
wife, Honey, and Kathy and I had the good fortune to be
invited down to visit him at Tricia's new home--we call it
Tricia's home--in Jackson, MS, where they bought this very
nice house they are restoring. It is an antebellum house.
It is a beautiful house. He just loves the land. He loves
the people who come to the house. The people he sees, he
loves, throughout his day and when he is traveling in
Mississippi.
Of course, he loves his tractors. He has this whole shed
full of tractors. I am sure there must be maybe seven
tractors there, farm equipment. Of course, only one or two
of them actually work. But as a practical matter, he loves
them. He loves to just drive around his property and make
sure his fields are cut. He cuts them, and he makes sure
they are properly taken care of. He is working his
Mississippi land. I suspect he and Tricia built this home
to gather their family which is so important to them:
Chet, Tyler, their grandchildren coming over on a regular
basis. Kathy and I just looked at them and said: These are
special people. These people represent the values we
really have as Americans--not as southerners but as
Americans--the value of family, value of honesty, value of
integrity, the willingness to get things done and to work
hard. Succeed, and then take advantage of your
opportunities to make life better for others, and that was
his whole purpose in the Senate--to make life better for
America but especially for his constituents in
Mississippi.
Of course, then came Katrina. What a devastating effect
it had on him and Tricia. They had this beautiful home in
Pascagoula which, again, Kathy and I had a chance to
visit, an extraordinary house in a line of Victorian
houses right on the waterfront. Out behind the house there
was this magnificent oak tree, just huge. I have never
seen such a spectacular and large tree. The storm came, of
course, and it wiped out his house, it wiped out his
brother-in-law's house, his sister-in-law's house, and
every other house anywhere near there was devastated. He
found his class ring, I believe, three blocks away, or
somebody found it and gave it to him. All of their
memorabilia, the things that meant so much to them, the
photos of their families, their notes and comments they
received from people, from Presidents and others, all the
memorabilia that had represented his lifetime and Tricia's
lifetime, of family and Mississippi activity was also
spread and destroyed by the storm, and the house, of
course, was eliminated by the storm.
But I asked him, because I was so startled, if the tree
was still there. He said to me: ``Yes, the tree is still
there.'' This huge oak tree that is so beautiful, so
magnificent and so elegant. As Trent leaves this Senate, I
think of this oak. He may be leaving the Senate, but he is
still here, and he will be here. His memory will be here,
and the way he did things, the way he taught those of us
who learned from him will be here. He will leave a legacy
which, like an oak, will stand for a long time in this
body. It was an amazing and an extraordinary privilege to
have the ability, the right, and the privilege to serve
with him, and for Kathy and I to get to know him and
Tricia over these many years. So we thank him for his
service, and we look forward to continuing our friendship
as the years proceed.
Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, there is something that is
being concluded tonight or upon the time we go sine die,
and that is the career of Senator Trent Lott of
Mississippi. While many have come to the floor over the
course of the day to speak about Trent, I have not had
that opportunity because of several other meetings and a
committee that was in session. So I wish to take a few
moments to visit with all of my colleagues about my friend
and my associate Trent Lott.
There is not a lot I can say to add to what has already
been said about his quality as a person, his ability as a
leader.
I first got to know Trent in 1981 when I came to the
House. He had already been there for 10 years and was
rapidly growing in stature among Republicans as a leader
who would ultimately be chosen to work as a Republican
whip in the House.
He and I grew to know each other and our wives got to
know each other during that period of time and a clear
friendship developed. But it was not until both of us left
the House and came to the Senate that we developed a
different kind of relationship and friendship that,
frankly, most Senators don't have the opportunity to do.
Trent Lott and I and John Ashcroft, the Senator from
Missouri, who became U.S. Attorney General under this
administration, and a former Republican, and then to
become a Democratic Senator and then to retire, Senator
Jim Jeffords of Vermont, all four of us developed a very
unique relationship that no other Senators shared. We
found out that we could sing together and that in doing
so, we could not only have fun ourselves, but that other
people, sometimes with a smile, would suggest they enjoyed
listening to us.
We formed a group called the Singing Senators, and over
a period of about 4 years, we traveled from Los Angeles to
Springfield, MO, to Branson to Houston to Nashville. We
were on the ``Today Show.'' We sang at the Kennedy Center.
What was most interesting was, we shocked folks. Not only
after a lot of practice did we begin to sound pretty good,
but can you imagine stuffy, blue pinstripe suit Senators
all of a sudden singing ``Elvira''? That we did, and we
had a lot of fun doing it, and we entertained people all
over the United States.
But what came out of that was a friendship and a bond
that probably few others have because the four of us
traveled together with our spouses in all of these
locations that I mentioned and a good many more, not only
to entertain the public and to show we were human by our
character, while we could still be Senators, but also to
raise money for our party or to raise money for a Senate
candidate.
I will never forget the time when we were in Los Angeles
and there were about 1,000 people out there waiting to
hear us. We were singing off of a CD with our background
accompaniment music, and the system broke down. And what
do you do when the music stops? Well, most people quit
singing. But we found out that we could sing a cappella,
or without accompaniment. So we sang ``God Bless
America,'' we sang a couple of other songs, and then they
got the music fixed. And I think the audience enjoyed us
without music more than they enjoyed us with music.
Anyway, we had a lot of fun.
But in the end we did something else. We went to
Nashville and put all our songs together on a CD, produced
several thousand CDs, just to give away, and found out
that they were in demand. So we sold them all, and all of
the money went to the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Alzheimer's
Fund. And, frankly, we found out to our great surprise
that it raised a lot of money.
I know Trent and John and Jim and I still today, every
so often, will get a phone call from somebody who says:
``I just listened to your CD again, and you know, you guys
were amazingly good for U.S. Senators.''
Now, that is probably a side of Trent Lott that was not
spoken to today, but it is a side of Trent Lott that you
all ought to know--the smile, the joy, the fun we had of
singing the kind of songs we sang in a way that Senators
are just not supposed to do. For in the end, Senators are
like an awful lot of other folks out there--we are human.
We have a very human side to us, with our friends and our
families, and that is what we learned about Trent and
Tricia Lott and John Ashcroft and his wife and Jim
Jeffords and his wife, as we traveled around the country
singing on behalf of Republicans, but really singing on
behalf of America because we enjoyed it and we hoped
others would enjoy it.
That is something I will miss when Trent Lott leaves
because we have had an opportunity since that time to get
together on occasion and sing a few songs and enjoy
ourselves. Trent Lott, a great U.S. Senator from
Mississippi, and a guy with a pretty good bass voice.
Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
our friend and colleague, Senator Trent Lott of
Mississippi. When Senator Lott steps down at the end of
this year after 35 years of service to our country in the
Congress, he will leave behind a legacy of leadership and
service to Mississippi.
I have known Senator Lott for many years. Our friendship
dates back to when he was first elected to the House of
Representatives in 1972.
In 1981, when serving as House Republican whip he played
a central role in the formation of a bipartisan coalition
which produced national security initiatives and promoted
economic recovery under President Ronald Reagan.
In 1994, Senator Lott became the first Republican to
ever have been elected whip in both houses, and then went
on to become Senate majority leader. He and his friend and
fellow Senator from Mississippi, Thad Cochran, who were
both elected to the House in 1972, were the first two
Republicans to win statewide elections in the Magnolia
State since Reconstruction.
In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina left nothing but an oak
tree on the front lawn of where his home had been in
Pascagoula, MS, Senator Lott worked tirelessly for
recovery funding and tax breaks for gulf coast homeowners
and businesses who had lost everything.
My wife Lilibet, who is also from Mississippi, and I
wish Trent, Tricia, and their family every happiness in
their new life. They have earned it. But we will miss
them.
Mr. President, I know all our colleagues join me in
congratulating Senator Trent Lott on a long, successful,
and distinguished congressional career.
Mr. BOND. Mr. President, born in Grenada, raised in
Pascagoula, and educated at the University of
Mississippi--there is no denying where Trent Lott is from.
He is a true son of Mississippi.
Trent is one of my few colleagues who knows how to say
``Missouri'' right.
In all seriousness, it has been an honor to work with
Trent Lott, and a real pleasure for Linda and me to get to
know his wonderful wife, Trish.
Senator Lott has had a remarkable career in Congress
that has spanned seven Presidents, two impeachments, and
most important, decades of progress that has made
Mississippi and America stronger and more prosperous.
He saw Watergate up close and personal, oversaw the end
of the cold war, spearheaded enactment of historic welfare
reforms, shepherded passage of tax relief in both the
Reagan and Bush administrations that made America's
working families more prosperous, and helped pass numerous
historic trade agreements to create more U.S. jobs.
While his career in Washington began in the House, he
quickly became a creature of the Senate and built a
reputation as a parliamentary master.
Getting work done in the Senate is no easy task. I like
to say it is a lot like getting frogs in a wheelbarrow.
Some may call it herding cats. However you would like to
say it, Senator Lott knew how to get the job done.
Senator Lott always knew how to count votes and get the
best deal based on Republican priorities and principles.
In the Senate, there is no higher compliment. And in that
respect, Trent is a Senator's Senator, reflected both in
his work on behalf of Mississippi and on behalf of
America.
On behalf of the country, his belief in fiscal
responsibility led to a historic tax cut agreement that
produced the first balanced budget since 1968.
His belief in investing in a strong national defense has
made our country safer.
On behalf of his home State of Mississippi he has been
tireless in his efforts to promote economic development
and expand job creation. From investing in schools to
improving infrastructure, his contribution has been
extensive and lasting.
Thanks to Senator Lott, Toyota, Lockheed Martin,
Northrop Grumman, and many other companies have a home in
Mississippi.
It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve
with Trent Lott.
I join my colleagues in congratulating the Senator and
thanking him for his many years of service and for our
friendship.
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to join in
recognizing Senator Trent Lott.
Less than 6 months ago, I joined the Senate. I was
selected to serve out the term of our dear friend, Craig
Thomas, and given the responsibility to represent the
people of Wyoming.
My experience has only been enhanced by the quality of
the individuals with whom I serve. The welcome has been
warm, the advice gratifying, and the diversity of my
colleagues remarkable.
This morning's session is about the incredible service
of one exceptional Member of the Senate, Trent Lott.
President Reagan once said, ``I know Trent Lott as one of
the most important leaders in the country on issues vital
to all Americans.''
Shortly after I joined the Senate, Senator Lott was kind
enough to visit with me and share some advice. In addition
to his advice on how to deal with the Senate as an
institution, it was his advice of a more personal nature
that is most inspiring. Senator Lott stressed that to
survive the chaos and challenge of serving in the Senate,
it was important to never be far from the people you love
the most. It was evident from his words that the depth of
love for his wife Tricia, his family, friends, and the
people of Mississippi was the key to his success in
Washington. His inner strength comes from the people who
supported him when times were tough and challenged him
when he thought all was well. It is a lesson I will
remember for as long as I am fortunate enough to represent
the people of Wyoming in the Senate.
If he were with us today, Senator Thomas would want to
extend his heartfelt best wishes to Trent and Tricia. I
know Susan Thomas wishes the entire Lott family many years
of happiness and success. I join all of my colleagues in
wishing all the best to this remarkable man.
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, the first call I received
from Trent Lott was in 1986 when I first ran for Congress.
Though the polls hadn't yet closed and I still didn't know
that I won, Trent called me up to congratulate me. In 1994
when I ran for my Senate seat, Trent Lott again called me
on election night to tell me congratulations. Trent and I
have worked together for 21 years and he has always been
the best political mechanic in Washington. I take great
pride in having helped launch the successful political
career of Trent Lott by being one of his first supporters
in his bid for the Republican whip position.
People quite often take shots at Trent without
justification. Don Imus used to say on his morning radio
program that it looked like Trent ``combed his hair with a
sponge.'' Well, I have to admit it did look that way
sometimes, but if that is the worst you can say about
Trent, I think he is doing just fine.
One lesson I've learned from Trent is that you shouldn't
take things too seriously. I've seen him laugh in the face
of adversity on more than one occasion, most recently when
Trent's home in Mississippi was wiped out by Hurricane
Katrina. Romans 5:3 tells us to rejoice in our sufferings
because ``suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope,'' and certainly I've seen
that in the life of Trent Lott.
When he talked this morning about his four pillars of
family, faith, friends, and freedom, the one that people
didn't talk much about was his faith. I have prayed with
him at a weekly meeting for many years, and I have to say
this about him: he is a faithful and obedient person to
his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So many of my colleagues
say they have lost a friend, a colleague, and a statesman,
but I have lost a brother. I rejoice in the contributions
that Trent Lott has made throughout his life.
Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I wanted to take a few
moments this morning to pay tribute to my departing
colleague, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi.
Senator Lott has been a trusted friend, a hardworking
legislator, and a skilled party leader on issue after
issue in his 35 years of distinguished service in the
House and Senate. He has been a tireless champion of
conservative values over the years, but it is a testament
to his unfailing courtesy and affability that he has been
so popular and effective with his colleagues over the
years, without ever surrendering those core values. This
Senate will miss his presence and example, and his State
and his Nation will miss his principled leadership.
I often think about what an incredible country this is
where the son of a Kansas farmer and the son of a
Mississippi shipyard worker can work together on the great
issues of our day in the world's greatest deliberative
body. I know that this country is better for the fact that
Trent Lott, with all of his talents and abilities, was
given that opportunity.
Senator Lott was instrumental in the great political
realignment that took place in the South throughout the
1970s and 1980s; in fact he was only the second Republican
elected to Congress from Mississippi since Reconstruction.
He went on to become one of the most effective political
leaders of his day, perhaps one of the most effective
leaders this body has ever seen. Trent has been amazingly
effective in building coalitions, in working across the
aisle, and in leading his party.
Those of us on both sides of the aisle who have worked
with him over the years know that Trent Lott is a man of
his word. In large part that has accounted for his
political effectiveness both with the voters and with his
colleagues. With Senator Lott, there is never any question
about where he stands and who he is, and that kind of
integrity gains people's respect and admiration.
His integrity was never more apparent than when he
stayed in the Senate out of a sense of duty to his State
to see his people through the terrible natural disaster
that was Hurricane Katrina.
After three decades serving the people of his State and
serving his country in the U.S. Congress, we now say
farewell to our valued colleague. He has served his
country with resolve, honor, and energy. As he leaves us
in order to spend more time with his beloved family, I
join my colleagues in thanking Trent and his wife Patricia
for their service to their country, and I wish him all the
best in his future endeavors.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Dakota.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, as a sort of starting point, I
noticed that throughout today we have had a lot of
legislative business, and I thought it was interesting
this morning, when many of my colleagues came down here to
pay tribute to Senator Lott, that while that was going on,
and I was coming down here as well to listen to some of
those and to offer my remarks at that time, I was handed a
whip card to go start to do some whip work, because that
is the task that Senator Lott--and I have had the honor to
serve on his whip team--is entrusted with here in the
Senate.
So it was always focused on the task and always on the
work at hand. Even as we were in his last day here in the
Senate paying tribute to him, he continued to work hard at
the responsibility that had been entrusted to him by his
fellow Senators on this side of the aisle.
It was a great privilege, as I said, to be able to serve
in that capacity and to learn from Senator Lott. I think
he has the distinction as perhaps the only person who
served as the whip in the House of Representatives and now
in the Senate. As he leaves, he leaves a great legacy.
Many of us who have had the opportunity to learn under his
tutelage about the way this institution operates have been
blessed to have someone like him as a teacher.
Senator Lott always understood that although we deal
with very serious, very weighty, sometimes complex and
oftentimes consequential issues, it is also important that
we not take ourselves too seriously. Trent never did. Even
those of us sort of plain Midwesterners who resisted the
Seersucker Suit Day and its attendant fashion statement
recognized the value of many of the trends that Senator
Lott was responsible for instigating.
Trent never lost sight of the fact that in the end--
while we are elected officials, we are Senators, we have
responsibilities to our constituencies, responsibilities
under the Constitution, responsibilities to our country--
that we are all human beings. In the end, despite our
differences, the relationships are what will endure. He
worked actively at building those types of relationships.
I first had the opportunity to meet Trent when I was a
Member of the House of Representatives. Like many of my
colleagues who at the time served in the House, he was the
leader in the Senate. But we had some opportunities to
interact, and we always respected the work he did and the
way he understood the Senate and its rules and its
procedures and was able to effectively make it work to
produce results. Ultimately, that was always his
objective. He knew we were going to disagree, he knew
there would be differences, but in the end his objective
was always to get us across the finish line so the Senate
could complete its work, and the work of the American
people could be done.
I will certainly miss, as will many Senators, that
personal touch, that sense of humor, that warmth, that
smile--all those things that are part of his character and
his personality that are so closely associated with the
Senate.
My office is next to his on the fourth floor of the
Russell Building. It was not uncommon for Senator Lott to
do the pop-in visit. He would pop into my office, always
to have a discussion about perhaps what the issue of the
day was. But there was not one of those pop-in visits
where I didn't learn something, where just, again, having
been exposed to him presented the opportunity to learn
from someone who had mastered this institution after
serving here for those many years; someone who also
understood the House very well, 34 or 35 years, I think,
in total in the House and Senate, as well as having served
here as a staffer prior to that.
When Senator Lott came to the Senate the very first time
as a staffer--I don't know exactly the date, but I know it
was sometime in the late 1960s--I was probably in first or
second grade, somewhere in that vicinity.
Over the years, his service has helped accomplish a
great many things for the American people. He has been a
great leader for the Republican Party. As majority leader,
as minority leader, as minority whip, majority whip--in
all those positions he has held he has had one goal and
objective in mind, and that is to help his team help this
great country continue to prosper, continue to be safe and
secure for future generations.
If I think there are any lessons that can be learned,
things that I, perhaps, learned from Trent during his
service in the short time I have had the opportunity to
serve with him, one would be to serve causes that are
greater than yourself. I think he had a great sense of
purpose about what was important in life. Clearly, that
was the case or he would have gone off and done other
things a long time ago.
Second, to be serious about your work. He was very much,
as I said, a task master. I know from experience, serving
on his whip team, that when there was a task at hand he
was very focused and intently conscious of the importance
of getting the job done and getting it done in a timely
way. He was serious about his work. But the other thing he
understood was he never took himself too seriously. He, as
I said, invested in relationships in this body, knowing
full well it is those relationships that will have the
enduring value.
The final lesson that I got from Trent is never forget
where you came from. That was one thing he also modeled.
He was a Mississippi original through and through. That
was something you always sensed. His priority, his heart,
was always with his home State. What came through loud and
clear to all of us when his State was struck with the
adversity that came from Hurricane Katrina and the
aftermath of that was the enormous work he did to help his
State to recover. He always had a sense of where he was
from. He never lost sight of that, and who he represented.
There is a verse in the Bible that says: ``Where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also.'' I think you
could always tell what things Trent treasured. You could
always tell where his heart was because of the things that
he treasured. His faith was very important to him in a
personal way. His family, his beloved wife Tricia, and his
children, were always a top, first priority for him.
Finally, his friends. That was something I think you heard
abundantly today as people from both sides of the aisle
got up and talked about their experiences and the
relationships that he had built with them over the years.
If you can judge someone where their heart is, by where
their treasure is, you always knew where Trent Lott's
heart was. It was with his faith, it was with his family,
and it was with his friends.
I am very proud and privileged to count myself among
those friends.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, how much time do I have?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized for 3
minutes.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I
may speak for as long as I wish to consume. That will not
be very long. I cannot talk about Senator Lott in 3
minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. BYRD. I thank my colleagues, Mr. President.
Mr. President, in his political memoir, ``Herding Cats:
A Life in Politics,'' our distinguished colleague, the
former majority leader, Senator Trent Lott, noted that he
viewed his ``years in Washington as a magnificent
experience, with many more mountaintops than valleys.''
How is that? Let me say that again: He viewed his ``years
in Washington as a magnificent experience, with many more
mountaintops than valleys.''
What a wonderful way to look at one's experience in the
U.S. Congress. Everyone in public life knows there are
valleys. Life may be unfair, but in public life, that
unfairness, I daresay, is magnified tenfold. But as
Senator Lott explains, he prefers to look at the
mountaintops, and his political life has been one of many
mountaintop experiences.
This son of a shipyard worker and public school teacher
was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972.
He was in the House for 16 years, where he distinguished
himself by serving with great aplomb on the House Rules
Committee as his party whip. I know something about that
party whip. That ain't easy.
In 1988, he left his safe and secure seat in the House
to run for the Senate. Reach for the stars. In the Senate,
Senator Lott has served as Republican conference
secretary, Republican Senate whip, Senate minority leader,
and Senate majority leader. As the Senate whip, Senator
Lott became the first Republican ever elected to the whip
positions in both Houses of Congress.
As the Republican Senate leader, Senator Lott served
with dignity and with diplomacy. Diplomacy was his tool.
He was a facilitator who sought to bring differing
political factions together on key legislative issues.
Trent Lott established solid, productive relationships
with the Senate Democratic leaders in order to keep
legislation moving, moving, moving to the floor. Make no
mistake, as a conservative Republican, Senator Trent Lott
has always been combatively--combatively; underline that
word, combatively--partisan in his thinking and his
approach to public policy, but--a big conjunction here--
but he never allowed his partisanship to become stubborn
or nihilistic or destructive. No, never.
Senate Majority Leader Reid--that is Harry Reid, Senator
Harry Reid, majority leader--recently commented on how
closely he has worked with Senator Lott. They negotiated.
They negotiated. Together they worked out compromises,
which, as they say, is the art of politics and the
legislative process. Majority Leader Reid then explained:
``Even though Trent Lott is certainly a true conservative,
we were able, in his pragmatic fashion, to work things
out.''
It is not easy. Allow me to state this in another way.
Senator Lott always put the good of this institution--
right here, this institution--and the good of our country
first; that is, above partisan political interests or
political party. For that, I have always respected him,
Trent Lott, and I have always admired him.
Senator Lott takes great pride in his roots and his
southern heritage. I, too, am a southerner and am proud of
that. My great uncle was killed fighting for the
Confederacy. As a champion of his beautiful and beloved
home State of Mississippi, he was always on call for the
people of the Magnolia State. This was best seen a few
years ago when he was considering retiring from the Senate
at the close of the 109th Congress, but feeling an
obligation to help his State to recover from the deadly
and devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina, Trent Lott
decided to stay with us, and I, for one, am glad he did.
Thank you, Trent.
In his political memoir, ``Herding Cats,'' which I
mentioned a few minutes ago, Senator Lott included a
special chapter entitled ``The Differences Between Friends
and Colleagues.'' ``Differences Between Friends and
Colleagues''--what a powerful and insightful look this is
into the political realities of life and work on Capitol
Hill. Senator Trent Lott pulled no punches--none--as he
discussed the differences between the two. He bluntly
recalled telling one person: You didn't help me when you
could have. Senators, think of that. Think of that
statement if it was said to you: You didn't help me when
you could have. That is piercing, leaves nothing unsaid. I
guess that about sums it up: You didn't help me when you
could have.
I will miss Senator Trent Lott. I wish him and his very
lovely wife Tricia--tell her I said hello on behalf of
Erma and myself--I wish him and his lovely wife Tricia
health, happiness, and success as they now embark upon the
next phase of their lives. I pray they will enjoy nothing
but the best. They have earned it.
Mr. President:
It isn't enough that we say in our hearts
That we like a man for his ways;
And it isn't enough that we fill our minds
With psalms of silent praise;
Nor is it enough that we honor a man
As our confidence upward mounts;
It's going right up to the man himself
And telling him so that counts.
Then when a man does a deed that you really admire,
Don't leave a kind word unsaid,
For fear that it might make him vain
Or cause him to lose his head;
But reach out your hand and tell him, ``Well done,''
And see how his gratitude swells;
It isn't the flowers we strew on the grave,
It's the word to the living that tells.
Thank you, Trent.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, while I was deeply saddened
when Senator Trent Lott told me he would retire at the end
of the year, I understood completely why he made this
decision.
Trent and Tricia have been trying to restore their lives
in Mississippi following the devastation of their home as
a result of the terrible devastation which struck our East
Coast during the Katrina and Rita hurricanes. They lost
their home--and most of their possessions, and they need
time to recover.
There is no Senator with whom I have served who has had
a deeper commitment to our Nation. Trent was the whip of
our party in the House of Representatives when I was whip
here in the Senate. We initiated weekly conferences to try
to share the progress and intentions of our leaders at
that time. From those days until now I have considered
Trent one of the best friends I have had in my lifetime.
Trent and I have served together on several committees
of the Senate. Our primary work together has been on the
Commerce Committee where Trent has been our leader on the
Aviation and Maritime Commerce Subcommittees. His work on
our Commerce Committee will be sorely missed.
Trent's own words on ``herding cats'' is well known
here. He has had more success in achieving bipartisan
results than most people outside the Senate know. Trent
has not sought the credit for what he has accomplished--it
has been enough for him that he knew the job was done.
His role as a member of the Singing Senators is well
known. What people should know is that he had the good
sense to ask this Senator not to join--they didn't need a
monotone!
As I told the The Politic,it is doubtful the Oak Ridge
Boys will come back to the Capitol. Trent brought them to
the LBJ Room--where he asked them to sing ``The Late Night
Benediction at the Y'all Come Back Saloon.''
It is hard for me to visualize the Senate without Trent
Lott. I believe every Senator here now knows what he has
done. He stepped down from the leadership--kept a smile on
his face and went back to work. He regained the leadership
as he was selected to be our whip--and the Republican
leader's comments show that Trent Lott became the whip any
leader would dream to have: loyal, supportive, full of
energy to get the job done, and all with that smile that
we all know so well.
So, as I said in the beginning, it is with sadness that
I join in wishing Trent and Tricia the best that life has
to offer as they leave this Senate family. Catherine and I
wish them the best and will pray for their success in the
future.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi, the
Republican whip.
[Mr. Lott's farewell speech appears on page ix.]
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I hope we all heed Trent
Lott's words that he spoke so beautifully right now. He
spoke from the heart, and he spoke from experience. As I
listened to him, I thought: We do sometimes forget about
what is important in life. I think he brought that back to
us.
I yield the floor.
Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I first want to comment
on what a pleasure it was listening to several hours of
tribute to Senator Lott. I have not served with Senator
Lott for very long, but at the point in time that I,
hopefully, would be allowed to decide to retire from the
Senate, I could only hope I have such kind things said
about me in so many different ways.
I was glad I got an opportunity to listen to 3 hours of
Senators talking nicely about each other. It is an
important thing to do this time of year, and I think,
frankly, it is an important thing to do more often, and we
do not do enough of it around here, particularly across
the line. ...
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
prayer
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the following
prayer:
Let us pray.
Our Father, when we look to the heavens, the works of
Your fingers, the Moon and the stars that You have
established, what is humanity that You are mindful of us?
May those thoughts of Your Majesty lead us to humility and
a willingness to acknowledge our weakness and failure as
we receive Your strength and wisdom.
Give our Senators a passion for Your glory. Help them to
remember Your words: Those who exalt themselves shall be
abased, and those who humble themselves shall be exalted.
Today, I personally thank You for the gifts of Trent and
Tricia Lott. I praise You for their friendship, their
faithfulness, and their fervor for You. As they leave the
Senate, surround them with Your grace, power, and love.
We ask this in the Name of Him who is perfection
incarnate. Amen.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, yesterday was a day of
tribute to one of our colleagues, a gentleman who has
served his State and this country admirably for many
years. I have not had the privilege to serve in the Senate
with our colleague for as long a period as many of those
who spoke yesterday, but I think we know it doesn't take
long to realize how important has been the contribution of
the Senator from Mississippi to this institution. I
listened yesterday to so many of the kind words. I heard
repeated time after time: statesman, leader of an
institution, truly a statesman.
We all know of Trent Lott's tremendous dedication to the
institution that is Congress, 35 years of public service
between the House and Senate, his creation of the whip
organization in the House that emphasized Member-to-Member
contacts and outreach that are so important in building
relationships, election to the Senate in 1988, Senate
majority leader in 1996, and then Republican whip earlier
this year. We don't want to lament the loss of a
tremendous asset, but we need to always remember to
celebrate those accomplishments, learn from them.
I learned that if there was a problem that needed to be
resolved, you could go to Trent to resolve it. When there
was a compromise that needed to be brokered, Trent could
figure out how to make that happen.
I learned that when there was a shortage of tomatoes at
the Lott household, Trent knew he could just go a couple
doors down the street and find some tomatoes in a friendly
neighbor's yard. My husband and I have been neighbors with
Trent and Tricia these past 5 years. As neighbors, we
share a lot of things. We share a lot of leaves. He blows
the leaves down the sidewalk to my house, and my husband
will blow the leaves back down to his house--good,
friendly neighbors. I have always appreciated that.
Truly, whether it is the quick conversation between
Members during votes or whether it is the closed-door
sitdown when he comes to the office and says: ``Lisa, I
want to talk to you about this,'' Trent knows the pulse of
the Senate.
I would watch him on the floor. He was like a butterfly.
He would come over and alight next to somebody, have a
quick conversation, a talk, and then he would move over to
another area and do the same thing, kind of going from
person to person, always working but always friendly and
always working to find a path forward. His ability to
develop those relationships and work out a deal to
everyone's satisfaction is a skill I certainly look to as
a model for how the Senate should operate.
It is with great fondness that I wish my friend, my
colleague, my neighbor, well in his future endeavors.
I wish him and Tricia well and truly love as they embark
on their next adventure. We do know there will be
adventures. I thank him for his friendship, his service to
this Nation and to this institution.
I thank the Chair and yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania is
recognized.
Mr. CASEY. ... Senator Lott has left us. I had the
privilege of presiding yesterday when I heard all of the
testimonials to his service. I was honored to be a small
part--a witness of that Senate history. We wish Senator
Lott and his family all of God's blessings at this holiday
season. But also beyond the season, we wish him the best
of luck in his new life outside of the Senate. We are
grateful for his service. ...
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I wish to take a few moments
this morning to pay tribute to our colleague from
Mississippi, Senator Trent Lott.
Senator Lott has been at the center of every major
policy debate in the Congress for more than three decades.
Senator Lott was a fierce and effective advocate for
limited government. No one who has been involved in
debating budget, tax, or health policy with Senator Lott--
as I frequently did on the Finance Committee--can question
his commitment to conservative principles of government.
But what made Senator Lott effective was that he
understood that others had different views, and he
understood the importance and art of compromise. He was
driven to produce results, and he was unrelenting in his
efforts to build coalitions to pass legislation and make
things better for the American people. He recognized that,
in the Senate, compromise is necessary to get things done.
As majority leader, he was able to find policies that
could hold his caucus together and at the same time win
support from the Clinton White House and moderate
Democrats.
In more recent years, he has played a key behind-the-
scenes role in bridging differences between the parties.
No one was better at counting votes and knowing the limits
of his negotiating flexibility. When Trent Lott told you
he could produce the votes for a proffered compromise, he
delivered. You could count on it.
Perhaps most important, Senator Lott had an uncanny
ability to persuade and cajole people to get a deal. He
has a great sense of humor and a seemingly unparalleled
ability to develop friendships and relationships with
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle and both
ends of the Capitol. He always knows who the key players
are, and what will bring them to the table. These skills
have produced a great record of accomplishments for
Mississippi and the Nation.
Personally, I will miss his quick wit, his insights, and
his friendship. As Senator Lott prepares to leave the
Senate, I wish him and his wife Tricia all the best.
Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, Senator Lott is a true
gentleman: agreeable, good-humored and kind in nature.
When I think of Trent Lott, the words consensus and
congeniality come to mind. These words come to mind
because Trent has become one of the greatest mediators
this body has ever seen, his ability to bring all parties
on an issue to the table and when the negotiations are
done, each person leaves with a smile on their face.
Senator Lott's humor and affable personality made working
with him a pleasure, even when a compromise could not be
found and the time for negotiating was over, nobody would
leave the table feeling alienated or hurt. They left with
Trent still a friend and eager to work on the next
solution.
Trent Lott's 35 years of service to his country as a
Member of Congress will forever be remembered in chapters
of our Nation's history and by his constituents of
Mississippi. But the one who deserves just as much thanks
and gratitude is his college sweetheart and wife Tricia.
While Trent has been dedicated to his job and country for
the past 35 years, he has been devoted to his family.
Senator Lott's congeniality could be attributed to his
humble beginnings, southern upbringing, or a number of
things, but no matter the reason he still remains a humble
man with many friends and a man who is truly kind to
others. As I have grown to know him through our work here
in the Senate, I have seen that his kindness stretches
beyond the walls of his duties on this floor and to all
who encounter him. Trent always has a smile on his face
and extends pleasantries to everyone he passes. Here in
Washington, it is easy for one to be consumed by self-
importance and it is easy to forget to treat others as we
wish to be treated, but he never did. While in the lobby
of another office, Senator Lott will have a candid
conversation with the much overlooked staff manning the
front desk or anyone in his path--he will go out of his
way to make sure everyone is greeted with a warm hello.
I have agreed with Senator Lott on many issues, and I
have disagreed with him on many as well, but in each
scenario we always ended with a handshake and a good
laugh. This institution is losing a man who could bring
people together and allow bitter enemies to lay down their
swords.
This is a man who will be missed by many, and I wish
Senator Lott the best of luck as he retires from his years
of political service.
Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute
to a distinguished colleague from the great State of
Mississippi, Senator Trent Lott.
As a reformer, a defender, and a leader, Trent Lott
leaves behind a legacy in the U.S. Senate, the fruits of
which we will reap for years to come. In 1996, Trent
joined with colleagues to enact a historic welfare reform
bill. He pushed for reform again when he supported
President Bush's tax cut package early on in the
administration. Trent has never been afraid to step
forward in faith toward what he knows is right.
A champion for a strong national defense, Trent
supported the President's military action in Iraq as well
as increased defense spending. As a defender himself,
Trent understands the importance of a strong military and
the value of rewarding those who valiantly serve this
country. In 1998, he urged Congress to raise the pay for
our military men and women, an act that hadn't occurred in
a decade.
As the first man to serve as the whip in both the House
and the Senate, Trent could not have accomplished any of
the aforementioned achievements and many others without
his innate ability to lead. Leadership is not easy. The
weight of good leadership is often a difficult load to
bear, but Trent Lott upheld his roles as Senator, majority
leader and whip with an admirable level of dignity and
integrity throughout his tenure.
As a new Senator, I have been touched by Trent's candor,
patience, unique charm, and by observing the tremendous
relationship he has with his wife Tricia. Professionally,
I have benefited greatly from his knowledge and experience
about how to effectively make a difference in the U.S.
Senate. He is a gifted negotiator, and his strong
leadership will be greatly missed. For more than three
decades, Senator Lott has been a great public servant to
the people of Mississippi in Congress. I extend my best
wishes to Trent and Tricia as they begin the next phase of
their lives together.
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise to wish farewell to an
honored colleague and a good friend: Senator Trent Lott.
Trent served in Congress for 35 years, and has represented
the State of Mississippi in the Senate for 19; during that
time, he distinguished himself as both a dedicated and
effective party leader, and a symbol of bipartisan
compromise. Few Senators play both roles so well.
Those who know Trent often describe his personal
charisma and his natural leadership abilities. Those
abilities have been on display for decades, manifesting
themselves as early as his college days at Ole Miss, where
Trent was a fraternity president, a cheerleader, and a
well-known presence on campus. Trent brought his budding
political skills to Washington, where he served as a
staffer on Capitol Hill before he was elected to Congress
himself, in the first of a long series of wide-margin
victories.
From 1973 to 1989, Trent represented Mississippi's
conservative Fifth District, serving on the House
Judiciary Committee during the Watergate scandal, as well
as in the Republican leadership. As Republican whip, he
helped build broad coalitions to pass important domestic
and national security legislation.
In 1988, Trent was elected to the Senate by 8 percentage
points over his opponent and never again faced a close
race, winning reelection overwhelmingly in 1994, 2000, and
2006. His skill at negotiation made him a Senate natural,
and his party entrusted him with its highest leadership
responsibilities: majority whip in 1995; majority leader
in 1996; and, in a widely remarked-upon comeback, whip
again just last year.
Newt Gingrich called Trent ``the smartest legislative
politician I've ever met.'' And though I often disagreed
on the issues with Trent, not to mention Newt, I just as
often admired his acumen. I couldn't begin to list the
important legislation shepherded through this body by the
Senator from Mississippi: education reform, defense
spending, trade legislation, the ratification of NATO
expansion, the creation of the Department of Homeland
Security, and much more. But even as he worked on matters
of national and international import, he always had time
for the people of Mississippi: he helped expand his
State's highway system, brought research funding to its
universities, and dedicated himself to Mississippi's
economic recovery in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Indeed, the challenges posed by that destructive storm
convinced Trent to put off retirement until this year; and
I am sure that the people of his State are grateful for
the time he could lend to their recovery efforts.
In his memoirs, Trent compared leading the Senate to
herding cats. But today, at least, the Members of this
most difficult body have found some unanimity: We are
united in our affection for Trent Lott and in our sadness
at his departure. We will miss his legislative talent, his
rich baritone, his taste in seersucker suits, and his fine
head of hair. But we trust that he and his dear wife
Tricia have many happy years ahead, and we wish them all
the best.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Mr. LUGAR. I join my Senate colleagues in expressing our
confidence that many wonderful adventures lie before our
friend, Trent Lott, and his family, even as we are
saddened by his plans to leave the Senate.
Tributes to Trent will include praise of his
extraordinary leadership abilities, his thoughtfulness for
others, his physical strength and endurance during long
sessions of work, his even temper and good humor, and even
his vocal performance talents.
But Senate insiders will usually turn to the concept of
``Trent the Vote-Counter'' in an attempt to identify how
and why our friend succeeded on so many occasions while
many colleagues did not fare so well. I would not suggest
for a moment that Trent lacked any counting ability, but I
would suggest that a search for his crystal ball misses a
major point. Trent was successful because he convinced
people that they should support him and demonstrate that
support by voting for him.
Long before he announced his interest in elective office
or commenced ``herding cats'' on the House or Senate
floors, Trent studied the Congress with the benefit of his
able mentors, and he learned the fundamentals of how they
had gained election in his home State of Mississippi.
Trent learned that long before any vote counting
commenced, the fundamental task was to win hearts, minds,
and trust of individual voters, and that requires
evaluation of interests, the best arguments delivered in
the most appropriate language with the best selection of
time and place, and the steady development of trust.
We watched Trent win elections in Mississippi, from
afar, but we have witnessed his House and Senate
leadership races up close. He faced strong and able
opposition. He was a graceful winner. He fulfilled all
expectations and promises, and we know he will continue to
do so.
Trent, I thank you for loyal friendship, personal
encouragement, and the times we have enjoyed great
experiences together. I pray for your continuing good
health and vitality which will make possible the enjoyment
of your loving family and your service to others.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, across America, those
citizens who have on occasion chosen--or been required--to
listen to congressional debate have often heard the Senate
described as an institution. It is a term which has been
overused and perhaps misused more than once, but I believe
it is quite appropriately applied in observing that with
Senator Trent Lott's departure, we have lost a reservoir
of institutional knowledge, knowledge which has been of
enormous value to Members of every political stripe for
many years.
The breadth of Trent Lott's experience--on both sides of
the aisle, in both Chambers of Congress, as back bencher,
and as a member of leadership--has given him an insight
into and understanding of the legislative process unique
among his peers. We have heard many colleagues describe
the effect of that experience when combined with the
persuasive personality of the Mississippi gulf coast: No
one counted votes better, and perhaps more important, no
one enjoyed it more.
Within our caucus, in committee rooms, and on the floor,
Trent could rely time and again on the great friendships
and professional respect developed through years of hard
work. Even more valuable perhaps, he understood the
unusual psychology, decisionmaking, and ego unique to
Members of Congress. We all perceive the important role
these factors play in our work; few have been able to
master them to their use.
For Trent, however, counting votes was only the means to
a more important end--being an effective Senator. He has
long been a strong voice for the State of Mississippi, but
he has also developed the habit of finding his way to the
center of the legislative storm at the crucial moment when
a final deal is struck.
On matters of policy, I have worked both alongside and
against Trent--even coming out ahead once or twice. Those
rare events have revealed him to accept loss gracefully,
negotiate in good faith, and accept compromise without
conceding principle. These are traits essential to
integrity and stability in governance, but also traits
that strengthened his hand for the next battle.
Thus, the experience, the ability, the institutional
knowledge we lose is very real. I count Senator Lott as
more than a valued colleague; he is also a valued friend.
As a Senator, in my first term, I have always been able to
count on Trent for sound and thoughtful advice, which
always reflected his sincere concern for the personal
well-being, career, and family of all with whom he served.
I always took confidence from the fact that he unabashedly
placed family at the top of his priorities, and understood
that our public service should not take place at our
families' expense.
Mr. President, although I am the youngest Member of the
U.S. Senate, and still serving in my first term, I am
grateful to Senator Lott for his commitment to keeping the
Senate strong. The Framers of our Constitution saw the
Senate as the legislative body that would maintain an even
keel, engage in meaningful debate, and forge legislation
through the art of compromise that addresses the
challenges of our day. Through successes and failings,
Trent has always been true to this purpose. Most important
to him, he has also been true to his constituents, and to
his family. I trust that these priorities will continue to
guide him, and know they will bring him success for many
years to come.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I want to take this
opportunity to say a few words about my friend and
colleague, Senator Lott.
Senator Lott has compiled a long and distinguished
career in public service on behalf of the people of
Mississippi and our Nation. He has been a tireless
advocate on behalf of the needs of his State and its
people, particularly in light of the devastation wrought
by Hurricane Katrina. Senator Lott also fought for our men
and women in military uniform to ensure they have the best
training, equipment, and technology available. Throughout
his career, he believed that the American people should be
able to keep more of their own money instead of sending it
to Washington. Finally, Senator Lott understood and
appreciated the fact we need judges on the Federal bench
who will uphold the law, not make the law.
During his time in the Congress, he has been an active
participant in many important legislative battles. The
votes he has cast and the policies he supported have made
the State of Mississippi and our Nation a better place.
Senator Lott is in a select group of individuals who
have held leadership positions in both the House of
Representatives and Senate. He has served as House
minority whip, Senate majority leader, Senate minority
leader and Senate minority whip. His election to these
important leadership positions in both bodies show a high
level of trust and respect from his colleagues.
With his departure the Senate will lose one of its most
effective Senators and the people of Mississippi will lose
a powerful advocate. I truly appreciate his leadership,
service in the Senate, and service in the House of
Representatives, wit, wisdom, and friendship.
I wish him the best of luck in all future endeavors.
Proceedings in the House of Representatives
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I hadn't intended to
give a 1-minute today, but I just got off the telephone
with one of my dear friends, the Senator from the great
State of Mississippi, the Honorable Trent Lott.
Yesterday was his last day in the U.S. Senate. After a
distinguished career in both the House of Representatives
and the U.S. Senate, he is resigning effective, I assume,
today or tomorrow, whenever the other body goes out.
I have known Trent Lott for the 23 years that I have
been in the House of Representatives. When I first got
elected, he was the minority whip here in the House. He is
one of the wisest men, in terms of political knowledge,
that I have ever been around in my political career. He is
a great guy personally. He has a great family. He has
served not only his State, but his country, with exemplary
distinction for the many odd years that he has been in the
House and the Senate.
We are going to miss the Honorable Trent Lott of the
Magnolia State of Mississippi, and I want to wish him and
his family the very best this holiday season and in the
years ahead.
God bless Trent Lott and his family.