[Senate Document 113-11]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


Joseph I. Lieberman

U.S. SENATOR FROM CONNECTICUT




                                    TRIBUTES




                             IN THE CONGRESS OF
                             THE UNITED STATES





              [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]





                                                         S. Doc. 113-11 
 
                                      Tributes 

                                Delivered in Congress 




                                 Joseph I. Lieberman 

                                United States Senator 
                                      1989-2013


                    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]




                            U.S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
                                   WASHINGTON : 2014







                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing





                                      CONTENTS


             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Farewell Address......................................
                                                                    vii
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Ayotte, Kelly, of New Hampshire................
                                                                     16
                    Blumenthal, Richard, of Connecticut............
                                                                      7
                    Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland...............
                                                                     23
                    Coats, Daniel, of Indiana......................
                                                                     28
                    Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
                                                                      3
                    Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
                                                                      9
                    Coons, Christopher A., of Delaware.............
                                                                     18
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                     26
                    Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
                                                                     11
                    Klobuchar, Amy, of Minnesota...................
                                                                     29
                    Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
                                                                     22
                    Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
                                                                     20
                    McCain, John, of Arizona.......................
                                                                  7, 13
                    Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland..............
                                                                     10
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                     15
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                  5, 30
             Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
                Tributes by Representatives:
                    Norton, Eleanor Holmes, of District of Columbia
                                                                     31
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               Joseph I. Lieberman was born in Stamford, CT, on 
             February 24, 1942, and attended public schools there. He 
             received his bachelor's degree from Yale College in 1964 
             and his law degree from Yale Law School in 1967. He was 
             elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1970 and served 
             there for 10 years, including 6 as majority leader. In 
             1980 he returned to private legal practice for 2 years, 
             and from 1983 through 1988 served as Connecticut's 21st 
             attorney general. As attorney general he took on polluters 
             of Connecticut's environment, strengthened child support 
             enforcement, and built a strong reputation as a defender 
             of consumers' rights.
               He was first elected to the Senate in 1988 as a 
             Democrat. He was reelected by wide margins in 1994 and 
             2000. In 2006 Senator Lieberman was elected to a fourth 
             term as an Independent. He remained committed to caucusing 
             with Senate Democrats.
               During his 24 years in the Senate, Senator Lieberman 
             embraced a foreign policy tradition that advocated 
             policies that were simultaneously principled, 
             internationalist, and tough minded in the pursuit of 
             democracy, human rights and freedom abroad, and the 
             survival of freedom at home. Early in his Senate career, 
             he urged the lifting of a U.N. arms embargo against 
             Bosnia; championed NATO as the most successful alliance in 
             the history of the world; and voted to authorize the use 
             of military force after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 
             August 1990. He was a steadfast supporter of U.S. actions 
             in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and Libya during the Arab 
             Spring to end repressive policies of the governments 
             involved and support the democratization, economic growth, 
             freedom, and human rights of the people of those 
             countries.
               Throughout his 24 years in the Senate, Senator Lieberman 
             worked to improve the environment. From helping to 
             negotiate the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 to 
             consistently working to protect the Arctic National 
             Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and from oil and gas drilling 
             exploration, to fighting to better fund conservation 
             efforts along Long Island Sound and authoring several 
             bills to combat climate change--including the first one 
             ever to make it to the Senate floor for a vote--Senator 
             Lieberman has been committed to the preservation of our 
             air, land, and water.
               He was a strong advocate for investing in public 
             schools, empowering parents, and challenging all students 
             to meet higher academic standards. He sought to give all 
             Americans, regardless of income, the chance to go to 
             college and develop the skills they need to succeed in our 
             global information economy. He worked to expand quality 
             and affordable health care for all Americans and to 
             safeguard Medicare and Social Security for future 
             generations.
               Senator Lieberman was a vocal advocate for campaign 
             finance reform and has written extensively on the dignity 
             and nobility of public service. He urged America to be 
             true to its tradition of tolerance by giving faith and its 
             practitioners a place at the national table.
               He was chairman of the Homeland Security and 
             Governmental Affairs Committee, which is responsible for 
             oversight of the Department of Homeland Security and 
             ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal 
             Government. In addition to coauthoring the bill creating 
             the 9/11 Commission, Senator Lieberman spearheaded the 
             congressional effort establishing the Department of 
             Homeland Security and advocated numerous legislative 
             proposals to provide for our national and homeland 
             security. He was a member of the Senate Armed Services 
             Committee, where he served as chairman of the Subcommittee 
             on Airland and sat on the Personnel and Seapower 
             Subcommittees, and on the Small Business and 
             Entrepreneurship Committee.
               Senator Lieberman supported equal opportunity for all 
             Americans and economic policies that spark business 
             growth, encourage innovation, expand markets for American 
             products, and keep government's budget books in balance. 
             He was also a champion for the ordinary investor and 
             consumer and fought to ensure that public and private 
             watchdogs meet the highest standards of independence and 
             integrity. Moreover, he led the successful legislative 
             effort to repeal the military's discriminatory ``don't 
             ask, don't tell'' policy, which prohibits patriotic gay 
             and lesbian Americans from serving openly in the U.S. 
             Armed Forces.
               He lives in Stamford with his wife Hadassah. They are 
             the parents of 4 children and 12 grandchildren.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                            Wednesday, December 12, 2012

               Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, my fourth and final term 
             as a U.S. Senator will soon come to an end. As I reflect 
             on that reality, I am, of course, filled with many 
             emotions, but the one I feel most is gratitude--gratitude 
             first to God, creator of life and law, without whose 
             loving-kindness nothing would be possible; gratitude to 
             America, the extraordinary land of opportunity which has 
             given someone like me so many opportunities; gratitude to 
             the people of Connecticut, who have entrusted me with the 
             privilege of public service for 40 years, the last 24 in 
             the Senate; gratitude to my Senate colleagues, whom I have 
             come to know as friends and with whom it has been such an 
             honor to serve; gratitude to all the people without whose 
             help, hard work, and support I never would have made it to 
             the Senate or stayed here, the gifted and hard-working 
             staff in Connecticut and Washington who supported, 
             informed, and enriched my service here, and the volunteers 
             in my campaigns who gave so much and asked for nothing in 
             return except that I do what I believed was right; 
             gratitude to all those who labor out of view in the 
             corridors of this Capitol Building, from the maintenance 
             crews to the Capitol Police and everybody else anywhere in 
             this building--thank you for keeping our Capitol running 
             and keeping us safe; and gratitude most of all, of course, 
             to my family for the love, support, and inspiration they 
             have given me every day of my life--my parents, 
             grandparents, and siblings, my children and grandchildren, 
             and Hadassah, my wife of almost 30 years now, the love of 
             my life, who has been my constant companion, supporter, 
             and partner through this amazing adventure.
               So I want to begin this farewell speech by simply saying 
             thank you all. I have a lot to be grateful for. Mr. 
             President, being a Senator, and since this is my farewell 
             speech, I do have a few more things I would like to say.
               I am leaving the Senate at a moment in our history when 
             America faces daunting challenges both domestic and 
             foreign and when too often our problems seem greater than 
             our government's ability to solve them. I can tell you I 
             remain deeply optimistic about America's future and 
             constantly inspired by the special destiny I am convinced 
             is ours as Americans.
               My optimism is based not in theory or hope but in 
             American history and in personal experience. I think 
             particularly about my time in public life and especially 
             the changes I have witnessed since I took the oath of 
             office as a Senator on January 3, 1989. The fact is that 
             over the past quarter century, America and the world have 
             become freer and more prosperous. The Iron Curtain was 
             peacefully torn down, and the Soviet empire defeated. The 
             eternal values of freedom and opportunity, on which 
             America was founded and for which we still stand, have 
             made global gains that were once unimaginable. We have 
             seen the spread of democracy from Central Europe to 
             Southeast Asia and from Latin America to the Middle East. 
             Hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of 
             poverty in places such as China, India, and just about 
             every other corner of the globe, and technological 
             advances have transformed almost every aspect of our daily 
             lives.
               When I started in the Senate, a BlackBerry was a fruit 
             and tweeting was something only birds did. No more. None 
             of these extraordinary developments happened by accident. 
             In fact, to a significant degree, I would say they were 
             made possible by the principled leadership of the United 
             States, by the global economy and international system 
             America created with our diplomacy and protected with our 
             military and by the unique culture of freedom, innovation, 
             and entrepreneurship that flourishes in our country and 
             that remains the model and inspiration for the rest of the 
             modernizing world.
               We have every reason to be proud of the progress of 
             humanity that has happened on America's watch and here at 
             home to be grateful for the countless ways in which our 
             own country has benefited in the process. We live in a 
             world whose shape and trajectory the United States, more 
             than any other nation, is responsible for. It is certainly 
             not a perfect world. I know that. But it is a better world 
             than the one we inherited. In my opinion, it is actually 
             in so many ways a better world than has ever existed 
             before.
               Here at home, over the past quarter century, we have 
             moved closer to the more perfect union our Founders 
             sought--becoming a more free and open society, in ways I 
             would guess those same Founders never could have imagined.
               Barriers of discrimination and bigotry that just a few 
             decades ago seemed immovable have been broken, and the 
             doors of opportunity have been opened wider for all 
             Americans--regardless of race, religion, gender, 
             ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
               During my time in Washington, we have had our first 
             female Secretary of State nominated and confirmed and our 
             first African American President elected and reelected. It 
             will forever remain one of my deepest honors that--thanks 
             to Vice President Gore--I was given the opportunity to be 
             the first Jewish American nominated by a major political 
             party for national office--and, incidentally, thanks to 
             the American people, grateful to have received one-half 
             million more votes than my opponent on the other side. But 
             that is a longer story.
               While there is still much work to do and many problems 
             to be solved, I believe we can and should approach our 
             future with a confidence that is based on the real and 
             substantial progress we have made together. What is 
             required now to solve the real urgent problems we still 
             have is leadership of the kind that is never easy or 
             common but which we as Americans know we can summon in 
             times of need because we have summoned it before.
               Today, I regret to say, as I leave the Senate, the 
             greatest obstacle I see standing between us and the 
             brighter American future we all want is right here in 
             Washington. It is the partisan polarization of our 
             politics which prevents us from making the principled 
             compromises on which progress in a democracy depends and 
             which right now prevents us from restoring our fiscal 
             solvency as a nation.
               We need bipartisan leadership to break the gridlock in 
             Washington that will unleash all the potential that is in 
             the American people. So I would respectfully make this 
             appeal to my colleagues--especially the 12 new Senators 
             who will take the oath of office for the first time next 
             month. I know how hard each of you has worked to get 
             elected to the Senate, and I know you worked so hard 
             because you wanted to come here to make a difference for 
             the better. There is no magic or mystery about the way to 
             do so in the Senate. It requires reaching across the aisle 
             and finding partners from the opposite party. It means 
             ultimately putting the interests of country and 
             constituents ahead of the dictates of party and ideology.
               When I look back at my own career, the legislative 
             achievements I am proudest to have been part of--such as 
             passing the Clean Air Act of 1990, stopping the genocide 
             in the Balkans, creating the 9/11 Commission and the 
             Department of Homeland Security, reforming the 
             intelligence community, reorganizing FEMA, and repealing 
             ``don't ask, don't tell''--all were achieved only because 
             a critical mass of Democrats and Republicans found common 
             ground. That is what is desperately needed in Washington 
             now to solve our Nation's biggest problems and address our 
             biggest challenges before they become crises or 
             catastrophes.
               Our future also depends on our Nation continuing to 
             exercise another kind of leadership; that is, leadership 
             beyond our borders. This too has never been easy or 
             popular. Americans have rarely been eager to entangle 
             ourselves abroad, especially at times when we have faced 
             economic difficulties at home, as we do now. There has 
             been the temptation to turn inward, to tell ourselves that 
             the problems of the world are not our responsibility or 
             that we cannot afford to do anything about them. In fact, 
             the prosperity, security, and freedom of the American 
             people depend more than ever before on what is happening 
             in the rest of the world--and so, too, does the rest of 
             the world depend especially on us.
               I know we can't solve all the planet's problems by 
             ourselves, nor should we try. But the fact is that none of 
             the biggest problems facing the world can or will be 
             solved in the absence of American leadership. Here, too, I 
             appeal to my Senate colleagues--and, again, especially 
             those who will take the oath of office for the first time 
             early in January--do not listen to the political 
             consultants or others who tell you that you shouldn't 
             spend time on foreign affairs or national security. They 
             are wrong. The American people need us, the Senate, to 
             stay engaged economically, diplomatically, and militarily 
             in an ever smaller world. Do not underestimate the impact 
             you can have by getting involved in matters of foreign 
             policy and national security, whether by using your voice 
             to stand in solidarity with those who are struggling for 
             the American ideal of freedom in their own countries 
             across the globe or working to strengthen the foreign 
             policy and national security institutions of our own 
             country or by rallying our citizens to embrace the role 
             that we as a country must play on the world stage, as both 
             our interests and our values demand.
               None of the challenges we face in a still dangerous 
             world is beyond our ability to meet. Just as we ended the 
             ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, we can stop the slaughter 
             in Syria. Just as we nurtured the democratic transitions 
             after communism fell in Central and Eastern Europe, we can 
             support the forces of freedom in the Middle East today. 
             Just as we were able to prevail in the long struggle 
             against the Soviet Union during the cold war, we can 
             prevail in the global conflict with Islamist extremism and 
             terrorism we were forced into by the terrorist attacks of 
             September 11, 2001.
               All that too will require leadership in the Senate. It 
             will require leaders who will stand against the siren song 
             of isolationism, who will support our defense and foreign 
             assistance budgets, who will use, when necessary, 
             America's military power against our enemies in the world, 
             and who will have the patience and determination when the 
             public grows weary to see our battles through until they 
             are won.
               I first set foot in this Chamber almost exactly 50 years 
             ago, in summer 1963, inspired like so many of my 
             generation by President John F. Kennedy and his call to 
             service. I spent that summer right here in the Senate as 
             an intern for my home State Senator, Abe Ribicoff. He was 
             and remains another personal hero of mine. Although I 
             never would have admitted so publicly back then, because 
             it was so presumptuous, I came away from that experience 
             with the dream that I might someday, somehow, return to 
             serve in this place.
               I have been blessed to live that dream, and that is what 
             America is all about. We have always been a nation of 
             dreamers whose destiny is determined only by the bounds of 
             our own imagination and by our willingness to work hard to 
             realize what we have imagined. Indeed, long before the 
             United States came into being as a government of 
             institutions and laws, it was a dream--a dream, an 
             implausible, incredible dream, animated by faith of a 
             country defined not by its borders nor by its rulers nor 
             by the ethnicity of its Founders but by a set of eternal 
             and universal principles--that life, liberty, and the 
             pursuit of happiness are God's endowment to each of us.
               That was the dream that gave us our existence and our 
             purpose as a nation, and it is the dream that for more 
             than 200 years, through every passing generation, has been 
             reinventing, renewing, enthralling, and surprising us--the 
             very dreamers who are living that dream.
               I leave this Chamber as full of faith in the dream 
             called America as when I stood here nearly one quarter 
             century ago to take the oath of office for the first 
             time--and as when I first came here nearly one-half 
             century ago as a 21 year old, the grandchild of four 
             immigrants to America, the son of wonderful parents who 
             never had the opportunity even to go to college but made 
             sure my sisters and I did and gave us the confidence to 
             pursue our dreams, which was their American dream for us.
               America remains a land of dreams and a nation of 
             dreamers. I know my own story repeats itself today in 
             millions of American families and their children. As long 
             as that is so, I know our best days as a country are still 
             ahead of us.
               So I will end my remarks where our country began a long 
             time ago--with a dream and a prayer that God will continue 
             to bless the United States of America.
               I thank the Chair and I yield the floor.
?

                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                 JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                             Thursday, December 6, 2012
               Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, we have a tradition in the 
             Senate of referring to our colleagues on the Senate floor 
             during debate as ``my friend from this State'' or ``my 
             friend from that State,'' and oftentimes the word friend 
             just means colleague. There is a fellow Senator whom I 
             call friend in the truest sense of the word. That person 
             is the senior Senator from Connecticut, my dear friend 
             Senator Joe Lieberman.
               When Joe Lieberman announced earlier last year that he 
             would not seek reelection to the Senate, he called himself 
             a lucky guy for having had the opportunity to serve his 
             State and his country. I would contend it is we in this 
             Chamber and the people throughout Connecticut and across 
             our Nation who are the ones who are truly fortunate for 
             Joe Lieberman's lifelong commitment to public service, 
             including his 24 years in the Senate.
               For more than a decade it has been my privilege to serve 
             with Joe as the leader of the Senate Homeland Security and 
             Governmental Affairs Committee. Regardless of who has been 
             chairman and who has been ranking member, ours has been a 
             partnership. Indeed, I will never forget when I was losing 
             the chairmanship because of the change in control, Joe 
             leaned over to me and said, ``Don't worry, Susan, all that 
             will change is that you will pass me the gavel.''
               It was typical of his thoughtfulness and generosity, and 
             it is not coincidental that ours is the only committee in 
             the Senate where we do not sit with Republicans on one 
             side and Democrats on the other but instead are 
             interspersed because we recognize, given our important 
             mandate, that we must work together in a bipartisan and, 
             indeed, a nonpartisan way.
               During the time Joe has been the chairman and that we 
             have worked together, the committee has established a 
             well-deserved reputation for bipartisanship, for 
             thoroughness, and--most important--for getting things 
             done. I know the American people have been so frustrated 
             with the gridlock that has prevented action on so many 
             issues facing our Nation. For the most part, we do not see 
             that kind of stalemate on our committee and that is a 
             tribute to the leadership of Joe Lieberman. That 
             reputation for our committee--of accomplishment and 
             bipartisanship--is the work of many hands, but Joe 
             Lieberman's fingerprints are all over it. Joe has always 
             based his leadership on his unwavering belief that the 
             great challenges America faces--such as combating 
             terrorism, putting our fiscal house in order, and 
             defending freedom--transcend party lines.
               The success our committee has achieved in helping to 
             safeguard our Nation is the result of that nonpartisan--
             some might say independent--spirit that guides him. Those 
             successes are many, from the landmark Intelligence Reform 
             and Terrorism Prevention Act to providing the tools that 
             strengthen our first responders, to our extensive 
             investigations into the flawed response to Hurricane 
             Katrina, the fatal communication failures in the Fort Hood 
             terrorism case, and our current scrutiny of the attacks in 
             Benghazi, Joe Lieberman has always put country first. His 
             actions are guided by deeply held principles and aim 
             toward progress. He has demonstrated his willingness, time 
             and again, to risk his political career to do what he 
             believes is right for America.
               Joe brings the same dedication to everything he does. 
             Working with him on the Armed Services Committee, I know 
             first hand how devoted he is to our men and women in 
             uniform and the deep respect he has for their service and 
             their sacrifice. His leadership in bringing about the 
             repeal of the discriminatory ``don't ask, don't tell'' 
             policy was nothing short of extraordinary, and it gives me 
             great personal pride to have assisted him in achieving 
             that important victory for justice. It was vintage Joe 
             Lieberman. He did what was right. He never gave up. He got 
             the job done.
               Throughout his many years of dedicated service, Joe has 
             demonstrated the kind of character America needs and the 
             American people deserve. It is not by coincidence that the 
             PowerPoint slide show I present to students throughout 
             Maine includes a photograph of Senator Joe Lieberman at 
             work. The young pupils of today who will be the leaders of 
             tomorrow could have no better role model than this leader 
             of intelligence and integrity.
               A wonderful fringe benefit of working so closely with 
             Joe for so many years has been the opportunity I have had 
             to get to know his wonderful wife Hadassah. She is a 
             person who also demonstrates remarkable strength and 
             compassion. Her devotion to community service spans a 
             range of issues, from advocating for women's health and 
             breast cancer research to providing women with opportunity 
             through microfinance programs.
               The integrity and decency Joe brings to public service 
             stands on the unshakable foundation of his deep faith. It 
             is telling that his retirement announcement included these 
             wise words from Ecclesiastes: ``To everything there is a 
             season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.''
               In closing, I offer my dear friend this traditional 
             Jewish blessing: ``May you live 120 years.''
               While none of us expects to attain the longevity 
             achieved by the prophet Moses, I am confident the 
             gratitude of the American people for the service of 
             Senator Joe Lieberman will be everlasting.
                                           Wednesday, December 12, 2012
               Mr. REID. Madam President, I want to talk this morning 
             about Joe Lieberman.
               The very modest apartment, with no hot water, where 
             Joseph Lieberman was raised has long since been 
             demolished, but the values he learned in that little 
             apartment--in the flat above his grandparents' house--are 
             still there. They are the same values of devotion and 
             public service that have driven him not only to overcome 
             humble beginnings but to serve the country for 24 years 
             here in the U.S. Senate.
               Two years ago, on the day he announced his retirement 
             from the Senate, Joe Lieberman described his rise from 
             cold-water flat to Congress as follows:

               My four grandparents . . . came to America seeking 
             freedom and they found it. They came to America hoping for 
             opportunities and they got them. But even they could not 
             have dreamed that their grandson would end up a U.S. 
             Senator.

               Joe was always a natural-born leader. He was president 
             of his high school graduating class. He got undergraduate 
             and law degrees from Yale--one of the most prestigious 
             universities in the world--where he was chairman of the 
             Yale Daily News.
               He was a civil rights activist early on as a young man. 
             He was inspired, as many of us were, by the words of John 
             Kennedy. Joe defeated an incumbent to win a seat in the 
             Connecticut State Senate, where he served for 10 years, 
             including 6 as the majority leader of the Connecticut 
             State Legislature.
               After returning to private practice for 2 years, he 
             served as the first full-time Connecticut attorney 
             general. It was during his years as attorney general that 
             he met the love of his life, Hadassah. Today, they have 4 
             children and 12 grandchildren.
               In 1988 he again took on one of the giants of politics 
             in the State of Connecticut in a race no one thought he 
             could win, but he did. He defeated an incumbent U.S. 
             Senator, and for the last 24 years he has served the 
             people of Connecticut and this country with honor and 
             distinction.
               I was pleased to have had an opportunity to support 
             Senator Lieberman's historic candidacy for Vice President 
             in 2000. Joe was the first Jewish major party candidate 
             for Vice President.
               Senator Lieberman is a devout and observant Jew. He has 
             even written a book about the importance of keeping the 
             Sabbath as a day of rest. I read the book. I was so 
             impressed with that book. Our Sabbaths may be on different 
             days, but the solemnity of the Sabbath is important to 
             both of us. I was so impressed by that book I bought 20 of 
             them and sent them to my friends and my family, whom I 
             thought would gain a great deal by learning from this book 
             that Joe had written.
               Joe Lieberman says his faith is the basis for his strong 
             desire to serve the State of Connecticut and our country. 
             During his four terms representing Connecticut in the 
             Senate, Joe Lieberman played a key role in drafting and 
             passing many different pieces of legislation, including 
             the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, which have literally 
             saved lives by eliminating harmful smog, acid rain, and 
             other toxins in our air and water. He has been chairman of 
             the very important Homeland Security and Governmental 
             Affairs Committee. He is a powerful voice on security 
             issues, and he has been exemplary in working on a 
             bipartisan basis with Senator Susan Collins, who has been 
             the ranking member of that committee.
               Joe led the charge to create the 9/11 Commission and to 
             implement its recommendations. He was a leading voice for 
             the creation of that department, Homeland Security, which 
             we now look to for keeping this country safe.
               As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, 
             Senator Lieberman was a strong advocate for repeal of the 
             discriminatory ``don't ask, don't tell'' policy that 
             unjustly forced gay and lesbian servicemembers into the 
             closet. He fought to ensure our military is the best 
             prepared and best equipped fighting force in the world. We 
             have much in common. We don't always agree on policy 
             issues, but we do 90 percent of the time. Regardless of 
             the few differences we have, I have never, ever doubted 
             Joe Lieberman's principles or his patriotism, and I 
             respect his independent streak as it stems from strong 
             convictions. Joe said it best himself:

               I have not always fit comfortably into conventional 
             political boxes. Maybe you've noticed that. Democrat, 
             Republican, liberal, conservative. Because I've always 
             thought my first responsibility is not to serve a 
             political party, but to serve my constituents, my State 
             and my country. . . . Whatever the partisan or policy 
             differences that divide us, they are much less important 
             than the shared values and dreams that unite us.

               I have watched up close. He has been a wonderful member 
             of the Democratic caucus. I so admire and respect him. I 
             agree with Senator Lieberman's values. He has been an 
             asset to the Democratic caucus and our country. I am 
             pleased to have shared the dream of serving in the Senate 
             with such an extraordinary man and exceptional Senator. I 
             congratulate Joe and Hadassah on their years of dedicated 
             service because they have worked together. I wish them 
             both happiness.

               Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I will have a lot more to say 
             about my friend from Connecticut [Mr. Lieberman] in the 
             next few days. In the meantime, I wish to thank him for a 
             very important, a very visionary, and very wonderful 
             statement [his farewell address]. We thank him for it.
               I yield the floor.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.

               Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I wish to thank my 
             colleague and friend from Connecticut on behalf of all the 
             people of our State for his lifetime of public service.
               Our lives have been intertwined personally and 
             professionally for almost 40 years.
               I had the privilege of coming to know Senator 
             Lieberman's family, his parents who gave him the values 
             and ideals he has expressed so eloquently and powerfully 
             repeated throughout America as he did today on the floor 
             of the Senate. That dream, which they inspired, is indeed 
             a uniquely American dream, but it is rooted also in the 
             Stamford and Connecticut community that we share, those 
             ideals of faith, education, and intellect, and those 
             qualities of independence and courage and perseverance in 
             the face of adversity which he has embodied and taught to 
             so many young people and others around our State and 
             around the country and, of course, the ideals and goals of 
             civility and, maybe most important for this body, the 
             ideal of public service, which he has exemplified through 
             all of these years, an unremitting, unstinting, and 
             unwavering commitment to making the world a better place, 
             person by person, individual by individual, helping make 
             America equal to that great ideal and dream he has 
             articulated so eloquently.
               I have been privileged, also, to know Joe's wife 
             Hadassah, who has added so extraordinarily to his life and 
             made possible so many of his achievements. This tribute is 
             to her and his family as well as to him.
               For the past 2 years I have had the privilege of working 
             with Senator Lieberman, it has been a real honor, and I 
             look forward to continuing my work with him, although it 
             will no longer be in this Chamber, just as I worked with 
             him before reaching here. In a sense, I followed his 
             professional path as a State senator, as attorney general, 
             and now here.
               Many of our colleagues will come to the floor in the 
             remaining days of this session to commemorate the 
             tremendous legacy he leaves. It is a legacy of action, not 
             just of words as we have heard today, but action and 
             achievement. He has been a steadfast supporter of family 
             planning and a woman's right to choose, raising awareness 
             and garnering commitment of congressional colleagues for 
             that cause. He has been a champion of equality and 
             justice, exemplified, for example, in his advocacy of the 
             repeal of ``don't ask, don't tell.'' He has been a leader 
             on environmental conservation as attorney general of our 
             State, as well as in this body, especially in the fight to 
             protect Long Island Sound, a treasure of Connecticut and 
             the entire Nation.
               He was a leader in bringing to the floor of this Chamber 
             one of the first bills on climate change. His legacy will 
             live on in these efforts: the clean air and water he has 
             helped to protect, the urgency with which he has fought to 
             protect our natural treasures in Connecticut and around 
             the country. His spirit of environmental stewardship will 
             inspire generations to come. That ideal of stewardship is 
             also articulated by his remarks here, the stewardship of 
             democracy, of our Republic.
               One of Senator Lieberman's signature accomplishments has 
             been the creation of the Department of Homeland Security 
             in which he aimed to consolidate disparate agencies to 
             facilitate interagency communication. In the wake of 9/11, 
             he made that a mission and achieved it as chairman of the 
             Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs as 
             well as a leader on the Armed Services Committee. On that 
             committee, Armed Services, he has championed a strong and 
             vital national defense. That remains essential now as it 
             has been throughout his career.
               I am grateful to Senator Lieberman's support for a bill 
             I recently introduced, the End Trafficking in Government 
             Contracting Act, which addresses the serious problem of 
             human trafficking by Federal contractors and 
             subcontractors. I think his support for that measure 
             demonstrates, again, his commitment not only to equality 
             but helping and working with others in this body on a 
             bipartisan basis who share his goals, as that measure has 
             been, and was, and will be, as is the cause of ending 
             human trafficking and achieving human rights.
               Most recently, in a very personal way I observed Senator 
             Lieberman's deep empathy for people who are victims of 
             natural catastrophes. When the recent spate of storms 
             struck Connecticut, Irene and Sandy, I toured with him to 
             stricken places, seeing in his eyes and hearing in his 
             voice his sense of how individuals and their families are 
             affected by any kind of natural disaster. He is a person 
             of heart and of soul--a big heart and a soul that reaches 
             out to people.
               I thank him for his great work, his contribution, his 
             unstinting generosity to the people of our State, 
             Connecticut, through all of his years of service in many 
             different positions, in many different ways, in a myriad 
             of places throughout the State and throughout our Nation.
               I thank my Connecticut colleague for dedicating his life 
             to public service. I look forward to being with him, if 
             not in this Chamber, in many other places around the 
             country. I continue to admire his great contributions to 
             our country as well as to our State. Thank you, Senator 
             Lieberman.

               Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to honor my 
             colleague, Senator Joe Lieberman, who will be leaving the 
             Senate at the end of this term. Senator Lieberman's long 
             career in public service began in the Connecticut State 
             Senate, where he served for 10 years, including three 
             terms as the majority leader. Joe then put his Yale law 
             degree to good use as the attorney general for the State 
             before winning his bid for the U.S. Senate in 1988. He has 
             served in this esteemed body for 24 years, and I am 
             grateful for his dedication and service to our country.
               Joe is a true patriot. As Senator, he has made ensuring 
             the security and safety of our Nation his priority. He 
             spearheaded the creation of the Department of Homeland 
             Security in 2002 and has served honorably as the chairman 
             of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
             Committee. In this position, Senator Lieberman promoted a 
             forward-thinking security strategy of preparing our 
             military to respond to the unique security threats posed 
             in the 21st century. In particular, he has worked to 
             address cybersecurity issues and prepare our military to 
             respond to evolving warfare tactics.
               Senator Lieberman has also worked to ensure that our 
             Nation can stand strong in the face of natural disasters. 
             In 2006, he worked with Senator Collins to make the 
             Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, more effective 
             and responsive to communities suffering from the effects 
             of natural disasters. He insisted that FEMA centralize and 
             upgrade its information technology, IT, system to better 
             respond to disasters and the needs of the public.
               Joe and I have worked together as members of the Anti-
             Meth Caucus to fight the methamphetamine epidemic. Senator 
             Lieberman recognizes the threat drugs like methamphetamine 
             pose to the security of our borders, the health of our 
             citizens, and the economic prosperity of our Nation. I was 
             proud to work with him on this important issue.
               In 2000 Senator Lieberman ran as the Vice Presidential 
             candidate, becoming the first person of the Jewish faith 
             to represent a major political party on a national ticket. 
             Despite rising to the top of the ticket as a 
             representative of the Democratic Party, Senator Lieberman 
             has frequently demonstrated his willingness to work across 
             the aisle to achieve his vision.
               I respect Joe's commitment to his personal convictions 
             and his hard work on behalf of the people of Connecticut. 
             I thank him for his service to our country and wish him 
             all the best.
               I yield the floor.

               Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I rise to comment about 
             some wonderful men in the Senate who are retiring on both 
             sides of the aisle. Earlier today I spoke about my deep 
             affection and sorry-to-see-go friends Olympia Snowe and 
             Kay Bailey Hutchison, but I want to rise as the dean of 
             the women in the Senate to say some very special words 
             about very special men on both sides of the aisle. Because 
             when I came to the Senate, it was only Nancy Kassebaum and 
             me, and yet we worked on so many issues together. There 
             are really wonderful men here who supported me, supported 
             our issues, but really stood up for those States and their 
             communities. . . .
               Then to my good friend, Joe Lieberman--my friend Joe, a 
             true independent. We have worked together on issues 
             related to the Middle East and the safety and security of 
             Israel. We worked to bring character education into our 
             schools because we do believe that character counts.
               Working with Joe--whether it was to help create national 
             service, move national legislation, or to say that in our 
             schools we should come to understand the need to teach 
             respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and 
             citizenship--wow, these were values that should be not 
             only in our schools but throughout our country.
               Joe has been so faithful to his religious beliefs. He 
             has also been faithful to the Constitution he was sworn to 
             uphold and to the people of Connecticut. I want him to 
             know we so appreciate his service to Connecticut and to 
             the country.
               I wanted to be sure that the day would not end without 
             my acknowledging these wonderful people who have given a 
             big part of their lives to making this country a better 
             place. I want to, in the most heartfelt way--I am so sorry 
             we did not have a bipartisan dinner or party to be able to 
             express this. I would have liked to have been in the same 
             room, breaking bread with them, in order to be able to 
             tell them how much we appreciate them, across party lines, 
             across those lines that ordinarily divide us. They came 
             from different parts of the country, they arrived in the 
             Senate with different objectives, they will leave under 
             different circumstances. But I want to again let them know 
             that each and every one of them had a positive impact on 
             me and I think a wonderful impact on the future of this 
             country. So I wish them well. God bless and Godspeed.
                                            Thursday, December 20, 2012
               Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, with the close of the 112th 
             Congress, our friend and colleague Senator Joe Lieberman 
             is retiring after nearly a quarter century of dedicated 
             service in this body to the people of Connecticut and the 
             United States.
               As we all know, Senator Lieberman is a fiercely 
             independent Senator who prides himself on speaking his 
             conscience and reaching across party lines in order to get 
             things done. He is a pragmatist, not a partisan. Yet he 
             has never allowed his ideology or his party or what is 
             popular to stand in the way of doing what he believes is 
             right for Connecticut and the United States of America.
               In the years since Senator Lieberman left the Democratic 
             Party to become an Independent, he has sometimes disagreed 
             with his colleagues on this side of the aisle, but he has 
             never been disagreeable. To the contrary, he has been 
             unfailingly decent, gracious, and reasoned. He has been 
             unfailingly a gentleman and a friend, a person with a 
             great sense of humor, and he always has a smile. It is 
             these sterling personal qualities that are a big reason he 
             will be greatly missed by Senators on both sides of the 
             aisle.
               During his four terms in this body, Senator Lieberman 
             has earned a reputation as one of the Senate's most 
             influential and knowledgeable voices on interests of 
             national security. In the wake of the attacks of 9/11, he 
             was the lead sponsor of the bill to establish the 
             Department of Homeland Security. As chairman of Homeland 
             Security and Governmental Affairs, Senator Lieberman has 
             been a vigilant leader in safeguarding America.
               Throughout his distinguished tenure in this body--and 
             before that as a Connecticut State senator and attorney 
             general--Joe Lieberman has been a proud and principled 
             progressive with a passion for social and economic justice 
             for all Americans.
               To cite just one example: Senator Lieberman deserves 
             enormous credit for introducing and successfully 
             championing legislation to repeal the military's 
             discriminatory ``don't ask, don't tell'' policy, which 
             banned patriotic gay and lesbian Americans from serving 
             openly in our Armed Forces.
               As we all know, Joe Lieberman is a person of deep faith, 
             a faith that inspires him to public service and informs 
             his progressive vision for America. Last January, when he 
             announced his decision to retire, he said: ``I go forward 
             with a tremendous sense of gratitude for the opportunities 
             I have had to make a difference.''
               With Senator Lieberman's retirement in the days ahead, a 
             truly distinguished career in formal public service will 
             come to an end. I use the adjective formal because it is 
             hard to imagine that Joe Lieberman will not be finding new 
             avenues for public service as a private citizen.
               Senator Lieberman's career in this body will end, but 
             our friendship will continue. I know that his smile and 
             his gracious unfailingly gentlemanly ways will also 
             continue. I wish Joe and Hadassah much happiness in the 
             years ahead.

               Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, one of the most overused 
             quotes about this town is Harry Truman's observation years 
             ago that if you want a friend in Washington, go out and 
             get a dog. I have spent a good many years here now. I 
             suppose there is a little truth in that advice. Some 
             Washington friendships are a little like temporary 
             alliances between nations that for a brief period of time 
             have mutual interests or enemies. But not all friendships 
             here are like that, not all of them.
               Today I say a formal fond farewell to a departing 
             colleague whose friendship has been and will always be one 
             of the greatest treasures of my life. My friend Senator 
             Joe Lieberman is retiring from the Senate after 24 years 
             of service. Of course, he is not leaving, nor will he ever 
             leave, the affections of those of us who have come to 
             value him so highly as a statesman and as a friend, but we 
             will not see him around the place as much.
               His office will not be near ours. We will not hear him 
             speak from this floor or in committee hearings. We will 
             not have the daily benefit of his counsel and his example. 
             We will miss his contributions to the Senate. We will miss 
             his good humor, his wisdom, and sincerity, especially in 
             those moments when we find ourselves again wrapped around 
             the axle of partisanship and politics that has taken 
             primacy over the Nation's interests, when tempers are 
             frayed and we are consumed with putting each other at a 
             disadvantage. That is when we will miss him the most, on 
             those occasions when Joe's thoughtfulness and patriotism 
             stirred him to remind us again, as he did earlier this 
             week, that the public trust and not our party's fortunes 
             is our most important responsibility.
               Joe's presence, his wit, and courtesy and kindness have 
             improved the conviviality of our institution. But more 
             than that, he has set an example that I think our 
             constituents surely wish more of us would emulate. It is 
             his conscience and devotion to America, not his party 
             affiliation, that has inspired his work.
               He has been a very accomplished legislator and a 
             recognized leader on national security issues. He is a 
             nationally prominent politician, majority leader in his 
             State senate, the attorney general of the State of 
             Connecticut, elected to the Senate of the United States 
             four times, a Vice Presidential nominee in 2000, a 
             candidate for President, and I should probably add nearly 
             a nominee for Vice President again.
               That he managed to achieve such prominence while being 
             the least partisan politician I know is a credit to his 
             character and to the exemplary quality of his public 
             service and to the public's too often frustrated desire 
             for leaders who seek office to do something, not just to 
             be someone.
               He has been a tireless advocate for the rights of the 
             oppressed, the misfortunate, the disenfranchised, and 
             tireless too in his concern for the security of the United 
             States, for the strength of our alliances, the excellence 
             of our Armed Forces, and the global progress of our 
             values. He came here to do justice, to love mercy, and to 
             walk humbly with his God.
               It is hard to find anyone here who does not like and 
             admire Joe. He is impossible to dislike, even if one only 
             knows him a little. Most of his detractors seem to be 
             people who do not know him and who tend to view people 
             very strictly through the perspectives of their ideology 
             and partisan identity. The only thing to resent about Joe 
             Lieberman is that he is so damn considerate of everyone 
             that you can find yourself feeling a little ashamed when 
             he catches you raising your voice to someone or behaving 
             in other ways that fall short of his unfailing 
             graciousness.
               He is not an easy example to emulate. I have fallen 
             short of his standard more often than I care to concede. 
             But I know, as I suspect most of us know, that our 
             constituents deserve and our country needs more public 
             officials who keep their priorities in the right order, as 
             Joe always has, and who offer their respect for their 
             colleagues without expecting anything in return but our 
             respect.
               We spent a lot of time together, Joe and I. We have 
             traveled many thousands of miles together. We have 
             attended scores of international conferences together, met 
             with dozens of world leaders, with human rights activists, 
             and the occasional autocrat. We have visited war zones, 
             shared the extraordinary experience with equal parts 
             gratitude and awe of talking with and hearing from the 
             Americans who risk everything so the rest of us may be 
             secure in our freedom.
               I have been able to study Joe at close quarters. He has 
             never failed to impress me as a dedicated public servant, 
             a loyal friend, a considerate gentleman, a kind soul, and 
             very good company. I have also been privileged to witness 
             the sincerity of his faith. I have awakened in the middle 
             of the night on a long plane ride to find Joe in his 
             prayer shawl, talking to the God he tries very hard to 
             serve faithfully every day. I have witnessed the lengths 
             he goes to always keep the Sabbath, and occasionally I 
             have even filled in as his Shabbos goy. I have enjoyed 
             every minute of our travels together. He is a quality 
             human being, and time spent in his company is never 
             wasted.
               I have worked with Joe on many issues and opposed him on 
             more than a few. But I have always been just as impressed 
             by him when we disagree as I am when we agree. He is 
             always the same: good natured, gracious, and intent on 
             doing his best by the people who sent him and the country 
             he loves.
               He is leaving the Senate, and I am going to miss him a 
             lot. I doubt any of the many friends he has made here will 
             let him stray far from our attention. We will still rely 
             on his wise counsel and warm friendship. I know I will. I 
             hope we are not done traveling together. I hope to see him 
             in other conferences and meetings abroad. I want to go 
             back on the road and learn from him and just pretend he 
             has not left the place that brought us together. He is as 
             fine a friend as I have ever had and irreplaceable in my 
             life, and I cannot let him go.
               Thank you, Joe, for all you have done for me; for your 
             many kindnesses, your counsel, your company, and for 
             teaching me how to be a better human being. I will see you 
             again soon.
               I yield the floor.

               Mr. REED. Madam President, at this time, I wish to take 
             a few minutes to salute my colleagues who are retiring at 
             the end of this year with the conclusion of the 112th 
             Congress: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Jeff Bingaman of New 
             Mexico, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Kent Conrad of North 
             Dakota, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Kay Bailey Hutchison 
             of Texas, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Jon Kyl of Arizona, 
             Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Richard Lugar of Indiana, 
             Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Jim 
             Webb of Virginia. They have all worked ceaselessly to give 
             their constituents the best representation and give the 
             country the benefit of their views, their wisdom, and 
             their experience. They are men and women who are committed 
             to the Nation, and they have every day in different ways 
             contributed to this Senate and to our great country.
               I wish to thank them personally for their service, and, 
             in so many cases, their personal kindness to me; for 
             listening to my points and for, together, hopefully, 
             serving this Senate and this Nation in a more positive and 
             progressive way.
               In particular, let me say a few words about some of the 
             Members with whom I have had the privilege to work more 
             closely. . . .
               Joe Lieberman and I have worked many hours to protect 
             the submarine industrial base that is crucial not only to 
             our strategic posture but also to our local economies. He 
             has done it with great vision and great energy, and I 
             thank him for that. . . .
               I could go on with all of my colleagues, just thanking 
             them for their friendship, for their camaraderie, and for 
             their commitment to the Nation and the Senate. As they 
             depart, they have left an extraordinary legacy. Now it is 
             our responsibility to carry on in so many different ways, 
             and I hope we measure up to what they have done. If we do, 
             then we can go forward confidently.
               With that, I yield the floor.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.

               Ms. AYOTTE. Madam President, I wish to say a few words 
             about my friend Joe Lieberman, the gentleman from 
             Connecticut.
               Shortly after I arrived in the Senate, Senator Lieberman 
             was assigned to serve as my mentor--someone from the other 
             side of the aisle who would be a source of wisdom and 
             guidance as I made my way in my first term in the Senate.
               I considered myself extremely fortunate that he agreed 
             to mentor me. We are both from New England. We both had 
             the privilege of serving our State as attorney general and 
             have a deep respect for the rule of law. And we are both 
             deeply concerned about issues impacting the security of 
             our country.
               Over the last 2 years I have been able to work with 
             Senator Lieberman more closely, and I have personally seen 
             his character, his courage, and his conviction. Both in 
             tone and in substance, Senator Lieberman has been one of 
             the most respected and effective statesmen in the history 
             of this institution--someone who transcended politics to 
             stand up for what he believed in and what he believed was 
             right on behalf of our country.
               Senator Lieberman understands that neither party has a 
             monopoly on good ideas and that the American people expect 
             Members of both parties to work together to get things 
             done on behalf of our country.
               Senator Lieberman understands that our children will not 
             ask us whether we were Democrats or Republicans and how 
             good we were at that, at being a member of a party; they 
             will ask us whether we were willing to make the tough 
             decisions necessary to ensure that they continue to enjoy 
             prosperity and freedom in the greatest country on Earth.
               What I admire about my friend Joe Lieberman is that he 
             is someone who always puts country first above all else. 
             For Senator Lieberman, this has been especially true in 
             the area of national security and homeland security.
               As our Nation has encountered difficult economic 
             headwinds at home--over $16 trillion in debt--there have 
             been Members of both parties who have argued for excessive 
             cuts to our military and that we disengage from the rest 
             of the world. Yet, in the great traditions of Presidents 
             Truman, Kennedy, and Reagan, Senator Lieberman has made 
             the compelling case that the United States best promotes 
             its values and protects its citizens when we remain 
             engaged around the world, maintaining our military 
             strength, having the best military in the world.
               Having had the chance to work with Senator Lieberman on 
             the Senate Armed Services Committee, I observed his 
             inspiring commitment to our men and women in uniform. He 
             has shown a deep commitment to make sure they have the 
             best equipment they need and that we remain the strongest 
             military in the world; and that when our soldiers come 
             home, they receive the support they need. He has been such 
             an amazing advocate for the military and their families.
               I also appreciate that, like Winston Churchill, Senator 
             Lieberman understands the value of alliances between 
             democracies and has spoken with moral clarity regarding 
             the enemies of freedom. He has not hesitated to call 
             terrorism an evil by its name and to speak out for 
             dissidents and freedom fighters around the world.
               I will never forget a trip I had the privilege of taking 
             with him to Asia, where we had the opportunity to meet 
             individuals who were imprisoned. They spoke with tears in 
             their eyes of the work Senator Lieberman and Senator 
             McCain and others had done to speak up on their behalf.
               Senator Lieberman has spoken for those who have been 
             oppressed around the world time and time again, and he has 
             left his legacy on this institution in making sure that 
             America stands for our values and for people around the 
             world who are struggling for basic human rights and 
             freedom.
               In this Chamber, he will also, of course, be remembered 
             for the incredibly important work he did as a strong and 
             resolute member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and 
             also as the chairman of the Homeland Security and 
             Governmental Affairs Committee. He helped to lead the 
             Federal Government's response to 9/11, to those horrible 
             attacks on our country, and every American is safer 
             because of the work Joe Lieberman did as chairman of that 
             committee, and the work he did on the Senate Armed 
             Services Committee in this body--and the work I know he 
             will continue to do when he leaves the Senate.
               My friend Joe Lieberman represents the very best of 
             public servants. He has stood firm for freedom, 
             international engagement, and American military strength. 
             He will be remembered among Members of this body not only 
             for his accomplishments but for the way he has conducted 
             himself. Always a gentleman, he has conducted himself with 
             great decency, civility, and humility.
               At a time when our country faces great challenges, his 
             quiet and effective leadership and commitment to working 
             across party lines will be sorely missed in this body. He 
             will certainly continue to serve as a model for all of us 
             who remain serving in the Senate, and I know in future 
             endeavors I will certainly seek him out to ask for his 
             advice and counsel as we face great challenges not only 
             here at home but also in terms of our military and the 
             role America plays in the world.
               We all admire his leadership here, and it has been a 
             true privilege for me to have had him mentor me the last 2 
             years. I have learned so much from him. Again, I think he 
             serves as a model public servant of what it means to be 
             committed to doing the right thing for your country.
               Thank you, Madam President.

               Mr. COONS. . . . There are so many other Senators I want 
             to speak about today [besides Daniel Inouye], but let me 
             turn to a few, if I might, and give some insight for the 
             folks who only see Members of this Chamber on cable TV 
             shows or in the give-and-take of election season or who 
             only know them as the cutout and caricatures that the 
             public thinks of as Senators. If there is a common thread 
             between them, it is that they share that loyalty, work 
             ethic, and humility that so characterized Senator Inouye 
             in his decades here. . . .
               Those who adhere to the Jewish faith around the world 
             are inspired by the ancient concept of ``tikkun olam''--
             ``to heal the world''--to challenge each of us who seek to 
             serve each other and our communities. Like Senator Kohl, 
             my dear friend Senator Joe Lieberman has certainly risen 
             to that challenge. He is a man deeply committed to his 
             faith, which has significantly influenced his career and 
             his drive to serve, and it is something I share with 
             Senator Lieberman.
               On my very first congressional delegation, my first trip 
             as a Senator just a few months after being sworn in, I 
             visited Pakistan, Afghanistan, Jordan, and Israel. Senator 
             Lieberman was on a different codel, and our paths crossed 
             and we got to share a Shabbat dinner at the David Citadel 
             Hotel in Jerusalem one night. As he was crossing the room 
             for us to sit, I realized he could be elected mayor of 
             Jerusalem.
               As we sat and broke bread and shared, it was a great 
             comfort for me. Earlier that day I had gotten word that 
             Delaware had lost one of our great leaders, Muriel Gilman, 
             a personal friend and a remarkable leader and a person of 
             kindness and spirit. She was a pioneer for women in my 
             State and personified this spirit of tikkun olam. So over 
             dinner that night in Jerusalem, Senator Lieberman and I 
             talked about Muriel, about what I had seen in Jordan and 
             in Israel, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and my experience on 
             my first trip as a Senator. It was a remarkable moment. 
             Senator Lieberman was engaging and warm, interesting and 
             passionate as we wove between talk about policy and faith, 
             and he reflected with me on the point of his own life when 
             his religion became his faith, when he really took 
             ownership of the religion of his birth and how that faith 
             and its lessons have shaped his public service. For me as 
             a young Senator, it was a formative moment.
               His passion for the stability of the world and the 
             security of the United States and our vital ally, Israel, 
             and his dedicated work for the clarity of the air we 
             breathe and his tireless advocacy for the equality of all 
             Americans regardless of whom they love have been an 
             inspiration. His desire to work together and find 
             responsible compromise has been motivating.
               I am deeply grateful to Joe Lieberman for his service, 
             his counsel, his friendship, and his lesson that no matter 
             what faith tradition we are from, we can use our service 
             in this Chamber as an opportunity to repair our world.
               So here we are, 5 days before my family celebrates 
             Christmas and 12 days before the new year and the 
             beginning of the so-called fiscal cliff. Our politics have 
             paralyzed this Chamber and this town. But what the example 
             of all of these remarkable Senators has shown us, what it 
             has taught me is that we can still be better than our 
             politics.
               The humanity of this place, too often shoved aside by 
             the politics of the moment, shows us that we can do 
             better. One by one, these Senators, in delivering their 
             farewell addresses to this Chamber, stood at their desks 
             and each in turn urged us to find a way to return to the 
             days when Senators knew each other and worked together. 
             What will it take to get us to that point again--a 
             horrific tragedy in an elementary school, a dangerous 
             economic cliff, some devastating attack, a cyberassault on 
             America?
               Our retiring colleagues are each telling us, each in 
             turn, that it is not too late to restore the humanity of 
             this Chamber and make a positive difference in the lives 
             of all we serve. Will we heed their call? I hope and pray 
             we will because we can do better. We must do better. And 
             in the spirit of each of these departing colleagues, I 
             will do my level best. I hope we all can commit to doing 
             the same.
               Thank you, and I yield the floor.
                                              Friday, December 21, 2012
               Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, in a few days the Senate will 
             no longer benefit from the service of a member who has 
             left an indelible mark on national security policy and on 
             the Senate. Senator Joe Lieberman has been my colleague 
             and friend for more than two decades. We have shared 
             triumphs and challenges, agreed and disagreed with one 
             another, and each of us has served as a member of a 
             committee the other chaired.
               One challenge we have shared is the need to strengthen 
             our Nation's manufacturing sector, the economic backbone 
             of our two States and indeed of the Nation. Senator 
             Lieberman has served as chairman of the Senate 
             Manufacturing Caucus, which has benefited greatly from his 
             energy and leadership. He has been a dedicated supporter 
             of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which helps 
             U.S. manufacturers strengthen and grow in the face of 
             international competition. In this work, Senator Lieberman 
             has been an ally of Michigan working families.
               Of course, Senator Lieberman and I have worked together 
             on the Armed Services Committee, where he has been an 
             active, thoughtful, principled and energetic member and 
             subcommittee chairman. Senator Lieberman joined the 
             committee in 1993, and from the start, he made an impact. 
             He was the author of what came to be known as the 
             Lieberman Amendment to the National Defense Authorization 
             Act for Fiscal Year 1997, directing the Department of 
             Defense to conduct a Quadrennial Defense Review. This 
             review has become an integral part of our Nation's defense 
             planning, encouraging the Pentagon, Congress, and all who 
             contribute to defense strategy to confront tough questions 
             about strategy, capabilities, and resources.
               Over several years as chairman or ranking member of the 
             Airland Subcommittee, Senator Lieberman has played an 
             influential role in oversight of important modernization 
             programs. His constant attention and leadership has helped 
             the Army push through the challenges of acquiring and 
             fielding the truly networked tactical force our Nation 
             needs, and of modernizing its helicopter force. He has 
             provided close oversight of aircraft programs such as the 
             F/A-18E and F, F-22, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the new 
             KC-46 aerial refueling tanker.
               Of course, the committee has grappled with a number of 
             difficult policy questions over the last two decades, from 
             the need to repeal ``don't ask, don't tell'' to the 
             conduct of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Senator 
             Lieberman was the original sponsor of the legislation that 
             repealed ``don't ask, don't tell,'' and he played an 
             important role in shepherding this legislation through the 
             Armed Services Committee and the Senate. Whether one 
             agrees or disagrees with Senator Lieberman on these 
             issues, it's impossible to doubt his thoughtfulness and 
             his dedication to finding the right solutions for our 
             Nation.
               Senator Lieberman is my chairman on the Homeland 
             Security and Government Affairs Committee. I'm privileged 
             to chair that committee's Permanent Subcommittee on 
             Investigations, where a small but incredibly talented and 
             dedicated staff has made immense contributions to consumer 
             protections, government oversight, and our defenses 
             against financial wrongdoing. I am deeply grateful for 
             Senator Lieberman's support for our subcommittee's work.
               We also have worked closely on the committee's efforts 
             to protect Americans from potentially catastrophic 
             releases from chemical facilities. I was a cosponsor on 
             legislation he authored with Senator Collins to address 
             that threat, and I am thankful for his leadership in 
             putting in place these vital protective standards. Senator 
             Lieberman's work has also included badly needed reform of 
             the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of the 
             Hurricane Katrina disaster; improving our cybersecurity 
             protections; and improving our defenses against disease 
             pandemics.
               The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee 
             is also where Senator Lieberman has accomplished what is 
             likely his most lasting work: reform of our homeland 
             security and intelligence communities in the wake of the 
             2001 terrorist attacks.
               Reforms of this scope by necessity have many authors, 
             but certainly Senator Lieberman's role was at the 
             forefront. His leadership was instrumental in passage of 
             legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security, 
             and in achieving vital reforms to the structure and 
             practices of our intelligence agencies in the wake of the 
             9/11 attacks. These were sweeping, once-in-a-generation 
             reforms, and Senator Lieberman was tireless in his 
             advocacy for them.
               In these and so many other ways, Senator Lieberman 
             leaves an important and lasting legacy as he prepares to 
             leave the Senate. He is a trustworthy confidant and I 
             shall miss him. Barbara and I wish Joe and Hadassah every 
             happiness as they embark on their next adventure together.
                                            Thursday, December 27, 2012
               Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, a Senator of 24 years, Senator 
             Joe Lieberman this year retires from this Chamber. He has 
             represented the people of Connecticut for years, first as 
             a State senator, and then as the State's attorney general.
               Senator Lieberman has been a constant voice in national 
             security matters. I worked with him in the aftermath of 
             the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to establish 
             the Department of Homeland Security, and since then, he 
             has served as the top Democrat on the Homeland Security 
             and Governmental Affairs Committee. He has worked to 
             strengthen the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the 
             aftermath of disasters, including Hurricanes Katrina and 
             Rita.
               I worked with Senator Lieberman in 2002 on the E-
             Government Act, a key privacy law that required the 
             government to improve access to information on the 
             Internet. A chief architect of that bill, it has become an 
             important transparency law and a valuable tool in 
             protecting individual privacy protections.
               Senator Lieberman has been a dedicated proponent of 
             examining the impacts of climate change. He has worked to 
             find a compromise to move the Senate forward on meaningful 
             climate change and cap-and-trade legislation. Despite 
             Connecticut's small dairy industry, Senator Lieberman has 
             been a true partner in advancing the needs of dairy 
             farmers in Vermont and across the country.
               Senator Lieberman has earned the respect of both 
             Democrats and Republicans. Like so many other retiring 
             Senators, he has urged the Senate to pursue avenues of 
             bipartisanship. The bipartisan legacy he leaves is one 
             example we can all follow moving forward. I wish him and 
             his wife, Hadassah, the best in his retirement.
                                              Friday, December 28, 2012
               Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute 
             to the Senators who will not be returning when the 113th 
             Congress commences next month. I have already spoken about 
             Senator Kyl and about Senator Inouye, one of the truly 
             great Americans and giants of this institution. At the 
             time of his death, Senator Inouye was just a few weeks 
             short of celebrating 50 years of Senate service. Only 
             Senator Byrd served in this institution longer.
               Turnover is a natural occurrence, but it's important to 
             acknowledge that the Senators who are departing have 
             served in the Senate for a combined total of 237 years, or 
             nearly 20 years per Senator, on average. Add Senator 
             Inouye, and the total is close to 300 years. That service 
             represents an enormous amount of expertise on issues 
             ranging from national defense and foreign affairs to the 
             Federal budget to energy policy. The departing Senators 
             will also take with them vast institutional knowledge and 
             bipartisan friendships and working relationships that will 
             leave a void we will need to fill. . . .
               Mr. President, few Senators have struck as independent a 
             path in recent years as Senator Joe Lieberman. He was the 
             first prominent Democrat to chastise then-President Bill 
             Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky, but did not 
             support removing the President from office. He was the 
             Democratic Party's nominee to be Vice President in 2000--
             the first Jewish candidate on a national party ticket in 
             American history. Senator Lieberman has confounded people 
             because he has been willing to follow his conscience and 
             to place principle over party loyalty.
               Senator Lieberman is a proud son of Connecticut. His 
             parents ran a liquor store in Stamford; both his paternal 
             and maternal grandparents were immigrants from Poland and 
             Austria, respectively. He graduated from Yale University--
             the first member of his family to graduate from college--
             and then received his law degree from Yale Law School. In 
             1970, when Senator Lieberman was just 28, he was elected 
             to the Connecticut State Senate as a ``reform Democrat.'' 
             He served in the State senate for 10 years, including 6 as 
             majority leader. In 1982 he won the first of two terms as 
             Connecticut's Attorney General, and was immensely popular 
             for championing environmental and consumer protection.
               Senator Lieberman pulled off perhaps the biggest upset 
             of the 1988 election cycle when he defeated incumbent 
             Republican Senator Lowell Weicker in a close race, winning 
             by just 10,000 votes. But 6 years later, when Democrats 
             lost control of both Houses of Congress, Senator Lieberman 
             won reelection with over 67 percent of the vote. In 2000, 
             while he simultaneously ran for Vice President, he 
             received over 63 percent of the vote for the Senate seat 
             he held.
               Here in the Senate, Senator Lieberman has been a strong 
             advocate of recruiting, training, and equipping a 21st 
             century fighting force and using it to defend America's 
             security, values, and interests. Senator Lieberman was one 
             of five Democrats to cosponsor S.J. Res. 2, which 
             authorized the use of force in the first gulf war in 1991. 
             He partnered with Senator McCain to push for U.S. 
             intervention in the Balkans in the 1990s, and he was a 
             proponent of former President George W. Bush's surge 
             strategy in Iraq.
               Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, 
             Senator Lieberman led the charge to establish the 9/11 
             Commission, whose mission was to prepare a full and 
             complete account of the circumstances surrounding the 
             attacks. Then, in response to the Commission's 
             recommendations, Senator Lieberman worked with Senator 
             Susan Collins to implement the largest reorganization of 
             the intelligence community in over half a century. As 
             chairman of the Government Affairs Committee, Senator 
             Lieberman led congressional efforts to establish the 
             Department of Homeland Security, which integrated all or 
             part of 22 different Federal departments and agencies. He 
             has since continued to oversee the department's work in 
             his position as ranking member of the committee between 
             2003 and 2006 and as chairman again since 2007.
               Senator Lieberman is a committed environmentalist. He 
             played a key role in drafting and passing the 1990 Clean 
             Air Act Amendments, which established the sulfur dioxide 
             cap and trade program to combat acid rain, one of the most 
             successful programs in history. He has introduced every 
             major climate change bill in the Senate, and every bill 
             that has been brought to the floor for a vote. In 1994 
             Senator Lieberman worked with then-Representative Nancy 
             Johnson, a Republican, to secure wild and scenic river 
             status for the Upper Farmington River, the first in the 
             State of Connecticut. He has led several successful 
             filibusters against legislation that would have opened the 
             Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, to oil and gas 
             exploration; he also has introduced legislation every 2 
             years to protect ANWR permanently.
               In 1994 Senator Lieberman introduced the Video Game 
             Ratings Act, held hearings on violence in video games, and 
             played an important role in establishing a ratings system 
             and restricting sales of mature games to minors. In the 
             wake of the terrible tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary 
             School in Newtown, CT, he has called for the creation of a 
             national commission to study gun violence in a 
             comprehensive way. In 1998, Senator Lieberman introduced 
             and helped pass the Charter School Expansion Act, which 
             expanded the number of high-quality charter schools 
             available to children across the United States. Three 
             years later, he was a lead sponsor of the No Child Left 
             Behind legislation, NCLB. Because of his involvement, he 
             was invited to join the NCLB Conference Committee despite 
             not serving on the committee of jurisdiction. In 2007 
             Senator Lieberman was a lead sponsor of the National 
             Innovation Act and the National Innovation Education Act. 
             These were underlying pieces of the final American 
             COMPETES Act, intended to spur innovation and ensure that 
             our workforce has the education and skills necessary to 
             compete in a global economy. In 2010 Senator Lieberman led 
             the successful fight to repeal the Department of Defense's 
             ``don't ask, don't tell'' policy. He also has introduced 
             legislation to provide domestic partnership benefits to 
             Federal employees, and was an original cosponsor of the 
             Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
               Senator Lieberman is a highly accomplished Senator 
             because he has put pragmatism above ideology and because 
             he has been willing to forge bipartisan alliances and 
             compromises. He is a deeply religious man whose motto 
             might well be the prophet Isaiah's plaintive cry, ``Come 
             now, and let us reason together'' (Isaiah 1:18). The 
             Senate will miss his devotion to public service, 
             cheerfulness, and optimism. . . .
               Mr. President, these men and women who will be leaving 
             the Senate soon have made extraordinary sacrifices to 
             serve our Nation. We are fortunate that they have chosen 
             to spend significant parts of their lives in public 
             service. All Americans owe them a debt of gratitude. Those 
             of us who will be in the Senate next month when the 113th 
             Congress convenes can best honor the legacy of our 
             departing colleagues by reaching across the aisle as they 
             have done so many times to forge bipartisan consensus and 
             solutions to our Nation's most vexing problems. The men 
             and women who will be leaving the Senate at the end of 
             this Congress understand that compromise isn't a dirty 
             word; it is the genius at the heart of our political 
             system. We will miss them.

               Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, at the end of each session of 
             Congress, the Senate takes a moment to acknowledge and 
             express our appreciation for the service of those retiring 
             Members who will not be a part of the next Congress when 
             we reconvene in January. We offer each of them our thanks 
             for a job well done. Joe Lieberman is such an individual, 
             and he has brought so much to our work in the Senate over 
             the years. We will miss him.
               Ever since he arrived here in the Senate Joe has always 
             seen our deliberations as not so much a matter of party so 
             much as it has been about each issue taken individually. 
             That is why we see him as such a thoughtful legislator. He 
             examines every matter that comes before the Senate, taking 
             stock of how it will impact his home State of Connecticut 
             and the future of our Nation, and then he makes a decision 
             on the best course of action for the Congress to take. His 
             ability to sort through each issue focused more on policy 
             than politics has helped him to work with Senators on both 
             sides of the aisle--and bring something important to each 
             discussion. That is why the people of Connecticut kept 
             bringing him back for another term. Simply put, they saw 
             him in action in the Senate, visited with him when he 
             would return to Connecticut, and they liked what they saw.
               I got to know Joe as we worked together during a trip to 
             South Korea. The Kyoto Conference had concluded and South 
             Korea was in the midst of a series of problems. The 
             outlook was troublesome and action needed to be taken on a 
             priority basis. The problems were magnified by the 
             election that was going on and the monetary crisis that 
             was being played out in the midst of all of that political 
             campaigning and posturing.
               In an effort to be of assistance, the International 
             Monetary Fund had stepped in and was willing to provide 
             the support that was needed in exchange for South Korea's 
             willingness to take certain steps that they believed were 
             essential if any additional elements of the crisis were to 
             be avoided.
               The International Monetary Fund asked us to meet with 
             the candidates who were running in South Korea and make 
             them aware of the importance of the current problem and 
             the need to work with the International Monetary Fund 
             toward the solution that had been proposed. It was not 
             going to be enough for them to privately state that they 
             were open to the idea. We needed them to go public with 
             their support for the proposal so that all the candidates 
             would be on the record as being on board with the plan. 
             That would help to strengthen and stabilize the economy 
             and put South Korea on a track toward a long-term solution 
             to their financial problems.
               We were so ``effective'' with our assignment that, after 
             meeting with us, each of the candidates took to the 
             airwaves the next day to make it clear that if they were 
             elected they would rewrite the whole deal.
               As soon as they made it clear they were not interested 
             in the proposal that had been made, the value of their 
             currency began to sink like a rock. It hit the maximum 
             loss for 3 days. That was enough to teach each candidate 
             that they had no alternative but to move in the direction 
             the International Monetary Fund had recommended.
               As soon as that realization became clear, each of the 
             candidates went back on the airwaves and said that they 
             would comply with the International Monetary Fund's 
             recommendations and pursue the policies that would place 
             the nation on firmer ground. When there is only one viable 
             alternative it makes taking a position on an issue like 
             this a lot easier.
               I learned a great deal about Joe on that trip--and from 
             him, too. It was in every sense time well spent both for 
             me and Joe--and for the Government of South Korea as well. 
             That experience has been with me ever since, and I have 
             never forgotten it.
               Joe is completing his fourth term and through it all he 
             has been a good representative of the people of 
             Connecticut. He has been a part of many difficult and 
             complex issues during those four terms. Each day, 
             strengthened by his faith and guided by his strong sense 
             of values and principles, he has taken on each challenge 
             that has come before us and done some very important work 
             for the Nation.
               Thanks, Joe, for your willingness to serve. You have 
             compiled a record during your years of service on the 
             State and national level of which you can be very proud. 
             As I thank you for your service, I also want to thank you 
             for your friendship. I have enjoyed having the chance to 
             come to know you and I hope you will continue to keep in 
             touch with us in the months to come.
                                              Monday, December 31, 2012
               Mr. COATS. Mr. President, I wish to thank my friend, my 
             longtime friend whom I hate to see leave this body, 
             Senator Lieberman from Connecticut, for his remarks.
               I didn't have the opportunity to speak after he gave his 
             farewell remarks. I do wish to say, before I get into the 
             reason I came down here--I am happy to see him here so I 
             can say this--it has been a joy to serve with him over the 
             years.
               I am in my second life in the Senate, and during my 
             first life we served together on the Armed Services 
             Committee. We worked on a number of initiatives together, 
             and I was proud to be associated with him. I believe that 
             work strengthened our national economy and our security 
             team around the world. We worked on school vouchers for DC 
             and a number of other initiatives affecting the future of 
             our military and other issues that were of importance to 
             us.
               Most important, from my standpoint, we worked together 
             to bring values that each of us cherish based on our 
             faith. Joe is of the Jewish faith, and I am of the 
             Christian faith. We discovered on a trip to Iraq, just 
             after Desert Storm, that we, in talking to each other, 
             shared our respective faiths and how it affected our 
             lives, how it affected our families, and how it helped us 
             form decisions we make. Of course, coming from two 
             different parties, we didn't find agreement on everything, 
             but we found agreement on a number of things, particularly 
             those things where we shared common values, where our 
             faith shared common values and where individually we 
             shared those values.
               Under the direction of a rabbi from Chicago we cochaired 
             the Center for Jewish and Christian Values, bringing 
             together Jews and Christians to talk about what they had 
             in common and what values we could work together on for 
             the betterment of our country and for the betterment of 
             our society. Too often we bring groups together of 
             different persuasions to discuss, argue, and debate the 
             differences. This was different because we brought these 
             groups together, distinguished leaders from both sides, 
             prominent leaders from both sides, to set aside those 
             differences and work to find those values we had in 
             common. It was a joy to participate in that with Senator 
             Lieberman and to cochair that.
               We have remained friends. His contributions to our 
             country, not just representing a State but representing 
             America around the world, will long be remembered and will 
             have great impact and effect. We are losing a real talent, 
             and we are losing a real gentleman. We are losing someone 
             who is an example of how he conducts himself and is an 
             example for all of us as to how we ought to conduct 
             ourselves, and we don't always do that.
               Joe Lieberman has left a lasting impression on me--and I 
             know a number of our colleagues on both sides of the 
             aisle--and he will be sorely missed.
               One thing I am happy about is that we will continue a 
             lifelong friendship, and I am looking forward to many more 
             opportunities for Senator Lieberman to work on matters of 
             interest but will enjoy a continued sharing of the 
             commonalities of our Judeo-Christian faiths.

               Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I wish to recognize my 
             colleague Joe Lieberman for his many years of 
             distinguished service and leadership on behalf of our 
             country and the people of Connecticut.
               Joe will always have a special place in my heart. As 
             many of my colleagues know, he was actually one of my 
             professors in college. He gave me one of my first 
             introductions to the political process through a seminar 
             he taught on the subject of the national political 
             parties. Interestingly enough, Senator Sherrod Brown also 
             took that same class just a few years earlier. Even more 
             interesting is the fact that everyone remembers what grade 
             I got, but no one seems to recall what grade Sherrod got.
               But I digress. Not many political science professors can 
             say they've taught two concurrently serving U.S. Senators. 
             Joe can, however, and I think that's an enormous tribute 
             to his character and genuine zest for public policy. As 
             one of his former students, I made a point of following 
             his career over the years and always admired his political 
             courage. But it never occurred to me that I might someday 
             be serving alongside him in the Senate.
               Working with Joe these last 6 years has been an 
             incredible privilege for me. I've respected him as a 
             policymaker, particularly for his work on national 
             security and climate change. I've admired him for his 
             outspoken leadership and commonsense approach to 
             legislating. Maybe most important, I've genuinely enjoyed 
             him as a friend and a colleague--for his kindness, his 
             wisdom, and his famous sense of humor.
               Joe Lieberman has been a truly outstanding voice for the 
             State of Connecticut and a great leader for the people of 
             this country. To say that he will be missed would be a 
             tremendous understatement, but I know he will continue to 
             find ways to improve our great country and give back to 
             the State he loves so much, even in retirement. Thank you, 
             Senator Lieberman. I wish you the best.
                                             Thursday, February 7, 2013
                            ORDER FOR PRINTING OF TRIBUTES
               Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of 
             materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to the 
             retiring Members of the 112th Congress.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                     Proceedings in the House of Representatives
                                            Thursday, December 13, 2012
               Ms. NORTON. I rise today in strong support of the D.C. 
             Courts and Public Defender Service Act of 2011. I would 
             like to thank Senator Joe Lieberman, the chair of the 
             Senate Homeland Security Committee, which has jurisdiction 
             over the District of Columbia, and particularly Senator 
             Daniel Akaka, the chair of the Senate Subcommittee on 
             Oversight and Government Management and the Senate sponsor 
             of the bill, the Federal Workforce and the District of 
             Columbia for ushering the bill through subcommittee and 
             committee and getting it passed by voice vote.
               Both Senators Lieberman and Akaka are retiring this 
             year. They each will leave rich legacies of accomplishment 
             to the Nation, and both Senator Lieberman and Senator 
             Akaka have always been good friends of the District of 
             Columbia. They will be very much missed in both Chambers 
             by all of us, I know, but particularly by the residents of 
             the District of Columbia. . . .
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