[Senate Document 114-18]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


 
TRIBUTES TO HON. KELLY AYOTTE


                                 Kelly Ayotte

                          U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE

                                    TRIBUTES

                              IN THE CONGRESS OF

                               THE UNITED STATES
                           
                           
                           

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] 

                                           
                                    Kelly Ayotte


                                      Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress

                                    Kelly Ayotte

                                United States Senator

                                      2011-2017

                                           


                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing
                                      
                                      
                                      CONTENTS
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Farewell Address......................................
                                                                     ix
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Boozman, John, of Arkansas.....................
                                                                     26
                    Capito, Shelley Moore, of West Virginia........
                                                                     12
                    Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland...............
                                                                     24
                    Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
                                                                     16
                    Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
                                                                     18
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                     20
                    Feinstein, Dianne, of California...............
                                                                     16
                    Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina.............
                                                                      9
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                     23
                    Heitkamp, Heidi, of North Dakota...............
                                                                     21
                    Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia....................
                                                                     15
                    Klobuchar, Amy, of Minnesota...................
                                                                     23
                    Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
                                                                     18
                    McCain, John, of Arizona.......................
                                                                      6
                    McCaskill, Claire, of Missouri.................
                                                                      9
                    McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                  3, 23
                    Peters, Gary C., of Michigan...................
                                                                     26
                    Portman, Rob, of Ohio..........................
                                                                 10, 27
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                     17
                    Shaheen, Jeanne, of New Hampshire..............
                                                                      6
                    Sullivan, Dan, of Alaska.......................
                                                                     14
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               First elected to the Senate in 2010, Kelly Ayotte 
             distinguished herself as an independent and pragmatic 
             leader who stood up for the people of New Hampshire and 
             worked across party lines to find solutions to our 
             Nation's biggest challenges. Ranked as one of the most 
             bipartisan Senators, Kelly was widely recognized for her 
             commitment to finding common ground to solve problems and 
             deliver results.
               Kelly served on the Armed Services, Budget, Commerce, 
             Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Small 
             Business and Entrepreneurship Committees. She chaired the 
             Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and the Commerce 
             Subcommittee on Aviation Operations.
               A fiscal hawk, Kelly led the fight to cut wasteful 
             spending and pass commonsense budget reforms. She stood on 
             principle to vote against bloated budget bills that 
             included money for programs we don't need and can't 
             afford. In addition to her support for a balanced budget 
             amendment and a permanent ban on earmarks, she was an 
             outspoken advocate for accountability and transparency in 
             government, and she authored numerous legislative 
             proposals to eliminate wasteful, duplicative, or 
             fraudulent Federal programs across government. To 
             streamline the Pentagon, she successfully passed 
             legislation in the Senate to save over $1 billion in the 
             department's budget, and passed a measure to keep U.S. tax 
             dollars out of the hands of America's enemies.
               Kelly comes from a military family and is a strong 
             supporter of our men and women in uniform and their 
             families. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, she 
             was a leading voice in Congress on national security 
             issues--and was named by Foreign Policy magazine as 1 of 
             the top 50 Republicans on international affairs.
               In her capacity as chair of the Armed Services 
             Subcommittee on Readiness, Kelly was a staunch advocate of 
             the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Pease Air National Guard 
             Base, and the New Hampshire National Guard. In a major 
             victory for Pease's 157th Air Refueling Wing, she 
             successfully advocated for Pease to receive the Air 
             Force's next generation refueling tanker--the KC-46A. She 
             also used her position on the subcommittee to ensure that 
             workers at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard have a robust 
             workload, as well as the modern facilities they need to 
             ensure the Navy continues to possess the most capable, 
             reliable, and safe attack submarine fleet in the world.
               Since arriving in the Senate, Kelly worked to give New 
             Hampshire veterans more choice when it came to where they 
             access health care. She worked across the aisle to pass 
             breakthrough legislation that gives veterans the option of 
             seeking treatment from a private provider if they reside 
             in a State without a full-service VA medical facility--
             such as New Hampshire--and live more than 20 miles from 
             the nearest full-service VA hospital. To help veterans in 
             the North Country access care closer to home, she 
             successfully pushed for the opening of VA clinics in 
             Colebrook and Berlin.
               As the wife of a small business owner, Kelly understood 
             that decisions made in Washington have real consequences 
             for New Hampshire's small business economy. As a member of 
             the Small Business and Commerce Committees, Kelly was a 
             strong voice for lower taxes and a simplified Tax Code. In 
             addition to her efforts to cut unnecessary Washington 
             redtape, she cosponsored measures to repeal the medical 
             device tax, improve workforce training, and expand 
             opportunities for New Hampshire's small business 
             exporters. She worked to reauthorize small business 
             innovation research programs and led the fight to protect 
             New Hampshire's Internet retailers from onerous online 
             sales tax requirements.
               Dating back to her service as New Hampshire's attorney 
             general, Kelly has a strong record of standing up to 
             protect the environment. She crossed party lines to vote 
             for Federal clean air rules that protect New Hampshire's 
             air and water from harmful out-of-state pollutants and to 
             deploy the best available technology to reduce pollution 
             from energy production. She helped pass the Better 
             Buildings Act to encourage greater energy efficiency in 
             commercial buildings, and she was a strong supporter of 
             the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has helped 
             protect thousands of acres in New Hampshire.
               Drawing on her background as a prosecutor, Kelly led 
             bipartisan efforts to stop domestic violence and sexual 
             assault and better protect victims. She helped pass 
             legislation to renew the Violence Against Women Act, the 
             landmark law aimed at preventing domestic and sexual 
             violence and better supporting victims. She also worked 
             across party lines to crack down on sexual assault in the 
             military, authoring and passing tough reforms to empower 
             victims and punish perpetrators. To make college campuses 
             safer, she helped introduce the Campus Safety and 
             Accountability Act, which would better protect students 
             and strengthen accountability and transparency for 
             institutions of higher learning.
               Kelly also earned praise for her bipartisan work to 
             address gaps in our Nation's mental health system--
             introducing legislation that would improve mental health 
             first aid training and enhance suicide prevention 
             programs. In recognition of her leadership, she was named 
             the 2014 Legislator of the Year by the National Council 
             for Behavioral Health. She also worked to find policy 
             solutions that will help address New Hampshire's heroin 
             and prescription drug addiction crisis.
               Prior to her election to the Senate, Kelly served as the 
             chief of the State's homicide unit and deputy attorney 
             general before being named in 2004 as New Hampshire's 
             first female attorney general. First appointed to that 
             position by a Republican Governor, she was twice 
             reappointed by a Democratic Governor. During her time as 
             attorney general, she successfully led efforts to secure 
             the first capital murder convictions in New Hampshire in 
             over 60 years--for which the Union Leader newspaper named 
             Kelly ``Citizen of the Year'' in 2008.
               Kelly attended public schools in Nashua, where she was 
             born. She graduated with honors in 1990 from Pennsylvania 
             State University and earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1993 
             from the Villanova University School of Law.
               She is married to Joe Daley, a Nashua native who flew 
             combat missions during the Iraq war. He retired from the 
             Air National Guard as a lieutenant colonel.
               Kelly and Joe live in Nashua with their two young 
             children, Katherine and Jacob.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                             Wednesday, December 7, 2016

                Ms. AYOTTE. Mr. President, it is with deep gratitude 
             that I rise today to address my Senate colleagues and 
             members of my staff with whom I have had the privilege of 
             serving over the last 6 years.
                First and foremost, I want to thank the people of New 
             Hampshire for giving me the extraordinary opportunity to 
             serve them. From Nashua to Newport, to the North Country, 
             they have inspired me. The people of our State are hard-
             working, caring, compassionate people with grit. They have 
             a fierce sense of independence that I respect and admire. 
             That spirit has guided me during my time here, and it has 
             been the privilege of a lifetime to serve them.
                I want to thank my family--my husband Joe, my wingman. 
             Joe is a patriot with a heart of service. That is why he 
             served our country as a fighter pilot in the Air Force and 
             why he has been my biggest supporter during my service not 
             only as New Hampshire's attorney general but as a Senator. 
             We are so proud of our children, Kate and Jake, who are 
             now 12 and 9. My family has sacrificed so that I could 
             serve the people of New Hampshire, and I am grateful for 
             their patience and love. I also thank my mother Kathy, who 
             is and always has been my mentor and No. 1 cheerleader. I 
             could not have done it without her help and that of my 
             stepfather Jim, my uncle Jack, my aunt Jane, and all of 
             our extended family who have done so much for us. They 
             made it possible for me to serve, and there are not 
             adequate words to express how much their love and support 
             means to me.
                I also thank my wonderful and hard-working staff in New 
             Hampshire and Washington, whose dedication, work ethic, 
             and talent are unparalleled in the Senate. I am especially 
             fortunate that some of the members of my staff have served 
             by my side since I was first sworn in 6 years ago. My 
             staff is dedicated, creative, tireless, and compassionate. 
             I am so proud of our team and all we have accomplished 
             together. I am confident that they will continue to work 
             to create a brighter future for New Hampshire and for our 
             country.
                I ask unanimous consent to have a list of their names 
             printed in the Record.
                There being no objection, the material was ordered to 
             be printed in the Record, as follows:
                                    current staff
               Kristine Adams, Erica Andeweg, Daniel Auger, Camden 
             Bisson, Bradley Bowman, John Chambers III, Ryan Clark, 
             Frederick Dressler, Adam Hechavarria, Kelsey Keegan, 
             Shaylyn Kelly, Marne Marotta, Myles Matteson, Richard 
             Murphy III, Kayla Nations, Gabriel Noronha, Taylor Reidy, 
             Samantha Roberts, Chloe Rockow, Bethany Scully, DeWayne 
             Thomas, Elizabeth Johnson, Gene Chandler, Jerome Maslan, 
             Cynthia Woodward, Jane Bosse, Christopher Connelly, Joseph 
             Doiron, Orville Fitch, Michael Garcia, Eric Hensel, 
             Stephen Monier, John Pearson, Neva Varsalone, Gretchen 
             Wade, Lauren Zelt, Matthew Bartlett, Brenda Kittle, Anne 
             Warburton, Kathryn Sullivan.
                                    former staff
               Kelcey Raymond, Nathanael Anderson, Robin Anderson, 
             William Ardinger, Christin Ballou, Benjamin Bradley, 
             Gwendolyn Cassidy, Thomas DeRosa, Virginia Demers, Dennis 
             Deziel, Elizabeth Drumm, Danielle Duchesne, John Easton, 
             Robert Fraser, Robert Ganim, Elliot Gault, Claire 
             Gimbastiani, Jeffrey Grappone, Elizabeth Guyton, Timothy 
             Hefferan, Brian Hodges, Kathryn Horgan, Debra Jarrett, 
             Alison Kamataris, Sean Knox, John Lawrence, Andrew Leach, 
             Emily Lynch, Cathy Myers, Francy Nichols, Margaret 
             Ouellette, Irina Owens, Kelsey Patten, Brianna Puccini, 
             Matt Reeder, Wade Sarraf, Michael Scala, Robert Seidman, 
             Lauren Spivey, Alexander Stanford, Susan-Anne Terzakis, 
             Simon Thomson, Linda Tomlinson.

                Ms. AYOTTE. I want to take a moment to thank the 
             Capitol Police, who devote themselves to keeping us safe 
             each and every day and who have become friends to my staff 
             and me over the years. I am so grateful for all of our 
             first responders who put their lives on the line each and 
             every day to keep us safe. I also thank the Senate floor 
             staff, the pages, and everyone who works so hard behind 
             the scenes to make our work possible here.
                During the past 6 years, I have traveled throughout New 
             Hampshire talking to people from all walks of life, 
             listening to their ideas and learning from their 
             experiences. I have met so many hard-working people in our 
             State who have, in turn, inspired me to work hard on their 
             behalf. True to the nature of our great State, they have 
             never been shy about letting me know what is on their 
             minds, whether it was at 1 of the 50 townhall meetings we 
             held or in the grocery aisle at the Market Basket. They 
             sent me to the Senate with a sense of purpose. It has been 
             an honor to fight for them and their families every single 
             day.
                One of the most rewarding aspects of my time in the 
             Senate has been standing up for those who put their lives 
             on the line for our country--our veterans and our men and 
             women in uniform and their families. Today, we mark the 
             75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We are 
             reminded once again of their selfless service and 
             sacrifice on behalf of our great Nation.
                I was honored during my time here to lead the charge to 
             repeal unfair cuts for our military retirees and to help 
             make progress toward improving access to local health care 
             for veterans in New Hampshire, who for far too long have 
             been forced to travel long distances to receive care from 
             a VA facility because we don't have a full-service 
             hospital, unfortunately, in the State of New Hampshire. 
             Too often, our veterans are not treated as they should be, 
             and this has to change. They have sacrificed so much for 
             our freedom and deserve only the best from us.
                As the wife of a combat veteran who served in Iraq, 
             nothing has been more important to me than keeping our 
             country safe. That commitment is deeply personal to me. 
             One of the greatest privileges I have had as a Senator is 
             to visit with members of our New Hampshire National Guard 
             and our men and women in uniform who serve overseas and 
             are there now as we are here today. We pray for their safe 
             return. They make us so proud. They represent the very 
             best of our State and our country.
                As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I have 
             been proud to advocate for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard 
             and the skilled workers there who make vital contributions 
             to our national security. This has been a team effort 
             between New Hampshire and Maine. I thank my colleagues--
             Senator Shaheen; Senator Collins, whom I see here today; 
             and Senator Angus King--for their incredible work in 
             supporting the shipyard.
                I especially want to thank Senator Shaheen for all the 
             work we did together on important issues for our State. 
             Whether it was advocating for the shipyard, for Pease and 
             the 157th Air Refueling Wing to receive the new tanker, 
             for our National Guard, or for our veterans, we always 
             looked for ways to come together for the people of New 
             Hampshire, and I appreciate her dedication and service.
                Since I first came to the Senate, one of my top 
             priorities has been reversing the Obama administration's 
             misguided policy to empty and close the Guantanamo Bay 
             detention facility. Each year I have led efforts to 
             prevent the transfer of terrorists to the United States, 
             to our soil here, and to urge the administration to be 
             transparent with the American people about these dangerous 
             detainees.
                As I have called for previously, I hope the new 
             administration will immediately halt the dangerous policy 
             of releasing Guantanamo terrorists to other countries 
             where they even rejoin terrorist activities, and finally 
             establish a commonsense detention policy that keeps 
             terrorists off the battlefield and protects American lives 
             and our national security.
                We made progress in saving taxpayer dollars at the 
             Pentagon--and I know there is more work that needs to be 
             done--by ending wasteful programs, such as the missile to 
             nowhere, and passing the Never Contract With the Enemy 
             legislation that cut through redtape and helped prevent 
             tens of millions of dollars from ending up in the hands of 
             our enemies.
                Working with Chairman McCain, I was proud to help lead 
             the successful effort to help prevent the premature 
             retirement of the A-10 aircraft, ensuring that our ground 
             troops continue to have the best close air support 
             possible to keep them safe.
                During my time on the committee, I have had the 
             privilege of working closely with Chairman John McCain and 
             Senator Lindsey Graham to ensure that America maintains 
             the strongest and best military in the world and to ensure 
             that our country continues to be the greatest force for 
             good in the world. There are no stronger voices in this 
             body for America's leadership in the world, nor fiercer 
             advocates for our men and women in uniform than Chairman 
             John McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham. Now more than 
             ever, we need their leadership, expertise, and passion for 
             keeping this country safe with the challenges we face 
             around the world. I am honored to have worked with them 
             and, most of all, to call them my friends.
                Serving on the Armed Services Committee has been one of 
             the best experiences I have had in the Senate. I want to 
             express my gratitude to all of my fellow committee members 
             because it has truly been a bipartisan effort each year to 
             ensure our troops have the resources they need to do their 
             jobs.
                I see Senator McCaskill, the Senator from Missouri, 
             here. I have deeply appreciated the work we have done 
             together on behalf of our men and women in uniform. Thank 
             you.
                Going forward, it is critical that Congress and the 
             next administration work together to reverse the harmful 
             cuts to our military and to ensure that we have a defense 
             budget based on the threats we face around the world right 
             now, which are unprecedented.
                Another issue that has been near and dear to my heart 
             is addressing a devastating epidemic that is facing the 
             State of New Hampshire; that is, the heroin and 
             prescription opioid epidemic that is taking a devastating 
             toll on our State. I have met so many people in New 
             Hampshire who are hurting because of this epidemic--
             mothers and fathers who have lost children, brothers and 
             sisters who have lost siblings. Many of the families who 
             have been affected have become my dear friends, like Doug 
             and Pam Griffin of Newton, NH, who lost their beautiful 
             daughter Courtney, who had so much potential. They lost 
             her to an overdose.
                The Griffins, like so many other families in New 
             Hampshire I have met, have turned their pain into passion 
             to save our families. I have learned so much from their 
             experiences. They inspired me to work with a group of 
             great Senators and my colleagues: Senator Rob Portman, who 
             I know is here today; Senator Sheldon Whitehouse from 
             Rhode Island; and Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota. 
             The four of us came together and worked on what is called 
             the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, CARA. This 
             bill will provide a much needed framework for addressing 
             this epidemic through prevention, treatment, recovery, and 
             support for our first responders, who are doing so much 
             for this epidemic. As a bipartisan team, we worked on this 
             legislation for more than 2 years. Our bill passed the 
             Senate overwhelmingly and was signed into law earlier this 
             year.
                CARA will focus on the best programs to help State and 
             local efforts in turning around the tide of addiction that 
             is facing so many in this country. CARA is an important 
             first step, but there is so much more work that needs to 
             be done. I am encouraged that because of our efforts, this 
             body has recognized the seriousness of this crisis.
                I was particularly glad to advocate for $1 billion in 
             funding to address the heroin epidemic being included in 
             the 21st Century Cures Act, which we are expected to pass 
             and send to the President this week. I thank Senator Lamar 
             Alexander for his incredible leadership in getting this 
             important public health bill passed. The funding in the 
             21st Century Cures bill goes hand in hand with the 
             important policy provisions in the CARA bill and will help 
             save lives in New Hampshire and across this country.
                Finally, I would like to return to the reason I ran for 
             the Senate back in 2010: to make sure we leave New 
             Hampshire and our Nation stronger and better off for the 
             next generation. As the mother of two young children, I 
             was increasingly concerned that, left unchecked, our 
             skyrocketing national debt would ultimately burden future 
             generations and diminish their opportunities.
                I ran because I believed it was time for New Hampshire 
             to bring some of its common sense here to Washington to 
             deal with our Nation's spending habits. On every committee 
             I served on, we looked for ways to cut wasteful spending 
             and fought to hold the government accountable for the way 
             it spends our hard-earned taxpayer dollars. It is my hope 
             that this issue will be at the top of the agenda of the 
             incoming Congress and the new administration. If there is 
             anything I have learned in my time here, it is that it 
             takes cooperation from both sides of the aisle to get 
             things done.
                It has been a privilege to serve with so many in this 
             body who care about our country deeply and work tirelessly 
             each day on behalf of their constituents.
                I am so honored as I see my colleagues who are here 
             today, because I know how hard you work every day. I want 
             to thank you for what you do on behalf of the people of 
             this country. I am humbled by what I have learned from 
             each of you and from each of my colleagues in the Senate 
             and for the opportunity to serve with so many good people 
             on behalf of our great Nation. I thank each of you for 
             your dedicated service and, most of all, for your 
             friendship.
                Without leadership here, things just don't get done. I 
             especially want to thank Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 
             for his commitment to making the Senate work and to making 
             sure we are doing the people's business.
                On a personal note, I have deeply appreciated his 
             mentorship and his friendship.
                Working with our new President, the Senate has a fresh 
             opportunity to create a better quality of life for all 
             Americans in this great country. That means elected 
             leaders will need to work together and put aside our 
             partisan differences.
                During this election, we heard the frustrations of the 
             American people with their government. They rightly expect 
             this body to move forward in solving the significant 
             challenges facing our Nation, such as getting our fiscal 
             house in order, ensuring that families can afford quality 
             health care without Washington between them and their 
             doctors, reforming our broken Tax Code so we can keep and 
             grow jobs here in the United States of America, and 
             foremost, keeping America safe in a dangerous world.
                My hope is that the Members of this body will appeal to 
             the better angels of our nature, put partisanship aside, 
             and focus on the challenge of building a more perfect 
             union because the challenges before us are great and we 
             cannot hope to overcome them unless we do so working hand 
             in hand. I know my Senate colleagues are people of great 
             character, and they are up to this challenge. I wish them 
             the very best as they continue their very important work 
             on behalf of the people of the greatest Nation on Earth.
                To the people of New Hampshire, Joe and I thank you 
             from the bottom of our hearts for the greatest honor of a 
             lifetime, for serving you and for the privilege of serving 
             in the U.S. Senate with so many good people.
                Mr. President, I thank you, and I yield the floor.
                (Applause, Senators rising.)
                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                    KELLY AYOTTE
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                            Wednesday, December 7, 2016
               Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, ``God gave us two ears so 
             we would listen more than talk.''
               It is a simple phrase that many of us have likely heard 
             before, but to Senator Kelly Ayotte, it is the best piece 
             of advice she says she ever received, and it is a proverb 
             she has lived by during her time in the Senate. In fact, 
             it is how she got her start here in the first place.
               As New Hampshire's first female attorney general, Kelly 
             listened to the concerns of those around her. She heard 
             their concerns about the direction our country was going, 
             about the numerous security threats facing our Nation, and 
             about out-of-control spending. She could have just sat on 
             the sidelines as these problems escalated--it certainly 
             would have been the easier choice--but she chose to jump 
             in the game and work to solve them instead. From day one, 
             Senator Ayotte rolled up her sleeves and got to work. As 
             the most prominent New Hampshire newspaper put it, she has 
             never been a ``freshman back-bencher.'' She has been a 
             dynamo from the start.
               I can't say I was surprised. I still remember the first 
             time I heard about Kelly. It was from our former colleague 
             Judd Gregg, who told me about this rising star in New 
             Hampshire. Boy, was he right. It didn't take long for 
             everyone to reach a similar conclusion.
               Kelly is tough, she is a problem solver, and she is a 
             fighter. Senator Ayotte doesn't view the challenges of 
             this job as obstacles either. She prefers to call them 
             opportunities. She says: ``It's how you react to those 
             bends in the road that will make the biggest difference in 
             your life.'' During her 6 years here, she has clearly made 
             a difference in the lives of a lot of others as well.
               Senator Ayotte has helped make a difference as a 
             champion for jobs and as a champion for the economy. As 
             someone who has helped start a small business, she knows 
             first hand how regulations can stifle growth. She fought 
             to cut through the redtape and the burdensome rules. She 
             cosponsored a law to help small businesses expand and 
             refinance, and she worked to strengthen manufacturing and 
             support job training.
               Senator Ayotte has helped make a difference as a leader 
             on combating opioid abuse. As a former prosecutor who has 
             been among the loudest voices drawing attention to this 
             horrible epidemic, she knows how devastating it has been 
             in her State and across the country. She worked with first 
             responders and families to figure out how to address this 
             heartbreaking challenge. She sponsored and helped pass 
             comprehensive legislation that will help us tackle it. 
             Now, in no small part because of her efforts, we will pass 
             critical funding this very week that will help our 
             communities begin to heal.
               Like New Hampshire, my home State of Kentucky has been 
             among the hardest hit by this epidemic. It has been a 
             privilege working with my friend to help do something 
             about it.
               Senator Ayotte has helped make a difference as an expert 
             on national security issues too. This military spouse 
             didn't need someone to tell her what it means to serve nor 
             what it means for veterans and their families. She 
             mastered the issue almost overnight. She fought for 
             language in the VA reform legislation to expand choice 
             when it comes to veterans' health care. She helped prevent 
             dangerous Guantanamo terrorists from being moved to U.S. 
             soil, and she has long spoken out about the threat posed 
             by Iran. She just voted to extend some critical sanctions 
             against the regime last week, and Senator Ayotte has 
             helped lead efforts to counter its ballistic missile 
             program for years.
               It is clear she has been a leader on national security 
             issues right from the start. I was proud to have Senator 
             Ayotte join me and other colleagues on a congressional 
             delegation I led to the Middle East not long after she 
             took office. It was evident then what a difference she 
             would make on these important matters. She has regularly 
             joined in efforts with two other leading voices in our 
             conference on defense, too, Senators McCain and Graham. 
             Together, they are the ``Three Amigos'' or, as our former 
             colleague Joe Lieberman might point out, we should really 
             call them the ``Three Amigos 2.0.''
               Either way, here is what is clear. It is an equal 
             partnership, one of mutual respect and trust, one that has 
             strengthened our conference and defense policy, and one 
             that I am sure Senators McCain and Graham would tell you 
             has enriched both their Senate work and their lives. I am 
             sure many other colleagues feel exactly the same way.
               Senator Ayotte set out to make an impact. She clearly 
             made one on her State, her country, her constituents, and 
             her colleagues, but I know Senator Ayotte would tell you 
             the most cherished moments of her life aren't those spent 
             in classified briefings or on congressional delegations, 
             they are the ones spent with her family--with her husband 
             Joe and their two children, 9-year-old Jake and 12-year-
             old Kate. They have always been her biggest fans. They are 
             a constant source of comfort and support. Sometimes they 
             like to jump in on the action themselves.
               In fact, Kate recently made a cameo--alongside her 
             mother--in an ad featuring the two shooting hoops and 
             practicing layups. From what I hear, Kate may even have 
             her sights on a future in politics. She once advised her 
             mom not to run for President.
               Senator Ayotte was taken aback. She said she wasn't 
             planning on it but wondered why she would ask in the first 
             place. Well, Kate replied: ``Because I want to be the 
             first woman President.''
               I guess it is true what they say, the apple doesn't fall 
             far from the tree. It is not surprising when you consider 
             the example Kelly Ayotte has set, not just for Kate but 
             for so many others as well. If anyone can do it all, it is 
             Kelly Ayotte. From sports practices and Lego competitions 
             to 5Ks and trips to the largest lake in New Hampshire, the 
             time with her kids is what truly brings Kelly joy.
               As all of you know, this job can make you appreciate the 
             little things even more. It is why you will never hear her 
             complain about waiting in the pickup line at school. It is 
             why she enjoys spending her weekend grocery shopping at 
             the Market Basket, probably picking up the ingredients for 
             Grape-Nuts pudding--whatever that is. Apparently, it is 
             one of Kelly's favorites. I will just take her word for 
             that.
               I wish to acknowledge what a privilege it has been 
             getting to know Senator Ayotte and working with her over 
             the past few years. Her impact has been immeasurable, her 
             friendship indisputable. I know she has made her family 
             proud as well.
               I want to conclude with a mantra that Kelly and Joe rely 
             upon when facing a challenge: ``Brush the dirt off and get 
             back in the game.'' It is a good reminder for each of us. 
             I feel confident in saying that Senator Ayotte will be 
             back in the game, looking out for her State and making our 
             country stronger and safer no matter where her next 
             journey leads.

                Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I am pleased that I could 
             be here for Senator Ayotte's farewell address and honored 
             to have had the opportunity to serve with her over the 
             past 6 years. Six years ago, I stood on this floor to 
             recognize another departing Senator from New Hampshire, 
             Judd Gregg. I said then about my relationship with Senator 
             Gregg something that is also true about my relationship 
             with Senator Ayotte: that we always managed to disagree 
             without being disagreeable. I am grateful to Senator 
             Ayotte for this, and I am proud that we have been able to 
             maintain that civility and bipartisanship even in the 
             course of two very close and very tough election cycles. 
             That is the New Hampshire way--putting partisanship aside 
             whenever possible and seeking practical, pragmatic 
             solutions to address people's critical needs.
                As she said, time and time again, Senator Ayotte and I 
             have teamed up to advance legislation of special 
             importance to the Granite State, including strongly 
             advocating for veterans, for the Portsmouth Naval 
             Shipyard, and for the New Hampshire National Guard and 
             that new KC-46 tanker. Together, we fought to secure more 
             resources for law enforcement and treatment professionals 
             who are on the frontlines of the opioid crisis, including 
             this week important new funding in the 21st Century Cures 
             Act.
                I want to publicly express my gratitude to Kelly for 
             her dedicated service to the people of New Hampshire and, 
             more broadly, the people of the United States. Over the 
             last 6 years, Senator Ayotte has earned respect on both 
             sides of the aisle in this body and in New Hampshire. I 
             know that her husband Joe and their two wonderful 
             children, Kate and Jacob, are very proud of her service in 
             the Senate. Looking to the future, there is no question in 
             my mind that she will continue to serve the State and the 
             country she loves.
                Kelly, I wish you and your family all the best in the 
             years ahead. Thank you.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.

                Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to 
             pay tribute to my dear friend and colleague, the Senator 
             from New Hampshire, Kelly Ayotte. I first met Kelly in 
             2010 when I joined her for a townhall meeting in Nashua, 
             NH. My affection for the State of New Hampshire dates back 
             to my bid for President in 2000, so it was a familiar 
             setting to join so many old friends in support of her 
             campaign for the U.S. Senate. I was impressed with Senator 
             Ayotte's deep understanding of the top challenges facing 
             the country, the seriousness with which she approached her 
             work, and the ease with which she engaged with members of 
             the audience, gracefully handling spirited debates and 
             sparring matches with voters--a staple of the townhall 
             meetings in New Hampshire I always admired. I knew then we 
             would be fast friends.
                In the Senate, Kelly Ayotte brought the same tenacity 
             to her work, distinguishing herself as a rising star in 
             the Republican Party and a leader willing to work across 
             party lines to get things done. Senator Ayotte has 
             approached every issue candidly and pragmatically--
             something that is all too often lacking in politics today. 
             ``I call them like I see them,'' she once said. ``And that 
             means not just with the opposing party, but with my own 
             party.'' Senator Ayotte took this mantra on the road, 
             continuing the tradition of the New Hampshire townhall 
             meetings by holding more than 50 townhall meetings in 
             small towns and cities across New Hampshire, where she 
             spoke directly with her constituents about the issues 
             impacting their families.
                But, in my view, Senator Ayotte's best work lies in her 
             contribution to defense and national security as a member 
             of the Armed Services Committee. Coming from a military 
             family, her commitment to strengthening our Armed Forces 
             is deeply personal. That has contributed to her tireless 
             advocacy on issues important to New Hampshire, to Pease 
             Air National Guard Base, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, 
             and to all military and civilian personnel supporting our 
             national security who call New Hampshire home.
                As chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness, Senator 
             Ayotte has called attention to the dangerous readiness 
             crisis and has been a consistent advocate for making sure 
             the men and women of our Armed Forces have the resources 
             they need to defend the Nation. She has authored numerous 
             legislative proposals to eliminate wasteful and 
             duplicative spending in the Department of Defense so that 
             we can reinvest the savings in rebuilding our military. 
             She passed legislation to save over $1 billion in the 
             Pentagon's budget and to keep U.S. tax dollars out of the 
             hands of America's enemies. She has been a leading 
             advocate for repealing arbitrary budget cuts and the 
             mindless mechanism of sequestration which continues to 
             weaken our military and puts the lives of our 
             servicemembers at greater risk.
                Senator Ayotte's fight to prevent the Air Force from 
             mothballing the A-10 Warthog attack planes showed the very 
             best she has to offer. As the wife of a retired A-10 pilot 
             who flew combat missions in Iraq and an expert in defense 
             policy, Senator Ayotte understood the critical role this 
             aircraft plays in providing close air support for our 
             fighting men and women. Year after year, she led the fight 
             to prevent the Obama administration from following through 
             on its plan to retire that fleet, pushing through measures 
             in annual defense authorization bills that would prevent 
             any premature divestment of this aircraft. At the end of 
             the day, she was right. The Air Force conceded to this 
             aircraft's value and reversed its decision, delaying any 
             divestment until at least 2022.
                Anyone who has watched Senator Ayotte question a 
             witness in the Armed Services Committee will not be 
             surprised to learn of her background as New Hampshire's 
             first female attorney general. I have been a fortunate 
             observer of more than one occasion in which a bureaucrat 
             withered under skilled cross examination by Senator 
             Ayotte. She takes her oversight role extremely seriously 
             and believes in holding our Nation's leaders accountable.
                In every way, Senator Ayotte rose to meet the 
             responsibilities and opportunities of her office. There 
             are many qualities that are important to being a good 
             Senator, but none, in my opinion, is more important than 
             standing firm for what you believe. That is what Senator 
             Ayotte has done. She has never wavered in her commitment 
             to principle, and this body is better for it.
                On a more personal note, I have cherished the 
             friendship and partnership of Senator Kelly Ayotte. The 
             kindness and courtesy she has extended to her colleagues 
             has made this institution a better place, and her 
             principled leadership has served as an example to all of 
             us. In Kelly, you could always find a warm smile that 
             served as a reminder that serving here is truly a joy and 
             a privilege.
                While I will miss Kelly's presence in the Senate, I 
             will continue to rely on her wise counsel and friendship, 
             and I am confident our Nation will continue to benefit 
             from her talents for many years to come. With this in 
             mind, I thank my dear friend and valued colleague, Senator 
             Kelly Ayotte, for her service to the Nation and this body. 
             Until the Nation calls on her again, I wish her and her 
             husband Joe and their children, Katherine and Jacob, fair 
             winds and following seas.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.

                Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I don't have eloquent 
             prepared remarks, as the chairman just delivered, but I 
             will tell you this: I have been lucky enough to be in the 
             trenches with Kelly Ayotte, and when you are in the 
             trenches with Kelly Ayotte, there is something about her 
             demeanor that lifts you up. It was a tough fight where we 
             were outnumbered, particularly by our fellow women 
             Senators, and it was hard. It was really hard and 
             emotional, and every time I would walk up to Kelly in 
             full-blown panic mode, this smile would radiate; the 
             reassuring pat on my shoulder that we have the facts on 
             our side, that the emotional arguments might be on the 
             other side but the facts were on our side. It kept me 
             strong and it kept me focused.
                I will tell you three things I know in my heart about 
             Kelly Ayotte: She is a warrior, she is a class act, and 
             she is my friend.
                Thank you, Kelly.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.

                Mr. GRAHAM. Thank you very much.
                Mr. President, I just want to attest to Claire and 
             Kelly--if I go to war, I want to go with you all because 
             when the bullets fly, you get tougher. I love all my 
             colleagues, but sometimes the stress of the debate wears 
             you down pretty quickly. The more contentious, the better 
             you were.
                So, Kelly, the best way we can pay you back is to keep 
             up the fight and make sure that we have a fair military 
             justice system and that commanders are accountable but 
             they are still in charge.
                An observation: For people with young kids, this has to 
             be a tough job. I don't have any children, but I can't 
             imagine the schedule if you have young kids. I have gotten 
             to know Kelly, Joe, and Kate and Jake, and I can only 
             imagine what it is like for Joe to be a single parent 3 
             days a week, running a business, trying to get kids off to 
             school. I can tell you from being Kelly's friend--and John 
             and I have traveled all over the world with Kelly--that 
             was a constant strain for her. I am sure it is true of 
             every young mother in America doing any job, but having to 
             be gone and having to balance the needs of her kids and 
             being a mom and a wife and all that good stuff--all I can 
             tell you, for you and Joe--if you meet Kate and Jake, you 
             all did good. If you meet these kids, it has been an 
             enriching 6 years. They are full of life. I think you both 
             handled it very well.
                You should be proud of the long list of things you have 
             accomplished. I guess what I saw in you and what I wish 
             more of us would embrace is an attitude that nothing is 
             too hard, nothing is too challenging if you really believe 
             you are here for a purpose.
                You didn't talk about immigration. I don't blame you. 
             The immigration fight is one of the hardest fights I have 
             ever been in, particularly on our side. It is not easy on 
             your side, but on our side it is really tough. Kelly was 
             there pushing over the line a bill that I think made a lot 
             of sense.
                The debt. Everybody talks about it, but nobody wants to 
             do anything about it. We have had a couple of sessions 
             with 10 and 20 Senators trying to find a way to get more 
             revenue and do entitlement reform, something like Simpson-
             Bowles. If you don't do that, the country is going to 
             become like Greece. Every time we had a meeting, every 
             time we had a session about doing hard stuff, Kelly was 
             there.
                I remember sequestration. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly 
             Ayotte were two of the six Senators trying to find a way 
             to set aside these defense cuts in a balanced approach 
             without destroying the military.
                I think what you should be most proud of is that you 
             served for 6 years and your kids are great, that you made 
             a lot of friendships that will last a lifetime, and that 
             your best days are yet to come.
                You can tell the people of New Hampshire--or I will 
             tell them for you if they can understand me. Apparently 
             they couldn't because I didn't do that well when I ran for 
             President. The bottom line is that Kelly never blinked. 
             She went into the sound of gunfire. She took on the 
             hardest challenges. She did it with style and grace, and 
             everybody in this body is better off for having met Kelly 
             Ayotte.
                I look forward to working with you for years to come. 
             The three amigos are now two, and there will never be a 
             third amigo like you.
                I yield.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.

                Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, we have heard a lot of 
             wonderful things about Kelly Ayotte today and all are 
             deserved. You notice they have come from both sides of the 
             aisle, and they come from Members who were talking about 
             her expertise on national security--as John McCain did 
             eloquently--and homeland security.
                I certainly have worked with her on those issues. I was 
             with her on the Armed Services Committee when I first came 
             to the Senate, and we are on the Homeland Security 
             Committee now. She has been a champion for those issues, 
             there is no question about it. She has helped to keep our 
             country safer, and legislation that she has championed 
             will help to make it safer for our kids and grandkids.
                I have also worked with her on other issues, and I wish 
             to talk about that for a second. One is this way in which 
             we as a Chamber can ensure we are creating more jobs, 
             being more energy independent, helping the environment, 
             and that is energy efficiency. She has been a leader on 
             that issue.
                Jeanne Shaheen and I have legislation that we are still 
             working to get all of it done, but we have gotten some of 
             it done, and Kelly Ayotte was a huge part of that. In 
             fact, her legislation on Tenant Star is now the law of the 
             land. It is helping to make commercial buildings and 
             office buildings more energy efficient. Again, it has the 
             added benefit of creating jobs and making the economy 
             stronger while improving our environment. That is what she 
             has led on as well.
                I have also worked with her on issues you would expect 
             someone who is a national security expert to lead on. Iran 
             sanctions, she has taken the lead on some of the issues 
             that resulted in the incredible vote we had on the floor 
             of this Senate just a few days ago when virtually every 
             Senator voted to extend those sanctions, but I have worked 
             with her on another issue that has nothing to do with our 
             national security; it has everything to do with our family 
             security. It has to do with ensuring that people have the 
             opportunity to achieve their God-given purpose in life. It 
             has to do with stopping the deterioration of our 
             communities, families being torn apart, and the enormous 
             impact we have seen of the opioid epidemic. Starting often 
             with prescription drugs, often leading to heroin--now 
             synthetic heroins such as fentanyl, carfentanil, and U-4, 
             these are very difficult issues.
                I have seen no one in this Chamber who has a greater 
             passion for this issue than Kelly Ayotte, and it comes out 
             of experience. It is borne of experience of walking around 
             New Hampshire communities with families who have lost a 
             loved one. Earlier she talked about befriending a family 
             who had lost their beautiful daughter to this horrible 
             epidemic. It comes from going to the treatment centers and 
             seeing the people who are in the trenches, saving lives, 
             and improving lives. It comes from talking to those who at 
             one point had great promise in their lives and got off 
             track, seeing those people in a detox unit as she has done 
             or seeing them in a treatment center or, promisingly, 
             seeing them now in recovery and beginning to get their 
             lives back together.
                This is not an issue of Republicans or Democrats. It is 
             not an issue that is political. It is an issue that is in 
             the heart of Kelly Ayotte because it affects the 
             communities she knows in New Hampshire, the people she 
             loves in New Hampshire, and now, sadly, our Nation.
                On that issue, she has led, not just to draft 
             legislation--and she talked about the CARE legislation 
             which is going to change the dynamic and get the Federal 
             Government to be a better partner with State and local and 
             begin to turn this tide--not just the Cures legislation, 
             which does have funding for the next 2 years to try to 
             stop some of this horrible growth in addictions, 
             overdoses, and deaths, but she has done this house to 
             house, family to family, person to person back home to 
             give people hope and to help gather the support in 
             communities around New Hampshire to fight back. She will 
             continue to do that. She is not doing it as a U.S. 
             Senator. After all, she is doing it as a mom, she is doing 
             it as a citizen.
                I am looking forward to continuing to work with her on 
             that issue as well as the other issues we have talked 
             about today. Her public service career is not over; in a 
             sense, it is really just beginning. I know she will be 
             active on the national security issues, on fighting 
             against the heroin epidemic, on ensuring that we continue 
             to have a safer and stronger country. I, for one, look 
             forward to working with her on that.
                I thank her for her service. I thank her, her kids, and 
             Joe for their sacrifice because this isn't an easy job. It 
             does take you away from your family. Yet, in 2009, she 
             decided she was going to serve her country because she was 
             worried about the direction it was going. She did that, 
             she did it valiantly, and she deserves our praise today.
                Kelly, we are going to miss you, but we also look 
             forward to continuing to work with you on all of the 
             issues that were talked about today. Thank you for your 
             service.
                I yield back the remainder of my time.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.

                Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I am very pleased to be on 
             the floor with my colleagues today and most especially 
             pleased to be here to honor my good friend Kelly Ayotte as 
             she leaves the Senate but does not leave public service.
                Believe it or not, I first met Kelly on the softball 
             field when we were on the congressional women's softball 
             team. I was in the House, and Kelly was the cocaptain in 
             the Senate. We raised money for young survivors of breast 
             cancer. I knew then I wanted to get to the Senate to be 
             good friends with Kelly because when you talk about being 
             in the trenches, she was such a competitor.
                When you think about a team, a baseball team or a 
             softball team, who is the toughest person on the team? 
             Everybody wants to say the pitcher. In my view, it is the 
             catcher. Guess who our catcher was. Kelly Ayotte was and 
             is, and so we became good friends then.
                We found we have a lot of love for physical activities. 
             We are both runners. We have run a couple of times 
             together. We participate in the 3-mile run that we have 
             every May that determines who is the fastest male Senator, 
             who is the fastest woman Senator. Well, guess who the 
             fastest woman Senator is. You got it. She just blew right 
             by me every year so I might have hope next year. I don't 
             know. I will have to check out the newcomers. But Kelly 
             was always such a great competitor on the softball field, 
             running in 5Ks, and just being around in general.
                As we have heard from everybody, you have served your 
             State with integrity and passion. I know it is tough on 
             your family. I see Joe in the gallery. I have met your 
             beautiful children, Kate and Jake. I have heard you on the 
             phone planning daycare while the rest of us are figuring 
             out how we are going to get home that night or what we are 
             doing in our committees. As a young mother, Kelly is still 
             trying to make the ends meet. I have such admiration for 
             that as a mother myself. I know how difficult it is, but I 
             know the three of them know that no matter if you were 
             here figuring that out, they were always No. 1 in your 
             heart. I think that is a real tribute to you.
                We have heard all of the issues she has been so out 
             front on. Particularly as I am from a State like West 
             Virginia--the opioid issue has really impacted our rural 
             areas. When I visited Kelly twice over the last 6 months 
             in New Hampshire, it was the same kind of impact. It is 
             small towns, families, people who know each other. It 
             hurts everybody. Kelly, thank you for your leadership 
             there. That is going to make not just a mark in your State 
             but across our Nation and in my State in particular.
                We traveled to Gitmo together. I had never been to 
             Gitmo before. To have an expert such as Kelly explain to 
             me and to hear her question what is going on there and how 
             important it is and was, she continues to be in the fight 
             that she led to make sure we don't have terrorists on our 
             own home soil. The fact that Gitmo is still open and is 
             still functioning to keep those very dangerous folks off 
             of our shores I think is a tribute to Kelly's leadership.
                In terms of New Hampshire, as you move away from here, 
             I know you are going to realize how you have impacted the 
             people where you live and in your home State, but just 
             kind of multiply that all over the Nation. We have a huge 
             debt of gratitude to you and your family for being here 
             for 6 years, but as I have told you repeatedly since the 
             election, this is not the last time we are going to hear 
             from Kelly Ayotte or about Kelly Ayotte. To me, that is a 
             very strengthening thing when I talk about my friend.
                I am not going to say goodbye because I don't think we 
             will be saying goodbye. I am going to say Godspeed, good 
             luck. You will land on your feet because you always do. 
             Keep running, I will keep running, and maybe I can keep 
             running and improve my time so I can at least see the 
             backs of your feet as you are running past me.
                It has been a real privilege to serve with you. It has 
             been great to be your friend, and I look forward to 
             keeping our relationship very viable and alive as the time 
             moves on.
                Thanks, Kelly.
                I yield the floor.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Capito). The Senator from 
             Alaska.

                Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam President, like my friends on both 
             sides of the aisle, I, too, come to the floor to say a few 
             words about my friend and mentor, Senator Kelly Ayotte. I 
             use the word ``mentor'' in actually an official capacity. 
             When you come to the Senate--and like you, Madam 
             President, I am part of the new class of 2014. When you 
             come to the Senate, you are assigned a mentor. I think the 
             idea is that you come in, you are clueless, you don't 
             really know what is going on, and so you have somebody who 
             is smart and experienced to mentor you. Everybody gets a 
             mentor.
                I was very fortunate to have Kelly Ayotte as my mentor. 
             I certainly learned a lot from her. She took the time to 
             help me understand how this important body works. We 
             talked about things like work/life balance--with somebody 
             such as Kelly who has kids.
                It wasn't just those kinds of issues. I had the great 
             opportunity to serve on a couple of very important 
             committees with Senator Ayotte--on the Armed Services 
             Committee, on the Commerce Committee--and like my 
             colleague from Missouri, I really learned a lot watching 
             her in action. She was always prepared, always engaged, 
             and always tenacious when it came to certain witnesses. Of 
             course, like a lot of us, we shared certain passions for 
             our country--certainly a strong national defense.
                My State, like a lot of States such as New Hampshire, 
             is suffering from the opioid crisis. Watching her and 
             Senator Portman literally lead the country on this issue 
             was so important.
                I end by saying what I really learned from my mentor 
             was from watching the way she dealt with other people, the 
             way she always treated people with respect, with class, 
             with optimism, and with dignity. That is probably more 
             important than anything, not only in the U.S. Senate but 
             in our country.
                I thank Kelly as a mentor. She was a great role model 
             not only for me but all of the 13 Members of the class of 
             2014. I know she will be serving her country and her State 
             in a lot more ways. I look forward to watching that and 
             continuing to call her my good friend.
                I yield the floor.

                Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, this is one of those weeks 
             where, every 6 years or 4 years or 2 years, we pause and 
             pay tribute to those who have been elected to the Senate 
             and have served with us and will be retiring or were 
             possibly defeated in the last election.
                The first Senator I wish to talk about is Kelly Ayotte, 
             from the great State of New Hampshire. Kelly's departure 
             from the Senate is a great loss for all of us. I remember 
             the day Kelly Ayotte became a rising star, not only on the 
             horizon of Republican politics but more important on the 
             horizon of the Senate.
                During her campaign 6 years ago, we would get phone 
             calls asking: ``Have you heard about Kelly?'' Everybody 
             knew who Kelly was. She was the attorney general of the 
             State of New Hampshire, running for the U.S. Senate, and 
             she was catching fire. She did catch fire and won in 
             convincing fashion. She is a great lady with a great 
             family and has done a phenomenal job.
                Our U.S. Armed Forces are better today because of her 
             efforts and hard work. We passed the agreement to go to 
             the final passage on the authorization of the military 
             appropriations today, and in large measure, Kelly Ayotte 
             was behind that. When we were debating our policy on 
             interrogation and torture, Kelly Ayotte was on top of 
             that. Every significant decision we have made in the last 
             6 months, whether it was our military, policies, or 
             process, she has been at the forefront of those decisions 
             and has done a phenomenal job.
                I wish her the very best in her career and future, and 
             I thank her for the service she has given to our country.
                As a son of the South, in Georgia we love New 
             Hampshirites anytime we can get one, and Kelly is the 
             best. They have the best lobsters, the best clams, and the 
             best attorney general and Senator in Kelly Ayotte.
                God bless you, Kelly, and best of luck to you.

               Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor our 
             colleagues who are leaving us at the end of this Congress, 
             six individuals who have done a lot to shape how the 
             Senate operates today.
               First I would like to thank my three Republican 
             colleagues who are departing. Thank you not only for your 
             service to our country but your willingness to work with 
             me and other members of my party on a number of issues. . 
             . .
               Mr. President, Senator Ayotte and I have worked very 
             closely to improve breast cancer detection. I am hopeful 
             that together  we  can  pass  our  bill  before  the  end  
             of  this  Congress. . . .

               Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, Maine and New Hampshire 
             share a border, a history, and an invigorating climate. 
             When Kelly Ayotte came to the Senate 6 years ago, I 
             immediately saw in her those traits shared by the people 
             of our two States: a strong work ethic, a respect for 
             tradition balanced by a spirit of innovation, and fiscal 
             prudence always tempered by compassion.
               During those years, I came to know Senator Ayotte as a 
             diligent, energetic, and committed public servant.
               She brought with her to the Senate a remarkable record 
             of public service. As her State's attorney general, she 
             fought hard to protect the people of New Hampshire and the 
             environment that is so crucial to their way of life.
               It has been rewarding to work with her on such 
             bipartisan efforts as the Terrorist Firearms Prevention 
             Act and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, and addressing 
             the opioid addiction crisis confronting our States. From 
             her support for land conservation to advancing biomass 
             energy, she has been a strong leader in the wise use of 
             natural resources and their role in growing the economy.
               Coming from a military family, she has demonstrated her 
             respect for our men and women in uniform as a member of 
             the Armed Services Committee and is recognized as a 
             leading voice on national security issues and the well-
             being of our veterans. We have joined together on many 
             occasions to advocate for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard 
             that is so important to our Nation's defense and to the 
             dedicated men and women of our two States who work there.
               It has been an honor to serve with Kelly Ayotte in the 
             U.S. Senate, and the American people are better off for 
             her service. I wish Kelly and her wonderful family all the 
             best in the years to come.
                                             Thursday, December 8, 2016
                Mr. REED. Mr. President, I want to take an opportunity 
             to salute and thank and commend my colleagues who are 
             departing. . . .
                We also have other colleagues departing: Senator Ayotte 
             from New Hampshire; Senator Boxer of California, Senator 
             Coats of Indiana; as I mentioned, Senator Kirk of 
             Illinois; Senator Mikulski of Maryland; Senator Reid of 
             Nevada; and Senator Vitter of Louisiana. Each has brought 
             passion in their work to best serve their constituents, 
             and the institution of the Senate and the Nation are 
             better for this service. I am better for knowing them, 
             working with them, and having the opportunity to share 
             with them, and I want to thank them for their service. Let 
             me mention a few words with respect to all of these 
             distinguished Senators.
                Mr. President, Kelly Ayotte and I worked together for 
             many years on the Armed Services Committee. What she 
             brought was an unparalleled commitment to and passion for 
             the men and women who wear the uniform of the United 
             States. She wanted them to have a quality of life that 
             reflects their service and their sacrifice. She wanted 
             them to have the training and the equipment that would 
             protect them as they engage our foes, and she wanted to 
             make sure they knew that we were always conscious of their 
             sacrifice and service. She did this in so many different 
             ways, and she did it so well.
                She was particularly committed to making sure that the 
             A-10 aircraft remained in our inventory. As someone who as 
             a younger person was an infantry officer, I appreciated 
             having seen in training how effective that system is to 
             protect our forces on the ground, and her efforts were 
             unstinting to make sure that our forces were fully 
             protected. Again, that is just one example of her 
             commitment. . . .
                I have been very fortunate. I have had the privilege to 
             serve with these ladies and gentlemen, and I want to thank 
             them for their service.

               Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, New England is in itself a 
             small community. We Senators who represent these States 
             band together to fight for our urban and rural 
             communities, to protect our borders, and to preserve the 
             rich heritage on which our country was founded. For the 
             last 6 years, one of those partners has been New Hampshire 
             Senator Kelly Ayotte. She has diligently sought to 
             represent the Granite State.
               Senator Ayotte and I share a background in law 
             enforcement; as New Hampshire's attorney general, she 
             prosecuted many important cases. After her election to the 
             U.S. Senate in 2011, Senator Ayotte was recognized as one 
             of the most influential women in her party. She has taken 
             a practical, New England-style approach in the Senate. 
             Like many of us from New England, she has been persistent 
             in her efforts to call national attention to the opioid 
             epidemic ravaging our communities and particularly hitting 
             hard rural communities in Vermont and New Hampshire. She 
             was a partner as we sought to advance and ultimately pass 
             the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which should 
             provide much needed support for those facing this 
             crippling addiction. Her attention to this public health 
             crisis will surely be a cornerstone of her Senate legacy.
               I wish Senator Ayotte, her husband, Joseph, and their 
             children well in their future endeavors.
               I yield the floor.

               Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I know it is always difficult 
             to come to the floor and talk about the departure of our 
             good friends and valued colleagues. The word I have heard 
             mentioned the most this week is ``bittersweet''--people 
             looking forward to the next chapter of their lives but 
             regretting the fact that good friends and valued 
             colleagues are moving on to the next chapter of their 
             lives. Every other December, we find ourselves bidding 
             farewell to some of our most admired and respected 
             Members. Today I wish to speak briefly about four of them, 
             starting with our good friend from New Hampshire, Senator 
             Ayotte.
               Mr. President, Senator Ayotte and I have more in common 
             than may meet the eye, so let me explain. Our hometowns 
             are 2,000 miles away, so it doesn't seem obvious. She 
             served as attorney general of the State of New Hampshire 
             and holds the distinction of being New Hampshire's first 
             and only female attorney general. She was first appointed 
             to that position by a Republican Governor, and she did 
             such an outstanding job serving the people that she was 
             reappointed to that position by a Democratic Governor.
               Everybody who knows Kelly Ayotte knows that she 
             epitomizes the spirit of bipartisanship and camaraderie 
             that makes a good public servant a great one. That has 
             been evident in her work she has done here in the U.S. 
             Senate. From the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act 
             to multiple national security issues, Senator Ayotte has 
             been eager to work with Members on both sides of the aisle 
             when it comes down to doing what is best for the people of 
             her State and for the United States.
               Senator Ayotte and I both come from military families. 
             My dad flew in the Army Air Corps in World War II, with 
             the 303d Bomb Group of the Air Force. Her grandfather also 
             served in World War II. As many of us know, Joe, her 
             husband, served in the Air Force and the Air National 
             Guard, and he flew combat missions in Bosnia and Iraq. 
             Senator Ayotte's firsthand knowledge of the military has 
             been a great help to us, particularly in her role on the 
             Armed Services Committee.
               Kelly will tell us that she does her best to listen 
             first, to take in the concerns and priorities of her 
             fellow Granite Staters, discuss the merits of each side's 
             policy position, and only then carefully and methodically 
             reach a well-considered decision. That patience and 
             willingness to listen and consider all views has served 
             her well during her tenure in the U.S. Senate. It is a 
             lesson we all should take to heart and learn from by her 
             good example.
               I want to add my thanks to our friend, Senator Kelly 
             Ayotte, for her years of service on behalf of the people 
             of New Hampshire. I also thank her husband Joe Daley and 
             their two children, Katherine and Jacob, for their 
             steadfast support of Joe's wife and their children's mom 
             over these past years.
               I don't know in what capacity Kelly will continue to 
             serve her community and her State and her Nation, but I 
             know we will be hearing and seeing her more in some 
             capacity of service, and I look forward to seeing where 
             and in what capacity she finally decides to serve next. . 
             . .
               Let me close by saying thank you again to our friends 
             Senator Kirk, Senator Vitter, Senator Coats, and Senator 
             Ayotte for the indelible mark and contributions they made 
             to the Senate and my sincere appreciation for how they 
             have faithfully served our country. I am grateful for 
             their friendship and wish them and their families well as 
             they tackle new ventures ahead.

                Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, at the end of each Congress, 
             it is a tradition for the Senate to pause for a moment to 
             acknowledge and express our appreciation for the service 
             of each Senator who will not be returning for the next 
             session. One of those we will miss next year will be Kelly 
             Ayotte of New Hampshire.
                During the past 6 years, those of us who had a chance 
             to come to know and work with Kelly have been impressed 
             with her dedication to the people of her home State, her 
             involvement with the issues of concern to them, and her 
             willingness to work with Members on both sides of the 
             aisle to find solutions to the problems and concerns of 
             the people of New Hampshire and America.
                There were at least three key steps that brought Kelly 
             to the Senate after she earned her law degree from 
             Villanova. First, she spent a year clerking for the New 
             Hampshire Supreme Court. Then she spent the next part of 
             her career in private practice. The third step brought her 
             into the State attorney general's office and then on to 
             serve as New Hampshire's attorney general. When Senator 
             Judd Gregg announced his retirement, Kelly knew the time 
             was right for her to pursue another goal. She decided to 
             run for the Senate.
                It wasn't easy, but those who doubted her 
             underestimated Kelly's innate political sense and her 
             ability to reach the people of New Hampshire. In the end 
             she brought about a closely fought but well-earned victory 
             in the primary and a big win in the general election.
                Kelly came to Washington in 2010 and started working 
             right away on a number of issues that she knew were a 
             concern to the people back home. She made it clear that 
             she would fight for what was best for the people of her 
             home State and worked hard on national security, veterans 
             issues, health care, and substance abuse. She has also 
             been a tireless advocate and an outstanding partner for me 
             on the Budget Committee.
                I am sad to see Kelly leave the Senate at the end of 
             this year, but if her past is any indication of her 
             future, I think she will make good use of her talents, 
             abilities, background, knowledge, and experience, in her 
             future endeavors. I hope it is in some part of our 
             government. There is no doubt that we need good people 
             like Kelly to make this a better country for us all.
                I have a prediction to make about her future--we 
             haven't seen the last of Kelly Ayotte. She has a lot more 
             to give, and I think we are all looking forward to seeing 
             it.
                Kelly, Diana joins me in sending our best wishes to you 
             and your family, and our appreciation for your willingness 
             to serve New Hampshire and the Nation. There are countless 
             sayings about how politics isn't for anyone but the brave 
             and the resilient. I think your experience, especially 
             this past year, has shown that you are more than tough 
             enough for any career challenge. Good luck in whatever you 
             choose to do next. Clearly, you specialize in making the 
             world a better place and that is a win/win for us all--
             especially our children and grandchildren.

               Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, today I wish to honor my 
             dear friend and colleague from New Hampshire, Senator 
             Kelly Ayotte, who is departing from the Senate at the end 
             of this year. Over the last 4 years, I have been 
             consistently impressed with Kelly's pragmatic approach to 
             her role as a U.S. Senator. Time and time again, I have 
             seen her be a strong advocate on behalf of her State and 
             have admired her willingness to forge the tough, 
             bipartisan compromises that our country needs.
               Senator Ayotte started her career clerking for an 
             associate justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. 
             After about a year of clerking, she started practicing 
             law. She eventually moved on to be a prosecutor for the 
             New Hampshire attorney general's office, quickly gaining 
             experience and know-how to become the first female 
             attorney general of her State--something we have in 
             common.
               When I came to the Senate in 2013, Kelly and I were the 
             only female former attorneys general in the Chamber at the 
             time. She had been elected to her first term 2 years 
             before me, so as new Senators, we bonded through our 
             common experience that later pushed us to pass laws and 
             create real change. Our shared knowledge of the issues, 
             dedication, and common interests led us to become good 
             friends. I am also proud to say that our relationship 
             extended beyond the Senate Chamber, as we played together 
             on the congressional women's softball team.
               Kelly and I worked with each other to make real and 
             substantial progress on many issues using common sense and 
             our desire to do what is best for our States and the 
             country. We both came to the Senate with an understanding 
             of rural America. As the wife of a small business owner, 
             Kelly understands the real life implications policy can 
             have on small businesses, which she displayed as we worked 
             together on the Small Business Committee. We also sat next 
             to each other on the dais for 4 years as we served 
             together on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
             Committee. Her commitment to keeping our Nation safe 
             shined through time and time again as our committee worked 
             on border security, cybersecurity, and improving our 
             Federal Government's efficiency and effectiveness.
               Together we passed two bills, one of which has been 
             signed into law and the other which awaits the President's 
             signature. The first was the Breast Cancer Awareness 
             Commemorative Coin Act, which created a commemorative coin 
             to help fund the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's 
             efforts to fight breast cancer. Her dedication to help the 
             one in eight women who will develop invasive breast cancer 
             over the course of their lifetimes will not be forgotten. 
             The second bill was the Northern Border Security Review 
             Act to ensure that our Nation's Northern border gets the 
             attention and resources it needs to keep our communities 
             safe. I am extremely proud to have worked with her on 
             these issues.
               Senator Ayotte has been an outstanding public servant 
             for the people of New Hampshire and this country. I know 
             that she is proud of her accomplishments in her time as a 
             Senator, and I am proud to be a part of some of those 
             accomplishments. The women's softball team will definitely 
             miss her because, let's face it, she is a better softball 
             player than I am. I know Kelly will continue to be a 
             champion for New Hampshire no matter what she does. Since 
             we each have taken our turns in the batting cages, we 
             never step down from the plate. I guess imitation truly is 
             the best form of flattery. I truly wish her the best.
                                               Friday, December 9, 2016
                Ms. KLOBUCHAR. . . . Madam President, I will close my 
             remarks by turning to some of our retiring Senators and 
             speaking briefly on each one of them. . . .
                I would also like to add that, of the Republican 
             Senators who are leaving, I have enjoyed a very strong 
             working relationship with Senator Ayotte. She and I have 
             worked together on opioids. We have worked together a lot 
             on the issue of the eating disorder bill. I am glad that 
             in her final weeks in the Senate, we have been able to 
             pass that important legislation that embraced so many of 
             her priorities.

                Mr. McCONNELL. . . . It goes without saying that 
             keeping the Capitol running is a vast undertaking. It 
             requires a passion for service, round-the-clock work, and 
             great sacrifice by everyone employed. The legislative 
             process simply wouldn't be possible without the dedicated 
             work of so many. On behalf of the Senate, I would like to 
             acknowledge their efforts and say thank you to the 
             following:
                To my leadership team for their wise counsel; to our 
             committee chairs and ranking members for so much great 
             work over the past 2 years; to the many colleagues in both 
             parties for working so hard to make this Senate a success; 
             and, to those we are saying farewell to--Senators Coats, 
             Boxer, Mikulski, Reid, Vitter, Kirk, and Ayotte--for your 
             service to our country, I say thank you. . . .

               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, in the U.S. Senate, seniority 
             is the typical route to influence. As Senators serve 
             longer, they typically acquire more powerful positions, 
             more knowledge of how to work the levers of power, and 
             more sway over their colleagues. Over the course of my 
             time in the Senate, I have had the privilege to serve with 
             352 other Senators. While in my experience the longest 
             serving ones on average do indeed tend to make the 
             greatest impact, I have always been most impressed by the 
             rare colleague that leaves an indelible mark after only a 
             relatively short time in this body. Kelly Ayotte is such a 
             standout.
               Kelly came to this body well prepared to make a 
             difference. As New Hampshire's first--and, so far, only--
             female attorney general, she left her mark across a wide 
             swath of law and policy, from prosecuting the infamous 
             Dartmouth College murderers to successfully defending New 
             Hampshire's parental consent law before the U.S. Supreme 
             Court.
               As soon as she arrived here in 2011, the Senator from 
             New Hampshire began to make her mark. Within a short 
             period of time, publications like the New York Times and 
             Politico began consistently referring to her as a rising 
             star, and in 2012, her name perennially surfaced as a 
             contender for the Republican Vice Presidential nomination.
               How did Kelly gain such recognition so quickly? The 
             answer is simple: through good old-fashioned hard work. 
             From her first day in the Senate, she hit the ground 
             running. The wife of an Air Force combat veteran, she 
             joined the Armed Services Committee and poured her heart 
             and soul into its work. It took little time for her to 
             become one of the most powerful voices on the committee. 
             On issues as wide ranging as protecting our servicemembers 
             from sexual assault to keeping dangerous terrorists 
             detained at Guantanamo, she made a real difference, 
             enhancing our national security and advocating for our men 
             and women in uniform.
               While defense and security policy has proven her 
             signature issue, Kelly's influence extends across the 
             board. From creating jobs to protecting our environment, 
             she has proven an enormously effective advocate for 
             families in New Hampshire and across America, willing to 
             work across the aisle and buck her own party to do what 
             she thinks is right for her State and the Nation. Her work 
             to combat the opioid crisis merits particular praise. Both 
             New Hampshire and Utah have been particularly hard hit by 
             the rise in this dangerous trend of substance abuse, which 
             has wreaked havoc in the lives of so many. Kelly made it 
             her mission to do everything in her power to confront this 
             challenge, resulting in the Comprehensive Addiction and 
             Recovery Act. This landmark legislation will make a real 
             difference in the lives of so many in New Hampshire and 
             across the Nation, and it will go down as one of the crown 
             jewels of her legacy here in the Senate.
               While I am deeply saddened that Kelly will no longer be 
             with us here in the Senate come January, I am comforted by 
             the fact that her best years of service to her State and 
             Nation lie ahead. After some well-deserved rest with her 
             family, it is my sincerest hope that she will continue her 
             public service. In whatever capacity she chooses to serve, 
             she will always have a devoted supporter in me.

               Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, much of the time here in the 
             Senate, we are engaged in pretty fierce partisan battles. 
             I would like to take a break from that for a moment and 
             talk about the four Republican Senators who will not be 
             back when the 115th Congress convenes next month. While we 
             may have different political philosophies and policy 
             prescriptions, I respect and admire each of them, and I 
             will miss working with all of them.
               Mr. President, Senator Ayotte and I serve together on 
             the Small Business Committee. I have seen first hand her 
             commitment to helping small businesses in New Hampshire 
             and across the Nation. She is like so many other Senators, 
             past and present, from New England States: pragmatic and 
             willing to reach across the aisle to get things done.
               Prior to her election to the Senate, Kelly Ayotte served 
             as the chief of New Hampshire's homicide unit and deputy 
             attorney general before she became the State's first 
             female attorney general in 2004. She was appointed to that 
             position by a Republican Governor, but she was reappointed 
             twice by a Democratic Governor.
               In the short span of one Senate term, Senator Ayotte has 
             become a respected voice on national security issues while 
             serving on the Armed Services Committee and the Homeland 
             Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Foreign 
             Policy magazine listed Senator Ayotte as one of the top 50 
             Republicans on international affairs.
               Senator Ayotte comes from a military family and is 
             married to an Iraq war veteran--Lieutenent Colonel Joe 
             Daley--so she has been a staunch supporter of our men and 
             women in uniform and their families.
               Senator Ayotte has worked hard to give New Hampshire 
             veterans more choices when it comes to health care since 
             the State does not have a full-service Veterans 
             Administration, VA, medical facility. To help veterans in 
             New Hampshire's North Country access care closer to home, 
             she successfully pushed for the opening of VA clinics in 
             Colebrook and Berlin.
               Senator Ayotte has been a leader in the fight against 
             opioid abuse and addiction, helping Congress to pass the 
             Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, CARA, to improve 
             prevention and treatment, support those in recovery, and 
             ensure first responders have the tools they need. She 
             helped to pass legislation to reauthorize the Violence 
             Against Women Act, crack down on sexual assault in the 
             military, make college campuses safer, and improve mental 
             health first aid training and suicide prevention programs.
               Senator Ayotte has followed in the footsteps of other 
             Republican Senators from New England, such as Robert 
             Stafford of Vermont and John Chafee of Rhode Island, who 
             are true conservatives when it comes to the environment. 
             She crossed party lines to vote for Federal clean air 
             rules that protect New Hampshire's air and water from 
             cross-state pollution and to deploy the best available 
             technology to reduce pollution from energy production. She 
             helped pass the Better Buildings Act to encourage greater 
             energy efficiency in commercial buildings, and she has 
             been a strong supporter of the Land and Water Conservation 
             Fund, which has helped protect thousands of acres in New 
             Hampshire.
               I have enjoyed working with Senator Ayotte and send my 
             best wishes to her and her husband, Joe, and their 
             children Katherine and Jacob.

               Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, as this eventful 114th 
             Congress draws to a close, today I wish to honor a number 
             of our colleagues who will be ending their service in the 
             Senate. I was a newcomer to the Senate at the beginning of 
             this Congress and the only Democrat in the freshman Senate 
             class of 2014. I am eternally grateful for the guidance 
             and wisdom of my fellow Senators, particularly those with 
             decades of experience fighting for the American people. 
             Constituents, colleagues, and historians will recount 
             their accomplishments for years to come, but I will take a 
             few minutes now to convey some brief words of praise and 
             gratitude. . . .
               Mr. President, I also had the pleasure of serving with 
             Senator Kelly Ayotte on the Senate Committees on Small 
             Business, Commerce, and Homeland Security and Government 
             Affairs. She has been a pragmatic partner on legislation 
             as varied as the Northern Border Security Review Act, 
             which will strengthen American security at the Northern 
             border with Canada, and the Manufacturing Extension 
             Partnership Improvement Act, which would expand a public-
             private partnership to help businesses get their products 
             to market. We also introduced the Pet and Women Safety Act 
             to protect victims of domestic violence from emotional 
             trauma caused by acts or threats of violence against their 
             pets. I respect Senator Ayotte's dedication to these 
             issues. As a father, I also admire Senator Ayotte's great 
             work raising two young children while in the Senate. I 
             wish her family all the best in their next adventure. . . 
             .
               It has been a privilege to work with such talented and 
             committed colleagues. I wish them all the best in this 
             next chapter of their lives and thank them for their work. 
             Thank you.
                       ORDER FOR PRINTING OF SENATE DOCUMENTS
               Mr. BOOZMAN. 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 
             retiring Members of the 114th Congress, and an additional 
             Senate document a compilation of materials from the 
             Congressional Record in tribute to the President of the 
             Senate, Joe Biden, and that Members have until Tuesday, 
             December 20, to submit such tributes.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                 ORDER FOR PRINTING
               Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             any tributes submitted by December 20, 2016, as authorized 
             by the order of December 10, 2016, be printed in the 
             January 3, 2017, Congressional Record of the 114th 
             Congress.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
            ordered.