[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.