[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 3, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1-S2]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THANKING THE VICE PRESIDENT

  Mr. LOTT. I appreciate the courtesy of the distinguished majority 
leader for this opportunity to speak.
  I want to extend also the appreciation of the Senate and a grateful 
Nation to the Presiding Officer, the Vice President of the United 
States, for the service he has given to our country.

[[Page S2]]

  (Applause, Senators rising.)
  The VICE PRESIDENT. The Chair will remind the Senate that boisterous 
demonstrations are against the rules.
  (Laughter.)
  Mr. LOTT. It is obvious, Mr. President, you still maintain your sense 
of humor. I want to thank you for your leadership and also for the 
example you have set through a very difficult time. You took the 
appropriate step, and now we are prepared to move into a transition and 
to a new administration.


                         Facing New Challenges

  Here in the Senate also we are having a historic experience. I would 
like to welcome all of the new Senators who are joining us today. I 
congratulate them. I look forward to working with the new Senators on 
both sides of the aisle.
  As Senator Daschle said, I also extend, again, our appreciation to 
the Senators who may be in the Chamber and who are retiring or leaving 
the Senate, who have served, most of them, for at least 6 years and 
some for much longer than that. They have done a lot to make this 
country a better place in which to live.
  I also extend our appreciation to the extended family of the Senate, 
our staff members new and old, and to the families who are in the 
gallery today. I realize we should not be referring to those in the 
gallery, but there are a lot of people who have made an awful lot of 
contributions and sacrifices to make this day possible for us in the 
Chamber. So we have a lot of people we need to thank, and also to 
realize that we are in a position where we can make this an even better 
country.
  To the new Members, I urge them to take a look around and think about 
the challenges and opportunities they will have here. It is a unique 
institution, created by the founders of this Republic. Quite often we 
are frustrated with the rules--frustrated even today that we are going 
through this unique situation--but they had a lot of foresight. They 
created this unique Senate that makes sure we take the time to think 
through an issue and to have full debate. And while sometimes we 
believe, on one side or the other, that we did not have an ample 
opportunity for debate, I am sure we are going to work together to find 
a way to give everybody that opportunity over the next 6 years.
  For those of us who have been here a few years, we also face new 
challenges. We have one today. I must say it is the first time I have 
ever been referred to as the minority leader. And while it beats 
certain alternatives, I liked the other title better. But we are 
showing here today--and hope we will show during the next 17 days and, 
more importantly, during the months beyond--that we will always find a 
way to work together.
  It is quite often not easy to find consensus, as is forced upon us 
quite often in the Senate, but we must strive for it. Quite often 
Senator Daschle and I do our very best to find a logical solution to a 
problem, and we have 98 other Senators who may not agree with us, but 
we will continue to work together to make this great Republic--the 
best, most outstanding the minds of men have ever created--work as it 
should.

  I look around the Chamber, on both sides of the aisle, and I see men 
and women with the potential to raise this country to an even higher 
level, to our highest and our best. I will work as the leader of my 
party, and in 17 days as the majority leader of the Senate, to find a 
way to make that possible.
  One bit of information from a housekeeping standpoint. We will have 
some housekeeping resolutions that we will do in a moment. One of them 
is to begin the introduction of bills on January 22. Senators should be 
prepared to have bills ready. Senator Daschle and I have already talked 
about the fact that we will do the usual five alternating from one side 
to the other. We will do that for the first 20 bills. There will be a 
lot of other announcements Senator Daschle and I will make.
  So thank you for this opportunity. I thank you on my side of the 
aisle for this leadership role. Together we will go forward.
  I yield the floor.

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