[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 200 (Thursday, December 7, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7905-S7906]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Farewell to the Senate

  Mr. FRANKEN. Mr. President, a couple of months ago, I felt we had 
entered an important moment in the history of this country. We were 
finally beginning to listen to women about the ways in which men's 
actions affect them. The moment was long overdue. I was excited for 
that conversation and hopeful it would result in real change that made 
life better for women all across the country and in every part of our 
society.
  Then the conversation turned to me. Over the last few weeks, a number 
of women have come forward to talk about how they felt my actions had 
affected them. I was shocked. I was upset, but in responding to their 
claims, I also wanted to be respectful of that broader conversation 
because all women deserve to be heard and their experiences taken 
seriously. I think that was the right thing to do. I also think it gave 
some people the false impression that I was admitting to doing things 
that, in fact, I haven't done. Some of the allegations against me are 
simply not true, others I remember very differently.
  I said at the outset, the Ethics Committee was the right venue for 
these allegations to be heard and investigated and evaluated on their 
merits; that I was prepared to cooperate fully and that I was confident 
in the outcome.
  An important part of the conversation we have been having the last 
few months has been about how men abuse their power and privilege to 
hurt women. I am proud that during my time in the Senate, I have used 
my power to be a champion of women and that I have earned the 
reputation as someone who respects the women I work alongside every 
day. I know there has been a very different picture of me painted over 
the last few weeks, but I know who I really am.
  Serving in the U.S. Senate has been the great honor of my life. I 
know in my heart that nothing I have done as a Senator--nothing--has 
brought dishonor on this institution, and I am confident the Ethics 
Committee would agree.
  Nevertheless, today I am announcing that in the coming weeks, I will 
be resigning as a Member of the U.S. Senate. I, of all people, am aware 
that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving, while a man who 
has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the 
Oval Office, and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls 
campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party, but this 
decision is not about me; it is about the people of Minnesota. It has 
become clear that I can't both pursue the Ethics Committee process and, 
at the same time, remain an effective Senator for them.
  Let me be clear. I may be resigning my seat, but I am not giving up 
my voice. I will continue to stand up for the things I believe in as a 
citizen and as an activist, but Minnesotans deserve a Senator who can 
focus with all her energy on addressing the challenges they face every 
day.
  There is a big part of me that will always regret having to walk away 
from this job with so much work left to be done, but I have faith the 
work will continue because I have faith in the people who have helped 
me do it.
  I have faith in the dedicated, funny, selfless, brilliant young men 
and women on my staff. They have so much more to contribute to our 
country, and I hope that as disappointed as they may feel today, 
everyone who has worked for me knows how much I admire and respect 
them.
  I have faith in my colleagues, especially my senior Senator, Amy 
Klobuchar. I would not have been able to

[[Page S7906]]

do this job without her guidance and wisdom. I have faith--or at least 
hope--that Members of the Senate will find the political courage 
necessary to keep asking the tough questions, hold this administration 
accountable, and stand up for the truth.
  I have faith in the activists who organized to help me win my first 
campaign and who have kept on organizing to help fight for the people 
who needed us--kids facing bullying, seniors worried about the price of 
prescription drugs, Native Americans who have been overlooked for far 
too long, working people who have been taking it on the chin for a 
generation, everyone in the middle class, and everyone aspiring to join 
it.
  I have faith in the proud legacy of progressive advocacy that I have 
had the privilege to be a part of. I think I probably repeated these 
words 10,000 times over the years, Paul Wellstone's famous quote: ``The 
future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard.'' It is still 
true. It will always be true.
  Most of all, I have faith in Minnesota. A big part of this job is 
going around the State and listening to what people need from 
Washington, but more often than not, when I am home, I am blown away by 
how much Minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire 
world. The people I have had the honor of representing are brilliant 
and creative and hard-working. Whoever holds this seat next will 
inherit the challenge I have enjoyed for the last 8\1/2\ years, being 
as good as the people you serve.
  This has been a tough few weeks for me, but I am a very, very lucky 
man. I have a beautiful, healthy family whom I love and who loves me 
very much. I am going to be just fine.
  I would just like to end with one last thing. I did not grow up 
wanting to be a politician. I came to this relatively late in life. I 
had to learn a lot on the fly. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't always 
fun. I am not just talking about today. This is a hard thing to do with 
your life. There are a lot of long hours and late nights and hard 
lessons, and there is no guarantee that all your work and sacrifice 
will ever pay off. I won my first election by 312 votes. It could have 
easily gone the other way. Even when you win, progress is far from 
inevitable. Paul Wellstone spent his whole life working for mental 
health parity, and it didn't pass until 6 years after Paul died.
  This year, a lot of people who didn't grow up imagining they would 
ever get involved in politics have done just that. They have gone to 
their first protest march or made their first call to a Member of 
Congress or maybe even taken the leap and put their names on a ballot 
for the first time.
  It can be such a rush, to look around at a room full of people ready 
to fight alongside you, to feel that energy, to imagine that better 
things are possible. But you, too, will experience setbacks and defeats 
and disappointments. There will be days when you will wonder whether it 
is worth it.
  What I want you to know is that even today, even on the worst day of 
my political life, I feel like it has all been worth it. ``Politics,'' 
Paul Wellstone told us, ``is about the improvement of people's lives.'' 
I know that the work I have been able to do has improved people's 
lives. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
  For a decade now, every time I would get tired, discouraged, or 
frustrated, I would think about the people I was doing this for, and it 
would get me back up on my feet. I know the same will be true for 
everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving 
people's lives, and I hope you know that I will be fighting alongside 
you every step of the way.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Fischer). The Senator from Alaska.