[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7851-S7852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO CLAIRE McCASKILL

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I return to the floor to conclude saying 
good-bye to Members of our caucus who will not be returning to this 
Chamber next year. Last, but certainly not least, to me and to so many 
of us, is my dear, dear friend, the Senator from Missouri--as she says 
it--Claire McCaskill.
  It should come as no surprise to anyone that the Senator from 
Missouri found her way into politics. She got her start early. Growing 
up in a family that was actively involved in government and politics, 
Claire was not given the option to avoid subjects of national debate. 
When Claire was 7 years old, she was sent door to door on Halloween, 
saying: Trick or treat; vote for JFK.
  Soon, politics wasn't just a passion passed down but a passion of her 
own. In high school, Claire launched a stealth campaign to become 
homecoming queen. In the tradition of her school, the football team 
picked the winner. So Claire befriended all the linemen--doing small 
favors, arranging dates--knowing there would be more of them than any 
other position. Guess what. She won, not because she skated by on 
popularity--although she was always popular--but because she put in the 
work. She was tenacious and tactical, qualities she would take from 
high school politics into the politics of the wider and older world.
  That is how, as a Democrat in a State already becoming more 
conservative during her youth, Claire would go on to represent Missouri 
at nearly every level of government. As a prosecutor, in the State 
house, as State auditor, and, eventually, for 12 amazingly wonderful 
and productive years as Senator.
  I was chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee in 2005. 
Claire was just coming off a difficult loss in the Governor's race, 
after which she ``drank a lot of red wine and ate too many cookies,'' 
by her own typical frank admission. I had heard so much about her that 
I flew to London to meet with Claire and her dear husband Joe about a 
possible Senate race. Almost immediately, I was struck by the force of 
her personality.
  She is a whirlwind. As Claire's mother, Betty Anne, said of her, 
``Integrity, independence, and guts--that's what Claire McCaskill is 
made of.'' Everyone who meets Claire can see that from the get-go. By 
the end of dinner, I was so eager for Claire to run that I did 
something I almost never do. I paid for dinner. I have never been more 
glad that I did because Claire became an exceptional Senator and one of 
my closest friends, not just here in the Senate but in life. A moderate 
at heart, Claire had a knack for finding compromise between our two 
parties--a theme among many of our departing Members.
  She worked across the aisle with Senator Collins to protect seniors 
from financial scams. She worked to fight for victims of opioid 
addiction, working with Republicans on taking on the big pharmaceutical 
companies that were funneling money to organizations to promote their 
own dangerous products.
  In the tradition of her political idol, Harry Truman, she took a seat 
on the Armed Services Committee and fought fiercely for our veterans 
and our military.
  Her hearings on the waste, fraud, and abuse of military contractors 
ushered in long-overdue reforms to military contracting, increasing 
transparency and accountability.
  Almost every issue that Claire got her teeth into, she never let go 
and always succeeded. She was amazing as a Senator.
  Of course, Claire wasn't just pragmatic. One of the reasons we love 
her is that she is both pragmatic and principled and combines those two 
in a unique way.
  I will never forget the vote on the Dreamers. Claire was seated in a 
seat

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back there. She was a more junior Member. She knew that voting to bring 
the Dreamers home--a pathway to citizenship and living here in 
America--could mean the end of her election. She said that to me. But 
she said: I cannot vote against them. And we walked down the aisle 
together, tears streaming down her cheeks, and, of course, she voted 
yes.
  The Senate has its fair share of dealmakers. It has its fair share of 
principled fighters as well. But rarely, rarely, rarely is a Senator so 
adept at both. That is our Claire McCaskill.
  We will miss far more, of course, than Claire the Senator. So many of 
us will miss Claire the person. When she has something to say to you, 
she does not hold back. Believe me--I know. I have been called just 
about every name in the book by Claire McCaskill, and each time, it 
rang true, but I didn't mind it because I know it was done with both 
affection and a desire to make me better and do a better job. And I can 
say this: Whatever job I am doing here as leader is in significant part 
because of Claire McCaskill's loving but pointed criticisms. I will 
miss them so much.
  She is amazing. I am not the only one she criticized, and I am not 
the only one she criticized using the words that came right to her 
mouth. They say they used to keep a swear jar on her desk in the 
Missouri Legislature. I would be surprised if they didn't keep a few 
lined up along the whole desk.
  But as much as Claire can sometimes criticize you in a pointed way, 
she can also make you laugh. She said her father insisted on two 
things: that she learn the rules of football and how to tell a good 
joke. That, she did. And more than that, she can tell a good joke at 
her own expense. That is just one of many reasons she was so well liked 
in this Chamber by Democrats and Republicans.
  It is rare you can find someone who speaks her mind so directly and 
yet be so loved. That is one of the many uniquenesses of this wonderful 
lady, Claire McCaskill. And I am not the only one who felt that way. 
After a farewell address in this Chamber, the line of Senators to say a 
few words about Claire was long, and it wasn't just on our side of the 
aisle.
  I could go on about Senator McCaskill for quite a while, but I am 
sure she is already telling me that I am getting longwinded. So let me 
close with this: When Claire was 9 years old, her father took her to 
the annual Jackson Day dinner in Springfield, MO, to hear the big 
political speeches on offer that year. After all, this was a famous 
venue that had hosted the giants of American politics--William Jennings 
Bryan, Harry Truman, JFK.
  Well, guess who delivered the closing address at the Jackson Day 
dinner this year. Claire McCaskill, whose impact on her State and her 
country, as well as on the Senate and on so many of us, belongs in the 
same category as those distinguished names and will live on just as 
long.
  Claire, we are going to miss you so. I will, the Senate will, 
Missouri will, and America will. I wish you and Joe and your wonderful 
family all the happiness in your next endeavors.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.

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