[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 102 (Tuesday, June 18, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3639-S3640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Senator Collins' 7,000th Vote

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to recognize a 
remarkable event that this institution was fortunate enough to witness 
just a few minutes ago. During the vote we just concluded, our 
distinguished colleague, the senior Senator from Maine, cast her 
7,000th rollcall vote. It is a great milestone for Senator Collins 
which bears witness to her dedication to this work and most especially 
to the people of Maine. It is actually even more impressive than that. 
This wasn't just Senator Collins' 7,000th vote; it was her 7,000th 
consecutive vote. From the moment she was sworn in, she has not missed 
a single vote. Difficulties with travel or bad weather? She plans 
around them. Personal challenges? She adapts and overcomes. Other 
priorities, like political events or speaking engagements? All that 
takes a back seat to her day job. No sick days. No getting caught in 
meetings. No losing track of time in committee. No excuses. Just days 
and months and years of peerless preparation and remarkable dedication 
to her Senate duties and to the Members she is so proud to represent. 
Senator Collins learned from her parents, Donald and Patricia, who each 
had a turn as mayor of Caribou, ME, among other achievements.
  We know our friend Senator Collins deeply admires her predecessor, 
Senator Margaret Chase Smith--another legendary Maine Republican. Among 
her achievements, she stood boldly against McCarthyism and insisted on 
independent thought and fair treatment. But as remarkable as Senator 
Margaret Chase Smith was, Senator Collins has surpassed her 
distinguished predecessor in at least one way: Senator Smith's own 
impressive string of consecutive votes ended just shy of 3,000; Senator 
Collins has 7,000 and counting.
  She is always prepared, always thoroughly well informed, and always 
present. That is what today's milestone tells us, and that is exactly 
who Senator Collins is every single day. She is a valued colleague. She 
is a friend. And frankly, she is an inspiration. Thank goodness she 
isn't stopping any time soon.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
  Ms. COLLINS. I just wanted to thank the majority leader for his very 
generous comments, as well as acknowledge the good wishes and 
congratulations from so many of my colleagues, including my colleague 
from Maine, Senator King.
  This is a momentous occasion for me, a real milestone. I am proud of 
the fact that I have never missed a rollcall vote during the time I 
have been privileged to represent the great State of Maine in the 
Senate. There have been some close calls over the years, but 
fortunately I have been able to be present for each one. I realize that 
I have been blessed with good health and that when I had broken ankles, 
including one that required surgery, it fortunately happened over the 
Christmas break, so once again I was able to come back and not miss a 
vote.
  But it is the embodiment of how seriously I take the responsibilities 
with which I have been entrusted by the people of Maine. Voting is a 
Senator's most solemn responsibility, and I feel strongly about making 
sure that my State is represented on each and every rollcall vote we 
take in this Chamber. It hasn't always been easy, but it is such a 
privilege and honor to represent the people of the great State of 
Maine.
  I thank the majority leader, Senator McConnell, for acknowledging 
this

[[Page S3640]]

milestone in my tenure in the Senate and in my service to the people of 
Maine and this Nation.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
  Mr. KING. Mr. President, I want to join so many of my colleagues and 
the majority leader in congratulating my individual colleague from the 
State of Maine on this extraordinary achievement.
  I once was at a meeting with Senator Collins in Maine and had just 
gotten my voting record, and I think I missed two votes out of a couple 
thousand. I said to Senator Collins: Look, I am 99.2 percent on making 
all the votes. She paused for a moment and looked at me and smiled and 
said: You will never catch me. And she was absolutely correct that the 
math doesn't work.
  To have made 7,000 consecutive votes is an extraordinary achievement, 
particularly given the logistics of this place--the logistics of 
getting back and forth to Maine. She and I travel back and forth to 
Maine frequently together. But to have achieved this is really 
something remarkable in the annals of the U.S. Senate.
  In the 1980s and 1990s, I got to know one of her predecessors, 
Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who was a legend in Maine. Senator Smith 
was not only legendary for making every vote but also for always 
wearing a red rose. Every day that she appeared in the Senate, Senator 
Smith wore a red rose. So I would like to conclude my remarks by taking 
a red rose to Senator Collins in recognition of her following in the 
footsteps of her illustrious predecessor.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  I yield the floor.

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