[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 204 (Thursday, December 3, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7205-S7206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL ENZI

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, on another matter, we know we have a lot 
of lawyers in Congress, and we have some former businessmen. We even 
have people who are lawyers and businessmen who serve in our midst. 
They are doctors, educators. We have a few farmers. But we have only 
two accountants, to my knowledge, one of whom is our friend Mike Enzi.
  For those of us who have long fought to rein in spending and to get 
our national debt in check, Mike's contribution to those efforts has 
been invaluable. But that is only part of the reason we are sad to say 
farewell to such an incredible colleague.
  Long before Senator Enzi's career in politics or even accounting, he 
joined the family shoe business, cleverly named ``NZ Shoes''--that is 
capital ``N,'' capital ``Z,'' Shoes. It wasn't long before our friend 
Mike, at the young age of 30, was lured into a life of public service 
and elected mayor of Gillette, WY. His career would lead him to the 
Department of the Interior, the Wyoming State House and Senate, and 
eventually here to the U.S. Senate. But Senator Enzi still holds on to 
the lessons he learned in those early days selling shoes.
  A few years ago, he said:

       Legislating is like selling shoes. You have to know your 
     market, what they want, and who's willing to buy what you're 
     [selling].

  Well, I don't know how effective Mike was as a shoe salesman, but I 
can tell you that he has been a master broker here in the Senate. I 
still remember when I came to the Senate, the liberal lion of the 
Senate, Ted Kennedy, was serving with Mike Enzi on the Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. They were enormously 
productive--one of the most conservative Members and one of the most 
liberal Members of the U.S. Senate. So I asked Mike, our friend Senator 
Enzi: How do you do it?
  He said: It is simple. It is the 80-20 rule. You take the 80 percent 
that you can agree on, the common ground, and you get it done, and you 
leave the 20 percent that you can't agree on to another day and another 
fight.
  That is the kind of common sense we need more of here in the U.S. 
Senate when it comes to solving our Nation's problems.
  When there are big debates on policy or high-stakes negotiations, 
Senator Enzi is not one to share his opinions with reporters in the 
hallways or, thankfully, to air his grievances on national television, 
but he does work behind the scenes, settling disagreements with private 
phone calls and meetings rather than fiery speeches and press releases.
  There is no question he has had to settle a lot of disagreements 
during his 24 years in the Senate, especially, as I said, during his 
time on the HELP Committee and as chairman of the Budget Committee. We 
have 100 individuals in the Senate from all across this big and diverse 
Nation of ours who have very different ideas about what should be done 
and opinions on how to get it done, but part of what makes him so 
successful is settling those differences--look past the areas where we 
disagree, and look at common ground.
  Besides the 80-20 rule that has forever stuck in my mind as a great 
formula for solving problems and getting things done, Mike has a great 
attitude about life--one that I find very positive and inspiring, even. 
He says: ``You have to have an attitude of gratitude.''
  That is another thing I will remember about Mike Enzi--always 
grateful for his ability to serve his fellow Wyoming citizens, for his 
family, his wonderful family, and for this great country that we live 
in. I know he is eager to spend more time enjoying the great outdoors. 
Mike has said he wants to actually go fishing in all 50 States. I don't 
know how many States he has not yet fished in, but after he leaves the 
U.S. Senate, hopefully he will accomplish his goal of going fishing in 
all 50 States of the Union.
  We will miss him here in the Senate.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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