[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7247-S7249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL ENZI

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, now, on an entirely different matter, 
my colleagues here in the U.S. Senate are, to put it mildly, an 
impressive bunch. It always makes it a challenge to pay adequate 
tribute when one leaves our ranks.
  But even by the high standards of this place, the course charted by 
the Senator, whom I have to send off this morning, stands out. The 
senior Senator from Wyoming, Senator Mike Enzi, has accomplished enough 
in one career to fill two. He seemingly glided from business success to 
military service, to local government, to State politics, to the U.S. 
Senate, where he has

[[Page S7248]]

built a remarkably productive legislative record.
  Mike's prolific career began in a small town. In fact, Gillette, WY, 
was so small when Mike and his wife Diana arrived and stood up the 
family business, the town still carried the less-than-flattering 
nickname of ``Dirt.''
  But new discoveries in the American energy business were in the 
course of changing everything. A major oil and gas boom meant more 
people. More people meant more sales at Mike's NZ Shoes store--that is 
the letter ``N'' and the letter ``Z.''
  Mike could have just sat back and cruised, but Mike saw Gillette 
struggling to keep up with the growth, and basic services were lagging. 
Nearly everyone who encountered him in town or in the junior chamber of 
commerce meetings concluded this up-and-comer had real leadership 
talent. I understand the final prod into public service came from no 
less a Wyoming statesman, our own former colleague, Al Simpson.
  They had crossed paths. Alan had heard Mike speak. He took the 
promising young man aside to tell him rather pointedly that his town 
sure did need a good mayor. To be precise, Mike tells us the phrasing 
was typically blunt Al Simpson: ``Put your money where your mouth is.''
  Our future colleague took it under advisement. But Mike almost didn't 
survive long enough to announce his campaign. The way he told it on the 
floor last week, when he worked up the courage to relay that suggestion 
to Diana on their long drive home, she almost swerved right off the 
road. Fortunately, they were unharmed, and the more they talked, the 
more they liked the idea of making a difference.
  So, at the ripe old age of 30, this up-and-coming businessman ran for 
mayor, and he won. On his watch, what could have been a municipal 
disaster became an economic golden age for Gillette. It didn't take 
long for the town's fortunes to become the talk of political minds 
around Wyoming.
  After a few years off, the former Mayor Enzi was representing his 
neighbors as State representative and then as State senator. And just 
like water seeks its own level, talent tends to seek its best outlet. 
So, after squeaking out a close primary victory over his now-fellow 
Senator from Wyoming, John Barrasso, Mike packed his bags for 
Washington in late 1996, and this body gained, at that time, its only 
trained accountant.
  Now, Mike knew that if he was going to properly serve his beloved 
State, he would need fellow Wyomingites working alongside him--people 
who shared his no-nonsense affection for careful planning and thrift in 
government.
  One of his best decisions was persuading his longtime collaborator, 
the onetime town manager of Gillette, Flip McConnaughey, to move to 
Washington and be his chief of staff. Mike says he initially had 500 
applications for that job, but none of them was the one he wanted. The 
experienced salesman had to pitch his longtime friend on the opening, 
and it worked.
  From Gillette to the Senate, Flip was Mike's secret weapon--not just 
a staffer, but as Mike tells it, a true partner in service for many 
years. When Flip passed away much too soon in 2016, this entire 
institution felt the loss.
  Mike's staff likes to say he has a whole collection of useful hats he 
can wear to approach Senate business: the perspective of a mayor or of 
a small business owner or a State legislator or an accountant or a 
Wyomingite. Well, that hasn't just been a winning combination for the 
people of Wyoming. It has benefited our entire country.
  Mike's trade secret has been what he calls the 80-20 rule. Across all 
the issues he tackled, he insists about four-fifths of the subject 
matter is potential common ground ripe for progress. He said: You just 
can't let the controversial 20 percent blow everything up.
  Well, that approach made our colleague from Wyoming downright 
prolific. Mike has been directly responsible for the passage of more 
than 100 bills. He has become a go-to leader on everything from budget, 
tax reform, and the deficit to AIDS relief and workplace safety. His 
sober, prudent approach--not to mention his practical experience 
keeping the books and making payroll--made Mike exactly the sort of 
person taxpayers hope are managing their dollars.
  He used budget resolutions to steer the Federal Government toward 
more sustainable fiscal help. He helped shepherd the first major 
overhaul of the Federal Tax Code in a generation. He has keep a 
watchful eye on the unintended consequences of legislation, such as the 
recent work to help relieve Main Street lenders from the one-size-fits-
all burden of Dodd-Frank.
  Back when Chairman Enzi was steering the HELP Committee, his 
Democratic counterpart was Ted Kennedy--a fastidious small-government 
guy from Wyoming and the ``liberal lion'' from Massachusetts. Call it 
the 80-20 rule's final exam, and they passed that exam. They worked 
together to create bipartisan outcomes on things like worker safety, 
pension reform, and mental health parity.
  So, to be clear, there has been no lack of conservative conviction in 
Mike's career. Just ask our Democratic colleagues about the times their 
debates with Mike landed in the 20 percent, and that is when the gloves 
came off. This is the Senator one broadcaster in 2013 called ``the Paul 
Revere of ObamaCare.''

  But Mike never lost sight of the mission. He kept up the hunt for 
common ground, autism research, vocational training, and carried the 
torch for PEPFAR, the historic fight against AIDS in Africa.
  Mike's insatiable appetite for making a difference brought some 
interesting characters into his life. It turned out that quite a few 
high-profile celebrities were happy to meet with one of this body's 
chief champions on the AIDS issue.
  But let the record reflect that east coast, Washington, DC, life 
never spoiled Mike. I heard from a reliable source that after wrapping 
up one meeting with Bono, the world-famous front man of U2 and a leader 
in the fight against AIDS, Mike cheerfully offered the following 
parting remark to the well-established superstar: ``Well . . . good 
luck with the band!''
  If you have seen Mike in action around the Senate--devouring details, 
mastering issue after issue--it is hard to imagine him making time for 
much of anything outside his work. But you would be badly mistaken, 
because one of the worst kept secrets around the Capitol is that Mike 
is one of the very warmest Members of the Senate family.
  As we prepare to bid him farewell, Mike's colleagues may miss his 
wise leadership on legislation, but I suspect the loss will be greater 
for future classes of Senate pages, who will be denied the pizza and 
ice creams parties Mike threw to celebrate their successes. The staff 
at a favorite nearby Mexican restaurant will miss a couple who, along 
with the Barrassos and the Grassleys, spent years ranked among their 
most devoted weekly visitors.
  More than anything, I know the dedicated staff of the Senate, who 
don't get thanked enough--from the Parliamentarian's office to food 
services, to the Capitol Police--will miss the massive holiday cookie 
parties orchestrated by Field Marshal Diana Enzi.
  Diana has organized the production of hundreds of dozens of baked 
treats every year. Mike is more like her assistant in that endeavor. 
Their unstoppable tradition of giving back to our colleagues, even this 
year, encapsulates just what kind of hearts this couple shares.
  As we know, these labors of love come on top of Diana's own important 
work, like her longtime focus on clearing land mines in Eastern Europe.
  I don't mean any of this to guilt Mike into staying, because Mike 
always has his head on straight, his plans laid, and his priorities 
lined up. So he knows that even on our best days, the Senate can't hold 
a candle to the joys of the next chapter he and Diana have planned.
  It turns out that the man whose Senate website includes a page of 
``Grandfatherly advice'' is looking forward to more free time for 
delivering that advice to his own grandkids in person.
  And I understand there are still several States in which Mike has yet 
to cast a line. One of the Senate's most intrepid anglers will no 
longer have to plan around this body's schedule as he seeks to correct 
this oversight.
  So, Mike, while all of us here are sorry to see you go, I know our 
colleagues join me in wishing you ``tight lines.'' We are so glad you 
brought

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your mind and your heart here to this body. Thank you for sharing your 
gifts with the country you love.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
  Mr. ENZI. Madam President, I thank the leader for his kind remarks 
and incredible research. I particularly appreciate the comments about 
Flip McConnaughey, whom I worked with for 40 years before he passed 
away from cancer. If there was ever anybody in the United States who 
had a municipal problem, he would work with me as we grew Gillette, and 
he was able to solve a lot of those municipal problems. So he was the 
go-to person on the Hill for all of that.
  I say to the Senator, I really appreciate those comments, as well as 
all of the other things you mentioned, particularly the ones about 
Diana. Without her, I would not have had the shoe store, I would not 
have been in politics, I would not have been here, nor would I have 
been able to do anything. I wouldn't have traveled around Wyoming. She 
does most of the driving so that I can work on speeches and 
legislation, and it is a chance for us to visit a little bit too. We 
don't get to do a lot of that here in Washington because of the 
schedules, again.
  But I particularly want to thank you for your leadership during this 
time. It has been phenomenal, like the research that you did on that 
speech. The strategy that you put into legislation is incredible. You 
get a lot done, in spite of the differences we might have with the 
House or with the other side of the aisle or occasionally with the 
President, but you keep us moving forward. It is a talent that is hard 
to do under the circumstances that we work, and I really appreciate it. 
So thank you for your comments.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Madam 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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