[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7253-S7257]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Tribute to Tom Udall
Now, let me tell you a little bit about our senior Senator, Tom
Udall.
One of the first times I ever spent any serious time with Tom Udall
was actually on horseback. Tom was serving at the time as the
Congressman for northern New Mexico's Third Congressional District, and
I was leading a group called the Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness.
Together, we rode into rugged mesas and canyons east of Las Vegas, NM--
that is the original Las Vegas--that I hoped would soon be designated
as the Sabinoso Wilderness.
It was clear right away that Tom shared my sense of wonder in the
outdoors and wild places and a strong commitment to protect those
precious landscapes for future generations, and despite his day job
walking the Halls of Congress, he was pretty comfortable on that horse
of his--much more so than myself.
More than a decade later, Tom and I would repeat that horseback ride
in Sabinoso, alongside President Trump's then-Interior Secretary Ryan
Zinke.
We were both serving in the Senate by this point. We had successfully
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worked together to establish not just the Sabinoso Wilderness but also
the Ojito Wilderness, the Columbine-Hondo, the Valles Caldera National
Preserve, the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, and the
Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.
Now we were working to convince Secretary Zinke--someone I might
describe as a bit of a wilderness skeptic--to sign off on the Bureau of
Land Management's acceptance of a generous land donation by the
Wilderness Land Trust. This land donation would finally open up public
access to the spectacular opportunities in the Sabinoso, which was then
actually completely landlocked by private lands, and it would
substantially grow the Sabinoso Wilderness area.
A couple of hours of both of us riding into Canyon Largo alongside
Secretary Zinke, alongside local sportsmen and public lands advocates
and community-elected leaders, accomplished what months of testy
congressional hearings and office meetings and phone calls here in
Washington, DC, could not. Just days after his visit, Secretary Zinke
announced that his reservations over accepting new wilderness were
assuaged and that he would approve the donation at the Department of
Interior.
Thanks to those efforts and that horseback ride, for years to come,
all New Mexicans and all Americans will be able to visit this stunning
wilderness that we all own together.
This story is but one example from Senator Udall's long career that
demonstrates how bringing people together, even those who may have
major disagreements--especially about politics--can still help to find
common ground and forge a path forward. That is one of the main lessons
that I will always take with me about the example that Senator Udall
has set as such a principled leader.
Tom has devoted his entire career to serving the people of my State.
As our State's attorney general, Tom took on major challenges, from
curbing pervasive drunk driving to domestic violence, to prosecuting
unethical and corrupt elected officials and protecting consumers and
seniors from all manner of predatory scams.
Then, during his 10 years of service in the U.S. House of
Representatives, Tom fought to deliver for northern New Mexico's
communities. He stood firmly against the Bush administration's tax cuts
for the wealthy. He opposed the misguided invasion of Iraq. He called
on Congress to rein in the civil liberties abuses in the PATRIOT Act.
Tom was first elected to serve our State in the U.S. Senate in the
exact same year that I was first elected to Congress. It has been a
privilege to sit in a front-row seat during this time while he led our
State's congressional delegation.
I believe that all of us in this body can agree that there are few
greater examples than Tom Udall in embodying the best of what it means
to be a Senator.
Over his two terms in this Chamber, Tom has showed us all how to
act--to act with decency, to act with integrity; how to stay true to
your principles but also how to find the deliberative compromises that
have become all too rare in today's Senate. Tom knows that to get
anything done, especially in this era of extremely polarized party
politics, you need to be able to bring people together, to break bread,
to have the patience to work through disagreements, and to focus on
results, not politics.
That was perhaps best demonstrated in his ability to pass a landmark,
bipartisan overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act--likely one of
the greatest environmental law achievements in the last decade. TSCA is
just about the most complicated piece of law that you can possibly
imagine; however, the powers that it grants to the Environmental
Protection Agency are some of the only things protecting us, standing
between us and many harmful chemicals.
In the last decade, it became increasingly clear that the original
law, which had passed back in the 1970s, was simply no longer effective
and required significant reforms, but getting a new law passed had
proved to be practically impossible for many Senators who had tried for
years to get this done.
Because of all the major industry interests, disagreements from
various groups, TSCA reform had become one of the many things that
conventional wisdom simply said would never get done, especially in
today's gridlocked Congress. But Tom did not take no for an answer. He
took on the years-long, daunting challenge of convening an incredibly
wide range of stakeholders to get the details right and successfully
steered a new law all the way to final passage. I believe Tom Udall was
successful in this precisely because of the way that he stands up for
his principles with moral clarity.
At a time when our democracy has felt fragile, Tom has led the way in
fighting the corrosive effects of dark money in our politics. He
championed voting rights, and he called for rules reforms to make this
body, to make this Senate work for ``we the people'' once again.
Through his role on the Foreign Relations Committee, Tom has held
administrations from both parties accountable for responsibly
exercising American power overseas.
He has been a steadfast champion and ally for Indian Country,
fighting for water access, education, healthcare, and law enforcement
resources for Tribal nations.
For years, Tom has called on us to finally confront the climate
crisis that threatens New Mexico's land and water and, frankly, the
future of our country and our planet. I have been so proud to partner
with Tom over these last years to pass landmark protections for the
natural resources and public lands that we in New Mexico all treasure.
Our children and future generations will see the legacy of Tom's
conservation work for years to come.
Finally, it goes almost without saying, but I am confident that Tom's
leaving the Senate will not mean leaving behind his lifetime commitment
to service--in fact, far from it. Whatever his next chapter brings, I
am certain that Tom will never stop looking for ways to help the people
of New Mexico, although I do hope he will find the time to get outside,
to spend time in a remote mountain pass from time to time or on a fast
flowing river.
It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to serve alongside Senator
Udall for these last 12 years and to fight together to deliver
resources and results for New Mexicans.
Thank you, Tom, for everything that you have taught me and for
everything that you and Jill have done for New Mexicans and for
Americans. Julie and I certainly wish you the best in this next chapter
in your life, and it has truly been my honor.
Thank you.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah
Mr. LEE. Madam President, I stand today to give tribute to my friend
and colleague, the senior Senator from New Mexico, Tom Udall, who was
assigned to be my mentor when I first arrived in the Senate nearly 10
years ago.
Over a series of meetings we had over breakfast, lunch, and in our
offices, Tom mentored me and tutored me on the rules of the Senate. He
took the time to explain the nuances of the filibuster and how the
Senate has deviated from the rule as it was originally designed. The
concept is not a familiar one, nor is it intuitive, and yet Tom was
able to explain it to me in a way that was simple and easy to
understand and helped me grasp the passion that he has for addressing
that issue and for reforming the Senate for the better ever since then.
He had a way of doing it that didn't make anyone feel demeaned but
made them, rather, more enthusiastic about making the Senate a better
place in which to work, operate, and legislate.
I have no idea whether the person who assigned Tom as my mentor knew
that Tom and I were related, that we are second cousins, that his
grandmother and my grandfather were brother and sister, or that my
grandmother on the other side of the family was his U.S. history
teacher at James Fenimore Cooper Intermediate and Junior High, but our
paths seemed destined to cross.
I didn't know Tom well growing up, although I knew his father
Stewart, and I knew his Uncle Morris. Tom was already off to fame and
stardom by the time I came along, but I knew his family long before I
got to know him. In many ways, they saved the best for last.
Even though I got to know your dad and your Uncle Morris before I got
to
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know you, I tremendously enjoyed getting to work with you. You and I
come from similar parts of the country, from some of the same ancestral
pioneer stock, and we have very different ideas. Yet Tom Udall has
always been someone with whom I have been able to communicate freely
and frankly and from whom I have always heard positive, uplifting
communication, even when we disagree, which happens from time to time.
Thank you so much for your service. It has been a pleasure getting to
work with you as a colleague. I wish you and Jill the very best success
and happiness in your future endeavors.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
Mr. MERKLEY. Madam President, Senator Udall and I came here in the
same class 12 years ago. It is hard to believe that 12 years have
passed. How can that happen so quickly? We have seen the Senate in
various chapters as it sought to address the big challenges facing
America.
Colleagues have already noted Tom's intense advocacy for the
wildlands of the West and the poetry that he brought to it in his
speech today with Mr. Stegner's reflections on the majesty and
importance of the wildlands of the West and all of his efforts to
protect those lands.
Colleagues have mentioned how, when folks thought it couldn't be
done, he dived into this partnership with Senator Vitter to drive the
Lautenberg Toxic Substances Act and got it accomplished through months
and months of intense negotiations.
He cares about the function of this body and has shared with us idea
after idea on how we might make it work better--ideas that we should
still work to consider in the months and years ahead.
As he thought about protection of lands, he thought about protection
of the oceans and the role of plastics in the oceans. He spearheaded
efforts for us to reconsider how we produce so much plastic waste and
where it ends up and the damage that it does--a vision that others will
have to carry the baton on after his departure.
He has stood up fiercely for the constitutional vision of a nation
and a government of, by, and for the people, that money is not speech,
and that corporations are not people.
Tom, thank you. Thank you for fighting for the vision of our
Constitution, for a government that can and will take on the issues
facing us. We will miss you. I personally hope that you will have a
major role in continuing to advance the protection of those wildlands
in the West in the near future. All my best, and take care in your next
chapter.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Blackburn). The Senator from Wyoming.
Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, just a little reflection on Tom Udall
and working together on the Indian Affairs Committee that I chaired,
and he was the ranking member. I will tell you that I will miss my
friend Tom Udall.
Bobbi and I will miss your life partner Jill as well. We are so
grateful for your friendship and your leadership in this body.
When Senator Udall started today on the floor, he mentioned that he
was a son of the West and mentioned that it is something that runs in
the family. Madam President, Tom's father, Stewart Udall, was Secretary
of the Interior of the United States. If you go to the Interior
Department office, you will see it is the Udall name on the building
because of this ongoing commitment and love that the Senator has spoken
about today.
What many don't know is the relationship between Wyoming and the
Udall family. It was Stewart Udall, Secretary of the Interior, who came
to Wyoming with a young President a number of years ago. That President
was John F. Kennedy. It was September of 1963.
I went back to the archives at the University of Wyoming and found
photos of Tom's dad and the President at the time, John Kennedy, and a
number of Wyoming leaders at the time. I gave copies to Tom and to Jill
to share the bond of our States.
It would surprise many, I think, in this body to know that I have a
picture, actually, of John Kennedy hanging in my office up in the
Dirksen Office Building--John Kennedy addressing the crowd at the
University of Wyoming Arena-Auditorium in September of 1963.
As Tom this morning talked about conservation, John Kennedy talked of
conservation that very day that he gave that speech with your father on
the stage, together so many years ago. At the time, John Kennedy talked
of the living balance between man's actions and nature's reaction to it
and the living balance that must exist.
So, today, I come and thank my friend for his stewardship, for his
leadership, and for his friendship, and I say this with a great deal of
appreciation and admiration and respect.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I rise today to honor someone whom I
have had the good fortune of working with both in the U.S. House and
the U.S. Senate. Senator Udall and I spent a long time together, and I
am very, very grateful.
I want to take a step back just for a moment and say that in American
political history there are certain names that carry a legacy. There
are the Roosevelts, a family of great means who, nonetheless,
understood the deeply personal pain of the Great Depression and helped
bring a nation through it. There are the Kennedys, a family that for
generations has been near the center of American power and popular
culture. And there are the Udalls.
Now, the Udalls have never been flashy. They might not be the
equivalent of political royalty. You might find the Udalls more likely
to be in cowboy boots and jeans than expensive suits, but they are a
family that is deeply rooted in public service, protecting the people
and the places of the West, and just being some of the kindest, hardest
working, most decent folks you could ever meet, period.
Senator Tom Udall has certainly lived up to his family's legacy
during his long career in public service. New Mexico is so fortunate to
have been represented by him, and I feel so fortunate to have him as my
friend.
Tom, it has been such a pleasure to work with you on so many
different issues. You talk about the land, and I talk a lot about
water. And even though you are not surrounded by the Great Lakes, as we
are, you have been as passionate in working with us to protect our
beautiful water, as you have with other natural resources. So thank you
for protecting the funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Also, I thank him for ensuring that our community health centers
receive full funding, for strengthening rural communities, and for
improving services for our veterans.
I appreciate so much your leadership in the bipartisan efforts, and I
was proud to support you and help on tax reform. I have been so
impressed by your work on clean energy and on protecting the wild
places that make our States so special, and, of course, your work on
reforming the Senate and shining the light of day on money and
politics.
I am so grateful for your strong leadership on the Indian Affairs
Committee and your hard work and advocacy--so effective in advocating
for our Nation's Tribes.
You have also set yourself apart through your work on Foreign
Relations and on keeping our Nation safe. I will never forget our trip
to Vietnam and South Korea last year. We were, over the Easter weekend,
flying in Southeast Asia, and it was such a wonderful moment when Jill
organized a Passover Seder for everyone on the plane--what a special
moment on this bipartisan trip. It brought everybody together to focus
on our common humanity and what we are each called to do, which is to
serve others.
Whatever the future holds for you, I have no doubt that you will
continue serving the people of New Mexico and this Nation, and I
believe we have more than benefitted from your leadership. Public
service, that is what Udalls do.
Senator Udall, congratulations on your retirement. Thank you for a
job well done, and so many best wishes to you and your life partner
Jill and your entire family. You have been a real blessing not only to
New Mexico but to our country.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland
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Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I just really want to thank Senator
Udall for his commitment to public service. When I think of a person of
his talent, his expertise, and his effectiveness, he has devoted his
entire life to public service to make New Mexico better, to make
America better, and for global justice. I just really want to thank him
for his many years of public service. I know that he has not finished
his commitment to try to help our community, but we are going to miss
him on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
I had a chance to work with Senator Udall when he and I were in the
House of Representatives, and we worked on so many issues--from the
environment to justice issues, to integrity in the process to make sure
our system of justice, our system of law, and our system of legislating
meet the high expectations of our democracy. We know that we can do
better to form a more perfect union. We are on that path, and we can do
better. And thanks to Senator Udall, we have done better, but we still
have a road ahead of us.
So, you are an inspiration to all of us. We want you to know that. We
love you. We greatly admire your service to this body and to our
community. As has been said by others, we are not only going to miss
your relationship on working with issues here; we are going to miss the
friendship and seeing you on a more regular basis.
We know that your life partner Jill has been a steady supporter of
what you have done. So on behalf of your colleagues in the U.S. Senate,
we say thank you for a job well done. We are proud to have called you
our friend and associate, and we will continue to work with you.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I had the privilege of knowing Tom
Udall's uncle when I served in the House of Representatives. He was not
only a great leader, but he was a funny man. I have repeated some of
his lines and jokes so often. I don't even give him credit anymore. I
hope his family and his memory will forgive me.
I have often repeated his prognosis for politicians. Morris Udall
said: Once you get politics in your bloodstream, only embalming fluid
will replace it. I have often thought of what drives us, the men and
women of the Senate and the House, to continue to engage in this life's
work of politics, with all the cost that it incurs in our lives.
Clearly, we are driven by something more than just comfort.
To my friend, Tom Udall, let me say I am glad you proved your uncle
wrong. As much as I wish you were staying with us for a while longer, I
know that you are not leaving public service. You never will. You are
just leaving this chapter.
In the Udall family, public service is a noble tradition. Your uncle
always served with honor in the House for three decades. Your cousins--
Mark Udall, Mike Lee, and Gordon Smith--have all served in the Senate.
Your father, Stewart Udall, answered President Kennedy's call for the
best and brightest and served as President Kennedy's Secretary of the
Interior.
I want to mention one footnote that should never be forgotten,
particularly at this moment in history. When we watch the NFL and their
dedication to the notion of Black Lives Matter, they should remember
that over 50 years ago, it was your father, as Secretary of the
Interior, who said to the NFL football team that was using RFK Stadium
that they had to integrate and bring in their first Black player or he
wasn't going to renew their Federal lease on that premises. He changed,
overnight, the fate of that Washington football franchise when it came
to the issue of race. That shows the kind of leadership which 50 years
later looked so visionary.
But when it comes to preserving America's national treasures in the
20th century, the Udall name ranks right up there with Teddy Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was a giant of conservation. He believed that we have a moral
obligation to preserve our planet and the treasures of it for future
generations.
I have no doubt that your father and your mother would be proud of
your service in the Senate. You have carried on this legacy with such
perfection by preserving America's irreplaceable national treasures. I
have vivid memories of two majestic national monuments that are in
Utah--Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. President Obama showed
real leadership in creating those monuments, and you have led the fight
to preserve them through the current administration.
The passion with which you spoke about the history and importance of
these treasures is something I will never forget. I was proud to
cosponsor your proposal, the ANTIQUITIES Act, to make clear that only
Congress can alter the list of protected national monuments. Thank
goodness we have public servants like Tom Udall, who is willing to
fight to preserve a piece of this world so that future generations can
see it as God created it. Your ``30 by 30 Resolution,'' which you
cosponsored with Senator Bennet of Colorado, is another example of
creative, innovative Udall ``conservationism.''
Your efforts to preserve America's most sacred treasures do not end
with open spaces and a healthy environment. You have also been a brave
and tireless champion of the need to preserve the fundamentals of our
democracy. Along with your efforts to protect national monuments, you
also led to preserve the delicate balance of powers envisioned by our
Founders. You were the lead sponsor in this Chamber in the For the
People Act to protect voting rights, strengthening government ethics,
and changing the way congressional campaigns are funded--a bill that I
have built on myself to try to protect our body politic
Our goals were always the same: to break the grip of special
interests on our politics and government while making it more
affordable for men and women with good ideas but without massive wealth
to run for Congress. These last years have shown us how fragile our
democracy can be and how much work we have to do to restore people's
faith in government.
I want to point out one particular bill--TSCA. Tom, I will never
forget what you did with that. I don't know how many months--maybe even
years--that you weathered on despite opposition, not only from the
other side of the aisle but sometimes from our side of the aisle, to
get this issue into perspective. There were chemicals that were being
put into things as basic as furniture that American families had no
idea would be dangerous.
I have never forgotten this image. You told this story on the floor.
To think that that cushion on your couch is treated with some chemical
that could be harmful to individuals and that every time you, as a
father, sat down on that couch and pulled that baby close to you, you
could have been spraying chemicals in that baby's face. I thought about
that ever since you gave that speech and how much work you did to make
sure that we remedy that wrong and that we gave notification and
clearance before these chemicals were being used in products that
American families didn't even know about. I gave you my word that I
would push hard with you on that. I was just one of the soldiers in the
back of the ranks, but I was proud of every moment of it.
I wish you and your wife Jill a special happiness in the next
chapter. Jill, of course, is originally a native of St. Louis, and I
grew up across the river. We had many fun times talking about her youth
and reminiscing about mutual friends. She is just an exceptional person
herself, and you know it and I do too. To your daughter Amanda, I wish
an equally happy and healthy future. As our friend John Lewis might
say, may you continue to find ways to get into good trouble.
In this Senate, you have been the voice for so many people who had no
voice. You have chosen to be an advocate for Native Americans. And if
there is ever a cause which every single Member of the Senate and the
House should take as their own, it is to bring justice to this group of
people who were here before us and were not treated well by this
government.
I will close now with a thought from one of their great leaders,
Sitting Bull. In negotiations with the Federal Government, Sitting Bull
advised: Let us put our minds together and see what future we can make
for our children.
This is the spirit which Tom Udall has brought to the U.S. Senate in
every aspect of public service. It has been an honor to work with you,
Tom. I wish you all the best because you are the best.
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The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I know we are about to vote, and I will
speak further at another time about Senator Udall, but I just want to
tell him what I told you--all of you--what I said to him when he
finished speaking: In my 46 years here, it is one of the finest and
most moving, heartfelt, honest speeches I have heard. I have also sent
a note, I say to Senator Udall, to Jill Udall to tell her how great you
are, but I think she probably knew it. But I will speak further at
another time.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.
Mr. CARPER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my
brief remarks before the vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. CARPER. Madam President, I want to say a few words about
leadership. When I think of the word ``leadership,'' I think of Tom
Udall.
Leaders are humble, not haughty. Leaders have the heart of a servant.
They realize that our job is to serve, not to be served. Leaders have
the courage to stay in step when everyone else is marching to the wrong
tune. Leaders unite, not divide. They build bridges, not laws.
Leaders surround themselves with the very best people they can find.
When the team does well, the leader gives the credit to the team. When
the team falls short, the leader takes the blame.
The best leaders among us realize they don't build themselves up by
tearing other people down. Leaders are aspirational. They appeal to our
better angels.
Camus--a Frenchman--used to say that leaders are purveyors of hope.
Leaders seek to do what is right, not what is easy or expedient but
what is right.
Leaders embrace the Golden Rule: Treat other people the way they want
to be treated. The Golden Rule is in every major religion on the
planet. He embodies it.
Leaders believe that we should pursue excellence in everything we do.
If it isn't perfect, let's make it better. And when a leader knows that
he or she is right, they just won't give up. They don't give up.
Those are the qualities that we all admire in leaders. To be totally
honest, I fall short on a number of them. And I guess if we are all
truthful, we would all say the same thing.
He doesn't fall short on any of them. Tom Udall is the
personification of what a leader should be and a friend as well.
I just want to say thanks to his parents for raising him, bringing
him into the world, and putting him on the right path, giving us a
chance to serve with him.
I also thank Jill, his wife, for being just a terrific partner with
him. When we were stuck on TSCA--the Toxic Substance Control Act--she
came to the hearings in the committee. He was no longer on the
committee, but she came there, and everybody could see on her face that
we better get this right or we were in trouble.
The reason we had to pass the Toxic Substance Control Act is that the
Federal law that we passed a quarter century ago before didn't work,
and every other State stepped in and decided to have their own State
version. It was a patchwork quilt. It just didn't work. He pointed it
out and made it happen, made a change, and I just will always be
grateful for that.
The other thing I want to say is that he is a friend. I think if you
talk to anybody here, they would say that he is a friend. I don't care
if you are a Republican or a Democrat; he is a friend.
My wife and I and our sons, Christopher and Ben, had the opportunity
at the end of an Aspen Institute seminar in Tanzania, which was just an
incredible experience, to stay for 4 or 5 days afterward and just
travel throughout, go on a safari, and have a chance to see amazing
things--amazing things. When it was all over, we went back to the
airport in Tanzania, the Kilimanjaro airport, to catch a flight back to
the States. I will never forget. Our son Ben, who is our younger son,
said to his mom and dad and his older brother: That was the best
vacation we have ever had.
We talk about things we share with one another, but that is one that
is especially close to my heart.
Godspeed. God bless you.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cruz). The Senator from Idaho.
Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory
quorum call be waived.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.