[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 212 (Tuesday, December 15, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7478]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Tribute to Cory Gardner

  Mr. President, now on one final matter, we are less than 1 month away 
from the biannual changing of the guard in Congress before we gavel out 
for the year. I want to say just a few comments about our friend from 
Colorado who will soon be leaving the Senate, Senator Cory Gardner.
  Senator Gardner has proudly represented the people of Colorado for 15 
years, first in the State House, then in the House of Representatives, 
and now in the U.S. Senate.
  Once you get to know Cory, it is easy to see how this ``boy from 
Yuma'' became such a trusted voice for his home State.
  For starters, he is a prime example of what Ronald Reagan called a 
``happy warrior.'' At the end of his speech in 1985, President Reagan 
spoke about the pursuit of high ideals like liberty, freedom, and 
fairness, and the reasons our country has to be hopeful and optimistic. 
He said: ``So, let us go forth with good cheer and stout hearts--happy 
warriors out to seize back a country and a world to freedom.''
  Those qualities of ``good cheer and stout hearts'' could not be a 
more appropriate description of our friend from Colorado. Senator 
Gardner has maintained a very keen understanding of the challenges we 
have faced as a nation, and he channels his passion and his optimism in 
finding solutions to those challenges.
  There is no question that he does get results. In the 6 years he has 
been in the Senate, Cory has accomplished more than some Senators have 
accomplished in double or maybe even triple that time. He has been a 
strong voice on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and has helped 
lead changes to counter some of the most pressing threats facing our 
country.
  He helped pass the first-ever sanctions on North Korea to 
denuclearize one of the most untethered states and nations in the 
world. He fought to hold China accountable for their gross human rights 
violations, specifically those targeting the Uighur people. He has led 
efforts to strengthen the relationship between the United States and 
Taiwan.
  But I think the accomplishments he is most proud of are those that 
hit much closer to home. Cory introduced legislation to designate 9-8-8 
as a national suicide prevention and mental health hotline. It is 
impossible to know how many lives have been and will be saved by simply 
adopting this three-digit phone number.
  This last year, he led in the passage of the Great American Outdoors 
Act, the largest conservation bill in a generation.
  A big factor in Cory's success has been his relationships with his 
fellow Senators--not those backroom transactional relationships you 
think of, perhaps, when you think about politics, but I mean real 
friendships with folks throughout the Capitol Complex. If there were a 
Mr. or Ms. Congeniality contest in Congress, Cory would win by a 
landslide.
  It is common to see him talking not only with Senators from both 
parties but staffers in other offices. He was once a staffer in Senator 
Wayne Allard's office. So he can identify with them, as well as the 
Capitol Police, and the countless men and women who keep Congress 
running, from cafeteria workers to cleaning staff.
  He greets every person with the same genuine smile and is glad to 
spend a few minutes chatting, asking about your family, holiday plans, 
or how someone's day is going. That sincerity--his willingness to 
listen and deal with people on such a human and personal level--is 
something we need more of, not less of, here in Washington, especially 
these days.
  So the Senate will miss our happy warrior and the trademark 
positivity he brings to even the most contentious debates. And while we 
are sad to see him go, I know this isn't the last we will hear of or 
see of Cory Gardner. The only thing more enduring than his energy is 
his drive to help people from all places and in all walks of life.
  So, while our colleagues are sad to bid farewell to our friend Cory, 
we know that Jaime, Alyson, Caitlyn, and Thatcher are all eager to have 
him back home in Yuma and see more of him and spend more time together.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.