[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 212 (Tuesday, December 15, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Tribute to Tom Udall

  Mr. President, Senator Udall of New Mexico has been an incredible 
steward and champion of so many of the things at the heart of our 
country's greatness, like America's great outdoors and natural lands, a 
culture enriched by our Tribal nations, and an enduring commitment to 
democracy. America's environment, our Native communities, and our right 
to vote are some of the fundamental elements that make this country so 
unique, and Senator Udall has faithfully served the people of New 
Mexico and all Americans as an incredibly gifted national leader on 
these issues and so many more.
  I got to serve with Senator Udall on the Commerce Committee, where 
during the pandemic we worked together to bridge the digital divide and 
expand broadband, especially for our Tribal communities, where, as we 
all know, he served as the ranking member, the top Democrat, on the 
Indian Affairs Committee.
  I also was proud to serve with Senator Udall in the Rules Committee. 
We worked on Native American voting rights together, but he was the 
lead. He was the lead on so many bills that would make our democracy 
better. I hope that one of his legacies is that, when he is gone, we 
will be able to finally put these laws into operation and get them 
done.
  One of his great pieces of legislation was a constitutional amendment 
to overturn Citizens United, and one day we will get this done. So many 
people are tired of the money streaming into our politics, the fact 
that we have hidden money streaming into our politics, and his 
amendment would fix so much of this.
  He was also cofounder of the Congressional International Conservation 
Caucus, where he left his mark on this country with his work to protect 
public lands and national parks while promoting America's leadership in 
conservation.
  From his years as New Mexico's attorney general to his 10 years of 
service in the House of Representatives and his 12 years as a U.S. 
Senator, Tom Udall has been literally a giant in public service. No one 
should be surprised. He once summed up what drove him by saying: ``The 
thing that inspired me the most when I was very young was the idea that 
if you had a good idea of reforming something and you really stuck to 
it, you could literally change the world.''
  Well, I am going to miss Senator Udall, and we are also going to miss 
his wife Jill, whom I got to know well. I have a fond memory of one of 
the new Senator orientations where Tom and Jill and my husband John and 
I were tasked with talking to the arriving Senators a few years ago, 
brand-new, in this building and giving them tips on how they operate 
and how they handle their first few years and how you can stay married 
while being a U.S. Senator. I remember it fondly because Mitt Romney 
was sitting in the front row taking notes diligently, and I thought 
maybe he didn't need our advice on this.
  But Tom and Jill are just an incredible couple in a town where it is 
not always easy to keep such a strong, beautiful relationship.
  So I want to thank Senator Udall for his work on behalf of his State, 
the beautiful State of New Mexico, and thank the State for sharing 
their extraordinary Senator with the Nation for so many years.
  Senator Udall, thank you for your service, and I know there is more 
to come.