[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 215 (Friday, December 18, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7706-S7707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO TOM UDALL

  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to honor someone whom I 
have had the good fortune to serve alongside both in the House and the 
Senate.
  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 are more likely to find Udalls in 
cowboy boots and jeans than expensive suits. But they are a family that 
is deeply devoted to public service, protecting the people and places 
of the West, and just being some of the kindest, hardest-working, most 
decent folks you could ever meet.
  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 
be represented by him, and I feel so fortunate to have him as a friend.
  Tom, it has been such a pleasure to work with you on issues including 
protecting funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, ensuring 
that our community health centers receive full funding, strengthening 
rural communities, and improving services for our veterans and our work 
together on TSCA 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 important work on reforming the Senate. 
And I am so grateful for your strong leadership on the Indian Affairs 
Committee and your hard work on behalf of 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. It 
was such a special moment when Jill organized a Passover Seder for 
everyone on our plane to Ho Chi Minh City. It brought everyone together 
to focus on our common humanity and what we are each called to do: 
serve others.
  Whatever the future holds for you, I have no doubt that you will 
continue serving the people of New Mexico and this great Nation. Public 
service, that is what Udalls do.
  Tom, congratulations on your retirement, and thank you for a job well 
done. You have been a true blessing to New Mexico and our Nation.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I rise to honor my colleague and good 
friend, Senator Tom Udall, who will be retiring from the Senate at the 
end of this Congress. Tom has been a forceful advocate for the people 
of New Mexico, a champion for all Americans, and a guardian of our 
Nation's public lands and our democracy. It has been my privilege to 
partner with him, both in the House and Senate, over the past 17 years.
  Tom's family roots were grown from American history. Generations ago, 
his ancestors traveled west and settled on the American frontier. 
Although centuries have passed since those early pioneers, Tom's deep 
connection to our country's rich history hasn't waned. He holds deep 
respect for the communities that treasured the American landscape long 
before his family arrived, and Tom has championed the cause of Tribal 
sovereignty throughout his career. As vice chair of the Senate Indian 
Affairs Committee, he fought to ensure that our country fulfills its 
obligations to indigenous Tribes. His commitment to this cause reminds 
us, as lawmakers, that the government has a responsibility to respect 
the rights of all communities from coast to coast.
  His personal link to the American experiment has also nourished a 
passion for conserving our natural inheritance. In the House, I was 
proud to work with him on bolstering our Nation's renewable energy 
infrastructure. In the Senate, I have been privileged to serve with him 
on the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and Environment. He 
has been an advocate for supporting the Chesapeake Bay in my home State 
of Maryland and helped us secure a historic increase in funding to the 
Chesapeake Bay Program. Senator Udall's pioneering work in these arenas 
has rallied colleagues around the cause of protecting our environment, 
culminating this August with the passage of the Great American Outdoors 
Act. His tireless efforts to preserve America's natural heritage will 
live on through the clean water and clean air that he helped safeguard 
for generations to come. But Tom knew well that preserving our 
environment must go hand-in-hand with defending our planet against 
climate change. His landmark bill on renewable energy standards offers 
a model for the type of rigorous approach we can take to cut carbon 
emissions and address this global threat.
  Senator Udall's commitment to keeping our planet healthy has been 
equal in force to his mission of keeping our democracy healthy. 
Throughout his career, Tom promoted the notion that we need structural 
change in our institutions if we want to move our country forward. He 
and I worked together on campaign finance reform to help insulate our 
elections from the influence of special interests and big corporations 
and have fought to reform financing for Presidential elections and the 
FEC. In Washington, he has been a vocal critic of government inaction 
and proposed rule fixes to remedy congressional paralysis, both while 
in the minority and in the majority. His calls for change have 
challenged this body to act on institutional adjustments that could 
help us get more done for the American people.
  But beyond these achievements, one of Tom's greatest contributions to 
the Senate is the way in which he has made this Chamber a kinder place. 
His warm temperament and humble nature exemplify the character of a 
true public servant--someone who is here to do good work on behalf of 
their constituents, not stroke their own ego. He has stayed grounded 
and honored those whom he serves, always looking to move our country 
forward. In his farewell address, Senator Udall reminded us that 
disagreements in politics shouldn't get in the way of progress. Tom 
lives and breathes this bedrock principle and has always extended a 
hand to those across the aisle in order to deliver for the American 
people. Although he is now headed back West to return to the place that 
made him, he is leaving a lasting legacy of collaboration and success 
that cannot be undone.
  Thank you, Tom, for your dedication to this body and to our country, 
and I wish you and your family the best in the years ahead.
  Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to recognize 
and thank the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, 
Senator Udall, for his years of leadership in the Senate, on our 
committee, and for his commitment and service to

[[Page S7707]]

our Tribal communities. It has been an honor to serve with him the past 
4 years.
  I want to thank Senator Udall for his wisdom, his mentorship, and the 
example that he has set for us through his many years in Congress and 
in the Senate. I also want to thank his staff for their support of all 
of our work in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Senator Udall's 
tireless leadership and ability to work across the aisle with Chairman 
Hoeven, each Member of the Senate, and our Tribal leaders has 
encouraged all of us to truly work together in a bipartisan manner to 
find solutions on behalf of our Tribal communities.
  I am particularly thankful, for Senator Udall's leadership in helping 
ensure that Senator Murkowski's and my bills, the Not Invisible Act and 
Savanna's Act, became law. With their passage, we are finally beginning 
to address the serious epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous 
women and girls. His commitment to combatting violence against Native 
women and children has been crucial for their success.
  Senator Udall's achievements in the Senate stand as a testament to 
the spirit of the West, which we both call home. From conserving and 
protecting our public lands through the Great American Outdoors Act and 
championing the rights of Indian Country, to empowering our Tribal 
communities through introducing the Native American Voting Rights Act 
and ensuring vital coronavirus relief funds and care reach those who 
need it most, Senator Udall has always prioritized the needs of western 
communities.
  Whether it is through finding creative solutions to address the 
homework gap through partnering with me to introduce E-Rate Support for 
School Bus Wi-Fi, or fighting for quality housing through 
reauthorization of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-
Determination Act, his work here has led to tangible benefits for rural 
and Native communities in my home State of Nevada and all across the 
country.
  I have no doubt that Senator Udall's legacy of service here will 
continue to leave a powerful impact on the lives of many in our Tribal 
communities for years to come, so thank you again, Senator Udall, for 
all your contributions.
  Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I rise today with great pride to honor my 
dear friend and colleague, Senator Tom Udall. Throughout his time in 
Congress, he has continued to be a staunch advocate for protecting 
working families, our public lands, and so much more. Tom's desire and 
commitment to serve the people of New Mexico over the past 20 years are 
not only inspiring but serve as an example of what a faithful public 
servant represents.
  As we all know, the ``Udall'' name rings with great respect and honor 
among those involved in public service, and Tom is no exception. As a 
true native of New Mexico, Senator Udall understands the importance of 
protecting our public lands and the people who reside there. It has 
been an honor to serve alongside him in the western delegation to 
secure funding for environmental restoration and public lands 
preservation. It has been my distinct pleasure to work with him and his 
staff on monumental legislation such as the Great American Outdoors 
Act, which permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund, 
LWCF. The LWCF provides funds for restoration and outdoor recreation 
opportunities in Nevada and numerous projects in New Mexico. We have 
also fought side-by-side to defend our public lands from those who 
would take them out of public hands.
  Senator Udall, your mentorship, expertise, and, most of all, your 
friendship will be deeply missed. You and your family welcomed me with 
such warmth when I began my journey as a Senator. I am so grateful to 
have not only a great professional relationship but a wonderful 
personal one as well. I would also like to take a moment to thank your 
wife Jill for showing my husband Larry the procedures and protocols as 
of being new Senate spouse. Larry and I are so happy to have you and 
Jilly as friends for life.
  Mr. President, Senator Udall's decades as a public servant are an 
inspiration for so many of our colleagues, myself included. The western 
delegation will continue to honor Senator Udall's work to reduce global 
emissions, build a clean energy economy, and protect the public lands 
that we all hold so dear. It has been an honor to work with Senator 
Udall, and I wish him and Jill a joyful and tranquil transition in the 
years to come.

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