[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 12 (Thursday, January 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S82]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I want to start by congratulating President 
Biden and Vice President Harris, who took office yesterday. We have a 
team of former Senators in the White House.
  Yesterday was a hopeful day. The Capitol Building, so recently 
besieged by violence and lawlessness, resumed its rightful place as the 
seat of our democracy and backdrop for the peaceful transfer of power 
from one President to the next that is a hallmark of our system of 
government. The faith of many Americans has been shaken in recent 
weeks. But yesterday reminded us that our democracy still stands and 
our Nation endures--bruised, maybe, but unbroken.
  I also want to express my profound gratitude to the Capitol Police 
officers and other law enforcement who, though outnumbered and overrun, 
defended this Capitol on January 6, and to the soldiers and the law 
enforcement who have guarded this building in the days since. We live 
in peace and freedom because of the service and sacrifice of our 
military and our police officers.
  After the election of November, President Biden gave a victory speech 
in which he pledged to be ``a President who seeks not to divide, but to 
unify. Who doesn't see Red and Blue states, but a United States. And 
who will work with all my heart to win the confidence of the whole 
people.''
  He reiterated that commitment in yesterday's speech, stating: ``On 
this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together, 
uniting our people, uniting our nation.''
  That is what we need right now--a President who will unite us. If 
President Biden can truly be a President who governs for all Americans, 
who respects all Americans, and who works to win the confidence of the 
whole people, he will have done our Nation a great service.
  And I do think President Biden is capable of doing this, but I do 
want to sound a cautionary note. It is common to talk about unity at 
Presidential inaugurations. But all too often that commitment to unity 
is forgotten--by the President or by the members of his party. I hope 
this commitment will be backed up with action and that Democrat leaders 
in Congress will embrace the President's words. That means respecting 
those Americans who didn't vote for President Biden as well as those 
who did.
  It means working together to confront our Nation's challenges, 
instead of adopting an ``our way or the highway'' approach. It means 
preserving minority rights in the Senate when it comes to legislation, 
the heart--the heart--of what makes the Senate special and something 
Republicans, I might add, defended during our time in the majority.
  For the President, it means nominating individuals who represent a 
majority of Americans, not the far left fringes of his party. I have 
seen some hopeful actions from President Biden. Several of his nominees 
for important posts, while perhaps not those whom I would have chosen, 
are public servants whom I believe will serve our country well in 
positions like Director of National Intelligence, whom we voted on 
yesterday. And the President has demonstrated both his leadership and 
his concern for all Americans by prioritizing the pandemic and focusing 
on getting Americans vaccinated.
  But there have been troubling things as well. While the President has 
nominated some mainstream candidates, other nominations raise serious 
concerns on issues like overregulation of the economy and life and 
conscience protections.
  While I applaud the President's focus on the pandemic, I am concerned 
that a number of the measures in his pandemic relief proposal are 
heavily partisan--and, certainly, not things that should be rushed 
through Congress without serious consideration of the long-term impact 
they would have on our economy and American families.
  If there was any mandate given in this election, it was a mandate for 
moderation. A historic number of Americans voted for President Biden, 
but a historic number voted for President Trump as well. Democrats lost 
seats in the House of Representatives, and the Senate is evenly 
divided.
  I hope--I really hope--that Democrat leaders and the President will 
remember that and not allow the far left, which has sought to hijack 
the Democratic Party in recent years, to determine their agenda. We 
have a chance--a chance--for a new day here in this country, and I 
believe that President Biden is committed to leading us there.
  I pray that that commitment will endure and that we can spend the 
next months and years working together, legislating together, and 
ensuring the voices of all Americans are respected and heard.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida

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