[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 191 (Thursday, December 8, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S7046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Tribute to Rob Portman

  Mr. President, now on one final matter, fewer than 40 miles from 
Ohio's border with Kentucky, about halfway between Cincinnati and 
Dayton, is a suburb called Lebanon. The corner of Main Street and 
Broadway looks much like it did almost a century ago in 1926. That is 
when a young couple, Robert and Virginia Jones, bought and renovated an 
unassuming brick building called the Golden Lamb Restaurant and Hotel. 
But the Golden Lamb's modest exterior conceals major history. Its prime 
location on the highway between Cincinnati and Columbus made it a key 
stopover for important travelers.
  By 1926, each of our country's eight Presidents from Ohio, plus Henry 
Clay, plus a long list of other luminaries--every one of them had spent 
a night at this particular inn or at least broken bread in its dining 
room.
  The Joneses' smalltown American entrepreneurial spirit wrote their 
family right into the history of American statesmanship. As it turned 
out, it also started a family tradition because a few years later, 
those newly minted innkeepers had a daughter named Joan, and then Joan 
and her husband Bill had their own kids. Although Bill Portman would 
pass away just a few months before the swearing-in, his son would one 
day cap an incredible career in government by representing Ohio right 
here in the U.S. Senate.
  As Rob explained in his maiden speech, he spent his own formative 
years in and around a different family business. Bill risked everything 
in early middle age to strike out and start an equipment business. Joan 
kept the books. And the way I have heard it, young Rob's own 
involvement was about as hands-on as it gets.
  There wasn't just no nepotism, there was negative nepotism. One 
summer break, Rob was put to work grinding old paint off the trucks. 
Even his supervisor called it ``the lowest job in the place.''
  This whole-team effort grew Portman Equipment from 5 jobs created to 
more than 300. Rob saw firsthand how growing prosperity, if it is done 
right, can create big win-wins for both small business owners and well-
paid workers.

  So there were two family businesses in Rob's bloodline: a crossroads 
where statesman hashed out consequential decisions and a company that 
created jobs and helped workers support their families. And our 
distinguished colleague has spent his career continuing both of those 
things at an even greater scale.
  For decades now, from the executive branch to the House to the 
Senate, Rob's desk and phone line have been the site of history-
changing conversations, just like his grandparents' inn, and he has 
worked to create a national climate where millions more Main Street 
entrepreneurs like his father can literally lift up workers and 
communities.
  Now, I suspect that from time to time, Rob has felt like law, 
economics, and policy may not be so different from grinding paint off 
of rusty trucks; but the gifts and talents that our friend commands 
have been making an impact--an incredible impact.
  Our future colleague was such a top-notch lawyer that he wound up as 
a young associate White House counsel and then Director of Legislative 
Affairs for President Bush 41. Then, he was such a whiz at the 
legislative process that his Ohio neighbors sent him back to Washington 
as their Congressman. Then, he was such a leader on economic policy 
that President Bush 43 made Rob U.S. Trade Representative and then 
turned around and asked him to run the Office of Management and Budget.
  So no wonder Rob fit right in and hit the ground running when he came 
to the Senate in 2011.
  Sometimes our friend even fit in a bit too well. See, Rob has a great 
talent for impersonations. He had spent several Presidential cycles 
impersonating some of our prior colleagues for Republican tickets' 
debate prep. Rob's talent became such an open secret that during the 
2000 campaign, Joe Lieberman joked he was going to start dispatching 
Rob to handle campaign stops in his stead.
  But the real reasons for Rob's impact are his deep knowledge, his 
work ethic, and his passion for finding his way through the thick of 
each consequential issue.
  Our friend's focus on growth and prosperity landed him at the center 
of the most consequential tax reform in a generation. Rob spearheaded 
the complex overhaul of international tax policy that passed as part of 
the 2017 tax bill and helped unlock a literal tidal wave of growth, 
reinvestment, and job creation.
  He spent long nights securing huge bipartisan wins on infrastructure 
policy--not unlike Ohio statesmen 150 years earlier may have discussed 
internal improvements around a wooden table at the Golden Lamb.
  But Rob isn't just a macro-level policy whiz who focuses on topline 
numbers. As much as Rob is passionate about growing the overall pie, he 
also knows that rising tides don't automatically lift every boat. 
Sometimes Ohioans and Americans face challenges that call for a special 
champion. So Rob stepped up. He has been one of this body's sharpest 
early-warning signals on crises like opioid addiction and human 
trafficking. He has used Congress' investigative powers to craft 
solutions, and he has built the relationships to make law.
  The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and its sequels have 
brought hope to families in Ohio and across the country who have 
battled the onslaught of opioids. The Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act 
forced Big Tech, kicking and screaming, to finally crack down on 
exploitation. And on and on, from international trade to national parks 
and everything in between.
  Even at the tail end of a long session, Rob has been known to linger 
even longer in the Cloakroom, patiently resolving the last few 
objections to some final policy he has gotten all the way to the 1-yard 
line.
  But even when you get results at this scale, even when you leave Ohio 
and our country in a better place, late-night policy vigils eventually 
lose their luster when you've got an even more appealing home front.
  We know Rob loves public service, but we also know that even that 
passion comes second to his beloved wife and partner Jane and their 
three kids, Jed, Will, and Sally, who I know Rob considers his proudest 
accomplishment of all.
  For years, Washington's and Ohio's great gain have been their 
sacrifice. So while the Senate is sorry to lose our friend, we can't be 
too upset that we now have to repay the favor.
  So, Rob, congratulations on your outstanding service.