[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 193 (Tuesday, December 13, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7129-S7130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Tribute to Rob Portman

  Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I wanted to just say a few words--not a 
formal speech--about my junior partner, the junior Senator from Ohio. 
He is only the junior Senator not in intellect or actions but only in 
seniority,

[[Page S7130]]

which is the way it works here. I know I am talking when the Presiding 
Officer has such a record of bipartisanship and working with others in 
the Senate--the junior Senator from New Hampshire and the work she has 
done. And I just wanted to talk for a moment about RobPortman.
  I was at the last speech he gave, his retirement speech, last week. I 
wanted to just say a few words about his work. He and I, on the big 
issues, no surprise--Senator Portman, from Cincinnati; I live in 
northern Ohio--have looked at the world differently on big trade 
issues, on tax issues. I mean, he was for the Trump tax cut that gave 
big tax breaks to corporations and, I think, squeezed middle-class and 
low-income taxpayers. But on the big issues, we, in a sense, canceled 
each other's vote out, and we talk about that sometimes. But on a lot 
of Ohio-specific things, we are able to work together on really, really 
important problem-solving kinds of issues. And a few of them come to 
mind, like ``level the playing field''--the first issue--and then 
``level the playing field'' 2.0,'' which will help the United States 
enforce its trade laws.
  While Rob was for NAFTA and I was against it--or for PNTR with China, 
and I was against it--we did come together in making sure our trade 
laws are enforced, which helped Ohio businesses and Ohio manufacturing. 
That is one example.
  Another example is what we were able to do in the infrastructure 
bill. He was a leader on writing the infrastructure bill, always 
thinking about how important it was--the Brent Spence Bridge in 
Cincinnati and the Western Hills Viaduct on the western side of 
Cincinnati, but also what we did on the 71-70 interchange in Columbus, 
what we were able to do on small township roads around small counties 
in rural Ohio, what we were able to do in Appalachia, what we were able 
to do in major transportation projects.
  Another example, Rob Portman cared a lot about the environment. He 
loves canoeing. We worked on issues that matter on the Ohio River and 
especially issues that matter on Lake Erie. One of my favorite 
statistics is that Lake Erie, the smallest of the Great Lakes in area, 
the most shallow, only 30-feet deep, and around Toledo, 90-feet deep, 
around my wife's home county of Ashtabula. Lake Erie is 2 percent of 
all the water in the Great Lakes but has 50 percent of the fish, and 
Lake Superior, the largest lake, has 50 percent of the water and 2 
percent of the fish. We know how important Lake Erie is to fishing. We 
know how important Lake Erie is to our water supply. And we know how 
important Lake Erie is just as one of the beautiful parts of the Great 
Lakes that matter to all of us.
  So when I think about Rob, I regret he is leaving. I look forward to 
working with Senator Vance. I am hopeful that we can be as cooperative 
and effective as Rob and I have been on issues that are Ohio-specific, 
and we will continue to search out those issues.
  Another one was NASA Glenn in Cleveland. We have one of the 10 NASA 
facilities in the country. NASA Glenn is particularly important, with 
the Armstrong Center in Sandusky, to the State's economy, and to our 
space program. That is in my part of the State. Rob has been helpful 
there. I have been helpful in his part of the State with Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base, one of the key facilities for our U.S. Air 
Force.
  So on issue after issue, many of them, Rob and I have each 
cosponsored dozens of bills that have become law--some 35, I believe, 
with each other, that have become law, and dozens more with other 
Senators in both parties, including Senator Hassan from New Hampshire, 
who has been one of the real leaders on doing bipartisan work.
  So those kinds of issues don't get the attention of the media, and I 
don't blame them. They would rather cover when Rob and I disagree than 
when we agree. But my job, as Senator Portman's job, has always been to 
look for opportunities to do things together. We found dozens of those 
opportunities in our 12 years together.
  I came in 2006, and he came in 2010. He is retiring at the end of 
2022. We had 12 years together, and we were able to accomplish a lot of 
things for the State. I will miss him. I will miss his leadership. I 
will miss his reasonableness. And we will continue, I hope, once he 
retires, in working on other things that are State-specific for my 
State.
  I thank the Presiding Officer for allowing me to speak for a couple 
of minutes about my friend Rob Portman.
  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. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The majority leader.

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