[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 3, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8-S9]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             118TH CONGRESS

  Mr. SCHUMER. Now, Madam President, let me begin by wishing you and 
all of my colleagues a happy new year. It is good to see everyone as we 
observe this special, joyful, and solemn day.
  Today marks the beginning of the 118th Congress. It is the start of a 
new chapter in the grand history of this Chamber, a moment for renewal, 
reflection, and rededication.
  For those going through this process for the first time, days like 
this can seem overwhelming, almost like the first day of school, but 
beneath the celebrations and receptions, a solemn truth permeates 
everything we do today: We are here because the American people have 
entrusted us to represent their needs in this great body.
  Today is historic for many reasons. First, let me congratulate all of 
my colleagues from both sides of the aisle who have just been sworn in, 
especially my newest Democratic colleagues, Peter Welch of Vermont and 
John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
  I commend all of you for this immense honor, and I challenge each of 
you as a friend and a colleague not to let this opportunity go to 
waste. I will challenge myself for that as well because ours is truly 
an awesome responsibility. And I mean ``awesome'' in the Biblical 
sense--not in the way my teenage daughters used to say it but the kind 
of awe that would cause the angels to tremble before God. This 
responsibility is indeed awesome. In our hands lie the trust, the 
wishes, the hopes, and the burdens of the American people. It is the 
most brave charge but a rewarding one if done right.
  I want to recognize another Member making history today. My friend 
from Washington State, Senator Patty Murray, will become the newest 
President pro tempore, the first woman in the history of the Senate to 
hold this title. There is no one I trust more to be third in the line 
of Presidential succession than Senator Murray. She is brilliant, 
pragmatic, and someone who gets things done in this Chamber.
  Congratulations also to my friend the Republican leader, Mitch 
McConnell, on now becoming the longest serving party leader in the 
history of this Chamber.
  We have a lot of work ahead of us. So I hope we can find some ways to 
come together--and not succumb to gridlock--for the good of this 
Chamber and for the good of our country.
  Of course, I want to thank all of my Democratic colleagues for 
trusting me with 2 more years as leader. There is no group I would 
rather work with than this amazing caucus. You are not just my 
colleagues; you are my friends.
  With only 50 votes, ranging from Joe Manchin to Bernie Sanders, we 
made history these last 2 years by passing the most ambitious 
legislative agenda in decades, since at least the Great Society and 
perhaps the New Deal.
  All Members, whether returning to Congress or retiring, can feel 
proud about what we have accomplished in the last 2 years. And let's 
not forget--and I say this in good part to my Republican colleagues--
that five of our six major bills last year were bipartisan.
  And I am proud to be making some history of my own today. Today, I 
have the great honor of becoming the longest serving Senator from New 
York, the first New Yorker ever elected to the Senate five times. To 
every single New Yorker who trusted me with another term as Senator, 
thank you.
  And my mentor and former colleague Pat Moynihan taught me that you 
have to dream big to properly serve the people of New York, and I have 
tried to do that every day in office: visiting each of the 62 counties 
every year, meeting as many people as possible, and listening to as 
many New Yorkers as I can. My beloved mentor Senator Moynihan served 
four terms. So to be elected to a fifth term is humbling, awe-
inspiring, and it energizes me to keep going and keep delivering. So 
thank you, New York, for this honor, and you can be sure that every day 
I get up in the morning, I will give it my all to fight and deliver for 
you.
  But, of course, I cannot do it alone. Today, I want to thank all of 
my staff, whose relentlessness and determination are only matched by 
their talent and deep love for this country. Though impossible to name 
all of them, I must single out one in particular, one of the very best: 
Steve Mann, my deputy State director. He came down today to watch me 
get sworn in as the longest serving Senator from New York, and, when I 
do, Steve Mann will have some history to celebrate on his own, as he 
claims the mantle of the longest serving Senate staffer I have ever 
had. He started with me right from the very beginning.
  Steve is everything you would want in a staffer: hard-working, loyal, 
caring, and a Yankee fan. But, unfortunately, he is also a Cowboys fan. 
Not everyone is perfect, as I remind him about the Cowboys.
  Kidding aside, Steve, a Rensselaer, NY, native, took a chance on me 
years ago when I first ran for office, and he never looked back. Though 
both of our job titles have evolved over the years, one has remained: 
friend.
  To my newly arriving colleagues, I hope all of you, one day, can have 
a Steve Mann working with you, and if you are lucky enough, maybe 
yours, too, will become a dear friend.
  Finally, I cannot forget the most important people in my life. Here 
with me

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is my wife Iris and my daughters Jessica and Alison, Alison's wife Biz, 
and--he kept quiet during the swearing in; I was very relieved--my 4-
year-old grandson, Noah. They are part of my greater family, and they 
are my biggest supporters, motivators, and the unsung heroes of my 
life. And though he is no longer with us, I know my dad is looking down 
smiling today. We miss him every single day, but I know he is right 
here with us in spirit.
  Now, Madam President, now is the time to set our sights on the 
future. As we begin the 118th Congress, this Senate Democratic majority 
enters the new year in a stronger position than anyone ever expected. 
We have a lot of challenges ahead, but this majority is ready to meet 
them. We will be relentless, flexible, and work with the other side to 
get things done. It won't be easy moving forward under a divided 
government, but after everything we have accomplished with an evenly 
split Senate and a narrowly divided House, there is no reason we can't 
keep the streak going moving forward.
  Let's not forget, as I mentioned, that five of our six major bills 
last year were done on a bipartisan basis. So let me say it again. 
After everything we have accomplished in an evenly divided Senate and a 
narrowly divided House, there is no reason both sides can't keep 
working together for the good of our beloved country.
  That doesn't mean we will agree all the time or even much of the 
time. It doesn't mean we will ignore our differences or compromise on 
our values. We won't do that. But party differences do not absolve 
either side of the need to work together when the good of the country 
is on the line. If both sides are willing to give it a good-faith 
effort, I am optimistic that we can be successful, far more successful 
than many might think.
  After all, Madam President, if you said 2 years ago that a 50-50 
Senate would finish as one of the most successful since the Great 
Society, the naysayers would have said that is crazy talk. They would 
have said a 50-50 Senate is doomed to languish in gridlock.
  But let's take a look at everything we accomplished over the last 2 
years and be proud of it. With no margin for error, this majority 
enacted the historic Inflation Reduction Act and confirmed the most 
diverse collection of judges--97 in total--in American history.
  With bipartisan support, we enacted a historic infrastructure bill. 
After decades of trying, both sides passed the first gun safety bill in 
over 30 years. We approved the CHIPS and Science Act, passed the PACT 
Act, and stood with our friends in Ukraine. And just a few weeks ago, 
both sides worked together to enact marriage equality and the Pregnant 
Workers Fairness Act--all of this done in an equally divided Senate, 
all of this done with a narrowly divided House.
  So I hope we can continue to get things done, even with a narrowly 
controlled Republican House. For whomever ends up becoming Speaker of 
the House, I hope they will find a way to work with us in a productive 
way this Congress. Senate Democrats are ready to reach across the aisle 
and across the Capitol to accomplish big things that will benefit all 
Americans.
  So, to close, Madam President, after everything we have accomplished 
over the last 2 years, America is stronger, healthier, and better 
prepared for the future thanks to the Senate working together, and we 
must continue. If Republicans are willing to work with us in the new 
year, they will be met with an open hand. If they are willing to come 
to the table, we will sit right down and do the difficult work of 
legislating for the people. And if they are willing to set their sights 
on making our country better together, there is no reason why the 
successes of the last 2 years need to end today.
  There is much that we should be proud of from the 117th Congress. 
There is much we can be hopeful for in the 118th. Let us, therefore, 
begin the work anew, mindful of the challenges to come but determined, 
without ceasing, to reward the trust the American people have placed in 
us.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________