[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 63 (Monday, April 17, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S1123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Mitch McConnell and John Fetterman

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I welcome back my self-described, 
hardheaded Republican leader in the Senate.
  It is good to see you, Mitch. I'm glad you are back.
  I want to welcome Senator McConnell as well as Senator Fetterman, who 
will be here today as well.
  I spoke to him by Zoom several weeks ago, and I was really heartened 
by his message. He had the courage to step up and ask for help when he 
faced depression, to seek professional and medical advice, and I could 
tell by his responses and the tone of his voice that that decision had 
already made a difference in his life for the better.
  I told him at the time I was so happy to speak to him personally, 
that what he had done publicly to address the issue of his own personal 
depression and the overall issue of mental health would save lives 
across America. I believe people will be inspired to follow his example 
and seek help.
  We are, fortunately, living in a time and an age and a generation 
where the attitude toward mental health is much different than it was 
many years ago.
  There was a time when mental illness was considered not just an 
illness but a curse, and people didn't speak about it. I know I had 
similar examples in my own family of people who were just speaking in 
whispers about the issues that related to my relatives.
  That is changing for the better. Our honesty and openness in dealing 
with mental health makes us a better nation, and people will have 
better lives as a result of it.
  I thank my colleague Senator Fetterman for stepping up and making the 
right decision in his life, and I am looking forward to his return.