[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 23, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5162-S5163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Biden Administration

  Mr. President, students of history know that our Nation has been 
shaped not only by those who choose to seek higher office but many 
times by those who choose not to. In 1796, George Washington announced 
that he would not run for a third term as President in his Farewell 
Address to America.
  Although the two-term limit would not be enshrined in law until 
almost 200 years later, George Washington's actions--choosing not to 
run for President, largely in response to the Nation's heated political 
climate--set a precedent, a valuable one.

[[Page S5163]]

  In the years since then, Washington's voluntary decision to decline a 
third term has shaped our Nation's conceptions of political power and 
the Presidency. On Sunday, President Joe Biden's decision to decline 
the Democratic Party nomination was certainly in the spirit of that 
tradition.
  I have known Joe Biden for almost 30 years. A passionate policymaker, 
a committed representative, and an all-around good man, President Biden 
represents the best of us in public life. And what can never be in 
doubt is his fierce dedication to our Nation.
  Throughout his entire public career, President Biden put our country 
first. Through immense personal tragedy, through setbacks and 
obstacles, President Biden held steadfast in his faith with America.
  Joe Biden was a Senator-elect from Delaware when he learned that his 
wife and three children had been involved in a car accident, and, 
tragically, his wife and a daughter lost their lives. Though living 
with the pain, which he later described as unbearable, 2 weeks later, 
as Joe Biden stood by the hospital bed of his two little boys, he was 
sworn in as Senator of the United States.
  Every day he decided to take the Amtrak train from Washington back to 
Delaware and went back and forth between Washington and Delaware every 
night to be home with his boys. The moniker we have all become familiar 
with, ``Amtrak Joe,'' was born with that experience.

  Then, 40 years later, while serving as President Obama's Vice 
President, Joe Biden's son Beau died of brain cancer. And again, 
through personal devastation, Joe Biden continued to faithfully serve 
America because when our Nation needed him, when we needed him most, he 
was always there.
  Mr. President, 4 years ago, we faced an election that asked us all to 
face the reality of what we are as Americans. Joe Biden was determined 
to beat Donald Trump 4 years ago to bring decency, rationality, and 
empathy back to the White House, to put our country back on track and 
restore the soul of our Nation. He did just that.
  In the past 4 years under President Biden's leadership, America has 
seen incredible growth, recovery, and progress. Thanks to Joe Biden, we 
recovered from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of 
Americans were vaccinated. We passed the American Rescue Plan and 
financially supported working families, addressed the public health 
crisis, rescued the economy. Normalcy, slowly but surely, returned to 
America.
  Thanks to President Biden, we have created nearly 16 million jobs. 
The unemployment rate has been at or below 4 percent for 30 consecutive 
months. That is the longest stretch in half a century of those good 
news statistics.
  Thanks to President Biden, infrastructure week went from being a 
broken promise by former President Trump to a reality. We passed a 
bipartisan infrastructure law that is replacing our aging 
infrastructure, expanded access to clean drinking water, high-speed 
internet, and better prepared ourselves to address the climate crisis 
we are facing.
  Speaking of the climate, thanks to President Biden, we took historic 
action to address the climate crisis through the Inflation Reduction 
Act, the most significant investment in clean energy sustainability and 
climate resilience in the history of America.
  And we laid the groundwork for American leadership in sectors of the 
future with the CHIPS and Science Act, bolstering American 
competitiveness for generations to come.
  Because of Biden's leadership, we were able to enact the most 
significant gun safety legislation passed in nearly 30 years, the 
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
  Thanks to President Biden, nearly $170 billion in student loan debt 
has been forgiven for nearly 5 million Americans. Prescription drug 
prices are lower too. We made historic health insurance coverage gains, 
and the fight for reproductive rights remains central.
  And as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I am proud to say we 
have confirmed 202 article III judges and counting, adding to the 
Federal bench--and keeping Joe Biden's promise--the first black woman 
in the history of the United States to serve on the Supreme Court.
  And that is only domestically. On a global stage, President Joe Biden 
has restored faith in America as a trustworthy ally and a world power, 
global leader, there when the world needs us.
  For the past 4 years, we have been competing more aggressively with 
China, rebuilding and expanding NATO, and standing up for democracy and 
countering the threats of autocrats like Vladimir Putin.
  The legacy President Biden will leave behind is nothing short of 
remarkable. A grateful Nation thanks him for his dedication to each and 
every American. History will remember him as one of the most successful 
modern presidents. He acted in the tradition of great Americans such as 
George Washington. He put the interest of his country and his political 
party over his personal interest. His decision could not have been 
easy, but it is the mark of a true statesman. I am honored to call Joe 
Biden a colleague, a friend, and a fellow American.