[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 143 (Monday, September 16, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6044-S6045]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Tribute to Mitch McConnell

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I come to the floor today to share a 
few words about my friend, the Republican leader, Senator Mitch 
McConnell.
  I have had the privilege to serve alongside the senior Senator from 
Kentucky here in the U.S. Senate for nearly four decades, spanning 40 
sessions of the U.S. Senate.
  From the 110th Congress through the 118th, Senator McConnell won 
support of our caucus to serve as Republican leader. In those secret 
ballot elections, he often ran unopposed because of his very strong 
support from our conference. That makes his tenure the longest serving 
Senate leader in the history of the U.S. Senate.
  For the last four decades, Senator McConnell has lived and breathed 
the U.S. Senate. So when Senator McConnell spoke on the floor in 
February, announcing that he would step down from his leadership post 
after the upcoming November election, he took many of us by great 
surprise.
  After all, his love for the U.S. Senate, the State of Kentucky, and 
for our great country, America, are indisputable. Although his critics 
and even some of his supporters don't see eye to eye on every issue, I 
would suggest my colleagues on both sides of the aisle can agree on 
this: Senator McConnell's service as the Republican leader was hard-
earned.
  Time and again, Mitch McConnell has shown a shrewd skill set that set 
the table for his climb up the leadership ladder. Once he got to that 
top rung, Senator McConnell didn't flinch from his resolve. A keen 
negotiator, Leader McConnell finessed legislative hurdles, scaled 
political mountains, and secured policy victories on behalf of the 
American people.
  It takes a steel spine to survive and thrive in the dog-eat-dog world 
of politics. Senator McConnell's grit, his purpose, and laser focus to 
deliver are just three of his ironclad leadership traits that our 
caucus has counted upon since 2006.
  Senator McConnell and I have served many years together on the Senate 
Agriculture Committee, joining forces for family farmers and for rural 
America.
  When I served as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, we teamed 
up to deliver historic tax relief that put money back in the people's 
pockets and helped grow the American economy.
  One of the seminal moments of Leader McConnell's tenure took place in 
2016 when I chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee. That February, as 
you remember, Justice Scalia passed away unexpectedly, thus creating a 
vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. That vacancy created a once-in-a-
generation prospect to shape the highest Court in the land.

[[Page S6045]]

  Leader McConnell and I recognized what was at stake. Without 
wavering, we leveraged the constitutional authority of the U.S. 
Senate--that is the authority of advice and consent--and held off on 
confirming a nominee until after the elections so the American people 
could have a say in that process.
  Now, to put it mildly, the decision wasn't met with open arms by the 
White House or our colleagues across the aisle. Leader McConnell can 
play hardball with the best of them, with detractors within and outside 
of our conference.
  We kept with the tradition and precedent of the Senate, a rule 
articulated by then-Senator Joe Biden in 1992, that when there was a 
Republican White House and a Democrat majority here in the U.S. Senate, 
you wait until after the election to make that appointment.
  Generations from now, historians will note our efforts to confirm 
Trump-appointed judges and the imprint it made on the Federal 
judiciary, reshaping the Supreme Court and lower courts with what we 
ought to have on the judiciary--people that you call strict 
constructionists, meaning people that are going to interpret the law 
according to congressional intent and interpret the Constitution 
according to original intent. So we have jurists who now interpret the 
laws written by Congress, not jurists who legislate from the bench.
  Now, in addition to tax relief, the Federal judiciary, and 
agriculture, Leader McConnell and I most recently worked together to 
get the bipartisan infrastructure package and funding for U.S. national 
security, with support for our allies in Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine. 
That got across the finish line, and it wasn't a very easy job for 
Senator McConnell.
  Senator McConnell and I served together here in the Senate during the 
Reagan administration. The Reagan doctrine made the world safer and 
more secure. In other words, ``peace through strength'' actually works.
  This month, we observed the 23rd anniversary of 9/11. Next month 
marks the 1-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on October 7 in 
Israel, and October 7 in Israel will be remembered in that country much 
like December 7, 1941, is remembered in the United States.
  Now, more than ever, Leader McConnell and this U.S. Senator agree 
that America can't afford to fall asleep at the wheel. Senator 
McConnell didn't mince words about why he is stepping down as 
Republican leader. He has a firm grasp of the politics of our party. 
His ability to read the room helped him to scale the leadership ladder, 
winning the top job nine times in our Republican conference.
  In his floor remarks this February, he wryly noted:

       I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of 
     them.

  Politics aside, his reverence for this institution and his reverence 
for this great country of America come from an unwavering commitment to 
the ideals enshrined in our founding charters.
  I am proud to associate myself with the statement that ``for as long 
as I am drawing breath on this Earth, I will defend American 
exceptionalism.'' And I will do the same thing here as this Senator.
  We know that, no matter who runs the White House or the House of 
Representatives, the U.S. Senate serves a vital constitutional role in 
our system of checks and balances.
  Senator McConnell and I also share a love for history, especially 
Senate history. We have that in common.
  George Washington supposedly told this very story about pouring a cup 
of hot tea into a saucer and comparing the role of the U.S. Senate as 
that saucer to cool legislation coming in hot from the House of 
Representatives.
  James Madison said the Senate was the ``anchor'' of government and a 
``necessary fence'' against the ``fickleness and passion'' of the 
temporary waves of public opinion.''
  Former Republican Leader Howard Baker referred to the Senate 
leadership as ``herding cats,'' suggesting it required the dual ability 
to understand how the institution worked and to understand the 
personalities of individual Members. For certain, Leader McConnell has 
a clear grasp on the arcane rules and precedents of this body, and he 
has kept his finger on the pulse of our caucus for now 18 years.
  You will have to ask him if he agrees with Senator Baker's analogy of 
what it is like to run the U.S. Senate. But in my observation, it is 
not easy and often thankless.
  In closing, I applaud Senator McConnell for his historic service as 
our Republican leader. Barbara and I extend our warmest wishes to him 
and Elaine for their partnership and decades of public service. We are 
grateful for our friendship over these many years.
  I am glad to say this isn't a farewell speech. We will continue our 
work together in the next Congress, here in the U.S. Senate. I have no 
doubt that Senator McConnell will continue to be an effective champion 
for American agriculture, U.S. leadership around the world, and peace 
through strength, and especially prosperity for all of the American 
people.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I am so grateful for your overly generous assessment 
of my work over the years. One of the joys of being in this job as long 
as I have is the opportunity to work with you and to watch the way you 
handle so many things so skillfully. So thank you very much. I 
appreciate that.
  As you indicated, I am not going anywhere yet.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Butler). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.