[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 182 (Monday, December 9, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6860-S6863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Farewell to the Senate

  Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I am going to start by saying that, being 
68 years of age, I oftentimes do things that may not be the smartest, 
and one of the things I did yesterday was play basketball due to the 
influence of my bald-headed chief of staff Dylan Laslovich and my 
legislative director Justin Folsom, who I have no comments for, quite 
frankly.
  (Laughter.)
  So if I shed a tear while I am up here today, it won't be because I 
am emotional; it will be because my back is killing me right now.
  (Laughter.)
  Look, I have seen a number of these exit speeches. To be honest with 
you, they remind me of a bit of an obituary. And the truth is, this is 
the end of this moment in time, this last 18 years that I have spent in 
the U.S. Senate, but the truth is, there have been other periods of 
time very similar to that throughout my life.
  When I went to school and high school and college, for example, it 
was about an 18-year period. When that time period was over with, we 
moved on. My wife Sharla and I cut meat for almost exactly 18 years on 
the farm--a custom butcher shop. When we shut that down when I got in 
the State legislature, that period of time in our lives was over. And 
now my time in the Senate is over.
  By the way, every one of those time periods was wrapped around by my 
family and I--Sharla and I in particular--doing production agriculture 
on the family farm.
  Now I will tell you that I expected to serve 12 years in this body 
when I got here. I jumped in feet first, but I realized in short order 
that this is a seniority-driven body and that the longer you are here, 
the more ability you have to get done for your State and your country, 
and I very much appreciate the time that Montanans have allowed me to 
serve as their representative in the U.S. Senate.
  In the end, I was able to chair two major committees that have an 
incredibly large--in fact, the biggest--impact on our U.S. budget: the 
Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and the Senate Veterans' 
Affairs Committee. These are the two largest Agencies from a funding 
standpoint in the U.S. Senate. In those committees in the U.S. Senate, 
as a whole, I have

[[Page S6861]]

been able to do some good things, some long-lasting things for Montana 
and the United States of America, and I want to visit for a moment 
about why I was deemed one of the most effective Senators by a 
nonpartisan group from a policy perspective.
  I am the product of my grandparents Fred and Christine Pearson, both 
who were homesteaders in North Central Montana. My grandfather Fred 
Pearson passed away when I was 6 years old, so my memories of him are 
dim, but I do remember him smoking cigars, White Owls and Roi Tans--a 
family tradition--and I remember him being pretty deaf. In fact, as a 
young kid--probably 5 years old--I remember riding in his 1953 Chevy 
pickup with a 235-6 in it and the motor just screaming before he 
shifted gears because he was deaf, and hearing aids obviously didn't 
work so good in those years. He also was missing an index finger on his 
hand. But what I found out since his passing is that he loved to work 
and was literally outworked by no one. Whether it was pitching bundles 
into a threshing machine or picking rock, this is a man who knew how to 
work, and he knew how to work hard.
  Then there was my grandmother Christine Pearson, who emigrated from 
Sweden to this country when she was 16 years of age and never went back 
to Sweden. She passed when I was 16 years old. My memories are clear of 
her. She believed in a strong public education. In fact, all three of 
her daughters were teachers. She talked politics with my mother 
regularly and always had a copy of The Nation on her end table.
  My parents Dave and Helen Tester were socially liberal and fiscally 
conservative. They were FDR Democrats. They were children of the 1930s 
Depression. They were both alive when I started my State legislative 
endeavor, and my mother was alive when I started my endeavors in the 
U.S. Senate.
  David O. Tester, my father, was born in Utah--the son of a miner and 
a sheepherder. He was raised in the Wasatch Mountains by Salt Lake 
City. He met my mother after the CCCs brought him to Montana. He was a 
horseman. He knew horses from the inside out. He knew how they thought, 
and he knew how to train them. He loved the outdoors, and he said the 
finest cathedral he ever saw was God's cathedral in the Bob Marshall 
Wilderness. He had a fiery but forgiving personality. In that vein, he 
was somewhat like John McCain. In one minute, he would be mad as hell 
at you, and shortly thereafter, he had forgotten all about it, and he 
was your friend. He enjoyed life and always said: ``Life ain't worth 
living if you can't have fun.'' He was a hard-working free spirit.
  Helen M. Tester, my mother, was the daughter of homesteaders. She was 
raised on the farm that Sharla and I operate today. She loved the land, 
and she loved farming. She, like her dad, would taste the soil and tell 
you if it was ready to plant. She also loved politics. She absolutely 
loved John Kennedy and the Kennedy family. In fact, she was here for my 
first swearing-in and said it was the greatest day of her life. Of 
course, she was proud of my swearing-in, but she also got to meet Ted 
and Ethel Kennedy. She was proud of her three boys and took a back seat 
to no one when it came to being smart and savvy. She also believed 
strongly in public education.
  So what did these ancestors instill in me? They instilled Montana 
values, like telling the truth, like your word is your bond, like your 
handshake means something and that you respect people and absolutely 
never, never sass your elders. But, most importantly, they taught me 
that hard work creates luck and hard work is essential for success. 
Finally, from a government/ag perspective, they told me: Don't depend 
on farm subsidies to cash flow the farm, and don't borrow money. If you 
don't have the money, don't buy it.
  My two older brothers--and I emphasize ``older''--are Dave and Bob. 
Dave is a retired veterinarian. Bob is a retired chief master sergeant. 
They have taught me by example to always work to make your community a 
better place. They both, by the way, are political animals even though, 
most of the time, they don't care to admit it.
  My wife Sharla--47 years my soulmate--has put up with me and kept me 
grounded, whether it was teaching or processing meat or farming. We 
took the farm over when I was 21 years of age and Sharla was 19. For 
the first basically 20 years of our marriage, we spent 180 days a year 
processing beef and pork. That meant that every other day of the year, 
our workplace put us across from one another with knives--very sharp 
knives--in our hands. That taught us to choose our arguments carefully.
  (Laughter.)
  She has always been my right-hand man or my right-hand person. Sharla 
has always been there, whether it was working together to seed or to 
hay or to harvest or even to butcher beef in miserably cold weather, 
and in the end, she always supported my many public service endeavors, 
even when she really didn't think it was a good idea.

  Our kids, Christine, Shon, and then, later, Melody--I am very proud 
of what they have done and the causes they have advocated for, 
Christine in healthcare and Shon in fixing up classic cars and Melody 
in education. All three of them work every day to make their community 
a better place. They are not coffee drinkers and bitchers; they are 
doers.
  Then there are my public service influences. I guess I first got 
started when I was elected student body president in high school. Then, 
after college, I spent the next 20 years doing community service before 
I got elected to the State legislature. Those boards included the Soil 
Conservation Board in Big Sandy; the Big Sandy School Board, which was 
the hardest public service job I ever had; the Chouteau County Farm 
Service Agency; the Executive Board of the International Organic 
Certification Association; and then the Montana State Legislature, 
which was the funnest job I ever had. If not for term limits, I would 
probably still endeavor to be a State legislator.
  I had my share of successes and failures, but all of these 
commitments taught me, most importantly, that you have two ears and you 
have one mouth--act accordingly. You never are right all the time, and 
you are never wrong all the time, so listen to what people are saying. 
These public influences taught me how to get stuff done--in other 
words, how to go to work and be a workhorse, not a showhorse.
  Then there were influences outside of politics--of course, our family 
farm. It didn't take long for me to understand that democracies don't 
work when you have hungry people. Over the 47 years that Sharla and I 
have been on the farm, we have witnessed the challenges of 
consolidation in land and markets and inputs and an increased 
dependence by farmers on government subsidies.
  Public education--the great foundation of our democracy, the great 
equalizer, the ability for us to have the American dream--taught me a 
lot both as a student and as a teacher. But it was what the teachers 
taught me. I learned so much from them. The ones I liked I learned a 
lot from, and in retrospect, the ones I didn't like I probably learned 
more from.
  If you want to know what is wrong with public education today, you 
have to look no further than what we are paying our teachers.
  Infrastructure--something that we use every day--is the foundation of 
our economy. For those folks who brought themselves up by their 
bootstraps, their boots would have no straps without good 
infrastructure.
  Valuing our natural resources, especially water. Water needs to be 
respected, not abused. The well on Sharla's and my farm is 450-feet 
deep, and it is saltwater; it is not drinkable. Good water is scarce, 
so we ought to work to protect it because water is life.
  The importance of a strong, accountable military and the folks who 
serve to deter our enemies. I was a first grader during the Cuban 
Missile Crisis. I remember the teacher talking about the bomb shelters 
and where they were and instructing us to get under our desks if we 
were attacked. As a 6-year-old kid, that kind of stuff stays with you.
  Then there was the influence from the folks, the giants I have served 
with--of course, Robert C. Byrd, who always called me the Mountain Man. 
Now, Robert C. Byrd was not at the top of his game when I came here, 
but he was still pretty damned good--I will tell you that--and did some 
amazing things during the years I served with him.
  There was Teddy Kennedy--the perpetual worker, the guy who went to

[[Page S6862]]

Montana to campaign for John Kennedy. During the Bucking Horse Sale in 
Miles City, he walked up to the crow's nest and said: Can you announce 
that I am here and that John Kennedy is running for President?
  The announcer said: The only way we get the name ``Kennedy'' 
announced here is if you get on the back of one of those horses.
  And he did it.
  (Laughter.)
  Danny Inouye--a true American hero. I can't say enough about this 
dude. He was the best. And I got to play ``Taps'' at his funeral at the 
Punchbowl--something I will never forget as long as I am alive.
  Johnny Isakson--the Senator from Georgia and the Vets chair: a more 
quality man you will never ever meet. This guy had my back even when 
times were tough. He didn't go run to the press and trash me; he had my 
back, and he explained what was going on. I will be eternally grateful 
to Johnny Isakson.
  Richard Shelby--the character, the Approps chair who understood how 
to get things done in the U.S. Senate, an amazing guy. When he talked 
with that southern drawl, it was good that you paid attention because 
he had information to relay that would be helpful.
  Then, finally, Jay Rockefeller--the man who stood at this desk right 
here, who, the first time I saw him when I got to Washington, DC, 
walked up to me--a big man--and put his arm around me--I felt like a 
midget--and he said: You know, Jon, we started out in different spots, 
but we ended up in the same place.
  No truer statement could ever be said, which leads me to some of my 
accomplishments.
  Veterans' mileage reimbursement was the first bill of significance 
that I got passed, and I got it passed because Robert C. Byrd helped me 
get it passed, and every disabled veteran in this country got a benefit 
from that mileage reimbursement that was long overdue to be increased.
  Then we did other bills in the veterans space. The John Scott Hannon 
mental health care bill is absolutely critically important for our 
veterans, as is the Deborah Sampson women's healthcare bill. The 
largest growing group of people in our VA is women. Getting that done 
was important.
  Then the last major VA bill--and we had many in between--was the PACT 
Act. Veterans, veterans, veterans--they all got together, and they made 
this the highest priority. Some of you can remember the veterans being 
on the swamp in July--hotter than hot--and we got it passed because of 
their influence. Democracy worked. It has resulted in 1 million 
Americans and 35,000 Montanans being screened.
  In the area of conservation, you know, I believe in gold-mining, but 
mining gold on the doorstep of the Yellowstone National Park isn't the 
place to do it. There was a proposal to do that, and we got it stopped. 
We also got the Rocky Mountain Front and North Fork Watershed protected 
for generations, and we got the Land and Water Conservation Fund fully 
funded--our best conservation tool in this country.
  Then, banking, for community banks and credit unions, access to 
capital for rural America is critically important, and they are the 
ones that do it. We got the regulations to fit the risk.
  In infrastructure, it has been talked about a number of times by a 
number of people who are no longer going to be in this body next year. 
But I got to serve with 10 Senators--some I knew pretty well; others I 
didn't know that well. I can tell you, after those negotiations for 
that infrastructure bill, which resulted in the largest investment in 
infrastructure since the year I was born, in the middle of the 
Eisenhower administration, you wouldn't have known which one of us was 
a Democrat and which one of us was a Republican.
  I remember arguing with Warner and Shaheen and agreeing with Cassidy 
and Romney. I mean, I am telling you, when we got done, we had turned 
everything inside out and upside down and ended up with roads and 
bridges and water and broadband, electric transmission, rails--the list 
goes on. It was an incredible experience, opportunity, and something 
that I will cherish after I leave this body.
  There was a CHIPS and Science Act. You know, we have been outsourcing 
jobs forever, but we finally passed a bill to start bringing those jobs 
back home. That is what the CHIPS and Science Act did. It also resulted 
in a tech hub for Montana, which will allow our private sector and our 
university system in Montana to be an important leader when it comes to 
tech.
  For our Native Americans--and we cannot forget about our Native 
Americans. We have trust responsibilities to them that are exclusive to 
them. So when it came to water settlements and healthcare and law 
enforcement, sovereignty, and self-determination, I made it a high 
priority. Also, we ended up getting the Little Shell Tribe recognized, 
something that they had worked on for literally generation after 
generation after generation.
  I can't talk enough about the important work. I took credit for all 
of this. But the Senators sitting on this floor know that the staffs 
are the ones who really do the work. My DC staff was outstanding, and 
it is outstanding. I appreciate them a lot.
  I also appreciate the work of my State staff who do constituency 
work. I think they are some of the best in the country, and I 
appreciate them.
  I also want to thank the committee staff--all of the committee staff 
but especially the Vets Committee staff and the staff on the Defense 
Subcommittee on Appropriations. These guys are the energy that keeps 
the wheels of democracy moving.
  I ask unanimous consent to have their names printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Dylan Laslovich, Justin Folsom, Tony McClain, Sarah 
     Feldman, Pam Haxby-Cote, Susan Cierlitsky, Corine Weiler, 
     Alyssa LaTray, Anneliese Slamowitz, Brittany Adams, 
     Christopher Bowman, Claire Rogers, Eli Cousin, Elizabeth 
     Hague, Kasha Bradford-Adams, Laura Peterson, Lindsey Huber, 
     Maddie Alpert, Michael Eck, Nate Zobrak, Olivia Oo, Rachel 
     Jakovac, Ryan McManamen, Veronica Chase, Abby Roubal, Carlos 
     Fuentes, Dahlia Melendrez, Elizabeth Mackenzie, Faye 
     Fernandes, Jackson Haney, Janko Mitric, Katie Adams, Liz 
     Timmons, Tess Wrzesinski, Weston Haycock, Bill Van Saun, Rob 
     Leonard, Brigid Kolish, Abby Grace, Gabriella Armonda, Katy 
     Hagan, Kimberly Segura, Laura Forrest, Mike Clementi, and 
     Ryan Pettit.

  Mr. TESTER. So you may ask what do I see as my greatest 
accomplishment. As a U.S. Senator, I see my greatest accomplishment as 
a citizen legislator, having a real full-time job outside this body, in 
my case, as a farmer. This is what our forefathers had in mind: trips 
home every weekend, not only preparing the seedbed and seeding 
sometimes until 3 in the morning or haying, plowing down peas, getting 
the equipment ready but also traveling the State, having meetings with 
my constituents, doing my job as a Senator. I loved every minute of it, 
most days.
  I was asked to go on codels and almost always declined because I went 
on a codel every weekend back to Montana.
  Moving forward, I would ask this body to please focus on public 
education. It is a great equalizer. It is the foundation for our 
democracy and our economy.
  Continue to work for healthcare that everybody can afford when they 
need it.
  In family farm agriculture, work to put more competition in the 
marketplace. This is ultimately what will result in less reliance on 
farm subsidies.
  Work for a fair tax code. Work for equity. Stop these damn carve-outs 
of our Tax Code.
  Continue to address the funding challenges in defense, climate, 
hunger, education, and housing.
  Capitalism works if there is competition, so address the 
consolidation the best you can in agriculture, energy, and finance.
  Work to grow the middle class. The problems with income disparity are 
absolutely real.
  Address the defense budget in ways that keep us safe while holding 
our military and our contractors accountable. China, Russia, Iran, 
North Korea--those threats are real. They are doing some god-awful 
stuff, and we need to make sure that we have a military that will 
deter. Hopefully, we will never have to use it, but if we do, we win. 
Put some sideboards on AI, maintaining creativity and protecting 
privacy and freedom while stopping AI's potential to ruin humanity.
  And last but certainly not least--and please listen to me. I have 
just been

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through this meat grinder. We need to do some campaign finance reform. 
Because of our campaign finance system in this country today, we have 
more division than ever. We are more paralyzed as a body to do policy 
than we ever have been before. Campaign finance reform would be good 
for democracy. And let me tell you something, it has to be solved with 
bipartisan solutions. It needs to happen.
  One of the frustrating things that happened was our conservative 
Supreme Court made the finance rules. Whether it is Citizens United or 
McCutcheon or whatever it is, I despise these rules. I think they are 
horrible. I think it allows candidates to stay underground and not go 
out and talk to people. But I will follow the rules, and I will go by 
the rules. Then I get criticized by the same people who voted to put 
those folks on the Supreme Court. Crazy.
  Now, for the staffs that we take for granted, I want to thank the 
folks who are on the rostrum, whether it is the Parliamentarian, the 
bill clerks, the reading clerk--did I forget anybody? The truth is, the 
work you guys do is absolutely amazing and sometimes way, way, way too 
late at night.
  The Sergeant at Arms and the employees under you, thank you very much 
for keeping us safe in this building.
  For the policemen out on the street, man, I have never been around a 
police department that does a job as well as them.
  To the cloakrooms, thank you for keeping us on task.
  Some things we don't think about, like the wood shop, the metal shop, 
and the painters. These folks are artisans. They do amazing work. You 
don't think about it, but these chairs, they are hand-built. Most of 
the furniture we have in our office is hand-built by some of the best 
people--woodworkers, metalworkers, the painters--you can imagine.
  To the janitors, thank you very much for keeping this place clean. 
You guys are all the lubricant that keeps this place operating.
  Look, I spent 2 days a week for 18 years on airplanes. I was served 
by United and Delta, so I want to thank them, too.
  And the press--my God, the press. Look, your job is to hold us 
accountable. Do it. If any of these folks don't like it--and 
occasionally, they won't--just remember that democracy and 
accountability go hand in hand. You need to be able to do your job, and 
thank you for doing the job you are doing.
  As I close, I would say this: This democracy has resulted in the 
greatest country that has ever existed. It is because of our 
forefathers' ability to compromise and think clearly about the 
challenges ahead and set the rules that would address these challenges. 
The U.S.A. exists as the greatest country ever to exist because of 
previous generations of Senators and public officials exhibiting the 
ability to make sound decisions based on facts and reality, not 
decisions promoting political power but realistic decisions promoting a 
strong future for our country and for future generations.
  To say that I am worried about this country's ability to maintain the 
strongest economy and the most powerful military in the world would be 
an understatement. However, I know that a majority of people who serve 
in this U.S. Senate today are real legislators who want to do real 
legislating.
  To those Senators, you need to make sure your voices are a majority 
of this body. If not, this country will change in a way that our 
children will not thank us for.
  God bless you all and tally-ho.
  (Applause, Senators rising.)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.