[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 189 (Thursday, December 19, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7228-S7229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DEPARTING SENATORS

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of our 
colleagues who will conclude their service in this body at the end of 
the 118th Congress: Senators Mike Braun, Sherrod Brown, Laphonza 
Butler, Ben Cardin, Tom Carper, Bob Casey, Joe Manchin, Mitt Romney, 
Kyrsten Sinema, Debbie Stabenow, and Jon Tester.
  Each of these colleagues and friends has made important contributions 
to our Nation. And while there is no greater job than being a U.S. 
Senator, it is a job that requires tremendous dedication and sacrifice. 
So I thank these colleagues and their families for all that they have 
done.
  I had the privilege to serve with Senator Mike Braun on the Senate 
Appropriations Committee, where we led the legislative branch 
subcommittee for 2 years. In the aftermath of the January 6, 2021, 
attack on the Capitol, we were able to come together to make critical 
investments to improve the security of the congressional campus while 
also safeguarding Senators, Representatives, and staff working in their 
home States and districts. I appreciated Mike's preparation, his 
thoughtful ideas, and his commitment to getting the job done. I know he 
will bring the same commitment as he leads the State of Indiana as its 
next Governor.
  My dear friend Senator Sherrod Brown has been a champion of working 
men and women for his entire life. He has done more to protect the jobs 
and livelihoods of autoworkers, steelworkers, construction workers, 
truck drivers, transit workers, and virtually every blue-collar 
profession than anyone serving in Congress today. He stood shoulder-to-
shoulder with Ohio workers fighting to save factories and pensions. He 
stood up against unfair competition and bad trade deals. He fought to 
secure funding for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and NASA's John 
Glenn Research Center. And with the passage of the bipartisan 
infrastructure law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation 
Reduction Act, he has championed investments that will benefit working 
people for years to come. I have been fortunate to be at Sherrod's side 
as he has quarterbacked Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee over 
the last decade, including 4 years as chairman. He guided us through 
the COVID-19 pandemic and through the largest bank failures since the 
Great Recession. He worked on a bipartisan basis to crack down on 
fentanyl trafficking and to advance meaningful sanctions on our 
adversaries. He also worked with Vice President-elect Vance and Senator 
Bob Casey to advance bipartisan rail safety legislation in the wake of 
the derailment and fire in East Palestine, OH. Through his temperament 
and work ethic, Sherrod has been a real champion of working Americans. 
With two grandchildren in Rhode Island, Sherrod is already an honorary 
Rhode Islander, and I look forward to seeing him in the Ocean State 
frequently.
  The prospect of succeeding a Senate legend and representing the 
Nation's most populous State with only 14 months to make a mark would 
have been intimidating to anyone. But Senator Laphonza Butler embraced 
the challenge, becoming a respected voice on the Judiciary, Banking, 
Homeland Security, and Rules Committees. She worked to champion the 
needs of her State, and she worked across the aisle on legislation to 
help advance the interests of children and families. I am delighted 
that in her final week in office she was able to secure passage of 
legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Congresswoman 
Shirley Chisholm, a trailblazer for Congress and America.
  In the tradition of Barbara Mikulski and Paul Sarbanes, Senator Ben 
Cardin has been a smart, principled, pragmatic, and, most of all, 
effective Senator for the State of Maryland. With over two decades of 
service in the House before being elected to the Senate, Ben's policy 
expertise runs the gamut. Mastering the intricacies of the Tax Code, 
trade, Social Security and Medicare, he is also a leader on the 
international stage, where his advice and wisdom are often sought and 
followed. A champion of human rights and good government, Ben joined 
John McCain in originating the Global Magnitsky Act, which allows the 
United States to sanction foreign government officials who are human 
rights offenders. In the years since, he has worked to expand the 
Magnitsky Act to cover more regimes that were oppressing their own 
people. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has 
been at the center of critical debates on Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas 
conflict, providing wise, steady leadership on these very challenging 
topics.
  Senator Tom Carper has been a friend and great leader. He is the last 
of a generation of Vietnam veterans who have served in the Senate. As 
such, he has focused on supporting national defense and our veterans. 
He has also worked on eliminating waste and supporting smart 
investments in our transportation and water infrastructure. Tom has 
always found a way to work across the aisle on issues he has cared 
about. Indeed, as chairman of the Environment and Public Works 
Committee, he led the effort to craft the bipartisan infrastructure 
law, which is

[[Page S7229]]

channeling funding into fixing our highways and bridges, as well as 
funding programs to get lead and other contaminants out of drinking 
water. He crafted the Water Resources Development Act of 2024, which is 
named in his honor. Tom has also been a leader on climate change, 
helping craft the Inflation Reduction Act and supporting climate 
mitigation and resilience efforts. His work in support of his dear 
friend and former colleague President Biden in support of this 
legislation over the last 4 years will make a huge difference for 
Americans for decades to come.
  Senator Bob Casey has been a champion of the most vulnerable: 
children, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and people just 
trying to make ends meet. He has been a leading Senate advocate for 
addressing food insecurity, supporting programs like the emergency food 
assistance program (TEFAP) and SNAP. He is the author of the bipartisan 
ABLE Act, which allows individuals with disabilities to save funds for 
care and qualified expenses without jeopardizing their eligibility for 
other Federal assistance. And he has introduced legislation to expand 
and build on this successful initiative. Bob also wrote the Campus SAVE 
Act to create uniform reporting for sexual violence on college 
campuses. It is a testament to Bob's character that so many 
Pennsylvania's political leaders from both parties have praised his 
work ethic and commitment to helping the people of the Commonwealth.
  Senator Joe Manchin has been at the fulcrum of power in the Senate 
over the last 4 years. In working to address the interests of his 
State, he has been unafraid to challenge and change orthodoxy. While 
his views may differ from others in our party, there is no doubt that 
he has done much to advance the goal all Democrats share: making life 
better for average Americans. Quite frankly, without his leadership, we 
would not have the bipartisan infrastructure law or the Inflation 
Reduction Act. And because of Joe's involvement, we were able to ensure 
that all of the investments in the Inflation Reduction Act were fully 
offset by ensuring that corporations and the wealthiest Americans pay 
their fair share of taxes. That is an important achievement, and Joe 
deserves full credit for it.
  Senator Mitt Romney is an extraordinary American. Respected across 
the aisle, across the country, and throughout the world, he has held 
high office in two States: Senator for Utah and Governor of 
Massachusetts. He has been the Republican nominee for the Presidency. 
After becoming CEO of the Salt Lake Olympics organizing committee, he 
helped save the 2002 Winter Games from disarray and mismanagement, 
making it one of the most successful Winter Olympics ever. Mitt really 
has done it all. He has even laced up the gloves and boxed with heavy-
weight champion Evander Holyfield. Now, the politics of Massachusetts 
and Utah are vastly different, but Mitt has shown that he can bring 
people with different outlooks together to get things done. And truth 
be told, the reforms to the healthcare system that he implemented when 
he was Governor of Massachusetts helped shape the Affordable Care Act 
at the Federal level. As a Member of the Senate, Mitt has been a 
courageous defender of democracy, willing to put country ahead of 
party, even when it meant harsh criticism. I have been delighted to 
work with Mitt, and I am proud to be joining in introducing his final 
piece of bipartisan legislation, the Preserving American Dominance in 
AI Act, which we will be working to pass next year.
  Senator Kyrsten Sinema has been a skilled and pragmatic dealmaker, 
working on a variety of important bills from the bipartisan 
infrastructure law to the bipartisan immigration bill, which 
unfortunately, was scuttled at the last minute at the request of 
President Trump. I know that in her next chapter Senator Sinema will 
continue to work hard to bring people together, build consensus, and 
solve problems.
  Senator Debbie Stabenow has been a colleague, friend, and leader here 
in the Senate since she arrived in 2001. She has been a defender of the 
auto industry, helping U.S. automakers emerge from the Great Recession 
and turn to a new, greener future. She has also been at the forefront 
of revitalizing Michigan cities through initiatives like the New 
Markets Tax Credit and through investments to remove lead from drinking 
water. With Senator Roy Blunt, she helped expand the Certified 
Community Behavioral Health Clinic Program nationwide under the 
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and she has championed funding for 
community health centers along with Senator Roger Wicker. And as chair 
of the Senate Agriculture Committee, she has fought to expand child 
nutrition programs, which have been so critical in reducing poverty 
over the last 4 years and in helping kids get a great start in life. I 
am going to miss Debbie and her ability to work hard and achieve 
results for people who need help the most.
  Senator Jon Tester is a big man with a big heart. He will tell you he 
is just a simple farmer from Big Sandy, MT, and that is true. Running 
the family farm remains the center of his life and defines his 
character, but it is not the full story. His interests, knowledge, and 
intellect are wide-ranging and deep. He can speak with authority on 
complex banking, foreign policy, defense, and veterans issues, as well 
as agriculture. As a plain-spoken Westerner, he can put these 
complicated topics in terms everybody can understand, usually with a 
healthy dose of humor. But when it comes to hard work, Jon is no-
nonsense. He is a serious legislator, particularly as chairman of the 
Veterans Affairs Committee. His work to pass the PACT Act has thrown a 
lifeline to veterans who were exposed to toxins as a result of their 
service. Millions of veterans and their families are receiving 
lifesaving benefits as the result of his work. And without Jon, it 
wouldn't have happened.
  These colleagues have made the Senate and our Nation a better place 
because of their service. While their time in this body will be ending 
with the 118th Congress, I know each of them will continue to work to 
make a positive difference for the country.

                          ____________________