[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 10, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2711-S2712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Remembering Bob Dole
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a date that is
significant in the history of the U.S. Senate and that is especially
meaningful to me and to my home State of Kansas.
Thirty years ago tomorrow, on June 11, 1996, Senator Bob Dole gave
his final speech on the floor of this Chamber, marking his retirement
as both majority leader and as a Member of the Senate. In his farewell
speech, Senator Dole demonstrated the high regard he held for the
people of Kansas.
He said:
If we could all go [home] and shake hands of all the people
who are responsible for us being here, it would take a long,
long time.
He grew up in a little town just down the road from my hometown. He
grew up in Russell. Bob Dole was my Congressman when I was a kid, and I
could tell even then how deeply respected and admired he was by the
folks at home. He cared deeply about representing the people of our
State. He represented them well, and he had a profound respect for the
institution of the U.S. Senate.
He said in his final remarks that day, which was 30 years ago
tomorrow:
The truth is that I would no more distance myself from the
Senate than I would from the United States itself. The body
is a reflection of America. It's what America is all about.
We come from different states and different backgrounds,
different opportunities, different challenges in our life.
[[Page S2712]]
His own service embodied those words. He brought the same values and
character from rural Kansas to the role of Senate majority leader.
Bob Dole was an American hero who served in uniform during World War
II and who sustained serious, serious injuries--grievous, really--in
battle during that service. He loved his country deeply.
In his final remarks in this Chamber, he said:
We're much more than a place on a map, we're the United
States. And we're a beacon of hope, we're a magnet for the
oppressed and a shield against those who would put the soul
itself in bondage.
He never lost sight of what made our country special or the blessing
of being an American.
He reflected:
I remember when the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet
Empire collapsed, a lot of people started coming to America.
And they were young and they were old and they were men and
they were women. . . . For the first time, in 70 years in
some cases, they had a right to travel. They could get on an
airplane without checking with the government and [without]
waiting for a year or two years or three years. They could go
to church, they could vote, and all these basic rights that
we [in the United States] take for granted.
And where did they travel to?
[T]hey came to America.
As he said goodbye on the floor of the Senate, Bob Dole reminded his
colleagues not to lose sight of defending and preserving the American
way of life.
He said:
I would hope that we will keep in mind that there are still
threats around the world. And also keep in mind that we're
the envy of the world.
In this Chamber, I use this desk--this desk was Senator Dole's--as a
reminder of how his work on the floor resulted in many Americans having
a better shot at the American dream.
He championed landmark legislation that transformed the lives of
individuals with disabilities, legislation that transformed the lives
of veterans, farmers, young children, families, and many, many more. He
was a strong champion of Food for Peace, and he established the
McGovern-Dole International Food for Education Program, which uses
U.S.-grown commodities to feed hungry schoolchildren and especially
young people.
Senator Dole embodied the compassionate spirit of Kansans and farmers
who feed the world, and Kansas continues to do that work today. These
food aid programs remain among our Nation's most successful avenues of
delivering American-grown food to hungry people around the globe.
A wounded veteran himself, Senator Dole spent his life advocating for
individuals with disabilities, and he was instrumental in the passage
of the landmark legislation Americans with Disabilities Act.
Senator Dole never forgot his fellow veterans, and he worked
tirelessly to help them find success after their military service.
These efforts continued after his election to public service as he was
instrumental in the creation of the World War II Memorial, a place he
could often be found greeting Honor Flights of World War II veterans.
Because of Senator Dole's work, my own dad, a World War II veteran,
had the opportunity to visit this monument built in his honor.
Senator Dole knew the power of working with others to make the world
better. And despite the difficulties, he found an opportunity in the
U.S. Senate.
I will close with the words he delivered three decades ago:
[Y]es, the institution has its imperfections, or occasional
inefficiency.
And we're like America. We're still a work in progress in
the United States Senate.
The challenges he spoke of still remain. I believe what he would say
today, as he said it then:
I'm an optimist. I believe our best tomorrows are yet to be
lived.
His legacy shows a difference that one person can make, regardless of
their background, birthplace, or education.
Kansans and Americans held Senator Dole in the highest regard, and he
lived a life worthy of that respect. May we resolve to practice that
same kindness, respect, and honor that marked the life of Senator Dole.
So I rise today, here on the Senate floor, almost 30 years to the day
in which Senator Dole left this institution. He left his country, his
Nation, his State in better shape than it was when he arrived, and he
always knew that the brighter days were yet to come. He found common
ground with people that were hard to find common ground with, and he
and the way he conducted himself should remain a role model for those
of us who serve in his place today.