[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 16063-16064]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR TOM HARKIN

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the 75th 
birthday of my friend and longtime colleague from our home State of 
Iowa, Senator Tom Harkin.
  As the Presiding Officer knows, Senator Harkin will be retiring from 
public office in a few weeks. At the end of the 113th Congress, Senator 
Harkin will then close a chapter on public service that spans more than 
a half century, including four decades in Congress. He also served 27 
years in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserves, 10 years in the House 
of Representatives, and 30 years here in the U.S. Senate.
  Now, I think anybody looking at that would say that is a remarkable 
and distinguished record of public service. After 40 years of 
representing Iowans in Congress, my friend Tom soon will leave behind 
the Halls of the U.S. Capitol. He also will leave behind a legacy of 
fiery floor speeches, passionately delivered on behalf of individuals 
with disabilities, also for Iowa farmers, also for the elderly, also 
for child laborers, and for many causes that he championed such as 
early childhood education, nutrition and wellness, conservation, 
renewable energy and the environment, and probably lots of others. But 
those are things everybody knows that he has worked hard on.
  Throughout the years Tom and I have served side-by-side in Washington 
for the good of our home State. For three terms we worked together in 
the U.S. House of Representatives. It was here in the Senate our shared 
commitment to give rural America a voice at the policymaking table was 
sown, and for many years we worked together on the Senate agriculture 
committee, looking out for the millions of Americans who choose to work 
and earn a living in rural America. We worked together to advocate for 
rural infrastructure and investment, access to health care, housing, 
technology, and transportation.
  For the last three decades we have served alongside one another in 
this distinguished body, the U.S. Senate, an institution that both of 
us hold near and dear to our hearts. Although some of our silver-
tongued critics over the years may have ascribed Tom's views as those 
of a bleeding-heart liberal or mine mischaracterized as that of a cold-
hearted conservative, we both, Tom and I, know that our hearts have 
always been in the right place.
  Neither of us was born with a silver spoon in our mouth and we 
learned early on to appreciate the work ethic of our parents and 
grandparents. Each of us raised our families with the hopes that our 
children and grandchildren would achieve the promise of America's 
prosperity and grow up to enjoy the pursuits of happiness.
  As Iowa's U.S. Senators, we have worked to keep alive the dream of 
hard-working Iowan families.
  Now of course it is true that we have vastly different views on the 
government's influence on America's ladder of opportunity. However, we 
do wholeheartedly agree it is an honor and a privilege to serve the 
people of our State. For some reason our respective reelections every 6 
years have actually confounded political observers. Many couldn't seem 
to square the notion that Iowans would continue to elect two U.S. 
Senators from opposite sides of the political spectrum for the last 
three decades.
  So to explain--or perhaps I don't have to because it is widely 
understood--Iowans are not casual political observers. Our electorate 
takes pride in retail politicking and it is first in the Nation's 
political caucuses. We certainly have given Iowan voters a night-and-
day choice between these two U.S. Senators. So while we may not see 
eye-to-eye on politics and ideology, we do see eye-to-eye when it comes 
to working for Iowa's best interests. Although our voting records may 
reflect night-and-day positions on some public policy, you wouldn't see 
the light of day between us when we worked together on matters that are 
of most importance to Iowans, including but not limited to natural 
disasters such as the tremendous floods of 1993 and 2008, Iowa farmers 
and agriculture, notably recovering from the farm crisis. Renewable 
energy and rural infrastructure have been our mutual interest. We have 
also enjoyed welcoming economic

[[Page 16064]]

development leaders and constituents to the Nation's Capital.
  Between the famous Siouxland steak dinner in Washington and the 
Harkin steak fry in Indianola, there is no doubt Tom will miss staking 
out Iowans to discuss politics and policy. However, I have no doubt my 
home State colleague will continue to champion the causes for which he 
has devoted a lifetime of service. In fact, I have read in news media 
about his retirement of what he intends to pursue, and so I have no 
doubt he is going to pursue out of the Senate what he has pursued in 
the Senate.
  To his credit, my colleague's legacy reflects the priorities he set 
out to achieve decades ago, to make a difference for those on the 
downside of advantage.
  My wife Barbara and this Senator extend our warmest wishes to Tom and 
his wife Ruth, and of course to the entire Harkin family, as he starts 
life's next chapter. I see my colleague on the floor, so I can look at 
him.
  As you start life's next chapter, may you enjoy the blessings of 
hearth and home, health and happiness. Although Tom is retiring from 
public office, I am confident he is not retiring from serving the 
public interest. From one constituent to another, I thank you for your 
lifetime of public service and I wish you good luck and Godspeed.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.

                          ____________________