[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 9]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            THE NEW CONGRESS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I thank the majority leader for those kind 
words. I am happy to report the Democratic leader of the Senate, 
Senator Reid, is making a speedy recovery from his New Year's run-in 
with some exercise equipment. His face and ribs are still sore. He is 
eager to get back to work. We met with him this morning, and we can 
expect him back in the Senate very soon.
  In the meantime, it is a privilege on behalf of the Democratic Caucus 
to welcome our old colleagues back to work and welcome our new 
colleagues and their families to the U.S. Senate. I also want to wish 
Leader McConnell, as he takes up the new duties of the majority leader, 
the very best. Senator Dirksen was a Senator from my home State of 
Illinois who served as a Republican leader of the Senate from 1959 to 
1969. He famously said, ``I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, 
the first of which is to be flexible at all times.''
  That may sound comical, even contradictory. But Senator Dirksen's 
ability on flexible tactics and firmness on principles helped produce 
historic legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, one of the 
greatest achievements in our Nation's history. I am sure we all will 
remember that with fondness and pride.
  The American people need us to work together to solve problems and 
create opportunities. For their sake, let us all try to remember that 
what we are about is honorable compromise. The Constitution of the 
United States and the Senate itself are the results of just such a 
compromise.
  One other point. One hundred years ago this week, an American 
industrialist and entrepreneur stunned the world by announcing he would 
start paying his workers double the industry average and cut the hours. 
That man, of course, was Henry Ford. He committed to pay his workers a 
minimum wage.
  As we begin this new Congress, let us dedicate ourselves to the 
working men and women across America, the taxpayers of this country, 
and the men and women which we so proudly serve. I hope that we will 
show flexibility and principle. We can't solve America's challenges 
with the same old thinking. We have to address the problems with mutual 
respect and with a positive attitude.
  I look forward to, on this side of the aisle, working with Senator 
Reid and my colleagues to achieve that end.
  Congratulations to Leader McConnell.

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