but it's incumbent on people to believe it, to want to do it, to put aside our differences where we can. i tell you alaskans, it's why less are party registered and more are nonparty rebellinger thed. we try -- registered. we try to find the answer to question rather than try to find the way to no. you know, my staff was always -- you know, it's a struggle sometimes, and i have a great staff, as i said earlier, some from alaska, some from here, some from across the country, people who have -- i don't understand why they've subjected themselves to continue to work for me after the mayor's office and they came here. but i always told them it didn't matter who sponsored the bill, what mattered was, was it a good idea. if it was a good idea, then let's move forward, try to find an answer to it, try to solve the problem. you know, the positive attitude

we have to have is also not only important for this body, but it's important for this country. in a weird way, they love us and hate us. the poll numbers show they don't love us too much,13%. [laughter] but on the flip side, they look to us. they look to us for certainty and guidance and where we might take them. the pundits, different. but the people do. i see it when i go to stores and i'm out and about. people may be angry with us, but they want to know what we're going to do to solve these incredible problems. and it will be incumbent upon the next congress to sit down and work together. it's going to be tough, because the politics of today are about the moment in time. it's not about the long term. this is an incredible challenge. but it has to be dealt with in some way. you know, i've spent a lot of time trying to, like i said, do

what i can, didn't matter who it was, and i was listening to senator coburn speak. i remember one day we were looking on an issue, essential air service. some of us have that in our state. in alaska, very important. senator coburn was against it. i remember having a conversation with him, trying to explain between one airport to the next is 1200 miles, there's no load, no way to get to it. at the end of the day, we were able to resolve that issue and move forward. you know, i think of all the things that have been accomplished in this body, but how little people know about it. in an odd way, this last few days more of that positive issues are out there. i hope the press cover it. we'll see. but we live in a world that it's better to talk about the negative, because that seems to be what drives the opinions. i hope that changes. let me end by saying a couple other just quick thoughts.

you know, there's a lot of great stories being here in the senate. someone asked me one day, do you write these down? i said, no. i remember i was in sitka, alaska, and i was headed to the airport. got to the airport, and the attendant there was checking on my ticket. oh, wait, mr. begich, we have something for you. i said, what's that? it's a gift, a wrapped gift at the airport. i said, oh, great. now, for people who don't care about tsa, please ignore what i'm about to say. they just handed it to me, i took it. i opened it up, and it was one of those empty books that was a note from -- please write down your thoughts. and i had incredible thoughts. i remember when i was coming through, and people will remember this when it snowed like crazy. well, people in d.c. thought it snowed like crazy. [laughter] i did not. but i knew one thing, how the

plow was working. as a former mayor, i thought to myself i can't leave my car on the street because they'll plow me in, especially in this place. or they'll attempt to. so i got in my car, my son, jacob, got our snow shovels, drove the car into another area, and then i realized -- and we were dressed in what i call alaska good garb. and then i realized, oh, my gosh, i've got to get back to the house, i've got this snow shovel and he has a snow shovel. so it was on the side of the capitol. so what'd we do? people who know me, i don't really follow all the rules around this place, we started walking through the capitol with our snow shovels over our shoulders. the place was empty. and i realized what an incredible place this is. first, allowing us to walk through with snow shovels, but it was dead silent as you walked through. if you've never done that, you should.

you walk through the capitol. and you just see the history. and in a small way, we were part of it. or, and i did break another rule. it's confession time. i'm a cat rick, i can -- catholic, i can do that. we came into this chamber. had the corner desk over here. why did i pick that desk? a lot of people don't know this story, why did i do that? when i was a -- one, i was a junior member. but, two, i wanted that desk, because that's where the candy box was. [laughter] and i knew every member would have to go there sooner or

later, and i thought i could spend some time talking to 'em, and maybe i'd have a candy box, which i did. and it had special candies from my wife's store. and one day i came in here late at night with my son, and we sat right there. i know the security guards probably didn't see us, and we took a photo. yes, i broke the rules. [laughter] i took a photo of him sitting there. i will cherish that forever. as my son once said, and i said on this floor one time, about how important it is to get things done and the battle we were having. i remember i actually quoted on the floor, and i think i again shocked somebody. and he said to me, i was talking to him about something, and he says, dad, just suck it up. [laughter] and i thought, only from a young kid can you get -- what you've got to do sometimes. now, i didn't forget her, i just

wanted to wait until the end. my wife is -- i know i'm breaking the rules, but she's right up there. i'm pointing to her, yes, i am. so, sergeant at arms, too bad. and i'm acknowledging her. and she has been incredible. she has allowed me to do my public service, to fly those 20 hours every weekend to and from alaska. she has taken care of jacob when

i couldn't. i love her dearly. thank you. and i'll just say this: it has been a true honor to serve the u.s. senate, to serve the people of alaska and to know every day we -- being my members and my staff, colleagues who worked with me -- contribute a little bit to making life better for an alaskan, for alaskans, for this country.

there's no place like serving in this body and doing what i could to make a difference. mr. president, i yield the floor. [applause] [applause]

>> mr. president? >> the senator there virginia. >> mr. president, i know a number of my colleagues are going to want to talk about our friend, mark begich. when you come in, i see a number of folks that were here who came in this, we all came in together in 2008. i see a lot of other members who are newer members as well. and i think when you come in with a class, you're kind of confused by what's going on. you form a bond. and i remember my first, our first -- senator franken wasn't here yet, but senator merkley and senator hagan and a number of us, senator bennett and others, we were up, actually, in

senator durbin's office, and there was still a question about what was going to happen in the election, because there were thousands of votes out. and so it was kind of getting the new senators, we got on the phone to call senator begich to say we wish him well, and we're countenning on him -- counting on him, and he said, hey, tammy, jake and i are leaving on vacation, because i don't even know where the votes are coming from, i'm going to be there. he knew his state that well. and as someone who was a former chief executive as some others have been former chief executives, i remember him coming here and as many of us as new members kind of scratching our heads about the notion of how this institution would work or wouldn't, didn't work sometimes. but as senator begich mentioned and senator murray at our dinner the other night mentioned, you

know, there are a lot of people in this body who are chronic optimists. i'm blessed to have as a colleague senator kaine, a chronic optimist. i don't always fit in that category. [laughter] but senator begich week in and week out would always try to remind us that it's not quite as bleak as it might seem at the moment. that there was good news and there was progress being made. and i think looking back, i'm not sure some of us fully realized, particularly that first year and a half or two when so many things happened. controversial things, things that are still being relitigated in ways that have allowed this country to make progress, and senator begich was ab incredibly

important -- an incredibly important part of all that. he was also our, as the newer members, liaison to management. [laughter] so whenever anything didn't happen right with leadership, it was always senator begich's fault. [laughter] but i just want to say, and i know senator hagan was here a little bit earlier. i fear at times that elections are almost becoming like parliamentary elections in other countries where you are voting for or against a leader not based upon what you have done individually -- think about senator landrieu and all the things she has done for louisiana, lord knows. but as senator begich just mentioned, there was not a bill or an issue that he didn't find an alaska connection and that he didn't make a difference for people of his great state. so i, i know i'm just the first

of many, i want to say to my colleague, to my friend, to a great senator, godspeed and best wishes. mr. president, i yield the floor. >> mr. president? >> the senator from minnesota. >> i was part of that class. i was kind of late getting here, as my colleagues will recall. but i was part of that class and campaigned with the class, so -- and i remember being with mark udall and tom udall and mark begich at a campaign event, and they kind of looked at me and said, so your dad wasn't like a public servant? [laughter]

no. oh, that's unusual. well, no, that's fine. it's fine. [laughter] and i think that, you you know,t a lot of people don't know about mark is his father died very famously in a plane crash. and mark is the only member of this body, i believe, who did not graduate from college, did not go to college. there's a lot of things about mark. one, and mark warner just referred to it, chief executive. we need more mayors here. you know? sometimes we say we need more diversity, we need more women.

god knows we need more satirists. [laughter] but mayors, wow. and having that mayor's perspective, cory booker -- hooking a little smug right -- looking a little smug right now about being a mayor -- [laughter] having that mayor's perspective is real useful. mike enzi, a mayor. am i forgetting a mayor? >> [inaudible] >> bob corker. >> oh, bob corker? who are you pointing at. tim, were you a mayor? oh, richmond. you just kept saying richmond. and i'm like, i don't know anybody named richmond. >> he was also lieutenant

governor. >> he was also -- and he was a governor too. okay. so he's the most qualified member of the body. [laughter] we, this is just, this is what it's like when we're together. being a senator, a lot of people ask me is being a senator as much fun as working on "saturday night live," and the answer, of course, is no. [laughter] it's not close. [laughter] but it's the best job i've ever had. and it means so much to us, what we can do for our state. and no one knows more about his state -- and i know mary landrieu is sitting here -- no

one knows more than mary and mark. and that is an incredibly long flight that he took every weekend to go back to alaska. and, you know, i -- there are some, minnesota had happy warrior, one of the great, great senators that's ever served this body, hubert humphrey. and you may have noticed during mark's speech, he teared up a few times. most talking about his wife. that's good, good for you. [laughter] that worked out well. but hubert humphrey said that a man who has no tears has no heart.

this man has tremendous heart. and hum free was a happy -- hum free was a happy warrior, and this guy was a happy warrior. and you both brought joy and humor and optimism to this body, and i thank you, my friend, for that. >> mr. president? >> the senator from louisiana. >> mr. president, i wanted to rise just to say a word about my dear friend, mark begich, and to add some words on behalf of him. you could see when he presented himself in his final be remarks to this body his compassion and his heart and his emotions were clear in relation to his family, his son and to us, because he

was really an amazing friend to many. always in a good humor, always upbeat. as the senator from virginia said, we never could all of us quite understand it, but he was and still is just an amazingly optimistic and positive person. having served as, you know, as mayor, as a small business owner, compassionate and champion for -- [inaudible] what he didn't mention, so i thought i might be because maybe it would be too hard for him to mention it today. but i want this body to remember that mark comes from a distinguished line of public servants. and a lot of us say that, but in mark's case, his father literally gave his life to alaska. his plane went down in 1972 on october 16th. the plane has never been found. so when mark walked in here the first day i met him, i don't

know what i was expecting, but i was expecting someone to have a heavy burden on their shoulders because of that. as the eldest daughter of nine children, i take responsibility so much for my brothers and sisters and don't know how i could have gotten where i've gotten without both parents literally lifting me up every day. so from mark all these years in very, or very close leadership meetings on tuesday mornings, and he's walked in with such optimism and such extraordinary confidence in himself and in what he's doing and in us and encouraging us. you know, i was always just so struck by the fact that he grew up with a large family, six children, his mother was widowed at a young age. he took on so much responsibility. and yet he showed up here ready

to serve. and i know that his father is truly honored that he, you know, didn't get bitter, he wasn't angry, he grew up to be a man who accepted that as god's will which is a hard thing to accept. and just did so much for the community that his father loved, the state that his father loved. and i just wanted to add that to the record because a lot of people watching us think that we are one-dimensional robots up here and that there are no other dimensions to our lives and our family. but it's just always struck me, mark, that you have just been such a man of courage, such a great inspiration to your family and really, truly, truly an inspiration to all of us, and i know your parents are very proud, both of them. >> mr. president? >> the senator from oregon.

>> thank you, mr. president. i'd like to add a word or two to honor my good friend, senator mark begich. i think it is a special connection with those of us who were elected on the same day. we share something else in common which is on that election day in november 2008 neither one of us knew if we had won. we both had to wait some length of time. in my case two days, and in senator begich's case, a couple weeks. but it gives you a sign the ponder in the future, are you going to serve in the senate or are you going to not serve, and how will you utilize that opportunity? i think there's another connection that comes from being western senators. when we talk about salmon -- and mark begich mentioned a while ago franken fish. well, we're very concerned.

we have a collective concern about the health of our salmon runs. it's not just the fishing economy, but that is very much a part of the economy of our states. it's about the salt of our states, the traditions of our state, the national resources, the natural resources of our states. and when we talk about timber, you have a connection. and sitka was mentioned and the sitka spruce is a common tree in our state of oregon. and when we get concerned about the rescues off the oregon coast because the water is so cold that you can't be in it for very long without dying which makes it much more important to have advanced helicopters, and just last night we were able to keep a key helicopter on the coast due to senator mark begich's considerable involvement and

advocacy. and thank you so much for doing that. and why is our water so cold off the coast of oregon? because it's coming down with the currents from alaska. and so in so many ways our states are tied together, and as i have served this first six years, i have turned to my friend from alaska for advice and counsel time after time. his seasoned policy judgment and his core political instincts are on a par with any other senator in this chamber and certainly far in advance of my own. and so i appreciate your friendship, i appreciate your sharing your judgment, and i appreciate your buoyant spirit that reminds us when we are discouraged that so much can be accomplished. and what an honor it is to have a seat in this chamber of just 100 senators where we can add

our voice to a conversation about truly how to make this a better world. thank you, my friend, for your service, and we will miss you greatly. >> thank you, mr. president. >> mr. president? >> the senator from michigan. >> thank you, mr. president. i just want to add my words to what my other colleagues have said about somebody i'm going to miss dearly. senator mark begich and i worked together on many, many things when i passed the reins from the steering and outreach committee and suggested to our leader that he seriously consider senator begich for that responsibility, he made us all proud as part of the leadership. and presented a really important perspective every single day. i have frequently referenced an energy trip that i took to alaska with senator begich where

i thought michigan was big, and michigan is big -- [laughter] but we not only had to travel a long way to get to alaska, once we were in alaska we had to travel a long way from one end to another. i remember that i ran into a number of people from michigan because in our upper peninsula, we have a lot of snow, and we have a lot of people who were working there. but everywhere we went, and we traveled to native american villages, we flew to bare row, we were in -- barrow, we were in every part of the area. some areas you could only get into by helicopter. we would get there, we went to a native village that needed a new post office, and senator begich took me out, we had boots on because there's water coming up and looked at this little, tiny post office, mr. president, that was maybe a little bigger than a

closet, not much. came out, the whole community was there to urge us to support this post office. and to see not only the information, the depth that senator begich had about that before we got there, but the way he interacted, his commitment to them. and everywhere we went he knew about that community, the leaders in the community, he had a relationship with them. this is somebody who loves alaska and in his bones, in your dna, i know, mark, is your state. and i love seeing that. it was so inspirational to see that. so i know that you have wonderful family support at home. it's been my pleasure to be at your home for dinner and to watch your son as he's growing up.

and i know that we have a lot more that we will benefit from, from your leadership. i know you have a lot more the contribute. to alaska, to our country. and just know that you are leaving here with incredible respect from colleagues and love and affection. and we wish you every godspeed. >> mr. president? >> senator from new jersey. >> i rise to add my sense of gratitude and's to someone who's -- and appreciation to someone who's become a dear friend. i am his newest colleague and have had the privilege of working with him for these past 13 months. i just want him to know and to say very publicly that he was one of the anchors for me as i was getting to know a very different place from being a mayor of a big city.

your sense of fierce pragmatism was a light to me coming down to a place known for partisanship and gridlock and demonstrated to me your ability to bring people together and get things done. but even more than that, being a model for me, a role model for me in my early stage of my career in the senate. i have to confess and do it with pride that i love this country with a depth in the core of my being. my parents taught me that sense of pride. but you expanded that, incredibly, by bringing me out to alaska. and of all my experiences in these 13 months, this is one of the highlights. and it taught me a lot. when i saw the united states senator still had such a powerful touch and connection and knowledge and love of the people of that state. you made me love alaska even more and know alaska in my heart. and what was extraordinary to me

knowing you in your short career was how much you got accomplished, how steadfast you were in pursuing the interests of your state and this nation. one thing i have to say, i feel uncomfortable as i saw you -- and i'll never forget -- being in barrett high school with the bears and seeing how much your loving connection to those kids, it made me feel very uncomfortable, the negativity during a campaign that was being hosted upon you. and it made me think of something as i was out there, and i thought about it again as you talked history. there's a very famous poet, maya angelou, you may write me down in the history with your bitter, twisted lies, you may trod me in the dirt, but still like dust, i rise. the truth of the matter is you are one of those people who is at your ascendancy. you have risen above it all. you've risen above the things in washington that try the spirits not just of those of us here,

but of the nation. you have risen to a level of accomplishment in your life that is extraordinary and as awesome as some of the vistas i saw in the state of alaska. .. now is a simple fact that i know that god ain't finished with you yet. thank you. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico. mr. udall: thank you, mr. president. and i just want to rise like others in our class and many other senators have arisen to talk a little bit about mark begich and his service for alaska, and praise him for his service. because i think he's been, since i've been here the six years and i served with him, he was in my class, i have seen a remarkable senator who really cares about his state and has been an incredible advocate for

his state. i wasn't here, mark, for your i wasn't here, mark, for your i wasn't here for your entire speech but i turned it on. a good thing about our offices is you can tune again, and i got the point where you got a little choked up about deborah and jacob. and i got choked up in the office. i could cry but not in public. in any event, the first thing i know about mark is how much he cares about his family and how much the toll of serving in the senate takes on that family. his travel, i'm a westerner and i have to travel out five hours, six hours, eight hours to get home. his flight is always can we heard the description of the other day from senator murray. he flies all the way out to seattle at the end of the day. it's 12:30 and he gets another flight for another four have

hours up to anchorage. just to get home, and it's not a very long weekend and then has to get on a flight and come back. the family is so important to come and adjusting them with his son jacob. we live just across the alley from chile. i can look out my back window and looked down and see the light just four houses down, and know whether or not mark and deborah and jacob are in town, and we spent many a good times in his house better. so that's the first thing i'd like to say. the second is i've seen this over and over again with senators, and you are one of the best at it, is taking the issues that are involved with alaska and that alaskans care about and that you knew so well when you were a mayor, and fitting them into this vast federal landscape and making sure that alaskans are hurt. and i think you're one of the

best at doing that. you stepped out on some different issues. i remember the native american corporations and how you would reach out in a number of areas with senators to route the senate to try to reach some compromise. i have a large native american community. we have the same kinds of issues on that front that you do. we also share many, many native american tribes. as mark and those well, it was like father and my uncle that stood up in the 1960s and '70s to make sure that the natives got a fair shake in alaska. and mark, that's the way he served when it comes to native americans. caring about them, caring about the issues. going up to the north slope where it's cold. my understanding, this camping he got frostbite on one occasion being out in that just terribly

tough environment. so thank you for that and for working with me in working with everyone else that tries to make sure that native people get justice. and they look to justice. to washington, they look at justice. the supreme court, they're not getting much of it in the supreme court anymore so we are the last refuge, we serve together on the indian affairs committee. one final thing to talk about mark is i've been working on an issue. it's the chemical substances act, for the last couple of years with senator vitter. we've tried to do everything we can to bring people together. extraordinary piece of legislation, 12 republicans, 12 democrats on this piece of legislation. and we've been working to make a better and with the dissenters start joining us on both sides

of the aisle. mark, you were one of the key people to work on that, and as senator warner said earlier, you are last on to the leadership to you in all those leadership meetings. whenever i told you there was a problem, you would service it, whether or not it was going to blow up the meeting. you stuck in their. when it came to really caring about issues and caring of the getting things done. and i think if anything as you hallmark, it's wanting to put aside the partisanship and try to get things done. and so that's something that you should be tremendously proud of the. just as a final word, i love your state of alaska. i've climbed your highest not. my cousin mark udall has also done the same thing, climbed mount mckinley which is now returned to its native name. i remember going up to your state as the state attorney general.

it is the only state in the nation that put in money for our conference of attorneys general and put us on an eight hour train across alaska so we could see all of alaska. alaska is a terrific state. and you and i have some disagreement on what we protect and alaska, but the wonderful thing is we understand each other's position, and we are still very good friends. so it's been a real honor to serve with you, and i just wish you and deborah and jacob the very best. wherever you land, i hope to see you in alaska again because i know i'm going to come up there. what were every land, where ever you land our door will always be open to you. thank you, and god bless you. >> mr. president? >> the senator from minnesota. >> we've heard a lot of people aren't i wonderful colleague thomas senator begich, today. we are all going to miss him dearly. we are especially going to miss him in minnesota. i've heard many, many positive

statements about alaska today, but no one can come from a state where they can say they have one of the main streets in anchorage and after them, and that is minnesota street, in anchorage. that is because there are many minnesotans, believe it or not, it wasn't cold enough in minnesota so they moved to alaska. one of those people that moved to alaska was mark's dad. mark's dad actually grew up about 30 miles away from my dad, and it is rough and tumble country the iron range of minnesota. market still has relatives in northern minnesota, and particularly he has an uncle named uncle joe. joe begich who served in the legislature for many years and also is a korean war veteran, and is really the heart and soul of the iron range delegation in the minnesota state legislator. for any of our colleagues who think mark begich is a character, they should meet his

awful joke. and i know uncle joe. i hope he's watching today because nothing made him happier than the day that mark begich got elected to the united states senate. and when mark once came up there with me and w we're greeted by uncle joe, it was like a hero's welcome when mark begich appeared on the iron range in minnesota. people came out. we did an event with veterans. and then the problem was of course maybe we went to a bar up there and we could get no pictures that didn't have a budweiser sign in them. but market is a hero up there and he's a hero across our state. just for the work that he's done for rural communities. he always says when i say we have rural commute in the minnesota he says we have extreme rural communities in alaska. he has done work in conservation which we care about so much. houston work on tourism. we are co-chairs of a tourism caucus. and ty stewart member of the

hearing that we had right in the middle of the downturn where every center came to talk about the things are happening in their states with tourism. mark was able to cite the price of cruises you to take and alaska. it was written up in the "washington post" for all the senators hawking their states but no one was prior to fox alaska preventing about mark which i know has been mentioned is that he didn't believe politics is about standing in the opposite corners of the boxing ring. he believes politics is about working together in the middle and trying to find common ground. the last thing i would say is how much we love deborah and jacob, we know we will see them around and they will not go away. one time deborah and jacob and mark amo to our house for brunch, and my daughter is about six years old. i think she was about 13, and they were playing a game in the other room and the adults were talking over breakfast. i will never forget that jacob

begich from the other room we heard his dad talking about him and any politicians kid would do, he said, stop talking about me now. so that kid has inherited that mark begich since the fierce independence. when he left my daughter said i love that kid, mom. he knows how hard it is to be a politicians kid. so mark, you've left here the legacy of alaska, the legacy of good work, the legacy of a great staff and the legacy of a great family. we will see you around. thank you for your service. >> on thursday, senators michael bennet of call about and tom udall of new mexico hud to senator markey doe highlighting programs he worked on during his time in office. senator udall lost a bid for reelection to congressman cory gardner. from the senate floor, this is 15 minutes. >> thank you, madam president i want to take a moment today to speak about my friend, mark

udall, soon going to be finishing his term. marks sister describes him as an okay politician but an extraordinary public servant. i think it's fair to say that mark could never reduce his role as a representative of the people of colorado to just politics. it's not in his dna. and this with a very heavy heart that i see him leave the united states senate, because he is my friend, but it's especially sad at a time when mark's kind of leadership and constructive engagement are exactly what this place needs. udall is named that is synonymous with the west, and mark and the collective service of the udall family for me have come to represent the very best of our western way of life. they have embodied that pioneering an entrepreneur spirit dating back to the days when americans were building an entirely new lives on the

frontier. they have a historical love for the beauty and majesty of the west, they spent lifetimes protecting it. marks on coal and father, both served their country during world war ii. stewart was elected to serve the second district of arizona. when president kennedy asked him to serve as secretary of interior, modu.com one skews seat in congress. he never ran for the senate and he explained why. he said i told the arizona press club with barry goldwater president that there were three reasons i was not running for the senate. one, i love the house. two, my wife and family are against it, and three, i've taken the bull and you are to beat the hell out of me. although he did run for president, "the new republic" reported on that quote the arizona congressman morris udall want to go story about a response he got at a barbershop in maine. he looked in at the door and

meaning to introduce himself said, moe you don't run for president yet, the barber said. we were just laughing about it this morning. it's not hard to know where mark acquired his self-replicating approach to the world. it's not hard to know where he inherited his commitment to civil rights, to conversation -- conservation into good government. mark said was doing this time that his political views were formed and he went on himself to seek office in 2008 when mark was elected to represent colorado, and the united states senate and his cousin tom was elected to serve the state of new mexico and is one of our colleagues today. mark udall's connections to the west and to public service come from both sides of his family. moe udall, a man of many talents, met marks mother while playing basketball in colorado. patricia said sam was a

sharpshooter, pilot and the peace corps. she was a native colorado and the person market credits most for his passion for the outdoors, for backpacking and climbing. today in the 21st century we face a profound set of challenges and the dramatic test of our democratic institutions. what mark udall often calls the worst excrement and self-governance continued to thrive into the next century and beyond. mark has carried the tradition of his family by serving as a moral forward pointing compass. tharound his group he has defend personal freedom and liberty and the is the legacy of conservation and preservation. as a member of the colorado general assembly representing parts of boulder county can mark toughens the laws against poaching big game as a trophy and will t estimate of the house of representatives they work across the aisle to establish the rocky flats wildlife refuge cleaning up the former nuclear site and preserving or thousand

acres of wild land near denver. he established the james clark wilderness area protecting 14,000 acres of some of the most scenic land. and he passed the rocky mountain national park wilderness act to designate nearly 250,000 acres within the wilderness including lawrence p., which exactly the kind claim. mark udall has gone all of them in colorado, every single 14 we have because they are included in the tallest 100 pounds that we have in each one of which has been summoned by mark udall. these are lands that would be protected long after any of our political careers are long over, long after the remember who it was that protected those lands to begin with. but if anybody cares to check they will know that it was mark udall. mark has been a vocal activist and effective in his fight against climate change and then

his promotion of renewable energy. he was the statewide co-chair of the successful 2004 campaign to pass colorado's amendment 37 that required colorado's power comes to generate most of their electricity from renewable sources. colorado was the first state inn the union to take the issue to the voters. amendment 37 pass and mark udall was the driving force behind that effort. after his victory in the state, mark took this issue to the house of representatives. the house has twice passed national renewable electricity standards championed i mark. during his time innocent is continue to push for a national policy and his doggedness and standing up for colorado's wind energy production saved thousands of good paying jobs across the state and ensure we continue to lead the nation in developing our clean energy economy. the same is true for our -- summertime job opportunities

thanks to a law mark bass in the senate. colorado's aerospace industry is thriving in part thanks to mark udall to his work on space policy also dates back to the time in the house of representatives as ranking member on this is based subcommittee of mark help revitalize aviation research and develop with at nasa and ensure the hubble space telescope received a service and funding. in the senate marked held belief the colorado opposition to proposal that would have canceled the orion program costing the state 1000 jobs and the administration backed off. last week with the shuttle and rocket both built by companies based in colorado, nasa launched a successful test flight of the orion vehicle. we will again kerry asked let's into space traveling deeper than ever before and eventually maybe even visit mars. as everybody in this chamber knows, mark has been a staunch defender of the right of freedoms we cherish as

westerners. as a member of the senate armed services intelligence committee, mark bought every single day he was here to protect the secret of the american people and the bill of rights. is taken on the nsa and cia when they violate our constitutional values. in 2011 he worked on a classified level to pressure intelligence officials to dismantle a massive you know collection program that affected americans privacy. the administration officials were unable to provide evidence the program was effective and was shut down, it only became public information when "the new york times" reported on it in july 2013. while before edward snowden at headlines in 2013, mark ward of the indices overreach. in 2012 on the senate floor he warned. >> and people that they would be shocked to learn about what the nsa was doing in secret. and introduce landmark bipartisan surveillance reform legislation with senator ron

wyden, richard lam akol and rand paul and became the basis for the u.s.a. freedom act which received 58 votes, just a few weeks ago. there was a time before the relentless use of the filibuster when a majority of votes innocent would have been enough to ensure passage of that bill. earlier this week intelligence vendor release list the executie summary of the senate intelligence committee's study of the cia's detention and interrogation program. nobody in this place thought part of the mark udall to shed light on these tactics. his goal from day one has been holding the cia accountable, shedding light on this dark chapter of our history and ensuring in, the cia nor any other agency nor future administration would make the grievous mistakes that were made here. he accomplish his goal with respect to process the without leaking classified information but by applying pressure both

politically and privately until the report was finally released. he has been effective because he has stood on consistent principle on every issue we have faced. he voted against the patriot act. he opposed the war in iraq. he helped lead the fight to end "don't ask, don't tell." madam president, mark tuohey is the very best of what it means to be a public servant. independent and responsible, tough, focus on the future and possessing and abiding can-do spirit. his presence, his unassuming nature, his ability to see pure good in those around him market exactly what we successfully made in our process today. simply put, mark udall has fought for colorado's families in the most constructive way possible like pushing thoughtful commonsense solutions, but it never ever thought to achieve a partisan political police but when colorado was struck with a series of natural disasters,

wildfires to flood, mark wood at his request standing up for our state and our families to lead efforts to ensure our community had the support they needed to recover and better prepare for the threats we face next. and he is strengthen the way we respond to the growing threat of wildfire by emphasizing preservation efforts that will save lives, property and tax dollars. we would expect nothing else from them and has dedicated himself and his career to standing up for colorado's families, the middle-class and the values of the american west. as a senator, a representative, a state legislator, director of the colorado outward bound school, mark has been a model of public service. he has lived up to and exceeded a high standard his son has set for more than a century. throughout all his work, mark is always fought against the dysfunction that persists in washington. it's true, however, market can't

take full credit for the work his wife and partner shares his commitment to leading more opportunity for the next generation. she's worked as a teacher and committee organizer of the navajo and hopi reservations of arizona, new mexico and colorado, north carolina and northwest outward bound school toshiba, a leading voice in many efforts to protect our land, air and our water that the party should is a genuine one. it's made marks work possible. marxist at the been among the finest most professional and most effective in the senate but it is been a pleasure for me and for my staff to work alongside them on behalf of the people of colorado. over the past few years i've learned that really, madam president, there are two broad that it was the people in washington. there are those who embrace and after the dysfunction because it serves their ideological infections or gives them an opportunity to star on the cable news, or both.

then that the people are actually trying to save the place. they are looking for areas of compromise to break the gridlock and to move us forward. mark is one of the good ones, and i have no doubt he will continue to make profound contributions to colorado and to our nation in a variety of ways, but we are diminished by his loss. everyonevery one of us for the f this institution would do well to live up to the example of mark udall. madam president, i yield the floor. >> maddow president? >> the senator from new mexico. >> madam president, i am just going to speak providers i hope you will let me know when it reached the five minute their efforts will just want to thank senator grassley. normally would alternate. is going to let me go forward for just five minutes to talk a little bit about my cousin, mark udall. i first of all let me just say to senator bennet.

i know that mark feels he couldn't have had a better partner, a better friend, and somebody to work with on call about issues and work with on the big national issues. and so that's something that really means a lot to him, and i just thank you for detailing so many other things, and only having five and is now don't have to go over all that lengthy list of the great accomplishments of many of them that you've outlined here today. mark is an incredible public servant. 18 years of public service. in two years in the state of colorado, 10 years in the state house, in the u.s. house of representatives where i served with him, and with providing, presiding chair up there, and here six years in the senate. one of the things that the real harm our of mark udall service -- hallmark of mark udall's

service is the fact he just cared so much about his family. that's where i want to start. i think flying home every weekend for five hours and five hours back, i found out that there are many weekends where i might stay here and even though it was a short weekend. he went home to be with his family, to see coloradans, to be with his constituents. and it just really, really made a difference to his ability to stay in touch with his family and with his constituents. and maggie has been a partner right by his side to many of us know for a number well. she's a great environmental champion and just a marvelous person. and jeb and tess who have been involved in campaigns over the years and also who are very productive and public service mind. first, one of the things that mark has been great at is working with the other side and

being bipartisan. and the list of issues goes on and on, but on the budget, on the toxic substance, on the environment, that is been something that he has stood for, has cared about. one of the great examples of that is when we were in the house together, we used to stand for what we would call you at all udall bill. we started early on to try to climb a high mountain and that mountain was getting a renewable electricity standard through the house of representatives. it had never been done. senator bingaman had done over here in the senate three times, but never had one gone out of the house of representatives. and through his legislative skills and is great staff that he always surrounds himself with, we were able to get the bill out of the house of representatives, and he has been a champion over here on the senate pushing it forward. and i think laid the groundwork for women to get this done, mark will be able to say that he

played a big part in that. finally, just let me say that mark, more than anything, loves the state of colorado. and he loves the people. he loves the out of doors. he loves the landscape. you know when you walked to his office, it just feels like colorado. madam president, i would ask that i would be able to expand my remarks in the record at a later date, ask consent for that -- >> without objection. >> i thank senator grassley again for him allowing me this courtesy. always wonderful to work with chuck. he's been a first class senator. thank you. >> good friday morning to you to use and it is about to gavel in. members will continue working on the defense authorization bill today. and they will turn to the $1 billion government spent the past last night by the house. this morning michigan democrat

carl levin who chairs the armed services committee is managing also the floor debate on the dod bill. he will give his there will address on the senate floor. the senate is expecting to consider several nominations. live coverage now here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. lord of life beneath the dome, of the universe your home. gather us who seek your face to

the fold of your embrace, for you are near. we see your divine image in the people around us. help us to honor you by respecting them. guide our lawmakers to seek great things for others. radiate your hope through them to our nation and world, providing them, oh god, with your wisdom to join their plans to your will. give them a compassion that will compel them to labor for the

eradication of injustice. we pray in your merciful name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the majority leader. mr. reid: following my remarks and those of the republican leader, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to concur in the house amendment to the senate amendment to h.r.

3979, postcloture. at noon today the time will be controlled between senators reid of nevada, coburn one hour, murkowski 30 minutes, inhofe 30 minutes or their designees. upon the use or yielding back of that time -- approximately at 3:00, senate will have four roll call votes in relation to the defense authorization bill and the saperstein nomination. mr. president, as i've just indicated we're going to take up this important government funding bill today. senator mikulski who chairs the senate appropriations committee has performed extraordinary service in negotiating this bill, and i think it's fair to give a nod to senator shelby who of course has been involved in this. they get along extremely well and set a good standard for everyone in the senate. the bill achieves many of our

important priorities. it gives the affordable care act the secure financial footing it deserves, gives our military the tools it needs to combat isis. addresses a rape kit which helps police officers prevent sexual assault, ensures the president's executive action protecting families can move forward and provides funds to fight the ebola epidemic. there are a lot of other things in it but those are a few of the highlights from my perspective. there are things in this bill that i wouldn't have included, democrats wouldn't have included had we written the bill along. i don't support the weakening of dodd-frank and the restrictions on the district of columbia and other things. but i didn't write this bill. the senate democrats didn't write this bill alone. it's a compromise. that is what legislation is all about. the presiding officer has been

governor of the state of maine. he's now a legislator, has been a legislator. legislation is the art of compromise. any chief executive who has to work with state legislature as presidents of the united states do, they don't get what they want. legislation is a compromise, and that's what this legislation is. we're going to consider this legislation to keep our government open and funded, and we're going to do it today, i hope. there are senators who are unhappy with this legislation, and they'll have the chance to make their objections heard. i hope we can complete work on this bill as soon as we finish the defense bill, but that depends on everyone's cooperation here. but, mr. president, there isn't a lot of time. government funding runs out at 12:00 midnight on saturday. when we started this congress the government was running on auto pilot. since 2011 we've lurched from

crisis to crisis with the country constantly under threat of shutdown or financial catastrophe. it's a very bad habit and the american people are very, very tired of it, as they should be. this bill is, i repeat, far from perfect. but when we pass it we'll be able to end this congress knowing we put our country on a more secure financial footing than when this congress started. we can then go home to our states, tell our constituents that we passed legislation that keeps america safe, makes college affordable and spurs the economy and keeps our government open. talk about a c.r. for three months should scare everyone. so, mr. president, we're not there. we're going to have a bill that funds this government for the next fiscal year. we can be satisfied that we left our priorities better funded and more security and our government on more sound foundation than when this congress began.

mr. president, i'm going to take just a minute. time is running out, to talk about a couple of senators. i rise to honor senator mark pryor of arkansas upon his departure from this institution. i've been in the senate for 28 years and worked for senator pryor for 22 of those years. i first worked with his dad david pryor. david pryor left this institution because he had quite a significant heart attack. what a fine senator. i've said and i'll say again, the best legislator i ever served with in my experience in the state of nevada legislature or here. david pryor. he was really very, very good. but six years after david left, mark came. what a good legislator he is.

he's just such a fine person. but it's no surprise to me that he followed in his dad's footsteps. after all, the pryor family has worked as public servants in arc status for five -- in arkansas for five generations. mark's great-great-grandfather was a sheriff. mark's great-grandfather was a sheriff. mark's grandfather edgar was a county sheriff also in arkansas. in fact, last year an arkansasan said to mark -- and i quote -- "i'm for mark pryor not for his dad david but because of the edgar." on mark's desk he has a plaque that reads "arkansas comes first." this was a plaque that was on his dad's desk that mark put on his desk. this has been mark's mission since he's been here, to put

arkansas first. as senate, the entire country benefited from the influence of the pryors in the united states senate, david and mark. mark was born in fayetteville, grew up in little rock, attended the university of arkansas as an undergraduate and law school. while working as an attorney in private practice he began public service in 1990 when he ran for a seat in the house of representatives where he was elected and served for four years. in 1996 he was really faced with the fight of his life. they had diagnosed a situation near his achilles' tendons in one of his legs and they tried physical therapy and it didn't seem to get well, and they discovered that he had a very, very rare form of cancer called clear cell sarcoma. it was in his left leg. it's an understatement to say it was a trying experience for mark.

he was faced with the prospect of dying or losing his leg. mark was buoyed in his difficult experience that he had by his family, friends and people in arkansas praying for him. it was quite a spiritual experience for mark and his family. this experience deepened his compassion for those who suffer physically, financially and emotionally, and he has translated that into public service. in 1998 he was elected attorney general of the state of arkansas. in 2002 that election he bucked the national trend to defeat a republican incumbent. again bucking trends would quickly become one of his hallmarks here on capitol hill. as a senator he has shown courage in voting according to his conscience. key among his legislative accomplishments have been bills to extend tax benefits and

improve medical services for our men and women to make the products that people buy, especially children, safe. he's also been a strong advocate for honest and transparent business practices in order to preserve our american tradition of a responsible free enterprise. his respect for tradition extends to the senate itself. i say this for a number of reasons, mr. president. one, a reporter asked him what he would do if he had absolute power over congress. in his character fashion he responded he would instill in his fellow senators greater respect for each other and for the world's greatest deliberative body. that's what mark pryor said. while some may have disagreed with mark and never ever questioned his sincerity, his integrity, i admire his impeccable dedication to his conscience. mark twain said -- and i quote -- "the proper office of a

friend is to side with you when you're in the wrong. nearly everybody will side with you when you're in the right." with no apologies to mark twain, if these eternal agreements were the price of friendship we'd all have fewer friends. friendship can transcend policy preferences, as mark's and i do. we agree on most everything. there are a few things we don't agree on politically but that doesn't matter. it doesn't matter because he's my friend and he's a friend of my wife landra. mr. president, it is no secret there are many people, the republican leader and his wife reached out to console me and landra during our terrible accident and then with the cancer that was ravaging her body. but she pulled through that. but one reason she did, i'm convinced, is mark pryor.

mark pryor who had almost died from cancer called my wife often, often, texted her often to tell her you're going to be okay, don't be afraid. my wife loves mark pryor. we were talking about the elections not long ago and i said i've never prayed to win an election, and this election i didn't either. she said, well, i did. that's how she feels about mark pryor. i am really honored to have served with mark pryor who's such a genuine person, so sincere and the valuable assets to his service here in the senate. i congratulate mark on exemplary

service here in the senate. mark will always be my friend. there's a quote that bears directly on my feelings about senator pryor. a good friend is hard to find, hard to lose and impossible to forget. i'll never ever forget mark pryor, this unique, one of a kind, kind, thoughtful, considerate man. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader.

mr. mcconnell: this morning i'd like to wish a fond farewell to a woman we're all going to miss, and that's nancy erickson, the secretary of the senate. it's her birthday today. nancy is the kind of person you would expect to get cards from democrats and republicans on a day like this. and it's no secret why. she is fair, she is honest, she has always got a warm smile on her face, and that's no small matter, because nancy's got a really tough job. the title doesn't do it justice. nancy admits she had to google secretary of the senate when the position was offered to her. let me tell you a little more about what nancy does. on the one hand, there is an

administrative element to her position, that's true. we would run out of printer paper without her. but she is also the keeper of this institution. nancy respects the senate. in fact, she loves the senate. her greatest joy is overseeing preservation of the senate's storied art and history. i am particularly grateful for her efforts to secure and repair an important painting of my personal hero, henry clay. i understand it was a painstaking process, but it was a credit to the senate and to our common history as americans. here's the point -- nancy may be a -- quote -- secretary, end quote, but only in the way you would think of john kerry or condoleezza rice being a secretary. in other words, nancy's pretty important. she has presided over the chamber. she signs the bills we pass.

and importantly to the senate staff, she signs the checks that they receive. so, you see, nancy is actually a minor celebrity around here on payday, but she is something else entirely on game day. nancy's one of the biggest packers' fans you'll ever meet. there's no interrupting her when the green and gold take the field. fortunately for nancy, her home state senator john thune feels the same way, so you often see the two south dakotans, one a democrat, the other a republican, debating the finer points of last night's game. now, there's a reason i say this. nancy goes out of her way to build trust across the aisle, even in unconventional ways. the folks in my office who work closely with nancy have nothing, nothing but kind words to say about her. some call her a personal friend.

in fact, the remarkable woman i nominated to replace nancy, julie adams, is just such a person. i know nancy couldn't be happier for julie, and neither could i. and while nancy's going to miss the senate, i know she is also looking forward to seeing more of her family. i know how important nancy's parents are to her in particular. we're glad nancy will be able to see more of them, even though we're going to miss her. the senate's going to miss nancy's deputy, sheila dwyer. she is another democrat my staff can't speak highly enough of. sheila's had a long run here in the senate. she has seen it from a lot of different angles. she has been a page, a scheduler, and now assistant secretary of the senate. along the way, she worked for members like moynihan, hollings and robb. it's an impressive career. it makes you understand why, as leader reid mentioned earlier,

sheila's known around here as the mayor of capitol hill. we also can't forget to wish a fond farewell to robert paxton and mark tratos. robert, nancy's chief of staff, is a fellow kentuckian who has worked in the senate for more than a quarter century. and we understand that mark, robert's number two, is expecting his first child soon. so we wish both robert and mark all the best, just as we offer sheila well-deserved recognition for a job well done. just as we bid the fondest of farewells to nancy and a very happy birthday as well. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the message to accompany h.r. 3979, which the clerk will

report. the clerk: motion to concur in the house amendment to the senate amendment to h.r. 3979, an act to amend the internal revenue code, and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. levin: mr. president, after 36 years as a member of the united states senate, this is likely my last opportunity to address its members, its colleagues and to address the people of my state as constituents and to thank them for placing their trust in me. the highest honor any citizen of a democracy can receive is to be elected to represent his or her fellow americans to be their fiduciary. the senate staff, including the floor staff, the capitol police and those throughout the capitol complex who work so hard to keep things here moving, thank you for your service and support for us through the long days and nights. to my staff, thank you for your

strong loyalty to the people of michigan, to our nation and to me. and thank you for believing in public service. i'm immensely proud of what the men and women who have worked on my staff for the last 36 years have helped accomplish. my staff back in michigan has helped make communities across our state safer and more prosperous, and countless times they have helped individual constituents resolve an issue, making a real difference in thousands of lives. the armed services committee and permanent subcommittee on investigation staffs, p.s.i. staffs, have worked tirelessly through long hours and complex issues, sacrificing nights and weekends and vacations to help address the pressing issues of our nation. and my personal office staff has been instrumental in addressing

a breathtaking range of issues, from preserving our american auto industry to making our tax system fairer to protecting our irreplaceable great lakes to making medicine available to fight addiction, and much, much more. as to my mentor, my big brother sandy, congress is keeping the better half of team levin when i retire to michigan while sandy remains in congress. to barbara, my wife of 53 years, to our three daughters, kate, laura and erica, to their husband husbands, howard, daniel and rick, to our six grandchildren, thank you for your love and support which has meant so much to me.

now, i have been asked many times if i'm leaving the senate out of frustration with gridlock, and the answer is no. my family and friends and those of you with whom i serve know how much i love the senate and that i will love my work until my last day here and that i will leave here with unabashed confidence in the senate's ability to weather storms and to meet the nation's needs. i know firsthand the challenges before this senate, and i believe that one of the greatest is the need to meet the fundamental economic challenge of this era, the growing gap in our society between a fortunate few and the vast majority of americans whose fortunes have stagnated or fallen.

but i believe that the economists who tell us that this inequality is holding back economic growth are right. this isn't just about economic data. it's about our nation's heart and soul. this growing gulf between a fortunate few and a struggling many is a threat to the dream that has animated this nation since its founding, the dream that hard work leads to a better life for us and for our children. to restore the connection between hard work and greater opportunity, i hope the next congress will act on many fronts, strengthening education and worker training programs, making greater investments in infrastructure, in research that foster growth, and as i have said here many times, it should pay for these needed investments by closing egregious tax loopholes that serve no economic

purpose but enrich some of the wealthiest among us and our most profitable corporations. many foresee a continuation of polarization and partisanship in the senate and say that it's naive to suggest that the next congress might come together, break out of gridlock and accomplish great things, but i know the senate can do better because i've seen it happen with my own eyes. the senate has indeed demonstrated even in our own era that bipartisanship is not extinct. the senate armed services committee has upheld a more than 50-year tradition of bipartisan cooperation to produce an annual defense authorization act that advances the security of our nation. i'm grateful to the members of the u.s. military and their families for their selfless sense of duty, but i'm also

grateful for the way that they have inspired us year after year to come together across lines of party and ideology to support them. they not only protect us, they unite us. congress has come together over the years to make improvements in pay, benefits and health care for the men and women of the military to reform the way in which we buy the weapons they use to carry out their missions, to adopt policies to protect them from sexual assault and to provide improved education benefits through the modern g.i. bill and reform the way in which we care for our wounded warriors. we are training and equipping the militaries of nations under assault by extremists and religious fanatics so that those nations can depend more on themselves for their own

security and less on america's sons and daughters. we have passed a defense authorization bill to accomplish these things each year for more than half a century by laying aside partisan differences for the common good. we have never allowed disagreements over policy to interfere with our duty to our troops and their families, and i'm deeply grateful to the many ranking republican partners that i have been fortunate to work with in that endeavor, people like john mccain and john warner and jim inhofe. john mccain, my great friend who has demonstrated extraordinary courage in war and in this senate, will take the gavel of the armed services committee. and my trusted wingman and friend, jack reed, will become ranking member. at a pivotal moment for the

senate and for this nation, the armed services committee will be in strong hands. i've seen firsthand additional powerful evidence that the senate can work together to meet the nation's needs, and that is in the work of the permanent subcommittee on investigations, p.s.i., which i have been privileged to chair for ten years, working with republican partners -- and i use the term partners advisedly, such as tom coburn and john mccain and susan collins. our committee has exposed the tax avoidance schemes of some of the most powerful corporations and wealthiest individuals. we have shined a light on abusive credit card practices. we have investigated wasteful and ineffective government programs. we have confronted market manipulators and he can posed conflicts of interest, mortgage fraud and reckless schemes by some of the most powerful banks,

schemes aided by some of the largest accounting and law firms. we demonstrated how those activities helped bring our economy to its knees, destroying jobs, reducing the value of our homes and damaging our neighborhoods. the work of p.s.i. has helped lead to reforms that have strengthened our financial system and reduced credit card abuses. the power of p.s.i. lies in the in-depth work of our staffs and in the willingness to confront powerful and entrenched interests. like the senate armed services committee, p.s.i. is strengthened by a dedication to bipartisanship and a respect for the rights of the senate minority. we have recognized the danger of using investigative power for

partisan or political purposes, and we have ensured that our great staffs, majority and minority, participate together in every investigation. indeed, it is protection of the minority that is the singular hallmark of the united states senate. the majority cannot always have its way. the senate is more than just the place where the hot tea is cooled and the deliberative saucer that president washington famously spoke of. protections for the minority made the senate more than just a place to slow things down. those protections make it a place where we work things out. it is those protections that force compromise that is essential to unifying and governing our country.

making progress in the senate requires solutions that while they may not provide anyone with everything they want, are broadly accepted as in the common interest. when compromise is thwarted by ideological rigidity or by abuse of the rights that our rules afford us, the senate can become paralyzed, unable to achieve the lofty tasks that the founders set before us. polarization is exacerbated by forces outside this chamber. for instance, we seem to make news more often these days by our responses in the corridors outside this chamber to reporters questioning us about the latest breaking story or rumor than we do by debating and legislating inside this chamber.

the viral nature of information and disinformation and the expectation that public officials will be immediately responsive to every news flash with but a few seconds to think through the implications or consequences or pros and cons has led too often to less thoughtful discourse and that has helped drive rhetorical wedges between us. the incoming senate has an opportunity to restore a greater measure of bipartisan compromise by revisiting one of the most contentious issues that we face, one that we struggled with at the beginning of this congress and that's the senate rules. i believe the excessive use of the filibuster to obstruct confirmation of president obama's nominees was damaging to the senate and to the nation.

any president, democrat or republican, should have the ability to choose his or her team. but the senate majority eliminated obstructions to presidential nominations through the use of the nuclear option, effectively accomplishing a rules change outside the rules, a method i could not support. in doing so, a precedent was established that the majority could effectively change the rules as it wished by overruling the chair and the parliamentarian. that precedent will not serve the country well in the future. because it leaves the minority with no protection, diminishing the unique role of the united states senate. i hope the senate next year considers reversing that

precedent while simultaneousl simultaneously -- and i emphasize "simultaneously" -- amending the rules so as to assure a president's ability to fulfill his or her constitutional duties. put simply, i believe the senate should do the right thing in the right way. it should amend the senate rul rules, as provided for in the rules, to adopt the substance of the changes that we made last year. i know my good friend, senator lamar alexander, who was a part of a bipartisan group of eight who worked closely and successfully together on this issue in 2012 as proposed something similar. such action by the senate next year would be a welcome victory

for comity and for compromise. and it would, i hope, represent a step back from a precedent that leads to effective rules changes by simple majority. it would be a step towards a better functioning senate. no leader alone, no single senator, neither party by itself can determine the senate's course. together, acting together, the members of this body can move the senate forward and in doing so help move forward the nation that we all love. i will enjoy reading about the senate's progress in the years ahead. as barbara and i are sitting on a lake michigan beach or showing the world to our grandkids. i thank the chair.

i thank my dear friends, the leaders of this body. i see my brother sitting here and i'm not allowed to refer to my family in the gallery, so i won't do that. [applause] [applause] [applause]

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. during his 36 years representing michigan in the united states senate, senator carl levin's character and expertise have been described in many ways. he has been named as one of -- by "time" magazine as one of the 10 best senators. he has been hailed by our military as a leader on national security. he is recognized by families in michigan and throughout our country as a dedicated champion

for economic opportunity and fairness. but perhaps the best description of senator levin's philosophy of public service is a word that he himself used in an interview for the george mitchell oral history project at boden college in maine. that word is "fiduciary." it is a word that embraces the concepts of trust and confiden confidence, of ethics and responsibility. in that interview, senator levin elaborated on what the word means to him as a public serva servant. he said it meant to be accessible and open, to listen to other points of views and to be well informed.

then when it is time to decide, to use his best judgment and vote for what is best for his state and his country, even though it may not be the popular choice at the time. fiduciary may, indeed, be the best word to describe our colleague, senator levin, but to me, based upon decades of firsthand experience, there is another phrase that also comes to mind. he is truly a senator's senator. my colleagues may be surprised to learn that i have known senator levin far longer than most of the members of this chamber. you see, when he was first elected to the senate in 1978,

the same year as maine senator bill cohen, for whom i was working at the time, both of them served on what was then known as the senate governmental affairs committee and also on the same subcommittee, oversight of government management, for which i was first the minority staff director and then the majority staff director. so i have known and worked with senator levin for the entire time that he has been a member of this chamber. from the very start, senator levin's diligence as a watchdog for the american people impressed me. ten years after i left the committee, i returned as senator cohen's successor and sought a seat on the governmental affairs committee precisely because,

thanks to the example of senator levin and senator cohen, i saw the importance of accountability in government and business practices. as the chairman of the permanent subcommittee on investigations, it was my honor to begin my senate service with senator levin as our ranking member and as a far more experienced senator than i was at the time. so i've seen firsthand how deeply senator levin cares about the senate as an institution and its unique place in our constitution and in the role -- its role in our system of government. he is a person of extraordinary integrity and a sense of purpose that sets a high standard for

all of us in public service. he works well with senators across the aisle because he works hard. from the very first time that i saw senator levin in action back in 1978, i saw the importance that he placed on extensive, exhaustive preparation for our committee investigations and hearings. as many evasive or ill-prepared witnesses learned to their chagrin, the eyes behind that -- those trademark reading glasses focus like a laser because he has always done his homework. if senator levin weren't to be remembered for his contributions to just one area of policy, it

would be our nation's defense. he has been a member of the armed services committee throughout his time in the senate, including tenures as both the chairman and the ranking member. during our work together on that committee, i saw his mastery of such complex matters as emerging global threats and advanced weapons systems. above all, his focus has always been on the men and women in uniform and their families. from improving their standard of living to better care for our wounded warriors. as a fiduciary of the principles that are our nation's foundation, carl levin has been a faithful trustee and truly a

senator's senator. i truly can't imagine this body without him, without his wisdom, his integrity, his insight. so i thank him for his years of extraordinary service and i wish him all the best in the years to come. thank you, mr. president. ms. stabenow: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: mr. president, carl levin has been my senator for 36 years. and it has been one of the great honors of my life to serve for the last 14 years as his partn partner as well as his friend representing michigan. the year he was elected, greece was the year's highest -- "grease" was the year's highest grossing moving. "and "staying alive" was the nation's highest grossing movie.

and you should see senator levin dance. so he's outlasted disco, the soviet union, and all six people who challenged him in elections, including an astronaut. that's because, mr. president, integrity never goes out of style. and senator levin has never wavered in his devotion to michigan and to his country. he's brought that patriotism as we've heard today and as we each know to the armed services committee. no one has done more to ensure that our men and women in uniform are battle ready with the supplies and technology they need to be the best military in the world other than him. or to make sure they receive good pay and full health benefits year after year after year in coming to this floor and putting together the coalition to make that happen. he's never lost faith in his

capacity to make the government be a force for good. this was passed down from his parents who saw how the new deal rescued families from desperate poverty. a young carl levin, i know, admired president harry truman, especially truman the senator who drove crisscross the country stopping in cities where defense contractors were committing fraud and waste at the expense of america's wartime economy. truman himself would be very proud to see senator levin leading the permanent subcommittee on investigations. a former civil rights attorney, senator levin has relished the chance to crisscross -- to cross-examination those he suspects of dishonesty towards taxpayers and the american people. it's not literally a trial by fire, but that committee room has definitely become a sweat

lodge for unscrupulous executives. and anyone who's tried to get rich by getting one over on average americans. they sweat because they know that senator levin has done his homework. and, boy, has he done his homework. he digs so deep, he knows more about what they're going to say than they do. david used a slingshot to bring down goliath but carl levin can topple a tycoon with nothing but a binder full of subpoena documents. and we've all seen him do it. in 2007 he shined a light on abusive practices for credit card companies, leading to laws that have brought about more transparency. so today your credit card statement contains more disclosure so you know what's going on as a result of senator carl levin. those of us in michigan, though,

mr. president, also see a softer, gentler side. his heart is in detroit, where he was born and raised and lives now, he and barbara, where his soul is nourished by the tranquillity he finds in northern michigan in the upper peninsula, especially where you've made many trips to. if you've been to detroit recently, you know the city is in the midst of a spectacular come back. it is, i believe, the most spectacular comeback in modern history. and everywhere you look, mr. president, you see evidence of carl levin's hard work. he led the way on getting federal funding for detroit's international riverfront which is spectacular. he's worked with me and others in leading the effort to secure critical funding for the m-1

rail project, championing that every step of the way, a streetcar that will inject even more vibrancy to the historic woodward avenue which is already attracting scores of entrepreneurs and small businesses. five years ago i was proud to stand with senator levin as we passionately worked to rescue our american automobile industry and give them a chance to grow and move forward, and i saw his commitment and his fiery passion for making sure we did not let them do and the men and women who worked so hard in michigan and across the country. that revival has done so much to lift up the economy of greater detroit and michigan. senator levin knows that manufacturing is the backbone of our state's economy, but he also knows the landscapes, the soil, the water are all part who we are, our great lakes. it's in our d.n.a., and i know

it's in his. and that's why he has pushed for years to help sleeping bear dunes be recognized as a national lakeshore, and we are seeing the outcome of his work as we look at this beautiful, beautiful national resource. he fought for the federal sanctuary and for the creation of the key one on national historic park. it has been an honor for me to stand with him as he has chaired our great lakes task force, our bipartisan task force and fight for funding for the great lakes restoration initiative, which has had a miraculous effect on the quality of fresh water that's vital for michigan and the nation. mr. president, i could stand here for hours talking about his accomplishments. the footprints and hand prints and marks he's made on michigan,

most importantly the people and the communities of michigan. but as we've heard this morning from colleagues, and we will continue to hear, they are small in comparison to the testament of his character, his compassion, his humor and the unassailable strength of his convictions. senator levin, you will be missed in michigan, by me, certainly in the senate. and i know that you and barbara and your daughters and your grandchildren, including your one grandson who is kind of outnumbered, i know they're going to be grateful to have you so that you can in fact show them the world from your perspective and show them the continued beauty of michigan.

you have given so much and we are grateful. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mrs. mccaskill: mr. president, i want to talk about senator levin from a different perspective than my colleagues have. there is a seduction that goes on around here. you can get lured -- lulled and lured into a false sense of security by excellent staff. now, carl levin is fortunate that he has excellent staff. but what many of us are tempted to do at times is to allow staff to do the arcane and tedious work of checking statutory language. i have been blessed to have a front row seat to watch carl

levin work. from a seat on the armed services committee and a seat on the permanent subcommittee on investigations, i have watched his excellent staff. but i have watched carl levin. this is a man who understands every nook and cranny of statutory construction. he would never be lulled into a false sense of security that he understood the bill just because of what he was told. i will think of carl levin fondly one way. his shoulders slightly stooped, his hand grasping a piece of paper, not an electronic device, his walking quickly towards me with his head down peering over the ubiquitous glasses saying,

"claire, have you read the language? claire, have you read the language?" read the language. read the language. he understands the hazards of a misplaced comma. he understands the danger of using an "and" instead of an "or." he understands that is the essence of our work, is to make sure we craft language that lives up to our purpose and ideals. this is a senator's senator. there are no sharp elbows. there is no heated rhetoric. there is frankly no star power

on cable tv. no one is dying to get carl in front of a camera because he will say something incendiary or he will pick a fight, which all of our friends are anxious for us to do if we would only pick a fight. carl is methodically doing the grindout work of legislating. he has the tools of a great senator. intellect, integrity, good manners, and an unsurpassed work ethic. i will always call him my most important mentor in the senate. he has taught me more than i can ever say, and i will try

desperately to live up to the ideal he has set for all of us. thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. sessions: mr. president, i thank senator mccaskill for her comments. we are indeed talking about a senator's senator, a man who reads the language of legislation, who knows how to legislate. i came here 18 years ago, and served on the armed services committee that entire time, and my admiration and respect for carl levin has grown every year. it's grown because it's deserved, because he is a remarkable leader. he never showboats, always wants to do the right thing. he serves his country first and he runs a committee that is in my mind the best-run committee, according to the ideals of the republic of which we are a part that i think exists maybe in

either house today. it just works like it's supposed to. subcommittees work. you have amendments in subcommittees in disputes. if you don't like the result, you bring it to the full committee and the full committee meets and it takes -- if it takes two full days, it takes two full days. everybody gets to bring up their amendments. they get to bring them forward. senator levin is always brilliantly able to solve difficulties through proper wording of the legislation. as claire suggested, he has an extraordinary lawyer's ability to get the right words to make the bills say what the committee wants it to say. i just think that's special. and i am pleased to have been a part of it. that armed services committee authorizes one half of the discretionary budget of the united states. it impacts the lives of men and

women in harm's way right now. we need to get it right. it's a lot of money and a lot of responsibility. i just think it's really a well-run committee and sort of sets an example for what we ought to see more of in the senate. and there's a fairness about it. somehow we've always passed an authorization bill. somehow it's almost always unanimous or very close to unanimous. there may be one or two issues that sometimes shouldn't have been tacked on to the bill that causes someone not to vote for it. but when it's over, normally every member, republicans and democrats, are satisfied with their ability to have their voice heard, their ideas put into the bill if possible. but you know, if you lose in subcommittee and you lose on the

floor, and you've had your say in both places, it kind of makes you feel like what more can you do? is the rest of the bill okay? i'll try to support it. and he takes the time. these markups take time because we're dealing with a large portion of the budget. and finally, let me just say how much i appreciated his wisdom that he shared with us as we dealt with the nuclear option, the so-called nuclear option that changed the rules of the senate. and senator levin, the lawyer's lawyer, said something that's very profound. it's reflected again in his remarks today. and that is if a majority can change the rules, there are no rules. if a majority can change the rules of the senate at a given moment to overcome objections

from the minority, then there are virtually no minority rights. you've got a pure majority, majoritarian body. and i think that's what carl was sharing with us in his brilliant speech that all of us ought to read if we didn't see it. so, mr. president, i want to thank our chairman for the leadership he's given, for the courtesy he's shown to me and all our members, wish him great success in his future endeavors and hope he will continue to contribute his wisdom to the body politic. i yield the floor. mr. nelson: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, it has been summed up here, and i -- i want the senator from michigan to hear what has been summarized so meaningfully by allf