today there are 12 republican freshmen. 12 new senators, a quarter of the republican conference, elected as the result of a referendum on amnesty the people have spoken loudly. ... been repudiated by the voters and there's a way presidents typically respond to that. they react with humility. they react acknowledging the american people trying to course correct. but sadly, president obama didn't do that. instead, he came out angry and defiant. he came out and declared to the american people it doesn't matter in his view what the american people say, and it doesn't matter in his view what

the congress elected by the american people says. he is instead going to >> >> we're going to have a vote with the omnibus bill but some of that should be the critical on obama is illegal amnesty. we should consider the constitutionality of his actions. every senators should be put on record whether he or she believes it is constitutional for a president to disregard federal immigration laws.

and a blanket amnesty to millions. is president believes he can alter a law he disagrees with. there is a form of government where one man or woman can make the laws and change the laws and enforce the law. it is called a monarchy. with the executive power from person we're not unfamiliar with anarchy leaf lot -- bought a bloody revolution to free ourselves from a tyrannical monarchs and the constitution when the framers drafted it and then finds the of mischief of government.

the danger refacing here right now is profound as it concerns amnesty and even greater the checks and balances of our government and the protection of individual liberty. and it is no longer a president. that should concern all 100 senators of the president decides i don't agree with a loss while lot in for several unilaterally change them, mr. president i promise you there will be another president with different policies and the next time it may not be immigration laws but tax laws our environmental or labor laws. and i fervently believe we

need tax reform in environmental reform but there is a proper way to do it is this body making legislative changes through lot? not one president is setting aside the lot. a presidential temper tantrum is not and acceptable means of discourse. one of the characteristics of the monarchy is he or she need not compromise. the president has justified the legal amnesty by saying he told congress would you wanted and between the president and congress they do not get the demand of congress here is the policy and want to give me what i

want your i will decree it to be so. but let me be clear. we need common sense immigration reform i support common-sense immigration reform. you have to work with the other branches and compromise. this is the president barely willing to talk to congress led along compromise. as alexander hamilton explained to dictate rules which president obama is attempting to do right now. when the president embraces to wields the constitutional power with the elected

people's representatives congress representing some of voice of the people that spoke resoundingly in the election for every constitutional tool available from subverting the rule of law. with the president usurps the legislative power to defy his authority it becomes all the more imperative for congress to act it use those powers given to us by the constitution for the executive branch where this body will lose its a 30. if the president will lot respect the people then congress must. second, let me ask a question.

why are we here today in a lame duck? why is there a session of congress with so many members voting for those who just said they no longer want to be represented? why are so many getting ready for industry association? all of our colleagues there will have more expensive suits and vine taylor's both the house in the senate are filled with people who will not be here next year. it is not an accident because they are voting to fund a trillion dollars spending bill and those members who were defeated or retired anger not accountable to anybody they don't have to answer for this. it is worse.

that is where the retiring lobbyist dan members will go. so what a perfect way to get your job is to ensure that you come with goodies for the rich and powerful. the american people are disgusted with the washington works. washington under deal bombing administration takes care of the rich and powerful those who lost the corridors of power with ordinary working men and women are in the dark. the people that have then hurt the most are the most honorable. en yet i am sorry to say there are very few advocates for those that are hurting.

and with that expatriate health insurance plan. what is this about? american insurance companies that sell policies are subject to all of the oppressive mandates of obamacare. mandating things like man dairy -- mandatory coverage for women who are not in childbearing years and the of punitive taxes from those of the insurance companies have said it is not fair and hurting our business and jobs. obamacare is amazing. suddenly you get bipartisan the agreement. republicans and democrats together. to carve an exemption for the big insurance companies.

there's a lot of things they don't teach in civics class. lot of things that would horrify the typical student learning how government operates. of lot of legislation is passed on the hot line somebody introduces legislation then sends the e-mail unless you object to this is treated as automatically passed. the body never debates or considers amendments. of the expatriate insurance amendment was all hot line. senators wanted to shoot it through in the lame-duck in the quiet of the night. listen, there are good arguments on the merits for this bill. not unreasonable to

recognize that obamacare is costing jobs and is hurting. but with the hot line works works, i raise an objection to the hot line and i will tell you why. this may make sense but we should do with no amendments or no debate in the dark of night it should be done on the floor of the senate with the debates and with amendments. and i want to take the opportunity to ask my friends and colleagues to support this exemption if you think these provisions are so onerous or damaging and killing so many jobs jobs, why will you provide an exemption? if it is right these are harmful then why discriminate against those living in your state?

i will take it up to offer amendments to say it is fine to take care of the big insurance companies but the single moms forced into part-time work to work 29 hours of weak because the threshold kicks in at 300 hours a week for those somebodies stand up for the average working man and woman. but i will tell you missing though mom that african-american teenagers teenagers, the illegal immigrants did not have fancy lobbyists. no provision of the past several months i have been more heavily lobbied over with insurance company ceos and lobbyists on the phone to take care of this

provision and i responded. we can take it up then just a couple of weeks with the new congress and debate and consider but if we make exemptions for obamacare how about we start with the richest and powerful corporations but instead working men and women. >> this is a great illustration how it works. if magically appeared on the omnibus. tacked on at the last minute because they knew it would go right through congress and the dark of the bite. how profoundly corrupt. if you are a fortune 100 companies should be thrilled

but if you are a steel worker. that will work. if you are a hispanic teenager trying to get her first job to climb that economic ladder unfortunately this united states senate is not listening to your concern. and another provision is a car about four blue cross blue shield. spending more than $15 million on lobbyists. it is fine and dandy a gets the car about but what about working men and women? under the harry reid said

how many bills have weighed debated to provide relief for those of lost jobs or health care or part-time work, skyrocketing insurance premiums and lost doctors? o. not a single one. we don't have $15 million to hire fancy lobbyist. let me be clear. it is a bipartisan ailment. but to shut the institution down the republicans share with that embrace of corporate welfare enough with the corporate welfare. god bless big companies that provide jobs we need to provide corporate welfare but how about instead we

have fundamental economic reform to start and grow and create jobs? to pick winners and losers and instead held about washington listen to the american people? another provision of the bill? corporate welfare brand usa travel promotion company one of the current majority leader's pet projects to help promote casitas in his home state. last i checked there were profitable endeavors that did not need the taxpayers. fed did not need united states congress serving your hard earned dollars to promote casinos.

another example. is also reauthorize in the bill but i will tell you what it does. over the past few years opec has approved a $20 million loan to be built in eastern europe. coincidentally the man who owns the company is the donor to president obama and vice president biden it has packed hundreds of millions of dollars for solar cars in south africa. also, the ritz-carlton in ensample ambac would produce $50 million of insurance to citibank to open branches in pakistan and egypt and jordan how was it one of the largest banks in the world cannot get its own insurance?

why should taxpayers take on that risk? they should not. also spread is the provisions mandating what types of vehicles the u.s. government. and to have u.s. corporations but instead of saving taxpayer money to purchase the chevy full-court tesla instead of other more affordable cars. yet another problem of the lame-duck is the national defense authorization act it had some good provisions served on the armed services committee with amendments accepted including one near

and dear to my heart a provision that finally allows the 14 innocent souls murdered at ft. hood to be eligible for the purple heart for the far too long this administration to declare that as workplace violence. there are other good provisions in the bill but yet at the last minute a giant junk legislation added to the defense authorization bill has nothing to do with defense instead a giant land grab. and let's have the government sees a bunch of land. so the defense authorization bill added 250,000 acres of new wilderness designation. it resulted in 400,000 acres

from productive use. and added three new wild is scenic designation as. some of these provisions there is a reason there were not brought up. because they could not withstand the scrutiny. so the way corrupt washington works is a must pass the and the federal government takes happen in acres of land out of use by the citizens. it is disrespectful to the men and women in the military. we should not use the defense authorization as a tool for congressional is.

to make an additional point about president obama as amnesty, in all likelihood in a matter of hours or days, the senate will pass and the chilean dollar plus amnesty to pay off a lobbyist. so republican leadership in the house and senate have promised the bill is designed for congress to stand up to the presidency of the goal amnesty. and then help is on the way

than republicans are the majority and in just a few weeks we have a new majority leader. the new majority leader has said commack give the president acts in defiance of the people to oppose the will of the country, congress will act reconsidering a variety of options but make no mistake with the newly elected representatives take their seats they will act. madam president, i take this soon-to-be majority the at his word. the speaker of the house said come january were stronger position to take action that the current plan is the most practical way to fight the president's actions.

again, i take can add to his word. when the republican leaders say the bill is designed to to, january and february in just a few weeks, we will see both houses stand together to make clear with the continuing resolution expires for the department of homeland security, this body will not appropriate money to teach us to carry out president obama is illegal and unconstitutional executive amnesty. i take them at their word. because the alternative would be that elected leaders would say something to the american people that they do not believe for will follow through with.

so i take them at their word but i would know a lot of citizens feel like charlie brown and suze and the football. fighting for fight to say we will fight next time. not now. next time. always seems to be when that month happens, this same statement is made. not to derail or february but march domino june, no september. there comes a point where charlie brown has kicked the football one too many times so when the leaders of both chambers say as a commitment we will fight and the

american people will hold them into your word and not so trusting and semi. because members of congress say one thing and do another we will learn in a few weeks if leadership intends to follow through on the promises made over and over again. and i would note the course of this election republican members of the house and senate campaign dollar over this country and said tuesday it is repeated the. if you elect us we will do everything humanly possible of the train wreck that is obamacare and if you give as a republican majority in the senate, we will stop

president obama is illegal amnesty. all over the country that is one republican candidate said and it is the reason they told the american people to elect a majority my simple admonition is especially to the newly elected republicans is very simple. to what you said. simply do what you said. virtually every republican on this side of the chamber told the men and women if you elect us we will stop president obama is amnesty and do what we said because it is profoundly unfair. the amnesty is not fair to millions of legal immigrants who followed the rules waited years in mind that yet see those suits came

illegally not treated the same by the administration and mrs. unfair to the 92 million americans that are not working right now. all the working men and women that are struggling to put food on the table and feed the kids this executive amnesty is profoundly unfair especially to the african-american community. and if congress acquiesces or does not stand up and assert the prerogative of this institution into the legislative or pass laws, if congress does not prevent the president from ignoring of laws on the books, then we will have exceeded our authority not just from immigration across the field.

it is incumbent on all of us to defend the constitution. and it is my hope that the senators do taken an oath to uphold the constitution will honor that more as allegiance. in recent weeks no one and a few senators have publicly criticized the legal amnesty i will come that criticism. it is nice to see that sort of candor coming from democratic senators. but as the wife his fund of telling me, talk is cheap. if those senators that have criticized the executive amnesty as illegal mean what they say, then the only

responsible action is to use our legislative authority to stop it. i would hope my democratic colleagues put partisan politics aside, even those that may agree would say though way to change the immigration laws is to work with congress to compromise. you may not get everything you want but we have a system of checks and balances. madam president coming it is striking in many ways the simplest and best explanation of what the president had done came from "saturday night live" the week after the president's illegal amnesty with the classic schoolhouse rock our bill comes to law with a giant dancing bill to say first to go to the house and the senate if i am lucky the president will sign me then i become law. then on "saturday night

live" the president pushed the bill down the steps of the capital. four separate times. and instead issued the executive order smoking a cigarette as it so happens. and simply said i a man executive order. i just happen. >> exactly. the president is ignoring said jackson imbalances to declare them all. is unconstitutional. and a portion of the bill sent over from the house but to carry out that sent us to

show action, and therefore madame president, i am now but on the grounds it violates the following provisions, this separation as of powers. but to resolve those constitutional questions with a constitutional authority of the united states congress.

>> is the senator raising a point of order at this time? >> i am. >> at this time a motion to refer. >> madam president? >> rich turvey and peter. without objections iraq i appreciate your print - - patience by concerns so we to use the post cloture debate is there mca objections? >> but notwithstanding the

president's insistence on the contract for teheran have consents for a great many people. dray no we are asked but i don't see any reason why the senate should suspend its operations but why would they wait until monday after of:00 p.m.? >> ioc any reason ellis' to have the average movie to vote on the amendment and so

but to modify his request as the majority leader and i will talk about that when we reconvene. >> but moving to the spending limit h.r. 33. >> is there objection?

>> without objection is so ordered. >> madam president let me say i understand the concerns of my friend from utah. i am unable to agree with him but that does not take away from his sincere request. all senators roll-call votes in this is the way it will be that we will have a series of votes all day tomorrow as soon as we get here into the evening and perhaps into the morning if there is no further business we will adjourn under the previous order. we have tried to work something out we have then unable to do that almighty and we have mixed signals from party members and i bow be notified for the last several hours it is the

commute for a lot of people but i am sorry we have to rearrange our schedules for the weekend. >> the senate stands adjourned through noon tomorrow. iowa.

mr. harkin: mr. president, almost two years ago i announced i was not going to seek a sixth i was not going to seek a sixth >> almost two years ago i analysis would not seek a sixth serve in the united states senate. that decision and announcement did not seem difficult for hard at that time. two years was a long time off. since then i have been busy having hearings and meetings and legislation through committee to work on appropriations. but now, knowing this would be my final formal speech on the floor of the u.s. senate, now knowing it a few days i will load hundreds of boxes of my record of 40 years of 10 in the house and 30 into the senate to hold

that off to the american institute of public policy in des moines and i was, -- i was now seeing my office stripped almost bare and the shelves cleaned, now when i will soon cast my last votes , and now i would no longer be engaged in the legislative battle in no longer be summoned by the senate bills, now i am just number 1,763 of all of the senators who ever served in the united states senate. now. now believing becomes hard and emotional. that is because i love

united states senate. i love my work here. it has been said by pundits it is broken. and though it is not. maybe some dents or streaks or banged up the little bit. but there is still no other place in america where one person can do big things for good or bad for our people and nation. i love the people with whom i work. this sign means either of you in a senate which. senators and staff and clerks police and restaurant employees and/or clerks, especially to those

who favor outside the lights and the cameras to make the senate function on a daily basis, i thank you. i particularly want to think of the hard-working staff present and past personal and committee staff i mean the appropriations subcommittee the guy was the ranking member of since 1989, also a committee on agriculture which i have served since 1985 which i chaired a twice surtout farm bills in 2001 and the second in 2007. the committee of health education which i chaired since the untimely death of senator kennedy in 2009. i first heard pat leahy say

this so i wish to read it to him. he once said we senators are just a constitutional impediment to is the smooth functioning of staff. [laughter] this is true more than remove like to read mitt. also thinking my staff not just those who work in washington for are never would have been reelected four times without the hands on the service of my idea was staff. what they have done to help problems is every bit as important as any work in 2012 hour office marked a milestone fell 100,000 constituent service case we have processed since 1985. i cannot tell the number of times that iowa testing to meet for what my staff has done to help them.

there is a story i have heard a longtime. if you drive down a country road in to see a turtle sitting on a fence post you can be sure of one thing. it did not get there by itself. i can relate to the turtle. i did not get here by myself. my staff helped provide thank them of past and present is strongly supported me when i was right and so diplomatically corrected me when i was wrong and who provided a hand up the ladder of opportunity for those dealt a bad and in the lottery of life. i ask consent mr. president to list the names of my

staff's there forever enshrined in the history of the united states senate. >> without objection. >> most of all i thank my a wife roof -- ruth of 46 years. you have been my constant companion, my soul mate, of my strongest supporter, my most honest critic. you have been my joy in happy times and my soul when things did not go right. i am looking forward to more adventures and love and excitement with you in the years ahead. to our to beautiful smart and compassionate daughters, thanks for always being there for your dad and giving me wondrous story as you grew up i am so proud of both of you.

to my son and law and into my grand kids, lookout. here comes grandpa. [laughter] there is so much i want to say but i want to be respectful of those who've come to share the moment with me. my staff, my family and friends and fellow senators senators, but as briefly as i can why i am here. what has propelled me or my guided philosophy all these years? has to do with the opportunity digest mentioned. there is nothing wrong in america with being a success are having more money to have a nicer home or nascar and send your kids to good schools with vacations and a retirement. that is a big part of the american dream.

but i believe when you make it to the top and you make it to the top that i make it to the top of the primary responsibility is to make sure we've the though ladder down for others to climb. mind you i said a letter not the escalator. the escalator is a free ride i don't believe in that. but if you follow my analogy with the latter you have to exert energy and initiative and effort to get out. but in order to do that there must be the wrongs on the ladder and that is where the government comes in and. to put some money there.

everything from the child care programs to headstart, the best public schools or teachers with affordable colleagues per card job training. they have an illness or an accident and that is why we have a safety net, to catch them like workmen's compensation and job retraining programs. get back up on the latter. once again. 35 years ago we looked around for their cash and sought millions of people and no matter how hard they try it to those of the

brothers and sisters with this ability so what did committed to rebuild them a ramp and we call it the americans with disabilities act. played still have to exert energy to do get up. have often said there is not one dime lower nickel we opened the door for accommodation. follow your dream is. in the words of the army monod, be all you can be.

i can remember standing here and i feel a lot like the turtle with a lot of people helping. senator dole and senator kennedy. from the house stood me where, from the executive branch of north carolina justin dart and here fell

one person that worked is an dead is the staff hightail about buddy silverstein never would have happened without him. i of they've been covering a you have to be the observant bystander certain record hearing hope the way it did have heard choosing subroc your list with a committee meeting. one the it but that was in shape by though know how you could remus that. it had a third floor and no

running water. that was mother's house. the second item is this. my father's card. is this notice to report for work on a project unasked to report for lunch on the project for $34.30 per month >> people like four months to they before i was born. >>cspan: get the picture of a fatah resident for date -- hawaii but not in the best of health.

so there were no jobs. life looked pretty bleak. then my father. i got a letter from franklin roosevelt but to have hope that but my plan to size and

though i was told they could quandary may see that as an investment but people still use guns. every federal judge who is sworn in takes an oath to'' maquis'' writes to the port and the rich. >> can we do that to provide equal rights to the poor and rich? and it proves we are not. maybe we should be taken. there are four overriding

issues in hopes the senate will address in the years ahead. number one is a growing economic inequality in america destructive of lives and slows the progress as a nation and will do broad support for representative government and the people at the bottom of the economic ladder that in fact, it is stacked against it they will cease to vote or turn to the song of extreme elements in our society. history proves this to be true. i don't have a cookie cutters answer or solution but it must include more fair tax and a trade laws and more job training to rebuild our physical infrastructure. so seemingly unrelated with other things with early

education for every child in america. the answer to a closing vienna quality gap for collective bargaining. if you trace the line over the last 40 years of the growing economic ecology cents rate. darr almost identical i do not believe in a script but that help to build the middle-class america. >> bay our part of the answer the real strengthening and rebuilding. another part is we need more time laws especially for eartha showman but

strengthening social security with the new retirement system for all workers in america. of system where they can contribute that can only be withdrawn as an annuity for life after one retires. click at what the netherlands has with that type of retirement system of. the reliable retire mitt is the most and reported on the horizon and it is a big part of growing inequality we must continue to build on the affordable care act it has widened that cap and now we start to close that element. as another choice for people we must continue to support

prevention and public else to move us forward more to real health care. but this second act overriding issue is the belief is the destruction sears the continued use of fossil fuels. this science is a reputable the data is clear the morning the signs are flashing bright red stop we we're doing with fossil fuels. we must ship massively for renewable energy and use of smart electric grid to replicate for efficiency and move to a hydrogen based energy cycle. the third issue i commend to the senate to further

develop is the underemployment people with disabilities. as you all though insuring equal rights for people with disabilities is a major part of my work over the past 30 years. we have made significant strides forward to change america to fulfill to of the four goals from the american and with disabilities act. full participation and people opportunity. we have done all right. the other two independent living and self-sufficiency need more development. i ask you to do two things to the advance these goals of independent living and self-sufficiency. help states implement the supreme court's decision of the olmsted case. to d institutionalized people with disabilities to provide true independent living with support

services. this will save money and individuals lives will be better and more truly independent. second, we must do more for competitive integrated employment will look at the unemployed mitt figures every month and it was 5.8% my friend has better calculations to show it is brought -- twice that figure also that employment rate is twice as 11.1% al many of us know that the unemployment rate with those who want to work is over 60 percent? you heard rewrite to read of three americans who want to work and can that is a blot

on the national character. said to have affirmative action plans employers are finding they become the best employees and the most productive the most reliable workers meeting with the ceo of walgreen's they have hired many people with disabilities in the distribution centers and now setting goals as 10 percent of all employs are those with disabilities the states to be emulated by businesses all over america. others are making strides like best buy, home depot, i am, lowe's, marriott and the

other large companies moving for rehiring those with disabilities. we need to learn from them what we can do to help in this area and we need to implement policies to help smaller businesses employ more people with disabilities. . . people with disabilities, and we just have to do better. i will say, however, that our help committee passed this year, president obama signed into law a new reauthorization of the old work force investment act, now named the work force investment and opportunity act. in this law, there is a new provision that i worked on with others to get more intervention in high school for kids with disabilities to prepare them for the workplace through things like summer jobs, job coaching, internments. however, this is just starting

and funding is tight, but it will do much for people with disabilities to enter competitive, integrated employment. and i want to thank all members of the help committee for their support of this bill but especially senator murray, senator isakson for taking the lead to get this bill done, along with senator enzi, senator alexander and me. and while i'm mentioning the help committee, let me thank all members of the help committee for a very productive last two years during which we passed 24 bills signed into law by the president. important bills dealing with things like drug track and tracing, compounding drugs, the work force investment act i just mentioned, the child care development block grant, newborn screening act, and many more. and i see him here on the floor, and i want to publicly again thank senator lamar alexander

for being a great partner in all these efforts. senator alexander will be taking the helm of this great committee in the next congress. senator alexander certainly has the background to lead this committee, but he also combines that background with a keen mind and a good heart, and i wish him continued success as the new chairman of the help committee. the fourth issue that i hope future senates will take care of concerns the u.n. convention on the rights of people with disabilities. i don't think anything has saddened me more in my 30 years here in the senate than the failure of this body to ratify the convention on the rights of people with disabilities. or the crpd, as it's known.

it's been ratified by 150 nations. it's modeled after our own americans with disabilities act. it has broad and deep support throughout our country. supported by the u.s. chamber of commerce, the business roundtable, veterans' groups, every disability organization, every former living president, every former republican leader of this senate. senator dole, senator lott, senator frist. in november, we received a letter of support from the national association of evangelicals supporting it. and i also want to point out, senator dole has worked his heart out on this. you remember, he was here on the floor two years ago this month right before we brought it up, and i thought we had the votes for it. in our constitution, it takes two-thirds. we failed by six votes. but bob dole has never given up on this, never.

well, i hope the next senate will take this up and join with the rest of the world in helping to make changes globally for people with disabilities. so i came to congress, the house in 1974 as one of the watergate babies. with my retirement and retirement in the house of congressman george miller and congressman henry waxman, we are the last of the so-called watergate babies. with two exceptions. among all the democrats elected in that landslide year of 1974, there were a few republicans, and one is left, my senior colleague from the state of iowa, senator chuck grassley. i have the greatest respect for and friendship with chuck. several weeks ago here on the floor, he said some very gracious things about me, and i thank him for that. i especially appreciated his

observation, though, that even though he and i are like night and day when it comes to political views, there's no light between us when it comes to iowa. we have collaborated on so many important initiatives for the people of iowa. i think we made a heck of a good tag team on behalf of our state. so again, i salute and thank my friend and colleague of nearly 40 years, chuck grassley. carry on, chuck. and the other i mention is my lifelong dear friend rick nolan, who was in the 1974 class. voluntarily left congress after three terms, returned to the house in 2012 and was recently re-elected. so 40 years later, this watergate baby has grown up, gray. i came to the senate 30 years ago as a proud progressive,

determined to get things done. as i depart the senate, i can say in good conscience that i've remained true to my progressive roots. i have worked faithfully to leave behind a more vibrant iowa, a more just and inclusive america, and a stronger ladder and ramp of opportunity for the disadvantaged in our country. you might say that my career in congress is the story of a poor kid from cumming, iowa, population, 150, trying his best to pay it forward, saying thank you for the opportunities i was given by leaving that ladder and ramp of opportunity stronger for those who follow. if i have accomplished this in any small way, if any americans

are able to lead better lives because of my work, i leave office a satisfied person. so i am retiring from the senate, but i'm not retiring from the fight. i will never retire from the fight to ensure equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for every disabled person in america. i will never retire from the fight to give a hand up and hope to those who have experienced disadvantage and adversity. i will never retire from the fight to make this a land of social and economic justice for all americans. let me close with a single word from american sign language. on july 13 of 1990 i stood here and gave an entire speech in sign language. confused senator kennedy who

was -- senator kerry, sitting in the chair, dent know what to do and the recording clerk didn't know what to do, either. but then i had to give it verbally. well, i didn't want to do that today. but there's one sign that i want to leave with you that says something. it's powerful. powerful. one of the most beautiful signs in american sign language. and might i teach it to you? take your hands and put them together like this. put your fingers together. put your fingers together. put your hands together like that and you kind of close and it looks like an a when you do that. and move it in a circle in front of your body. that's it, pages. you got it. this is the sign for america. think about it. think entity. all of us interconnected,

browned together in -- bound together in a single circle of inclusion, no one left out. this is the ideal america toward which we must always, always aspire. and with that, mr. president, for the last time, i yield the floor. [applause] ins: 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 all of our colleagues because this is the best of this institution of how it performs. it has been embodied in the public service of carl levin for 36 years here. what you have heard is the testimonies on both sides of the aisle that because of how he has conducted himself as an individual and how he has conducted himself as a public servant and how he has conducted himself as a leader in this senate is exactly how this institution is supposed to function. isn't it rather symbolic that on the last couple of days of the

session the bill that will be passed is the bill that he has ushered and he never broke tradition. he made sure the defense authorization bill was going to be passed by hammering out the differences with the house and shepherding it through the parliament process. and it's happened every year because of extraordinary leadership. i will close simply by saying that because he is all of the things that you've heard, the consummate gentleman, the humble public servant, the razor sharp mind, the best lawyer, by the way, in the entire senate, because he is all of those things, he also is the embodiment of a senator, because when he gives you his word,

that's it. you don't have to worry anymore. the future senates should take a lesson from the life and the leadership of carl levin of michigan. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. manchin: mr. president, i rise with honor and pleasure to be able to say thank you to my dear friend. i am the most junior member, besides yourself, in this body today, and when i first came to the senate -- and i have asked for armed services. west virginia has a large percentage of putting an awful lot of people, percentagewise than most states that have served in all the branches of the military. the national guard is very near and dear to me. there are many reasons i wanted to be armed services. when i got here in the most toxic times of the political

arena, if you will. it was not what i expected, to say the least. seeing the toxic atmosphere that i come into, people said it didn't used to be this way. it used to work. the process worked. the whole senate -- aura of the senate was there, and we're losing that. so that was their excuse for telling me this is why it's not working today but it used to work. and i kept thinking. then i became part of this committee, armed services committee, with this unbelievable chairman whose name is carl levin. i watched and observed. i didn't say a whole lot at first, as freshmen aren't supposed to, but i watched and i learned and i saw the system the way i imagined it probably was 20, 30, 40 years ago when it did work. i saw the senate. and i'm thinking why can't the rest of the senate work the way the armed services committee works? and there is one reason -- we don't have enough carl levin. we just don't have enough carl

levin. practical, reasonable, sensible. it makes sense to me what he would say. i had difficulties. just recently, i have had difficulties on a piece of legislation. it's very important. carl spoke to me in terms that my father would have spoke to me, and i understood very well. state your opposition, record your opposition and look at the whole situation as the good of the bill better than basically this piece that you oppose, and you can explain your opposition. just different things. the way carl would say -- and carl would always say this, too. you ask him. he would say listen, i can't tell you what to do. i may have heard that. i can't tell you what you have to do. and really, you have to do what you think is right. and let me give you some points to think about. that's an unbelievable mentor that will give you the ability to kind of process this whole system that we're in. let me just say this, carl. i have -- i'm sorry that i didn't have the honor and the

opportunity and the pleasure to serve with you many, many more years. i really am. or i didn't get here soon enough, whatever the case may be. but you have left an impression on me as how the place should work. robert c. byrd, my senate predecessor, basically felt as passionate as you do. there is a process here. there is a reason for the process to make us talk to each other, to make this place work, and there is never a situation that we should get into that's as important to the american citizen or this country that we can't work it out and can't get at least 60 votes. never a time that we couldn't get 60 votes. if we do, then basically just changing the rule is not going to change the attitude and atmosphere that we're in. so i believe very strongly in that and i appreciate the fight you have. we have a saying in west virginia. in the hills of west virginia, we have a saying. they're good people. you meet somebody, and he says they're good people.

carl, you're good people. thank you. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: mr. president, one of the great honors of serving in the united states senate -- and it is a great honor to serve in this body -- is the fact that i have had the opportunity to serve with carl levin. i think senator levin represents the very best of our political system, the very best of the united states senate and why i'm so proud to be part of this institution. i must tell you, i came from the house of representatives and i had the great pleasure to have as one of my closest friends in the house of representatives carl's brother sandy. sandy is an incredibly talented person who believes in public service, and like his brother carl, the two of them had devoted their family reputation to public service and has given so much back. carl, i could tell you what you've done for national

security, for our national defense, the type of attention that you have paid to make sure that this country is as well prepared as it needs to be. you've done that in an exemplary way. i could tell you what you have done for the people of michigan, the type of representative. you have been a great united states senator for your state but a great united states senator for the united states, and that's not always an easy balance that you have been able to do. and as so many colleagues have said, when we seek advice, when we need a senator to help us understand something, we go to carl levin. i know some of my constituents have a hard time believing that we read the bills around here. carl levin reads the bills around here. he's found typographical errors in some of my legislation. he's found ways that we didn't express ourselves the way that we should have. he writes me notes all the time. and i thank him for that dedication.

but as several of our colleagues have pointed out, there is no one here who has a greater love for the traditions -- the best traditions, the best traditions of the united states senate, a senate that -- that debates and respects each other. and one of the great opportunities i had was to sit in a room with lamar alexander and carl levin and others and talk about that and how we could restore the best tara -- traditions of the united states senate. so senator levin, i just want you to know i will always be indebted to serving in this body with you and learning from you and recognizing just what one person can do to carry out the honor and dignity of public service. you really define public service, and for that, i am very grateful, the people of michigan are grateful, the people of america are grateful.

congratulations for a great service to our country. mr. brown: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. it's no surprise to any of us that the first thing carl levin did when he spoke today was thank the staff, not just his own staff but the police force and the grounds keepers and the food service people and the people that too many in this world ignore. that was the first thing he did. the second thing carl did in his address was to talk about the gulf between the fortunate few and the struggling many. that has been what i most admire about carl levin, that he's always aware of that and always fighting the fight for people that have a lot less privilege that those of us do that dress like this and get really great titles. and no one, frankly, no one in this body has stood up to special interests and the most powerful forces in this town more effectively and more energetically than carl levin, and for that i am so grateful, and i know so many of us in this

country are so grateful. thank you, senator levin. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: mr. president, when i came here in 2009, we were in the middle of an enormous meltdown due to high-risk trading inside our major banks, and i wondered whether we as an institution were capable of undertaking this challenge of changing the circumstances around that in order to not have another 2007-2008 meltdown that would do so much damage to families across this country, and i put out an email to everyone and said is anyone interested in taking on this issue for the future stability of our financial system, and the next day i came to the floor, and senator levin said the email you sent out, i want to talk to you about that. i want to partner in taking this on, and immediately basically

said we'll work together. i'm not the senior senator who wants to take over this effort, although i would have been glad for that to happen, but he took his -- there was not the ego in it. there was the intellect and the passion and the determination to fix a problem. and to me, the senate should be about people coming together to fix problems to make this nation work better, and that event is deeply burned into my mind. the result, because of senator levin's efforts, was the volcker rule that said that high-risk trading should not be done on the banks books for high-risk trading and high-risk instruments. it will make a significant difference in the years to come. but what i particularly want to thank my colleague for is the attitude of coming together to

solve important problems for america, even if that means taking on very powerful special interests, and i hope we'll see a lot more of that from this senate in the years to come, but it will be a much bigger challenge without you here, and we will miss you greatly, and thank you so much, senator, for your service to our nation. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. alexander: mr. president, the senate at its best has been said to be the one authentic piece of genius in the american political system. carl levin is the senate at its best. i thank him for his courtesy, his decency, his scholarship and his sense of public service, and i thank him for his reminder that if we are going to have the trust of the american people to write rules for them, we should follow our own rules. it's been a privilege to serve with him. thank you, mr. president.

the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: mr. president, i, too, want to spend just a couple of moments reflecting upon my long friendship and association with senator carl levin from michigan. much has been said here about carl, the person and the senator. let me just say this -- i don't know of anyone in this body who has exhibited more of an intellectual honesty, a calm demeanor, a sense of fierce loyalty and perseverance. i don't know anyone who exhibits those qualities more than carl levin. carl embodies the best of what i think it means to be both a citizen and a united states senator. barbara and carl and ruth and i have enjoyed many meals together

over the years, great conversations about everything, and i just want to say to my friend carl, i hope that michigan and iowa are not so far apart that we can't continue to get together in the future, and i will say, carl, right now i hope that -- i hope that you don't hold it against me for all of the times that the hawkeyes will beat the wolverines in the future. don't let that be a stumbling block to our friendship. [laughter] i yield the floor, mr. president. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. inhofe: i'll be very brief because i know that we have some other things coming up before our going on to the ndaa and i'll be standing here with my good friend and brother, carl, at that time. but i recall when i was first elected to the house of

representatives -- it's hard for me to believe that's 28 years ago -- i became good friends of a guy named levin there. but it wasn't carl, it was his brother. and there was a real sincere lovable attitude by him. i can remember talking over some of these -- sitting by him during some of the debate on very partisan things and i really thought, this guy is really neat, you know. you can't -- he has the -- it's the kind of thing where you can't dislike him. well, then i came over here 20 years ago and there's another one. and it just happens that my major committee -- well, i have two major committees, environment and public works and the senate armed services committee -- and i thought, this is remarkable because while on occasion we will differ -- i'm talking about the chairman and me; and i'm the ranking member of that committee -- occasionally we'll come up on an issue where we don't agree. and then when we -- on two

occasions last year and this year we had to go into this process of the big four. now, that's where it gets really contentious because at that point, you've got to come up with a bill. and so there was never a time -- yes, we had to give in. i don't know whether he gave in more than i gave in, but whatever it was, it -- it all had to happen and it did happen and it happened because of carl more than me. chairman levin and i can both say the same thing, people will hate me and they love him. i always wonder how you get by with doing that but you do. so he is a lovable guy that i will sincerely miss and that relationship, and i hope that you'll be back often so you can be here to remind other people what a real statesman is. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: mr. president, i just want to take a moment to thank carl levin for his friendship. i think, as has been previously

noted, carl is recognized as having perhaps the greatest intellect here in the united states senate. carl has been for so many years a forceful fighter against waste in the military and in recent years he has led the united states senate in telling us that it is absurd that large multinational corporations that are able to avoid hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes by storing their money in offshore tax havens. he's been a leader on that. and for those of us who are concerned about the needs of our kids and our elderly and our infrastructure and all the terrible problems facing this country, this is an issue we have got to focus on. so i think senator carl levin has been a senator's senator. he has been a model of what a good senator should be. it is not surprising that people from all political persuasions will come to the floor to thank

him for his service. so, senator levin, thank you very much for your friendship. mr. franken: mr. president? as long as we have a money, i just want to -- the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. mr. franken: i just want to echo what everyone has said. i had the honor of traveling on a codel with chairman levin to pakistan and afghanistan when i'd been here just a few weeks, so i was traveling with the chairman of the armed forces committee. and the respect that he got from everyone from the generals down to the privates when i was -- especially in afghanistan, was remarkable. carl fought to increase the number of our -- the ratio of

our troops to contractors. carl, when he -- when we took the majority back in 2006, started doing the kind of oversight of the contracting that had been really led to a lot of waste, fraud and abuse in iraq. he's used p.s.i. in the way it was intended by harry truman. and i thank him especially for the work he did on the credit rating agencies, the wall street credit rating agencies. right now standards and poors is being prosecuted by -- or sued by d.o.j. for about $5 billion,

and part of what they're using are -- are e-mails that the permanent subcommittee on investigation obtained in which basically the credit rating agencies internally were saying we better give this a aaa rating, otherwise we're going to lose our business. that, in no small way, led to the meltdown that we had because all this junk was getting aaa's and those were bets on bets on bets on bets on bets and that's what led to the meltdown. and carl always seems to -- to go to where that kind of top-down fraud or malfeasance is

going. and so when we talk about, as he opened, as sherrod mentioned when he talked about the disparities and how this is rigged very often from the top-down, talking about the offshoring and the work they did in p.s.i., on the permanent subcommittee on investigations, on that is -- on tax havens, on inversions. and i hope to take that up as carl leaves. carl leaves a lot of unfinished business. everything that's been said has been said -- is who carl is. everyone should know that. one thing hasn't been said is,, he misha.

so, carl, you're one of the most hemish men i've ever known. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine is recognized. mr. king: mr. president, i want to speak very briefly, because, as senator manchin somewhat impolitely pointed out, i'm the most junior person in the place. [laughter] but i want to say a couple things about carl levin. the first is, as has been said here repeatedly, carl levin is a man of immense intellect and character and i want to explain how that came to be. i thought that would be important to lay on the record. and it came to be because carl levin and his brother spent their boyhood summers in the state of maine. and that imparts character to anyone who's lucky enough to have that experience. secondly, i want to mention, because it's been mentioned several times, about the travel. i had the great good fortune to travel, after having been here about six months, carl and i, as

members of the armed services committee, went to turkey and jordan to try to get some insight into the situation in syria. my only advice to anyone in this body is if you're ever invited to travel with carl levin, spend the prior two or three months in the gym. i have never been so exhausted in my life. and we would be at a 10:00 p.m. after all-day meetings and touring of refugee sites and carl will be saying, "can't we have another meeting?" "isn't there someone else we can talk to?" his absolute passion for information and data upon which to make decisions is i think exemplary. the final thing i want to note is -- and it's been talked about how he is a senator's senator, which is certainly true -- my observation and, in fact, my experience this year in the markup of the national defense authorization act is the

highlight of my experience in this body. and the reason it is, because it worked like it's supposed to work. we had 2 1/2 days of markup. they were about 10-hour days, as i recall. there were over 200 amendments. and through carl's leadership, most of those amendments were compromised and worked out between the parties and between the individuals that were moving the amendments, but we ended up with about 20 that we couldn't resolve in that way. and i went back, i was so struck by this, i went back and looked at the record of that markup. of the 20 amendments that were voted on in the committee, not a single one of those amendments was decided on a party-line vo vote. there were votes of 13-12 or 16-4 or whatever the vote was. not a single party-line vote.

i think that in itself is an extraordinary achievement in a body that is often driven bipartisan divisions. and i think it's attributable in large measure to carl levin's leadership. everybody had their say. everybody had their opportunity to put their thoughts forward. everybody had an opportunity to get a vote, if they felt that was necessary, and, of course, in the end the bill came out of the committee i think it was 25-1. and that's what legislating is supposed to be all about. because -- and i think that's a lesson for us. because people felt that they got their amendments, they got their discussion, they got their ideas out, even if they weren't successful, at the end they voted for the bill because they were invested in the process. and that's what i learned from this man who i think has been just an inspiration for those of us that are coming along behind.

and, again, i'm just so honored. carl, i -- one of the great joys of my life has been to serve with you for two years. one of the great sadnesses of my life is that it's only two years. but i deeply appreciate what you've done for this body and for the united states of america. bless you. mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senior senator from new york. mr. schumer: i know my good friend from iowa is waiting patiently so i will greatly curtail my remarks. i would simply like to say to my dear friend, carl, who we will all miss, if you had to put a headline on what's happening today, it's "mr. integrity retires from the senate." there is no one, no one in this body on either side of the aisle whose integrity is more respected than yours, carl. you have many great traits. but at these times in america, when people have such distrust of government and elected officials