a service runs deep in the veins of the udall is, it might be called the staff of the udall family tree. alongside his father he looked up to his uncle know who succeeded his father as one of his generations great environmental advocates. , the senate ago will featured 2 udall's, tom and cousin mark. even now are coming from utah senator lee is a second cousin from the udall clan. ultimately it was tom's dad who taught him a lifelong love of political process. during the years stuart udall served as interior secretary tom would watch from the living room as his dad sat at the dinner table surrounded by democrats and republicans alike, both signed at dinner . those memories left a mark and tom would spend his time in congress trying to do much the same . i work with senator vedder led to one of his greatest accomplishments in office, the first major toxic substances control act in 40 years. at the time it was the most significant environmental law passed in 20 years. tom also had become one of the senate leading authorities on final policy, sponsoring over a quarter of the bills that pas

public service, that's what udalls do. senator udall, congratulations on your retirement. thank you for a job well done and so many best wishes to you and your life partner jill and your entire family. you have been a real blessing not only to new mexico but to our country. i yield the floor. mr. cardin: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: thank you, madam president. i just really want to thank senator udall for his commitment to public service. when i think of a person of his talent, his expertise, his effectiveness, he has devoted his entire life to public service to make new mexico better, to make america better and for global justice. and i just really want to thank him for his many years of public service. i know he's not finished his commitment to try to help our community, but we're going to miss him on the floor of the united states senate. i've had a chance to work with senator udall when he was in the house of representatives and i was in the house of representatives and we worked on so many issues together to the enviro

let me tell you about our senior senator tom udall in one of the first times i ever spent any serious time with tom udall actually on horseback and tom was serving at the time as the congressman for northern new mexico's third congressional district and i was leading a group called the coalition for new mexico wilderness. together we rode into rugged r nations is, and canyons the original las vegas that i hoped would soon be designated as the wilderness and it was clear right away that tom shared my sense of wondert in the outdoors and in wild places and a strong commitment to protect those precious landscapes for future generations. walking the halls of congress he was pretty comfortable on that horse of his, much more so than myself. ,ore than one decade later knight would repeat that horseback ride alongside president trump's then interior secretary ryan is a key. we were both serving in the senate by this point and we had successfully worked together to establish, not just the [inaudible] but also the columbine hondo and the national preserve in the oregon mountain desert peak nat

senator udall, nor udall of new mexico has been an incredible steward and champion of so many of the things that the -- at the heart of our country's greatness. like america's great outdoors and natural lands, a culture enriched by tribal nations and enduring commitment to democracy. america's environment, native communities, and our right to vote are some of the fundamental elements that make this country so unique and senator udall has faithfully served the people of new mexico and all americans as an incredibly gifted national leader on these issues and so many more. i got to serve with senator udall on the commerce committee where during the pandemic we worked together to bridge the digital divide and expand broadband, especially for our tribal communities where as we all know, he served as a ranking member of the top democrat on the indian affairs committee. he also was proud to serve with senator udall on the rules committee. we worked on native american voting rights together, that he was the lead, he was the lead on so many bills that would make our democracy better. i hope o

and i was proud to serve with senator udall in the rules committee. we worked on native american votings rights together. he was the lead on so many bills that would make our democracy better. and i hope that one of his legacies is when he's gone, we will be able to finally put these laws into operation and get them done. one of his great pieces of legislation was a constitutional amendment to overturn citizen's united and one day, we will get this done. so many people are tired of the money streaming into our politics, the facts that you have hidden money streaming into our politics and his amendment, i would fix so much of this. he was also co-founder of the congressional international caucus where he left his mark on the country to protect public lands and national parks and promoting leadership in conservation. from his years as new mexico's attorney general to his tenure in the house of representatives and 12 years as a u.s. senator. tom udall has literally been a giant in public service, no one should surprised. he summed up with what drove him

udall: thank you very much, and thank you, senator schumer, for those very kind remarks earlier. as you know, i announced i wasn't running for reelection last year, and if i knew everyone was going to be so nice to me, i might have announced it earlier. i'm not the only senator who is giving a farewell speech. many of us got to hear lamar alexander last week. lamar is the perfect example of what a united states senator should be. before i was wet behind wet behs in the senate, my first week here, lamar invited me and my wife jill to dinner. there it began, jill and lamar's wife honey became fast friends and lamar and i built the kind of friendship that is essential in the senate. we worked together to get things done for our states, bolstering our national laboratories and conserving our great outdoors. something else we shared was mario, our barber in the barber shop and to be honest, that is the best place to learn about the senate, sitting in mario's chair. friendships like i have with lamar and mario is what i will miss most about the senate, the friendships. and because as a

i can think of no better description for tom udall himself had a visionary but also a doer. tom, as you move on to your next chapter in your life i wish you and jill the very best of luck. i yield the floor. >> senator from new mexico. >> iq for the recognition and now i ask unanimous consent the following members of my staff lauren areas, clinton powell and renc casper, sarah gilbert and leo she had, lisa then pinky be given floor privileges for theremainder of the hundred 16 congress . >> without objection. >> thank you very much. thank you senator schumer for those kind remarks earlier. as you know, announced i wasn't running for reelection last year and if i know everyone was going to be so nice to me, i might have announced itearlier . i'm not the only senator who is giving a farewell speech. many of us got to hear lemar alexanderlast week . lamar is the perfect example of what a united states senatorshould be . before i was wet behind the ears and the senate, my first week here lamar invited me to dinner. there it began, sherilyn lamarr's wife when he became fast frien

senator udall, nor udall of new mexico has been an incredible steward and champion of so many of the things that the -- at the heart of our country's greatness. like america's great outdoors and natural lands, a culture enriched by tribal nations and enduring commitment to democracy. america's environment, native communities, and our right to vote are some of the fundamental elements that make this country so unique and senator udall has faithfully served the people of new mexico and all americans as an incredibly gifted national leader on these issues and so many more. i got to serve with senator udall on the commerce committee where during the pandemic we worked together to bridge the digital divide and expand broadband, especially for our tribal communities where as we all know, he served as a ranking member of the top democrat on the indian affairs committee. he also was proud to serve with senator udall on the rules committee. we worked on native american voting rights together, that he was the lead, he was the lead on so many bills that would make our democracy better. i hope o

congressman udall, it was a great way to get them engaged. and the county may not remember this, but they were very instrumental in that they had spent over $300,000 to try to keep the vertical logs that are now holding up the porch roof from becoming straws for the water sitting at its base. that was what cost over $300,000. the national park service very kindly let that investment that the county may count towards the match. so they could help match half the funds. we did not have to raise new funds. we could count that match towards the $700,0006jat/& grant. so ths very nice. thank you. new paragraph. this was the first program that was in march 2001. and we may have over down, we had seven events in a few days. the weekend magazine for that santa fe, new mexico, weekly magazine for santa fe. and they did a beautiful job. that is an artist rendition of john hall. he was the artist and his father worked on the project and told his son stories of what it was like. from those stories he did a whole series of paintings. anyway, that was the co

sometimes i worry as many of you do if you listen to the farewell speeches of lamar alexander and tom udall and others worry if those gains can ever be had in the senate again. i worry about that but we always come close and i came close. after i got here i got invited, i had to explain to people in alabama that's not an oxymoron, there is common sense appear. within 6 weeks of being up here i was at susan collins's office, 20 senators talking about immigration, working on immigration reform. the hottest topic of the day and i marvel at the fact and i was in the room being part of those discussions. what was even more astonishing to me was people wanted to hear what i had to say. that didn't happen having grown up and raised 3 children, you don't always get that when people -- they did and i was so gratified and honored. we would meet in senator collins's office at in hideaways and we came so close, we came so close, within three votes of doing what they said couldn't be done, doing something that was possible but not probable. what i saw of my colleagues, why we ran for the senate, i could

i first covered mo udall in 1972.o thank you for everything you and your family, your wife, have done over all these decades. just sorry to see you leaving the senate. >> well, thank you so much, andrea. i'm not giving up on public service so maybe you'll have me on later on other things that i'm doing. thank you. >> come back often. thank you very much. >> okay, thank you. >>> and coming up, on a grim note, mobile morgues are lining up outside a tennessee hospital, overwhelmed with victims of covid-19. just as concerning, the number of people who still think those morgues aren't real. d'shea: i live in south jamaica, queens, born and raised. i'm a doordasher, i'm a momma with a special needs child, she is the love of my life. doordash provides so much flexibility. if something happens with her, where i need to be home, i can just log out and just say "okay, my family needs me." i don't have to answer to nobody. i don't want to be nobody's employee. i do what i want, i'm independent. independent lady. that's what i li

incidentally, mark udall. his father was mo udall, and cousin tom. they both have great senses of humor. of colorado as a great sense of humor. in terms of my own, looking back , i had a different experience in the senate, but i think of the music of the 1970's, of the nixon era in particular and before that. tom paxton, the kingston trio, your friendly neighborhood ku klux klan, the ballad of spiro agnew. all those kinds of songs i was attracted to as a kid for some reason, but "saturday night live" in the 1970's and how they approached things in a very controversial way in many respects. i heard recently ethan hawke , the actor talking about the , influence of richard pryor, eddie murphy, and chris rock, for instance, as being responsible for him learning about racism, but it was done through humor, and i think i had that experience as well. manminnie pearl from hee haw and the grand ole opry, i love to watch her and i thought she was hysterical. she kind of pushed the envelope in her own way. mark: i know mo udall and his son too. mo coined a joke

i know mo udall and his son too. two inmates were in federal prison and he turned to the other and said you know, the food was your better when you were governor. there is[indiscernible] stuff you could not get away with 30 years ago you can get away with now. , lincoln got some of ,he material from joke books artemis ward, the humorist of his day. artemis ward was said to be mark twain's humorist and you look at some of these joke books. you had to be there. there is a scene in one of those black and white movies joe mentioned audit recently. abe lincoln in illinois and he had just met the woman he was going to marry, mary todd, and he said the todd's are pretty fancy people. d's,spelt todd with two that is highfalutin knowing there is only one dn dog. i am looking at the movie and he is in the corner telling jokes. let me hear what he is going to say it so i can use it. here the men laughing, and mary has to but him. mary, you just run along. we are talking politics. it was like that. in our memory, after a dinner

senator udall has joined the committee. you're welcome and appreciate your leadership on this topic, if you'd like to ask questions, you're more than welcome to. >> thank you, chairman graham and you, senator leahy, you're ranking for allowing me to be here today and participate. i really appreciate it and i've enjoyed some of the comments you have made here today in terms of the joining. i may bring those up in asking a question. but i think, mr. chairman, in terms of joining, when it happens that all the other countries in the world join and then they make rules and we're not a part of it, then we've got problems and i think you and i have talked about that before and i think the thrust of what you're saying is very important for the administration to hear. >> thank you for that comment. and although i'm not a member of this subcommittee, i've devoted a great deal of attention to the issue of plastic pollution, appreciate both of you being here today. and i've introduced comprehensive legislation on this topic in february

as many of you do, especially if you listen to thepe farewell speeches of lamar alexander and tom udall and others. they worry of those perfect games can ever be had in the senate again. i worry about that but we always come close. right after i got here i got invited to be par of a commonsense caucus that i had to explain it's not an oxymoron. that there is common sense pear and within six weeks of beg a peer i w at susan collins office with some 20 senators, republican democrats, talking about immigration, working on immigration reform. it w the hottest topic of the day and an important topic that still important today. and i just marveled at the fact th here i was six weeks into this and i was in that room being part of those discussions and what was even more astonishing to mes people actually wanted to hear what i had to say. that didn't happen having grown up with childn and being married. but they did and i was so ratified and honored and it came so close. remember that, we cameo close within about three votes of doing what they said couldn't be do. doing something that was possi

udall: thank you very much, and thank you, senator schumer, for those very kind remarks earlier. as you know, i announced i wasn't running for reelection last year, and if i knew everyone was going to be so nice to me, i might have announced it earlier. i'm not the only senator who is giving a farewell speech. many of us got to

richard gave the kickoff, lecture, domenici and udall, had the senior center over lunch.hat was found by packets. the sloan foundation flew out of new york to do a reading of this play, most you know died tragically right after the war. a dragons tail. we had veterans, louis rosen, and others on a panel discussing it afterwards, that was covered by the new york times, the washington post, we had a lot of good press from these events. then we had a swing dance. a supper at peppers. it was quite a weekend. next slide. i did all seven events with the help of los alamos historical society. at that last minute my niece came out. we started the atomic heritage foundation in 1932 which has been going since ever since. to preserve and interpret the manhattan project. next slide. we decided that we needed to do some outreach in washington d.c.. and partnered with the carnage is too short of washington. which ironically had been the home for the office of scientific research and development during world war ii. it was headed by bergh, bush, so he was a very important person oversee

worry as many of you do especially if you listen to the farewell speeches of lamar alexander, tom udallke kinsey and others. i worry if those perfect games could ever be had in the senate again. i worry about that. we always come close and i came close. right after i got here i got invited to be part of the commonsense caucus. which i had to explain to people in alabama that's really not an oxymoron. [laughter] that there is common sense appear. but within six weeks of being up here, is it susan collins office was so many here, some 20 centers rebel can, democrat talking about immigration working on immigration reform for it was the hottest topic of the day. an important topic that still important today. and i just marvel at the fact that here i was six weeks into this. i was in that room, being a part of those discussions. but was even more astonishing to me is people actually wanted to hear what i had to say. that did not happen having grown up and raise three children, been married but you don't always get that people want to know what you got to say. but they did and i was so gratif

richard rose gave the kickoff, luxury and santa fe followed by a dinner and we had domenici and udallt the home, the senior center over lunch and we had a lay next and the sloan foundation and flew out of new york cast to do a meeting of this play about louie who most of you know died tragically after the war tickling the dragon's tail and we had veterans louie rosen and others on a panel discussing it afterwards -- and it was covered by "the new york times" and "the washington post" and we had a lot of good press from these events and we had a swing band and the supper at peppers at the restaurant at the hill. it was quite a weekend. next slide. and that gave me the impetus to say i should get my own c-3 and get some staff. i did all of those seven events with the los alamos historical society and at the last moment my niece came out and that was it. we started the foundation, 2002 which was going ever since to preserve and interpret the manhattan project. next slide. so we decided we need to do some reach -- outreach in washington, d.c. and partnered with the carnegie institution of

representative from colorado's fourth congressional district before defeating democratic incumbent mark udall to become colorado's junior senator. senator gardner lost his reelection bid this year to democratic challenger, former colorado governor john hickenlooper. you to the people of colorado for this incredible honor that you have lent to me these last six years to serve you in the united states senate. thank you to my fame jamie, mom and dad and lisa who supported me this last decade of service with your love and sacrifice through missed ball games and lost teeth, school concerts and junior high dances. sore throats and first moments. thank you to my incredible staff, many in the chamber today who are in colorado and washington who made so many great things happen and whose difference will be felt for generations to come. you leave a mark on the country far beyond the etching of a signature. -- signature, desk, and the floor. thank you to my colleagues and senator bennet. thank you for the honor of serving along your side and commitment to our nation, capitol police, the staff, support s

appeal it had down in the lower, bottom two photographs -- you probably in new mexico recognize tom udall on the right. on the left is lamar alexander and patty murray from washington. but lamar alexander, of tennessee, was a real champion. once he told me, when i met with him, he said, "oh, are you the cynthia kelly that put the anthology on the manhattan project together?" and i said, "yes!" and he said, "oh, i just read it. senator bingaman gave me his copy." so, it was really a wonderful thing to have these two senators who so enjoyed history that they bothered to take time to read about the manhattan project. so, anyway, a real tribute to the delegations that we had from the three states at the time. new paragraph. anyway, so, the special resource study went forward, but it was very complicated. most studies take two years. this took eight. but you know, in fairness, you have to consider that there were actually four -- they were looking at four different properties in four different states. you say, four? sure, there was los alamos, oak ridge, and hanford. that's three. but at the l

udall: hello, tom udall here. represent new mexico in the united states senate, and i'm the vice chairman of the senate committee on indian affairs. this is my final term here in the senate and i am certainly not retiring and i intend to continue my public service. but i will be saying

claude the race and then independent minded scottish nationalist and udall skeptic like neil m.s.p. . this is have i can it was declined i should aware of the prime minister was having some sort of light show in the dining street tomorrow to to mark burton's departure is there any sadder me taking place in the european parliament or is there anything to to mark britain's leaving of the institution. i think that the way that european parliament authorities have played this has been very mature and sensible they're not celebrating because they don't believe there's anything to celebrate and i was quoting the observer on sunday just explaining why that is a better way to do it than light shows and so on when you've still got a divided country and people are feel very bruised by this decision was. the. i think the mood and don't excrete will be come hell or high water we're going to deliver a break so by the end of the year even if it means leaving a w t k m's unless the e.u. can come up with some kind of compromise in those circumstances then i think that's what will happen a fundamental

gardner served as the representative for colorado's fourth congressional district before defeating mark udall in 2014 to become colorado's junior senator. senator gardner lois

representative from colorado's fourth congressional district before defeating democratic incumbent mark udall to become colorado's junior senator.

she remained good friends with john kenneth galbraith and stewart udall, the secretary of interior when she was trying to heal went on rafting trips out west in the grand canyon and i know to get away, and she eventually we found herself after years of morning in helping bobby kennedy's political career but returning to her love of books and becoming an editor for doubleday. david: people forget how young she was when she was first lady. she was 31. president kennedy died when she was 34 but she tragically died at the age of 64. douglas: i thought about that today looking at her birthday. this is what we are celebrating. became a feature of tabloids in new york, probably the most sought after woman in the world. children making their marks and american life. i tend to think of her as living longer, but she died at that young age of 64 and succumbed to cancer and was never able to live that extra decade or two. i think people do not realize how young she died because she was such a young first lady that she had a bed with us as a public figure for many decades. welcome. you are muted. >>

and four years later, mo udall. >> mr.our co-founder robin mcneill, mark embodied the goal of the program. >> jim laire and i set out to say -- say hey, talking heads are some of those valuable heads that human beings communicate. and why not make the most of it? and so mark fitted perfectly into that. >> david is wrong in this instance. >> he's challenged his conservative counterparts on the issues. >> my favorite moments in television has been friday nights with mark sheelts. david gergon was his first sparring partner. >> what do you think makes him different? >> he knows a heck a whole lot more about politics. but he had a humility that made him a great partner. judy, something else in television, it's a highly competitive field. and often you may be paired with somebody who you can't quite trust. you never know when you're going to get a knife in the back. i always knew with mark. i could totally trust him. >> there have been heated moments. >> mark and i went at it because we passionately disagree. >> our current pai

and building off the work of someone like senator tom udall whose father served in the cabinet under kennedy. i'm excited about what people have to offer for the good of american people, offering our expertise to make a positive experience, but we want more diversity in the cabinet. >> and you want your governor to be nominated for hhs? >> whatever the governor's role, i think it's important for her to have a significant role. she was just elected the chair of the democratic governor's association. she's on the board of the national governor's association. governors are going to play an important role in defeating co-vid, and in implementing the important programs. i think she's an incredible candidate for health and human services but again, whatever that role, i think it's going to be an important and strong one. i look forward to the country getting to know our governor better with the work she'll do to help us and keep people safe, save people's lives and get us on track. >> i want to ask about another prominent cabinet post, attorney general. yes or no. does that role need to be

experience on democratic campaigns: in '68, robert kennedy, in '72 edmund muskie, and four years later, mo udallsolute authenticity of the guy. >> woodruff: to our co-founder, robin macneil, mark embodied the goal of the program. >> jim lehrer and i set out to say, hey, talking heads are some of the most valuable ways human beings communicate and why not make the most of it and get the best talking heads we can? and so mark fitted perfectly into that. >>oodruff: he's challenged his conservative counterparts on the issues. >> my favorite moments in television have been friday nights with mark shields. >> woodruff: david gergen was his first sparring partner, sharing the desk with mark for six years. what is it about him that you think makes him different? >> you know, he knows a heck of a lot more about politics than i do. but he had a humility about him, as well as that irish wi that just made him-- he was a great, great partner. judy, something else on television, as you know, it can be a very competitive, highly competitive field. and often you may be paired with somebody who you can't quite t

day how many heads were nodding at the farewell speech of senator alexander, senator enzi, senator udall. and then what happens? i've looked at a lot of farewell speeches in the last month. they all say a lot of the same things. and everybody i'm sure nods. but we've got to do better. you have to do better. you know, i don't think i fully appreciated it and i listened to the minority leader talk about where i've come from from fairfield but i don't think i fully appreciated it until fairly recently. it seems like i just kind of love a lost cause. i just -- it just seems like every time there is something that needs there, i'm there fighting for justice, for others, for others who feel like hope is lost. from the church bombing case to a senate election in alabama, i fought for those causes because i believe in hope. i believe in redemption. i believe in the possibility. some may call it naive and many have, but i've not been afraid to touch on the so-called third rail issues of our political system because i believe that right now especially there is no time for caution. my first speech

senator udall, i remember meeting with him on one of his first days when he became senator, he said theirst thing we need to do is get rid of the filibuster. he said it on his last day, right? i think we need to do that. the difference of what we are going to be seeing with the really needed legislation that the house puts forward, including h.r. 1, which is about protecting our elections and protecting our democracy, is we are now going to have a president who is explaining that to the american people. who is not distracting us with -- all the distractions we have had but focusing on what is it that we need? we are very clear we are talking red out slogans or about word, getting everybody excited and upset, but the infrastructure on the ground. the businesses that we need. the childcare funding that we need. the minimum wage that -- you see that supported by people across the country. florida and so many other places. we are going to have a president who is going to be explaining why these are important to the american people. i think that that is -- that is what's going to be putting

udall hate to go have tom go from new mexico, he has done a good job and the senator for i don't knowany years. luhan in newto mexico, the representative. mexico,governor of new michelle grisham. they have all done wonderful. fauci, thank you for going out to the navajo reservation and checking things out. i understand we've got some vaccines out there. we have really been hard-hit down there. much, andnk you very keep praying for us. president,ou for our who has gotten the vaccine for us and who has fought for that giving usand he is freebies, we should all be happy. smiles today. host: our last caller in this segment of the washington journal. but stick around, another hour to go here this morning. up next we will be joined by dale university professor david blake to discuss the history of divisive presidential elections in this country. stick around, we will be right back. ♪ announcer: book tv on c-span 2 has top nonfiction books and authors every weekend. coming up, doctors paul farmer .nd daniel alanis sunday at 1:00 p.m. is. eastern with journalist nicholas griffin. then a discu

durbin of illinois, jell-o who voted against matus's --firmation -- jill a brand murray of washington, udallf new mexico, van hollen a maryland, warren for massachusetts, and wyden of oregon. senators voting against waving that seven-year cooling off 2017 with jim mattis who needed this congressional waiver before eventually going through with his confirmation to become secretary of defense. president trump's first secretary of defense. out of new york, the line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. host: go ahead, sir. caller: there we go. host: go ahead with your comment. what do you think about this idea of voting and control the military? caller: i'm very much in favor of the principal. it has been grounded in our political life for over 200 years. i think the military has been an exemplar of the theory that ,ivilians control the military that they have been pushed to the limit by the -- you have to somethat off -- by politicians in recent days. i feel the law is grounded in sound theory and is worth keeping. host: what would you say to the caller before that said let's do a

but if we really cared and we were really important with what we did, take the entire udall bill, bring it over here and pass the damn thing so we can get it signed and get it enacted into law. that's really what would help people and that wouldn't be -- that's a bill deal. with that, i -- big deal. with that, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from hawaii. mr. case: thank you, madam speaker. did the gentleman yield back? mr. bishop: madam speaker, i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from hawaii. mr. case: i urge adoption of this measure and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4153. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from hawaii seek

udall: hello, tom udall here. i represent new mexico in the united states senate, and i'm the vice chairman of the senate committee on indian affairs. this is my final term here in the senate and i am certainly not retiring and i intend to continue my public service. but i will be saying goodbye to the halls of congress. it has been my honor and the honor of my lifetime to serve the people of new mexico, fighting to protect our land and water, stand up for our communities, work with indian country and reform our democracy so it answers to the people. right now, the republican senate just isn't answering to the needs of the people. takenvid-19 pandemic has the lives of more than 270,000 americans. it has left millions of americans out of work, struggling to put food on the table, businesses are shutting down, and hospitals are overflowing. right now, americans are living through the worst stretch of this crisis, that for months, senate republican leaders have refused to come to the table to negotiate the urgent eme

i call senator udall cousin because of his cousin mark udall and our friendship, but tom udall has nowserved for 12 years in the united states senate for the people of new mexico. i have gotten to know him over that time through our work together on a number of different legislative projects. most around conservation and the environment. we have had a lot of success in that regard. we have been cochairs of what's called the international conservation caucus together. there is legislation called the tropical forest conservation act which we have been able to work together on to get reauthorized. this has been incredibly important legislation. probably the number three or four source of co2 emissions in the world is the burning forest. this has managed to save many millions of acres from the burning by simply saying to these countries we'll do a debt for nature's walk with you. if you owe a debt to the united states, which by the way many are unlikely to pay anyway, we will let you use that in exchange for protecting your forest. it has been remarkably successful at a time when we seem t

and mo udall and now tom udall and his cousins as well. he, too, was an important part of the great american outdoors act. he's work hard on the interior appropriations committee, working with senator murkowski not only to clean up the nuclear waste and to defending our national laboratories. we worked together on that. but he's worked in another area, too, and that's to make the senate work and be more effective. he and i have had some different opinions about how to do that, but i have no doubt that during his time here that if he's been one of the -- that he's been one of the senators that one might call an institutionalist, someone who understands, as clean air thomas once said about the supreme court when someone asked him, how can justice ginsburg and you get along when you have different opinions, he said, we try to remember that the institution is more important than any of our opinions. i would say that's been the attitude of senator tom udall about the senate. so seven of us will be leaving this press that senator prescott bush s

let me begin with my friend and league tom udall. tom inherited a family tradition of fighting for the american west and its citizens. his time in the senate only added to the udall legacy. he has been one of our leaders on conservation and the environment. he championed the creation of monuments and blocked the harmful environmental as follows and this year he helped secure permanent funding for the land and water conservation fund which was pioneered by tom's father steward udall. tom's commitment to the health of our nation's environment has always been evident and i was proud to hand off my role as the democratic leader of the senate interior appropriations subcommittee to tom in 2015. during his tenure, funding for the interior appropriations bill grew by 25% and more than 100 anti-environmental riders were blocked. these victories would have been impossible without tom's ability to connect with his fellow members and get things done. they are also a testament to tom's deep knowledge of america's lands and resources. of course,