A resolution relative to the death of the Honorable Robert C. Byrd, a Senator from the State of West Virginia.

Mr. President, I rise with a heavy heart to pay tribute to our friend and colleague who died early this morning, Senator Robert C. Byrd, the longest serving Member in the illustrious history of the U.S. Congress, the longest serving Senator, and the only Senator in U.S. history elected to nine full terms. Considering that Senator Byrd won his first election, to the West Virginia House of Delegates, in 1946, it may be that he was the longest serving elected official in history. His passing is a profound loss to all Americans, to his beloved constituents in West Virginia, and particularly to the institution of the U.S. Senate and those of us who serve here. The Senate had no greater champion than Robert Byrd, no one with his understanding of the Senate's unique character, role, promise, history, and parliamentary procedures.

When Robert Byrd was elected to the Senate in 1958, after serving in the House for 6 years, he was part of a large, distinguished class that included such future giants as Hugh Scott, Gene McCarthy, Edmund Muskie, and Philip Hart. He surpassed them all.

According to the Senate Historical Office, Robert Byrd was the 1,579th person to become a U.S. Senator. Since he was elected to the Senate, another 335 individuals have become U.S. Senators. All in all, Robert Byrd served with over 400 other Senators. And I am certain that each one of them held their colleague, as I do, in the highest esteem.

Senator Byrd's modest beginnings in the hard-scrabble coal fields of Appalachia are well known. After his mother died during the 1918 flu pandemic, Senator Byrd went to live with an aunt and uncle who adopted him and raised him in a house without running water or electricity. He pumped gas and butchered hogs. During World War II, he was a welder and built cargo ships in Baltimore and Tampa Bay. After the war, he successfully ran for the West Virginia House of Delegates and, 4 years later, the State's senate, before entering Congress in 1953. All in all, he ran for and was elected to office 15 times--not counting primaries--without suffering a single defeat. Suffice it to say that his life is the quintessential American success story. I think every young American should learn about Senator Byrd's life as an example of what hard work and persistence and devotion can accomplish in this country. He understood better than most people the importance of being educated, not just for embarking on a successful career, but as an end to itself. He was well-read and could recite from memory long passages from the Bible, and from great poets and authors. He was a fine historian, not just of the Founding Fathers and the U.S. Senate, but of ancient Greece and Rome and England.

Senator Byrd married his high school sweetheart, Erma Ora James, shortly after they both graduated from Mark Twain High School--where he was valedictorian--in 1937. He was too poor to afford college right away and wouldn't receive his degree from Marshall University until 60 years later--when he was 77. In between, he did something no other Member of Congress has ever done: he enrolled in law school--at American University--and in 10 years of part-time study while serving as a Member of Congress, he completed his law degree, which President John Kennedy presented to him. Senator Byrd was married to his beloved Erma for nearly 69 years, and was blessed with two daughters, six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

During his Senate tenure, Robert Byrd was elected to more leadership positions than any other Senator in history, including majority and minority leader, whip, and President pro tempore. He cast 18,689 rollcall votes. Only 29 other Senators in the history of the Republic have cast more than 10,000 votes; Strom Thurmond is the only other Senator to cast more than 16,000 votes. Senator Byrd's attendance record over five decades--97 percent--is as impressive as the sheer number of votes he cast.

Senator Byrd's legislative accomplishments, from economic development and transportation to education and health care, are legendary. He steered the Panama Canal Treaty through the Senate and waged a lonely battle against the war in Iraq, leading an unsuccessful filibuster against the resolution granting President George W. Bush broad power to wage a preemptive war against Iraq. He claimed that his vote against the Iraq war resolution was the vote of which he was most proud for having cast over the course of his career. When U.S. military strikes on Iraq commenced on March 19, 2003, he stated:

Today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of

recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image

of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The

image of America has changed. Around the globe, our

friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions

are questioned. Instead of reasoning with those with whom

we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten

recrimination.

Senator Byrd was unabashedly determined to use his power as a Senator and as the chairman or ranking member of the Appropriations Committee to help lift his State out of grinding poverty. And he delivered for his constituents. It is no surprise, then, that he won 100 percent of the vote of West Virginians in one election--1976--or frequently carried all 55 of West Virginia's counties. And while he fervently supported the coal industry, he recognized the devastating environmental and social impact of mountaintop removal mining techniques and he called for an end to that practice.

In the meantime, he wrote five books, including the definitive history of the U.S. Senate.

Perhaps the highest tribute to Senator Byrd can be found in his biographical section of the Almanac of American Politics, which states: ``Robert Byrd . . . may come closest to the kind of senator the Founding Fathers had in mind than any other.'' His fealty to the U.S. Senate and to the Constitution has served as an inspiration, a lesson, and a guiding light to all of us who have been privileged to follow him in this Chamber.

In the last 10 months, we have lost two towering figures here in the Senate: Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd--one of the Senate's greatest legislators and without doubt its greatest defender. Former Senator Paul Sarbanes, whose seat I am privileged to hold, remarked that Senator Byrd liked to say that he never served under any President, but was honored to serve with many Presidents. We can honor these twin giants by carrying on their legacies, by fighting to make America a better place for all Americans, and by defending the Senate's role as a co-equal, not subservient, branch of government.

When Senator Byrd became the longest serving Member of Congress last November, I quoted Robert E. Lee in my floor statement. Lee said:

Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty

in all things.

You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.

Senator Robert C. Byrd has done his duty in all things--to the Senate, to himself, to his family, to his State, to his Nation, and to God.

I am honored to join his and my colleagues here in the Senate, West Virginians, and all Americans in mourning the death, celebrating the life, and paying tribute to this great Senator and this great man.

Mr. President, I know several colleagues have come to the floor today to note the passing of a giant among us, Robert Byrd. I want to take a moment here to speak straight from the heart about Robert Byrd and my experience working with him. As we look at his desk with the flowers there, we of course think back to not too long ago when we lost another giant, Ted Kennedy. I think what distinguishes these two from others is their unbelievable, undying commitment to the people they represented and to this country.

I think, when all is said and done, that is what it is about. It is not about how long you serve. Of course, in the case of both Senator Kennedy and Senator Byrd, it was so long. Senator Byrd made history as the longest serving Senator, and that should be duly noted. But it is well beyond that. It is about this fierce sense of ``fight for your people'' that they both had.

When I came to the Senate, of course Robert C. Byrd was a legend for sure. He always met with the incoming Senators, to give them the rules of the road about procedure, about how to conduct yourself when you were in the chair, about the dignity of the Senate, and most of all about reverence for the Constitution. As many know and many saw, the image I will always have of Robert C. Byrd is of him reaching inside his suit pocket and bringing out the Constitution--which, along with the Bible, was what he cherished most. He taught us that everything we do here comes from the Founders, and he taught us to love and respect the Constitution and he did it in a way that was truly inspiring.

I can tell you, coming from the largest State in the Union, we have our share of problems. We have floods and fires and droughts, we have pests in our agricultural industry, we have problem after problem-- earthquakes, need I say that? Every single time we had one of these disasters, Senator Feinstein and I knew we had to go to our colleagues and say: Please understand, California needs the help of the U.S. Government because the damage is so massive. Of course, we all do that whenever our State has a problem, because we are the United States of America.

However, there are times when you do not have an ear that is listening. Senator Byrd, as the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, opened his doors to us, opened his heart to us, opened his experience to us, and was always there for us. I so remember that, time after time.

I went to see him about our water problems. We have lots of water problems. We have cities and suburbs that need the water. We have fishermen who need the water. We have agriculture that needs the water. All the stakeholders have very difficult debates over water. Senator Feinstein and I again have teamed up on this and we have always had a willing listener in Robert C. Byrd, who understood and helped us get the stakeholders to the table to find ways to preserve, to conserve, and increase the supply in a smart way for all those stakeholders.

These things are very big to the people of California, who probably have not connected Robert Byrd to California. But in all of these cases where we were so in need, he was there for us.

I remember so well his leadership in trying to bring the troops home from Iraq. Twenty-three of us stood up and said no to that war because we thought it meant taking our eye off Osama bin Laden and what was happening in Afghanistan and turning around and going into Iraq. We worried very much

about what would happen with our troops and that it would be a very long war and there was no exit strategy.

Senator Byrd organized us and he opened his office here in the Capitol and said we need to talk about ways that we can bring this war to the end. We need to organize and we need to talk about what is happening to our troops. He cared so much. For me, to have been in his presence and to watch him work has been an amazing experience. So I rise to pay tribute to him.

He has so many wonderful family members who care so much about him. When he lost his wife, it took a huge toll on Robert Byrd, and you saw it in his face. A light went out inside. His grandchildren and children stepped up, but that hole in his heart was there. It was evident to all of us. He stayed here through thick and thin, came in--wheeled in, in a wheelchair, fading, suffering, to be in this place that he loved so much, so much; that he respected so much.

I say, and I know, there is not a Member on either side of the aisle who did not respect Robert C. Byrd for his brilliance, for his strength, for his fierce representation of his State and, by the way, for his extraordinary biography, coming up the way he did. Talk about the American dream--a child of dire poverty, close to the mines. He always fought for those miners. What a legacy he leaves.

I don't have any notes in front of me. I am speaking from the heart today. I will have a more complete statement, but I did want to make my views known today and send my condolences to the family. It is a great loss for everyone.

Mr. President, my heart is heavy with sadness following the passing of a dear friend, Robert C. Byrd, Senator from West Virginia.

We have been friends for nearly 50 years and I am overcome with memories. Nearly 48 years ago Senator Byrd was one of the first to greet me in the Chamber of the U.S. Senate.

Since that first moment of friendship we have worked together on many projects. And since those early days, I have called him, ``my leader.''

He was my mentor. Over the years he provided me countless opportunities and tasked me with positions of critical national oversight while guiding my actions with the temperance he learned as the longest serving Senator in history.

He was a Senator's Senator. His many accomplishments were historic and he fought tirelessly to improve the lives of working families in West Virginia. We shared the belief that we must provide for the people who trust us to represent their communities in Washington.

I owe much to my leader, Senator Byrd. He will forever have my gratitude and respect and I will miss him dearly. My thoughts and prayers are with the Byrd family during this difficult time.

Mr. President, as America mourns, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Senator Byrd.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the provisions of S. Res. 572 as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Robert C. Byrd.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.