Debbie Stabenow

Mr. President, in a few moments, I will be asking unanimous consent for a really special person to be the Federal Cochair of the Great Lakes Authority, but let me speak a little bit, first, about him.

Matthew Kaplan has been nominated to serve as the Federal Cochair of the Great Lakes Authority, and he really is an excellent choice for Cochair. I am so pleased that his nomination was reported out of the Committee on Environment and Public Works by voice vote in November. Matthew and I have a connection through his work for Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who is my partner in creating the Great Lakes Authority, which we successfully created back in 2022.

I am so proud that we secured the first batch of funding to be able to start the program earlier this year, and by combining Federal money with State resources, the Great Lakes Authority will serve as a new economic development agency for the Great Lakes Region. And let me say, most regions of the country already have an economic development authority; the Great Lakes are one of just a couple that have not had one over the years, so this fills that gap.

I am pleased that I was originally working on this with Senator Rob Portman here in the Senate, and our great Marcy Kaptur has been its champion in the House.

This important partnership will give State and local governments the tools they need to promote economic development and job creation, restore and protect our Great Lakes, ensure the region continues to lead on manufacturing, and so much more.

Matt is a terrific nominee to lead the new authority. He was a key adviser to Congresswoman Kaptur in her leadership of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, the bipartisan and bicameral Great Lakes Task Force, and in drafting the legislation to create the Great Lakes Authority. This experience will, undoubtedly, help him hit the ground running in his role as Federal Cochair. He is also eager to be a changemaker on behalf of the region.

I urge the Senate to advance his nomination by unanimous consent so that Matthew can get to work.

With that, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that, as in executive session, the Senate consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 834, Matthew Kaplan, to be Federal Cochair of the Great Lakes Authority; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.

Madam President, I rise today to pay tribute to a wonderful staffer who has been indispensable to me and the entire Stabenow team. She has left us now; so she is in the Gallery, rather than sitting next to me. But I am so grateful for Anne Stanski and her incredible work.

Anne began as a scheduler in my Washington office at the beginning of my second term in the Senate, and after just a few weeks, I wondered how I got along for 6 years without her. Anyone who knows congressional offices knows that being the scheduler is not the most glamorous job. But having a great scheduler is the secret sauce of every successful Hill office.

Anne tracked countless flights to and from Michigan, organized every detail of a codel to four different countries in Africa, planned and executed numerous events, and so much more. No task was ever too small or too large for Anne to handle. She knew how to do it all, and she did it all exceptionally well. She rolled with the punches and was always, always available to untangle the knots that inevitably make their way into a well-planned schedule.

After 10 years of being the go-to person on all things scheduling, Anne transitioned to be my deputy chief of staff. I pride myself on having the best team in the Congress, and Anne was influential in building that team.

Over the years, Anne has mentored countless interns, many of whom became staffers in our office and grew to become integral members of our team under her guidance. Her latest achievement in this area includes two of her former schedulers becoming engaged to each other.

Everyone on staff always knew they could go to Anne for help. Whether it was managing the front office, solving a scheduling issue, or just needing someone to talk to, Anne was always there. Anne's leadership and hard work has made my office effective at getting things done and a great place to work.

During her time in my office, we have had one of the lowest staff turnovers of any office in the Senate. Most recently, Anne took on the responsibility of leading the Democratic policy and communications committee, comprised of 51 Senators whose schedules often appear to be purposefully planned to thwart any attempt to get us all in one place. Despite this, Anne successfully planned and executed annual retreats, which is no small job, and weekly policy luncheons for the committee, all while carrying out the essential service of steering our party's policies and messaging forward.

May I add, she has accomplished all of this while she and her husband Matt are raising very impressive twin girls, Addie and Lizzie, who were born while Anne was working for me and are now in high school. I can't believe this.

They are such a beautiful family. Now, despite what many people think, you don't have to be a Michigan State University fan to work in my office, but it helps. As proud alums, Anne and I have always spent so much time together cheering on our Spartans, even watching them play in the Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden. Go, Green.

Anne, thank you for everything--your incredible work, your loyalty, your friendship. I wish you every happiness and success possible in the future. You deserve it.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the cloture motion on the motion to proceed to H.R. 82 be waived.

Madam President, first of all, I have to say, wouldn't you know I would get laryngitis, and for somebody who is in elected office, we know that that is not a good thing, so please bear with me; and I want to thank Chuck so much for his comments this morning and for being a dear friend.

Today is bittersweet for me, standing here on the floor of the U.S. Senate, making my last speech--my last major speech.

So many of my staff from Michigan have traveled to be here as well as staff members who have worked for me in DC over the years. I am truly overwhelmed that over 100 Michigan and DC staff are here in the Galleries and on the floor, and family and friends who were not able to fly in today are watching on C-SPAN.

As we come back from Thanksgiving, I am filled with so much gratitude and respect as I think back over my years in public service. I am thinking about the incredible number of people who have supported me and contributed in so many ways to my success--from my family, my staff, my colleagues, and, of course, the people of Michigan who have put their trust in me for over 50 years--I started when I was 5--

(Laughter.)

--from Ingham County commissioner to State legislator to U.S. Senator.

Michigan, you will always be in my heart. Today is about recognizing all of you.

As some of you know, I lost my mom just a week ago. I suspect she is tuning in from Heaven's version of C-SPAN right now, watching me, listening, just as she has always been watching and supporting me my whole life. Mom not only lived a long life--98 years of age--but a rich and meaningful one. Her hard work, her kindness, her strength, and her loyalty were a true gift to me, to my brothers, to my children, to my whole family.

There are always unsung heroes in every story, and I want to start with mine, and that is my family: my son Todd; my daughter Michelle; my daughter-in-law Sara; my son-in-law Scott; and my five incredibly talented and amazing grandchildren. They are the most talented grandchildren we have ever seen: Ari, Willow, Avery, Everett, and Violet.

My mom and my kids have all appeared in many campaign ads over the years. Even my brothers, Lynn and Lee, starred in an acclaimed closing ad that caused me to beat an incumbent Republican to first be elected to the U.S. House.

When my kids were young, they, too, broke down barriers. Todd was born when I was a county commissioner. Michelle was born when I was a State representative. It was a first in Michigan for a legislator to be pregnant and have a baby while in office. I remember a very pregnant me opening baby shower gifts in one of our statehouse committee rooms. Most of my male colleagues didn't know what to buy for a baby shower so I got a lot of stuffed animals.

My family members have marched in countless parades, attended thousands of events with me, and planned birthday parties and holidays around the legislative calendar. They have sacrificed their time and, in many cases, their personal privacy. Through thick and thin, they have always been there for me, and I am incredibly grateful.

I love you all so much.

My family story has inspired my work as an elected official.

I grew up in Clare, MI, where my mom was the director of nursing at our small rural hospital. This sparked my lifelong interest in healthcare. As a 24-year-old grad student at Michigan State University, I led an effort to save Ingham County's medical care facility from closure. It was the only nursing home that served low-income seniors at the time. I had never been involved in politics before, but I knew it was wrong to close that facility. We stopped the Ingham County Board of Commissioners from closing this critical service, and I was encouraged to run for county commissioner because I lived in the district of the commissioner who tried to close the nursing home. I ran against him. He called me ``that young broad'' and the young broad beat him and, as they say, the rest is ``herstory.''

Healthcare remained a top priority for me from those early days to today. Today, I am proud and grateful that more people in America have access to home healthcare, to hospice services, and to lower prescription drug pricing, in part, because of my work. Medicare, Medicaid, and community health centers provide stronger foundations for care for millions of Americans.

I was a new member of the Senate's Finance Committee when President Obama made healthcare reform his top priority. I was excited to be involved in every part of passing the Affordable Care Act, making sure that maternity care and mental health services and addiction treatment were all part of the new law. I spent a tremendous amount of time focusing on the affordability of the new healthcare system and was successful in bringing down the amount that individuals would have to pay for coverage. I considered it a badge of honor during the final vote in committee when then-Chairman Baucus turned to me and said: ``Here we have Senator Affordability.''

My first viral moment as an elected official on social media happened during the debate on the Affordable Care Act, and my great friend Amy Klobuchar has often told this story. When Senator Kyl from Arizona argued against including maternity care as basic coverage by stating that he did not need maternity care, I told him: ``Yes, but I bet your mom did.'' The public outcry that happened after that helped ensure to this day that maternity care is part of the Affordable Care Act.

There has been no healthcare issue more profoundly influenced by my own family's life and experience than the issue of mental health. My father had a bipolar disorder that went undiagnosed for many years, like for so many people. Our lives were changed when the drug lithium became available, and my dad had the support he needed to manage his disease and move forward with his life. I saw what happened when someone did not get the help they needed, and I saw what happened when they did.

This experience fueled my passion to reduce the stigma of mental health and mental illness, and as I have often said, we need to treat healthcare above the neck the same as healthcare below the neck. I worked on this issue in the early days of my career, chairing the Mental Health Committee in the Michigan House of Representatives. Later, I was honored to team up with Senator Roy Blunt for a 10-year effort to transform how we fund mental health and addiction services. This has been my passion and my most meaningful achievement.

On the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's signing of the Community Mental Health bill--the last bill he signed before his death--Senator Blunt and I introduced and spoke here on the Senate floor about our new legislation, the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act.

President Kennedy envisioned a world where people wouldn't be housed in asylums, as they were called at the time, but would get the treatment and the care they needed in their communities. The first part of his vision was implemented over the past 50 years--mental hospitals were closed--but the second half of it, that of creating comprehensive community care, never happened. Senator Blunt and I worked intensely over the past 10 years to make the second half of President Kennedy's vision a reality by creating comprehensive community behavioral health clinics, or CCBHCs, where clinics are funded as healthcare, not just through grants that stop and start.

Now, because of our bipartisan efforts culminating in full funding in the Safer Communities Act, we are in the midst of creating comprehensive community-based care across the country, and I thank you, all of you, for your help--so many people here--for your leadership and help in making that happen. We now have more than 500 community behavioral health clinics providing care across the country, with more being created every day. Millions of people now have the dignity of receiving mental healthcare and addiction treatment in their communities instead of sitting in an emergency room or in a jail or sleeping on the street.

The goal, of course, is to have every community in every State provide these critical healthcare services. I intend to continue to do everything I can to support your efforts to make sure this transformation is completed.

I am forever grateful to the people of Michigan for the trust they have shown in me over these years. I have lived in Michigan my whole life, and I have viewed the work in DC as a commute to work, a long- distance commute to work--not as long as from the west coast but a commute to work. I see everything through the eyes of Michiganders and our beautiful State.

Our Great Lakes and our water are part of our Michigan DNA. Protecting our water has been my passion--from passing my very first bill in the Senate, which bans oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes, to authoring the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This landmark initiative has helped transform the health of our lakes and watersheds and will continue to do so in the future.

Looking through the lens of Michigan again, I have understood that we don't have a strong economy unless somebody makes something and somebody grows something. For this reason, I have been a member of the Agriculture Committee at every level of government where I have served, both State and Federal, and I have been deeply involved in efforts to protect and expand American manufacturing, including the new clean energy revolution occurring in our country.

It has been my privilege to put my stamp on our Nation's farm and food policy. I have frequently said that you can see Michigan on every page of the farm bills I have written. As the author of the specialty crop title in the farm bill, I am grateful that the full diversity of farms, small and large, are now reflected in our funding and our agriculture policies. I am so pleased that families across our country have access to healthy, locally grown foods through farmers' markets and urban agriculture and that our children can count on permanent funding for summer meals and other critical food assistance.

I like to say that I suit up every day to fight for Michigan, and there is no truer statement than my work on behalf of Michigan workers and Michigan manufacturing. I am so proud to have championed the auto rescue in 2009, to have changed tax incentives to invest and make things in America, and toughened our laws to support American manufacturing. I know we have the best workers in the world, and I know also that Michigan--Michigan manufacturing--is well positioned to prosper in the future.

I want to take a moment, of course, to thank all of you--all of my great, great colleagues on both sides of the aisle, both past and present. So many of you have been wonderful partners in getting things done, and I am so grateful for your friendship.

I am especially grateful for my Michigan partners: first, the amazing Carl Levin and, now, my dear friend Gary Peters. I like to say we are the one-two punch for Michigan.

As we all know, to be effective, it is not necessary to agree with someone on everything. In fact, I don't agree with anybody on everything. It is only necessary to agree on one thing, one problem that needs to be solved, and then agree on the way to solve the one thing. Then we look for another colleague across the aisle to work with on one thing. That is how positive change happens.

We all realize, with all the incredible demands on our time and the constant additions and changes to our schedules, it is hard to find time to get to know each other on a personal level.

Over the years, I have been so grateful for the bipartisan women Senators' dinners and the international travel that we have. It is so important. And playing Christmas carols on the piano at the Senate Prayer Breakfast is something I have thoroughly enjoyed. Exchanging stories about our families, our faith, our personal challenges has made a real difference.

It has been a great honor for me to serve as a Member of the Senate Democratic leadership since 2005.

I want to recognize Democratic leaders Tom Daschle and our dear Harry Reid, who were so supportive of me.

I want to thank my great friend Senator Chuck Schumer and his extraordinary team--extraordinary team. Chuck loves the U.S. Senate, and he loves our country with every bone in his body. I am so appreciative of his leadership and tireless work and friendship.

When I announced my retirement nearly 2 years ago, I said I was ready to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders. I couldn't be prouder to pass the torch to Michigan's new Senator-elect, Elissa Slotkin. I know she will have the heart and the talent for this job and will do great things for our State and our country.

I thought long and hard about how to express my gratitude to the smartest, hard-working staff that I could ever have imagined. Truly, my success comes from their amazing efforts. Over 500 bright, talented professional staff have worked for me over the past 50 years--that is unbelievable--many of them for decades, and that doesn't include countless volunteers and interns.

Interns are everywhere. There are staff everywhere.

I want you to know how moved I am that so many of you took time to be here today or are tuning in on C-SPAN. You are much more than employees; you are family. I have watched many of you get married-- several times, thanks to our office--and watched your children grow up as well. You are truly my dear friends.

You have raised the bar for the kind of service that people of Michigan should expect from their elected officials. You have been there for me personally through the best of times and through the rough patches as well. You have cared and persisted, and, together, we have achieved so much, whether it is policy changes or helping literally millions of Michiganders cut through the bureaucracy and solve a personal problem. I salute each and every one of you, and I thank you for your service to Michigan and our Nation.

I am passing the torch to you because I know you will continue to care about people and public service and do great things. I could not have done this without you.

As I close out, I want to acknowledge the important moment that we are in as a country. We all know there is great division promoted by so many who want to gain their own power at America's expense. Yet we have so much in common. We all love our children and want the same things for them to be successful. We all want safe communities and a chance to be rewarded for our hard work. We can heal the divide and work together if we just look for that one thing that we can agree on to make our lives better and get it done. And then we can look again for that one thing.

If we don't let the haters divide us, we can rebuild trust with one another

and be the America we want to be. This is my hope and my prayer for all of us.

As I begin this next chapter of my life, my heart is truly filled with gratitude.

To my family, my colleagues, my staff, to the great people of Michigan, thank you, one and all, from the bottom of my heart. It has been an honor to serve you.