Madam President, it is with great honor and gratitude that I rise to reflect on the last 6 years, which have been some of the most rewarding and transformative of my life, and to thank the people who have been by my side as we worked to…
Madam President, it is with great honor and gratitude that I rise to reflect on the last 6 years, which have been some of the most rewarding and transformative of my life, and to thank the people who have been by my side as we worked to make our great State and this great country even better.
First and foremost, I wish to thank the people of North Carolina for allowing me to serve them in the Senate. Six years ago you sent me to Washington to fight for the priorities that make our State great, and I have put North Carolina first every single day. I have
been honored to stand up for our teachers, our students, to fight for our seniors, to help create a business climate that promotes job growth, to build an economy that works for everyone, and to make sure we keep our promises to our servicemembers and to our veterans.
I am extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish, and I am forever humbled and grateful for the opportunity to serve.
I also wish to thank my family; my husband Chip, who is my rock, and my three children, Jeanette, Tilden, and Carrie, and my two great sons- in-law, Will and Martin.
These past 6 years have been extremely full of exciting milestones for the Hagan family. Since my term began, my two daughters have both gotten married and they both had babies. I have a 1-year-old grandson Harrison and a 1-week-old granddaughter Christine. So when I said earlier that these past 6 years have been transformative, I wasn't kidding.
I also wish to thank my dad Joe Ruthven, who is one of my most trusted advisers and a constant source of inspiration for me, as is his wife Judy, my stepmom, for all of her love and support.
I wish to thank the Capitol Police here in Washington. I don't think we recognize these people enough for the incredible work they do to keep us safe.
And, of course, I wish to thank my unbelievably hard-working staff whom I consider to be a part of the official Hagan family. These folks are topnotch. Their commitment to our State and the people we serve is unmatched. They are passionate and compassionate, and I am so grateful to have had them by my side over these last 6 years. I ask unanimous consent that a list of their names be printed in the Record.
My staff knew how important it was to me that my office be as open and as accessible as possible to the people of North Carolina, and my team worked every single day to help us reach that goal. Over the last 6 years, we held a townhall in every 100 counties across North Carolina. In DC, we have held a Carolina Coffee every Wednesday and we welcomed thousands of North Carolinians to come visit us. We have also resolved more than 36,000 constituent cases for the people of North Carolina, from helping veterans access their benefits with the VA to helping families struggling with high mortgage rates to be able to stay in their homes, to helping small businesses cut through the bureaucratic redtape.
While my North Carolina staff was there for the folks in our State day in and day out, my DC team was helping me fight for North Carolinians in Washington.
North Carolina is proud to be the most military-friendly State in the Nation. As a member of a military family, it is important to me to work every single day to keep our State the most military-friendly State. My husband is a Vietnam veteran. My dad and my brother served in the Navy. My father-in-law was a major general in the Marine Corps. I have two nephews on active duty. One is an F-15 fighter pilot and the other one is a Navy Seal. So when I say one of my top priorities was ensuring Federal policies worked for our veterans in active-duty military, they are not just words, it is truly a personal obligation.
That is why nearly 6 years ago, when Jerry Ensminger, a retired marine, shared with me the story of his daughter Janey, my heart broke for him. Janey died of leukemia at the age of 9 because of contaminated water on the base at Camp Lejeune. He dedicated his life to seeking justice for his daughter and other Camp Lejeune victims. I found it absolutely unconscionable that the Federal Government had denied this man, who served our country, the answers he needed after all he had been through. I wanted to do whatever I could to help, and it was one of the greatest honors of my life to work alongside my North Carolina colleague Senator Burr to pass the Janey Ensminger Act, to help Jerry and the servicemembers and families affected by water contamination at Camp Lejeune and to give them the answers and the health care they deserved.
It was also important to me that all Americans remembered and understood the sacrifices made by our military and their families. During my time in the Senate, I had the opportunity to speak on this very floor about some of the brave servicemembers from North Carolina, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice, and many of whom lost their lives while trying to make the world a better place and safer for the rest of us. I had the opportunity to speak with many of their families and their stories were both moving and heartbreaking.
I spoke with Terry Marquez, whose son Justin died from small-arms fire wounds he received while on foot patrol in the Wardak Province in Afghanistan just 1 month after he arrived in theater. He was only 25 years old when he died.
According to Justin's mom Terry, as Justin grew up in the Army, he was like a fine wine, he just kept getting better with age. He believed in protecting others. He believed in making the world a better place. He believed in standing up so that others might not have to. Justin embodied the selflessness and courage that defines the men and women of our armed services.
Shortly after sharing Justin's story on the Senate floor, I invited his mother to be my guest at the State of the Union Address. Her presence reminded not just me but so many of the Senators that she met that night--and she knew them all--how important it is that we uphold our promises to the men and women who put their lives on the line for each and every one of us. It has been an honor to help be one of those voices for our servicemembers, veterans, and their families in Washington.
As one of 20 women in the Senate, I have also enjoyed being a voice for women and children. As women Senators, we bring a unique perspective to the policymaking dialog. We understand the issues facing women and families because we have been there. Some of us are moms and some are grandmoms. We know what it is like to balance that family checkbook and simultaneously run the business and a carpool, and to want the best possible future not only for our children but for all the children throughout the United States.
More important than that, the women of the Senate know how to bridge the partisan divide to get the job done. Together we passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill I cosponsored as a U.S. Senator. We kept student loan rates from doubling. We pushed for initiatives such as my newborn screening bill to ensure that every child has a healthy start in life. I am proud of the work we have done together to support our families and to
set this country on a path to a brighter future.
But the fact is we need a lot more of that in Washington. If we are going to address the biggest challenges facing our country, we have to break through the political gridlock and confront these issues together--head on, united; not as Republicans and Democrats, but working together on behalf of the American people. We need to work together to tackle the rising cost of college that is putting higher education out of reach for too many students and then burdening them with unsustainable debt. We need to reform our education system to ensure that every child has the tools and the technology we have to have today and that we have to understand and be an expert in that technology in order to be successful in this competitive environment.
The economy is improving, but wages are stagnant. We must find ways to ensure that Americans working full time are not living in poverty.
We need to help middle-class families get ahead and ensure that working women are receiving the support they need, whether it is fair pay, affordable childcare, or time to care for new babies or seriously ill family members. There is so much work to be done. It is my hope these issues can be addressed in the 114th Congress, but doing so is going to take cooperation from all 100 Members of this body.
The men and women I have worked with during my time are some of the most dedicated, passionate people I have ever met. And there are so many, I am only going to name a few.
Barbara Mikulski was my first mentor, the dean of the women. She waltzed me down the aisle to get sworn in. She is one of the greatest advocates for women and for families. And I know that Patty Murray, the mom in tennis shoes, is a dynamite negotiator. Mark Warner, one of my 2008 classmates, is a leader in seeking bipartisan solutions. Susan Collins is a great friend and a proven consensus builder. Chuck Schumer is a trusted adviser who embodies what it means to be a fighter.
There are so many to name, and I love them all. But I know the Members of the Senate can make progress on these issues that matter so long as we put politics aside and work together.
One of my guiding principles is ``to whom much is given, much is expected.'' Six years ago, North Carolinians gave me an opportunity to be a voice in Washington, and I have put North Carolinians first every single day. I urge my colleagues to do the same--to remember who they are fighting for, not who they are fighting against, to see past the deed, to see past the d or the r, to work together in a bipartisan fashion as I have tried to do to move this country forward.
Working with all of my colleagues and serving North Carolina in the U.S. Senate is a huge honor.
God bless you all, and God bless the U.S. Senate. Thank you.
I yield the floor.
(Applause, Senators rising.)
