Mitt Romney

Mr. President, I don't think I have had a better friend in the U.S. Senate than Senator Kyrsten Sinema. We are best friends. I would not have predicted that at the outset. By all appearance, we are about as different as we can be. But actually, our roots are very much in the same soil. We have grown up with the kinds of values that have shaped our lives and our public service.

When she first came to the Senate floor, her appearance was quite striking and her personality was, in a similar vein, highly noticeable. And I turned to one of my Senate colleagues, and I said: What do you think about that new Senator from Arizona?

And he said: I can tell you right now, she is going to be trouble.

She obtained the nickname ``Trouble'' at that point and has carried it ever since, at least in my lexicon.

The truth is, she has been so far from trouble, it is hard to imagine a less appropriate name. Why is that? One, I believe she has been the most productive U.S. Senator in the last 6 years of anyone in this body.

Now, there may be a competition, here and there, from other people, but I don't think so. If you look at all the legislation of significance that has been passed over the last 6 years, she has been critical to it, generally leading it, at least a co-chair, in virtually all of that legislation.

At the same time, she gets along with everybody. I think those are related. There are some Members of my own caucus which I believe are an acquired taste--which I haven't acquired yet--and yet she has, from the outset, been able to make friends with people who are dramatically different in politics but also different in personal style. She likes some very difficult-to-like people. As a result of those friendships, she has been able to get people to come across the aisle, from time to time, when it was critical to get things done.

But if I had to say what has distinguished her most as a Member of this body--not just the fact that she has been the most productive and has been able to get people on both sides of the aisle to work through tough issues and to make the Senate work when we were stalled--what I think sets her apart most is the degree of her principle and character. She is an individual who was raised in a home with principles, went to institutions, including my alma mater, Brigham Young University. She graduated a lot faster than I did and made it through that university in a short period of time.

But, at one point, my colleagues asked me: Is she going to be able to stand up to the pressure that is going to be placed on her for preserving the institution of the Senate, because there is going to be enormous political pressure rained upon her, and will she be able to resist that pressure? I volunteered at our caucus lunch to go sound out whether she would have the capacity to overcome what was a groundswell on her side of the aisle to take action which would have devastated, in my view, the institution of the Senate.

I approached her and said: Kyrsten, will you be able to vote no? Will you be able to defend the principle that has made the Senate work over these decades?

And she said: Mitt, you ought to know me by now. I was raised with the same values you have. I am a person of principle, and I stand by my principles.

And I have watched her time and again do that very thing.

I spoke with one of the leaders in my party, and I said: How is the Senate going to work without Kyrsten Sinema to bridge the divide that often exists between us? And he said: I am not sure it will be able to work without her. How in the world she is not coming back as a United States Senator is one of the great mysteries to me. She should be coming back. We need her in this body. She has been an essential Member of this body.

I will just close with this: I used to love reading books by Louis L'Amour. He writes about the American West. I read them all; I probably still love them. I am getting old enough to forget his earlier books, so I could read them again and still love them. But he had an expression about people that were just really individuals you could count on, rely on, people of character and capacity and principle. He said they had ``sand.''

And if there is someone who has sand in this body, it is Kyrsten Sinema. She is going to continue to make a huge imprint on the United States of America. It has been an honor to serve with her.

I feel we have been blessed by having her in this body.

Mr. President, I know something about failed Presidential campaigns. I made an assessment that President Biden was not going to go the distance. So I approached three Democrats and suggested they ought to run for President. I just heard from them. One was Cory Booker. One was Mark Warner. One was Jon Tester.

Now, why did I approach those three men--not just once, but multiple times--and say, ``You ought to run for President''? Not because I agree with them. I disagree with them on almost every issue. It is because I happen to find these three men--and Jon Tester is the one I am looking at right now--to be men of character, integrity, of honesty, of purpose, who hold fast to the values that made America the hope of the Earth.

I know that, over the years, policy comes and goes, and, sometimes, I have read history and I find my party is on one side of a policy position and changes, and now we are on the other side. I recognize the country can handle bad policy. We have. Heaven knows there have been times when your party has been in charge, and we suffered through it. You would say the same is true of mine, and that is probably the case.

But what we have not suffered is a lack of character. Going from the very beginning of our country until now, we have had men of great character. And, someday, we will have women of character, as well, in that great Office.

I wanted Jon Tester to be the next President of the United States because he is a man of extraordinary character. He is as honest as his hair is short and as strong as his physique is imposing.

I learned something about that character when we worked together. He mentioned the infrastructure bill that I had the privilege of joining him on to help negotiate. There was a time, toward the very, very end, when I made a beginner's mistake. I am just a freshman Senator, after all. I was about to do something which would be as harmful for my political career and my welcome back home and might even be helpful to the opposition forces. And everybody was telling me: Don't worry about this. We can paper it over later. Don't worry. Don't worry.

Jon Tester stood up and said: No, this is going to hurt Mitt. It is not fair. We have to fix this.

I didn't know that. But he stood up for me and convinced the other Members of our group to do something that was not in their interest, not in his interest, but in my interest, because he is a man of character and a friend.

I am not going to be here. Jon is not going to be here. We may see each other sometime in the hills of Montana. He is a man who--one couldn't have a better friend than Jon Tester. The people of Montana could not have had a better friend--a man who loves the land, who loves the people, who loves the values of the people of Montana.

I am proud to have been able to serve with Jon Tester and wish him godspeed. God bless America and God bless Jon Tester and his dear family.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to first thank the leader for those generous comments and to mark for my colleagues the departure soon from my service here in the Senate.

During my life, I have rarely been truly alone--maybe taking tests at school or running cross country or on my uncle's tractor, cultivating corn. But I am impressed with people who have achieved great things largely on their own: Washington commanding the Continental Army, Lincoln guiding the Civil War, Edison in his laboratory. Not me. I have consistently been surrounded by others--usually smarter, often more experienced, always becoming friends.

In business, I chose partners with skills that exceeded mine, the proof of which has been their stunning success after I left. As Governor, my team helped craft the health plan that insured nearly every citizen in Massachusetts. My wingman, Bob White, counseled me in business, the Olympics, and politics. My counselor, Beth Myers, advised and managed multiple campaigns and administrations. Spencer Zwick financed and helped guide almost every one of my endeavors. My Senate chiefs of staff, Matt Waldrip and Liz Johnson, built and brilliantly led an exceptional team and, with our policy directors, Chris Barkley and Stephen Newton, crafted and negotiated more legislation that became law than could possibly have been expected for a freshman Senator.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the names of my excellent current and former staff members be printed in the Record.

So my life's work has been a group affair. At its center, is my wife Ann. She is my most trusted adviser, my indefatigable ally, the love of

my life for 54 married years. Our five sons are just as loyal and are the source of profound pride, joy, and 25 grandchildren.

During my first months in the Senate, I was mostly on my own and, thus, mostly unproductive, and then Lisa Murkowski invited five Democrats to join with five Republicans at her home for a takeout dinner. With COVID then active, we were spaced far apart, with windows open despite the winter cold. Our conjecture on how to bridge the impasse between the President and Congress on COVID relief led us over the next several weeks to dig in, negotiate, draft, and eventually see our work become the basis of law. I was fortunate to also be a part of what this team worked on that followed: the bipartisan infrastructure law, the Electoral Count Reform Act, gun safety legislation, and marriage legislation that included religious protections.

Our group was Rob Portman, Kyrsten Sinema, Susan Collins, Joe Manchin, Mark Warner, Jon Tester, Bill Cassidy, Jeanne Shaheen, and Lisa Murkowski. We had each come to Washington to enact law that would help people, and that is just what we did. We accomplished together what we could have never done alone.

So I will leave this Chamber with a sense of achievement, but in truth, I will also leave with the recognition that I did not achieve everything I had hoped. Among other things, the scourge of partisan politics has frustrated repeated efforts to stabilize our national debt. Without the burden of the interest on that debt, we would be able to spend three times as much as we do on military procurement--three times as many aircraft, three times as many ships, three times as many drones, spacecraft, and cyber defenses. Alternatively, we could spend double the amount we spend on Social Security benefits every month. Our national credit card is almost maxed out, and America risks becoming debt poor.

My biggest surprise in the Senate has been how much I enjoy the other Senators on both sides of the aisle. The truth is that while I may not miss the Senate itself terribly much--the 10-minute votes that last an hour, the unknowable schedule of votes, the myriad meaningless votes, and the absurd passion about inconsequential votes--I will very much miss you, my fellow Senators, for among you are some brilliant, some entertaining, some kind and generous, and all patriotic. It is an honor to have been able to serve with you.

It has also been an honor to represent the people of Utah, the State of my family heritage. What sets Utah apart is not just its beauty and vibrant economy, it is the admirable character of its people.

Now, it is customary to end remarks with these words: God bless America. That has never seemed jarring or out of place to me because Americans have always been fundamentally good. From our earliest days, we have rushed to help neighbors in need, as de Tocqueville noted. We welcomed the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. We have respected different faiths as our first President confirmed to Muslims and Jews. ``United we stand'' is a fitting refrain. As the leader of the free world, our sons and daughters have fought time and again for liberty, and our treasure has buoyed freedom fighters around the globe. Like all people, we have made mistakes, some grievous, but often our mistakes have come from misguided understanding. God has blessed America because America is good.

There are some today who would tear at our unity, who would replace love with hate, who deride our foundation of virtues, and who debase the values upon which the blessings of Heaven depend.

I have been in public service for 25 years. I have learned that politics alone cannot measure up to the challenges we face. Our country's character is a reflection not just of its elected officials but also of its people. I leave Washington to return to be one among them and hope to be a voice of unity and virtue, for it is only if the American people merit His benevolence that God will continue to bless America.

May He do so is my prayer.

(Applause, Senators rising.)

I object to that.