Thad Cochran

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I appreciate the opportunity to express my deep gratitude for the honor given to me by the people of Mississippi to represent them in Washington.

I leave the Senate with confidence that our enduring Constitution guards our country from human error, empowers our citizens to achieve greatness, and shines as a beacon of freedom and liberty for the world.

I am optimistic about the future of our great Nation and in the U.S. Senate's role in determining that future.

While in Congress, I have served with nine Presidents during times of conflict and peace. We have debated policies from trade to taxes to terrorism. We have engaged in heated arguments. But even in full disagreement, I believe all our motivations begin at the same point: the sincere desire to serve our States and country.

No one remains in the House or Senate who was here when I first took office in January 1973, but I am particularly thankful for the friendship and leadership of the senior Senator from Vermont, Mr. Leahy. He and I have fought side by side with each other and sometimes face to face against each other, always with friendship and respect.

I am also grateful to have served with honorable Senators from my State. My colleague, Senator Wicker, has been a friend and a strong and effective advocate for our State. We have worked together not only in the Senate, but also when he served as a U.S. Representative. Former Majority Leader Trent Lott continues to be a voice in our national conversation. And the late John C. Stennis provided a witness to integrity when I first joined this body. His signature is above my signature at this desk.

It is a tradition in the Senate, like schoolchildren used to do, to sign the drawers of our desks. Senator Stennis signed this desk drawer. He noted the beginning of his service in 1947 and added a dash. He never filled in the date signifying the end of his Senate service in 1989. Perhaps there is symbolism there, that our service does not end when we depart this Chamber.

I have been honored by this body to serve as chairman both of the Appropriations and Agriculture Committees. I am thankful to my colleagues, past and present, and to the committee staff for assisting in crafting responsible funding priorities for our country and for developing strategic agriculture policy to ensure the best use of our natural resources to provide affordable and healthy food for our citizens and people around the world.

I thank my talented and dedicated staff, many of whom have worked for many years in service to our country. All of us in this body know we could not achieve our priorities without exceptional staff. I have staff members who have served the Senate since my first term. I have one staff member, Doris Wagley, who was already in the office working the very first day I showed up for work in the House of Representatives in 1973. Whether they have been here for 45 years or a shorter tenure, I am grateful for their good assistance.

I ran my first Senate reelection campaign in 1984, largely on constituent service. I will always be proud of my State staff for their work on behalf of Mississippians. State staff help us keep our promises to our veterans, find opportunities for small businesses, ensure the elderly or infirmed receive care, and cut through bureaucracy. I am sure members of your State staffs, like my staff, have hearts for their fellow citizens, regardless of their political affiliation.

All our citizens have the right to be heard and to have a voice in their government. I believe our job as their servants is not to tell others what to think or tell others what to do. Our job is to represent them. I have endeavored to do that the best way I possibly could; and now the time has come for me to pass the power granted by the people of Mississippi, the power of service, to someone else.

When John Sharp Williams of Mississippi left the Senate, he delivered a farewell speech at a dinner organized by the Mississippi Society of Washington. It is sometimes called the ``Mockingbird Speech.'' While I do not share some of the cynicism of that speech, there are sentiments I can appreciate. Here is an excerpt of that speech given March 3, 1923:

I am going back to Yazoo City and to my old home on a rural

free-delivery route. I want to get up again each morning as I

hear the rooster's crow . . . and as night and the time for

bed approaches, I will listen to the greatest chorus of

voices that man ever heard, music that will charm me and make

me ready for repose, the voices of my mockingbirds trilling

in the trees. And in that way I want to live the rest of my

life, and when the end comes, I hope to be carried out of the

house by my neighbors and laid to rest among my people. Now,

some may say that is not a very wonderful future, all of this

I have mapped out for myself, but I say there is merit in

calm retirement . . . Perhaps it is a sign that I ought to

retire, for retirement brings repose, and repose allows a

kindly judgment of all things.

I will now return to my beloved Mississippi and my family and friends there. I will miss this stately Chamber and this city. I will not miss this power or politics. I will miss people: you, my colleagues. I will treasure your courtesy and kindness. I trust, if your travels bring you to Oxford, MS, you will not hesitate to visit and join me for a refreshment on the porch. We can listen to the mockingbirds together.

Thank you.

Mr. President, I wish to commend Dr. Reed L. Mosher for over 38 years of service to the Nation.

Dr. Mosher will soon retire as the director of the Information Technology Laboratory, ITL, of the Corps Engineer Research and Development Center, ERDC, headquartered in Vicksburg, MS. His astonishing list of accomplishments range from leading research and development for the Corps, the Army, the Department of Defense, and multiple Federal agencies, to leading the transformation of DOD's research and acquisition communities through the strategic application of high-performance computing, high-speed networks, computational expertise, system engineering, large-scale data analytics, and technology transfer. He instilled a culture of innovation, adaptability, and shared knowledge. Dr. Mosher created a visionary atmosphere where team members are empowered to expand the breadth and depth of data analytics capabilities and explore the future of information management and information technology.

During his more than 38-year service to the Nation, Dr. Reed L. Mosher exuded extraordinary leadership with unparalleled vision, compassion, competence, and determination, culminating with his tenure as the director of the ITL, the premier defense laboratory for information technology. His initiative and selfless service in the successful execution of a broad range of decisive research, development, studies, and operational programs in support of military engineering and Army civil works have resulted in lasting contributions to the Corps of Engineers, the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, and the Nation.

I am pleased to commend Dr. Mosher for his many years of service and to wish him well in the years ahead.

Madam President, I urge the Senate to approve the Further Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018.

This legislation is more than a continuing resolution to sustain government operations at current levels through March 23.

It incorporates a 2-year agreement setting defense and nondefense spending levels for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, the product of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations. This overdue agreement is necessary for Congress to meet its responsibility to provide appropriations to meet national security and other important needs around the country.

This deal gives my committee a real opportunity to complete the fiscal year 2018 appropriations process with significant funding to begin rebuilding our military and address national priorities like veterans, infrastructure, and the opioid epidemic.

This measure also provides necessary emergency funding to help victims of recent hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters to rebuild their lives and communities.

I appreciate the many hours of negotiations that have gone into this legislation. The cotton and dairy provisions are the outcome of months of joint efforts with my friend, Vice Chairman Leahy, to help cotton and dairy producers overcome economic hardships that threaten their livelihoods.

I hope we continue in this cooperative and bipartisan fashion as we undertake the challenging work of crafting responsible legislation to finish the 2018 appropriations cycle and begin work on next year's bills.