Commerce, Justice, Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life and legacy of my friend and former colleague, Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina. There have been several eloquent tributes to Kay. I am sure we will hear many more in the days to come. They all note her profound grace, her fighting spirit, her charm, and of course, I agree with all of those remarks.

I want to especially extend my very sincere condolences to her husband, Chip; to her children, Jeanette, Tilden, and Carrie; and to her father Joe.

The news of her death on Monday was deeply felt here in the Senate. Kay and I were in the same class of freshmen Senators. We came in, in 2008, and as the only two women in that class, we became fast friends. But of course, it wasn't hard to make friends with Kay Hagan. She never met a stranger. She had contagious optimism and joy, and she drew everyone in with her smile and kindness.

Kay was first in the Senate, not as a Senator, but as an intern, where she had the job of operating the elevators. Of course, those were the days when women Senators were few, and they were often appointed to fill temporary vacancies. So I am sure it was a very powerful moment when Kay took the elevator here in the Capitol for the first time as a United States Senator, only the second woman from her State, North Carolina, to do that.

Kay and I often compared notes about our new roles as Senators. We talked about our families and the challenges of commuting to and from DC. I remember Kay showing me and the other women in the Senate pictures of her daughters' weddings and beaming with excitement. She was so tremendously proud of her children and so appreciated the support she received from them and from Chip during her campaigns for public office.

Of course, in addition to her character, Kay had boundless energy. Growing up, she studied ballet, and she aspired to be a professional dancer. And I remember she told me about her ``magic bag'' that she took with her everywhere, so she could exercise in the morning. It carried a yoga mat and everything else she needed to exercise. She recommended that I get one, and of course, I was never quite energetic enough to do that.

In addition to yoga, Kay loved early morning runs, Pilates, and swimming. It was that swimming that brought Kay some early ``notoriety.'' I use that term in quotes because Kay wanted to use the Senator's swimming pool in the mornings, but when she first got here, there was a sign on the door that said it was for men only. What we learned, after Kay did a little bit of investigating, was it was because some of the male Senators were not interested in wearing appropriate swimming attire when they swam.

Well, Kay put a quick stop to that, and it wasn't long before all of the men were wearing swim trunks, and Kay was swimming laps in the pool with them.

That was Kay. She was incredibly kind, but she was also tough. When she was falsely accused of being an atheist during her first Senate race, Kay didn't miss a beat. She responded immediately with an ad that set the record straight. She demonstrated to her supporters and to her detractors alike what she was made of.

I have fond memories of our calls when we were both up for reelection in 2014. Kay would call and buck me up. I remember she called me after her last debate to say she was finished. She didn't have to do any more debates. Since I was still looking at having to do two of them, she was very encouraging to me.

With Kay, the glass was always half full. When she arrived in the Senate, it didn't take long for her to make her mark on the issues of greatest importance to North Carolina and the Nation. She applied her skills as a pragmatic legislator, which were honed in the North Carolina Senate, and she got to work on the pressing issues of the day.

She fought tirelessly for jobs and the economic well-being of her constituents. She was a champion of small businesses, for expanding rural broadband, for developing regional infrastructure. She helped pass the historic reforms to Wall Street following the financial crisis because she served on the Banking Committee.

We worked together, along with the rest of the members of the class of 2008, to try and improve the Affordable Care Act as it was being drafted. Kay took a tough vote in favor of the ACA, but she did it because she knew it was going to help her constituents get insurance coverage and healthcare and that it would provide protections for millions of Americans.

Kay and I served together on the Armed Services Committee in the Senate. She fought for our servicemembers, for their families, and for improving the defense of our nation. Kay's husband, father, and brother all served their country in uniform. The challenges that servicemembers and military families face were always top of mind for Kay.

In my office here in the Capitol, there is a photo of me and Kay. It is on our first trip to Afghanistan. We had only been in the Senate about 5 months at that point. We were smiling from ear to ear, even though it was over 100 degrees, we were wearing body armor, and we were in a helicopter with the doors open heading to a Forward Operating Base.

We were smiling because we were so excited and because it was always so fun to travel with Kay. There wasn't a better partner than Kay for these trips. She was diligent. She was inquisitive. She always held herself with grace and kindness and resolve. That was her trademark.

Serving her country and her beloved home State in the United States Senate was a profound honor for Kay, as it is for all of us. I feel fortunate to have known and worked alongside her. She will be dearly missed, not just by all of us in the Senate, but by so many of her constituents whom she represented in North Carolina.

I want to again extend my deepest condolences to the Hagan family and to the State of North Carolina.

Thank you, Mr. President.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source