Tribute to Lamar Alexander
Floor Speech
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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, his name was the answer to a frequently asked question. It is a question that used to come up in almost every Democratic meeting when we talked about legislative ideas and we talked about making progress on the floor of the Senate. And the question was this: Who can we call on the other side of the aisle? And the answer was almost always Lamar Alexander. We knew that if we presented an idea to him, he would not only be receptive and respectful, we knew that if he came on board, it would lend credibility to our effort, maybe even get a bill passed around here. But it would always have to wear a red tartan badge with it because there was an idea that he wanted to bring to the party, but it was worth it. It was worth it not only for the progress that you can make in terms of legislation, but it was worth it because it was part of developing a friendship.
Harry Truman used to recommend famously, ``If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.'' I thought of that. I told you about it a few months ago when you were on one of those Sunday morning talk shows. You were broadcasting, I think, from your living room or family room at your home in Tennessee, and I couldn't get over that stuffed animal that was on the coffee table behind you. It just seemed like it was such an odd little piece of maybe personal pride to have that stuffed animal with you. It turned out it wasn't stuffed at all. It was Rufus, your dog, who slept through your entire performance, wasn't a bit moved by the fact that you were on some Sunday morning talk show.
I want to thank you for many things, and I will mention a few of them in terms of legislation, but I especially want to thank you for--I brought a group of friends of mine down to Nashville, TN, and you made a recommendation list of places to stop, including the Bluebird, and then came by and joined us for lunch. You couldn't have been more gracious, and I thank you for that.
That is a trademark of Lamar Alexander's life and service to this country.
I could talk about many things, but I want to reflect on one that I think is timely and significant and is a reason a lot of us are wearing these masks. We are facing a pandemic with the COVID-19 virus. It has claimed 273,000 American lives, and I am afraid many more will follow. Millions--almost 13 million or more--have been infected by it. We want it to end, and we want it to end as quickly as possible.
The really shining ray of hope here is the possibility that a vaccine will be available soon. I pray it will be. I like to think that some of the things that we did together, with others, created an opportunity for that vaccine to be discovered.
It was 5 or 6 years ago that I approached you and I approached Senator Patty Murray and Roy Blunt with the idea that we ought to make a concerted, consistent effort to increase the NIH's budget by at least 5 percent per year.
Senator Blunt, whom I see on the floor here today, I want to thank you. You took that cause to heart, along with Senator Alexander.
We had the right appropriator and the right authorizer, and Patty Murray served in both capacities so effectively.
We dramatically increased the NIH budget over the last 7, 8 years. I am hopeful, and I would like to think that some of those researchers and the work that they did was laying the groundwork for the discovery of these vaccines quickly in the United States and around the world. That is a legacy you won't soon forget.
Do you remember when we first got wind of this COVID-19 and I walked across the Chamber here and I said to you: I am worried about this protective equipment issue and how much we are reliant on going overseas for sourcing; would you join me at least in an effort to find out whether we are dependent on foreign sources at a time when we might desperately need this protective equipment for our own?
You said, sure, and we did it together and the investigation is underway. It may not serve us in this particular crisis, but it will serve in many generations to come to make sure we have reliable domestic sources in the United States.
I am not going to catalog all of the items that were mentioned earlier by our colleagues Senator Blackburn and Senator Collins and Senator Feinstein--the list goes on and on--but that increase by 38 percent of the National Institutes of Health was something our little quartet did together, and I am particularly proud to be part of it.
It wasn't, by far, the only thing that you have done. You championed an increase in the Department of Energy's Office of Science as chair of the Energy and Water Appropriations Committee, which Senator Feinstein noted. Under your leadership with her, that office budget has increased by 38 percent since 2015.
You worked with the National Labs, like Oak Ridge, Argonne, Fermilab. Those are near and dear to me as well. And your support for research infrastructure provided essential help to this Lab and Labs across America.
I want to just close by saying this. Most of us were moved by your speech. I am sure it was a perfect illustration of your view of this Chamber and the good memories you have and a challenge to all of us to do better. I think the honest answer is it is not the rules of the Senate that make the difference; it is the Senators who make a difference. If we come to the chore of legislating with the inspiration of Lamar Alexander, we are going to get a lot done for America.
Thank you for your great service to our country.
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