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Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Today, I come to the floor to pay tribute to the President pro tempore of the United States Senate. He is the longest serving Senator currently serving in this institution, and he is my friend from Vermont, Senator Pat Leahy.

As many of you know, the Senator from Vermont also happens to be a talented photographer. His photos have been published in the New York Times, USA TODAY, and elsewhere. Senator Leahy has also appeared in front of the camera in Batman movies. But this shutterbug was bitten by the political bug, and he certainly made his mark in Vermont politics.

At age 34, he became the youngest and very first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from the Green Mountain State, and today, he is Vermont's longest serving Senator, having put his name on the ballot two dozen times during his political career.

A year ago in November, my friend and colleague announced that he would not seek reelection to a ninth term. At the Vermont statehouse, he happened to be there to announce his very first Senate campaign. It was at the Vermont statehouse that he did that, and Pat, at that time, recalled the words of Edmund Burke, the Dubliner who served in the House of Commons during America's Revolutionary War. The words that Burke imparted to the electors of Bristol in 1774 inspired Pat Leahy's approach to public service.

Burke said:

Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment.

Burke also said a representative ought to have ``the most unreserved communication with his constituents.''

Now, in my mind, that still is the essence of representative government.

Although we serve on different sides of the aisle, find ourselves on opposite sides of the ideological spectrum, and hail from different regions of the country, Pat and I are called to serve our constituents.

Pat Leahy and I have battled together in the trenches countless times over the years. He is a worthy adversary and, countless times, a trusted legislative ally. It takes grit; it takes grace; it takes gravitas to score victories and stick to the courage of one's convictions.

Indeed, Pat and I have more in common than might meet the eye. He is a dyed-in-the-wool liberal from New England, with a law degree from Georgetown. I am a Midwestern conservative and lifelong family farmer. As Senate colleagues, we share an abiding respect for this institution of the Senate. We value bipartisanship. For decades, we have earned the public trust of the voters of Vermont and Iowa. That tells me that Vermonters and Iowans prioritize hard work and constituent service.

At his announcement last November, Pat shared that he and his wife Marcelle made the decision together and that it was, to quote his words, ``time to put down the gavel.''

First, I want to say how much Barbara and I cherish our friendships. Barbara and I celebrated 68 years of marriage last August 22. Two days later, Marcelle and Pat celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Barbara and Marcelle are both cancer survivors and have developed a close friendship over these many years. These wives are strong and resilient and use their voices to advocate for early detection and treatment to save lives. Now, I can only speak for myself--and I believe my friend would agree--the unconditional support of Marcelle and Barbara have made us better men and then better Members of the U.S. Senate.

As I mentioned, Pat and Marcelle arrived at their heartfelt decision--made in partnership--to, using his words, ``put down the gavel.'' As you can see here from this photograph, Chairman Leahy certainly knows how to wield a gavel. He has had plenty of practice. In his nearly half century of service, Pat has chaired all of these committees: the Agriculture Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Appropriations Committee. This photo was taken in 2015 when then- Chairman Leahy presented me with an engraved gavel as I prepared to take the helm of the Judiciary Committee. By the size of this gavel he is firmly holding in his hands, I am awfully glad that Senator Leahy and I get along so well. Although we don't always see eye to eye on politics, we have found common ground on issues that matter. We respect each other's views and values and build consensus based on mutual trust.

We have served many years together on the Agriculture Committee. Senator Leahy added tens of thousands of acres to the Green Mountain National Forest and is one of the few people on Earth who can explain Federal milk marketing orders--and, boy, did he go to bat for the Northeast dairy farmers.

Senator Leahy has cultivated expertise in Foreign Affairs that is recognized here at home and around the world. He has leveraged his leadership to help ban the export of anti-personnel land mines and secure justice for war victims.

For years, Senator Leahy and I partnered together to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act and also the very important whistleblower protection laws.

We have worked together to root out fraud and protect national security with reforms to the EB-5 investor visa program.

We share a fierce commitment to securing our States' fair shares as champions of small, rural States in America.

From broadband to infrastructure, to the opioid crisis and pandemic relief, Senator Leahy and I have rolled up our sleeves and put in the work to ensure the people of Iowa and Vermont don't get short-ended.

For decades, Senator Leahy and I have served together on the Canada- U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group to advance bilateral economic and trade issues.

In May of 2000, we held our annual conference on the steamboat Delta Queen along a route from Memphis to New Orleans. I cochaired the committee discussing international trade, and Senator Leahy cochaired the panel on international affairs.

In May of 2011, our group met with international partners in Belgium and traveled to Russia, where Senator Leahy gave a very important speech on the judiciary and the rule of law, and then to Ireland to advance in all of these places diplomacy, peace, and prosperity.

I have enjoyed working together to forge fruitful relations around the world.

As I reflect on our years of service together here in the U.S. Senate, some observers might actually suggest times sure are different than when we first came to Washington. Pat was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1974, the same year that Iowans elected me to the U.S. House of Representatives--at that time, the only Republican in the Iowa delegation. Despite the partisanship and polarization that is defining civic life this year and for the last few years, I have great hope for America.

Senator Leahy and I share an abiding fidelity to uphold the promise of America. I am honored to have served these many years in Senator Leahy's company.

Vermonters placed their trust in Senator Leahy's judgment. They counted on his vote, his voice, and his leadership to represent their values, and Senator Leahy has delivered.

Barbara and I wish Pat and Marcelle joyful days ahead in each other's company on their farm, and we wish them that for many, many years to come.

Godspeed to my friend from Vermont.

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