Social Security Fairness Act--Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

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Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, I rise from the back row--with some of my best friends back here--to honor, like everyone gathered here today, Bob Casey, who has served the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for 17 years here with honor, dignity, and, yes, joy. He served before he got here--as he noted, always a public servant--and he will serve after he leaves here. That we know for sure.

So, yes, we were this great class of freshmen Senators together, and I do remember when Bob first led the Senate in the Pledge of Allegiance--is this not correct?--the day after we got sworn in. There was someone who was particularly rule-bound who worked here at the time. Bob finished. He thought he had done such a good job. He comes back to his seat.

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Ms. KLOBUCHAR. I am really telling it.

And she says to him: Do you know what, Senator? In the U.S. Senate, when we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we put our hand over our heart.

He said: Well, that is what I did.

She said: No, you were doing it like you were getting sworn in again.

He went like this.

(Laughter.)

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Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Then I remember our--what?

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Ms. KLOBUCHAR. It was a true story. Thank you. That is one of my virtues.

(Laughter.)

I remember our first day of our first classified briefing. We had no idea what we were doing, and they said: Well, you just go right at this statue, left at this painting, right at this thing.

The two of us are wandering through the halls of the Senate. We get completely lost; we are going to miss the classified briefing. And, all of a sudden, we see a group of Minnesotans coming over.

They just stop, and they go:

Look, it's Amy, and she has a guard.

So, not missing a beat, your Senator, Bob Casey, goes all full Secret Service on us and plays the part.

(Laughter.)

We have been friends ever since, and I think so many people here see Bob as their friend. So many people in Pennsylvania see him that way.

Terese and Bob were over with us last night and got to watch the video of his postelection day. One of his neighbors--just a man on the street--was interviewed and said: Well, yes. I have always been a Republican, but Bob is such a good neighbor; so I voted for him.

I think that says a lot about Bob.

You know, in 1977, Minnesota's ``happy warrior,'' Vice President Hubert Humphrey--and this is the ultimate compliment from Minnesotans-- said this: The moral test of government is how the government treats those who are in the dawn of life, how it treats those who are in the twilight of life, and how it treats those who are in the shadows of life.

From the moment Bob Casey got to this place, he saw that as his job-- always looking out for people who didn't have a voice, always looking out for people who couldn't afford to hire a lobbyist, always looking out for people when no one else was listening. He did that.

He looked out for seniors and people with disabilities with the ABLE Act. I have been with him when people have come up and told him that, because of Bob Casey and his leadership on that bill, when no one else was caring about it in the U.S. Senate, they have a savings, and they have a future life.

He headed up the Aging Committee, looking out for the people in the twilight of their lives. He fought to bring down prescription drug costs.

He stood up for kids on childcare when no one else was doing it, looking out for people in the dawn of their lives. He made adoption easier for Americans looking to start families.

And that is barely scratching the surface.

We have worked on 150 pieces of legislation together, but who is counting? And we are still friends.

But what has made Bob truly a good friend is you can actually trust him. In an environment where you tell people things, and you tell them ``don't tell anyone,'' and the next day, it is either in the news or a colleague down the hallway is saying, ``Hey, I heard about this,'' not Bob. He keeps your trust. In that way, he has been to me like the brother I never had.

His friends trust him. His family trusts him. The people of Pennsylvania trust him, and, I will add, maybe that has something to do with this incredible family of his: seven brothers and sisters, four daughters--that must have been a time growing up--and, of course, Terese.

When you put all those names in the Record, I thought it was going to be your entire family, and it was going to take up the day's Record.

(Laughter.)

So we want to thank you, Bob, for everything you have done. We can't wait to hear what you do next. Thank you for your public service. Thank you for being a true public servant. Thank you.

(Applause.)

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