Tributes to Departing Senators

Floor Speech

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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to pay tribute to Senator Levin as his distinguished Senate career comes to a close at the end of the 113th Congress. Senator Levin has proudly represented the people of Michigan in the Senate for 36 years.

The desire to help others has been in Senator Levin's makeup long before coming to Washington. In fact, one might say it is in his DNA. He comes from a family with a distinguished record of public service. I served with his brother Sander in the House of Representatives, another truly distinguished Member of Congress. Their father served on the Michigan Corrections Commission. His uncle served as a chief judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and his cousin was a Michigan Supreme Court Judge.

Given this public service pedigree, it is no surprise that he got started in politics at an early age. He was elected class President at Detroit's Central High School. After Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School, he served as an assistant attorney general and general counsel of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. In 1969 he was elected to the Detroit City Council and in 1978 joined the Senate.

Senator Levin has served on the Armed Services Committee for as long as he has been in the Senate. His Armed Services Committee tenure has provided him the opportunity to work with 11 Secretaries of Defense, helping to ensure that our Armed Forces were ready and able to meet the national security challenges facing our Nation. He has long been a champion of the men and women of our military and their families. From visiting deployed troops far from home, to ensuring much needed training, equipment, and pay increases, and improving the delivery of benefits and services they have earned, Carl Levin has been there for our troops.

Senator Levin is also a problemsolver. In order to improve the way the Pentagon buys its weapons and to get the most out of the taxpayer dollars the government is entrusted to spend, he has worked hard to improve acquisition practices throughout his career. In this arena, he led the way in passing the Competition in Contracting Act and the Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act.

I was fortunate to serve on the Armed Services Committee during my first 2 years in the Senate. I have been able to observe Chairman Levin firsthand as he led the committee with a steady hand in a very bipartisan manner. I have been proud to be part of two National Defense Authorization Acts--including the one this body passed last week, which bears his name--which preserve our readiness and provides for the well-being of our men and women of the armed services and their families.

Senator Levin also chairs the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, where he has led investigations in many critical areas, including the 2008 financial crisis, energy and food market speculation, abusive offshore tax havens, and unfair practices within the credit card industry. His investigations have led to many reforms and laws to fix these problems. In 2012, the National Journal wrote that ``the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is one of the few institutions in Congress that's still working. Carl Levin is a big reason why.''

The Senate is losing one of its giants--a voice of reason, integrity, and fairness. Michigan's working families are losing a lifelong advocate for their best interests who has really made a difference. CARL, thank you for your service to our country. I wish you, Barbara, and your entire family all the best as you move to the next chapter of your journey.

Aloha Carl, a hui hou, ``until we meet again.'
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