Romney commended his Republican and Democratic colleagues in the U.S. Senate for their camaraderie and efforts.<\/p>\n
In his farewell speech to the Senate on Wednesday, Senator Mitt Romney called his time serving as Utah\u2019s senator \u201can honor\u201d and thanked his fellow senators, both Democrats and Republicans, for their camaraderie.<\/p>\n
Romney, 77, stated, \u201cI have been surprised by how much I like the other senators, on both sides of the aisle.\u201d<\/p>\n
During his only six-year term in the Senate, Romney was instrumental in negotiating bipartisan legislation and was praised by his peers for his moral character and ability to accomplish goals. Approximately two dozen senators from both parties attended Romney\u2019s speech on Wednesday morning, and a number of them publicly thanked him.<\/p>\n
Romney\u2019s \u201cuncompromising honesty, earnest humility, and evident devotion to faith\u201d were commended by Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, according to the report. Democratic Senator Cory Booker referred to him as a \u201cgreat American patriot.\u201d Additionally, independent Senator Joe Manchin claimed that his friendship with Romney has made him \u201ca better person.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response, Romney centered a large portion of his speech on the individuals who have influenced both his professional and personal lives. He asked that the names of his former campaign and Senate office staffers, political advisers, and business associates be added to the Senate record and thanked them individually. He called his wife Ann his \u201clove of my life,\u201d his \u201cindefatigable ally,\u201d and his \u201cmost trusted adviser.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ann was present, sitting with three of their sons, Ben, Josh, and Matt, in the upper gallery. They were joined by a number of Romney grandchildren. Benches on the chamber floor were occupied by Romney\u2019s Senate staff.<\/p>\n
Romney attributed his success to his fellow senators. Romney acknowledged that he was \u201cmostly on my own, and thus mostly unproductive\u201d for the first few months of his time in the U.S. Senate. He recounted how in late 2020, socially isolated, windows open, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, invited him to join a group of senators for a COVID-19-style dinner at her home. \u201cBridging the impasse between the President and Congress on COVID relief\u201d was the task, he stated. They put together a COVID-19 relief package by December 2020, which President Donald Trump signed into law.<\/p>\n
Murkowski, Manchin, Rob Portman, Kyrsten Sinema, Susan Collins, Mark Warner, Jon Tester, Bill Cassidy, and Jeanne Shaheen were among the ten senators who later played a crucial role in negotiating bipartisan legislation on marriage, infrastructure, electoral reform, and gun safety.<\/p>\n
Romney stated, \u201cEach of us came to Washington to pass laws that would benefit people, and that\u2019s exactly what we did.\u201d \u201cWhat we could never have done alone, we achieved together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Romney stated that he \u201cwill very much miss you, my fellow senators, for among you are some brilliant, some entertaining, some kind and generous and all patriotic,\u201d even though he will not miss certain parts of the Senate, such as \u201cmeaningful\u201d and \u201cinconsequential\u201d votes. \u201cBeing able to serve alongside you is an honor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The audience at Sen. Mitt Romney\u2019s farewell speech on Wednesday, which marked the end of his six-year term, was a fitting representation of Romney\u2019s legacy. More than a dozen Democrats were present, along with the majority of the senators from the original <\/p>\n
Group of Ten,\u201d led by Murkowski. As Romney entered the chamber, Booker, the former Democratic presidential candidate, embraced him. Following Romney\u2019s comments, a number of senators came up to shake his hand or give him a hug.<\/p>\n
From the Senate floor, Sen.-elect John Curtis, who will succeed Romney in January, observed the speech. Romney\u2019s Utah colleague, Senator Mike Lee, did not show up.<\/p>\n
In a subsequent written statement to the Deseret News, Lee expressed gratitude to Sen. Romney for his many years of public service. \u201cI know that his family will appreciate the chance to spend more time with him, and I wish him the best of luck in all of his future pursuits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Romney praised Utah\u2019s citizens in his speech, stating that \u201cthe admirable character of its people, not just its beauty and vibrant economy, is what sets the state apart.\u201d He admitted that he \u201cdid not achieve everything I had hoped,\u201d but he said he leaves Washington \u201cwith a sense of achievement.\u201d He identified the national debt as a persistent problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe plague of partisan politics has thwarted numerous attempts to stabilize our national debt, among other things,\u201d he stated. Our \u201cnational credit card is nearly maxed out, and America risks becoming debt-poor,\u201d he cautioned.<\/p>\n
Romney concluded his speech by condemning those who \u201cwould tear at our unity, who would replace love with hate, who deride our foundation of virtue, or who debase the values upon which the blessings of heaven depend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA nation\u2019s character is a reflection of its people as well as its elected officials,\u201d he added. \u201cGod will continue to bless America only if the <\/p>\n
American people deserve his kindness, so I leave Washington to return and be one of them, hoping to be a voice of unity and virtue.\u201d His colleagues gave Romney a standing ovation for his remarks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Romney commended his Republican and Democratic colleagues in the U.S. Senate for their camaraderie and efforts. In his farewell speech to the Senate on Wednesday, Senator Mitt… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36330,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n