TRIBUTES TO HON. JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR. 

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 

UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT AND 

PRESIDENT OF THE 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

TRIBUTES 

IN THE CONGRESS OF 

THE UNITED STATES 

UNUM

E PLURIBUS


congress.#15
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 


64802.001
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 2017

S. DOC. 114–25 

Tributes 

Delivered in Congress 

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 

United States Vice President and 

President of the United States Senate 

2009–2017 

United States Senator 

1973–2009 

÷ 

Compiled under the direction 

of the 

Joint Committee on Printing 

[ iii ] 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Biography .................................................................................................. v 

Proceedings in the Senate: 

Tributes by Senators: 

Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee ............................................... 53 

Bennet, Michael F., of Colorado ................................................ 45 

Blumenthal, Richard, of Connecticut ....................................... 46, 65 

Boozman, John, of Arkansas ..................................................... 76 

Boxer, Barbara, of California .................................................... 36 

Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland ............................................ 54 

Carper, Thomas R., of Delaware ............................................... 68 

Casey, Robert P., Jr., of Pennsylvania ..................................... 58 

Collins, Susan M., of Maine ...................................................... 27 

Coons, Christopher A., of Delaware.............................. 4, 5, 31, 72, 75 

Donnelly, Joe, of Indiana ........................................................... 66 

Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois ................................................... 20 

Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming ................................................... 74 

Feinstein, Dianne, of California ................................................ 34 

Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina ........................................ 75 

Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah ........................................................... 14 

Hirono, Mazie K., of Hawaii ...................................................... 49 

Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia ...................................................... 23 

Kaine, Tim, of Virginia .............................................................. 63 

King, Angus S., Jr., of Maine .................................................... 50 

Klobuchar, Amy, of Minnesota .................................................. 67 

Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont ................................................... 17 

Markey, Edward J., of Massachusetts ..................................... 65 

McCain, John, of Arizona .......................................................... 18 

McCaskill, Claire, of Missouri ................................................... 65 

McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky ................................................. 3, 7 

Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland .......................................... 28 

Murray, Patty, of Washington .................................................. 4, 25 

Nelson, Bill, of Florida ............................................................... 61 

Portman, Rob, of Ohio ............................................................... 76 

Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island ...................................................... 72 

Reid, Harry, of Nevada ............................................................. 3, 4, 9 

Schumer, Charles E., of New York ........................................... 13 

Stabenow, Debbie, of Michigan ................................................. 38 

Udall, Tom, of New Mexico ....................................................... 41 

Warner, Mark R., of Virginia .................................................... 44 

Warren, Elizabeth, of Massachusetts ....................................... 52 

Whitehouse, Sheldon, of Rhode Island ..................................... 40 

[ v ] 

BIOGRAPHY 

JOSEPH ROBINETTE BIDEN, JR., was born November 20, 

1942, in Scranton, PA, the first of four siblings. In 1953, the 

Biden family moved from Pennsylvania to Claymont, DE. He 

graduated from the University of Delaware and Syracuse 

Law School and served on the New Castle County Council. 

Then, at age 29, he became one of the youngest people ever 

elected to the U.S. Senate. 

Just weeks after the election, tragedy struck the Biden 

family when JOE BIDEN’s wife, Neilia, and their 1-year-old 

daughter, Naomi, were killed and their two young sons critically injured in an auto accident. JOE BIDEN was sworn in 

to the U.S. Senate at his sons’ hospital bedsides and began 

commuting to Washington every day by train, a practice he 

maintained throughout his career in the Senate. 

In 1977, JOE BIDEN married Jill Jacobs. Jill Biden, who 

holds a Ph.D. in education, is a lifelong educator and currently teaches at a community college in Northern Virginia. 

The Vice President’s son, Beau (1969–2015), was Delaware’s 

attorney general from 2007 to 2015 and a major in the 261st 

Signal Brigade of the Delaware National Guard. He was deployed to Iraq in 2008–2009. The Vice President’s other son, 

Hunter, is an attorney who manages a private equity firm in 

Washington, DC, and is chairman of the World Food Program USA. His daughter Ashley is a social worker and is executive director of the Delaware Center for Justice. Vice 

President BIDEN has five grandchildren: Naomi, Finnegan, 

Roberta Mabel (‘‘Maisy’’), Natalie, and Robert Hunter. 

As a Senator from Delaware for 36 years, JOE BIDEN established himself as a leader in facing some of our Nation’s 

most important domestic and international challenges. As 

chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee for 17 years, then-Senator BIDEN was widely recognized for his work on criminal justice issues, including the 

landmark 1994 crime law and the Violence Against Women 

Act. As chairman or ranking member of the Senate Foreign 

Relations Committee for 12 years, then-Senator BIDEN

played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. He has 

been at the forefront of issues and legislation related to terVerDate Aug 31 2005 16:09 Jun 07, 2017 Jkt 098900 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE16\23054.TXT KAYNE
[ vi ] 

rorism, weapons of mass destruction, post-cold war Europe, 

the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. 

As the 47th Vice President of the United States, JOE

BIDEN continued his leadership on important issues facing 

the Nation. The Vice President was tasked with implementing and overseeing the $840 billion stimulus package in 

the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which helped 

to rebuild our economy and lay the foundation for a sustainable economic future. The Vice President also led the Ready 

to Work Initiative, the administration’s key effort to identify 

opportunities to improve our Nation’s workforce skills and 

training systems to help better prepare American workers 

for the jobs of a 21st century economy. 

The Vice President drew upon his years in the U.S. Senate 

to work with Congress on key issues including the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. As a longtime advocate against sexual assault and domestic violence, 

the Vice President appointed the first-ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women. The Vice President was 

also tasked with convening sessions of the President’s Cabinet and leading interagency efforts, particularly to reduce 

gun violence and raise the living standards of middle class 

Americans in his role as chair of the Middle Class Task 

Force. Vice President BIDEN traveled to 48 States as part of 

the administration’s continuing efforts to focus key priorities 

such as college affordability and American manufacturing 

growth. 

With decades of foreign policy experience in the U.S. Senate, including serving as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Vice President BIDEN advised President 

Obama on international issues. The Vice President was a 

leading architect of the U.S. strategic vision of a Europe 

whole, free, and at peace. During his time in the Senate, the 

Vice President led the effort to enlarge NATO to include the 

former Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern and Central Europe after the collapse of the Iron Curtain. The Vice President’s speech at the Munich Security Conference in February 

2015 laid out a vision for how to revitalize NATO, strengthen 

democratic institutions in Europe, prioritize investments to 

bolster energy security, and grow trade and investment ties 

across the Atlantic. The Vice President led the administration’s effort to support a sovereign, democratic Ukraine, visiting the country three times in 2014. In the Middle East, 

the Vice President was deeply involved in shaping U.S. policy toward Iraq, visiting the country several times. He met 

[ vii ] 

with the leaders from around the Middle East and championed Israel’s security. The Vice President also played an 

active role in supporting the administration’s rebalance to 

the Asia-Pacific. He developed deep relationships with the 

region’s leaders, demonstrating U.S. commitment to highlevel, face-to-face diplomacy. Vice President BIDEN was the 

administration’s point person for diplomacy within the Western Hemisphere. He worked to realize his vision of a hemisphere that is ‘‘middle class, secure, and democratic, from 

Canada to Chile and everywhere in between.’’ In this capacity, the Vice President led the administration’s regional efforts to address economic, social, governance, and citizen security challenges. 

Vice President BIDEN represented our country in every region of the world, traveling to more than two dozen countries 

including: Afghanistan, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, 

Egypt, Germany, Guatemala, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, 

Pakistan, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, 

Turkey, and Ukraine. 

TRIBUTES 

TO 

JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR. 

[ 3 ] 

Proceedings in the Senate 

MONDAY, December 5, 2016 

Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, it is a rare day when we 

see the Vice President presiding. We welcome him here 

today. We look forward to welcoming him back later in the 

week. I know Members will have plenty to say about his life 

and his legacy later in the week, but today the Senate would 

like to specifically acknowledge his efforts to help Americans 

struggling with cancer. 

He has known the cruel toll this disease can take, but he 

hasn’t let it defeat him. He has chosen to fight back. He has 

taken a leading role, and the Senate will soon pass the 21st 

Century Cures Act as a testament to his tremendous effort. 

I think it is fitting to dedicate this bill’s critical cancer initiatives in honor of someone who would be proud of the Presiding Officer today, and that is his son Beau. In just a moment, that is exactly what the Senate will do—renaming the 

NIH’s cancer initiatives in this bill after Beau Biden. 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I say to all my colleagues, the 

Presiding Officer (Mr. BIDEN) served in the Senate for 36 

years. During that time he was here, he was about as much 

a man of the Senate as anyone could be. He was a Democrat, 

but he was also available to anybody anytime. I so admire 

him. I know that he has worked very closely with the Republican leader on some very important issues the last 8 years. 

I want the Record to be spread with the fact that the Presiding Officer is as proud of his family as anyone could be, 

and doing this for Beau only furthers the effect that this 

man, the Presiding Officer, has had on this country. I am 

grateful to the Republican leader for allowing me to cosponsor this important amendment, changing the name of this 

bill to the Beau Biden Memorial Moonshot. 

I am grateful to you, the Republican leader. All of the Senators understand that the man presiding is really a man of 

the Senate and always will be. 

(Applause.) 

[ 4 ] 

TUESDAY, December 6, 2016 

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I wish to start by expressing my appreciation to all of my colleagues who have worked 

so hard on the priorities in the 21st Century Cures bill, including investing in tackling our hardest to treat diseases, 

confronting the opioid epidemic, strengthening mental health 

care, and advancing medical innovation. 

The legislation that we will be voting on either really late 

tonight or tomorrow morning takes important steps to improve the care that patients receive. 

I am very grateful to every Senator and Member of Congress who worked across the aisle to make this legislation 

the best it could be for those whom we serve. In particular, 

I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Vice President JOE

BIDEN. Not everyone has the strength to respond to profound 

personal tragedy by doing even more to protect and help others, but that is exactly what he has done. I know we are all 

grateful for and inspired by his leadership, and I am confident it has given a lot of families hope, knowing that JOE

BIDEN is fighting for them and their loved ones. . . . 

WEDNESDAY, December 7, 2016 

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 

the following Senators who wish to speak in honor of the 

Presiding Officer [Mr. BIDEN] be recognized in the following 

order for up to 4 minutes each: me, the majority leader Senator McConnell, the minority leader Senator Reid, Senator 

Schumer, Senator Hatch, Senator Leahy, Senator McCain, 

Senator Durbin, Senator Isakson, Senator Murray, Senator 

Feinstein, Senator Collins, Senator Mikulski, and Senator 

Carper. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Democratic leader. 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 

the Senator from Delaware amend his request so that Senator McConnell and I will use our leader time. That will not 

count against his hour. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. Is there objection? 

Without objection, it is so ordered. 

The Senator from Delaware. 

[ 5 ] 

Mr. COONS. Mr. President—and it does bring me some joy 

to call you Mr. President. I am honored to be here today with 

so many of our colleagues, and I am grateful to Majority 

Leader McConnell and Leader Reid for their enthusiasm in 

pulling together this bipartisan tribute. I am honored to be 

joined by my senior Senator from Delaware, Tom Carper, 

who will make closing remarks this afternoon. 

Before I begin, I would like to remind my colleagues that 

there will be a reception for the Vice President in the Mansfield Room, after we conclude here, beginning sometime after 

4. We have many Senators who wish to speak so we will 

move quickly through the order. I encourage my colleagues 

to submit their remarks for the Record, those who are not 

able to speak in the next hour. Their remarks will be combined with all the other remarks given on the floor, and the 

resulting speeches printed, bound, and presented to the Presiding Officer. 

Mr. President, in a place known these days for some disagreements, my colleagues—our colleagues, Republicans, 

Democrats, and Independents—are all here today because 

we agree on one powerful and simple thing: our deep gratitude for the difference you have made in your decades in 

public service. 

The greatest honor of my life is to serve in the seat that 

you held for 36 years—and not just literally this seat in the 

Senate but also a seat on the 7:15 Amtrak train down from 

Wilmington every morning. You logged over 2 million miles 

on Amtrak and millions more traveling around the world 

fighting for our country, and as long as I have the privilege 

of representing our State in the Senate, I will be humbled 

by the challenge of living up to your legacy of fighting for 

and making a real difference for the people of our shared 

home. 

Like so many Americans, I have long been inspired by 

your loyalty to your family, and I am so glad to see so many 

familiar faces in the gallery today. This job requires a strong 

partner and teammate, and to Dr. Biden, Jill, your unwavering support for your family, for Delaware, and your country 

is something for which we are all deeply grateful. 

As a son of Delaware, and of Catherine Eugenia and Joe 

Senior, you have never forgotten from where you came or for 

whom you are fighting. Even as Vice President, our fellow 

Delawareans have the blessing of a surprise visit week in 

and week out, to see you at the Columbus Day Breakfast or 

Return Day or St. Anthony’s Procession. 

[ 6 ] 

Whether meeting personally with world leaders you have 

known for decades, whether chairing the Judiciary or Foreign Relations Committees or just stopping by a Claymont 

diner, there is universal agreement about what you have 

brought to this work—your passion, your heart, your character, and your integrity. That is because you genuinely listen to people, you ask them questions, and then you lift 

them up. We know that when you give us your word as a 

Biden, you mean it, and you will keep it. 

Your service as a Senator stands as a model for all of our 

colleagues and for me. Through challenging times, you always worked across the aisle, through eight Presidents. You 

were willing to reach across to anyone willing to roll up their 

sleeves and get to work for the American people. 

So many families across Delaware and this country and I, 

myself, as we have struggled with loss—maybe the loss of a 

job or loss of hope or the impending loss of a loved one—have 

experienced the incredible personal comfort and power of a 

call from you. When it comes to providing advice and inspiration that touches our hearts and makes a real difference, no 

one is better than you. We know you will share our challenges, you will give us meaningful comfort and encourage 

us, and you will fight for us. 

As we look ahead to next year and beyond, I know you and 

Jill have so much more great and good work to do, starting 

with the fight to cure cancer through the Cancer Moonshot. 

This next chapter will be every bit as exciting and meaningful as the life of service you have led for 44 years. What an 

honor to see you in that chair earlier this week as the majority leader led the Senate in a unanimous vote to rename a 

title of the 21st Century Cures Cancer Initiative after Beau. 

That bill, which we passed finally just an hour ago, would 

not have happened without your leadership. 

Now, let me close with a line you know all too well, a line 

you shared countless times in this Chamber, sometimes from 

this very desk. As the Irish poet Seamus Heaney once wrote: 

History says, Don’t hope 

On this side of the grave, 

But then, once in a lifetime 

The longed-for tidal wave 

Of Justice can rise up, 

And hope and history rhyme. 

No one, sir, no one has done more to make hope and history rhyme than you. Thank you, Mr. President, for your 

[ 7 ] 

service, your counsel, your advice, your friendship, and your 

leadership. 

It is now my pleasure to yield to the majority leader, Senator McConnell of Kentucky, who has been so generous with 

floor time and support this afternoon. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The majority leader. 

Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, it is great to see the 

Presiding Officer back in the Senate. It is good news for everyone he is in the chair. Good news for him because, as 

Senator Coons said, the rest of us have to call him ‘‘Mr. 

President.’’ Good news for the rest of us because he has to 

let everyone else talk. 

The amazing thing is, the man we honor today wasn’t always a talker. He suffered from a debilitating stutter for 

most of his childhood. He was teased for it, but he was determined to overcome it, and so he did—with hard work, with 

determination, with the support of his family. It is classic 

JOE BIDEN. He has never stopped talking since. 

He cites overcoming that stutter as one of the most important lessons in his life. It led him down a path few might 

have foreseen: winning election to the county council, securing an improbable victory for the U.S. Senate, becoming our 

Nation’s 47th Vice President. 

Now, the Presiding Officer would be the first to tell you 

that he has been blessed in many ways. He has also been 

tested, knocked down, pushed to the edge of what anyone 

could be expected to bear, but from the grip of unknowable 

despair came a new man—a better man: stronger and more 

compassionate, grateful for every moment, appreciative of 

what really matters. 

Here in the Senate he heeded the advice of Mike Mansfield. Here is what Senator Mansfield had to say: ‘‘Your job 

here is to find the good things in your colleagues. And, JOE, 

never attack another man’s motive, because you don’t know 

his motive.’’ 

Look for the good. Don’t attack motives. It is the basis of 

a simple philosophy and a very powerful one. 

Vice President BIDEN says he views his competitors as 

competitors, not enemies, and he has been able to cultivate 

many unlikely friendships across the aisle—with Jesse 

Helms, with Strom Thurmond, with me. 

Over the years, we have worked together on issues of mutual interest, like Burma—and regarding the vote we just 

[ 8 ] 

took a few moments ago—21st Century Cures, and the Cancer Moonshot. 

We have also negotiated in good faith when the country 

needed bipartisan leadership. We got results that would not 

have been possible without a negotiating partner like JOE

BIDEN. Obviously, I don’t always agree with him, but I do 

trust him implicitly. He doesn’t break his word. He doesn’t 

waste time telling me why I am wrong. He gets down to 

brass tacks, and he keeps in sight the stakes. There is a reason ‘‘Get JOE on the phone’’ is shorthand for ‘‘time to get serious’’ in my office. 

The Vice President is a likeable guy too. He has a welldeveloped sense of humor. He doesn’t take himself too seriously either. When The Onion ran a mock photo of him 

washing a Trans-Am in the White House driveway, shirtless, 

Americans embraced it, and so did he. ‘‘I think it’s hilarious,’’ 

he said, but ‘‘by the way, I have a Corvette—’67 Corvette— 

not a Trans-Am.’’ So you see what I mean. 

JOE BIDEN may exist in the popular imagination aboard an 

Amtrak, but this son of a used car salesman will always be 

a muscle guy at heart. 

What a road he has traveled, from New Castle to the 

Naval Observatory, from Scranton to the Senate. His journey 

in this body began by the side of those who loved him; hand 

on the Bible, heart in a knot, swearing the same oath he now 

administers to others. It is a journey that ends now by the 

side of those who care about him still—those like his wife 

Jill, who understands the full life he has lived. 

Here is a man who has known great joy, who has been 

read his last rites, and who has never lost himself along the 

way. 

‘‘Champ,’’ his father used to say, ‘‘the measure of a man is 

not how often he is knocked down, but how quickly he gets 

up.’’ That is JOE BIDEN right there—unbowed, unbroken, and 

unable to stop talking. 

It is my privilege to convey the Senate’s warm wishes to 

the Vice President on this Delaware Day as the next steps 

of his long journey come into view. There are many here who 

feel this way in both parties. 

I am reminded of something the Presiding Officer said 

when he addressed the University of Louisville several years 

ago. It was one of the McConnell Center’s most popular lectures ever. As I sat beside him, he offered his theory as to 

why that might be: ‘‘I think you’re all here today’’—remember, these are young people, students. He said, ‘‘I think you 

[ 9 ] 

are all here today because ‘you want to see whether or not 

a Republican and Democrat really like each other,’ ’’ he said. 

‘‘Well,’’ he continued, flashing a smile, ‘‘I’m here to tell you 

we do.’’ It was true then, and it is true today. 

I hope the Presiding Officer won’t mind if I conclude with 

some words directed to the Chair. 

Mr. President, you have been a real friend, you have been 

a trusted partner, and it has been an honor to serve with 

you. We are all going to miss you. Godspeed. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The minority leader. 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, to everyone listening, JOE

BIDEN’s life has been the material of which movies are made. 

JOE was born in Scranton, PA, to Joe and Jean Biden, the 

first of four children. As a young man, as we have heard 

about today—once in a while, though not very often, JOE

BIDEN talks about his stammering. He didn’t get any professional help, no therapy. He did it on his own, long hours of 

reading, mostly poetry. He would stand in front of a mirror 

and recite poetry time after time, watching himself to make 

sure he didn’t contort his face when he stammered or stuttered. This wasn’t easy for a young man. People made fun 

of him, but he knew he could do it on his own. He felt that, 

and he did it. He worked hard. He developed a rhythm and 

a cadence of speaking that helped him overcome his stammer 

to become one of the U.S. Senate’s alltime great orators, 

without any qualification. 

JOE was an outstanding high school running back and 

wide receiver. His coach said he had never seen anyone with 

such hands. His coach saw in JOE what we all see, a hard 

worker who refuses to fail. His coach said, ‘‘JOE was a skinny 

kid. But he was one of the best pass receivers I had in 16 

years as a coach.’’ 

In college, JOE continued to display his athletic prowess, 

playing football for the University of Delaware. 

This is quite a story. During spring break, his junior 

year—JOE and I were traveling from Indianapolis to Reno, 

NV, and he talked to me about this, just the two of us. I will 

never forget that conversation. He and one of his college buddies had gotten a tax return, and they were going to take a 

little vacation away from the cold of Delaware. They went to 

Florida. Frankly, they didn’t like it. They had a few dollars 

left over from their tax returns, and I believe they went to 

the Bahamas. They got an inexpensive hotel. I was going to 

say ‘‘cheap,’’ but I will say ‘‘inexpensive’’ hotel. 

[ 10 ] 

Right next to them was an exclusive hotel, and they noticed when the people came out of the fancy hotel off that 

private beach, many times they would lay their towels on the 

fence. JOE and his pal said, ‘‘Well, those towels aren’t even 

wet.’’ They went down to that private beach, and it was 

there that he met a young woman by the name of Neilia 

Hunter. I am sure that, just like Jill, she must have been a 

knockout to look at. She went to the University of Syracuse. 

She was on the dean’s list. She had been homecoming queen. 

That was the beginning of the relationship that they had. 

JOE had been smitten. After graduating from the University 

of Delaware, he enrolled in law school in Syracuse to be closer to her. 

The story of his and Neilia’s relationship is stunning. I repeat, it was something that movies are made of. Without 

being too personal, I will say it the way it is because it is 

a wonderful story, and I can identify with it so well because 

of Landra and me. There came a time when her father came 

to her and said, ‘‘You know, he is not that much. He comes 

from a family that is not like ours.’’ She said, ‘‘Dad, stop. If 

you make me choose between you and JOE, I am going to 

choose JOE.’’ 

So that was that relationship. I repeat, Landra and I understand that story quite well. They were married a short 

time later. They had three children, Beau, Hunter, and 

Naomi. 

After starting his law practice and serving as city councilman in New Castle, DE, JOE stunned and embarrassed a few 

of his friends and relatives by saying he was going to run for 

the Senate. 

‘‘You will run for the Senate against a two-term incumbent, Caleb Boggs?’’ 

‘‘I think I can do it.’’ 

I am sure he said to himself: A lot of people said I couldn’t 

overcome certain things, and I did, and I am going to do my 

best to overcome this race I am in. I am starting way behind. 

JOE and his family went at this as hard as they could. 

They canvassed the entire State. They pulled off an incredible upset. JOE BIDEN was elected to the U.S. Senate. In 

every respect, JOE’s life has been unique. It has been special. 

His election to the Senate was no different. 

The great Constitution that leads this Nation stipulates 

that the person must be 30 years old to be elected to the 

Senate. JOE was 29 on election day. He turned 30 2 weeks 

after the election. Just a few weeks later, tragedy struck and 

[ 11 ] 

struck really hard. Neilia and their three children were in a 

terrible car accident just days before Christmas. He had not 

been sworn in as a Senator yet. 

His wife was killed, their baby girl was killed, and Beau 

and Hunter were grievously injured—hospitalized, of course. 

To say JOE was grief-stricken is an understatement. How 

can you describe how he felt? I am sure, as I have heard, he 

didn’t know what to do. He had two boys to raise. He wasn’t 

a man of great means. He strongly considered: I shouldn’t be 

sworn in to the Senate; I can’t do this. 

He had friends, people who didn’t know him who were 

Senators, who treated him as fathers. Without the help of 

Valerie, his sister, JOE BIDEN’s life may have been completely different because with the support he got from her, 

the encouragement he got from Democratic and Republican 

Senators, and the fact that she moved in, took care of Beau 

and Hunter to replace their mom—she was there for 4 years 

helping with those boys. 

JOE is a remarkable man. When I was in the House of 

Representatives, he agreed to come to the house in Nevada 

for me. It was a big deal to get this senior Senator to come 

to Nevada. He came. Every place he traveled, he had one of 

his boys with him. 

With the support of his sister and other members of his 

family, JOE embarked on a long, storied, 36-year career that 

was productive and unsurpassed in the history of the Senate. 

That was not the end of JOE’s difficulties. JOE is, as you 

can see now, a very well-conditioned man. He always has 

been. As a Senator, he suffered a massive bleed on the brain, 

and he was hospitalized for a long time. He didn’t come to 

the Senate for a long time. When I got hurt, one of the first 

people to call me was JOE. He said, ‘‘Look, the fact you are 

going to be missing a little time in the Senate doesn’t mean 

you can’t be a good Senator.’’ That was the example that JOE

BIDEN set. 

He recovered, and he became chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Foreign Relations chair, author of 

many pieces of legislation—Violence Against Women—too 

numerous to mention. 

In a love story unsurpassed, he also met a woman who has 

been by his side for 40 years, Jill Biden. It is an incredible 

love story. JOE says it was love at first sight. It was the 

same for his boys. JOE remembers the day that Beau and 

Hunter came to him with the recommendation: ‘‘Daddy, we 

[ 12 ] 

were talking and we think we should marry Jill,’’ not he 

should marry Jill. ‘‘We should marry Jill,’’ a direct quote. 

JOE and Jill were married, and before long, Beau and 

Hunter had a new sister, Ashley, and a new mom. There is 

not a family that I know of who is any closer, more tight knit 

than the Bidens. JOE BIDEN loves his family above all else. 

He is a good Senator, a terrific Vice President, but he is a 

family man. 

For the last 8 years as Vice President, he has traveled the 

world, meeting with dignitaries in trouble spots on behalf of 

this country, oftentimes at the direction of President Obama. 

He has done it with dignity—more than a million miles. 

As we have heard from the junior Senator from Delaware, 

that pales in comparison to the miles he has traveled on Amtrak. He has traveled more than 2 million miles on Amtrak. 

He took the train home every night to Delaware. If we 

worked late, he would go to a hotel here. If it had been necessary, he would have gone more than 2 million miles to 

take care of his boys and to be with Jill. 

Vice President BIDEN’s time serving at President Obama’s 

side has been historic. He has been the President’s rock, his 

confidant, and his friend. I have been told that not by JOE

BIDEN but by the President. JOE has had a stellar career as 

Vice President of our great country. He has used his skills 

and his experience to help shape American diplomacy. 

Vice President BIDEN is helping lead the quest for a cure 

for cancer. His Moonshot Initiative is the most ambitious 

plan ever to accelerate cancer research. I say, through the 

Chair, to my friend Lamar Alexander, that this would not 

have happened but for the good man from Tennessee. 

We know that JOE and Jill know first hand the pain and 

heartache caused by cancer and the toll it takes on families. 

Tragically, just last year, Beau was diagnosed with terminal 

cancer, which took his life. He was somebody I knew well. 

He was an Iraq veteran. He didn’t have to go to Iraq, but 

he did. He was attorney general of the State of Delaware. 

Beau was a light to everyone who knew him but especially 

to his family. Beau’s passing broke JOE’s, Hunter’s, and Jill’s 

hearts and, of course, their sister’s. As with all the other 

heartbreaking challenges and setbacks, JOE BIDEN continues 

his life’s work. He is still the same kid that his coach 

praised. His No. 1 asset is that he works hard; he does the 

best he can. 

[ 13 ] 

JOE BIDEN continues to serve his country, and he will continue after January 20. He continues to do what is right. 

Above all, he continues to love and take care of his family. 

I have been gratified to call Senator BIDEN a man of the 

Senate, Senator BIDEN, Vice President BIDEN, JOE. He is an 

awe-inspiring man, so Steven Spielberg, Hollywood, you 

should be listening. JOE BIDEN’s life is that which movies are 

made of. 

I yield the floor. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from New York. 

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, it is such a pleasure and 

honor to rise to recognize a great son of Scranton—sitting 

next to me, another son of Scranton—a grandson of Ireland—sitting in this Chamber are many grandchildren of 

Ireland—and a Syracuse University graduate. How many 

others in the room can say that? More important than any 

of those, he is one of the most dedicated public servants, one 

of the most successful public servants I have ever had the 

pleasure to serve with during my time in Washington. 

Everyone knows JOE is proud of his ancestry. His ancestors came from Ireland, as many millions have. He is deeply 

proud of being an Irish-American. Like so many others from 

the Emerald Isle, our Vice President inherited the gift of 

gab, and thank God for that because he has used his booming voice to speak out on so many issues. 

We have only a little time today. I know my colleagues are 

eager to speak, so I will just focus on one of the issues that 

Senator BIDEN led the charge on and changed America. I 

worked with him on the Assault Weapons Ban and the 

Brady law when he was a Senator and I was a Congressman 

and we were each head of the crime committees. But maybe 

the thing he was proudest of was the Violence Against 

Women Act. It sounds like a different world, but a few years 

ago, a few decades ago, rape and domestic violence and 

abuse were considered in many ways lesser crimes—crimes 

in which the victim was as much at fault as the perpetrator. 

It was disgraceful. If you were beaten, abused, sexually assaulted, you faced a hostile, skeptical criminal justice system. That got at JOE BIDEN and his sense of justice, so he 

exploded the myths behind domestic violence. 

I remember hearing the speeches against sexual abuse and 

as a result we put together the strongest ever violence 

against women law. Not only did the law make women safer; 

it made men better. It moved our society forward. 

[ 14 ] 

Our work on these issues is not nearly over, but I am certain there are literally millions of women who have avoided 

pain and suffering—both physical and mental—because of 

the courage, the steadfastness, and the legislative brilliance 

of the then-senior Senator from the great State of Delaware. 

I could go on and on and almost write a book on accomplishments like that where JOE almost singlehandedly 

changed the world. He was also a great friend and leader to 

so many of us. 

I will conclude with one little story. I was elected to the 

Senate after 18 years in the House, and an issue I wanted 

to get going on was college affordability. I had run for the 

Senate on the promise of making college tuition tax deductible. So I get to the Senate, introduce my bill, make my 

speech, and get ready to lead the way on what I thought was 

my issue. We have all experienced this. A call comes into my 

office from JOE’s chief of staff. Of course I spoke to him. ‘‘Mr. 

BIDEN has been working on this issue for 10 years. Go work 

on something else.’’ That was the nice version. Naturally, me 

and my brandnew office were in a panic. I was chastened. I 

didn’t know what to do. I am sitting on the floor and feeling 

really forlorn. Why did I even come here? I was a senior 

Member of the House. I feel an arm on my shoulder, and I 

look up. There is the revered and exalted Senator JOE

BIDEN. He says to me, ‘‘I understand you have your college 

tuition tax deduction bill. Go ahead, take the issue. I know 

what it is like for new Senators to carve their own path.’’ 

How many times can any freshman say any senior Senator 

has said that to them? They can’t because he is unique. Not 

only is he a towering figure and superb man, but he has a 

good heart and looks out for the Members of this body. He 

always has, does to this day, and always will because I know 

in JOE’s heart, with all of his accomplishments, he is still a 

Senator—our Senator. 

Mr. President, I say to Mr. Vice President, thank you. 

Thank you for your heart and passion, thank you for bringing every ounce of yourself to public service, and thank you 

for that lesson of humility and leadership you taught me 

when I first came to this Chamber. 

I yield the floor. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Utah. 

Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, it is an honor for me to rise 

and talk about our friendship and what you have done for 

this country. 

[ 15 ] 

I rise today to pay tribute to a dedicated public servant, 

distinguished leader, and dear friend, Vice President JOE

BIDEN. 

For more than three decades, I had the distinct privilege 

of serving alongside JOE in the U.S. Senate. As anyone who 

worked closely with JOE can tell you, he was no ordinary 

Senator. He had boundless energy and undeniable charm. He 

paired an unmatched work ethic with a disarming smile that 

dared you not to smile back. JOE’s innate ability to befriend 

anyone—and I mean anyone, including his fiercest political 

opponents—was critical to his success as a legislator. His 

genuine sincerity endeared him to all, and his gregariousness transcended partisan boundaries. 

Even in the most polarizing debates, JOE never let politics 

stand in the way of friendship. One minute JOE could be 

scolding you from the Senate floor, and the next minute he 

could be hugging you in the hallway, cracking jokes and asking about your grandkids. I am, of course, speaking from 

plenty of personal experience. It is no secret that JOE and I 

often found ourselves on opposite sides of almost every major 

issue—that is not quite true. We agreed on a lot of things. 

In countless legislative battles, JOE proved himself to be a 

worthy political opponent and an able sparring partner. 

Whether on the Senate floor or in the Judiciary Committee 

hearing room, JOE and I locked horns on a number of occasions, sometimes on a daily basis. Indeed, we were at odds 

about as often as we were on C–SPAN. 

At the end of the day, I couldn’t help but admire the man. 

You see, JOE BIDEN was beloved by everyone in this Chamber, even those he drove crazy from time to time, and I count 

myself among that group. Through his ability to forge friendship even amid conflict, he embodies the ethos of a noble 

generation of legislators—a generation that embraced the 

virtues of comity and compromise above all else. I believe 

this body—indeed, this Nation—could learn from JOE’s example of kindness, courtesy, and compassion. 

For 17 years, then-Senator BIDEN served as chairman and 

ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, overseeing 

some of the most significant court appointments of our time. 

Chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee is no easy task. I 

know because I have been there. The committee boasts some 

of the biggest egos on this side of the Potomac—or this side 

of the Milky Way, for that matter. It takes a certain kind of 

political genius to navigate the assertive personalities and 

lofty ambitions of its members, but JOE was more than up 

[ 16 ] 

to the task. As both chairman and ranking member, he was 

tough and tenacious but also decent and fair. Through his 

trademark work ethic, he won the respect of every member 

of that committee. 

JOE also served admirably as the chairman and ranking 

member of the Foreign Relations Committee. In this capacity, he played an indispensable role in shaping American foreign policy. When President Obama tapped JOE to be his 

Vice President, the Senate lost a seasoned statesman, but 

our Nation gained a wise and capable leader with unparalleled experience in public affairs. 

JOE was the administration’s bridge to Congress, often 

serving as an intermediary between the President and legislators. On more than one occasion, his close relationship 

with lawmakers and his deft negotiating skills helped our 

Nation to overcome some of its greatest obstacles. He was 

the President’s trusted emissary and an invaluable asset in 

helping Congress resolve the fiscal cliff dilemma in late 

2012—something I wasn’t sure we could resolve. He was also 

a brilliant Ambassador for our country, leveraging his foreign policy expertise in meetings with leaders across the 

world. 

I am deeply grateful for my friend JOE BIDEN. I have long 

admired his devotion to his family, as well as his grace amid 

suffering, and he did suffer, and I know it. I was here. Having experienced tremendous loss in his family life, he draws 

from a rich reservoir of empathy to connect with everyday 

Americans. Ask anyone Vice President BIDEN has served: 

When you speak, JOE listens. He loves, and he cares. He is 

perhaps the most personable public figure in American politics today. 

In the nearly 8 years he has served as Vice President, JOE

BIDEN has become a fixture of American public life. Today, 

I wish to join my colleagues in thanking Vice President JOE

BIDEN for his dedication to the American people. Although 

his tenure as Vice President is drawing to a close, I am confident that his service to our Nation will only continue. This 

is said by a Republican who loves JOE BIDEN and believes he 

is one of the truly great people who served here in this body. 

I just want JOE BIDEN to know that we all respect him, 

and I think most all of us love him. Those of us who have 

worked with him really appreciated how he would from time 

to time put his arm around us, put politics aside, and speak 

the truth. 

[ 17 ] 

JOE BIDEN is a wonderful man. I wish him the absolute 

best as we go into the future, and I will be there to help if 

he needs it. 

God bless JOE BIDEN. 

I yield the floor. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Vermont. 

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I enjoy calling you by that 

title. I hope you do, too—because you know that you could 

easily hold that title as President of this body or President 

of the United States—you have shown your qualifications for 

either one. 

But let me speak about your role as President of the Senate. It makes you a Member of this body, a body that can 

be, and on some occasions has been, the conscience of the 

Nation. You have served longer in this body than any other 

Member here. The fact is you came here 2 years before I did, 

so as the other longest serving member, I look at you as my 

senior Senator, and I am delighted to be your junior. 

I think back to some of the things we did together, Mr. 

President. I remember when I was running for the Senate in 

Vermont in 1974, and people told me I was far too young to 

get elected to the Senate at 34 years old. My predecessor was 

somebody who had been elected here when I was born and 

served there until I arrived. You put your arm around me 

and you said, ‘‘it would be nice to have an older person that 

I could look up to.’’ I believe you were 32, and I was 34. But 

that helped. 

Of course, little did I know until I came here how closely 

we would work together. We served on the Judiciary Committee throughout that time. We worked on such duties as 

Supreme Court nominations, civil rights, and the criminal 

justice system. Then, when you were chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and bringing the rest of the world 

American values—which happened to be JOE BIDEN values— 

how I enjoyed traveling with you. 

I think of the time, Mr. President, when you and I, and 

our wives, Jill and Marcelle, traveled together. We had been 

good friends throughout all of that time. I will take the liberty of telling one story. When the four of us were in Paris, 

we had gone out to dinner. It was a cold, winter night. We 

were coming back. I think Marcelle mentioned that the Eiffel 

Tower lights up on the hour. You and Jill stood on a bench 

and were hugging each other, the Eiffel Tower behind you. 

I snapped a picture. Now, we had a close friendship. We 

[ 18 ] 

never lied to each other, but that was one time I lied to you 

because you asked me, ‘‘Where is the picture?’’ I said, ‘‘I 

think I lost it.’’ I apologize. We were conspiring to print out 

that picture, and I know your wonderful wife gave it to you 

for a wedding anniversary present with words to the effect 

that you ‘‘light up her life.’’ 

Well, you lit up many lives. I think of our Irish bond of 

friendship, stories I can’t tell. Some of those closed-door sessions with other Irish-Americans, such as Pat Moynihan, 

Chris Dodd, and Ted Kennedy, when we would have some 

holy water together. Somehow it came from Ireland. It was 

usually at least 12 years old. We would tell Irish stories. 

After 42 years here, I know the rules well enough, I can’t repeat any of those stories here. But they were good ones because it was a friendship and we worked together. We 

learned how to bring in others from both parties. 

Mr. President, I remember you and others showing all of 

us how to find common ground, and we did things together. 

I respect you so much for that. I must admit, I learned something else on the Judiciary Committee. I learned the Amtrak 

schedule because, if we had a meeting that was going on a 

little bit long, we were reminded what time the train was 

going to Delaware. I know you kept in good shape because 

you could run to the station in 3 minutes and get on the 

train, where you would go home to Beau and Hunter and, 

later, Jill and Ashley—because even though you were a leader in the U.S. Senate, and later Vice President, you were, 

first and foremost, a father and a husband. 

You and I and Marcelle talked about that this summer, 

when you came to Vermont for the Cancer Moonshot. I told 

you what an important part of our lives you have been. You 

have gone through tragedy and glory, but you have remained 

yourself throughout all of it. 

The memories of those evenings when you let this IrishItalian boy come in and sit as a member of the Irish—we 

would speak of our values, we would speak of America, we 

would speak of friendship. That is why I admire you, Mr. 

President, and I am glad to be here on the floor with you. 

Mr. President, I yield the floor. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Arizona. 

Mr. MCCAIN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues today in 

addressing a few thoughts directly to the occupant of the 

chair, to commend his long and honorable service to the 

United States and to thank him for his friendship. Mr. PresiVerDate Aug 31 2005 16:09 Jun 07, 2017 Jkt 098900 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE16\23054.TXT KAYNE
[ 19 ] 

dent—I know how much you enjoy my calling you Mr. President—you and I have served together in this body for three 

decades. We have been friends for almost 40 years, since I 

was the Navy Senate liaison and used to carry your bags on 

overseas trips. 

I joked recently that I resented it ever since. But that was 

part of my job description—escorting and handling logistics 

for Senate codels, including making certain everyone’s luggage arrived at our destinations. Back then, some Senators, 

unlike the 100 egalitarians who occupy the Senate today, 

could be a little haughty and highhanded. A few held an exalted opinion of themselves that exceeded the esteem with 

which their colleagues and constituents held them in. If they 

paid any attention to staff, it was only because we had annoyed them somehow. 

But not my friend JOE BIDEN—he was fair and courteous 

to everyone, even people who did not always deserve it. He 

is always an example of how a powerful person with character and class treats anyone in a subordinate position. He 

treats them with humility, as God’s children, with dignity 

equal to his own. 

In the book ‘‘The Nightingale’s Song,’’ the late journalist 

Bob Timberg wrote about one military liaison officer, escorting a codel to Athens, who joined some of the Members in 

a tavern for a little after-hours merriment and was later observed dancing on a tabletop with Senator BIDEN’s lovely 

wife, Jill. 

I don’t recall witnessing such an event myself, and I can’t 

testify to it having actually happened. Neither can I imagine 

the temerity of that rascal, whoever he was. He was lucky 

the Senator whose spouse he made endure awkward moves 

he euphemistically called ‘‘dancing’’ was JOE BIDEN. Few 

other Senators would have seen the humor in it. 

Many years have passed since we shared those adventures, and many events have transpired, personal and public, that enriched our lives with the rewards and disappointments, blessings and challenges. We were still young when 

we came to the Senate. We are old men now. Although you 

can’t tell from looking at us, the Vice President is actually 

a little younger than me, though we both passed the Biblical 

threescore and ten. 

This place, the Senate, has been central to both of our 

lives. Here we work together on our country’s challenges. 

Here we fought and argued over the country’s direction. Here 

we compromised and joined forces to serve the public interVerDate Aug 31 2005 16:09 Jun 07, 2017 Jkt 098900 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE16\23054.TXT KAYNE
[ 20 ] 

est. Here we watched history made and made our small contributions to it. Neither of us is the shy and retiring type. 

We both have been known to hold a strong opinion or two. 

When circumstances warrant, we would rather make our 

points emphatically than elliptically. I know that JOE appreciates the adage that I have tried to follow in my public life: 

a fight not joined is a fight not enjoyed. 

When we have had differences of opinions over the years, 

we have managed to make our positions crystal clear to each 

other, perhaps in the persistent triumph of hope over experience. We both still cling to the expectation that we can persuade the other that he is mistaken. I think deep down we 

probably know better. 

In addition to being regularly mistaken, here is what I 

have also known about my friend and occasionally sparring 

partner. He is a good and decent man, God-fearing and kind, 

a devoted father and husband, a genuine patriot who puts 

our country before himself. I know, too, that it has been a 

great privilege to call him my friend. 

Mr. President, if I haven’t made clear to you over these 

many years how much I appreciated your friendship and 

have admired you, I beg your forgiveness. We both have been 

privileged to know Members of this body who were legends 

in their own time and are remembered as important historical figures. But I haven’t known one who was a better man 

than you. You are an exemplary public servant, a credit to 

your family, to the Senate, and to the country. 

On behalf of the country and the Senate, thank you for 

your lifetime service to America. Thank you for your example 

of how to represent your constituents with honor and humility and how to remain the same good guy that you were 

when you first got here. Thank you, most of all, for your 

friendship. My life and the lives of many have been enriched 

by it. 

Thank you, Mr. President. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Illinois. 

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, there is a story about an 

Irishman walking down the street. He passes two guys who 

are fighting. He asks them: ‘‘Is this a private fight or can 

anybody get into it?’’ 

Well, you know a little bit about that; don’t you, Mr. Vice 

President? For 40 years or more, you have always been 

ready to fight for those who needed a champion and never 

walked away from a good fight for a good cause. Your public 

[ 21 ] 

career has been marked by so many amazing victories but 

also by unbearable losses and sorrows. You have had joys 

and passions, determinations, and immense accomplishments. 

The list of your legislative achievements has been recounted on the floor today. One of them I am sure you are 

most proud of is the Violence Against Women Act. You made 

a big difference in the lives of so many people whom you will 

never meet, in protecting them and giving them hope in a 

hopeless circumstance. 

Between 1993, when your bill was passed, and 2010, the 

rate of violence against intimate partners—almost all 

women—declined by 67 percent in the United States. We 

often wonder here, when bills we take to law are passed and 

signed by the President, whether they can make a difference. 

We know that your unsparing effort when it came to violence 

against women made a significant difference. 

I had that in mind 9 years ago when I was riding around 

Florida in a recreational vehicle. It was with my fellow Senator from Illinois by the name of Barack Obama. He was 

running for President, and we were in the back of this RV 

as he was cruising through Florida. We were talking about 

potential running mates, someone who could be his Vice 

President. 

We went through a short list. We came to your name, and 

I said to the soon-to-be President, then Senator and my colleague, ‘‘You couldn’t pick a better choice than JOE BIDEN. I 

know him as a person. I know him as a fellow Senator. I 

know his heart. You would be blessed to have him on your 

team.’’ 

He made that choice, even though at the beginning, I am 

sure both of you wondered: Is this going to work? It did. It 

did for your purpose and for his and for America’s. I am reminded of that famous poet Seamus Heaney. He wrote: 

History says, Don’t hope 

On this side of the grave, 

But then, once in a lifetime 

The longed-for tidal wave 

Of Justice can rise up, 

And hope and history rhyme. 

Obama-BIDEN—hope and history certainly did rhyme. The 

things that you have been able to achieve with this President 

have made a difference in America to millions of lives. 

Whether we are talking about coming out of a recession 

where we were losing 800,000 jobs a month, making sure 

[ 22 ] 

that Wall Street didn’t make the same mistakes again at the 

expense of businesses and families across America, or making sure that some father did not face the heartbreak of a 

sick child with no health insurance. You made a difference 

in their lives. 

Just this week, there is the Cancer Moonshot. Who knows, 

Mr. Vice President, what will happen as a result of that investment in your son’s name. But I sense that something 

good is going to happen for a lot of people around this country. I am glad that the Biden name is closely associated with 

it. 

Mr. President, there is an old story—a joke—about the 

Pope. The story goes that the day came when he said to his 

driver, ‘‘You know, I haven’t had a chance to drive the car 

in a long time. Why don’t you sit in the back and I’ll drive.’’ 

The story goes that the Pope started driving the car and 

started speeding and got pulled over. This policeman looked 

inside the car, then looked out again, and looked back and 

said, ‘‘Excuse me.’’ He got on his cell phone and he called the 

police station. He said, ‘‘I have an extraordinary circumstance here. I have just pulled over a car with someone 

very important in it.’’ 

They said, ‘‘Well, who is it?’’ 

He said, ‘‘I don’t know who he is, but he has the Pope for 

a driver.’’ 

The reason I remember that story is that one time I was 

on Air Force Two with Vice President JOE BIDEN. We flew 

you home to Delaware. I was going to catch an Amtrak train 

at Wilmington, and I asked you to drop me off. 

You said, ‘‘No, I’m going to take you up to the train.’’ 

So we get up to the train, and the train is pulling in the 

station. You look at what I have for a ticket and you said, 

‘‘That ticket is not good. You need a real ticket. I will get it 

for you.’’ 

You grabbed it and took off running, with the Secret Service trailing behind you as the train pulled into the station. 

I am thinking: Am I going to make this train? Is he going 

to make it back? You came running up the steps with the Secret Service trailing behind you while the train was stopped. 

All of these passengers were looking as the Vice President of 

the United States ran up to me, handed me a ticket, and 

said, ‘‘Go ahead and get on the train.’’ 

Now, the people on the train had no idea who I was, but 

they knew if the Vice President was carrying my ticket, I 

must be somebody important. 

[ 23 ] 

Let me say one personal word. You and your wife Jill really embody what I consider to be the best of public life—not 

only your commitment to people who are less fortunate 

around the world but your genuine sense of caring and your 

good heart, both of you. I recall when my colleague Marty 

Russo of Illinois had a son who was sick with cancer. There 

was one person who called every day to make sure that he 

was doing well. 

Well, that is the way you not only build a friendship but 

you build a reputation as not just a glad-handing politician 

but someone who really cares. I have been honored to count 

you as a friend. I am honored that the President whom I love 

chose you as his Vice President. I am honored that we have 

served in the Senate together and that I can tell my kids and 

grandkids. I wish you the best whatever life brings you next. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Georgia. 

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a 

person who has had a tremendous impact on my life and my 

career in the Senate and also a tremendous impact on my 

country, the United States of America. I still remember to 

this day the date and time Mitch McConnell called me in 

2007 and said, ‘‘Hey, we have an opening for a Republican 

on Foreign Relations and nobody will take it. Will you take 

it?’’ 

I did not know if that was a benefit—a perk or whatever— 

but I said, ‘‘Anytime you are offered a gift, don’t look a gift 

horse in the face.’’ So I did it. 

Two days later, JOE BIDEN saw me at the committee and 

said, ‘‘I am glad you joined our committee. I am glad to have 

you. I have an opening on the Africa Subcommittee. I can’t 

get a Republican to take it. Will you do it?’’ 

I said, ‘‘Mr. BIDEN, I have never been to Africa.’’ 

He said, ‘‘Well, you will soon. How about taking it?’’ 

I did. I have been to Africa 12 times since. It has become 

a passion in my career, and I give Vice President BIDEN a 

lot of credit for the influence he had on that. I also remember the day when the mock swearing in took place down on 

the second floor, and I had my nine grandchildren here to 

watch me being sworn into the Senate. 

At the mock signing ceremony, JOE stood there, and we all 

raised our hand, and we repeated the ceremony that we had 

done on the floor. Then JOE greeted each one of my grandchildren one by one as they walked by. When little Jack, who 

[ 24 ] 

was then 7 years old, stopped, JOE BIDEN said, ‘‘Jack, what 

don’t you like about the Capitol?’’ 

Jack said, ‘‘Well, Mr. Vice President, there is no Lego 

store.’’ 

JOE BIDEN said, ‘‘The next time you come here, there will 

be one.’’ 

I want to tell the Vice President that he is coming on January 2 to see me sworn in again. I have already bought the 

Lego box. It is on the desk in my hideaway, and I am going 

to tell him that Vice President JOE made sure he had Legos 

when he came back to the Capitol. You know the real character of a man and the real credit to a man is what influence 

he has on children. I can tell you from that story, it is just 

one of many that JOE BIDEN has had. 

On me, personally, I will never forget the day JOE BIDEN

called me as Vice President of the United States and said: 

Johnny, I have got the mayor of Baltimore and the mayor of Philadelphia 

going with me to Panama City next week to look at the deepening of the 

Panama Canal. I know Savannah’s port is important to you. I know you 

have been fighting with us to get the authorization you need to deepen the 

Port of Savannah. How about flying with me down there and let’s take a 

look at it and let’s do a press conference together. 

I did and he did and we did, and today the Port of Savannah is being deepened to 47 feet. Panamax ships will be sailing through it in 4 more years. I am convinced it would not 

have happened at the level of the administration had it not 

been for JOE BIDEN, the Vice President of the United States 

but more important, my friend. 

JOE, I don’t have the words to adequately tell you how 

much I appreciate you as a person and as a leader, but there 

is a little poem I know that says more about what you really 

are than anything I could say. 

I’d rather see a sermon 

Than hear one any day; 

I’d rather one should walk with me 

Than merely tell the way. 

The eye’s a better pupil 

And more willing than the ear, 

Fine counsel is confusing 

But example’s always clear; 

And the best of all preachers 

Are the men who live their creeds, 

For to see good put in action 

Is what everybody needs. 

I soon can learn to do it 

If you’ll let me see it done; 

I can watch your hands in action, 

But your tongue too fast may run. 

[ 25 ] 

And the lecture you deliver 

May be very wise and true, 

But I’d rather get my lessons 

By observing what you do; 

For I might misunderstand you 

And the high advice you give, 

But there’s no misunderstanding 

How you act and how you live. 

JOE, you have lived the life of a patriot and you act like 

a gentleman. You are my friend, and may God bless you and 

your family and thank you for your service to the country 

and your friendship to me. 

I yield back. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Washington. 

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President—and it is a pleasure to say 

that. Some may know him as ‘‘the guy in the aviators’’ 

deboarding Air Force Two or the man in the 1967 Corvette 

in the viral Internet video, gleeful, as he had the rare opportunity to drive himself around in his favorite car. 

Mr. President, it is so clear that the American public has 

embraced this grinning, approachable, unstoppable life force 

known as Vice President JOE BIDEN, but little do many 

Americans know of the heart of our Vice President. They 

have caught glimpses of it in 1972, when his wife and daughter were killed in a terrible car accident and his two sons severely injured. It is hard to imagine that kind of devastation, 

and JOE picked himself up and was sworn in to his first term 

in the U.S. Senate from his son’s hospital room. 

Maybe they saw it last year when JOE’s son, Beau, following in his father’s footsteps to be an extraordinary public 

servant and, more important, a wonderful father, lost a long 

and hard-fought battle with cancer. I know as a mother and 

grandmother myself that I will never understand what JOE

went through. 

Mr. President, again, JOE picked himself up and continued 

to serve our country as a strong, dedicated Vice President in 

the midst of a raucous election season when Americans needed him the most. JOE BIDEN’s commitment to his family, his 

struggles, and his service, encompass what it means to be 

not just Vice President and a brilliant husband and father 

but an American. 

JOE grew up in a middle class family who worked hard for 

everything they had. He was just 29 years old when he ran 

for a seat in the U.S. Senate. 

[ 26 ] 

Mr. President, you might have been young, but you already saw what divided people in Delaware. 

He knew that people across the State also held the same 

hopes for themselves and their families, and he believed he 

could work through those disparities. In an upset victory, he 

won a seat in the Senate in November 1972. 

Since his swearing in, JOE has worked every day on behalf 

of families in Delaware and for the entire country, especially 

the last 8 years. 

When JOE lost his son to cancer, he launched a Moonshot 

for this generation to end cancer as we know it today. He is 

now working on behalf of every family that ever lost a loved 

one to cancer to push forward on medical innovations and 

discoveries. I am so proud JOE’s Moonshot is included in the 

final cures bill we just voted on this afternoon and even 

more so that the Senate renamed the provisions to support 

cancer research in that bill to honor Beau in calling it the 

Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot. We will now use those investments to fight to cure cancer so we can look forward to a 

world where no family has to go through what the Bidens 

did and the devastation that millions of other Americans 

have experienced after being touched by cancer. 

Mr. President, back when I was serving with the Presiding 

Officer, JOE, my friend, in the Senate in 1994, I had the 

pleasure of working with him to pass the Violence Against 

Women Act, VAWA, as we know it. It was a landmark piece 

of legislation that changed the way our country responded to 

domestic violence and sexual assault. JOE has come out as 

a strong advocate for ending violence against women through 

his campaign, ‘‘1is2Many,’’ spreading awareness and working 

to help reduce dating violence and sexual assaults among 

students, teens, and young adults. His ‘‘It’s On Us’’ campaign 

has been a wake-up call to the epidemic of campus sexual assaults across the country. Women are safer today in America 

than they were 20 years ago due in part to JOE’s fearless 

leadership on these issues that affect too many in our Nation. 

Despite everything he has been through or maybe because 

of everything he has been through, he gets back up and he 

fights on and he fights on behalf of every family in our country, and that is heart. That is heart, the way he always 

wants to make people happy, no matter what the circumstance. 

Last time he was in Seattle, he brought a little stuffed animal—a little dog—to give to my granddaughter. Now, she is 

[ 27 ] 

very shy, but the second he smiled and handed her that little 

dog, she became his best friend ever, and she keeps it by her 

side, JOE. That is why he is going to be missed, by his colleagues and by the entire country, because of his humanity. 

That is the JOE BIDEN I know and I want everyone else to 

know that too. 

It has been an honor to call JOE a fellow Senator, Mr. Vice 

President, but mostly a great friend. 

I want to thank JOE for what he has taught me and all 

of our colleagues through his service and thank him for his 

extraordinary and inspiring leadership throughout his life in 

the best of times and in the worst. JOE—and his aviators— 

will be sorely missed. 

Mr. President, I yield the floor. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Maine. 

Ms. COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. President. 

In 1974, a freshman Senator from Delaware named JOE

BIDEN was identified as one of Time magazine’s ‘‘200 Faces 

for the Future.’’ That prescient prediction anticipated the 

more than four decades of contributions and accomplishments that followed. JOE BIDEN served six terms in the U.S. 

Senate and became Vice President of the United States, but 

he is exactly the same person today as he was when more 

than 40 years ago he took that first train trip from Wilmington to Washington to be sworn in as a U.S. Senator. He 

is everybody’s friend—but nobody’s fool. While JOE BIDEN

changed Washington, Washington never changed him. 

It is an article of faith among those of us who know and 

love JOE BIDEN that nothing is more important to him than 

family. It is, therefore, a cruel irony that this good and decent man has faced so many family tragedies during his long 

and fruitful career in public service. 

Although he has been sorely tested by several wrenching 

losses, Vice President BIDEN’s irrepressible spirit has never 

been broken. He is as optimistic about his country today as 

he was in 1972, when as a county councilman he defeated a 

long serving Senate incumbent and began the journey that 

ultimately led him to the second highest office in the land. 

With his Cancer Moonshot Initiative, JOE BIDEN once again 

has turned personal tragedy into a public cause that undoubtedly will save lives. 

To know JOE BIDEN is to admire him, his warmth, his devotion to friends and family, his commitment to all things 

Delaware, and his fierce loyalty to his party that somehow 

[ 28 ] 

never alienated those of us on the other side of the aisle. 

Perhaps that is due to the many thoughtful gestures the Vice 

President demonstrates every day. 

How well I remember bringing my younger brother to the 

White House holiday party one year and running into the 

Vice President just as he was leaving after a long day of 

work. He instantly stopped and asked if we would like for 

him to give us a personal tour of the West Wing of the White 

House. For the next 45 minutes, instead of being driven 

home, the Vice President of the United States took my brother and me on the best tour of the White House that anyone 

could ever have. I still remember the shocked look on the 

face of the marine at the situation room when we arrived 

there. 

Another wonderful memory that I have was of the time 

JOE BIDEN and I were named Irish Americans of the Year 

by the American Ireland Fund. I thought it was so telling 

that both of us brought our family members to the 

celebratory dinner, and both of us talked about our Irish 

mothers. Now, I do remember that JOE’s speech was considerably better than mine, but mine was much shorter. 

In a time of almost suffocating partisanship, JOE BIDEN is 

a breath of bipartisan fresh air. People may disagree with 

JOE on 1 or 2 or even 10 issues, but nobody finds him disagreeable. It is often said that if you don’t love JOE BIDEN, 

it is time for some serious introspection. You may have a serious problem. 

No one can say with certainty what lies ahead for Vice 

President JOE BIDEN, but this much is certain: He will face 

the future with unbridled enthusiasm, extraordinary energy, 

and an unwavering commitment to his family, his friends, 

and his country. 

I thank the Vice President for his outstanding service to 

our country, but most of all I thank him for his extraordinary friendship to me. I wish the Vice President and his 

wonderful family all the best. 

Thank you, Mr. President. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Maryland. 

Ms. MIKULSKI. Thank you very much, Mr. President and 

Vice President. 

Well, Mr. President, we all take pleasure in calling you 

that. Mr. Vice President, Senator, foreign policy guru, the 

Senator who was tough on crime but a soft touch when it 

came to compelling human need, a longtime colleague, but 

[ 29 ] 

most of all, I know you as my friend JOE. It is not only that 

I know you as my friend JOE, the people of Delaware know 

you as ‘‘my friend JOE.’’ The fact is, your colleagues, both 

present and past, here feel the same way about you and so 

do the American people. 

You have a unique ability to make a visceral connection to 

people. You actually connect to them, not only on the abstraction of big ideas, of which you were more than capable, 

but I think your connection was hand to hand, heart to 

heart. I think when you talk with people, that is why you 

have this visceral connection. 

Sure, you can debate the great ideas, whether it is national security or economic growth, but it is that heart connection you are able to make that I think has been one of 

your great signatures. 

We in Maryland know you as a neighbor, the Delmarva 

gang from Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. We also know 

you as ‘‘Amtrak JOE.’’ I think that is so fitting because not 

only have you been a champion of Amtrak and ridden the 

train so faithfully—which has now become the stories of fact 

and fiction—but also Amtrak JOE is right because, really, in 

the way you have lived your life, conducted yourself in public 

service, you have kept America on track and going in the 

right direction because you knew what your destinations 

were. I salute you for that. You have done a great job in everything you have undertaken. 

I know you because while others just go for the pomp and 

they love the policy—if I hear one more ‘‘I’m going to dive 

deep in policy,’’ I am going to shake my head. 

I am like you. I believe that we do need policies that help 

people, keep our Nation strong and safe, help our people be 

able to help themselves, and make sure there is an opportunity structure here. But we are here to be champions of 

the people. That is what you have been, a champion of the 

people, and you have been a steady friend. 

When I arrived in the Senate, I was the only Democratic 

woman. I have often said that, though I was all by myself, 

I was never alone. I was surrounded by the good men in the 

Senate, and particularly the Democrats reached out their 

hands and helped me. 

Of course, my very good friend Paul Sarbanes, who is here 

today, was my senior Senator when I came and was my colleague and my champion, but you were right up at the top 

of the list too. I call the men who were so incredibly helpful 

to me, Galahads. You help me in every way you can. 

[ 30 ] 

In my time in the Senate, when I reached out to you, you 

were always there. When I reached out to fight for women 

to be included in the NIH protocols, you were there to help 

me. When I reached out to fight against the skimpy and 

spartan money for breast cancer research, you were there to 

help me. When we organized the women of the Senate, the 

Democratic women, to fight then-President Bush on the 

privatizing of Social Security, when we said we shouldn’t 

rely on the bull of political promises while we fear the bear 

market, you joined right there with us, side by side, shoulder 

to shoulder. Whether it was equal pay for equal work or so 

many issues, you were always there when we called upon 

you. You were always such tremendous help. 

I was also there to try to help you. I remember a day in 

the mid-1990s when I got a call from you. Maybe you remember that, but I remember it. You said you really wanted 

to stop violence against women. You knew of my social work 

background, my advocacy for what was then called battered 

women. You said, ‘‘Can you help me kind of go over this legislation to make sure that the money goes to people who will 

help those women and not to people who just want to get 

grants?’’ 

So we worked together. We talked about the need for shelters. We talked about the reform of police, courts, and so on. 

Then you came up with that fabulous idea to have a hotline. 

So it didn’t matter whether you lived in Delaware or in Des 

Moines or in San Diego, there was always help on the other 

side of that line. 

I was so happy to work with you and to support you as you 

led that battle through—as only a good man could—to stand 

for women who were being battered in their own homes and 

facing danger. 

Lately I checked on the statistics on that hotline. JOE

BIDEN, since that hotline legislation passed, over 4 million 

have called that hotline. Many of them were in lethal danger. Because of you, JOE BIDEN, there are thousands, if not 

tens of thousands, of women and children alive today because you had the foresight and the fortitude to create this 

legislation. That in and of itself would have been enough for 

a career. But, oh, you did so many other things. 

Now we know you are advocating the national Cancer 

Moonshot, but you have been a champion on finding the cure 

for cancer for a long time, whether it was for women with 

breast cancer or others. I am so pleased that in that cloture 

[ 31 ] 

vote we are going to include $352 million for that. So on 

issue after issue, we were there. 

I know you have been a great leader, but I also know that 

behind great men there are also very terrific women. I think 

we owe a salute to Jill. She is a wonderful woman, a leader 

in her own right, with a belief in higher education, a belief 

in working at the community college level so people who had 

big dreams in their hearts but not a lot of money in their 

pockets could be able to go on to college. What a champion 

she has been there and also what a champion for our veterans and for our wounded warriors. Wow, she is just terrific. I know she has been at your side. 

There are so many stories I could tell, but I want to wrap 

up with one. I met your mother. She was spunky. She was 

feisty. She was a delight. If there is anything spunkier, 

feistier, or more delightful than an Irish mother, it is a Polish mother. I wish you could have met mine. Those two 

would have been kindred spirits. 

Do you remember when the Pope came to Baltimore? The 

Pope was coming to Baltimore, and I told my mother I wanted to greet the Pope in Polish. My mother’s response was, 

‘‘Oh, my God.’’ 

I grew up in a family that before World War II was bilingual. I was bilingual as a child, but during World War II we 

stopped speaking all foreign language, so my pronunciation 

is really awkward. My mother made me practice Polish 

words, how to say hello to the Pope and how to say goodbye 

to the Pope. 

You and I were at the Baltimore-Washington Airport. 

There goes the Pope in his popemobile. He is heading up, he 

is getting on ‘‘Shepherd Two,’’ and you are saying goodbye: 

‘‘Goodbye Your Holiness.’’ 

I say, ‘‘No, say it in Polish. You have a large Polish community.’’ 

I taught you how to say one simple phrase, ‘‘sto lat.’’ In the 

tongue of my ethnic heritage, when you say ‘‘sto lat’’ to someone, you say may they live 100 years. 

So, JOE, sto lat. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Delaware. 

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the presence in the Chamber of five former Senators—Senators 

Bayh, Harkin, Kaufman, Salazar, and Sarbanes—and to 

thank many Senators who have asked that their comments 

be placed in the Record. 

[ 32 ] 

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in 

the Record, given the lateness of the hour, the lengthy and 

moving remarks that former Senator and now Secretary of 

State Kerry has provided. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be 

printed in the Record, as follows: 

SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY

STATEMENT ON JOE BIDEN

December 7, 2016 

Mr. President: 

Almost 4 years ago this winter, after almost 29 years serving in the Senate from Massachusetts, and after five times the people of Massachusetts 

voted to send me to Washington—my Senate colleagues were kind enough 

to vote to send me away, but not far away, just up the street to the State 

Department. 

So, as a prodigal U.S. Senator, I am especially grateful to Senator Coons 

for the privilege to share some thoughts about my colleague of a quarter 

century in the Senate, and my colleague of the last 4 years in the Obama 

administration—the Vice President of the United States, JOE BIDEN. That 

Senator Coons—who sits in the Senate seat which JOE held for almost 37 

years—organized this remarkable tribute says something about Delaware— 

a small State where politics is personal, where courtesy is still the currency—but it says much more about the kind of friend and mentor JOE has 

been to Chris, and to so many of us who have known the Vice President. 

It is, simply, the right thing to do—but the kind of thing that doesn’t happen enough these days in Washington, in politics, or in the institution which 

JOE reveres, the U.S. Senate. 

I first heard the name ‘‘JOE BIDEN’’ about 38 years ago. It was 1972—the 

1st year JOE and I ran for national office. We shared a set of friends and 

political teammates in progressive politics, friends JOE and I have shared 

to this day—and they shuttled between Wilmington, DE, and Lowell, MA, 

trying to help us both to victory. In that improbable year, I lost and JOE

won—and weeks later tragedy intervened and changed the trajectory of 

JOE’s life not as a Senator, but as a father and a person. I won’t forget reading his words back then: ‘‘Delaware can find another Senator, but my boys 

can’t find another father.’’ We are all grateful that JOE was persuaded not 

to give up on public service, but to be sworn in, and to rely—as the Bidens 

do in their remarkable way—on the closeness of family—of Val and Jimmy 

in particular—to help him be both a remarkable father and a remarkable 

public servant. 

Twelve years after JOE was elected, I finally arrived in Washington—a 

junior Senator, second to last in seniority—and one of the first people to pull 

me aside and offer himself up not as a generational rival, but as a slightly 

older big brother ready to show me the ropes was the then, senior Senator 

from Delaware—2 years older than me, Senator JOE BIDEN. 

I loved serving with JOE—and I don’t just mean we served contemporaneously; we were friends and partners in so many efforts—environment, 

civil rights, the empowerment of women, foreign policy—and always with 

JOE BIDEN, whether you agreed or disagreed with him, no matter where you 

were from in the country or where you stood ideologically, you knew exactly 

what you could expect: a person of conviction, a person of character, a perVerDate Aug 31 2005 16:09 Jun 07, 2017 Jkt 098900 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE16\23054.TXT KAYNE
[ 33 ] 

son who studied the issues and never cut corners—and a Senator in the best 

tradition whose word was his bond. 

For JOE, that’s a quality that’s deeply personal. The Vice President lives 

by a very old-fashioned code of loyalty: You always tell the truth, you never 

forget where you came from, and your word is your bond. I can’t tell you 

how many times in the Senate when I was listening to JOE negotiate or we 

were working on something he would say, ‘‘I give you my word as a Biden.’’ 

And you knew you had a very special commitment that would not be broken. That never changed when he became Vice President. 

That code also guided his approach as a legislator—not just in how he 

worked with his colleagues, but to how he approached the issues. I’d been 

a prosecutor back in the days when some people still argued that violence 

against women wasn’t a crime—but it was JOE BIDEN who was far ahead 

of the curve in the Senate—throughout the 1980s and 1990s—beating the 

drum on the Judiciary Committee to pass a Violence Against Women Act 

because there was no crime comparable, as he saw it, in robbing a human 

being of two things to which everyone is entitled, two words JOE talks about 

often: dignity and respect. 

That is why he was so outspoken about the horrors happening in Bosnia 

and Kosovo—thousands of miles from our shores—and why as one of those 

most powerful voices on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he stood 

up to Slobodan Milosevic, looked him in the eye, and called him a war criminal. That’s JOE BIDEN—on issues of moral clarity, you know exactly where 

he stands. It is no surprise to me then that long before he served in Iraq, 

his beloved son Beau volunteered to go to Kosovo and do legal work helping 

victims find justice, helping victims reclaim dignity through the judicial system. For the Bidens, this was an article of faith. 

Over the years, I had the privilege of traveling with JOE overseas—often 

with Chuck Hagel and Lindsey Graham. I saw first hand that when Senator 

BIDEN traveled overseas, it wasn’t government tourism, whether the administration was Democratic or Republican, JOE always traveled with a constructive purpose in mind: To learn first hand about foreign leaders and 

other perspectives—to forge relationships—and to advance America’s cause. 

In long flights and long meetings headed into places like Afghanistan and 

Pakistan, again and again I saw someone who leads by listening, who leads 

by learning, and who speaks with conviction—wherever the place, whatever 

the language. 

JOE’s leadership as Vice President has been a terrific asset on domestic 

issues, and his fluency in the ways of the Senate a special tool called upon 

at many key moments by Leaders McConnell and Reid. But as Secretary of 

State I’ve been particularly grateful for the role he has played on foreign 

policy. JOE believes to his core that American diplomacy isn’t about admiring problems—it’s about solving them. When thousands of unaccompanied 

children showed up on our Southwestern border, JOE BIDEN worked with 

Congress to provide funding to help Central America’s leaders make the difficult reforms and investments required to address the region’s multifaceted 

challenges—because he knew the security and prosperity of Central America 

are inextricably linked with our own. As the conflict in Ukraine has pressed 

on, JOE has worked hard—not only to keep the Minsk deal in place, but to 

encourage and help the Government of Ukraine take on corruption and 

make necessary economic reforms that will help Ukraine flourish and thrive 

in the years to come. Again and again, in our breakfasts at the Naval Observatory and in phone calls from farflung places, he always encouraged me 

to keep pressing—to speak up and speak out, and to fight—even inside the 

[ 34 ] 

administration—for the policies I believed in, even when he didn’t agree. 

That’s JOE BIDEN. 

We still joke about a trip that we took with Chuck Hagel to Afghanistan 

back in 2008. We went up to a forward operating base up in Kunar Province. Our helicopter, on the way back, got caught in a snow squall in the 

mountains. Our pilot found himself effectively snowblind, and suddenly we 

were banking and heading down and braced for an emergency landing on 

this snow-covered road high in the mountains near Bagram Airbase. JOE

BIDEN turned to Chuck Hagel and me and he offered an alternative. He 

said, ‘‘Maybe we could keep the helicopter aloft if the three of us just started 

to give a speech.’’ But laughter aside, on that frozen mountaintop, as we 

waited to be rescued, you learn the measure of a person. Throughout that 

time, what JOE kept coming back to was the gift of family, and the privilege 

of public service. 

America has known Vice President BIDEN in moments of great triumph 

and also on occasions of immeasurable pain. We revere the dignity with 

which he carries himself through all of it. We admire him. We love him. 

Above all, we thank him—a great Vice President, a ‘‘Senate man’’ still to 

the core, and someone I know I can call on and count on as a friend long 

after we both leave office on January 20. Thank you, Senator—Mr. Vice 

President—‘‘JOE’’—and I know you will carry on in contribution to the cause 

of country. 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor 

JOE BIDEN, the 47th Vice President of the United States. 

After I came to the Senate in 1992—known as ‘‘the Year 

of the Woman’’—then-Senator JOE BIDEN invited me to lunch 

at his office in the Russell Senate Office Building. We sat at 

a small table in his elegant office and discussed the importance of having a woman on the Judiciary Committee, of 

which he was chairman at the time. 

This was in the wake of the Anita Hill hearings, and there 

were no women on the committee. It was a real honor when 

JOE BIDEN asked me to join. He then asked Senator Carol 

Moseley Braun to join, giving the committee two women for 

the first time. 

Serving on the committee with him, I noticed immediately 

that he had a commanding presence. As I watched him chair 

the committee, I was impressed by the passion he displayed 

while working to slow the drug trade, protect women from 

domestic violence, and help advocate for a ban on assault 

weapons. These were issues that I, along with millions of 

other Americans, felt strongly about, and we had a champion 

in JOE BIDEN. 

During discussions about a proposed crime bill in 1993, I 

told JOE I was working on an assault weapons ban. This was 

in the wake of a mass shooting in San Francisco that 

shocked me. I told JOE we had at least 48 votes and I wanted to introduce it as an amendment to the crime bill. He 

[ 35 ] 

laughed—a big raucous laugh—and said, ‘‘Well, you’re just a 

freshman. Wait till the gunners get to you.’’ 

He may have had his doubts, but he was a staunch supporter of the amendment, and with the help of President 

Clinton and Chuck Schumer in the House, we were able to 

secure bipartisan support and pass the amendment. It was 

a proud day for me when it was signed into law. 

JOE was right about the gunners, though. The gun lobby 

did come after us, and they continue to oppose commonsense 

gun laws today. 

During that debate and in every fight since then, JOE

BIDEN has been staunch, impassioned, and a committed 

partner. 

That crime bill was a monumental piece of legislation. In 

addition to our assault weapons ban, it put 100,000 more 

cops on the street, protected children from dangerous predators and included a very important piece of legislation: the 

Violence Against Women Act. 

It has been two decades since JOE introduced the Violence 

Against Women Act. In that time, domestic violence rates 

have decreased by 64 percent, conviction rates for abusers 

increased, and 4 million women and men have been helped 

by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. 

Beyond the numbers, JOE changed the debate around domestic violence with enactment of this bill. States and localities changed outdated laws. Victims were given courage to 

speak out and seek help, and millions of women felt empowered knowing that in America, they had the right to be free 

from violence and free from fear. 

JOE’s legacy as chair of the Judiciary is matched by his 

time leading the Foreign Relations Committee. From atop 

the committee, he was a forceful advocate for peace and stability around the world. He called for strategic arms limitations with the Soviet Union, helped secure peace in the Balkans, helped bring former Soviet bloc states into NATO, 

called for U.S. action to end the genocide in Darfur, and 

spoke out against failed policies in Iraq. 

He was also a critic of the CIA’s detention and interrogation program and backed our efforts to release the torture report. During heated debate, JOE made the argument simple 

and easy to understand: America will be stronger by saying 

the following: ‘‘This was a mistake, we should not have done 

what we’ve done and we will not do it again.’’ 

He was right, and our Nation is stronger for having the 

courage to admit that. 

[ 36 ] 

JOE BIDEN’s willingness to speak the truth is one of the 

many reasons President Obama tapped him to be his running mate. The President knew JOE would discuss every 

issue with the same frank honesty—whether he was offering 

counsel in the Oval Office or chatting with someone on the 

train ride back home. 

President Obama relied on his Vice President to oversee 

the recovery after the worst economic recession since the 

Great Depression. He was tasked with implementing the 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Ready to 

Work Initiative and to chair the Middle Class Task Force. 

JOE BIDEN was the perfect choice for the job. He is the 

product of his Catholic faith and the values instilled in him 

growing up in Scranton. Those same values that he carried 

throughout his career in Delaware and into the Vice Presidency. 

He is a tough individual who has faced adversity that 

would knock a lesser man down; yet through it all, JOE

never wavered from his commitment to serving others. 

To those of us who have had the pleasure of working with 

him and to millions of Americans, JOE BIDEN is a good and 

honest man who simply wants to make the world a better 

place. 

After 44 years in this Chamber, the last 8 as the President 

of the Senate, JOE can leave knowing he has accomplished 

just that. The world is a better place thanks to you, and it 

is grateful for your service, JOE BIDEN. 

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, for more than 30 years, Vice 

President JOE BIDEN has held a big place in my heart. 

Through thick and thin, he trusted me to be his partner in 

so many fights, and I will be forever grateful to him. 

JOE first impressed me after he took a stand against the 

Reagan administration’s support of South Africa when it was 

still in the depths of apartheid. So when he asked me to help 

organize women for his 1988 Presidential campaign, I was 

all in. 

While that race wasn’t meant to be, I fell in love with 

JOE’s vision of ‘‘reclaiming the idea of America as a community’’ and his beautiful, persistent optimism and hope—qualities we all still love him for today. 

I cherished our time serving in Congress together, and I 

was so honored that he asked me to carry the Violence 

against Women Act in the House. JOE was determined to put 

the spotlight on this quiet epidemic—and he has been doing 

just that ever since. 

[ 37 ] 

It took 5 years, but President Bill Clinton finally signed 

VAWA into law in 1994. It was one of JOE’s many monumental achievements. 

By then, I had won election to the U.S. Senate where JOE

played a major role in one of my own biggest personal accomplishments: the dolphin-safe tuna label law. Well, if I am 

being honest, it was his then 8-year-old daughter, Ashley, 

who got him involved. 

Schoolchildren across the country were boycotting their 

tuna fish sandwiches after learning that dolphins could be 

killed as tuna was caught, and Ashley was begging her father to take action. 

I was so proud that JOE chose to partner with me on a bill 

that required companies that sell dolphin-safe tuna to prove 

that dolphins were not hurt in the fishing process. Like any 

good father, JOE wanted to show Ashley that he would come 

through for her—and he did. 

Our bill became law in 1992, and it is estimated that it 

saves tens of thousands of dolphins every year. 

JOE also served as an extraordinary chairman on the Foreign Relations Committee, where I am a member. He was 

gracious and respectful, listening to every viewpoint, but he 

also wasn’t afraid to speak up and take charge. I thought he 

was very courageous to point out a better way to solve the 

civil war in Iraq, and I was so proud to stand with him. 

For all of these reasons, and so many more, it is no surprise that President Barack Obama chose JOE BIDEN to 

serve as his Vice President. 

It is no surprise that JOE will go down as one of the most 

effective Vice Presidents in history because of his warm, 

open relationship with President Obama. They have spent a 

great deal of time together, exchanging thoughts and ideas, 

and JOE was one of the key advisors who influenced President Obama as he successfully confronted horrific challenges, 

such as: two wars; the worst recession since the Great Depression; and rising violence in our communities. 

Who could ever forget JOE BIDEN’s immense respect and 

gratitude for our men and women in uniform and their families and his determined fight to bring them home safely? 

Who could ever forget how he shepherded the Recovery Act 

through Congress—a near impossible feat in this polarized 

political climate? 

Who could ever forget his long history of fighting for community policing and to strengthen the bonds between police 

officers and their communities? 

[ 38 ] 

No one has fought harder for the things he believes in 

than JOE BIDEN—no one—and there is nothing that he will 

not do for the country he so deeply loves. 

Love of country is second only to the love JOE has for his 

beautiful family. When he talks about his incredible wife, 

children, and grandchildren, you know they are his guiding 

star. 

It is because of this love that we have all come to know 

and adore JOE, and for that same reason, it is why our 

hearts broke for him over the profound, unspeakable loss of 

his son, Beau. All of America mourned with JOE. 

He had every right to stay down, but JOE is as resilient 

as they come. He likes to tell the advice that his father gave 

him as a child: ‘‘Champ, when you get knocked down get up. 

Get up.’’ 

Well, JOE always gets up. He gets up again and again and 

again. 

We are all so fortunate that he does because, from the U.S. 

Senate to the Office of the Vice President, JOE has never 

stopped fighting for the things he believes in—for civil 

rights, women’s rights, worker’s rights, economic fairness, a 

world-class education for our kids, health care for all, and a 

safe and peaceful world. 

JOE has taught me so much, and I am so proud to call him 

my forever friend. 

Many of you know that I love to rewrite song lyrics. 

This is what I wrote for JOE: 

JOE is a many splendored thing. 

He is tough and smart and strong and wise. 

Winter, fall and spring. 

He’s for kids and health and child care. 

Our JOE will always be there. 

A smile, a glow, 

It’s not for show, it’s true. 

JOE worked with us for years and years, 

And there is no sleep for our busy Veep. 

He has hope not fears. 

Whether guy or gal, 

JOE is our pal. 

And this we know is true, 

JOE BIDEN, colleagues, 

All love you. 

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I join my colleagues 

today in honoring you and thanking you for the incredible 

devotion you have shown to the U.S. Senate and to express 

my deep respect for you—respect that I know the people of 

Michigan share. 

[ 39 ] 

You have been a longtime friend to me and to the people 

of my home State. One thing we have always had in common: our parents were both in the automobile industry. As 

of course you know, your dad was a car salesman, and my 

father owned an Oldsmobile dealership. 

So we have both known, from the very beginning, how 

critically important American manufacturing is for so many 

people in Michigan and across the country. 

We worked together, both when you were the Senator from 

Delaware and then as the Vice President of the United 

States, to save the auto industry back in 2008. 

You know that the only way we succeed is if we do everything we can to support and grow America’s middle class, 

which you have done your entire career. 

There are countless instances over your 40 years of service 

when you were on the right side of history: when you led the 

passage of the Violence Against Women Act; in your work as 

the chair of the Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committee; 

through your wise counsel as Vice President and your ability 

to work with us to get so much done over the last 8 years; 

with Dr. Biden, who is here today, for your work supporting 

Michigan’s military families and community colleges; and 

now in your effort to cure cancer through the Cancer Moonshot. 

Early on in your career, you said that the work that we 

do here allows us to ‘‘literally have the chance to shape the 

future—to put our own stamp on the face and character of 

America, to bend history just a little bit.’’ I would believe, as 

every one of my colleagues does, that you have done more 

than bend the future of America ‘‘just a little bit.’’ 

You have changed this Nation and you have changed this 

Senate for the better. 

There is a great quote from a poet I know that you admire 

very much, William Butler Yeats. 

It is a piece of advice that he gave out frequently to young 

writers. It goes: ‘‘Think like a wise man but communicate in 

the language of the people.’’ 

Yeats—like you Mr. President—understood that the best 

way to reach people is by appealing to their heart, meeting 

them where they are. 

I think, moving forward, we have to remember that we all 

have to reach people’s hearts and strive to serve as well as 

you have. 

Thank you for your service to this Senate and to the American people. 

[ 40 ] 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, it is fitting that JOE

BIDEN ascended from Senator to Vice President—or as the 

office is known around here, President of the Senate. 

JOE was elected to the Senate as a very young man. We 

have heard JOE talk about how hard it was after losing his 

wife, Neilia, and baby daughter, Naomi, in an automobile accident, just weeks before he was to be sworn in, to come to 

Washington and assume his duties. He credits his older colleagues like Mike Mansfield, Ted Kennedy, Danny Inouye, 

Hubert Humphrey, Fritz Hollings, and Rhode Island’s Claiborne Pell, who opened his Washington home to the young 

Senator, with convincing him to stick it out, just for a few 

months. 

Well, he did more than stick it out. He dove in. The Senate 

saved his life, he has said, in that time of grief. In return, 

he gave his life to the Senate, serving the people of Delaware 

for more than three decades. 

JOE BIDEN presided over Supreme Court nomination hearings as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He shepherded 

the assault weapons ban and the Violence Against Women 

Act. He served also as the chairman of the Foreign Relations 

Committee, facing down dictators and championing nuclear 

nonproliferation. 

He is, of course, recognized in Senate lore as a particularly 

strong speaker and debater. From his familiar perch in the 

back row of the Chamber, JOE would hold forth on the merits of legislative proposals and the positions of his colleagues. 

If the Chamber was empty of Senators, he would even turn 

and deliver his speeches to the captive audience in the staff 

gallery behind him. 

JOE can always be counted on for telling it like it is. Not 

long ago, he was in my home State of Rhode Island to tout 

needed infrastructure projects. Now, Rhode Island has one of 

the highest rates of structurally deficient bridges in the Nation, and my senior Senator, Jack Reed, and I have worked 

hard to bring Federal resources to bear in addressing that 

need. JOE put it in no uncertain terms. Standing under the 

East Shore Expressway Bridge on Warren Avenue in East 

Providence, the Vice President cried, ‘‘For 10 years you’ve 

had Lincoln logs holding the damn thing up! No, I mean go 

look at it.’’ The press went and looked at it. ‘‘If everybody in 

Rhode Island watched the news tonight and saw that, they’d 

try to go around the damn bridge!’’ 

Whatever his style or accomplishments, JOE will always 

pin his success in the Senate on the personal relationships 

[ 41 ] 

he forged so deeply and so sincerely, with ideological allies 

and strange bedfellows alike. ‘‘Every good thing I have seen 

happen here, every bold step taken in the 36-plus years I 

have been here, came not from the application of pressure by 

interest groups but through the maturation of personal relationships,’’ he said in his 2009 farewell speech. ‘‘Pressure 

groups can and are strong and important advocates, but they 

are not often vehicles for compromise. A personal relationship is what allows you to go after someone hammer and 

tongs on one issue and still find common ground on the 

next.’’ 

That is why JOE BIDEN was uniquely well suited for the 

one job in this country with one constitutional foot in the executive branch and the other in the legislative. He was at 

the center of a number of high-stakes compromises between 

the White House, Congress, and the two parties. And every 

once in a while, he still got to vote. 

‘‘Except for the title ‘father,’ ’’ he said, ‘‘there is no title, including ‘Vice President,’ that I am more proud to wear than 

that of U.S. Senator.’’ JOE BIDEN is a great father to Hunter 

and Ashley, and to Beau, whose passing last year was felt 

by the entire Senate family. He served honorably as Vice 

President. But he will always be the pride of the Senate. 

I thank him for his faithful service and for his enduring 

example. I wish him and Jill great happiness in the adventures to come. 

Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to Vice 

President JOE BIDEN, a man who has dedicated his life to 

serving our country, working across the aisle whenever he 

can, and always doing his best to get things done for the 

American people. 

I am proud to have known and admired JOE a long time. 

I first met JOE toward the end of his first campaign for the 

Senate, in fall 1972. My father, Stewart Udall, had been 

called to Delaware to help the young Democratic candidate 

with environmental issues. I tagged along with my dad and 

spent a day on the campaign trail with a man who would 

come to spend 36 distinguished years in the Senate and become our 47th Vice President. 

The following summer, I worked as a staffer in his Senate 

office—writing constituent letters, researching policy issues, 

preparing press materials. That was my first job in the Senate. 

[ 42 ] 

In so many ways, JOE BIDEN is the same person now as 

then—caring, passionate, energetic, tenacious, and ready and 

able to get things done. 

JOE gave me my first Senate job, and in January—44 

years later—he swore me in for the 114th Congress. 

I note that Senators from across our country—from both 

parties—have lined up to speak to JOE’s character and accomplishments. We respect him as a colleague, and we love 

him for his passion and commitment to public service. 

JOE has never forgotten his blue collar roots. He has never 

forgotten our country’s working class. JOE has fought all his 

life to make sure the working class gets a fair shake. He 

sounded the clarion call in the last months and weeks of the 

Presidential campaign—that we not forget working families 

and, more broadly, America’s middle class. 

In his words: 

The middle class is not a number; it’s a value set. It’s being able to own 

your house and not have to rent it; it’s being able to send your kid to the 

local park and know they’ll come home safely. It’s about being able to send 

your kid to the local high school and if they do well they can get to college, 

and if they get to college, you can figure out how to [pay to] get them there, 

and when your mom or dad passes away, you can take care of the other who 

is in need and hope your kids never have to take care of you. 

That’s JOE BIDEN’s definition of the middle class, and the 

middle class has been clobbered. 

JOE championing the working and middle class helps my 

State of New Mexico, helps all of our States. 

His policy expertise is broad and deep but maybe in no 

area as much as foreign policy. He has spent decades working on international matters—as a member of the Senate 

Foreign Relations Committee, as the committee’s chair or 

ranking member, as President Obama’s foreign relations 

troubleshooter. 

From my service on the Foreign Relations Committee, I 

have a keen appreciation for the complexity of foreign policy 

matters in today’s world. 

JOE’s foreign policy is at once pragmatic and sophisticated. 

He has stalwartly promoted peace and nonproliferation. But 

he understands the need for military force when national interests are at stake, diplomacy is not an option, and such action will bear intended results. 

JOE recently summed up what can be called the Biden doctrine in foreign affairs. He identifies the broad themes of 

Obama foreign policy strategy and advises the next administration. The essay should be required reading for anyone seVerDate Aug 31 2005 16:09 Jun 07, 2017 Jkt 098900 PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE16\23054.TXT KAYNE
[ 43 ] 

rious about foreign policy, and I hope the new administration 

takes his advice to heart. 

While JOE’s legislative accomplishments are too many to 

list, I would like to underscore one achievement that has 

made a difference in my home State of New Mexico—the Violence Against Women Act. 

As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, JOE drafted 

VAWA and led the charge for enactment. Passed in 1994, 

VAWA reordered how the Federal criminal justice system 

handled rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence cases. 

VAWA gave victims needed protections and strengthened 

prosecutors’ tools. 

I was attorney general of New Mexico in 1994. In the wake 

of VAWA’s passage, I formed the Violence Against Women 

Task Force. We got strengthened antistalking laws passed in 

the New Mexico Legislature in 1997. 

While VAWA was easily reauthorized and strengthened 

during the 2000s, reauthorization became difficult in 2012. 

As Vice President, JOE was instrumental in breaking impasses. 

VAWA represented a sea change for how our society addresses violent crime against women. 

The law was reauthorized and strengthened in 2013, and 

now extends protections to gay and transgender persons, immigrant women, and on-reservation Native Americans. 

Like JOE, I am a husband and father of a daughter. I am 

proud to have voted in favor of reauthorization. 

We all know that JOE has faced deep, personal tragedies. 

But he has confronted tragedy with courage and love for his 

family and with an unimaginable determination to keep 

working for the American people—turning his own losses 

into ways to help others. 

JOE and his equally capable, determined, and indefatigable 

wife Jill have brought new energy and urgency to the fight 

to cure cancer. The Cancer Moonshot has already had many 

successes. JOE turned the premature death of his son into actions to help others with cancer. 

This week, the Senate that JOE gave so much to gave 

something back, sending the 21st Century Cures Act to 

President Obama for signature. The $1.8 billion cancer initiatives in that bill are the direct result of Vice President 

BIDEN’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative. 

It is fitting that we named the cancer initiatives in the 

Cures Act after Beau Biden. 

[ 44 ] 

JOE BIDEN leaves the Vice Presidency, but he will never 

leave the fight for all Americans—Black, Brown, White, poor, 

working class, middle class, gay, straight, Muslim, Christian—everyone—fighting for what is right, fighting to make 

sure we all have a fair shot. 

JOE’s heart is as big as they come. I honor his decades of 

work, commitment, and accomplishments, and I look forward 

to JOE continuing being JOE—the same guy I met in 1972— 

working hard every day to make a difference in the lives of 

all Americans. 

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the 

contributions and the long and colorful career of Vice President JOE BIDEN—the pride of Scranton, PA—and of Wilmington, DE—and the pride of the entire United States. 

JOE BIDEN lived, learned, and grew up among hardworking Americans in the 1950s and 1960s, when everything 

in America seemed possible—and it was. Remarkably, this 

gifted orator grew up with a crippling stutter—a challenge 

which he overcame through determination and perseverance. 

He displayed that same uncommon strength after he lost his 

wife and daughter in a horrific car accident just weeks after 

being first elected to the U.S. Senate. 

JOE BIDEN considered giving up his seat to tend to his injured children. It is one of this country’s great fortunes that 

JOE BIDEN decided against that. Scarred by the tragedy and 

by a close brush with death himself and more recently by the 

loss of his son Beau, the Vice President has shown us the 

power of and the comfort derived from a deep personal faith. 

When he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, he 

was only 29 years old. In a Senate career spanning 36 years, 

JOE BIDEN left behind a legacy as chairman of the Senate 

Foreign Relations Committee. Perhaps his greatest achievement was his tireless advocacy for civil rights, especially the 

protection of women and children from domestic violence. 

The passage of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 is 

an enduring Biden legacy which we will continue to build 

upon for years to come. 

Now, even as he is about to retire from political life, Vice 

President BIDEN has taken on a new cause: to find a cure for 

the disease which has claimed too many millions of Americans, including his beloved son, Beau. The Cancer Moonshot 

has refocused and reinvigorated our Nation’s efforts to eradicate this devastating disease, and I was proud to support renaming the legislation to honor Beau Biden. 

[ 45 ] 

Vice President BIDEN is as honest and authentic a person 

as you will find, providing a welcome dose of humanity and 

authenticity to the business of governing. He has served with 

great honor and humility. 

I recall a dinner the Vice President attended at my home 

where, before he greeted a single guest, he made sure to 

spend time with my children—greeting them and engaging 

them in a real conversation. They have never forgotten that. 

As the meal was ending, the Vice President said he wanted to hear from each of our guests. Now, this may come as 

no surprise to those of you who know JOE BIDEN, but he actually spoke at some considerable length about how important he thought it was to hear from everybody who was 

there. Two and a half hours into a dinner scheduled to last 

just 90 minutes, I think one guest got to ask the Vice President a question. 

I know Vice President BIDEN and his exceptional partner, 

Jill, will continue to be engaged in the life of our Nation, so 

I will simply thank him today for four decades of public service—and pledge my continued respect for his many contributions to this great Nation which he loves so completely. 

Thank you, Mr. Vice President. 

Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I want to join in honoring 

Vice President BIDEN’s lifetime of service and sacrifice to our 

country. 

Throughout his career, Vice President BIDEN has carried 

out his work with a sense of humility, integrity, and authenticity that often seems missing in today’s politics. 

He served as either chairman or ranking member of the 

Senate Judiciary Committee for 17 years. In this capacity, he 

crafted the Violence Against Women Act, which provided 

critical new protections to victims of domestic violence and 

sexual assault. The landmark bill also supported local law 

enforcement to help increase prosecutions and convictions of 

abusers. He has continued this legacy by serving as the 

White House adviser on violence against women. 

Most recently, he led the White House’s efforts on the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, which seeks to hasten our advances 

in cancer research, prevention, and treatment. Earlier today, 

the Senate passed a bill to help make the Cancer Moonshot 

Initiative a reality, which is a further testament to the Vice 

President’s leadership and character. 

The Vice President’s involvement in the Cancer Moonshot 

Initiative was born out of the death of his son, Beau, who 

lost his battle with brain cancer last year. The Vice PresiVerDate Aug 31 2005 16:09 Jun 07, 2017 Jkt 098900 PO 00000 Frm 00057 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE16\23054.TXT KAYNE
[ 46 ] 

dent also grappled with tragedy at a young age when his 

first wife and his 13-month-old daughter were killed in a car 

accident. The poise, dignity, and humility that the Vice 

President has been able to maintain in the face of these tragedies speaks to his strength and his character. Through all 

this, he has continued to serve the American people with the 

utmost integrity and authenticity, which have undoubtedly 

contributed to his successful career in public service. 

The Vice President has also consistently advocated for the 

leadership role the United States plays in the world. Over 

the years, Vice President BIDEN has lent his diplomatic hand 

to U.S. engagement in development and security in places 

like Eastern Europe and the Northern Triangle countries of 

Central America. He has worked tirelessly to strengthen our 

partnerships across the globe, in places like Asia, Europe, 

and the Middle East, in an effort to further U.S. interests 

and the values upon which our Nation has thrived. 

When he was in Denver this past September to speak at 

the Korbel School, the Vice President warned against ‘‘turning inward.’’ JOE has no capacity to turn inward in any walk 

of life. His career is characterized by reaching outward to the 

American people and to the world, working to listen, collaborate, heal, and serve. We can all learn a lot from that open 

and inclusive approach. 

We are grateful for the Vice President’s leadership and example. I thank him and his incredible family for their service 

to our Nation. 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I would like to pay 

tribute to an incredible leader, public servant, mentor, and 

friend. 

It seems impossible to place a period on the public service 

career of JOSEPH ROBINETTE BIDEN, JR. 

So perhaps this is just an ellipsis. 

For 36 years, JOE BIDEN was a towering presence in this 

body. As a member, ranking member, and chairman of the 

Foreign Relations Committee, he dove headfirst into the 

most challenging issues in a volatile world, shaping a generation of U.S. foreign policy. He tackled arms control issues, 

stood up directly to Slobodan Milosevic, fought against apartheid in South Africa, and strongly advocated for NATO 

bombing of Serbia in the 1990s. He once called his contribution to ending the Yugoslav wars one of the ‘‘proudest moments’’ of his political career. For years, he worked to shape 

our policy in Iraq and the Middle East. He did so not just 

from his Washington office, but through regular visits to war 

[ 47 ] 

zones, where he met face to face with military leaders and 

enlisted men and women, alike. This is JOE BIDEN’s legacy. 

As a member and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, 

Senator BIDEN spearheaded the Federal assault weapons 

ban, presided over Supreme Court confirmations, and—in 

perhaps his most significant legislative triumph—authored 

the Violence Against Women Act. 

For generations, violence against women was a private 

matter—a tragedy suffered over and over by women with no 

recourse against abusive partners. VAWA brought this 

scourge out of the shadows and into the open, affirming that 

domestic violence survivors would not also be victimized by 

the system that was supposed to protect them. Because of 

VAWA, which Senator BIDEN helped reauthorize three times, 

4 million women and men have called the National Domestic 

Violence Hotline and gotten the support they need. From 

1994, when VAWA became law, until 2010, the rate of domestic violence in the United States has fallen by 64 percent. 

These are real accomplishments and real people—not just 

statistics. This is JOE BIDEN’s legacy. 

As everyone knows, he did it all commuting daily from and 

to his beloved Delaware. 

Then he got a job that included accommodation in Washington, DC. 

JOE BIDEN has transformed the job of Vice President. A 

key liaison to Congress because of his years of relationships 

on the Hill, JOE BIDEN stood shoulder to shoulder with President Obama and brought our economy back from the brink. 

Vice President BIDEN was tasked with implementing and 

overseeing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 

which laid the foundation for the sustainable economic future we are experiencing today. 

He also tackled longer term economic challenges, traveling 

the country in support of American manufacturing jobs and 

working tirelessly to rein in the exorbitant cost of college and 

spiraling student loan debt. JOE BIDEN believes in his bones 

that all Americans deserve a fair shot. 

That is why he was an early advocate for marriage equality. He accelerated change, forcing a conversation that, at its 

heart, was about love and the simple premise of all men and 

women being equal. 

His belief in a fair shot for all is why Vice President BIDEN

devoted incredible energy after the Sandy Hook shooting to 

sparing other families the heartbreak felt by too many in 

[ 48 ] 

Newtown. Some of the most challenging days of the Obama 

administration were days of mass shootings. 

Aurora, San Bernardino, Orlando, Fort Hood, Charleston, 

Tucson, and of course Newtown—to anyone who has been active in the push for commonsense gun safety measures—as 

I have—the Vice President’s steady hand, commitment, and 

leadership in this space have been obvious. Along with the 

President, he has comforted families, devoted countless 

hours to healing, and contributed energy and ideas to a 

years-long push that will eventually affect real change and 

keep the most lethal weapons out of the hands of the most 

dangerous people. 

That will be JOE BIDEN’s legacy. 

Vice President JOE BIDEN was taught early on by his parents that hard work mattered, that how you treat others 

matters, and above all else that family matters most. 

Throughout his career, he had a rule in his office: if one of 

his children, his wife Jill, or a sibling called, staff was to pull 

him out of a meeting so he could take the call. The same rule 

extended to staff. He never wanted to hear that someone had 

stayed at work instead of making it to a graduation, Little 

League game, or school play. 

That, laid bare, is JOE BIDEN. He came to Washington on 

the shoulders of his family, which fanned out across Delaware and knocked on doors until there were no more doors 

to knock. When tragedy struck—between his improbable 

election victory and his swearing in—and he suffered the unimaginable loss of his wife and infant daughter, his family 

pulled him closer. He stayed by the hospital beds of his two 

sons, Beau and Hunter, and nursed them back to health, 

questioning all along whether he would ever serve in the 

Senate. 

But this body—this Senate—pulled him closer, too. Senators Inouye, Mansfield, Humphrey, Hollings, and Kennedy 

all pleaded with him to give the Senate a chance: ‘‘Just 6 

months, JOE. Just stay 6 months.’’ 

He stayed 36 years. He learned lessons about character 

and motives—lessons we are all still learning today. He 

learned from Mike Mansfield never to question another 

man’s motive—question his judgment but never his motive. 

It was a lesson that bridged divides that too often keep us 

apart. The lesson made for lasting friendships with Jesse 

Helms and Strom Thurmond—whose eulogy he delivered. 

JOE BIDEN arrived in the Senate after a 1972 campaign 

heavy on civil rights. Years later, the centerpiece in his SenVerDate Aug 31 2005 16:09 Jun 07, 2017 Jkt 098900 PO 00000 Frm 00060 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE16\23054.TXT KAYNE
[ 49 ] 

ate office was a large table that had belonged to Senator 

John Stennis, around which Senator Richard Russell and 

Southern segregationists had planned the demise of the civil 

rights movement. In 2009, JOE BIDEN became Vice President 

to our first African-American President. 

The arc of the moral universe is long, but it does indeed 

bend toward justice. 

We have not seen the end of JOE BIDEN. Just this week, 

he presided over this body as we took an important step toward realizing the dream of the Cancer Moonshot—an ambitious project to end cancer as we know it. 

It is another effort that has profound personal meaning to 

the Vice President, who lost his son Beau to this horrible disease. It is also a place where JOE BIDEN’s work will have 

lasting, indelible effect on Americans—indeed all of humanity—if he is successful. 

That is JOE BIDEN’s legacy. 

He brought people together. He tackled the impossible. He 

overcame obstacles. He bridged divides. Tireless and fierce, 

JOE BIDEN put family and country first. We cannot ask for 

more than that. 

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise to join my colleagues 

to pay tribute to Vice President JOE BIDEN. 

JOE has made countless contributions to our country 

throughout his more than 40 years in public service and six 

terms in the U.S. Senate. 

Whether it was passing the Violence Against Women Act, 

leading the congressional opposition to apartheid South Africa, or advocating for Amtrak, JOE honored the Senate with 

his service. 

This year, after the loss of his beloved son Beau, JOE harnessed his grief to spearhead a new Cancer Moonshot Initiative to accelerate finding cures for cancer. 

This past Monday night, with JOE presiding, we named 

this initiative in memory of Beau. 

After Monday’s vote, JOE said that it made him realize all 

of the support he has had since Beau’s passing. 

In the face of his own loss, JOE has supported countless 

other families in similar situations. 

I will remember JOE for this incredible empathy. 

This year we lost our colleague and friend Congressman 

Mark Takai of Hawaii. 

I affectionately called Mark my younger brother, and his 

passing was a shock to many of us. 

[ 50 ] 

JOE joined us to honor Mark at a memorial service here 

in the Capitol. 

Reflecting on his own life, JOE spoke directly to Mark’s 

wife, Sami, and his children, Matthew and Kaila: 

I promise you that the day will come when Mark’s memory brings a smile 

to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye. 

My prayer for you and your family is that they come sooner rather than 

later. But I promise you. I promise you it will come. 

Like so many times in his life, JOE’s words spoke to our 

hearts. 

From his own experience, he comforted the Takais and so 

many of us who knew Mark. 

That is who JOE is—a man of empathy and soul, who always had a kind word, and who will leave a legacy of commitment to doing the right thing, and a legacy of hope. 

JOE, you will be missed. 

Mahalo for your service. 

Mr. KING. Mr. President, today I would like to join with 

my colleagues to honor Vice President JOSEPH R. BIDEN. 

Though I did not have the privilege to serve with Vice 

President BIDEN while he was a Member of the Senate, I 

have long admired JOE and his sincere commitment to the 

people of this country and especially to those in his beloved 

home State of Delaware. 

The details of JOE’s early years are well known to this 

body and to the Nation, but because they are so central to 

his character, they bear repeating. After an upset win of a 

U.S. Senate seat at just 29 years old, JOE experienced a tragedy that most of us cannot even begin to fathom—the death 

of his wife, Neilia, and his young daughter, Naomi, in a car 

accident just weeks before he was set to take office. A nowiconic photograph shows a young JOE being sworn into office 

at his sons’ hospital bedside. 

A tragedy of that magnitude, so early in JOE’s career, 

would have been reason for most to put on hold—or even 

end—a promising future in public service. Indeed, no one 

would have faulted JOE had he decided that the demands of 

the work he was set to undertake were not worth pursuing 

after the unimaginable loss he had just experienced. But, 

from the depths of his sorrow, JOE summoned the courage to 

press forward, committing himself to his two sons and to his 

work fighting for Delaware in the U.S. Senate. Committed to 

caring for his young family in the wake of such loss, JOE

would take the train from Wilmington to Washington each 

day the Senate was in session. 

[ 51 ] 

During his 36 years as a Member of this body, JOE distinguished himself as a thoughtful, principled leader on a number of critical issues. JOE’s leadership on the Senate Judiciary Committee put him at the center of some of the most 

consequential debates in recent years, from passage of the 

1994 crime law to the enactment of the Violence Against 

Women Act. In his role on the Senate Foreign Relations 

Committee, JOE garnered the respect of lawmakers on both 

sides of the aisle as he helped to shape U.S. foreign policy. 

His leadership in both of these areas, as well as the respect 

of his colleagues in Congress, made JOE a natural pick to 

join then-Senator Obama as his running mate in 2008. 

As Vice President, JOE has been a trusted adviser to President Obama and has been tasked with overseeing significant 

initiatives within the administration. From his work on the 

economic stimulus package in 2009 to his continued leadership in the fight against sexual assault and domestic violence, JOE has brought to the White House his characteristic 

dedication and charisma. It has been a pleasure to observe 

the real friendship that the Vice President has forged with 

President Obama, one grounded in mutual respect and admiration for one another. 

We saw again last year JOE’s strength in the face of adversity when cancer claimed the life of his son, Beau. Like his 

father, Beau Biden was a gifted communicator, and the Nation mourned alongside JOE at the news of his passing. In 

the aftermath of Beau’s death, JOE accepted the President’s 

charge to lead the Cancer Moonshot Initiative to accelerate 

cancer research—yet another shining example of JOE channeling his experience with loss into advancement for the 

public good. It is a fitting testament to JOE’s leadership that 

the cancer provisions in the bill currently under consideration in the Senate, the 21st Century Cures Act, were renamed in honor of Beau. I know of few people who have endured the magnitude of loss that JOE has over the course of 

his life, and the fact that he carries on every day with a full 

heart and renewed dedication to fighting for the American 

people is an inspiration. 

Beyond his accomplishments—which are many—JOE is 

perhaps best known for his good humor and genuine ability 

to connect with people. In a city associated more with political rancor than authenticity, JOE has long been a breath of 

fresh air, an homage to a more amicable past. His ability to 

get things done while making steadfast friends on both sides 

of the aisle is a model for all of us and an inspiration to me. 

[ 52 ] 

I wish JOE and his wife, Jill, nothing but the best as they 

move onto their next adventure. I know in times of trial, I 

will look to JOE’s leadership and example for the wisdom to 

make the right decision. 

Mr. Vice President, on behalf of the people of Maine, I 

thank you for your service to our country. 

Ms. WARREN. Mr. President, today I join my colleagues 

in celebrating the many contributions of Vice President JOE

BIDEN, a man who has spent his career fighting for working 

families. 

For more than four decades, Vice President BIDEN has 

tirelessly served the people of Delaware and the United 

States. As many of my colleagues have already noted, he has 

been on the frontlines of some of our Nation’s toughest battles—from steering the Foreign Relations and Judiciary 

Committees, to introducing the Violence Against Women Act 

and championing efforts to reduce gun violence in our communities. He takes on every fight with restless energy and 

relentless optimism. 

I first met then-Senator BIDEN back in the 1990s when I 

was a law professor with no experience in the ways of Washington. We tangled over an issue, each of us laying into the 

fight with determination. Senator BIDEN won, and I lost. 

Years later, when I next saw him, he held out his arms and 

shouted from halfway across the room, ‘‘Professor! Come 

here and give me a hug!’’ 

He had not forgotten our earlier battle, but he made it 

clear that he continued to think and rethink issues about 

working families and that, even when we disagreed, we could 

respect—and even like—each other. When I was later sworn 

into the U.S. Senate, I thought about the example he set to 

fight hard, but to treat each other with respect. 

The Vice President has faced down hardship with exceptional grace and courage, and he continues to wake up every 

day with a steadfast commitment to ensuring that the voices 

of ordinary Americans are heard here in Washington. For me 

personally, he has provided encouragement, wisdom, and 

good counsel, time and again—and for that, I am truly grateful. 

So, Vice President BIDEN: those of us here in the Senate 

are fortunate to have had the opportunity to work alongside 

you. I know I speak for millions of Americans when I say 

that we all are enormously grateful for your many years of 

service to this country. Thank you, and I wish you the very 

best as you begin the next chapter of your life and career. 

[ 53 ] 

Mr. COONS. We have five Senators remaining who have 

asked to speak briefly: Senator Alexander, Senator Cardin, 

Senator Casey, and Senator Kaine. My senior Senator, Tom 

Carper of Delaware, will conclude this session today. 

I yield the floor to the Senator from Tennessee. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Tennessee. 

Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, knowing there is a reception coming, I will try to set a good example. After hearing a speech, my late friend Alex Haley, the author of 

‘‘Roots,’’ said, ‘‘May I make a suggestion?’’ 

I said, ‘‘Well, yes.’’ 

He said, ‘‘If, when you make a speech, you would say ‘Instead of making a speech, let me tell you a story,’ someone 

might actually listen to what you have to say.’’ 

I have always remembered that, so let me tell one short 

story about a Vice President who knows how to get things 

done. 

Nearly 2 years ago, you and President Obama invited Senator Corker and me to go with you to Knoxville when the 

President announced his community college program. Before 

that, we had lunch privately, and we talked about many 

things, but the President talked about his interest in precision medicine. 

I said, ‘‘Mr. President, we are working on something we 

call 21st Century Cures. Why don’t we fold that into your 

precision medicine interest, and we will do it together.’’ 

At the State of the Union Address a year later, the President talked about the Cancer Moonshot and announced Vice 

President JOE BIDEN would be in charge of that. So I talked 

to you and said, ‘‘Well, we will just fold that in as well.’’ 

It wasn’t moving along as fast as I would like because, as 

you know and as most people here know, it is full of difficult 

issues—FDA, safety, moving things through, drug companies’ incentives, and then the funding issue on both sides of 

the aisle. 

So I called you and I said, ‘‘JOE, we are not moving as we 

should.’’ 

You said, ‘‘Well, let me see what I can do.’’ 

You held a meeting of the Democrats and Republicans in 

the House—Senator Murray and me—and you moved us 

along pretty well and off we would go. You didn’t take credit 

for that; nobody knew much about it. You were the key to 

that. 

Then it got stuck again. So I called you again. I said: 

[ 54 ] 

JOE, I have the precision medicine, I have the Cancer Moonshot, we have 

the BRAIN Initiative, we have the opioids money, but I can’t get a response. 

I feel like the butler standing with a silver platter outside the Oval Office, 

and no one will take the order. 

You said, ‘‘If you want to feel like a butler, try being Vice 

President.’’ 

Well, the fact was, you went to work again. The President 

called; he went to work. Speaker Ryan went to work, Senator 

McConnell went to work, and today that legislation on which 

you worked so hard passed the Senate with 94 votes. That 

is an example of a man who understands the issues, who 

knows how to get things done, and who has the respect of 

everyone in this body. 

This is Pearl Harbor Day. Pearl Harbor Day reminds us of 

the Greatest Generation of men and women who cared about 

the country, didn’t care about the credit, resolved their differences, and realized that diversity is important but turning 

that diversity into one America is even more important. You 

are not of that generation, but you show the same spirit as 

that generation did. Your work on 21st Century Cures and 

the fact that the Cancer Moonshot section is not only something that is your initiative—is named for your son—is important not just to you but to all of us. 

You are a friend of every single one of us. We honor you 

today. We are delighted you came down to let us tell a few 

stories about your effectiveness as Vice President of the 

United States. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Maryland. 

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I also wish to join in thanking you for your incredible service. Senator Mikulski talked 

about a lot of things you have done. The two of us represent 

the State of Maryland. Other than the two of us, there is no 

other Senator who has spent more time in Maryland than 

the Vice President. 

Admittedly, most of that time was spent on an Amtrak 

train, but we consider you to be a resident of Maryland. We 

have tried to find a way to tax you, but we will let you get 

by. We very much appreciate your interest in our entire region and in our entire country. 

When I was elected to the Senate in 2007, I talked to Senator Sarbanes—the person whom I was replacing in the Senate—about committee assignments, and we talked about the 

Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He said, ‘‘Get on the 

[ 55 ] 

committee. JOE BIDEN is an incredible leader. Any time you 

can spend with him is going to be time well spent.’’ 

I talked to Senator Mikulski, and she told me the same 

thing. I was honored to be able to serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and saw first hand your extraordinary leadership on behalf of our country. Bringing us together in that committee, you didn’t know who the Democrats and who the Republicans were. We worked together in 

a unit in the best interests of our country. That really was 

a model for all of us in the service of the Senate and service 

on behalf of our people. 

A little over 8 years later, I became a ranking member of 

the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and we had some 

extremely challenging issues that could have divided us. You 

helped me through that period. I really wish to thank you for 

that. Your extraordinary leadership in helping us resolve 

some very difficult issues, your openness, your willingness to 

listen, and your ability to find a way to go forward were incredibly helpful. I think it allowed the Senate to do the right 

thing on that issue—as well as the oversight. I thank you 

very much. 

That wasn’t your only opportunity to help us resolve 

issues. You have heard Members talk about the Violence 

Against Women Act and how important that was. The Cancer Moonshot is going to be incredibly valuable. Each one of 

our families has been affected by cancer. Through your efforts, we know we are going to find the answer to this dread 

disease. You have done this in so many different areas, law 

enforcement—the list goes on and on. 

Last year I was in Central America. I think there you 

could easily run for office and have no problems at all. They 

know what you have done to give them a hope, to give them 

a future. You take an interest in an area and find a way to 

be helpful that I think has made our country stronger. You 

have given hope to people all over the world. 

You have a love for people. You hear that. You hear that 

often. It was Will Rogers who famously said he never met a 

man he didn’t like. That is true of JOE BIDEN. It is incredible. 

I remember when I was being sworn in, in the ceremony 

in the Old Senate Chamber, you not only talked to Members 

of the Senate, you talked to every member of our families. 

I don’t know if you had the best staff work or not, but you 

knew every Member’s family. To this day my grandchildren 

talk about the conversation they had with you during that 

[ 56 ] 

swearing in ceremony. You really care about people, and that 

shows. This is a family here, and you have truly shown that 

to us. Myrna and I look at you and Jill as people who are 

part of our family. 

I think you are, perhaps, the most ebullient politician in 

America. Horrific family tragedies and life-threatening cranial aneurysms severely tested, but ultimately didn’t diminish, your faith in God or your love for the ‘‘retail’’ aspect of 

politics—meeting and greeting people, making those human 

connections. 

Mr. President, for those who may not know your story, I 

would like to tell them part of it. JOE BIDEN was born in 

Scranton and raised there before his parents moved the family to Delaware. He was the first member of his family to attend college. He earned his B.A. from the University of Delaware and then went to law school at Syracuse University, 

during which time he married his college sweetheart, Neilia 

Hunter. They had three children—two sons and a daughter. 

In 1972, just 4 years after JOE graduated from law school 

and when he was just 29 years old—he ran a bare bones, 

long shot campaign for the U.S. Senate against the incumbent, Caleb ‘‘Cale’’ Boggs, who had previously been Delaware’s Governor and had served three terms in the U.S. 

House of Representatives. JOE’s sister Valerie ran the campaign; most of the other ‘‘staff’’ were other family members. 

He demonstrated his extraordinary ability to connect with 

voters and won the election by 3,162 votes and became the 

sixth-youngest Senator in U.S. history. 

Just a few weeks after the election, JOE’s wife and their 

infant daughter Naomi were killed in a traffic accident; their 

two young sons, Hunter and Beau, were seriously injured. 

JOE was sworn in to the U.S. Senate next to his sons’ hospital beds and steadfastly began commuting to Washington 

from Wilmington every day by train, a practice he maintained throughout his career in the Senate. 

In 1977, Vice President BIDEN married Jill Jacobs. Jill has 

a Ph.D. in education and is a lifelong educator. Together, 

JOE and Jill had daughter, Ashley, who is a social worker. 

JOE’s affinity for the people of Delaware was reciprocal: he 

was reelected to the Senate six times, including in 2008 

when he was also elected Vice President. 

In February 1988, JOE was admitted to Walter Reed Army 

Medical Center. He had an intracranial aneurysm that had 

begun leaking. The situation was dire, a priest had actually 

administered last rites at the hospital. The surgery was sucVerDate Aug 31 2005 16:09 Jun 07, 2017 Jkt 098900 PO 00000 Frm 00068 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE16\23054.TXT KAYNE
[ 57 ] 

cessful but he suffered a pulmonary embolism and had to undergo another operation, which was successful, in May 1988. 

Two brain operations might slow down most people, but not 

JOE. Two years after he nearly died, he won reelection to a 

fourth Senate term. 

JOE’s Senate career wasn’t just long; it was distinguished. 

He became the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee 

in 1981. Three years later, he helped to steer the Comprehensive Crime Control Act to passage. It was the first of 

many major legislative accomplishments which included the 

Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. 

That bill contained the assault weapon ban and the Violence 

Against Women Act, and it established the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program. 

JOE’s accomplishments on the domestic policy side are impressive, but he also became a foreign policy expert. When 

Congress refused to ratify the Strategic Arms Limitation 

Talks (SALT) II Treaty Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and 

President Jimmy Carter signed in 1979, JOE met with Soviet 

Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko. He was able to secure 

changes to the treaty to overcome the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s objections. He has played a pivotal role in 

shaping U.S. foreign policy ever since. I was honored to serve 

on the Foreign Relations Committee for the last 2 years JOE

served as chairman. I have been honored to work with him 

in his current capacity as Vice President to expand the 

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, to include the 

former Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern and Central Europe and support a sovereign, democratic Ukraine. He is a 

champion of Israel and has been one of the principal architects of the administration’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific. He 

has developed deep relationships with the world leaders by 

excelling at face-to-face diplomacy. 

Mr. President, we were all devastated when your beloved 

son Beau lost his battle with brain cancer last year. Beau 

was just 46. It was a poignant moment on Monday when you 

were in the Chair, presiding over the Senate as we voted to 

invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House message 

to accompany H.R. 34, the 21st Century Cures Act. The bill 

contains provisions to implement the administration’s ‘‘Cancer Moonshot’’—yet another one of your sparkling accomplishments. I want to commend Senator McConnell and the 

majority for renaming that title of the bill the ‘‘Beau Biden 

Cancer Moonshot and National Institutes of Health (NIH) 

[ 58 ] 

Innovation Projects.’’ I know it means a lot to you and your 

family. 

I have made my lifetime serving in public life. You have 

made that profession an honorable profession through the 

manner in which you have conducted yourself, your integrity, who you are, and the way that you bring people together. I am proud to have served with you in this body. 

Mr. President, you have been an extraordinary public servant for nearly half a century. You have also been a dedicated 

family man and a good friend. I said at the beginning of my 

remarks that you never met a man you didn’t like. I don’t 

think anyone who has ever met you didn’t like you, too. 

Congratulations. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Pennsylvania. 

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, it is an honor to be here today. 

I was thinking about what I would say today and making it 

as brief and as personal as I could. I have to say that on a 

day like today it is difficult. We all have the privilege of 

being able to go to this floor on a regular basis to talk about 

issues, to talk about our country, and to talk about the 

world, but we also have one of the great privileges to talk 

about those with whom we have served and for whom we 

have great respect. 

This is one of those moments. It is of great significance for 

me that I am able to stand on the floor of the Senate as a 

native of and as a resident of the city of Scranton in Lackawanna County to talk about a son of Scranton. 

I know this is a big day for Delaware’s No. 1 citizen and 

a historic day for Delaware. I have to say I am so grateful 

to be able to say on behalf of the people of Scranton and 

Lackawanna County in northeastern Pennsylvania how 

proud we are today to be able to pay tribute to Vice President JOE BIDEN. 

There is so much to say about that history, so much to say 

about what it means to be able to stand on the floor and talk 

about his record, his life, his achievements, but mostly to 

talk about who he is. 

When I consider what he has contributed to our country, 

to his State, and to the world, it is difficult to encapsulate 

it. I tried to jot down a few notes to remind myself of how 

best to encapsulate that life. 

I guess I would start with the word ‘‘integrity.’’ It may be 

a word that we take for granted, but it is a word that has 

to be part of the life of a public official. I would say in the 

[ 59 ] 

case of JOE BIDEN, he has the kind of integrity that is uncommon—uncommon not because it is a rare trait but uncommon because it is so much a part of his whole life. He 

was a public official with integrity, and we hope he is again 

when he might consider public office again. But he is also a 

person of great integrity when it comes to the fights he has 

had to wage on behalf of people without power, the work he 

has had to do as a public official infused with that kind of 

integrity and, at the same time, the same kind of integrity 

we expect from a family member and a friend. So I would 

start with that word. 

Certainly the word ‘‘compassion’’ comes to mind. Every one 

of us can tell a story. I was hearing stories just yesterday 

from a colleague about a phone call the Vice President made 

over the last couple of years to someone who was grieving, 

who was in the depths of the darkness of grief, and the 

phone call he made to that person. 

I have heard stories over the years about not just phone 

calls but visits with people, stopping into a funeral home for 

a long lost friend who had lost a loved one, letters he has 

written. I know a personal friend who lost his wife and his 

sons had lost their mom and what the Vice President wrote 

to them just this summer. Over and over again, he has demonstrated that kind of compassion. 

I can remember my own case in a very personal way. It 

was only an election loss. I ran for Governor of Pennsylvania 

in a primary. As many of my colleagues know, primaries are 

particularly difficult. I lost badly. No one called on Wednesday after Tuesday. One reporter showed up at my door, and 

I opened the door and I really couldn’t say much to this reporter, but I was grateful she was there. I got one phone call 

on Wednesday—maybe a couple of family members; I come 

from a family of eight. I think my wife was talking to me, 

but other than that, the only person who called me was JOE

BIDEN. He made some kind of grand prediction—I thought 

he was just being nice—that I would somehow come back. 

But he was right. He made me feel much better that day. He 

may not remember it, but I will remember that for the rest 

of my life. 

I think certainly when we think about the Vice President, 

we could center on one other word: ‘‘justice’’—an abiding and 

enduring commitment to justice. His whole public life could 

be summarized in that word and the commitment he has had 

to justice. We could quote from the Bible: ‘‘Blessed are they 

who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.’’ 

[ 60 ] 

I am not sure JOE BIDEN has ever been satisfied yet with 

justice. He is always pursuing it, always trying to bring justice to a problem or to a situation or to the life of a fellow 

citizen. 

We think of what Saint Augustine said about justice a long 

time ago, but it still bears repeating: ‘‘Without justice, what 

are kingdoms but great bands of robbers?’’ That is what 

Saint Augustine said hundreds of years ago. JOE BIDEN has 

lived his life as a public official and as a man, as a citizen, 

with that same burning desire to bring justice into the dark 

corners of our world. He knows that without that justice, 

someone is, in fact, robbed of so much—robbed of their dignity, robbed of their safety, robbed of a full life. 

I think I would say that maybe the best line, with all due 

respect to the Scriptures and to Saint Augustine, was one 

my father said. He wrote it down years ago, but he probably 

gave maybe the best description of what a public official 

should be about. I am not sure I have ever attributed this 

to anyone else but him. He said the most important qualities 

a public official can bring to their work are two things: a 

passion for justice—which, of course, JOE BIDEN has in abundance—and a sense of outrage in the face of injustice; that 

if you have both of those, on most days, you are going to get 

it right. His life as a U.S. Senator for 36 years, as Vice President for 8 years, and as a citizen for all of those years and 

more, has been about that passion for justice and a sense of 

outrage in the face of injustice. 

We all know his record; we don’t have to recite all of it. 

From the Violence Against Women Act, which we know is an 

acronym—VAWA—but it doesn’t do justice to the name of 

what that meant. So many today have talked about how he 

saved the lives of women and families because of that legislation. So from VAWA to ARRA, as we call it—the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the act that helped dig this 

economy out of the ditch it was in and rescued this country 

and improved the lives of so many people—he not only 

worked to get it passed, but then he made sure it was implemented. It might be the most popular piece of legislation 25 

years from now when people really appreciate what happened with the Recovery Act. 

From diplomacy, to law enforcement, to not just supporting our troops, not just working on legislation and supporting them not only when his son was a member of our 

Armed Forces but long before that, to what he did very specifically to protect our troops—we know the scourge of IEDs, 

[ 61 ] 

which was the No. 1 killer of our troops in Iraq and in Afghanistan. A lot of those troops’ lives were saved because of 

JOE BIDEN up-armoring vehicles and doing all the work he 

did to protect our troops. 

So whether it was national security or security on our 

streets, whether it was protecting women who would be the 

subject of abuse or helping children or improving our economy—on and on—we could talk about that record. But just 

as you can’t just list achievements in a record and encapsulate what it means, so the same is true of a 36-year career 

in the U.S. Senate and then 8 years as Vice President. 

Lincoln probably said it best. Lincoln said, ‘‘It is not the 

years in your life that matters, in the end, it is the life in 

those years.’’ That is, I think, true of JOE BIDEN as well. 

Two more points. One of the best qualities of the Vice 

President as a man especially but also as a public official is 

his sense of gratitude. If you knew him for half an hour or 

for your whole life, you know that almost always he is speaking about people in his life who made him who he is today, 

whether it is his mother and father or whether it is his 

whole family, including brothers and sisters and his sons 

and daughters and, of course, Jill. It is a reminder of how 

grateful we should be. In so many ways, when you hear JOE

BIDEN speak, his speeches tend to be, on many occasions, a 

hymn to gratitude, and that comes through all the time. 

We know how much he suffered with all of the losses he 

has sustained. I was talking to him recently at an event in 

Scranton about his son Beau and his life and what a patriot 

Beau Biden was. I think today we can say the following 

about the Vice President: This is a man who was a great 

Vice President. This is a man who was a committed and very 

effective U.S. Senator, but maybe most important, he has 

been a faithful son, a loving and proud husband and father, 

and a patriot. 

Thank you, sir, and God bless you. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Florida. 

Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, these speeches were just 

supposed to go on for 1 hour, and we are already at the 2- 

hour mark, but perhaps, since we are honoring you, this is 

most appropriate. 

I would say to our colleagues and our guests, you say the 

name among us of JOE BIDEN, and a smile automatically 

comes to our lips, and that is because the Vice President is 

[ 62 ] 

a lover of people. That is true. We know it is true. That is 

why today we have this genuine affection being expressed. 

Since the hour is late, my remarks are going to be very 

short, but I just want to highlight that it is very true and 

it is very characteristic. I can even tell all of the stories of 

the Biden family because I have heard them so much. 

It is also very true that if you are talking to JOE and suddenly your wife comes up or your daughter comes up, all of 

a sudden, JOE is not focusing on you, he is giving his total 

attention to the ladies present, and that is most appreciated. 

That, of course, is why he is such a big fan of the Nelson 

household, not only of Grace and Nan Ellen but also of Bill 

Junior. He always treats our children with respect and goes 

out of his way. 

In Florida, fortunately we had the good fortune of seeing 

him a lot in his two campaigns as Vice President and then 

the campaign for the ticket in this last campaign. I can remember those days. It was so cold in a horse pasture west 

of Ocala. I can remember recently just absolutely cooking in 

North Palm Beach on the stage in the hot sun, and JOE was 

always there making the case for whoever it was he was 

standing up for. 

Of course, he always made you feel that you were welcome. 

I remember one time we got off an airplane, and he was 

going to his limousine and I am going back to the guest van 

in the back. He motions, I am to come with him. I said, ‘‘Mr. 

Vice President, I never presumed that I should come here.’’ 

He says, ‘‘I always want you here with me when we are traveling together.’’ That is what makes him so special. 

Finally, I want to comment about Moonshot. Why is the effort at cancer research called the Moonshot? It is because we 

achieved what was almost the impossible when the President 

said we are going to the Moon and return safely within the 

decade, and America marshaled the will and in fact did that 

incredible accomplishment. That is why we are going to have 

the Moonshot for cancer. 

We have already made so much progress; but now, with 

the former Vice President of the United States heading up 

all the efforts where we can keep the attention on NIH, so 

it doesn’t go from a level rocking along about $24 billion, $25 

billion a year, and the stimulus shoots it in the first 2 years 

of the Vice President’s office up to $30 billion a year, then 

it drops down to $24 billion, $25 billion, and Dr. Francis Collins has to cancel 700 of the medical research grants that he 

has already issued. Because we have the Moonshot headed 

[ 63 ] 

by JOE BIDEN, we are going to find the cure for all those 

kinds of cancer. That is the great legacy that the Vice President of the United States will have. 

Mr. President, I yield the floor. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Virginia. 

Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I rise in honor of your service. 

I just want to tell my favorite JOE BIDEN story. This is a 

story the Vice President has heard me tell, but I want it on 

the Record because everyone should know this story. It is the 

story of an interaction between our Vice President on one of 

the most important days of his life and a young man from 

Richmond, VA, my hometown, on one of the most important 

days of his life. 

It was election day 2008, and I was Governor of Virginia. 

I was responsible for the running of the elections in my State 

that day when Senator JOE BIDEN was running for Vice 

President with our President, Barack Obama. 

I received a call in the middle of the morning: There was 

going to be a surprise visit to a polling place in Richmond. 

After having voted in Wilmington, Senator BIDEN was going 

to make a stop in Richmond and wanted to meet some voters 

before he headed to Chicago to await the election results. We 

gave him the address of an elementary school polling place 

that was very near the Richmond Airport, and I raced there 

with my security detail to get there a few minutes before he 

arrived for a surprise visit with voters who were going to 

love having the chance to meet the soon-to-be Vice President. 

I got there a few minutes before Senator BIDEN arrived, and 

I saw a friend who had come to vote. I asked how he was 

doing. He said, ‘‘I am doing great. I am really excited about 

voting today. It is also a special day because I have a nephew with sickle cell anemia and he is casting his first vote, 

but he is so sick, he can’t even get out of the vehicle.’’ 

I watched the election officials at the polling place take a 

voting machine from inside the school into the car so that his 

18-year-old nephew could cast the first vote of his life. I saw 

this young man, the nephew of my friend, and he was very 

ill. 

I said to my friend and his nephew, ‘‘Can you wait here 

for 5 minutes? Because I think we can do something really 

exciting.’’ 

‘‘What?’’ 

‘‘Well, just wait.’’ 

They said they would. 

[ 64 ] 

Within 5 minutes, Senator BIDEN came up to meet voters 

and shook the hands of those in line. I said, ‘‘Senator, there 

is a young man here, and just as this day is very important 

to you, because I think you are about to be elected Vice 

President of the United States, for this young AfricanAmerican male, who is very ill but extremely excited even in 

his illness to get out of his house to come here and cast his 

vote to elect the first African-American President—he is sitting there in that vehicle. Will you go and visit with him?’’ 

I didn’t even have to finish the sentence and put the question mark at the end before Senator BIDEN shot across the 

parking lot and went up to the vehicle. The press corps was 

following him. The young man was sitting in the back seat. 

JOE just jumped in the front seat, closed the door, rolled up 

the window so nobody could hear the conversation, and the 

press corps gathered around all four sides of the vehicle with 

their cameras taking pictures of Senator BIDEN in an extremely animated and somewhat lengthy conversation with 

the 18 year old who had just cast his vote. To me, that will 

always be the quintessential JOE BIDEN story. 

JOE BIDEN is the Irish poet of American politicians. He 

and I share a passion for the Irish poet William Butler 

Yeats. Yeats, like our Vice President, was not just a poet. He 

was a man of the public. He was a public official. People 

asked him to weigh in on political matters all the time. 

Once, in the middle of the First World War, somebody 

asked Yeats to write a war poem. He wrote a war poem, and 

the poem was titled, ‘‘On Being Asked for a War Poem.’’ The 

poem says this: 

I [often] think it better that in times like these 

A poet’s mouth be silent, for in truth . . . 

He has had enough of meddling who can please 

A young girl in the indolence of her youth, 

Or an old man upon a winter’s night. 

The meaning of the poem is this: I may be a public figure. 

I may have a public job to do. I may be asked to do a public 

job and to claim upon matters of public importance. But 

sometimes even more than the matter of public importance 

is the ability to please a young girl or an old man—or an ill 

young man casting a first vote, an important vote. 

The fact that you took your time on that day of importance 

to you to shed some light and offer some joy to someone who 

was struggling—that is the JOE BIDEN who has us here for 

2 hours offering these tributes. 

I yield the floor. 

[ 65 ] 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Connecticut. 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I never had the privilege of serving with you in this Chamber, but, like many of 

my colleagues, I have come to know you as a friend and public servant and a model and a mentor. 

What I want to say very simply is that you have inspired 

so many of us, beyond this Chamber, beyond the people 

whom you have known directly, and beyond the people with 

whom you have worked. Countless young people are involved 

in this noble profession because of your example. 

At a time when public officials and politics are often held 

in little repute and often challenged in their integrity, you 

have given us a good name, you have given politics a good 

name, and you have enabled so many of us to serve with 

pride in a profession that is so vital to the continuance of our 

democracy. Beyond pieces of legislation, whether it is the Violence Against Women Act or the assault weapon ban or 

criminal justice—the list goes on—is that model of public 

service. 

I want to close by saying that as long as I have known JOE

BIDEN, I really came to know him through the eyes of his 

son. I had the honor of working and serving with Beau Biden 

when he was attorney general of the State of Delaware and 

I was attorney general of my State of Connecticut. My ambition in life is to have my four children talk about me with 

the sense of admiration and love and pride that Beau Biden 

talked about his dad. 

I am very proud and grateful that we had the opportunity 

to vote today on a law that bears his name. As proud as his 

dad is of him, his pride in his dad is an example that all of 

us as parents hope our children have for us. 

I am proud to be in this Chamber and to have been sworn 

in to this Chamber by you, Mr. Vice President. I hope our 

paths will continue to cross, as I know they will, with so 

many of us in this Chamber and in this country. Thank you 

for your service. 

I yield the floor. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Missouri. 

Mrs. MCCASKILL. Mr. President, me too. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Massachusetts. 

Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, in 1972 I was a young man 

in my last year at Boston College Law School, and I decided 

to run for State representative. I had a cousin who worked 

[ 66 ] 

at NASA, an older cousin, the smart one, the physicist. He 

said, ‘‘Well, there is a young man in Delaware who is running for the Senate.’’ 

‘‘So what is his name?’’ 

‘‘JOE BIDEN.’’ 

From that moment on, I was following the career of this 

Irishman, this latter-day descendent of Hubert Humphrey, a 

happy warrior, the man who stands up for the common man 

and woman in our country. 

In 1972 you had this great campaign team led by John 

Marttila—the great John—who captured your spirit, your 

soul, what you represented now in this half century of American politics. 

In 1976, when I ran for Congress, just 4 years later—the 

same as you, age 29—saying ‘‘I think I can run,’’ I walked 

into the office of this man, John Marttila, in Boston, and it 

looked like a museum to JOE BIDEN with all the JOE BIDEN

literature and messages on his wall. So from that moment 

on, from John Marttila, through Larry Rasky, through Ron 

Klain—through all of these people who worked for me and 

worked for you, I have been privileged to be able to chronicle 

your journey of work and inspiration for our country. 

I think it is just perfect that you are the commander in 

chief of this rocket ship to the Moon to find the cure for cancer because that is a mission that has the right man who is 

going to be leading it. I think that each and every one of us 

out here knows that one of the reasons this bill is receiving 

such an overwhelming vote today is because of you, Mr. 

President. It is because of the respect we have for you. It is 

the knowledge that when you were negotiating this bill, at 

the end of the day, you were going to put the American people first, you were going to make sure that bill reflected the 

highest aspiration of every American. 

So I want to speak briefly because there is a reception 

after this, and many people are still waiting to say hello to 

you. I think every Member wanted to come out here, and you 

inspired them to speak a lot longer than they may have intended on speaking, but it is because of the incredible respect and admiration they have for you. My best to you. My 

wife Susan’s best to you. There has never been a better public servant in American history. All my best. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Indiana. 

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, on behalf of all the people 

in our great State—and our dear colleague Senator Bayh is 

[ 67 ] 

here because of his love as well—we want to tell you how 

grateful we are for your services, for the extraordinary job 

you have done as Vice President for President Obama. 

Everybody is telling stories. As you know, I had the privilege of having you put your arm around me, and when everybody said there was no chance I could ever win, you said, 

‘‘You and I are a lot alike and you can do this and you can 

win.’’ 

I came back, and they said, ‘‘What advice did Vice President BIDEN give you?’’ 

I said, ‘‘He told me that I could win.’’ 

They said, ‘‘Well, he is right a lot; I don’t know about that 

one.’’ 

You turned out to be right. 

Then we were blessed that your sons, Hunter and Beau, 

often came to Indiana during the summers. You would then 

come out as well. I will never forget going to the coffee shop 

one Sunday morning. The lady at the coffee shop said to me, 

‘‘This has been an unbelievable day because the Vice President came in with all his grandchildren; and, by the way, 

Joe, he bought ice cream for everybody in the store, and you 

have never done that.’’ 

I said how sorry I was that I never did that. 

She also said, ‘‘This is one of the greatest days of my life, 

to meet somebody who has always looked out for working 

families, who has always looked out for us.’’ 

That is how we see you back home. You have always 

looked out for us. You have always cared about us. As a 

second-generation Irish immigrant, you have always been an 

example to all of us that we can accomplish anything we 

dream of. 

God bless you and Jill and your whole family. We are so 

lucky to have been touched by you. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Minnesota. 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Vice President BIDEN, earlier Hubert 

Humphrey’s name was mentioned. You know the great love 

the people of Minnesota have for you. Vice President Humphrey was your mentor when you first got to the Senate, 

where you didn’t even know if you were going to last a few 

months here, and he was there for you. You have extended 

that kindness to so many since then. 

Vice President Mondale, another Minnesotan, has great affection and love for you, and I will report back to him tonight 

that I was here with you today. 

[ 68 ] 

When I first got elected to the Senate and made one of my 

first speeches about police funding to a completely empty 

Chamber—and I thought even my mom wasn’t watching on 

C–SPAN—I walked out of this place and I got a phone call 

on my cell phone and it was JOE BIDEN, then a Senator, saying ‘‘that was a really great speech.’’ 

When you came to my State and one of my best friends 

suddenly lost her husband and you heard about it, you did 

not know who she was, you just heard the story, and in 2 

weeks, on her first day back at work, she was driving home 

and she got a call from you. You talked to her for 20 minutes. When you were done and had given her all this wonderful advice, you said, ‘‘We are not done; I want you to 

write down my phone number.’’ 

She said, ‘‘I am driving, Mr. Vice President; I can’t do 

that.’’ 

You said, ‘‘Pull over.’’ 

She wrote your phone number on her hand. You did that 

for her, Mr. Vice President, and you have done that for so 

many Americans. On behalf of our entire State of Minnesota 

that has loved you forever, thank you. 

I yield the floor. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator from Delaware. 

Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, a few minutes ago, I sent up 

a note to you that I handwrote that said: ‘‘Flattery won’t 

hurt you if you don’t inhale, so don’t breathe too deeply up 

there.’’ 

I also recall walking into a hearing with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy not too long ago in the House of Representatives, a joint House-Senate hearing. A lot of people 

had been there asking questions, and she was in the seat for 

4 hours. It finally became my turn to ask a question, and I 

said to her, ‘‘Is there any question, Administrator McCarthy, 

that you have not been asked today?’’ She said, ‘‘I wish somebody had asked me if I needed a bathroom break.’’ 

There are 30 more Senators in the Cloakroom who want 

to come out and speak. If you need one, let us know and one 

of the pages or somebody will take your spot up there. 

It has been a joy to sit here and listen to all these stories. 

John Carney, our Congressman, Governor-elect, has been 

here and come and gone. He has gone back to the House to 

go into session. He used to work for you, and you are one of 

his great mentors. He wants you to know he was here, in 

case you didn’t. 

[ 69 ] 

I want to say to Chris Coons, who put this all together, 

making possible a wonderful tribute, this is the Senate at its 

best. It is wonderful to see some of our still young colleagues 

who have come back to visit us and to be with us on this special day. 

Over the years, people have asked me why I have had 

some success in my life, and I say that my sister and I 

picked the right parents. JOE BIDEN and his brother and sister picked the right parents. I have had the privilege of 

knowing them both. When your dad was sick and in the hospital, I visited and spent time with him, just the two of us. 

JOE, I want to say for those who maybe didn’t know your 

parents, they valued education and made sure you got a good 

one, along with his brother and sister. Val is up there somewhere. I want to say hi to Val. They valued education and 

people of faith. I am Protestant, and JOE and his family are 

Catholic, but he doesn’t wear it on his sleeve. I will tell you 

this, nobody believes in the Golden Rule of treating other 

people the way you want to be treated any more than JOE

BIDEN. 

Nobody adheres to Matthew 25, the ‘‘least of these,’’ any 

more than JOE BIDEN. Nobody does a better reading of 

James 2: ‘‘Show me your faith by your words, and I will 

show you my faith by my deeds.’’ He doesn’t just talk a good 

game. He doesn’t talk a whole lot about his faith, but he sure 

lives it. 

From his family—from his mom and dad—he learned the 

importance of family and the importance of loyalty to his 

family and, frankly, to his friends—his multitude of friends. 

He learned there is a difference between right and wrong 

and figure out what it is and do right. Do it all the time. 

He learned a little bit about common sense. My dad used 

to say to my sister and me when we did some boneheaded 

stuff, just use some common sense. I think your dad said 

that to you once or twice as well. One of the things your 

mom used to say to you was, ‘‘if you are knocked down, get 

up’’—the idea you just never give up. You know you are 

right, never give up. That is JOE BIDEN. 

People say to us in this Chamber I am sure every day that 

they wouldn’t want our job. I wouldn’t want your job. I know 

you heard that a lot of times. I think we are fortunate to 

have these jobs and responsibilities to serve. An even tougher job is to be married to one of us. Several people talked 

about Jill and your bride—for how many years? Almost 40 

years. Is that possible? I first saw Jill Biden when I was a 

[ 70 ] 

graduate student when I was just out of the Navy. I was a 

graduate student at the University of Delaware. I happened 

to see her on campus. I thought then, and I would say now, 

one of the two loveliest people I think I have ever seen. The 

other being Martha Carper. Not only is she lovely—as JOE

knows—on the outside, really lovely on the inside. She is a 

person with deep caring, a person with incredible warmth 

and compassion. She is a terrific educator. She taught in our 

State in public schools. She taught in a hospital for folks 

with special needs. She taught at Delaware Technical Community College when it was selected as the best technical 

community college in the Nation during the time that she 

was on the faculty there. 

She continued as Second Lady to continue to critique, but 

she started off in a place called Willow Grove, PA. There is 

a naval air station there where I used to fly P–3 aircraft— 

mission commander—out of there. I retired as a Navy captain in 1991. She was just down the road, growing up with 

her four sisters, Jill Jacobs and the Jacobs girls. I am sure 

they broke a lot of hearts. 

In the case of Jill Biden, she helped to mend one. As much 

as anybody, Val and your family are hugely supportive and 

helped you get through a terribly tough time, but I think Jill 

perhaps made you whole. She got her undergrad, I believe, 

from the University of Delaware. She has two master’s degrees—a Ph.D. focused on how to increase retention in community colleges around the country. She got those advanced 

degrees while working and raising a family, three kids that 

any of us would be proud to claim as our own. 

Last week, I happened to be in a classroom in a school 

where the Vice President probably has been before, Mount 

Pleasant Elementary School, right down the road from the 

high school. I was in a classroom of a woman by the name 

of Wendy Turner, who is the Delaware Teacher of the Year. 

I had a chance to be with her and her grade school kids. We 

all gathered around together, and I sat on a stool. They gathered around me. There were about 20, 25 kids. I said, ‘‘Why 

is she such a great teacher?’’ Talking about Wendy Turner, 

Teacher of the Year. 

They said, ‘‘She loves kids. She loves us.’’ They said, ‘‘She 

knows her stuff. She really knows what she is talking to us 

about. She knows how to make clear why it is important, 

like when we leave school, and why it is important we learn 

these things. She believes everybody can learn.’’ 

[ 71 ] 

I thought about her, and I think about Jill Biden today. 

She is that kind of educator as well, continues to be that 

kind of educator as well. 

A lot has been said today of the Cancer Moonshot that JOE

has been leading with great skill and success here, especially 

today. Before there was Cancer Moonshot, there was JOE

BIDEN’s breast health initiative, which helped thousands of 

young women to learn about the importance of early detection for breast cancer. 

Beau went into the military, Delaware National Guard, deployed to Iraq. Some people would send cookies and packages 

to their kids and maybe write emails or Skype with them. 

Jill decided she was going to take that experience and create 

something with Delaware Boots on the Ground to look out 

for families. Later on, as Second Lady, working with 

Michelle Obama, she created something they called Joining 

Forces, which focuses on education for military families— 

education, employment opportunities, access to wellness 

services. 

She even managed to write a book. She wrote a book from 

a child’s point of view of having a loved one in their family 

deployed overseas in the military. As I said earlier, she 

helped raise three terrific kids. 

Sometimes I like to quote Maya Angelou, who sang at the 

second inauguration of Barack Obama and JOE BIDEN, and 

she passed away not long ago. Maya Angelou said something 

that I think is appropriate for all of us today when she said: 

‘‘People may not remember what you said, people may not 

remember what you do, but they will remember how you 

made them feel.’’ One of the threads through everything that 

has been said here today really reminds me of what Maya 

Angelou said because people may not remember what we 

said. They may not remember what we do, but there are not 

just thousands, not just tens of thousands, not just hundreds 

of thousands, but there are millions of people in this country 

who will remember how you and Jill made them feel—cared 

for, important, loved. 

I know our Vice President likes music, and as a Boomer 

he later on liked a British group. I forget what their Fab 

Four was called. I think it might have been the Beatles, and 

maybe the best rock ’n’ roll album ever, ‘‘Abbey Road,’’ ends 

with these lyrics—the last part of Abbey Road, side two, was 

largely written by Paul McCartney. The last words on 

‘‘Abbey Road’’ were these words: ‘‘The love you take is equal 

to the love you make.’’ 

[ 72 ] 

You are going to take a lot of love with you, and Jill as 

well, far from here and for the rest of your lives. God bless 

you. 

Mr. President—I have always wanted to call you Mr. 

President. With that, Mr. President, I suggest the absence of 

a quorum. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The clerk will call the roll. 

The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. 

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 

the order for the quorum call be rescinded. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I would like to invite all of my 

colleagues to join us in a reception in honor of the Vice President. I remind any colleagues who wish to speak who did not 

have the opportunity to submit their comments for the 

Record, and I very much look forward to our jointly presenting a bound copy to the Vice President. 

Thank you for your service, and we look forward to hearing from you at the reception. 

THURSDAY, December 8, 2016 

Mr. REED. Mr. President, I was also very privileged to 

serve with the Vice President of the United States, JOE

BIDEN. The Vice President was here yesterday. I was here 

listening to the comments. I must add, if I could, some words 

of my own. 

JOE BIDEN is a true statesman. I had the privilege of serving with him for over a decade. We traveled together to 

places such as Afghanistan and Iraq. I am honored to have 

gotten to know him and his wonderful family. Even though 

he is Vice President of the United States of America—the 

second highest office of the land—I know the titles he is 

proudest to hold are father, grandfather, husband, brother, 

and, after that, Senator. 

A tribute to JOE BIDEN really has to extend to some others, and one person I want to single out is his sister, Valerie 

Biden Owens. Val is not only his closest adviser but the architect of his first campaign and every one thereafter. At a 

time when very few women were running U.S. Senate campaigns, Val was responsible for electing a 29-year-old newVerDate Aug 31 2005 16:09 Jun 07, 2017 Jkt 098900 PO 00000 Frm 00084 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE16\23054.TXT KAYNE
[ 73 ] 

comer. When tragedy struck, she was the one who helped 

bring him back, who enabled him to serve the people of Delaware and, ultimately, the people of the United States and of 

the world. She is a brilliant strategist who has gone on to 

advise many officeholders. We thank her for her lasting contributions, and I wanted to make sure she got some credit. 

Both the Vice President and Val are quick to note the real 

credit goes to their parents—Catherine Jean Finnegan 

Biden, his mom, and his late, great father, Joe Senior. The 

Vice President and I would often joke—and it is not a joke; 

it is actually a truth: Always aspire to be half as good as 

mom and dad. That is an Irish aspiration. JOE has made it. 

I am still working on it, but he is at least half as good as 

these extraordinary people. 

If you have spent any time with the Vice President, you 

know that he is famous for quoting his father and his mother 

and the wisdom they imparted to all the children—JOE, Val, 

Jimmy, and Frank. I think you have heard Senator BIDEN, 

Chairman BIDEN, and Vice President BIDEN say: ‘‘I give you 

my word as a Biden.’’ You know you can take that to the 

bank. He meant it. 

Once you heard that, without hesitation, you knew he was 

there with you and would not equivocate, would not deviate, 

and would be with you. 

I had the privilege of not only working with Senator 

BIDEN, but I also had the privilege of working with a young 

captain in the U.S. Army, at least briefly, as we visited him, 

and that was CPT Beau Biden of the Delaware National 

Guard. Beau Biden didn’t have to join the National Guard. 

He didn’t have to volunteer for Iraq, but he felt it was his 

duty and his obligation. When we were together with him in 

Iraq, you saw someone who personified the very best of this 

Nation—a soldier, someone conscientious, someone who 

would give his all, give his life for others and, particularly, 

give every ounce of energy and service to this great Nation. 

Anyone who met Beau knew he was a Biden. He didn’t 

have to say it. He looked like his dad but, more important, 

he acted like his dad—strong, tough, proud, dedicated, committed to helping others, particularly those who needed a 

chance, who needed a hand up. He had a passion for social 

justice, compassion, and that element of kindness. In the 

sum of his days—of Beau’s days—he certainly surpassed that 

test of kindness, decency, and compassion. 

The Biden family has known a great deal of tragedy—more 

than most families—but they have stuck together, and they 

[ 74 ] 

have shared both moments of triumph and moments of profound sadness. Together, they have shaped history and made 

this a better nation and a better world. All of us who have 

had the privilege of knowing JOE, Jill, and their family are 

better people. 

Mr. President, let me thank you. Mr. Vice President, Senator, JOE, thank you. 

With that, I yield the floor. 

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 

service of a former colleague and our current Vice President, 

JOE BIDEN. 

JOE was born in Pennsylvania, but moved with his family 

to Delaware when he was 13. He left Delaware for brief 

stints at St. Helena School and Syracuse University Law 

School, but he has always returned to Delaware, including 

the daily trips he made home during his Senate career and 

the regular trips he makes home to this day. 

Because of his devotion to Delaware, JOE quickly got his 

start in politics, first on the New Castle County Council and 

then in the U.S. Senate, where he became the fifth-youngest 

U.S. Senator in history in 1972. He also has the distinction 

of being Delaware’s longest serving Senator. 

I worked with JOE on many different issues during his 

time in the Senate and served on the Foreign Relations Committee when he was our chairman. JOE is known as a foreign 

affairs expert, and he has many reasons to be proud of the 

work he has done in that area. One of those things that we 

worked on together was the President’s Emergency Plan for 

AIDS Relief. 

I remember being at the 2003 State of the Union speech 

when President Bush said, ‘‘We’re going to put $15 billion 

into an AIDS effort.’’ That shocked all of us who were there. 

It was a lot of money. We worked together to develop a bill 

that passed the House and Senate unanimously. 

JOE managed the floor when we reauthorized that program 

in 2008, and we worked with Senators Coburn, Burr, and 

Lugar to develop that reauthorization. At the time, JOE suggested historians will regard PEPFAR as President Bush’s 

‘‘single finest hour,’’ and I tend to agree. A few years ago, I 

visited the Kasisi Orphanage in Zambia. We were told that 

before PEPFAR, they had to bury 18 kids a month that died 

of AIDS, but because of PEPFAR, they got that down to 1 

a month. I know JOE shares my pride in the difference that 

program is making. 

[ 75 ] 

We were all a little sad to see JOE move to the White 

House in 2009, when he became our 47th Vice President. 

Lucky for us, he has been able to keep his ties to the Senate 

in his role as President of this body, and I think he has been 

one of our best partners in the administration. 

All of us were glad to be able to honor JOE and his son, 

Beau Biden, by naming the cancer section of the 21st Century Cures Act after Beau. I expect JOE will continue to be 

a voice for ending cancer, and I hope to work with him toward that cause. 

JOE, Diana and I send our best to you, Jill, and your family. You have served the people of Delaware and the people 

of the United States with distinction. 

I yield the floor. 

Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, in a political world getting 

more contentious by the day, with even greater divisions and 

an increasing lack of civility, JOE BIDEN has always stood 

out. 

The reason so many Republicans and Democrats appreciate him is because he has touched us all in a special way. 

When it comes to JOE BIDEN, his word is his bond. He is a 

fierce competitor, but never takes the fight too far. If he can 

help you, he always will. He tries, as much as possible, to 

ensure every decision is a win-win. 

As Vice President, he served President Obama extremely 

well with unquestionable loyalty. He has proven to be one of 

the most successful negotiators for the President. 

I have traveled the world with JOE and the private man 

is exactly what you see in public. JOE BIDEN is articulate, determined, kind, gracious, funny, and an eternal optimist. I 

am confident he will continue to serve the Nation he loves 

so much. 

Vice President JOE BIDEN stands out in all the right ways. 

FRIDAY, December 9, 2016 

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I rise in support and recognition of the tireless efforts of my friend and colleague from 

West Virginia [Mr. Manchin]. We were sworn in the same 

day, moments apart, and we were sworn in by a man who 

held this seat and this desk for 36 years. Born in Scranton, 

PA, JOE BIDEN, our Vice President, served Delaware for 36 

years. I know JOE and I know one of the things he tirelessly 

[ 76 ] 

fought for, and that was the working men and women of this 

country—just like my colleague from Missouri [Mrs. 

McCaskill], who speaks from the desk long held by Harry 

Truman and in whose honor she spoke about our keeping 

our promises that date back to a law passed by this Congress 

and signed into law by Harry Truman that promised pensions and health care to 100,000 coal miners. . . . 

ORDER FOR PRINTING OF SENATE DOCUMENTS 

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 

that there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of 

materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to retiring Members of the 114th Congress, and an additional Senate document a compilation of materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to the President of the Senate, JOE

BIDEN, and that Members have until Tuesday, December 20, 

to submit such tributes. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

ORDER FOR PRINTING 

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 

that any tributes submitted by December 20, 2016, as authorized by the order of December 10, 2016, be printed in the 

January 3, 2017, Congressional Record of the 114th Congress. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

Æ