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Floor Speech

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Mr. SHELBY. Madam President, on Roy Blunt, I first met him when he was a whip in the House. We had some kind of conference going, and I thought: My gosh, he can count votes. He is the whip. He can count votes in the conference, too, and so forth.

And then, when he came and started running for the Senate, I was one of many over here who wanted to help him get here. And when he came in, as has been said here, he went right into the leadership because he is a leader.

Roy, you have got it in you. You are a natural. It is in your bones, so to speak. And you have brought a lot to this Senate.

I have worked with you on just about everything, but especially on the Appropriations Committee, and you have been stellar. You have a great family. You have a great wife. You have a son who is the former Governor of the State of Missouri. We would miss you, but I won't be one of the ``we's.'' I will be gone too. But at the same time, they will miss you here. But they will miss you reaching out to the other side to make things happen. Reaching out to show that America is first; the country is first--and reaching out just over the aisle and to others with natural friendship, which means a lot up here and something we need to do more of.

But we wish you well. You will do well in your next life, whatever that is, and maybe we will see you again after January sometime.

I would like to start by thanking my good friend from Missouri, Senator Roy Blunt, for his decades of dedicated service.

We have served together in the Senate for 12 years, and together in Congress for 26 years.

I remember when Senator Blunt was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and later to the Senate in 2010.

Roy is a fifth generation Missourian who grew up on a dairy farm.

Before coming to Washington, he was a high school history teacher and later a county official for 12 years.

In 1984, Roy was elected to be the first Republican secretary of state in more than 50 years in the State of Missouri.

He then served as the president of his alma mater, Southwest Baptist University, which undoubtedly prepared him for his many years of prioritizing education funding as the lead Republican Senator on the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Senator Blunt has been a force in the Senate, sitting on the Appropriations Committee; the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Select Committee on Intelligence; and chairing the important Rules Committee.

Notably, Senator Blunt was elected to the Senate leadership during his first year in the Senate.

He is currently the chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, a vital arm within our Republican leadership.

As I mentioned, he is the top Republican on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

In this position, we have worked together to; grow NIH funding, which has increased 51 percent in the past 7 years; prioritize medical research, and improve access to quality education.

Senator Blunt has also been instrumental in protecting the Hyde amendment and other long-standing pro-life provisions in this bill.

As the chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, he planned and spoke during the 59th Presidential inauguration in 2021.

This was an important moment for our Nation.

While Senator Blunt's service in the Senate has been significant, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that he was also a powerful force in the House of Representatives, where he was elected seven times to represent Missouri's seventh district.

In the House, Roy was elected the majority whip earlier in his career than any Member of Congress in eight decades.

He also served as the acting House majority leader for a period of time.

Senator Blunt has a reputation for being a statesman and a longstanding record of working in a bipartisan manner to get things done.

His dedication to the betterment of our country has been invaluable.

I want to thank Senator Blunt for his service, as well as his wife Abigail, along with his four children and six grandchildren.

Annette and I have enjoyed their friendship over the years.

I wish Senator Blunt the best in his next chapter.

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