Tribute To Senator Mel Martinez

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize and thank my colleague and friend from Florida, MEL MARTINEZ, for his service to this country and to wish him luck in the years to come. I am proud and humbled to have had the chance to work with MEL over the last few years on some of the most difficult and trying issues of our time and I will miss his honesty, heart and dedication when he leaves the Senate this week.

While many of my Senate colleagues are familiar with MEL's inspiring personal story I feel that it is important for the American people to know that MEL MARTINEZ's life has personified the American dream and teaches us what we can all accomplish through hard work, a love of God and country and true dedication to a higher cause. MEL came to the U.S. in the 1960s as a young Cuban immigrant and became the first Cuban-American to serve in a Presidential Cabinet, as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and then the first Cuban-American U.S. Senator.

As a freshman Senator, MEL didn't shy away from the tough issues--he did not sit back and let others tackle the tough, controversial tasks--he dove in head first. Personally, the most memorable example of MEL's courageous work is his support of comprehensive immigration reform.

The 2006 and 2007 immigration debates were difficult times in the U.S. Senate. We had both political parties and an American public divided on an issue that I still believe will define the future of our country for generations to come. For many, it would have been tempting to sit on the sidelines, take the safe votes, keep your head down and just wait for this one to pass, but not MEL MARTINEZ. He took his strong personal convictions and put them in to action. We spent many hours together, working in a bipartisan fashion to try to reach an agreement that could be acceptable to both sides of the aisle and ensure the security of our Nation. Every day, MEL MARTINEZ was in the trenches, on the floor, working to improve the bill, working to reach a bipartisan compromise and working for a better future for our country and our children.

I also had the pleasure of traveling with MEL to the Republic of Georgia where he met with Georgian leaders and spoke openly about the importance of United States support for freedom in all countries, both those distant and close to our shores. MEL spoke with conviction due to his early childhood spent in a country controlled by a repressive dictator.

Many in this Chamber will fondly recall MEL's leadership in the Senate and his work for the State of Florida. I will remember my friend, his courageous leadership on the tough issues and his willingness to put the future of our Nation before his own self interest.

Source