Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) gave his Senate farewell speech on Wednesday, throughout which he urged elected officers to prioritize unity within the face of cussed partisanship.
“My life’s work has been a group affair,” Romney, who additionally served as governor of Massachusetts and the GOP’s 2012 presidential nominee, stated in his tackle.
Romney lauded passage of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure regulation, reforms to the Electoral Rely Act, gun security laws and marriage laws that included spiritual protections. However he stated extra may have been completed if it weren’t for “partisan politics.”
“I will leave this chamber with a sense of achievement. But in truth, I will also leave with the recognition that I did not achieve everything I had hoped,” Romney stated.
“Among other things, the scourge of partisan politics has frustrated repeated efforts to stabilize our national debt. Without the burden of the interest on that debt, we would be able to spend three times as much as we do on military procurement,” he continued.
“Three times as many aircraft, three times as many ships, three times as many drones, spacecraft, cyber defenses. Or alternatively, we could spend double the amount we spend on Social Security benefits every month. Our national credit card is almost maxed out, and America risks becoming debt poor.”
Romney stated his “biggest surprise in the Senate has been how much I enjoy the other senators on both sides of the aisle” however acknowledged he received’t miss “the myriad meaningless votes” or “10-minute votes that last an hour.”
As he prepares to go away the Senate, the place he has served as considered one of President-elect Trump’s most vocal Republican critics, Romney known as on fellow leaders to face up towards those that threaten “unity” within the nation.
“There are some today who would tear at our unity, who would replace love with hate, who deride our foundation of virtue, or who debase the values upon which the blessings of heaven depend,” he stated on the ground.
“Now, I’ve been in public service for 25 years. I have learned that politics alone cannot measure up to the challenges we face,” Romney acknowledged.
Over the previous few months, Romney has remained crucial of Trump however publicly congratulated him after his electoral win final month regardless of voting to convict him on impeachment costs in 2020.
Romney introduced final 12 months that he wouldn’t search reelection, citing the necessity for a “new generation” of leaders. Sen.-elect John Curtis (R-Utah) will take his seat in January.
“A country’s character is a reflection not just of its elected officials, but also of its people,” Romney stated Wednesday. “I leave Washington to return to be one among them, and hope to be a voice of unity and virtue.”
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