VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/BFkbhTeBHzM
WASHINGTON— Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) delivered his farewell address on the Senate floor. Udall reflected on his decades of service in Congress and shared his vision for tackling the crises facing our planet and American democracy. Udall also paid tribute to the friendships he has made in the Senate, as well as to his family, staff and the dedicated administrative staff and public servants in Congress.
Following his service as New Mexico’s Attorney General, New Mexicans elected Udall to the first of five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998 and to the U.S. Senate in 2008. Throughout his career in Congress, Udall has championed environmental conservation , action to address the climate crisis , and worked across the aisle to advance priorities alongside Indian Country. He has worked on a bipartisan basis to promote diplomacy over America’s endless wars and has been a long-standing advocate for the reform of Senate rules to prevent gridlock and promote work for the American people. He also led all 47 Senate Democrats to introduce a comprehensive democracy reform package to address the crisis facing American democracy and return elections to the hands of the American people. Udall announced in 2019 that he would not be seeking a third term.
“I will cherish the friendships I’ve forged over the last 12 years. And I will miss serving the people of New Mexico in Congress – the greatest honor of my life,” Udall said. “I will miss the righteous struggle we take up in these halls – to build a more perfect union.”
Udall shared his perspective about the challenges facing the country. “I’m a troubled optimist…. Our planet is in crisis – facing mass extinction and climate change. Our people are in crisis – ravaged by a pandemic that has laid bare the inequities of our society. And our democracy is in crisis – as the people’s faith in their government is shaken. We cannot solve one of these crises without solving the others. That’s why I’m troubled. But all I have to do to be optimistic is to look around me. I look at the young people across this country – who are calling for change. For climate action, for voting rights and immigrant rights, for economic and environmental and racial justice. They’ve held sit-ins in my office. Probably in yours too. They are demanding that we do better. And their determination gives me hope.”
Udall outlined his accomplishments, deeply rooted in his family’s tradition of public service and coalitions of community advocacy, to protect and conserve America’s environmental treasures. “My family homesteaded in the West almost 180 years ago. And like generations of Udalls before me, I grew up with a special connection to the land. To the gorgeous, untamed beauty of the West. Sixty-mile vistas. Snow covered, rugged mountains. Alpine lakes and abundant wildlife. Stegner called the West “the geography of hope.” It sure is for me. It’s what has inspired much of my public service. And that’s why I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished together to conserve our natural heritage.
“For the first time, we’ve realized the promise of the Land and Water Conservation Fund – the promise my father envisioned over 55 years ago, when he helped create our nation’s most successful conservation program. After more than 20 years of fighting for this in Congress, I’m thrilled we got it done – together. The law is a model for how conservation and economic recovery can go hand in hand. It will help us achieve the urgent goal of protecting 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030. Enacting the Great American Outdoors Act – at a time of immense division – is a tremendous feat. It tells us a lot about what we’re capable of. It tells us that conservation is popular – a political winner. Environmental protection can be an area of cooperative action. It must be, if humanity is to survive and prosper.”
Udall spoke about what he has learned from Tribal leaders and Native communities and bipartisan collaboration to meet federal trust and treaty obligations during his work as vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “As I talk about my love of the land, I cannot neglect to acknowledge how much I have learned from the original stewards of this land – Native Americans. I got my start in politics working with my father, fighting alongside the Navajo uranium miners who had been hurt by this nation’s nuclear weapons program. My work as Vice Chair of the Indian Affairs Committee has been the honor of a lifetime. And another area where we’ve achieved bipartisan progress. … The federal government’s obligation to uphold its trust and treaty obligations is sacred. Some of my proudest achievements have been the result of working with Tribal leaders to advance Indian Country’s priorities and to support New Mexico’s 23 Tribes. Recently, a bipartisan coalition passed legislation to strengthen the principle of Tribal self-governance, provide Native entrepreneurs critical resources, and secure investments in Native-language revitalization. The achievements I remember most fondly are ones like these – those we did together. Indeed, those are the only kinds of achievements that are possible in this body.”
Building on this history of bipartisan cooperation, Udall described the bipartisan effort to protect American families from toxic chemicals. “Take the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act – our landmark reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act . It was the biggest environmental reform in a generation. I was proud to lead that effort to protect our families from toxic chemicals. It was hard work. It took years. But if you can get a project where Jim Inhofe and Ed Markey are working for the same goal, you can get a lot done around here. … My friendship with David Vitter – my partner on TSCA – was sort of like Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch’s friendship. A political odd-couple. Me, the son of Mormon pioneers. David, a son of New Orleans. … I’ll never forget the dinner we had, after Frank Lautenberg passed, when we decided to take on TSCA reform. We looked at each other and said: ‘We’re going to get this done.’ And we did. It passed unanimously. We agreed there was a problem, and we found common ground on a solution. That’s still possible in the Senate.”
Udall returned to his vision to address the current partisan gridlock in the Senate. “In my life, I’ve had the privilege of learning from many dedicated public servants. One of them was Senator John McCain. John often said to me: ‘We disagree in politics – but not in life.’ Let’s remember that: ‘We disagree in politics – but not in life.’
“I’m not the first to say this in a farewell address, and I won’t be the last, but the Senate is broken. It’s not working for the American people. … Our peacemaking skills are atrophying. … But unfortunately, the structures we have built reward us for hurting one another. We need to reform those structures, or we’ll never make the progress we need to make. I’ve proposed rules changes in both the minority and the majority. To make sure this institution does not remain a graveyard for progress.”
Mirroring his call for rules reform in the Senate, Udall urged fellow senators to restore the power of democracy to the American people. “We have a campaign finance system that is out of control. … Secret money floods campaigns to buy influence, instead of letting the voters speak. Voting rights are under attack. We can do our best to be good people in a system like that, but it’s no surprise that America’s faith in government is declining. These structures are anti-democratic. They reward extremism. They punish compromise.
“Our government is supposed to respond to the will of the majority while protecting the rights of the minority. Instead, we have ‘the tyranny of the minority.’ That minority is super-wealthy, politically powerful, and dangerously out-of-touch with the American people. People are losing faith in the system – rightfully so. We have to do something to fix this. If we are to take the bold action necessary to tackle the urgent problems before us, we must reform our democracy. We must make it easier to vote. We must end the dominance of big money. We must root out corruption."
Udall concluded with a call to action. “We do not have any time to waste. We have no choice but to be bold. Because the crises before us demand bravery. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are dead from a pandemic – a pandemic that this administration has callously ignored, a consequence of its continued rejection of science. In New Mexico, we’ve surpassed 108,000 cases, over 1,700 are dead, and tens of thousands have lost their jobs…. Meanwhile, our nation is facing dual climate and nature crises of epic proportions.
“We have the power to solve these crises. The power, and the obligation. All it takes are clear eyes – and political will. And remembering that we may disagree in politics – but not in the future that we want for our children. … So as I return home to the West, I am clear-eyed about – even troubled by – how far away our destination is. But I am optimistic that we will get there. Like we always have before.”
Udall’s full remarks can be found here .
Watch Udall’s speech here .
