Mitch McConnell and John Fetterman

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I welcome back my self-described, hardheaded Republican leader in the Senate.

It is good to see you, Mitch. I'm glad you are back.

I want to welcome Senator McConnell as well as Senator Fetterman, who will be here today as well.

I spoke to him by Zoom several weeks ago, and I was really heartened by his message. He had the courage to step up and ask for help when he faced depression, to seek professional and medical advice, and I could tell by his responses and the tone of his voice that that decision had already made a difference in his life for the better.

I told him at the time I was so happy to speak to him personally, that what he had done publicly to address the issue of his own personal depression and the overall issue of mental health would save lives across America. I believe people will be inspired to follow his example and seek help.

We are, fortunately, living in a time and an age and a generation where the attitude toward mental health is much different than it was many years ago.

There was a time when mental illness was considered not just an illness but a curse, and people didn't speak about it. I know I had similar examples in my own family of people who were just speaking in whispers about the issues that related to my relatives.

That is changing for the better. Our honesty and openness in dealing with mental health makes us a better nation, and people will have better lives as a result of it.

I thank my colleague Senator Fetterman for stepping up and making the right decision in his life, and I am looking forward to his return.

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