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Floor Speech

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Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, after Senator Ben Cardin announced his retirement in the spring of 2023, he and his wonderful wife Myrna recorded an extraordinary video reflecting on a life in public service nearly as long as their 60 years of marriage.

Touching on the highlights of a career that ranged from enacting the Magnitsky sanctions, about which we have heard so much today, to protecting Maryland's precious Chesapeake Bay, Ben said the unifying force behind his work has always been tzedakah, the Jewish tradition of helping wherever and whenever help is needed.

Observing Ben for the past 18 years, I have seen a statesman of keen intellect and profound decency. He is always guided by the ideals of America, his service to Maryland, and by his faith. He consistently has demonstrated the character that earned him the trust of the people of Maryland from the house of delegates to the third congressional district to the U.S. Senate.

Ben's hometown newspaper, the Baltimore Sun, described him this way:

He is a man of substance who understands complicated issues and the art of compromise.

Having partnered with Ben on initiatives to move our Nation forward, I heartily agree with that description. For example, following the tumultuous aftermath of the 2020 election, Ben was an essential leader in a bipartisan working group that crafted the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Act to better ensure smooth transfers of power between Presidential administrations.

I remember, for example, in one meeting, Ben bringing up a legal question that was absolutely essential that we resolve. It was indicative of the kind of careful legislating in which he engages.

As members of the Small Business Task Force, we coauthored the Paycheck Protection Program that helped so many businesses and employees survive the COVID pandemic.

From expanding Medicare access to improving home healthcare services to addressing opioid use disorder, Ben has been a strong and effective leader in healthcare. One of Ben's most enduring legacies will be the example, his leadership, as a champion of human rights around the world and his fearless persistent dedication to fighting anti-Semitism.

And one of my most enduring memories of Ben will be standing by his side in Tel-Aviv last October following the horrific Hamas attack on Israel.

In the aftermath of that incomprehensible evil, Ben offered words of consolation and peace as he made crystal clear that the United States will always stand shoulder to shoulder with the State of Israel.

It is significant that just before our bipartisan delegation traveled to Israel, Ben was presented with the Anne Frank Award for Human Dignity and Tolerance from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Well deserved.

It has been such an honor to serve with Senator Ben Cardin, a leader of integrity, intelligence, and civility. I am so grateful for his efforts to strengthen our institutions, to elevate our national discourse, and to bring people together to find common ground and solve problems.

I wish Ben and Myrna much happiness in the years to come. You will be missed, Ben.

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