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Floor Speech
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Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, when I was wrestling, along with Mary, my wife, about whether to run for the Senate, I had the chance to meet the Senator from Ohio and his wife at a gathering in Massachusetts, and I came away believing that service here could matter.
When I learned of your background and your fight, Sherrod, I thought that is my fight, too. I want to be here and join you in this effort.
You know, with my dad a mechanic and my mother a secretary, I don't know how the hell I ended up here on the floor of the Senate, but it is because of believing in the vision of America that you referred to at the close of your speech. While I can't quote it exactly, it was along the lines of: If you love America, you fight for America's worker--or: You fight for the workers who make America function.
We are in a system now that is so rigged with liars and lobbyists and dark money, but the antidote is individuals like yourself who say: Public service matters. I am not here to help the rich become richer or the corporations become stronger. I am here to fight for the foundation for every family to thrive--on healthcare, on housing, on education, and on a good-paying job, with an honest day's pay for a fair day's work.
I then saw you in action on the Banking Committee. Now, Elizabeth Warren had this idea for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but she wasn't here in the Senate yet. But on that committee, in working on Dodd-Frank, we collectively delivered that and so much more through that process, including taking on the false mortgages--the predatory mortgages--that were turning the dream of homeownership into a nightmare. There is probably a dozen powerful factors in there for America's workers. We made a difference in those years--you made a difference--and I was so happy to see you lead the Banking Committee.
I can't tell you what a loss it is to this Chamber and what a loss it is to the workers of America that I will no longer see you in that chair, but I know I will see you somewhere down the trail, fighting the good fight.
Thank you.
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