Leader McConnell Pays Tribute to Senator Mike Enzi
‘I was saddened to hear over the weekend that our friend and colleague, Senator Mike Enzi, will not run for reelection to this body… But before he hangs up a “Gone Fishing” sign for good, I know my colleagues share my relief that we still have a year and a half to continue drawing on Senator Enzi’s leadership and focused expertise. So today, I’ll offer just the first of many sincere thanks for his years of distinguished service.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding Senator Mike Enzi’s (R-WY) announcement that he will not seek reelection in 2020:
“I was saddened to hear over the weekend that our friend and colleague, Senator Mike Enzi, will not run for reelection to this body. At the end of next year, he will retire with 24 years of service to the people of Wyoming. And the rest of us will have to step up to make up for the loss in expertise and in principled leadership which his departure will create.
“When Mike first arrived in the Senate, he brought with him experience in business and government that made him an immediate asset on a host of different issues. With an MBA under his belt, he had returned home to lead his family shoe sales business through a successful expansion. As the two-term mayor of Gillette, Wyoming, he had presided over an economic and population boom. And over the course of ten years in the state legislature, he’d lent his accountant’s eye to helping other small businesses succeed through better policy.
“So it’s no surprise that Mike got right to work as a leading voice on the federal budget, tax policy, and healthcare. Over four terms, he has taken every opportunity to make an outsized impact on policy for the people of Wyoming, and the entire nation. In 2006, as Chairman of the HELP Committee, Mike provided the guiding hand that delivered the first major pension reform legislation in a generation and provided more security to the retirement income of millions of Americans through bipartisan policy.
“In 2017, as Chairman of the Budget Committee, he helped lay the foundation for the generational reform of our nation’s tax code and championed important elements for small businesses and retirees. In these cases and many more, getting Mike involved in an issue meant deploying a powerful voice for fiscal responsibility, restraint, and policy practicality. You always felt more sure something would turn out well when Mike was on the case or part of the team.
“But seeing as our friend has built nearly a quarter-century legacy in the Senate, none of us can blame Mike for choosing to spend more time with his even greater legacy: The wonderful family he and his lovely wife Diana have built together. Mike and Diana are now the proud grandparents of four, and among everything their bright future holds, I know Mike will be excited for more chances to pass along his fly-fishing wisdom and his love of good books.
“But before he hangs up a ‘Gone Fishing’ sign for good, I know my colleagues share my relief that we still have a year and a half to continue drawing on Senator Enzi’s leadership and focused expertise. So today, I’ll offer just the first of many sincere thanks for his years of distinguished service.”
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