Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) paid tribute to the late Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY).
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NewsTranscript
00:00I come to the floor with my colleague from Wyoming, Senator Cynthia Lummis, to mourn
00:09one of Wyoming's most beloved and fiercest champions.
00:14Passed earlier this morning, that would be former U.S. Senator Al Simpson.
00:20Not just former Senator, former member of the Wyoming House of Representatives, former
00:24Army veteran, passed away earlier today at the age of 93 in his hometown of Cody, Wyoming.
00:33Talked to his wife Anne this morning.
00:36She said it was a beautiful full moon and Al went to heaven on a moonbeam.
00:41He's known in Wyoming and in this body and across the country for his incredible life
00:45of service and really an unparalleled sense of humor.
00:50Throughout his life, Al boldly fought to uphold the values and the ideals of this great nation.
00:56Whether he was serving in the Army or the Wyoming House of Representatives or the U.S.
01:01Senate, his commitment and his contributions were evident everywhere.
01:07He was well known for rolling up his sleeves, working with anyone, regardless of party,
01:11to do what he thought was best for Wyoming and the nation.
01:16When the nation called on Al Simpson, when they called on him to serve, he was always
01:21there fighting for our best interests.
01:25Al once said, never let them distort who you are.
01:31So let me tell you about the real Al Simpson.
01:35His life, his legacy are defined by the C's.
01:39C standing for his hometown of Cody and collegiality is a big part of it.
01:44But also there was courage, character, and credibility.
01:49He represented Wyoming in this chamber, the United States Senator, from 1979 to 1997.
01:56And for that reason alone, Al looms very large in Wyoming's political history.
02:00There's a lot more.
02:02He left an indelible mark here in the Senate.
02:04While others ran from tough issues, Al welcomed them.
02:08It was an opportunity to serve him.
02:10He actually never backed down from a fight.
02:13He embraced the fights as long as he was fighting for what he thought was right.
02:19He sponsored legislation that helped protect our clean water and our clean air.
02:23He secured better grazing rights for Wyoming farmers and ranchers.
02:27He fought to secure our borders and imposed stiff sanctions on employers who hired illegal
02:32immigrants.
02:33He once said, the first duty of every nation is to secure its borders.
02:39He was so right.
02:42He was elected by our Republican conference in the Senate in 1985 to serve as the assistant
02:47Republican leader.
02:49He was the first Republican whip from the state of Wyoming.
02:54He was a whip for 10 years.
02:56Did it under the leadership of Senator Bob Dole.
02:59So I'm proud to hold the office today that he once held.
03:02His leadership brought Wyoming values to Washington, and he has had a lasting national impact.
03:10Al came from a family of public servants.
03:12His father, Millward, was both Wyoming governor and senator.
03:18His dad, Millward, was Al's role model for public service and civic leadership.
03:23His big brother, Pete, once explained the extent to which we became men we owe to our
03:29father.
03:30Everyone who knew Al well knows that his most important influence of his life came from
03:34the love of his life, his wife, Ann, his wife of 70 years.
03:41Al and Ann first began dating when they were students at the University of Wyoming.
03:45They were married in 1954.
03:48For seven decades, Wyoming was fortunate to listen to and learn from Al and from Ann.
03:54They were an inspiration to all of us.
03:57They were to me, to my wife, Bobbie.
03:59They were, I know, to Cynthia, to her husband, Al.
04:04They made a legendary team, always working together to make both Wyoming and Washington
04:09a better place.
04:10Al liked to say, everything in Wyoming is political except for politics, which is personal.
04:17Yet for Al, politics was never personal.
04:21His debates were passionate and they were principled, but he was friends with Ted Kennedy.
04:27They collaborated together on legislation.
04:30From energy, to border security, to fiscal responsibility, Al worked across the aisle
04:34to tackle the tough issues.
04:37He always did what he believed was best for the country.
04:41In today's political environment, Al's example of bridging partisan divides is more important
04:45than ever.
04:47In the art of persuasion, Al Simpson could teach a master class.
04:53One reason Al was so persuasive was his humor.
04:56He had an incredible sense of humor.
04:58He had close personal relationships with Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush.
05:05The title of his book tells a lot about Al.
05:07It was called, Shooting from the Lip.
05:11Al was a gunslinger when it came to clever quips.
05:15There's so many to count, we don't want to recount some of them on the floor of the Senate.
05:18They'd probably be stricken from the record, but that's who Al Simpson was.
05:22He made you laugh.
05:24He also made you think.
05:27And that's what made Al so special.
05:29He took his service seriously, but he never took himself too seriously.
05:34Al and Ann returned to Wyoming after he retired from the Senate.
05:38Fortunately for Wyoming and our nation, that service did not end because they never really
05:42retired.
05:44Al enthusiastically served numerous groups and organizations, which all have benefited
05:49from his presence.
05:50From his beloved alma mater, the University of Wyoming, to the world-renowned Buffalo
05:55Bill Historical Center, Al Simpson devoted his time, his talent, and his treasure.
06:01When Al saw an unmet need in his community, he worked to see that it was addressed.
06:06He was especially active in mentoring future leaders.
06:10It's no wonder that he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.
06:14It's the highest honor an American civilian can get for service to our country.
06:22He was a model of leadership for everyone, regardless of party.
06:25He did it all across Wyoming and through the years here in Congress.
06:29Once he said, if you have integrity, nothing else matters.
06:34If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters.
06:39Integrity, work ethic, incredible wit, Al truly leaves behind a legendary career.
06:47For Wyoming, Al is a native son, also a North Star and a rock star.
06:54For the United States Senate, Al is a leader, a legislative craftsman, and a principled
06:59lawmaker.
07:01For me, he was a mentor and friend.
07:03To Ann, to their children, Bill and Colin and Sue, and I talked to Bill and Colin this
07:07morning, to their entire extended family, we join the nation in Wyoming in sending you
07:13our heartfelt condolences.
07:14We can take solace in knowing that the decades of work Al did to make Wyoming and our country
07:20a better place will be felt for generations to come.
07:27Senator Loomis.
07:30Thank you, Senator Barrasso, for those lovely remarks.
07:34We both loved Al Simpson and will always love Al Simpson.
07:41So today we join the entire state of Wyoming, his family and his close friends, in celebrating
07:51his life and mourning the passing of U.S. Senator Al Simpson.
07:57He was absolutely larger than life and always will be a beloved statesman.
08:05He dedicated his entire life to serving others, his entire life of 93 years.
08:12For 18 years here in the U.S. Senate, 12 years in the Wyoming House of Representatives, and
08:1928 years as a very active elder statesman, particularly in his efforts to help and serve
08:27our beloved alma mater, the University of Wyoming.
08:32He tirelessly advocated for the state of Wyoming, fighting to ensure every corner of our state
08:38was not only a great place to work, but a great place to make a home and raise a family.
08:45And indeed, he contributed to that as well with his children and grandchildren and his
08:53beloved beautiful Ann Simpson.
08:55My gosh, I saw a picture in the hallway in their home of Ann Simpson when she was in
09:00college.
09:01She was an absolute knockout.
09:03They became the inseparable dynamic duo of Wyoming.
09:09She playing the straight woman to his hilarious antics that everyone so loved.
09:19There was no stronger advocate for the needs, industries, and interests of Wyoming than
09:25Senator Al Simpson.
09:28As Senator Barrasso mentioned during his U.S. Senate tenure, he was repeatedly chosen by
09:34his colleagues to serve in leadership as the Republican whip and was a close friend and
09:41ally of both Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
09:47Those who met Senator Al Simpson knew he never forgot a face or an interaction, good
09:52or bad, and he was happy to remind you of either.
09:57And those who were privileged enough to call him friend enjoyed his fierce loyalty, truly
10:02fierce loyalty, the kind we all hope we might have with someone in our lives.
10:09And his famous sense of humor.
10:12I once went to a reception here in Washington, D.C. at a beautiful home and we walked in
10:18and there's a fireplace in the hallway with an original Pizarro hanging over the fireplace
10:26and he goes, oh, look, Cynthia, it's a pisseroo.
10:30And that was classic Al Simpson.
10:34Al was well known around the Capitol for his pithy one-liners and families in Cody looked
10:41forward to spotting him towering, he was a very tall man, maybe 6'7 or so.
10:48And he would tower above the trick-or-treaters in his costume, by the way, of Frankenstein.
10:54He called himself Franken-Al and he would imitate the monster which he also had perfected
11:02over the years.
11:05Al loved life.
11:07He loved public service.
11:08He loved the state of Wyoming and particularly the University of Wyoming.
11:14My gosh, he was so good to the law school, to the trial advocacy clinics.
11:22There was just nothing he wouldn't do to help the University of Wyoming excel as an institution.
11:31But he never missed an opportunity to praise his beloved aunt, his children, his grandchildren.
11:37I was in law school with both Colin and Bill Simpson.
11:43The legacy of that family for the practice of law in Wyoming and elsewhere in the country
11:49is truly significant, in addition to the many other legislative victories and policy wins
11:57and the fabulous museum, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Wyoming, which is truly
12:05a world-class, world-class institution, in large part because of Ann and Al's complete
12:11dedication to it.
12:13Last year, Ann and Al celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.
12:18How did they celebrate it?
12:20They held an ice cream social at Cody City Park with family, friends, and neighbors.
12:26That was the Simpson way of doing things.
12:29At every gathering Al Simpson attended, people flocked to him, and I mean flocked, for a
12:37moment with a man each considered one of their closest friends.
12:42That's the effect that he had on people.
12:46That's the incredible aura that was part of Al Simpson.
12:53He truly was a proud son of Cody, Wyoming.
12:56Coming from an early pioneer family, Al never forgot his ancestors and the people who came
13:02before him.
13:04Senator Barrasso just mentioned that his father, Millward, was also a noted Wyoming character,
13:12and that trait continues on in the entire family.
13:20He never forgot his goals, which were to spread integrity, humor, service, and make
13:32sure that the Wyoming he left, the country he left, would be better for the next generation,
13:39and I can tell you he accomplished that.
13:42He's one of those people you can look to and say he did that in his life.
13:47Al's family were his pride and joy, and he was our pride and joy.
13:57As a beloved son of Wyoming, a great mentor, a fabulous human being, someone in your life
14:04that if you met Al Simpson, it's something you'd say, what was one of my great joys in
14:10life?
14:11And one would certainly be, I knew Al Simpson.
14:15So I ask you all to join us in celebrating the tremendous, extraordinary, curious life
14:24of United States Senator Al Simpson.
14:29Mr. President, I yield back.