Wednesday, November 16, 2022, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), after 28 years of public service in the U.S. Senate, addressed his colleagues on the Senate floor and gave his farewell address.

 

 

Watch Sen. Inhofe's remarks here:

 

 

 

As prepared for delivery:

 

As I reflect on my twenty-eight years serving in the United States Senate, I am reminded of the lessons I have learned from my former colleagues and friends who served alongside me here in the Senate. I had the privilege of serving with many great titans of the Senate – including the late Orrin Hatch and Mike Enzi – friends I miss dearly. I single them out because they are no longer with us.

 

In Senator Hatch’s farewell speech in 2018, he reflected on the striking shift in polarization and partisanship of the Senate  and he yearned for the days of members finding common ground and breaking bread together. He spoke of his friendship and strong working relationship with former Senator Ted Kennedy – a liberal Democrat from Massachusetts. Orrin was a conservative Republican from Utah, but he and Senator Kennedy – not only did they work successfully together on landmark legislation – but they developed a close friendship, too. Orrin reflected in his farewell speech, “Could two people with polar-opposite beliefs and from vastly different walks of life come together as often as Teddy and I did…?” The answer is yes. It happens all the time. Conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats come together today, all the time and will in the future, but you may not hear about it because it is not newsy.

 

I’ve shared this story many times with you all about how former Senator Barbara Boxer of California and I worked together for many years as the chair and ranking member of the EPW Committee to get things done. Now, you cannot get two more ideologically different senators than Barbara and me. Barbara – a proud Democrat from the most far-left state in the nation – and me – a proud Republican from the most conservative state in the nation. But we were able to see past our ideological differences to work together on passing landmark legislation from highway bills like the FAST Act to the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety bill – and we did it, time and time again. Every Wednesday, the Republicans have this meeting in the Senate where the chairmen go around the room and give an update on what their committee is working on – and I would always say, “Now it’s time to hear from the Committee that gets things done.” I could say that because Senator Boxer and I got things done. We actually enjoyed it.

 

Today, I have a similar relationship with the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed. I’m a Republican. Jack is a Democrat. Jack is from Rhode Island, a very blue state, but we have worked together for years to pass the annual defense authorization bill, which is the most important bill we pass every year. I believe the secret to getting this bill done, and any bipartisan bill for that matter, is determination but also trust and respect in the member you are sitting across the table from, a lesson Senator Hatch set very well. In working with Senator Reed over the years, he has my trust and my respect, and its why we have been so successful.

 

And then there’s Mike Enzi. For me, I was a builder and developer prior to running for public office. I never contemplated getting involved in politics until one day on the job in South Texas, I was told that I needed more than a dozen permits to build a single dock. So, I decided to run for office and cut bureaucracy and make our government work better for the Americans who are actually growing our economy.

 

I remember when I first came to the Senate from the House. After I gave a very spirited speech on the Senate floor, Senator Byrd came up to me and said, “Young man, the Senate doesn’t work like the House. Let me tell you about the Senate.” Now, the date happened to be Nov. 17, 1994, which was my 60th birthday… young man? Senator Byrd explained to me that if you make enemies in the Senate, you don’t get anything done.

 

I also remember friends across the aisle like former Hawaii Senator Danny Akaka, who led singing at the Senate Prayer Breakfast each week, Ted Kennedy, who I helped out of the capitol during the September 11th attack, and former Majority Leader Harry Reid, who would sometimes move our voting schedule around so I could get home to watch my grandkids’ football games. And then there is one who we all love, Susan Collins, who is well respected because she makes this institution a better place, and not just because Maine lobster rolls are her signature fare for Thursday lunch group. Real friendship exists in the United States Senate, but nobody knows it.

 

Some of you know about the Senate bible study that meets every Thursday in my hideaway in the Capitol. I’ve made a point not to miss a Thursday bible study in my 28 years in the Senate. After I was first elected to the House in 1986, I attended a bible study led by a Jesus guy named Tom Barrett. One day, Tom Barrett and a member of Congress from Kansas invited me to the Member’s dining room after bible study. Keep in mind this was 1986. They said to me, “Inhofe, we think, and we’ve been with you now for over a year since you’ve been in the bible study, we think you never really accepted Jesus.” I got angry with him. Really angry. Who are they to tell me about Jesus. And they said, “Alright, when have you asked Him?” I said, “Well, every day.” They asked, “How long have you and Kay been married?” At that time, we were about to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary. They said, “Do you propose to Kay every day?” I said, “No.” They replied, “Why?” “Well, because we’re already married.” That was the eye opener. And just in case they were right, in the members’ dining room at two thirty in the afternoon on September 22nd of 1988, I re-accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. Now, that’s life changing.

 

Since joining the Senate, I have made 172 African country visits alongside good friends like Mike Enzi, John Boozman, Mike Rounds, Trent Kelly, Tim Walberg – and arguably my closest friend, Mark Powers… a real brother. But, it all started with Doug Coe. You see, people think of Doug Coe as having been someone who was a great diplomat, he had political influence and all that. Years back, an article about Doug said this: “The extent of Coe's influence in American politics is [real]. . .. important figures have acknowledged his role on the national and international stage. For instance, speaking at the 1990 National Prayer Breakfast, President George H.W. Bush praised Coe for his quiet diplomacy.”

 

I can attest that in all the years I knew him, he never raised his voice. He was a quiet diplomat. Doug spent his years in countries across the world, taking Jesus’ name to the Kings. I remember him asking me for eight years “Inhofe, I want you to go to West Africa.” And I kept saying no. For eight years I said no. Then, I finally said yes. That’s what has changed lives, including mine—and it all came from Doug Coe. Not many people are aware of this, but here in the U.S. Senate every Wednesday morning we meet in the Spirit of Jesus – this is something Doug Coe started many years ago during the Eisenhower Administration. It is scripturally based—Acts 2:42–We get together, eat together, pray together, fellowship together, and talk about the precepts of Jesus together. I will always be thankful to Doug for his efforts to quietly speak of Jesus in most every country around the world.

 

Over my 172 African country visits as a Senator—sure I did my military job, but I developed a deep love and appreciation for the people of Africa that I will hold with me forever. One thing from my visits remains clear: building meaningful and lasting relationships with African leaders is vital if the U.S. is to have a role on the continent. I was proud to lead the effort to establish AFRICOM as a separate combatant command in 2007, and to have seen the benefits across the continent since that time. The presence of U.S. military across Africa means a great deal to our friends and is a worthwhile investment for the United States. A strong and robust relationship with the United States has helped spur economic growth and regional stability across the continent. I have faith that my colleagues in the House and Senate will continue the U.S.-Africa friendship long after I have retired from the Senate.

 

Over the years, I have been very outspoken about the situation in Western Sahara. A few years ago, I visited the Sahrawi refugee camps. I visited with the children that lived there. They were joyous, happy, ordinary children who didn’t know yet that they were part of a frozen, forgotten conflict where their hopes and freedoms were dying a cruel death. I urge my colleagues to remember our ideals of democracy and extend that to the Sahrawians. Don’t let the world forget them. I urge everyone in this body to stand strong to support Western Sahara’s right to self-determination and reject Morocco’s relentless attacks on Western Sahara.

 

And then there’s Ethiopia—a nation that’s close to my heart for many reasons. The human suffering happening there is heartbreaking. Instead of focusing on the importance of creating lasting friendships with the Ethiopian people, some in the United States government look for ways to punish them. Nineteen of my African visits have included Ethiopia, where I have watched first-hand the economic transformation that’s occurred. Their middle class is growing, and they have become a regional superpower, who is a friend of the United States. Their military is professional and capable, and they are punching above their weight in the war against terrorism that continues to plague the continent. They promote regional peace and security by being one of the top troop contributors to UN peacekeeping missions around the world. Hopefully, we can find ways to grow the U.S.-Ethiopian friendship.

 

Many of you already know that I have an adopted granddaughter, who was born in Ethiopia. Z-girl, as we like to call Zegita Marie, has a very special story and has grown up to be a very impressive star. Knowing the joys of adoption in my own family, I have worked to ensure all families that choose to adopt can. In 2017, when Ethiopia decided to close intercountry adoptions, I worked directly with my friend, and then-Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, so that families with pending adoptions were able to complete their adoptions and bring their children home and that continued.

 

Now, the constitution. You have heard me say this line before: There are two things we should be doing here in Congress: infrastructure and defense. That statement rang true 28 years ago when I got to the Senate and it will ring true in the years to come.

 

And we’ve gotten a lot done together on that front over the years. We passed bipartisan landmark infrastructure legislation from SAFETEA-LU and MAP-21 to the FAST Act, all of which rebuilt our nation’s crumbling infrastructure so that future generations of Americans will have safer roads and bridges to cross. Before 2005, Oklahoma was a donor state to the Highway Trust Fund, meaning it paid more in taxes than was being received in highway funds. But we changed that. SAFETEA-LU created a fair formula for apportionment so Oklahoma was no longer a donor state. I know it’s controversial in some Republican circles to say this but I’ve been one of the staunchest defenders of congressionally directed spending, also known as “earmarks”. An “earmark” must be defined as something that is both authorized and appropriated. It should be the job of Congress to decide how the American people’s tax dollars are spent – not unelected bureaucrats in the executive branch. 

 

We have worked across party lines to ensure the National Defense Authorization Act is signed into law every year. As I said earlier, the NDAA is the most important bill we do every year and for good reason. This year will be the 62nd time that the NDAA has been signed into law, and I’m proud to have had a hand in crafting the last twenty-eight years here in the Senate. The defense authorization bill ensures that our servicemembers have the training, equipment and other resources they need to defend America here at home and abroad. It also ensures that the families of the men and women who serve are taken care of.

 

Some elected leaders criticize our military spending. But they need to know that our greatest expense in the military is taking care of our troops. With growing threats from China, Russia, Iran and others around the world, it is more important now than ever that our troops have what they need to counter their aggression. Ronald Reagan used to say we maintain the peace through our strength and that continues to be true today. After all of these years serving on the Senate Armed Services Committee, I have come to know with certainty that America cannot lose its focus on fully investing in its defensive capabilities.

 

I gotta say, Oklahoma has done pretty well. Oklahoma has five major military installations. From training pilots to building bombs, each is unique in its missions to support our military. Since 1988, we have gone through five BRAC rounds, that’s Base Realignment and Closure Commissions. In each round, the Department of Defense closed bases and military installations in accordance with their performance. In each round, the Department of Defense grew its presence in Oklahoma – we gained more missions, and increased the military’s footprint at our five installations. We were successful because our communities support our bases, and the men and women that serve there. Yeah, I’m not embarrassed about that at all. I’m proud that my state of Oklahoma has done well.

 

I never talk about this, but I want to tell this story. When I was about 6 years old, my dad was a claims adjuster in a building where Ronald Reagan was an announcer for WHO radio, a sports announcer in Des Moines, Iowa. My dad and Ronald Reagan played the pinball machine together. He would come out to the house. I always thought he was an uncle or some relative. When I was young, my family moved from Des Moines to Tulsa, but we never missed a Dutch Reagan movie, which is what my dad called him. We would drive—I remember one time it was way down in Durant, Oklahoma, and that was before turnpikes, we drove for hours to watch a Dutch Reagan movie.

 

Fast forward to when I was Mayor of Tulsa, and Ronald Reagan was President. When President Reagan wanted someone to tout his domestic agenda, he used me. I would appear on all the TV shows saying what we should be doing. I will always remember when, as Mayor of Tulsa, I pushed for the construction of a low-water dam on the Arkansas River—it ended up being one of the largest public projects in America that was totally privately funded. It had a lot of opposition, but with Ronald Reagan’s support, it was a piece of cake.

 

Back in 1991, when I was still in the House, a few friends and I recreated Wiley Post’s 1931 flight around the world in my twin engine Cessna. It’s hard to believe that was over thirty years ago when we made that trip that left out of Oklahoma with several stops on the east coast then in Europe and what was then the Soviet Union. Wiley Post had my plane beat on the travel time – he did the trip in 8 days and I took 16 days. Looking back, I’m not sure how we survived those stops in the Soviet Union. I remember praying “Lord, if you have more for me to do then help me out of this.” And He did.

 

It’s no shock to anyone that, as the Washington Post has dubbed me, public enemy number one for radical environmentalists for decades now. And for much of my time in the Senate, I was the chair or ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Throughout that time, I pushed back against the Obama administration’s far-left policies that sought to upend the lives of Oklahomans like the Paris Climate Agreement, the Waters of the U.S. Rule, the Clean Power Plan, and many others. These policies were really about giving Washington bureaucrats sweeping control over the lives of millions of Americans. We are debating a lot of these same issues today, and I expect these disagreements will continue long into the future.

 

Lastly, I’d like to take a second to say thank you to all of my current and former staff. My staff know that once they leave my office, they still always have a place here. I lovingly call my former staff the “Has-Beens.” It is somewhat of a mark of honor. To all of you, thank you, you’re all about to be has-beens.

 

Most importantly, to my family: I love you. When Kay and I got married 63 years ago, I could never imagine I’d be standing here today with twenty kids and grandkids, saying goodbye. Thank all you guys for all these years. Thank you for putting up with me. And to Kay, my best friend and rock. I can never put into words what you mean to me. I love you. Thank you.

 

To the people of Oklahoma and all those who have allowed me the opportunity to represent you in Washington and Oklahoma, I love you guys too.