On the recordDecember 7, 2016
Mr. President, today I join my colleagues in celebrating the many contributions of Vice President Joe Biden, a man who has spent his career fighting for working families. For more than four decades, Vice President Biden has tirelessly served the people of Delaware and the United States. As many of my colleagues have already noted, he has been on the frontlines of some of our Nation's toughest battles--from steering the Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees, to introducing the Violence Against Women Act and championing efforts to reduce gun violence in our communities. He takes on every fight with restless energy and relentless optimism. I first met then-Senator Biden back in the 1990s when I was a law professor with no experience in the ways of Washington. We tangled over an issue, each of us laying into the fight with determination. Senator Biden won, and I lost. Years later, when I next saw him, he held out his arms and shouted from halfway across the room, ``Professor! Come here and give me a hug!'' He had not forgotten our earlier battle, but he made it clear that he continued to think and rethink issues about working families and that, even when we disagreed, we could respect--and even like--each other. And when I was later sworn into the United States Senate, I thought about the example he set to fight hard, but to treat each other with respect.…