Haley Stevens: “while I was deeply saddened when Senator Trent Lott told me he would retire at the end of the year, I understood…”

“while I was deeply saddened when Senator Trent Lott told me he would retire at the end of the year, I understood completely why he made this decision. Trent and Tricia have been trying to restore their lives in Mississippi following the devastation of their home as a result of the terrible devastation which struck our East Coast during the Katrina and Rita hurricanes. They lost their home--and most of their possessions, and, they need time to recover. There is no Senator with whom I have served who has had a deeper commitment to our Nation. Trent was the whip of our party in the House of Representatives when I was whip here in the Senate. We initiated weekly conferences to try to share the progress and intentions of our leaders at that time. From those days until now I have considered Trent one of the best friends I have had in my lifetime. Trent and I have served together on several committees of the Senate. Our primary work together has been on the Commerce Committee where Trent has been our leader on the aviation and maritime commerce subcommittees. His work on our Commerce Committee will be sorely missed. Trent's own words on 'herding cats' is well known here. He has had more success in achieving bipartisan results than most people outside the Senate know. Trent has not sought the credit for what he has accomplished--it has been enough for him that he knew the job was done. His role as a member of the 'Singing Senators' is well known.…”