Peter Meijer: “I thank my colleague from the great State of Michigan, and I guess, I would thank Paul for all of the service he has…”

“I thank my colleague from the great State of Michigan, and I guess, I would thank Paul for all of the service he has given this body, has given our country, has given our State. The morning when I was supposed to first meet Paul, was the same morning that he announced that he was not running for reelection. He defined that spirit of making decisive moves. It is no secret that for the freshman class who have entered, the past 6 months have been less than normal. I take the assurances of my colleagues, who have been in this body for many terms, that what we have seen so far has been atypical. But I cannot thank Paul enough for the example that he set, for the wisdom that he shared, and for his perennial, ever-blunt honesty. All too often people, especially politicians, can walk and dance and do a jig around the truth. And Paul was always incredibly clear about where he stood and what he believed. So I am grateful for the friendship that I have been able to develop with him as a freshman, and I look forward to many more of those moments. I want Paul and his family to know that he is in our prayers. My wife, Gabrielle, and I will keep him in our prayers. The challenges that he is dealing with are being felt by too many, but I am proud to call him a friend as he continues to fight on.”