Roy Blunt: “First of all, this is the first opportunity I have had to follow our new President pro tempore of the Senate on the…”

“First of all, this is the first opportunity I have had to follow our new President pro tempore of the Senate on the floor. He was just elected yesterday. I have spoken on the floor at times when he has been in other leadership roles. He is a solid Member of this Senate whom we rally around in so many ways. The comments he just made about the leader of our friends on the other side and the importance of family to Senator Reid--that is also important to Senator Hatch. People are important to Senator Hatch. I believe he is going to be a tremendous President pro tempore of the Senate, chairman of the Finance Committee, and a critical leader at a critical time. The comments he made on the floor today about Senators being willing to take tough votes, to take positions on issues, to let the American people know where we stand--that is not only where the Senate ought to be but in so many ways it is where Senator Hatch has always been as a Member of the Senate and now as the highest elected official in the Senate, the President pro tempore of the Senate. I look forward to seeing him do that job, seeking his advice, and watching his leadership as he leads us now in multiple ways in the Senate.”