John Cornyn: “I would like to join my distinguished colleague from Tennessee who recently was elected to the leadership on this side…”

“I would like to join my distinguished colleague from Tennessee who recently was elected to the leadership on this side of the aisle. His responsibility and mine is to help try to find a way to work together, not by sacrificing our principles but to try to find that common ground rather than what divides us. But first let me also express my congratulations to our new colleague from Mississippi, Senator Wicker, who had a distinguished career in the House of Representatives and comes here, I know, with a lot of hopes and aspirations. I look forward to working with him as he represents his State and as I represent my State, the State of Texas, and as we all work together to represent the United States, hopefully, to provide for the aspirations and dreams of the American people to make it possible for them to live their dream. That is what the United States has always been; that is what it should remain. I cannot help but reflect, returning from our holiday recess, I had somebody this morning in the cafeteria say: Welcome back from your vacation. I said: Well, I prefer to call it the alternate work period because it was not entirely a vacation, although I did get some time off, as did my colleagues. But I trust that we all came back refreshed and rejuvenated and ready to take on the challenging work that lies ahead. I have to say, if I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times as I traveled the State of Texas, people are frustrated with Washington, DC.…”