Russ Feingold: “today I want to take this opportunity to thank Senator John Glenn for his long and distinguished service in the United…”

“today I want to take this opportunity to thank Senator John Glenn for his long and distinguished service in the United States Senate. He has served this body with great dignity, and with an unparalleled commitment to our country. Of course, Senator Glenn is known for a great deal more than his Senate service, as the first man to orbit the earth and a hero in both World War II and the Korean War. But his contributions here in the Senate, all by themselves, have made for Senator Glenn the legacy of an American hero. I worked with Senator Glenn in 1993 on an amendment to the Clean Water Act, which was just one of his many efforts to focus environmental protection efforts on the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes states owe a great debt to Senator Glenn for his work in this area, which has included chairing the Senate's Great Lakes Task Force and helping to get Great Lakes regional offices for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Fish and Wildlife Service. As the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Glenn has been fairminded and provided outstanding leadership on the committee, in particular during the recent hearings into campaign finance violations. During those hearings, Senator Glenn showed his keen understanding of the flaws in the current system and his commitment to its reform. As someone who cares deeply about campaign finance issues, I was grateful for his leadership.”