{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/floor-statements?ContentRecord_id=69e0645c-2b81-475a-803c-ec1a970ea8e5", "FLOOR STATEMENT BY SENATOR JOHN McCAIN ON RETIREMENT OF SENATOR TOM COBURN", "2014-12-10", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "AZ", "John McCain", "M000303", "www.mccain.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.\u00a0\u00ad\u2013 U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) delivered the following statement today on the floor of the U.S. Senate to thank and honor Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) who will retire from office after this term:\r\n\u201cMr. President, today, I would like to offer words of tribute to my departing colleague, Senator Tom Coburn, whose service exemplifies standards of purposefulness, integrity and decency to which we should all aspire and whose example ought to inspire the service of new and returning Senators alike.\u00a0\r\n\u201cI\u2019m going to miss an awful lot our colleague from Oklahoma.\r\n\u201cI have always admired Tom for the strength of his convictions, and the courage and candor with which he expresses them day after day. \u2018The number one thing people should do in Congress,\u2019 Tom once said, \u2018is stay true to their heart.\u2019 No one in the history of this institution has ever followed that injunction more faithfully than Tom has.\r\n\u201cTom has an unshakeable faith in the goodness of America, and he has worked diligently, with others when he could, and alone if necessary, to make sure government respects the people we serve, respects their hopes and aspirations, their concerns and sacrifices. He\u2019s never forgotten he\u2019s the people\u2019s servant, first and last. And they\u2019ve never had a more genuine and determined champion.\r\n\u201cI think he has often acted as the conscience of the Senate. He can be unmovable on matters of principle when to do otherwise would harm or do no good for the country.\r\n\u201cTom is sometimes called Dr. No, affectionately most, if not all, the time. He\u2019s held up more legislation that he thought ill-served the public interest than any other member of this body. He even placed a hold on one of his own bills that he thought no longer met his high standard of accountability after it was reported out of committee. I don\u2019t think the American taxpayer has ever had a greater defender than Tom Coburn.\r\n\u201cI like to think I\u2019ve taken a few principled stands when the situation has warranted it. And I\u2019ve made myself an occasional nuisance in service to what I thought was a good cause. But, Mr. President, I\u2019ve never been so conscientious that I felt obliged to defeat my own legislation. That\u2019s a pretty high standard of personal responsibility to meet, and a character test of the first order. I\u2019m not sure many of us would pass it. I wouldn\u2019t. But then, as all his colleagues could attest, Tom is a person of the very highest character.\u00a0 He possesses the highest virtues \u2013 courage, humility, compassion \u2013 in abundance. It\u2019s been an honor to serve with him.\r\n\u201cAs principled as he is, as unwavering as he can be when he believes it necessary, he has also been a brave and determined proponent of compromise when he believed it served the public interest, when it would help build a more prosperous and secure society, with more opportunities for more people, and brighter futures for our children.\r\n\u201cWe always have detractors. It comes with the job. And whether Tom was standing on principle or seeking a principled compromise, he stood up to criticism. He stood up to pressure. He stood up to threats and insults and whatever negative personal consequences he might suffer. He stood up to whatever came his way to do what was right for his country. He stood up for the American people, no matter how difficult it was. What better can you say about a public servant?\r\n\u201cWe worked together on a lot of things. We fought together to end earmarks and opposed other forms of wasteful spending. We worked together on oversight projects for the stimulus bill and highway trust fund spending. We also fought for a long time to let veterans decide where they could best receive health care. We made good progress on some issues, and not enough on others, but Tom Coburn was always an example and inspiration to me.\r\n\u201cBut, if I could speak more personally, he was more than a paragon to me and to other members of the Senate. He is first and foremost, a kind, considerate and loyal friend; a friend in good times and bad; a friend who brings out the best in you because he believes in the best part of you. I said earlier, Tom sees the innate goodness in the American people. He also sees it in is colleagues, even when it isn\u2019t apparent to other observers.\r\n\u201cWe have shared happy times together, Tom and I. But Tom has the instinct and the kindness to be the kind of friend who\u2019s there when you need him most, in moments that aren\u2019t so happy. We all lead pretty good lives here.\u00a0We get the chance to serve the greatest country in the world, and on occasion to help make history. We\u2019re honored and feted and praised more than we deserve. But as all human beings do, we have moments of worry and doubt and disappointment.\r\n\u201cTom always has a knack for showing-up when I need cheering up. He has made a point over the years of being company when you most need it. Friendship is a virtue to him and he means to live a virtuous life. You can be working on something with him or opposing each other on an issue, it doesn\u2019t matter. If you need him, he\u2019ll be there for you, with a kind word, a piece of advice, a little encouragement or just good company.\r\n\u201cThere are too few people like that in anyone\u2019s life not to cherish the hell out of those who are.\r\n\u201cI cherish my friendship with Tom Coburn, and I always, always will.\r\n\u201cMr. President, the Senate will be a poorer place without Tom Coburn to set an example of public service for the rest of us. But in gratitude to him for his leadership and friendship, I will try a little harder to live up to his standards. And I hope he will let me know when I fall short.\r\n\u201cThank you.\u201d\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/floor-statements?ContentRecord_id=69e0645c-2b81-475a-803c-ec1a970ea8e5"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7768880352377892, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}