{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=4825FDA0-5E26-4D3E-BBA3-40A5673E8F23", "Thune Honors Retiring Senator Rob Portman", "2022-12-08", "2022", "2022-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "Click here to watch the video.\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today honored retiring U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) on the Senate floor.\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):\n\n\u201cMr. President, in just a few weeks my friend Rob Portman will be leaving the Senate.\n\n\u201cRob is someone I\u2019ve gotten to break bread with a lot of times during our years together in the Senate, and we have become really good friends.\n\n\u201cAnd I will miss having him here.\n\n\u201cRob has spent a lot of years in public service.\n\n\u201cTwelve years in the House of Representatives.\n\n\u201cU.S. trade representative.\n\n\u201cDirector of the Office of Management and Budget.\n\n\u201cAnd, finally, twelve years in the Senate.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve served with him on the Senate Finance Committee for nearly 10 years, and his going is a huge loss.\n\n\u201cHe played an indispensable role in the historic tax reform legislation we passed in 2017, particularly with the transition to a modernized international tax system.\n\n\u201cOur outdated international tax rules had left America\u2019s global businesses at a competitive disadvantage in the global economy.\n\n\u201cAnd one of our priorities when it came time to pass tax reform was ensuring that American businesses could compete on a level playing field with their foreign counterparts.\n\n\u201cBetween his time in Congress and as director of OMB and U.S. trade representative, Rob has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to American economic competitiveness and the international tax system.\n\n\u201cAnd he quickly became the lead on that aspect of tax reform.\n\n\u201cOur final legislation brought the U.S. international tax system into the 21st century by replacing our outdated \u201cworldwide\u201d system with a modernized territorial tax system, so that American businesses are not operating at a disadvantage next to their foreign competitors.\n\n\u201cAnd we saw an almost immediate positive effect for American businesses \u2013 which, of course, means that we saw positive results for American workers.\n\n\u201cAnd that is really in large part thanks to Rob.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s an important legacy \u2013 and it joins Rob\u2019s long list of achievements in public service, from restraining unfunded mandates on states, to securing resources for addiction prevention and treatment, to advancing a pro-growth trade agenda good for American workers and businesses alike.\n\n\u201cHe\u2019s also been a strong voice for American leadership and values on the global stage, especially as a co-founder of the Senate Ukraine Caucus.\n\n\u201cMr. President, it is sad to see Rob leaving the Senate.\n\n\u201cBut he\u2019s spent a lifetime helping to build up our country, and I know his contributions won\u2019t end here.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m also happy that he will have more time to spend with his family and with his wife Jane.\n\n\u201cJane is terrific \u2013 like me, Rob married up \u2013 and I know Rob is looking forward to having more time to relax together.\n\n\u201cI also know Rob is planning to get more involved in the family business \u2013 the Golden Lamb inn and restaurant in Lebanon, Ohio, which has played host to at least a dozen U.S. presidents over the years.\n\n\u201cAnd, as I said, while Rob\u2019s time in the Senate may be coming to a close, I know that he fully intends to continue doing what he\u2019s been doing throughout his career \u2013 working to make our country a better, more prosperous place.\n\n\u201cRob, congratulations on your years in the Senate.\n\n\u201cI hope you get some well-deserved rest in the coming months.\n\n\u201cAnd I look forward to seeing your next chapter.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:41:06Z"]], "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.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=4825FDA0-5E26-4D3E-BBA3-40A5673E8F23"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8010258898139, "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"}