00:00Mr. President, Senator from Minnesota, Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague
00:15from Minnesota, Senator Smith, to honor two Minnesotans who were friends of ours who were
00:22taken from us this weekend in a shocking act of political violence. Representative Melissa
00:28Hortman, our former Speaker of the House, and her husband, Mark Hortman. They were great
00:36neighbors, wonderful friends, and great parents to their beloved children, Sophie and Colin.
00:42Melissa is someone that I wish the whole Senate and the whole nation knew. We treasured her
00:49in Minnesota. She was the epitome of what you want in a public servant. She, like her husband,
00:57Mark, who you see here, who also was accomplished in business and a kind, kind person. They
01:06were compassionate, and they were smart, and they were just nice to everyone. And I can't
01:12believe they are gone. Here they are with their kids. The polarization in our country, the divisions,
01:19the online hate, needs to stop. Violence has absolutely no place in our democracy. We need
01:25to come together and bring down the rhetoric we must be united in the face of this attack.
01:32It was simply un-American. That's why the entire Minnesota delegation, Democrats and Republicans,
01:39including Senator Smith, including Congressman Emmer, came together over the weekend to call
01:45this violence out. We spoke with one voice to condemn it. And in our state, Melissa's colleagues
01:52on both sides of the aisle have done the same. We need to recognize the reality that there
01:58are unbalanced people out there who read things online. They believe them. They act on them.
02:03We have seen this too many times. There are many things we can do as a body to fix this
02:09problem, and I'm sure in the days to come we will offer legislation on security and all
02:14kinds of things. But we don't need to pass a law for people to turn down the rhetoric,
02:19to treat each other with decency and respect, to act a little more like Melissa and Mark.
02:25Mr. President, Melissa and Mark Hortman were the best of us. I am shattered to have lost
02:30them, but eternally grateful to have known them.
02:36Senator for Minnesota.
02:38Millions, millions of Minnesotans are better off because of the work that she did. Her record
02:46of accomplishment is so extensive, it's hard to capture it all in just a few short minutes. And
02:52so it is so bitter to realize that she was only 55. She had so many more contributions to make,
02:58so much as Melissa would say, don't get carried away. I was just going to do my work. I was going
03:03to work as hard as I could. And so it is bitter for us that her life was taken in this way. And it
03:10will now be up to all of us to carry on these fights. And I will miss her leadership and her
03:15friendship as our state navigates these uncertain times. May the memory of Melissa and Mark be a
03:23blessing to all who knew and loved them. And may John and Yvette have a speedy recovery. And may we
03:29all find a way to recover and be better after these terrible attacks. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.
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