McConnell chokes up as Sen. Alexander retires

In his speech, Alexander referenced the nation's teachers. He said, "Please suggest to your students that they look at Washington, D.C. as if it were a split screen television. On one side are the confirmation hearings and the tweets. And on the other side you have Democratic and Republican Senators working together to strengthen national defense, national laboratories, national parks and the National Institutes of Health."

After yielding the floor, Senators gave Alexander a standing ovation.