Sen. Jim Inhofe pays tribute to Oklahoma, Senate colleagues as he nears exit

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe bade farewell to the Senate on Wednesday with an address that touched on his fondness for his colleagues, his work on defense and infrastructure issues and his devotion to Oklahoma.

“Finally, I want to say to the people of Oklahoma,” Inhofe said, his voice cracking, “I really thank — what you’ve done for me all these years. Thank you very much. I love you guys.”

Inhofe is leaving the Senate in early January after 28 years and will be replaced by current U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin, a fellow Republican. Departing senators customarily give farewell speeches on the Senate floor in the days and weeks before their service ends.

Inhofe gave his on the eve of his 88th birthday, with current and former members of his staff in attendance in the Senate gallery in Washington.

The senator spoke at some length about the people he befriended and the lessons he learned in the body sometimes referred to as the world’s most exclusive club.

“I remember when I first came to the Senate from the House, after I gave a very spirited speech on the Senate floor, Senator (Robert) Byrd came up to me. He said, ‘Young man, the Senate doesn’t work like the House. Let me tell you about the Senate.’

“That date happened to be November the 17, 1994, which was my 60th birthday. And until the day he died, I was still the young man.

“Senator Byrd explained to me … If you make enemies in the Senate, you’re wiped out. And that’s not true in the House,” where Inhofe served nearly eight years.

“Real friendship does exist in the United States Senate, but nobody knows it,” he said. “It’s a big secret around here.”

Inhofe, a U.S. Army veteran, spoke about his efforts to build the U.S. military and protect the five major military installations in Oklahoma. Inhofe has served on the Armed Services Committee for his entire service in the Senate, including stints as chairman. He is now the top Republican on the panel.

Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat and the current chairman of the committee, said after Inhofe’s remarks, "The American military is stronger and the U.S. is safer because of Jim Inhofe. He will be deeply missed."

Inhofe also talked about his work on maintaining and improving the nation’s infrastructure, often alongside former Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, of California.

“Before 2005, Oklahoma, my state, was a donor state to the Highway Trust Fund,” Inhofe said. “What that means is we were paying more into the Highway Trust Fund than we were receiving out of it. And of course we were able to change that.”

He mentioned his support of earmarks, which he has used to fund numerous projects across the state.

“It should be the job of Congress to decide how the American people — how their taxes are spent, not unelected bureaucrats in the executive branch,” he said.

Mullin, who will replace Inhofe in January, opposes earmarks, as does Oklahoma’s other senator, Republican James Lankford.

Inhofe also spoke about Africa, where he has traveled, by his count, 172 times now. He said he first did so at the behest of the man who founded the National Prayer Breakfast. Inhofe later became an advocate for establishing a U.S. military command in Africa.

Inhofe gave his speech on Wednesday just after voting not to advance legislation ensuring same-sex marriage remains legal in the United States. The Senate voted to move that legislation 62-37, with 12 Republicans in favor.

In 2006, Inhofe gave a speech on the Senate floor against same-sex marriage, saying, “I’m really proud to say: In the recorded history of our family, we’ve never had a divorce or any kind of a homosexual relationship.”

Inhofe became known to many inside and outside the state for taking a snowball on to the Senate floor in 2015 and tossing it as a gesture meant to mock warnings that the globe is warming.

Inhofe, long the biggest skeptic of the science that humans have hastened climate change, said Wednesday that he spent his years leading the Environment and Public Works Committee to push back against the Obama administration’s environmental policies.

“These policies were really about giving Washington bureaucrats sweeping control over the lives of millions of Americans,” he said. “We are debating a lot of these same issues today, and I expect these disagreements will continue into the future.”

Lankford said after Inhofe’s speech, “In the days ahead, Senator Inhofe will be dearly missed in our state. There’s not a town that I go to, as I travel around our state, that they don’t ask me: What are we going to do when Senator Inhofe retires? Not one.

“They are all grateful and they are all spoiled by Senator Inhofe’s service to them.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Inhofe thanks Oklahoma, pays tribute to colleagues in farewell speech