Romney calls for bipartisanship in farewell Senate speech

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) gave his Senate farewell speech on Wednesday, during which he urged elected officials to prioritize unity in the face of stubborn partisanship.

“My life’s work has been a group affair,” Romney, who also served as governor of Massachusetts and the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee, said in his address.

Romney lauded passage of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, reforms to the Electoral Count Act, gun safety legislation and marriage legislation that included religious protections. But he said more could have been accomplished if it weren’t for “partisan politics.”

“I will leave this chamber with a sense of achievement. But in truth, I will also leave with the recognition that I did not achieve everything I had hoped,” Romney said.

“Among other things, the scourge of partisan politics has frustrated repeated efforts to stabilize our national debt. Without the burden of the interest on that debt, we would be able to spend three times as much as we do on military procurement,” he continued.

“Three times as many aircraft, three times as many ships, three times as many drones, spacecraft, cyber defenses. Or alternatively, we could spend double the amount we spend on Social Security benefits every month. Our national credit card is almost maxed out, and America risks becoming debt poor.”

Romney said his "biggest surprise in the Senate has been how much I enjoy the other senators on both sides of the aisle" but acknowledged he won't miss "the myriad meaningless votes" or "10-minute votes that last an hour."

As he prepares to leave the Senate, where he has served as one of President-elect Trump's most vocal Republican critics, Romney called on fellow leaders to stand up against those who threaten "unity" in the country.

“There are some today who would tear at our unity, who would replace love with hate, who deride our foundation of virtue, or who debase the values upon which the blessings of heaven depend,” he said on the floor.

“Now, I've been in public service for 25 years. I have learned that politics alone cannot measure up to the challenges we face,” Romney stated.

Over the past few months, Romney has remained critical of Trump but publicly congratulated him after his electoral win last month despite voting to convict him on impeachment charges in 2020.

Romney announced last year that he would not seek reelection, citing the need for a “new generation” of leaders. Sen.-elect John Curtis (R-Utah) will take his seat in January. 

“A country's character is a reflection not just of its elected officials, but also of its people," Romney said Wednesday. "I leave Washington to return to be one among them, and hope to be a voice of unity and virtue."