Thank you.

I am told I can take this off here, so I will.

Very nice shall this room is very, very special, and I thank you all for being here, especially to both Marcelle and myself, not just because we, I used to ride my tricycle up and down these halls.

I actually did a long time ago.

I don't know what rules that broke.

But umm, having grown up right across the street, my sister Mary is here and so have my brother and Marcelle and I decided to gather here back in 1974.

We had our parents, our children, including our son, Kevin, who's here, Alicia and Mark, my sister Mary and I used the room to announce my candidacy for the United States Senate.

At that time, I was a 33 year old, fourth term Chittenden County state's attorney.

And I said I wanted to launch a campaign in Vermont knowing that Vermont had never sent a Democrat to the United States Senate and certainly never said somebody my age.

But I felt that I understood the need, the values of Vermont I thought it was time for my generation to address them.

One of the people I read in preparing for the was the Dubli born parliamentarian Edmund Burke speech to the electors of Bristol.

That served as my North Star.

He said "Your representative owe you not an industry only, but his judgment.

But then, Burke said a representative ought not to sacrifice to you his conscience Many described as an improbable win, and I appreciate some of the people here in this room today who are actually with me on that and 74.

But I came to the Senate at a time of a constitutional crisis We we faced a nation broken by the Watergate scandal, the resignation of President Nixon and an endless war in Vietnam.

And within just a few months of taking office as the newest and by far most junior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, we were asked to vote to reauthorize and continue the war in Vietnam.

At that time, support in Vermont for the war was strong, but I always opposed it.

We voted five times.

Each time the vote to continue.

The war was defeated by one vote.

I was proud to be that one vote.

My hope was Vermonters would respect my judgment and my conscience, even if they disagreed with my vote to end the war.

I learned early in my career that good judgment and hard work are exactly what Vermonters expect.

The hard work part began as a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, where eventually become as chairman.

We used it to bring someone born in Vermont ideas to Capitol Hill, such as the priorities for the future and the Forest Legacy Program.

These programs have conserved thousands of acres of working farmland and forest land in Vermont and even throughout the country.

And that's why I began a program that has since brought tens of millions of dollars to aid in the cleanup of Lake Champlain, and now Lake Nymphomaniac.

Is also the place for her.

I was proud to add more than 140,000 acres to Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest.

One of the greatest treasures in our state.

And one of the things we could do is going around the state and Marcelle and I spent time in the homes of some families who had farms in Vermont.

And after talking with them, I was convinced we needed a law to set standards in organic farming.

As chairman of the Agriculture Committee, the committee was finally able to pass a law that established the National Organic Standards and Labeling Program.

That helped to launch organic farmer sector that is now a 55 billion dollar a year industry across this country, but also a great avenue for Vermont.

But I also looked at the former chairman of the committee and named it only agriculture and forestry.

I brought back to poor nutrition and I renamed it to the Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry Committee, and I was pleased that every Republican and every Democrat on the committee voted with me to do that.

Again by meeting with Vermonters all over the state, I realized the need to have a law that allowed SNAP benefits to be used in farmers markets to increase our student lunch programs and to give the means to create the farm to school program.

Today, more than 30 million children receive nutritious school lunches across this country because of those programs, and we establish a national program to bring school lunches, with food from local farms.

We also had a competitive bidding to legislation for the popular but underfunded Women, infants and Children Nutrition Program.

Today because of those change.

More than 7 million women, infants and children receive much needed food and formula, and every time Marcelle and I are at home, we see these programs thriving and growing and Vermonters everyday life.

So open land.

Cleaner water.

New markets for our farmers, providing nutritious food for those in need.

I hope there will be a legacy in our state for generations to come.

And then on the Judiciary Committee, I served as chairman and ranking member for 20 years.

My role in that committee was to protect the Constitution I fiercely defended our civil liberties, the first Amendment, our right to privacy and the free flow of information from the government to the people it represents.

This has resulted in legislation that includes the Innocence Protection Act, the Justice for All Act and the Freedom of Information Reform Act.

All of which have made this a better country.

It was in this capacity I was able to work to advance the first update to the Violence Against Women Act.

When we reauthorized that.

We added protections for the LGBTQ community, for Native American women and to fight the sexual trafficking of children.

Serving on the Judiciary Committee also meant being there in times of crisis, such as the attack on 9/11.

We not only had to protect our nation from outside threats but from a zealous administration that advocated some of the most serious rollbacks of basic civil liberties.

So year after year I have worked with that at times pushed back on administrations and their judicial nominations.

I always work to keep the federal judiciary independent.

I did that for all Americans, regardless of their political backgrounds.

I recommended and worked to confirm some of the top judges in the land, including Christina Rice, who became the first woman to serve in the Federal District Court in Vermont and most recently, I shepherd through the nominaiton of Beth Robinson's historic appointment to the second Circuit Court of Appeal becoming the first time.

Vermont is represented on that court of Appeals by a woman.

I'm proud of it.

I'm also proud of all of the other superb Vermonters I've recommended to the bench and to many other appointments.

And then after a few more years, I got signed to the Appropriations Committee The Appropriations Committee may sound like a boring thing.

You get a great big piles legislation with numbers and everything else.

So I said, we have to do this simple.

We just figure out how we help states and we'll do it in alphabetical order, starting with V. And in that in that capacity, perhaps the most beneficial tool to help Vermont.

As a small state minimums.

I've run into so many laws because of these funds Vermont had the tools and resources we needed for first responders after 9-11.

And when Tropical Storm Irene devastated so many of our communities and to help those afflicted by the scourge of the Opioid Epidemic.

And my advocacy for that small small state minimum most meant over two and a half billion dollars to help Vermont with the devastating impact of the COVID pandemic.

But it's also going to mean funds for long overdue projects and investments that can be so transformative for our state These accomplishments I believe, came because of that first commitment I made to Vermonters.

The commitment to bring Vermont values to the challenge we face at home and around the world.

With that in mind, Marcelle and I have visited victims of landmines in hospitals and rescue facilities all over the world, in war zones and in places that had been war zones.

What we've seen has allowed me to write and pas the first law in the world banning the export of landmines How proud I've been with other countries have sent me copies of laws they pass, copying that and whatever their language was.

But I could read one part of it, said Leahy law.

It also led to the Leahy war veterans fight to help innocent victims of the indiscriminate weapons are left long after wars have ended.

We traveled to Vietnam to restore relations between our countries through assistance with landmin removal mitigation, Agent Orange and the troops I've led there.

I led members of both parties.

Senators from both parties have been backed by presidents of both parties.

We've shown what positive steps can do.

Work to reestablish relations with Cuba.

And right now, I'm working to undo the misguided policies of the last administration.

And I'm especially proud of the Leahy law, which requires us, requires us to withhold American aid to units of government in other parts of the world if it involves violations of human rights.

It's long been regarded as the most effective human rights to our diplomatic arsenal.

Throughout it all, I was fortunate to be supported by family and the most remarkable women and men who worked with me, both in Vermont and Washington.

I'm uniquely blessed to have served with fellow Vermonters.

Who share my deep love and commitment to Vermont.

Senator Bob Staphers, my mentor when I came there.

Senator Jim Jeffords.

Senator Bernie Sanders.

Congressman Peter Smith, and of course, a remarkable congressman, Peter Welch.

Our collective efforts are why, in so many ways, Vermont continues to set an example for the rest of the nation to follow.

I'm proud to be Vermont's longest serving senator because I know my time in the Senate has made a difference for Vermonters, and I hope often well beyond.

I know I've been there for my state where I was needed most.

I know I've taken our best ideas.

I've helped them grow.

Ive brought Vermont's voice to the United States Senate and Vermont's values around the world.

So, yes, I'm proud to be Vermont's longest serving senator.

And while I will continue to serve Vermont, Marcelle and I have reached the conclusion.

That it is time to put down the gavel.

It is time to pass the torch to the next Vermonter.

Who will carry on this work for a great state.

It's time to come home, so I will forever carry with me the enduring bond with my fellow Vermonters whose common sense and goodness, what I strive to match as their representative.

Thank you all for being the inspiration and the motivation for all the good that has come from my work in the Senate.

Rest assured that our state and our nation will remain resilient and the next generation will ensure our democracy remains whole and thriving.

Later this afternoon, I will join President Biden and other members of Congress at the White House.

The president will sign into law the largest investment in our nation's infrastructure since the Eisenhower administration.

Despite all odds hes done so with bipartisan support.

And then we'll take on the challenging essential task of passing reconciliation bills in appropriations bills.

When I returned to the Senate, I will tell the other members of the Senate what a privilege it has been to be one of only 1,994 senators in the history of our whole country.

I will tell you how humbled I am by the support I received from my fellow Vermonters.

I told having been on the ballot in Vermont 24 times prior, actually between states attorney and said 24 times primary and general election.

How proud I was to see my name on that ballot.

But I will tell my fellow senators I will not be on the ballot next year.

I will not run for reelection.

But I wanted to announce it here at home.

Just a few yards from where I grew up in Montpelier.

Representing you and Washington has been the greatest honor.

I'm humbled and always will be by your support.

I'm confident in what the future holds, and Marcelle and I will pray for that future.

Thank you all very much.

Thank you.