As Utah Sen. Mitt Romney bids farewell, he warns against those who ‘tear at our unity’

Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney talks to reporters before heading into the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 21, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In his departing speech on the U.S. Senate floor Wednesday, retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, warned against those who “tear at our unity,” saying he’ll be praying that “God will continue to bless America” while urging Americans to remember the nation’s values. 

“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,” Romney said. 

Having spent 25 years in public service, Romney said he has learned “that politics alone cannot measure up to the challenges we face.”

“A country’s character is a reflection not just of its elected officials but also of its people. I leave Washington to return to be one among them and hope to be a voice of unity and virtue,” he said. “For it is only if the American people merit His benevolence, that God will continue to bless America. May he do so is my prayer.” 

Romney, while he tended to agree with President-elect Donald Trump when it came to policy, was one of his loudest GOP critics during Trump’s first term. He was the only Republican senator who voted to convict Trump during his first impeachment trial in 2020. During Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021, Romney joined seven Republicans to again vote to convict, but Trump was ultimately acquitted. 

As Utahns have grown to embrace Trump, Romney’s criticisms of Trump may be one of the biggest reasons why his approval ratings have slipped among GOP Utahns. Last year, a Noble Predictive Insights poll found 54% of Republicans didn’t want Romney to run again, though the poll also found he had support with independent and Democratic voters. 

In September last year, Romney announced he would not seek reelection when his term ends at the close of 2024. He called for a “new generation of leaders” to step into the political arena to tackle issues including the national debt, climate change and “the ambitious authoritarians of Russia and China.” At the time, Romney said neither President Joe Biden or Trump are “leading their party to confront those issues.” 

Though Romney didn’t name either Trump or Biden in his farewell address, he again raised alarms about the U.S.’s $36.17 trillion national debt. 

While he said he leaves the Senate “with a sense of achievement” — after listing accomplishments including his role in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Electoral Count Act Reform, gun safety legislation and marriage legislation that included religious protection — Romney said he also leaves “with the recognition that I did not achieve everything I had hoped for.” 

“Among other things, the scourge of partisan politics has frustrated repeated efforts to stabilize our national debt,” he said. 

He lamented the impact that debt has had on the nation’s ability to finance other priorities. 

“Without the burden of the interest on that debt, we would be able to spend almost three times as much as we do on military procurement — three times as many aircraft, three times as many ships, three times as many drones, spacecraft, and cyber defenses. Alternatively, we could spend double the amount we spend on Social Security benefits every month,” Romney said. “Our national credit card is almost maxed out, and America risks becoming debt poor.” 

Romney listed plenty of things he won’t miss in the Senate, including the “10-minute votes that last an hour, the unknowable schedule of votes, the myriad meaningless votes, the absurd passion about the inconsequential votes.” However, he said his “biggest surprise in the Senate has been how much I enjoy the other senators — on both sides of the aisle.” 

“I will very much miss you, my fellow senators, for among you are some brilliant, some entertaining, some kind and generous and all patriotic,” he said. “It is an honor to have been able to serve with you.”

He also expressed gratitude for serving Utahns. 

“What sets Utah apart is not just its beauty and vibrant economy, it is the admirable character of its people,” he said. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Romney on the Senate floor Wednesday, applauding his “long and honorable career on the national political stage.” 

“Mitt Romney’s repeated success in public office is a testament to his transcendent appeal of his character,” McConnell said, pointing to Romney’s service as Massachusetts governor and Utah senator. “As it turns out, uncompromising honesty, earnest humility and evident devotion to faith and family are as compelling in Cedar City as they are in Concord.”

“Of course, a certain telegenic quality, dare I say, a presidential aura, doesn’t hurt either,” McConnell added. 

For Romney, McConnell said the U.S. Senate was “not a waiting room or a stepping stone. It was a capstone to a life in public service.”

“With the wisdom to discern where to devote his attention, he managed to cram more into six years than many colleagues fit in in 12 or 18,” McConnell said.

McConnell also said Romney “made himself into a linchpin” for bipartisan negotiations, and “he poured himself into worthy fights on behalf of his constituents.” He also credited Romney with meeting “moments of enormous gravity with careful contemplation and utmost grace.” 

“The past six years will not be remembered as the Senate’s quietest,” McConnell said, adding that observers may have wondered what more Romney “had to prove” in the Senate after his time as Massachusetts governor and his unsuccessful 2012 presidential bid. 

“But that would be a misunderstanding of the way our friend has ordered his life,” McConnell said. “It wasn’t about what he had left to prove, but what he had left to give.”