A Farewell to Bipartisanship?

Seven Senators are retiring at the end of this Congress, the most in a decade. That means we will see quite a few farewell addresses before the Congress ends in January. Likely inspired by George Washington’s famous farewell address – recited on the Senate floor each year – these speeches give Senators a chance to reflect on their time in the upper chamber, express gratitude for staff and colleagues, and outline how they would like their service to be remembered.

This week, Joe Manchin and Mitt Romney, two of the Senate’s most prominent centrists, offered their goodbyes. Both used the opportunity to underscore the importance of bipartisanship in a polarized political climate. Their remarks drew attention to a simple but increasingly rare truth: Washington works best when lawmakers find common ground.

Manchin, reflecting on his 14 years in the Senate, highlighted successes that depended on cooperation, such as the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Romney, looking back on his single term, spoke about working with a group of senators—including Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Kyrsten Sinema, and Joe Manchin himself—on legislation like the Electoral Count Act Reform Act, gun safety reforms, and codifying same-sex marriage protections.

This group of collaborators spanned the political spectrum. It included four Republicans—Rob Portman, Collins, Bill Cassidy, and Murkowski—alongside four Democrats—Manchin, Mark Warner, Jon Tester, and Jeanne Shaheen—and an Independent, Sinema. Together, they modeled the kind of problem-solving that voters often say they want from Congress.

Their speeches were peppered with reflections on the importance of unity and collaboration. But above all, their most important theme?

The people they served.

Still, their departures leave questions about what comes next. Manchin expressed frustration at the pressure from party leadership to attack Republican colleagues, summing up his view with the observation that “a pothole doesn’t care if you’re a Republican or Democrat.” Romney warned that partisanship continues to block solutions to pressing challenges like the national debt.

Both senators reflected on how hard it has become to legislate in good faith. Manchin spoke about the power of working together to achieve “powerful things.” Romney described the unexpected friendships he had formed with senators on both sides of the aisle. These ideas weren’t new, but they felt weighty coming from lawmakers who lived them.

With their departures, the Senate loses two voices determined to find solutions in a fractured Congress. Whether their example inspires others or becomes a historical footnote will depend on the choices of those left behind.