Cong. Adam Kinzinger says although he didn’t have a family at the time, he wanted to leave the country better off that what he had inherited. But unfortunately in good conscious, he says he didn’t do that. During his final speech on the U.S Capitol floor as a congressman Thursday Kinzinger says America’s Democracy is not functioning. He also criticized both parties on their actions. He says the Republican Party has turned its back on ideals of liberty on self-governance but has now embraced lies and deceit. But he also says Democrats need to feel the burden of the failures of the country, especially after the 2022 midterm election.
He continued to criticize both parties saying that there aren’t enough people in either with the spines to stand up and put the country over their party. But he also reflected on his twelve years as a congressman. He talked about how he was privileged to advocate for the Syrian people in their Civil War and to also advocate for stronger American assistance for the war in Ukraine. But he says some of his most rewarding and memorable accomplishments in Congress have come from solving issues impacting Illinois and in his congressional district. Some accomplishments included fighting the opioid epidemic and keeping nuclear powerplants open.
At the end of his speech he thanked his current and former staff members for their support. He also thanked his wife Sophia and his son Christian. You can hear Kinzinger’s full farewell speech here: