Dold Hopes for Fiscal Cliff Deal

In what may have been one of his final speeches on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) told his colleagues serving in Congress has been one of the proudest achievements of his life.

In the weeks remaining in his term, he expressed hope a deal could be structured to keep the country from going over the fiscal cliff of the expiration of the Bush era tax cuts and mandated spending reductions.

Earlier: Schneider Beats Dold in 10th District Race

“Governing in a democracy is not easy,” Dold said. “It requires compromise. It requires working together. As I’ve often said, putting people before politics and progress before partisanship is the only way we can move this country forward and have a better future.”

On a national level, Dold spoke with pride about efforts to pass trade agreements, which he said have helped create jobs, and support of meaningful tax reform.

Dold listed the cleanup of Waukegan Harbor, support of Israel, denial of pension for federal officials convicted of felonies and support for a transportation bill among his top achievements. “I broke with the party on that one,” he said of the transportation bill.

Hear the full speech on the video included with this story. Dold will not return to Congress after losing to Rep. Elect Brad Schneider (D-Deerfield) in the Nov. 6 election.