Biden pays tribute to late Sen. Levin: ‘Embodied the best of who we are’

President Biden remembered former Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who died Thursday, as “one of the most honorable and decent people” the president said he has ever known.

Biden called Levin “brilliant, humble, and principled” in a statement Friday. The two served in the Senate together for 30 years.

Levin died Thursday at the age of 87. He retired in 2015 after more than three decades in the Senate and was the longest-serving senator in Michigan history.

“He studied the issues in detail. He forged consensus across the aisle. He built coalitions across his beloved Michigan. With his head tilted down, his eyes peering over his glasses — Carl always looked people straight into their own eyes, listened with an open mind and responded the way he saw it with respect,” Biden said.

Biden said the late senator was chairman and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee while the president was at the helm of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 

“He led on critical issues ranging from the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, ending the use of torture, and recognizing the dignity of every American and allowing them to serve regardless of who they are and who they love,” Biden said.

The president also touted Levin’s work on education, gun safety and holding corporate America accountable. He said the two former senators would talk about their families with one another. 

“Carl Levin embodied the character of the people of Michigan he served throughout his remarkable career. Above all, he embodied the best of who we are as Americans,” Biden said.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who succeeded Levin starting in 2015, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) also remembered Levin and celebrated his life this week.