Volume 162, No. 178 covering the 2nd Session of the 114th Congress (2015 - 2016) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTES TO DEPARTING SENATORS” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S7020-S7023 on Dec. 9, 2016.
More than half of the Agency's employees are engineers, scientists and protection specialists. The Climate Reality Project, a global climate activist organization, accused Agency leadership in the last five years of undermining its main mission.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTES TO DEPARTING SENATORS
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, much of the time here in the Senate, we are engaged in pretty fierce partisan battles. I would like to take a break from that for a moment and talk about the four Republican Senators who will not be back when the 115th Congress convenes next month. While we may have different political philosophies and policy prescriptions, I respect and admire each of them, and I will miss working with all of them.
Kelly Ayotte
Mr. President, Senator Ayotte and I serve together on the Small Business Committee. I have seen firsthand her commitment to helping small businesses in New Hampshire and across the Nation. She is like so many other Senators, past and present, from New England States: pragmatic and willing to reach across the aisle to get things done.
Prior to her election to the Senate, Senator Ayotte served as the chief of New Hampshire's Homicide Unit and deputy attorney general before she became the State's first female attorney general in 2004. She was appointed to that position by a Republican Governor, but she was reappointed twice by a Democratic Governor.
In the short span of one Senate term, Senator Ayotte has become a respected voice on national security issues while serving on the Armed Services Committee and the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee. Foreign Policy magazine listed Senator Ayotte as one of the top 50 Republicans on international affairs.
Senator Ayotte comes from a military family and is married to an Iraq War veteran--Lieutenent Colonel Joe Daley--so she has been a staunch supporter of our men and women in uniform and their families.
Senator Ayotte has worked hard to give New Hampshire veterans more choices when it comes to health care since the State does not have a full-service Veterans Administration, VA, medical facility. To help veterans in New Hampshire's North Country access care closer to home, she successfully pushed for the opening of VA clinics in Colebrook and Berlin.
Senator Ayotte has been a leader in the fight against opioid abuse and addiction, helping Congress to pass the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, CARA, to improve prevention and treatment, support those in recovery, and ensure first responders have the tools they need. She helped to pass legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, crack down on sexual assault in the military, make college campuses safer, and improve mental health first aid training and suicide prevention programs.
Senator Ayotte has followed in the footsteps of other Republican Senators from New England, such as Robert Stafford of Vermont and John Chafee of Rhode Island, who are true conservatives when it comes to the environment. She crossed party lines to vote for Federal clean air rules that protect New Hampshire's air and water from cross-State pollution and to deploy the best available technology to reduce pollution from energy production. She helped pass the Better Buildings Act to encourage greater energy efficiency in commercial buildings, and she has been a strong supporter of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has helped protect thousands of acres in New Hampshire.
I have enjoyed working with Senator Ayotte and send my best wishes to her and her husband, Joe, and their children Katherine and Jacob.
Dan Coats
Mr. President, there is a famous quote attributed to the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald: ``There are no second acts in American lives.'' We all know that to be untrue and, as it turns out, so did Fitzgerald, who was quintessentially American. What he actually wrote, in an essay called ``My Lost City,'' is this: ``I once thought that were no second acts in American lives.''
If we want to see a successful ``second act'' we need to look no further than to the senior Senator from Indiana, Mr. Coats. He is actually on about his fourth act.
Senator Coats graduated from Wheaton College and then began his long service to our Nation by enlisting in the U.S. Army. Following his military service, he attended the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. He excelled academically, becoming associate editor of the Indiana Law Review, and earned his juris doctor degree.
Senator Coats served as a district representative to then-
Representative Dan Quayle. When Dan Quayle was elected to the Senate in 1980, Dan Coats won his House seat and was reelected four times, never receiving less than 60 percent of the vote. When Dan Quayle was elected Vice President in 1988, Dan Coats was appointed to the Senate seat being vacated and then won elections in 1990 and 1992.
During what I will call Senator Coats' ``first'' congressional career, he focused on cutting taxes and government spending and reforming entitlement programs. In 1998, he honored a term limit pledge he had made to his Hoosier constituents and did not run for reelection to the Senate.
For many people, 18 years in Congress might be enough, but Senator Coats was just getting started. After he left the Senate, he joined the prestigious law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand. In 2001, then-President Bush nominated Senator Coats to be Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. He arrived in Germany just 3 days before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In the aftermath of 9/11, Ambassador Coats established excellent relations with then-
opposition leader and future German Chancellor Angela Merkel--a crucial ally--and managed the construction of a new U.S. Embassy in the heart of Berlin, next to the Brandenburg Gate.
Senator Coats served honorably as Ambassador for 3 and one-half years and then returned to practicing law at another ``blue chip'' law firm, King & Spalding. But he also served as president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and on the boards of many civic and volunteer organizations, including the Center for Jewish and Christian Values, which he cochaired with Senator Joe Lieberman. And Senator Coats and his wife, Marsha, formed the Foundation For American Renewal to continue their engagement in faith-based initiatives.
Senator Coats began his ``second'' congressional career by running successfully for his old Senate seat in 2010. During Senator Coats' second stint, I have had the pleasure of serving with him on the Finance Committee, where we worked together to help charities receive timely notice on issues related to their tax-exempt status. I appreciate Senator Coats' calm and steady demeanor, the diligence he applies to his work, and the civility he extends to his colleagues.
Senator Coats may be retiring from the Senate, but I have a hunch there will be yet another successful act in his long, distinguished career. While we may have policy disagreements, I have no doubt that Senator Coats is committed to the common good and will find new ways to serve. I anticipate, however, that he will also seek to spend more time with his wife, Marsha, whom he met in college, their three children, and their 10 grandchildren.
Mark Kirk
Mr. President, John Kennedy wrote ``Profiles in Courage'' nearly 50 years ago. But for the last 6 years, we have had yet another profile in courage here in the Senate: the junior Senator from Illinois, Mr. Kirk. In 2012, he suffered a devastating ischemic stroke. He had to relearn how to do basic things, like walking. It took a year of intensive physical therapy at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago--physical therapy that has been likened to boot camp. When he returned on January 3, 2013, and climbed the 45 steps of the Capitol Building to reenter the Senate, it was a truly inspirational moment none of us will forget.
Senator Kirk is an Illinois native, from Champaign. He received his B.A. in history from Cornell University, graduating cum laude. He went on to earn a master's degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from Georgetown University. While he practiced law at the law firm of Baker & McKenzie, most of his adult life has been spent in public service.
Senator Kirk joined the U.S. Navy Reserve as a direct commission officer in the intelligence career field in 1989. He was recalled to Active Duty for the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia; participated in Operation Northern Watch in Iraq, which enforced the no-fly zone, in 2000; and later served three reserve deployments in Afghanistan. He retired from the Navy Reserve with the rank of commander.
Senator Kirk worked for Representative John Porter and at the World Bank and the State Department. He came back to the Hill to serve as a counsel to the House International Relations Committee, as it was known at the time. When Representative Porter retired, he successfully ran for the seat of his former boss and went on to win reelection four times. I had the pleasure of serving with both Representative Porter and then-Representative Kirk while I was in the House. And then he was elected to the Senate in 2010, to the seat President Obama previously held.
During Senator Kirk's 16-year congressional career, he has demonstrated that he puts country above party, most notably by supporting the commonsense assault weapon ban. More recently, he was the first Republican Senator to meet with President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. And he was the first Republican Senator to call for hearings and a vote on this superbly qualified individual, a position applauded by Crain's Chicago Business journal.
Senator Kirk is a staunch supporter of Israel and has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure that a robust sanctions regime remains in place against Iran if it fails to comply with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Act, JCPOA. I have been pleased to work with Senator Kirk on S. 1882, the Nepal Recovery Act. That bill is on the legislative calendar; it would be a fitting tribute to Senator Kirk if the Senate can pass it before the end of the 114th Congress.
I know that Senator Kirk is justifiably proud of chairing the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. Under his stewardship, Congress is poised to pass record health care funding for our veterans. He serves as the cochair of the bipartisan Senate Great Lakes Task Force, which promotes the economic vitality and environmental health of the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to 40 million Americans and Canadians. He authored the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative authorization bill and helped to secure $300 million in funding to implement it.
During the 112th and 113th Congresses, Senator Kirk had an awesome responsibility all Senators appreciate: his desk on the Senate Floor--
Desk No. 95--was the ``candy desk.'' He kept the desk stocked with sweets made in Illinois such as Mars, Milky Way, Jelly Belly, and Snickers, helping to support an industry that employs over 3,000 people in his home State.
Senator Kirk suffered a life-threatening stroke. It temporarily slowed him down, but he returned to the Senate where his courage, grace, dignity, collegiality, and resolve will continue to inspire all of us long after he departs next month for his next great endeavor. I wish him well.
David Vitter
Mr. President, Senator Vitter is probably one of the most conservative Senators and yet has a long record of bipartisan accomplishments on behalf of his home State and the Nation. I have enjoyed serving on the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, which he has chaired for the past 2 years. During that time, the committee has reported nearly 30 bills, 8 of which have been signed into law so far. One of those bills, Senator Vitter's Recovery Improvements for Small Entities After Disaster Act--the RISE After Disaster Act--will help small businesses recover from disasters more rapidly. Considering that small businesses are major employers and the lynchpins of their communities, helping them to recover is crucial.
Senator Vitter is a Louisiana native, born in New Orleans. He was an excellent student and went on to earn his A.B. from Harvard. He attended Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar, earning a B.A., and then he earned his law degree from Tulane. He was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1992; in 1999, he won a special election to succeed then-Representative Bob Livingston to represent the State's First Congressional District. He was reelected in 2000 and 2002 with more than 80 percent of the vote in each instance. In 2004, he won the Senate seat being vacated by John Breaux. That election was historic; he became the first Republican in Louisiana to be popularly elected as a U.S. Senator. The State's last Republican Senator, William Pitt Kellogg, was chosen by the State's legislature in 1876, back before the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted. Senator Vitter was reelected in 2010 with 57 percent of the vote.
Senator Vitter has had a productive career as a legislator. On June 22, 2016, President Obama signed into law the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amends the Toxic Substances Control Act, TSCA, the Nation's primary chemicals management law. Senator Vitter was the lead Republican sponsor of this measure, working first with our beloved former colleague, Senator Lautenberg, and then with Senator Udall. The new law, which received bipartisan support in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, will make it easier for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, to review the safety of chemicals already on the market and the new ones being developed, and it provides a stable source of funding for EPA to meet the law's requirements, a huge step forward with respect to chemical safety.
Senator Vitter has been instrumental in developing and passing important public works bills, including the current Water Resources Development Act, WRDA, reauthorization. While he has been an architect of our Nation's infrastructure policies, he has also been sensitive to the concerns of his home State. Thanks to his involvement in the past several surface transportation bills, Louisiana is no longer a
``donor'' State with respect to the highway trust fund; the State receives $1.06 in spending for every $1.00 it sends to Washington in gasoline taxes. Senator Vitter was stalwart when one of the Nation's worst natural disasters--Hurricane Katrina--devastated Louisiana and the rest of the Gulf Coast in 2005 and again in the wake of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. He coauthored the RESTORE Act, which directs 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines levied against BP--$5.5 billion--to the States whose fisheries, shorelines, and economies were decimated by the spill.
Senator Vitter has numerous other legislative accomplishments. To mention just a few, he authored the Steve Gleason Act, which helps people afflicted with diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, by making it easier for them to acquire speech-generating devices. He reformed the Federal Reserve Board by putting in place the requirement that at least one sitting board member must have community banking experience. And he successfully elevated Barksdale Air Force Base's Global Strike Command to four-star general status.
I mentioned a moment ago that Senator Vitter is a conservative. He and I have vast differences of opinion on many issues. But that is ok; that is the nature of the Senate. The genius of our system of government is that it allows--and encourages--people with different points of view to come together and agree on legislation that moves our country forward, and that is something Senator Vitter has been able to do over his career. I send my best wishes to Senator Vitter, his wife, Wendy, and their children Sophie, Lise, Airey, and Jack.
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I want to pay tribute to two colleagues who are retiring at the end of this year, Senator Boxer and Senator Mikulski, two remarkable Democratic women Senators leaving the Senate as four new women come in.
Barbara Boxer
Mr. President, for more than 40 years, Barbara Boxer has committed her life to public service, over 30 of them in Washington, first in the House of Representatives and, since 1993, in the U.S. Senate.
When asked what advice she would give to her successor, Senator Boxer said she should not be afraid to fight the good fight every single day.
And that is what Senator Boxer has done. Over the past four decades, she has been an advocate for medical research, women, workers, the environment, and infrastructure.
As ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Barbara Boxer urged Congress and the country to confront climate change, creating the Climate Action Task Force with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.
In closing, I am reminded of what Robert Kennedy once said: ``The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to make things better.''
Senator Boxer has told us that, while she is leaving the Senate to return to California, she does not intend to end her life of service. She will continue to work to make things better. We wish her well and we thank her for her public service in the House and here in the Senate.
Barbara Mikulski
Mr. President, this year we are also saying farewell to our colleague, Barbara Mikulski, the senior Senator from Maryland.
Senator Mikulski first entered politics almost 50 years ago when she was elected to the Baltimore City Council in 1971. Five years later, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and, a decade after that, she was elected to the U.S. Senate.
Senator Mikulski is the longest serving woman in the history of Congress and is the first woman Senator to be elected in her own right.
These achievements are notable, but they are not what inspired Barbara to come to work every day.
Senator Mikulski one remarked that, ``Each one of us can make a difference. Together, we make change.'' And that is what Barbara Mikulski sought to do every day.
As a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Senator Mikulski has championed education, workers' rights, and health care. She has stood up for our children and our seniors.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee since she arrived in the Senate, Barbara Mikulski has worked tirelessly to ensure that the programs that advance those priorities receive the funding they need to be successful.
Margaret Chase Smith once said, ``Public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and the nation.''
Senator Mikulski dedicated her life to the people of Maryland and the country. We will miss her in this Chamber and wish her well.
Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, as this eventful 114th Congress draws to a close, today I wish to honor a number of our colleagues who will be ending their service in the Senate. I was a newcomer to the Senate at the beginning of this Congress and the only Democrat in the freshman Senate class of 2014. I am eternally grateful for the guidance and wisdom of my fellow Senators, particularly those with decades of experience fighting for the American people. Constituents, colleagues, and historians will recount their accomplishments for years to come, but I will take a few minutes now to convey some brief words of praise and gratitude.
Harry Reid
Mr. President, it has been a great honor to serve in the Senate under the leadership of Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. Senator Reid has taught us all what it means to represent one's State in the U.S. Senate, doing everything one can to fight hard for the people back home. In his nearly 30 years in the Senate, Senator Reid has mastered the rules and traditions of this institution and used them to deliver victories for the people of his state and the nation.
Senator Reid is always ready to lend an ear and a helping hand to his Democratic colleagues; yet he listens most intently to his constituents. He never stops thinking about how to ensure that they have access to well-paying jobs, health care, education, and a better future for their children. Senator Reid has supported economic development and infrastructure investments that have created jobs throughout the country.
After the 2008 financial crisis, when millions of homes were underwater and the existence of the American auto industry hung in the balance, Senator Reid helped craft a compromise to begin our economic recovery. I am grateful for his strong support of the American auto industry during this crisis, which helped us pass essential legislation to restructure Michigan's automotive manufacturers and rebuild our communities. I was also proud to work with him and other leaders on the Dodd-Frank Act, which holds Big Banks accountable and helps safeguard American families to prevent another crisis and build a healthier economy. Senator Reid's contributions are too many to name, from advancing affordable health care coverage for millions of Americans, to defending labor protections and our social safety net. Through it all, Senator Reid has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the details of policymaking and to his constituents.
Senator Reid's legacy and the memory of his tireless work ethic will continue to inspire us to keep working hard, like our constituents do every day, to make their lives better. Senator Reid understands and reminds us all that hard work, faith in each other, and faith in our country are what allow us to endure and improve as a nation. I thank Senator Reid for his great service, his guidance, and the conviction with which he leaves us as our country continues to move forward.
Barbara Mikulski
Mr. President, I would also like to honor Senator Barbara Mikulski, who blazed a trail for women in the Senate and always looks out for the members of our communities no matter their gender, race, or identity. As the father of two daughters, as well as a son, I greatly admire Senator Mikulski's work to break barriers for women. She has fiercely fought to ensure that all women have access to essential health care services, is a champion for equal pay, and passed legislation that expanded childcare access for all families.
A daughter of Baltimore and a former social worker, Senator Mikulski also knows the challenges that our communities face. She has been dedicated to supporting our older, industrial communities like Baltimore and Detroit so that they can compete in the new economy. I would also like to recognize her leadership as Vice chairwoman on the Appropriations Committee. We owe her a debt of gratitude for her eagle eye and unrelenting spirit in defending essential programs in areas including health care, education, job creation, infrastructure, and national security. Our work on breaking down barriers and advancing these priorities is not yet done, but I thank Senator Mikulski for leading the way.
Barbara Boxer
Mr. President, Senator Barbara Boxer is also a trailblazing woman and a fierce advocate for what is best for her State, and I have been honored to get to know her through our work in the Senate. Throughout her career, Senator Boxer has fought for commonsense consumer and environmental protections to make us safer. She has been an incredible partner in our fight this year to end the water crisis in Flint, MI, and to reduce the threat of drinking water contamination in cities across the Nation.
Senator Boxer knows that we must protect our children and communities from the grave effects of environmental contamination by investing in our aging infrastructure and maintaining vigilance. We must also provide the extra care, education, and health care services that these children and communities need to recover.
She has always been a champion for children, from establishing the first federally funded afterschool program to protecting children from contaminated products. Just as importantly, Senator Boxer has been a leader in protecting the natural resources these future generations will inherit. Her victories for clean water, job-creating smart infrastructure projects, and environmental protections should inspire us to keeping looking toward the future as we help our great States thrive today.
David Vitter
Mr. President, in a Congress where bipartisanship is all too rare, I have been honored to work with many Republican colleagues on commonsense, bipartisan solutions. Senator David Vitter has served as chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, of which I am a member, and has been a consummate partner on issues affecting Michigan's small businesses. On the Small Business Committee, we have been able to pass significant legislation to ensure that small businesses have the resources they need to compete, expand, and give back to their communities. We extended the SBA 7(a) Federal loan program to provide thousands of small businesses with financing at no cost to American taxpayers. Together, we introduced legislation that will provide patent education to small businesses. We also introduced legislation that will help small businesses plan for and protect against cyber security attacks. I am glad to have colleagues like Senator Vitter who believe that no issue is too small when it comes to supporting support job creation and economic growth.
Dan Coats
Mr. President, I would also like to extend my warm wishes to Senator Dan Coats. He has served ably as chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, and I have been proud to sit on the committee during his tenure. He has convened important hearings to discuss essential issues including the Federal debt, the effects of automation on our economy, tax reform, and economic growth. I appreciate his consistent efforts to create a bipartisan forum where we can discuss innovative ideas for addressing our Nation's economic challenges. As a fellow Midwesterner, Senator Coats knows that we must have big ideas and bigger hearts as we move forward, committed to helping all Americans achieve the future they deserve.
Kelly Ayotte
Mr. President, I also had the pleasure of serving with Senator Kelly Ayotte on the Senate committees on Small Business, Commerce, and Homeland Security and Government Affairs. She has been a pragmatic partner on legislation as varied as the Northern Border Security Review Act, which will strengthen American security at the northern border with Canada, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Improvement Act, which would expand a public-private partnership to help businesses get their products to market. We also introduced the Pet and Women Safety Act to protect victims of domestic violence from emotional trauma caused by acts or threats of violence against their pets. I respect Senator Ayotte's dedication to these issues. As a father, I also admire Senator Ayotte's great work raising two young children while in the Senate. I wish her family all the best in their next adventure.
Mark Kirk
Mr. President, another colleague from the Midwest, Senator Mark Kirk, has served with distinction in the Senate. Like me, Senator Kirk also served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. We have collaborated on efforts to help veterans suffering from PTSD, protect wildlife habitats and improve water quality in the Great Lakes, extend Medicare coverage for Americans at risk for diabetes, and even establish the Senate Albanian Caucus. I admire the strength and resolve Senator Kirk has exhibited throughout his Senate term and wish him continued success.
It has been a privilege to work with such talented and committed colleagues. I wish them all the best in this next chapter of their lives and thank them for their work. Thank you.
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