S7582 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 17, 2020 had an honest national conversation KENNY is a genuine statesman, quiet Hood attack after a long fight here in about racial reconciliation and injus- but serious and effective, and he has Congress to give these heroes the rec- tice in this country, and I know that he devoted almost his entire career to ognition and the benefits they deserve. will continue to use his voice as a force public service. He started out on the BILL has been a reliable advocate for for good long after leaving Congress. Carrolton City Council and then be- our veterans and servicemembers, as WILL has been a steady hand in re- came mayor and then spent nine terms well as our energy industry and our minding our colleagues alike that good as a State representative, and, finally, free enterprise system, in general. policies should always come before par- eight terms in the U.S. House of Rep- I want to thank him for his service to tisan politics, and it is fair to say we resentatives. And he proudly rep- our State and to our Nation and wish need more leaders like that in Congress resents North Texans and has for the him and Gina the best in the next these days, not fewer. last four decades. chapter of their lives. I am grateful for his friendship and As a Member of the Ways and Means f service to our country, and I know this Committee, he has played an integral TRIBUTE TO isn’t the end of the road for . role in the effort to keep taxes down, I am eager to see where his next career including passage of the Tax Cuts and Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, finally, takes him, and I will be happy to cheer Jobs Act in 2018, which was part of the I would say last, but certainly not him along the way. spur of our great economic growth least, is my friend, my former chief of f leading up to the pandemic. staff, and proud Representative of TRIBUTE TO He has been a staunch supporter of 22, PETE OLSON. As the old say- efforts to reduce government waste and ing goes, Pete wasn’t born in Texas, Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, much of ensure that Congress is a responsible but he got there as fast as he could. the area that is sandwiched between steward of taxpayer dollars. He has His family moved from Washington MAC and WILL’s two districts is rep- fought for our servicemembers, vet- State to Texas when PETE was only 10 resented by another retired Member of erans, and for strong national defense. years old. He grew up in Seabrook. He our delegation, MIKE CONAWAY. Before As the top Republican on the House went to Rice for his undergraduate de- finding his way into public service, Ethics Committee, KENNY helped to gree and UT for law school and hardly MIKE served our country in the Army strengthen transparency and public left the Lone Star State until he en- and was stationed at Fort Hood. But he confidence in our government, and listed in the Navy. quickly made his way to the Permian there couldn’t be a more important As a Navy pilot, he flew missions all Basin and built a successful career in over the world, and he was eventually the private sector before getting in- time for such a lofty goal. I know KENNY is eager to spend more brought to the U.S. Senate as a naval volved with politics. liaison. During his 16 years in Congress, he time at home with his wife Donna, I had the good fortune of meeting has represented the folks of Texas 11 their kids, and a growing gaggle of PETE because he worked for Phil and burned the candle at both ends in grandkids. Most of their children are Gramm, my predecessor, and he had a the process of doing so. grown now, but the number of stellar reputation, likely due to his MIKE is a man of faith, believes in grandkids seems to be increasing in the right to life, and is an advocate for pace. Navy days of making the ships run on a strong defense and has been a cham- I want to thank him for his incred- time. PETE served as my first chief of staff pion for our Nation’s veterans. ible contributions to our State and His background as a CPA—we could wish him the best in the next chapter. for several years and made it back use a few more of those, maybe less f home to Texas before making his own run for congressional office. lawyers. But his background as a CPA TRIBUTE TO has helped drive debates on our Na- His district is literally one of the tion’s spending habits, and I know his Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, the most ethnically diverse in the State expertise in this area will be deeply House will lose a true class act and the and one of the most diverse in the missed. epitome of a self-made success with the country. PETE has consistently I believe MIKE would agree that at retirement of Congressman BILL FLO- prioritized connecting with folks of dif- the top of his mountain of achieve- RES. At just 9 years old, Congressman ferent backgrounds and cultures to ments are those for our farmers and FLORES began tending to cattle with learn about the challenges they are ranchers. He authored the 2018 farm his dad in the , and he facing and to figure out how to lead bill, which provides the support, cer- hasn’t quit working since. positive changes in Congress. tainty, and stability for our farmers He is a ninth generation Texan, rep- PETE has been a reliable helping hand that they need in order to operate in a resenting Waco, College Station, and during some of our toughest times. modern economy. This legislation parts of North Austin and Pflugerville. Following the Deepwater Horizon acci- strengthened crop insurance, created You would be hard-pressed to find a dent, PETE and I flew several hours seed cotton eligibility for the farm bill more deeply divided district than into the Gulf of Mexico to a drilling rig safety net, and helped counter cattle Texas 17, and I don’t mean divided in rooted in 9,000 feet of water to learn tick fever and other animal risks. terms of politics or geography. You more about the rigors of working on It would have been tough for Texas have the Aggies, the Bears, and the offshore rigs. farmers and ranchers and producers to Longhorns—three of Texas’s proudest After Hurricane Harvey, PETE and I make it through these times but for fan bases—squeezed into one congres- joined Team Rubicon’s veteran volun- MIKE as the lead agriculture policy- sional district. Ever the diplomat, BILL teers to muck out some of the flooded maker in Congress. The halls of Con- considers himself tripartisan. Although homes in the Houston area. We fought gress will not be the same without him, he is an Aggie himself, he would gladly alongside one another to secure the but MIKE’s contributions, his leader- throw up the ‘‘Hook ‘em Horns’’ or the funding from Congress to recover and ship, and devoted service will never be ‘‘Sic ‘em Bears.’’ rebuild after Hurricane Harvey. forgotten. Throughout his time in Congress, I It was common then to see PETE I know he and his wife Suzanne are have been proud to work with BILL on around Capitol Hill with a Houston eager to spend more time at home with a number of shared priorities. We Astros jersey over his dress shirt to their extended family, and I wish them teamed up on legislation to designate draw attention—by any means, whatso- a happy and well-deserved retirement. the Waco Mammoth site as a national ever—to the need for additional fund- f monument. We worked together to re- ing for the folks in his district and name the Waco Veterans Affairs Med- folks in that region. TRIBUTE TO ical Center after World War II Hero It is safe to say that PETE OLSON’s Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, it seems Petty Officer Doris Miller. presence has been a constant through- like we have a lot of Texans leaving We both had the pleasure of attend- out my time here in the Senate, and I Congress, and one of those is KENNY ing the long overdue Purple Heart cere- will miss having him just across the MARCHANT. mony honoring the victims of the Fort dome.

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