E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 115 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 164 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2018 No. 143 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 28, 2018, at noon. Senate MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2018 The Senate met at 4 p.m. and was APPOINTMENT OF ACTING nosis. His hard work continued, but called to order by the Honorable JONI PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE happy reminiscing, fond farewells, final ERNST, a Senator from the State of The PRESIDING OFFICER. The reflections, and time with family actu- Iowa. clerk will please read a communication ally came to the fore. I was privileged to the Senate from the President pro to spend a small share of that time f with JOHN. We sat on his back porch in tempore (Mr. HATCH). Sedona under the desert sky, replaying PRAYER The senior assistant legislative clerk read the following letter: old times. JOHN did things his way The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- these last months. fered the following prayer: U.S. SENATE, For his colleagues here, the time con- Let us pray. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, firmed a sad but obvious truth: The Washington, DC, August 27, 2018. Eternal Lord God, You have been our To the Senate: Senate won’t be the same without JOHN dwelling place throughout all genera- Under the provisions of rule I, para- MCCAIN. I think it is fair to say that tions, providing us with every good and graph 3, of the Standing Rules of the the passion JOHN brought to his work splendid gift. Senate, I hereby appoint the Honorable was unsurpassed in this body. In more Today, we thank You for the gift of JONI ERNST, a Senator from the State than 30 years as a Senator, he never Senator JOHN SIDNEY MCCAIN. We are of Iowa, to perform the duties of the failed to marshal a razor-sharp wit, a grateful for his sacrificial willingness Chair. big heart, and, of course, a fiery spirit. When JOHN saw an issue the same to take the road less traveled, to rise ORRIN G. HATCH, above partisanship, to provide a profile President pro tempore. way you did, you knew you had just found your most stalwart ally. You in courage, and to give his life in serv- Mrs. ERNST thereupon assumed the would thank your lucky stars because ice to You and country. Lord, we praise Chair as Acting President pro tempore. You for his awareness that humanity is when you found yourself on the other wrapped in a blanket of mutuality, so f side of that table, as I think all of us we should not ask for whom the bell RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY learned, you were in for a different tolls. Comfort his beloved Cindy and all LEADER kind of unforgettable experience. Ei- ther way, serving alongside JOHN was his loved ones. Bring solace to the mul- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- titudes who mourn his death. May his never a dull affair. I found myself on pore. The majority leader is recog- both sides of that table over the years. consequential, patriotic, and heroic nized. legacy challenge us all to leave the JOHN and I stood shoulder to shoulder world better than we found it. f on some of the most important issues to each of us, and we also disagreed en- We pray in Your sovereign Name. REMEMBERING JOHN MCCAIN Amen. tirely on huge subjects that helped de- Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, fine each of our careers. f on Saturday evening, a great loss JOHN treated every day, every issue, echoed throughout our country. Six with the intensity and seriousness that PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE decades of patriotic service came to an the legislative process deserves. He The Honorable JONI ERNST led the end. would fight like mad to bring the coun- Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: We have suspected for some time try closer to his vision of the common I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the that we would bid farewell to our col- good. But when the day’s disputes were United States of America, and to the Repub- league, the senior Senator from Ari- over, that very same man was one of lic for which it stands, one nation under God, zona, JOHN MCCAIN. JOHN took full ad- our most powerful reminders that so indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. vantage of the months since his diag- much more unites us than divides us; ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S5941 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Aug 28, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A27AU6.000 S27AUPT1 S5942 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE August 27, 2018 that we should be able to differ com- no saint. He measured his life in sim- They don’t make love of cause or coun- pletely on policy and stay united in pler terms. When asked after this diag- try into something quaint or naive. love of our country. JOHN himself once nosis last year how he would like to be They only make patriotism, service, put it: remembered, here is what he said: ‘‘He and hope that much more noble and We have nothing to fear from each other. served his country, and not always necessary. We are arguing over the means to better se- right—made a lot of mistakes, made a It takes one kind of heroism to un- cure our freedom, and support the general lot of errors—but served his country, dergo unimaginable pain and suffering welfare. But it should remain an argument and I hope we can add, honorably.’’ He as a POW but then persist in loyalty. It among friends who share an unshaken belief will certainly get that wish. takes another kind of heroism to sus- in our great cause, and in the goodness of For many, the service and sacrifice tain that passion for decades more, to each other. that JOHN rendered overseas would withstand the slings and arrows of poli- JOHN and I sure had those fights, and have been more than enough—more tics, the compromises, the disappoint- we sure had that friendship. I am just than a lifetime already—but somehow ments, the defeats, and yet still con- glad we never found ourselves in oppo- JOHN MCCAIN was convinced that he sider it a joy and an honor to serve. site dugouts. You see, JOHN and I spent still owed his country more. In 1983, he Few have either kind of heroism. JOHN years as neighbors in the Russell Build- arrived in Congress. JOHN knew exactly MCCAIN had both. ing. Often, when softball season rolled what it meant to swear to ‘‘support and Fortunately, all that intensity came around, our offices would take the field defend the Constitution of the United paired with a world-class sense of together as one united McTeam, we States.’’ When he was sworn in here in humor. As we all know, JOHN really called it. the Senate 4 years later, he was no hated to lose. The line he used after his As a seriously wounded war hero and stranger to pledging to protect the Presidential campaigns still makes me a childhood polio survivor, I would Constitution from ‘‘enemies, foreign laugh. Some would ask how he was cop- have to say JOHN and I didn’t exactly and domestic.’’ ing with defeat. JOHN would say: have the makings of an elite double- The following years brought legisla- Actually, I’m sleeping like a baby. You play duo. I took the mound once or tive accomplishments, to be sure. know—I sleep for two hours, wake up, and twice, but I admit, we mostly offered While JOHN’s constituents were lucky cry. moral support. Moral support. Really, to have him as their Senator from Ari- Seriously, it is hard to describe this that is what JOHN MCCAIN gave this zona, JOHN also remembered that our larger-than-life figure without lapsing body and this country for so long. His titles say ‘‘United States Senator.’’ He into what sound like cliches. memory will continue to give it be- worked across the aisle on the Select We have all heard our whole lives cause while JOHN proudly served with Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, whose about the importance of patriotism and us as the Senator from Arizona, he was work helped heal the wounds of war self-sacrifice, but we cannot take that America’s hero all along. and normalize relations with Vietnam. culture of commitment for granted be- Just this month, Congress finalized a He led congressional delegations and cause just like our Nation’s security major bill for our All-Volunteer Armed overseas travel that were famously as and our American liberty, the very no- Forces that we named after JOHN. This grueling as they were educational. tion that some causes really are great- might seem like a small detail, but, JOHN was seemingly immune to jet lag, er than ourselves only survives because really, it was a fitting capstone for a and he was never more excited than servicemembers and statesmen like career so thoroughly defined by service when he had an opportunity to share JOHN MCCAIN will fight and even die to in and then service for the ranks of American values abroad. defend it. those who wear our Nation’s uniform.