Johnny Isakson

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, it contains a list of literally hundreds of people who have helped me get to where I am today in this Chamber. A few of them are in this Chamber with me right now and a lot of them were here Tuesday of last week when the Senate was very kind to give me a sendoff. In fact, I thought they were so happy I was leaving, I had done something really wrong, and I was saving them some trouble, but they were really happy because we were being happy together about the years we have had together. I have had 15 years together with Members of the U.S. Senate, and it has been the greatest 15 years of my life. I learned as much about myself as I learned about anybody else, but I learned even more about my country, which I love so passionately. I want to take a few minutes today to talk about a few people I want to thank for what they said about me, what they have done for me, and how they have helped me. I wish to also tell the people who may be listening to this show or watching C-SPAN today to understand there are a lot of people who make us work. We do all the mistakes by ourselves without any help, but the good things we do take a lot of help. They take a lot of strength and a lot of time and a lot of commitment. The 100 Members of this Senate sitting here have literally hundreds of people behind them who help them do their job they otherwise couldn't do. I represent 10 million people; Senators from California, almost 30 million people; from New York, almost 15 million people. All of the States have different populations, but all of them have a lot of people who need help. That is what Members of the Senate are there to do, along with the Members of the House, and that is to give them the help they need from the country they love and the country they were born in or became a naturalized citizen in. I want to talk today more about the hard work--the hard work of licking stamps and envelopes when I first got in politics. I don't do that anymore. We punch a computer key, and it says ``reply all'' or ``distribute to all'' or ``send to all.'' Technology allows us to communicate at the drop of a hat. The biggest challenge I have every day communicating is because of what is on television beginning at midnight. President Trump usually makes a tweet about 3 o'clock in the morning, and the news starts. We get phone calls, our staff gets phone calls, and for the rest of the day we are responding to what he said at 3 a.m., knowing the next morning at 3 a.m. there will be a new tweet. There will be a new issue, and he will be setting the pace. During the afternoon, when people respond to it, their response to it will be setting the pace. All of us are reacting in the third person or for the third time. It is a challenging job. With communications like it is and 24/7 television like it is and the media like they are, it is really a challenge. The men and women who work for me help me to make that communication. I want to, first of all, start off by thanking them. The lady sitting to my left--on the screen, I guess that would make it your right--Miss Amanda Maddox. Amanda came to work for me a number of years ago when I stole her from one of the House Members because I knew she was the best person on the floor of the House. She was not an easy steal because I knew she was a tough lady, but I knew I needed a tough lady and somebody who could help. She has been a tremendous help for me through a lot of difficulties we never expected, neither she nor I--health challenges that I had, challenges I had in terms of my staff, training for trips I took, going on trips I took, dealing with the media during things we took on that were tough. Every day she did it with skill and aplomb. Every day she did it right, and every day she helped me look much better than I deserved. I look in the mirror so I know what I start out with, but when I get up and open my mouth, I can do even more damage. Amanda keeps me from doing that. She is a first-class lady. Another lady who is not here today, unfortunately, is Marie Gordon, who is in Atlanta. Marie works under Amanda. She works for me in Atlanta, GA. They are really my communication. You heard of left brain-right brain. This is my left brain. Marie is my right brain. They make me work, and I know how many times I owe to say thank you to them, and it is more than I could ever come to. They have been wonderful to me, and I will miss them a lot as I retire, but I know they will be here to help somebody else along the same way who will take my place and do just as good a job or better. I want to, personally, publicly, thank Amanda and Marie for what they have done and how they made me look good. A harder job is getting me around with my current difficulties I am having in terms of movement. Where is Logan? Logan is on the floor somewhere. He is my pusher. He is not the kind of pusher you are thinking about. He is my wheelchair pusher. He doesn't sell anything else but wheelchairs, but he does a great job with it and gets me in a lot of bad places I am not supposed to be able to get into, but he does it safely. We haven't had any accidents, and he makes me look good. I could not do without Logan and his talent and his willingness to get up early hours to get me in a truck or get me in an airplane or get me in my own car and get me to the places I need to go safely and on time and get me back home to see my wife if we are in Atlanta or back here to see my many supporters in the office when they need me. He is my instant communication man. That means he is also my right brain. He is in there thinking ahead to make sure we have enough time to get where we need to go and have enough places to stop for the restroom, which when you are in a wheelchair, that is something you have to think about from time to time and all the other little parts of life you take for granted until you can't do them anymore. When somebody helps you do them, they are a lifetime friend, and Logan Purvis is a lifetime friend for me in what he does. There is a real tall guy somewhere in the room who is good golfer. His name is Trey Kilpatrick. Trey has been with me for 10 years. He started with me in my third reelection or second reelection--one of my reelections--in the first half of this century. Sometimes elections seem like a century, not a day or not an hour but a century. Trey has done everything. He has made appointments; he has substituted for me; and he does an excellent job of that. He has given me advice on what not to say. When he does this, I know what it means. I know what it means from my wife, too, but when Trey does it, it means to shut up, you dummy. He gets me to shut up in time and not say a bad thing. That is a valuable person. He is also valuable because I can't play golf anymore, but I let him play in my stead, and he is a scratch golfer. For those of you who are listening or watching this, that means he will beat anybody who tries to beat him, and I hope to get half the money. If I don't get half the money, I just enjoy seeing him and his great talent. He has his third child coming pretty soon, so he is producing some good voters for us in about 15 or 20 years from now. I appreciate that as well. I appreciate Sally, his wife, and the sacrifice she has made to let him take as much time out of his life and her life as I have taken out of their lives. I appreciate those who have made me look good. They made me look good all the time, and I appreciate what they have done to help me along the way with my service in the U.S. Senate. There is another person I want to talk about for 1 minute. I will do it some more tomorrow. I will break it up, so I am not taking up all of the time of the Chair, but I want to take as much as I can right now to talk about Joan Kirchner Carr. I have a unique situation with the chief of staff. Joan Kirchner is my chief of staff. Her name is now Joan Carr. She changed her name because she married my previous chief of staff. She came with me as a deputy chief of staff and fell in love with my chief of staff, and they fell in love with each other. He is now the attorney general of Georgia. She married my chief of staff. I actually have pretty good luck for somebody who wants to get married. If you come to my office, you will find a husband or wife or something like that. That is not a bad thing to happen in Washington, DC. Joan has been fantastic. She wrote for AP. She covered me when I was almost a little guy. I first got elected in 1976, and she was working for AP at that time in the Georgia Legislature and wrote speeches about all the people who were in the legislature, and I was one of them. I was the minority leader. I was the minority leader of a group of 19 Republicans who had 161 Democrats opposing them. Custer had better odds than we did. We didn't have good odds at all. She was a great writer, a great reporter, and I fell in love with her--not in the physical sense but in the platonic sense--because I knew how good she was at what she did. Over the years, she impressed me so much, I brought her along on whatever campaign I had. I brought her along to help me in the office I had. She ultimately became my press secretary, my deputy chief of staff, my chief of staff, and my best friend. When you can cover all those bases at one time, you are doing pretty good, and Joan does exactly that. I am so grateful for all those who have helped me along the way, all those who gave a lot, all those who gave a little but mostly those who gave of themselves. Politicians are always asking for money; they are always talking about money; and they are always promising money. Money is fine, but that doesn't get you much of anything--but relationships are impossible to replace. You take a good relationship with somebody who has worked hard to help you get where you want to go, there is nothing better or more valuable in life. No contribution of money is worth anything more than just that act of love or that act of kindness or act of support that gets you where you are going. From this one guy who is leaving the U.S. Senate under his own power, but not as much as I used to have, I enjoyed my 15 years more than you would ever know, and I want to thank all those people who helped me get here and made it possible for me, particularly those I pointed out now and will point out later in my speeches this week. May God bless them, may God bless all of you, and may God bless the United States of America. I yield back.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I always come to the well of the Senate with a purpose. I try not to talk too long, and I try to make my point and get out before I make a big mistake. When you are saying thank you to people who have done so much for you, it is almost always the time where you do make a mistake and you leave somebody out here and somebody out there and somebody out here. I am going to do a little something I have never done before. I know one thing, I will leave nobody out. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a list of names of my staff.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, I thank the Senator from Pennsylvania. If you want to go home on time, if you want to take something home to give to the American people that they want and they need, then you will vote with me and the other Members who have spoken on the Over-the- Counter Monograph bill today. There are sunscreens on the market in Europe that are 12 years short of being on the market in America all because of an antiquated approval system to make sure they are safe but to get them to the market in time. It is about time we ended melanoma, and it is about time we got American consumers what they want. It is about time we settle the problem. It has been a problem for a long time. So I ask you--in fact, I plead with you--to vote for this bill, and you will make everybody happy, nobody mad, and you will save a life. There is nothing better than that. I yield the floor.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, it is an honor to be here today on what is not my last day, but everybody is acting like it. A few months ago, I had to announce that after much consideration, to be able to continue to serve the people of Georgia as best I could in any way possible and also to keep true to the commitments I made in every race I have ever won, that when I knew I couldn't do the job, I was going to quit and let somebody do it who wouldn't be hampered. I am not hampered yet--I am pretty tough--but it is getting close. So in August, I decided to tell my wife about it, and we decided to go ahead and retire at the end of December, which I have announced and said I was going to do. The Governor of Georgia is making an appointment to take my place. A few days from now, you might look into the history books somewhere--current history--and they might have an Isakson in the glossary, but I doubt it. You may never see this name again. I have been here for 15 years and loved every minute of it. This is the most enjoyable thing I have ever done in my life, to be a part of the U.S. Senate. It is not because I like being a Senator but because I like to be with the people who are in the Senate. Politicians get a bad rap in this day and time--a real bad rap. A lot of things are said about them by people they are aware don't matter, like those in some of the media and other places, but others will take potshots at people who are politicians and who serve the people in their communities. I never do that--not because I am one but because I know, because I am one, what you have to do. It is a tough job, and if it is not done right, then it is not done and it doesn't get done the way it should for the people there. So I am making sure that when I leave, the last thing I do is to leave the people of Georgia in good hands, given that I am the senior Senator from Georgia who is retiring. Unfortunately, at lunch today, the Members gave me a luncheon and stole all of my material. Don't let this paper fool you--I threw it all away coming in here. They have stolen all of my good jokes, took over all of the things I was going to say, so I am going to make this very brief, but in the end, very brief is good. My dad told me one time--he said: ``Son, your words have more power by how few you use than how many you use.'' I always remembered that. I think speeches are really important. I make short speeches. I get to the point, and I get out. I am going to give you some reasons that works. (The Vice President assumed the Chair.) When I knew I was going to be outshined by the other Members of the Senate at this luncheon today, I decided that I would do the best I could to honor Mitch McConnell, who is the greatest leader I have ever worked for in my 45 years of public life, and people like the Vice President of the United States, who I am so proud is in the Chair. I can tell my grandkids--who are all here, by the way--I hope you remember that time you were there with Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States--you could be President by then, Mr. Vice President--to hear a speech I made. Everybody, thank you for being here. I am not going to call out names because I would miss somebody, except Tester. You can't miss Tester. But everybody else, I would miss. I don't want to miss anybody because every one of you is important to me--the people who help us in the lunchroom, the people who help us in stores, the people who help us get in and out of the cars, the people who help us on bad days, snowy days, icy days, and everything else--just everybody who helps us. It takes a lot of people to run the Senate, and only one person to mess it up. I want to talk about one subject today and one subject alone, and it is going to be short. There is something missing in this place. I am given credit sometimes for being a bipartisan person. In fact, sometimes newspaper people write that I am known for being bipartisan or being a softy. Some of them say worse than that, but I am not going to address that. I am a bipartisan person. I never saw people get things done by not agreeing with each other. You have to come to an agreement. I made a living selling houses. You can't ever solve a problem if you have two people and they will not agree to a price and agree to a time to move. You have to find common ground. It is the same thing with the law. You can't pass a law--you can't solve a problem, period, end of sentence. If you are one of those people who say ``It is my way or the highway,'' then we are all in real trouble. I want to talk about being bipartisan and what bipartisanship really is. I don't think most of you really know what bipartisanship is. I shouldn't say that to an educated group of people like this who have been down a lot of tough trails like I have. Being bipartisan doesn't mean a Democrat and Republican talk to each other every once in a while; it means this: Two people come together who probably have differences--probably have a lot of differences--but they find a way to get to the end of the trail, where there is the possibility of a solution, and then they do the things they have to do to get to that solution. America today is built on people who found a way to get to that end of the solution, no question about it. I hate to ask this question, but I came in the back door. Is John Lewis here yet? Where is John? John, you are getting shorter. John Lewis is one of the finest people I have ever known and a great friend of mine. I was invited to speak to the Senate a couple of days ago, and I recognized John, who was there. He introduced me and said some things that meant more to people than anything anybody has ever said to me, so I said: I want you to come to my last speech because I want to say a few things about you. Because, in essence, really, John-- to a much greater extent than me--and I together represent how things can really change if people want them to change and are willing to do the things that let them change. John was born in the 1940s. I was born in the 1940s. John lived in Alabama. I lived in Georgia for a while. John got his good senses together, and he came to--Shelby was there, so he came to Alabama. He is a good guy. John came there, and John lived in a shotgun house. That is where there is a hole in the back, a hole in the front, and if you throw something, you don't hit anything. John was a great civil rights leader in his youth. He was the president of SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. John walked the streets of Atlanta, GA, where I lived. I was part of the people whom Earl Warren--there were all these signs around Georgia. I thought he was running for office. They said ``Impeach Earl Warren.'' I never got that figured out until I got a little older. Anyway, Earl Warren had been a part of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The schools' separate but equal doctrine had been thrown out, and the schools were going to be integrated. Across society, the only way to prove that you were getting it done was by the numbers. So they figured how much of a percentage of how many Black people would constitute a good number to say you were desegregated and vice versa, solving the problem with statistics. I was on some of those first buses that rode to Atlanta, GA, taking Black students to White schools, and I had some good friends who were Black. That is another thing southerners are blamed for--we always say: We have some really good friends who were Black. I have some really good friends who are Black. I still have them, and one of them is John Lewis. John Lewis is one of my real heroes in life because I watched what he went through to help us see the light in the South, in my part of the South, Georgia. He was a hero. He was a hero to me. When I got to Congress, one of the things I am most proud of is that John introduced me to be sworn in. The Speaker of the House swore me in, and I was down at the podium. Let me tell you what happened that morning. The clerk said: We will now have Mr. Isakson from Georgia, who won a special election yesterday in Atlanta, GA, and has been declared the winner by the secretary of state. We would like to ask Mr. Lewis to escort him to the front. We will give him 1 minute to make his acceptance speech, and we will go back to business. I said, 1 minute? I have been practicing all these years, and I am only going to get only 1 minute? I can't do anything in 1 minute. But I wasn't going to argue with the guy on my first day at work. So I went to the back of the room with John. John walked down the aisle on the House side. I was not paying a lot of attention. I figured the best thing to do was to follow John, so I followed John. When John got through introducing me, I followed him to the well, and I said thank you to everybody and named three or four people who had helped me get there and then said: Well, I am going to work, and I am honored to be here. What they didn't tell me was, if you were in the House on that particular day, the mike for people who were Republicans was on the left, and the Republicans spoke from the right. This dummy followed John, who was smart and went to the right, where he was supposed to go. I went to the left, where I wasn't supposed to go. I noticed these eyeballs in the front row just going around and around. And some guy stepped behind me after I gave my 1-minute speech and said: ``So you are going to start this fast demonstrating what a liberal guy you are?'' It was one of those voices that came over the back of my shoulder, just kind of like something hanging over my head. I turned around and looked, and this other guy--his name was Tom Latham--came up to me and said ``Don't pay any attention to that,'' and then he went on about his business. I asked somebody later that day: What did that guy mean by that? He said: Well, the problem is, you got labeled when you got elected. I said: What do you mean? He said: Well, you got elected in a Republican district, but you said nice things about Democrats. I said: Is that wrong to do? He said: Well, we were trying to get some way to get Boehner not to appoint you to any committee. We heard you helped write No Child Left Behind. That was how I started out in the House of Representatives. I was a Republican in a majority Democratic House who was unwanted because I was not--in fact, Newt lost--some of you know this; I see a few faces over there--Newt lost that race by seven votes in the House. Seven Members said: We will not vote for Newt as Speaker. Tom knows this. Newt couldn't get reelected as Speaker, so he resigned. I didn't know he was going to do that. I was going to speak at the national realtors' conference in Disneyland at a convention. I got to the hotel that afternoon, and there were 72 phone messages for me. A guy came up and said: Boy, I hope nobody died at your house. That is a great way to arrive at a hotel. I said: Why is that? He said: You have 72 messages. I said: Well, let me see them. The first 71 were from my wife. I called her, and she said: Have you heard? I said: Heard what? She said: Newt quit. I said: Quit what? He quit as Speaker, and he quit as Member of the House, and everybody is calling on you to run. I said: What? Nothing computed. Very quickly I learned a lot about partisan politics. A lot of people wanted to have somebody take Newt's place. Newt's body wasn't even cold yet, and they were picking over it. They wanted to have a person who wasn't squeamish in a war like that. Anyway, to make a long story short, partisan politics was pretty rough in those days. It is a lot rougher now, but it was pretty rough back then. People voted not with their heads but with a hammer--not with their hearts, either. So I learned in an era where if you were a Republican, you were a Republican, and if you were a Democrat, you were a Democrat, and they didn't ever cross. Don't work with anybody. Don't make it easy. If you have the votes, use them. And we kept getting beaten or kept getting tricked all the time because the whole game plan over there was to have enough Republicans beat the Democrats or vice versa. That is what everybody would try to do, and I thought that was stupid, but I didn't say that. Four hundred and thirty-five is a lot of people, so you don't want to get run over. A few weeks down the line, I made a speech on the floor of the House about something very important to me and my State. It was a problem we had in the State where our State was divided, rural and urban--not Republican and Democrat but rural and urban. Because Republicans were pretty much rural back then and urban people were Democrats in the suburbs, at that time, it got divided politically anyway even though it was an economic issue, an ag issue, a shipping issue, and things like that. They divided up over parties, so by the time the issue got to the floor on some kind of compromise vote, we couldn't pass anything. We couldn't pass a kidney stone, much less anything else, because we couldn't get anybody to agree on anything. We had the parties cross each other and everybody else. So I decided then, if I am going to be in this thing, at that age--I was about 60, I guess--I am not going to spend the rest of my life down here arguing about silly and stupid things. And there were some silly and stupid things said over there. I am not going to say who was saying them, but you know who they were. They were from both parties. It was bipartisan. That was the first bipartisan thing I saw--the stupid statements. To make a long story short, we had some real battles, but finally I decided that I was going to be an example of what we really need to be like. I tried to find every way I could to be bipartisan, which to me meant that I did what I thought was right. I think that is the way to do it. Mark Twain said: When confronted with a difficult decision, do what is right. You will surprise a few, but you will amaze the rest. I tried to start amazing everybody. I voted for some things. They would send somebody over to see me from the whip side. They would say: What did you do? Did you get confused? No, I didn't get confused. Finally, they realized they had somebody they could deal with, which is the good part of bipartisanship. The first time the partisan people figure they have somebody they can deal with, they come deal with you. The next thing you know, you are sitting at a table with the guys who were making fun of you, and they are not. That is the way you go with bipartisanship. That is the way I did it on my own, going through 6 years in the House of Representatives and 15 years in the U.S. Senate, trying to find that little thing that could bring two people together, notwithstanding what party they were in. I never look at the party first. That is the last thing I look at. Chuck Schumer said some nice things today. One of the nicest things he said was that he liked the kindness part of it. He said I was a kind person. My wife might differ with that, and some other people might differ with that. I try to be a kind person. I try to be someone who somebody would like to sit down with because you can't get a problem solved if you can't sit down across the table from somebody you have a problem with. You can then build everything that way. I hope this Senate and this Congress--all of us--in the years ahead-- we have some big problems. Let's start having a main goal personally that we are going to do everything we can to be a part of the solutions and the decisions that are going to have to be made. If you don't want to do it, don't do it, but you are going to find out, if you figure it out, that if you try to do it, others watch you do it, and you start making decisions and solving problems, you are going to be more popular than the other people. This is not a popularity contest. Governing is not a popularity contest. This is a will of minds. Bipartisanship is a state of being. It is a state of mind. There are people in the U.S. Senate whom I work with and I love working with every day--I am looking at some of them right here in the eye. They have an attitude that I like. I know I can go sit down and talk to them. If they say no, I will take it, and I will not stick my tongue out at them or call them bad names or anything else, but they know I will be there tomorrow to ask them to do something for me. The best way to get somebody to do something for you, when you hadn't done something for them the day before, is, well, maybe if I help them out, I will get some help on my side. It is a quid pro quo--well, that is a bad term. I am glad I remembered that joke. But those are the types of things you have to do, even in levelling the playing field. My words to you today are these: When you are fortunate enough to see a John Lewis from Georgia, or someone like him, step out of his comfort zone and do what he thinks is right, and somebody tells you ``He is wrong; don't do that,'' judge your conscience and your heart, not some TV commentators or somebody who is loyal to hate. We still have some people in the United States of America who will play the hate card. We have some politicians who will dance around the issue of hate. They will not use the buzz words, but they will get awful close to it. They did it in Charlottesville. I have had people in the basement of my house from law enforcement from time to time because the issues get pretty tough, whether it is college scholarship admissions or whatever it may be. We have to stand up to the evils of society today. If we don't do it, nobody will. I decided I was going to tell you what I really believe, and that is, America, we have a problem, just like Apollo had. Our problem is we are not going to repeat ourselves. We are not going to exist much longer. We live in the greatest country on the face of this Earth. There is not anybody any better than the United States of America. Everybody is trying to break in. Nobody is trying to break out. We are always passing laws, not because they are breaking out; they are all trying to break in. Why? Because it is the safest, happiest, richest place in the world. We have the best people to protect that wealth and that happiness. We have enough people go in the military on a voluntary basis. Less than 1 percent of our population serves in the military. It makes us the strongest defender of freedom and opportunity in the world. If we ever lose that--if we ever lose the club or the two-by-four that the mule gets used to, we are going to lose our coverage of ethics, standby support, and all the other things we love and things we do. We are that close. I see things happening--which I am asked about by people--that scare me. I have heard some people I know say some things that terrify me. We are better than the hate and the vile statements that some people make. We have to do better than that. We have to talk not over them or under them, but we have to talk to them. We have to sit down and say: Why did you say that? What is your problem? If we have a problem, let's get it out in the open and talk about it. This is the best country in the world. The strongest country in the world cannot succumb to crushing itself inwardly if we look the other way in the challenges of life. The challenges of life today are America's changing. It is changing for lots of reasons. There are a lot of people who are big internet people and all that, and they have all the solutions. I think the solution is right here. It is in their heart. I am telling you from my heart that after 45 years in elected office, raising three children and eight grandchildren--and my kids have done a great job of raising them, living in a great community and working, attending a great church, and doing the things I have done--I see some of it slipping away. Churches don't have the memberships they used to have, and it is significant. School curriculum is getting a whole lot tougher than it used to be. I was chairman of the board of education for the State for a few years. A lot of the traditional things we all love and believe in, like God and country, like school curriculum, religion, Sunday school, and things like that--they have their challenges. I am going to roll up my sleeves and do whatever I can with the life I have left. I said I am going to leave on December 31, but it is not because I am leaving you. I am not leaving you. I am going to be with you a lot longer than I thought I would because of what I am doing. I want to be here for you, and I want to be here when that bell rings to say: America, we don't have a problem anymore. We solved it. You helped us do it through our tax policies, through our Federal policies, through our education policies, and how we treat people. We helped you do it. Let's not get back in that shape again. We have the people and the spirit of John Lewis and other people I know in this room who are willing to do it. Some think this is all just a bunch of Sunday school folly that somebody who is leaving believes in. Don't believe that. I will be back to make a speech again sometime and give you a progress report. We need some progress. Now, the last thing I want to talk about--the best thing--the example to me of what bipartisanship means is a picture taken of John Lewis and me last week. Bipartisanship doesn't mean one is Black and one is White--could be one Black and one White, could be. But John is Black and I am White, and we are different about other things. When John and I were addressing the House at a tribute to me, unfortunately for everybody else, I liked it. We had a great time. When John's time to speak came, he made a beautiful speech too. It was very meaningful to me because we know what the buzz words were. We know what we said to make it sound like we were really liberal or positive. We knew we really weren't. John knew. John knew who deserved cover and who didn't, which takes as much guts as somebody who knows what is right and what is wrong. So John made this beautiful speech, and I said: You know, this is my time to pay John back. All these years he has helped me out with so many things I have done. I went to his 75th birthday because I am 75, and I wanted to see what I was going to look like. I looked in the mirror, and I didn't look like me. John and I turned out to be really good friends. I went to John and said: John, I thank you for that speech. That was the best I ever heard. I opened my arms and hugged him, not for show and not for display and not for any purpose except to hug him because I love him. I know what he has done for me and this country, as well as so many other things. But John hugged me, and it got pretty long there for a minute, and that didn't bother me. But the TV people went crazy, so the best picture you could have seen last week among the popular pictures in magazines and the like was John hugging me on the floor of the House. Tom Graves and all the others from the Georgia delegation are here. I am sorry I haven't called out everybody's name; I haven't been able to see everybody. But they all came up and said: Thank you for doing that. I hope everybody back in Georgia sees that. I said: That is what you are going to tell them. Here in the Senate at a luncheon next Tuesday, we all need to be seen doing the things they don't expect us to do. We are doing what is right for a change, and I just want them to feel good. Politics doesn't need to be a feel-good business anymore. It needs to be a do-the-right-thing business. I tell you, I am big on bipartisanship. Whether you are Black or White, Republican or Democrat, whatever it might be, find a way to find common ground. Give it a chance to work, and if it doesn't, be a future friend. That is my slogan. When I started my business and people wouldn't buy a house from me, I would shake their hand and say: Thank you for looking for me, and when you buy your next one, call me, and I will do a better job because all I have are customers and future customers. I addressed everybody as a future customer, and I got some. When I got into politics and I started asking people to vote for me, I said: All I have out there in Georgia are friends and future friends. So when we walked away from a Republican meeting somewhere and somebody had given me their right hand in the face and said, ``We are not going to vote for you,'' I said, ``I tell you what. I will give you another chance in 2 years so we can be a future friend, not less of a friend.'' Friends and future friends are what it is all about. If you find anybody in business who helps you make it through life, you will make it through life and be treated that way. Life is a win-win proposition if you do it good. It is not a win-lose proposition. It is win-win. But you have to demand it, whichever side of the transition you are on. So on a day in which I have had more nice things said about me than I deserve, it has brought clarity to me. I am going to tell you how much this place really means. I am the happiest guy who could ever be. I am happy because I haven't cried yet. I am more happy because of all of you. I think you know what I am talking about. We can do it. We can do anything. We may be called liberal and may be called a RINO and may be called whatever it is. Let's solve the problem, and then see what happens. Most people who call people names and point fingers are people who don't have a solution themselves but just want to make damn sure you don't solve it. We have to start doing that, and then bipartisanship will become a way you accomplish things, a way you live, a state of being. It will be the end of a bad time and the beginning of a new one, and I want to live long enough to see both. God bless all of you, and thank you for your support and your friendship. It means more to me than I can ever tell you. I will always be there for you, whether it is buying dinner, going to church, or just listening to one of your speeches when I don't have anything else to do. God bless all of you. (Applause, Senators rising.)

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to address the Senate.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Reserving the right to object, I want to say to my committee member how much I appreciate his dedicated work. In the committee, we work on a lot of things, including the diseases in here, getting presumptive conclusions done so we can cover as much as possible, but medicine is not exact. Diseases are not exact. Circumstances are not exact. When you make a decision to include a benefit for our veterans, you are making a commitment to spend that money from the taxpayers of the United States of America. In the committee--and the Senator is part of it, and he knows this because I helped him a lot--we just approved blue water Navy funds, which is going to be one of the largest increases in the history of benefits going to our veterans. We are circumventing into that some of the due diligence--which you really ought to do before you make a presumption of the diseases caused in all cases. I am an alumni of the Georgia Air National Guard and a veteran. I am chairman of the committee. I think the world of the Senator from Ohio. What he is trying to do is great and right, just as he wanted to lead us to help get us where we got to on the blue water Navy funds, but I object to this motion as one who would benefit because I have Parkinson's. I went into service during the 1960s, during a year that would be considered the Vietnam era. I didn't serve in Vietnam, but I served in that era, so I would have consideration if I got Parkinson's disease--which I have Parkinson's. Then they can use that as a conclusion to find out if it was presumptively caused or not by the exposure I had. I am just telling you as one who, if I wanted to, could take a benefit from this end run. I am not going to do it because I think it is time, as chairman of the committee--that it is time we make sure that every benefit we promise veterans, that we have the money to do it so we don't spend too much money on other benefits and leave ourselves short for theirs. I object to the motion.

Mr. ISAKSON. I object.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, today I would like to remember in the Record former U.S. Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina. Senator Hagan and I served together on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where she served both North Carolina and the United States well during her years in the Senate. We also worked together closely on housing issues affecting Americans as a result of the 2008 economic downturn and housing crisis. Kay and I served as Senate coleaders of the annual Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to historic sites of the civil rights movement in Alabama in 2013. I was honored to have her by my side along with U.S. Representative John Lewis of Georgia during this moving event, which culminated with an emotional crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where Congressman Lewis was beaten during the 1965 march he led there. Upon return, Senator Hagan wrote about the moment Montgomery chief of police Kevin Murphy personally apologized to Congressman Lewis on behalf of the Montgomery Police Department for the department's failure to protect the Freedom Riders while removing his police badge and presenting it to Congressman Lewis. She shared how this experience served as an emotional reminder to her of the oath she took to protect and serve the people of North Carolina. That was how Kay worked. That trip, along with our legislative efforts together in Washington, cemented the high respect I have had for her and her work on many issues affecting the Southeast. I honor of Kay Hagan, I was proud to cosponsor a Senate resolution saluting her life and service. I also hope she would have appreciated our vote to advance the Kay Hagan Tick Act in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. My older sister died at a very young age from the fatal results of a tick bite, and it was tragic to see Senator Hagan succumb to complications of the tickborne Powassan virus. This legislation was named for her to improve research, prevention, diagnostics and treatment for tick-borne diseases. I appreciate her service to the country, and my prayers are with Chip, her family and all those who loved her. Her legacy will live on.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today, I rise to pay tribute to Jennifer Evans, the president of Leadership Georgia for 2019. Leadership Georgia is one of the Nation's oldest and most successful State leadership training programs. Leadership Georgia serves primarily young business, civic, community leaders who have the desire and potential to work together for a better Georgia. The idea for a statewide leadership development program was first proposed in 1971 during an informal conversation between several key business leaders at a Georgia Chamber of Commerce meeting. This inspired group included Pat Patillo, then-president of the Georgia Chamber; business leader Jim Lientz, Sr.; Rogers Wade of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation; and community visionary J.W. Fanning, who would eventually serve as the program's longtime advisor and guiding hand. The first class of Leadership Georgia started in 1972 and included aspiring leaders from across the State. Future U.S. Senator Sam Nunn was a member of the inaugural class who, at the time, was a young lawyer from Perry, GA. The story goes that Nunn was inspired to run for the Senate shortly after attending his first Leadership Georgia Program. I am also a proud alumnus of the organization, as is my former colleague, Saxby Chambliss. Beyond its founding, Leadership Georgia leads the way in many areas. Thanks to J.W. Fanning's active wife Cora Lee, Leadership Georgia has always stressed partner and spousal participation. Another key focus of Leadership Georgia is diversity among its members. The highly competitive selection process includes participants from every comer of the State and seeks out those from different occupations, genders, cultures, and races. The philosophy behind this diversity goal is that each Leadership Georgia class of 120-plus participants connects on a deeply personal level that highlights different perspectives while learning how to work together as one united force for Georgia's best future. As president of Leadership Georgia for 2019, Jennifer Evans was responsible for selecting the five locations where the Leadership Georgia class have spent their time together. To showcase the ``Georgia United'' theme she chose, Jennifer selected the Georgia communities of Young Harris and its Brasstown Resort in the North Georgia mountains; Albany, which has been resilient in the face of recent natural disasters; Gainesville, the poultry capital of the world; and Perry, home to the Georgia National Fairgrounds. This year, Jennifer also set aside one of these programs to visit us here in Washington, DC, to allow these emerging leaders to interact with their elected and appointed officials to deliver the message of ``United We Can'' and encourage us to find common ground for the betterment of our State and Nation. That is a message I think all of us need to hear on a regular basis. Both members of Leadership Georgia's Class of 2011, Jennifer and her husband Lee, have dedicated countless hours of time to Leadership Georgia to ensure the organization maintains its sterling reputation in our State. They served as program chairs for the Leadership Georgia Class of 2012 and planned and executed a successful program weekend in Savannah, GA. Jennifer then served on the board of trustees from 2013 through 2015, where she helped select class members for those years, and she was asked to rejoin the board of trustees and serve as the vice president of the organization in 2018. She is currently serving as president and next year will assume the role of chair of the board of trustees. In addition to their volunteer work for Leadership Georgia, Jennifer and Lee both have busy lives and full-time jobs in Vidalia, GA. Jennifer is director of transportation for Dot Foods, and Lee just opened his first Barbaritos franchise. Their children, Rebecca, who is 14 years old, and Cham, who is 12, have practically grown up with Leadership Georgia and have been able to build lifelong friendships with kids from across our great State through the extended Leadership Georgia family. It gives me hope for the future that folks like Jennifer and Lee Evans are in each of our States and communities focused on nurturing and developing future leaders, working to overcome differences, and focusing on bettering communities for so many. I want to congratulate Jennifer, current board chair Matt Bishop, the entire volunteer Leadership Georgia Board of Trustees, and the program chair team assembled by Jennifer and Lee on delivering a fantastic year for the 2019 class of Leadership Georgia.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, today, I am honored to recognize in the Record Mrs. Jeri Barr of Marietta, GA, who announced earlier this year that she would step down from the Center for Family Resources and whose service to the community will soon be celebrated at a special event in her honor. The Center for Family Resources provides service to families and individuals who are homeless or who are in danger of becoming homeless. Through short-term housing, job-hunting help, food assistance, and other services, the organization accomplishes much for the community. Jeri Barr has been at the helm of the Center for Family Resources in Cobb County, GA, for 35 years. Cobb is my home county, and I have been glad to watch this organization grow under her leadership. When Jeri took over in 1984, the organization had a staff of 11 and a budget of $350,000. Today, the Center for Family Resources owns and operates the Mansour Center, a $10 million, 60,000-square-foot facility that offers space to other nonprofits and conference space for the public, allowing for additional revenue to benefit the center's mission. Now, there are 25 staff members, and the organization's budget is nearly $3.5 million. For many years, Jeri has given back to the community. She served the United Way, including as the director of their Volunteer Cobb service. She also led the East Cobb Newcomers Club, Cobb Christmas, Cobb County Rape Crisis Center, and Cobb County Community Council. Numerous other organizations have also benefitted from her work on their boards. Thanks to her leadership, each of these organizations has benefitted. While she will be missed by the staff and all those involved with the Center for Family Resources, I am confident that she has prepared the organization well for the future. As Jeri and her husband, former U.S. Representative Bob Barr, prepare for this next exciting chapter, I congratulate them and wish them much happiness enjoying their children and grandchildren.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today I would like to remember in the record a longtime member of the U.S. Military Academy West Point's admissions team, Ms. Joyce Adams. For the last 39 years, Joyce Adams has served with distinction as valued member of the West Point admissions family. From 1980 until 2002, Joyce Adams served as a candidate technician first in the mid- Atlantic region and later in the far West region. In this capacity, she assisted more than 60,000 candidates navigate the West Point application process. In 2002, Joyce was promoted to be congressional nominations specialist. In this position, she assisted all 541 congressional offices in navigating the nomination process. During her more than 17 years as the U.S. Military Academy nominations specialist, Joyce directly impacted more than 100,000 candidate nominations and earned the respect and admiration of candidates, parents, admissions officers, and Members of Congress. In addition to this work, Joyce also volunteered to serve as the candidate technician for all recruited athlete files. Thanks to her hard work and attention to detail, all of West Point's varsity athletic teams were positioned to compete at the highest level. I have it on the highest authority from West Point that Joyce's impact on the directorate of admissions, on the U.S. Military Academy West Point, and on the Nation will be felt for years to come. The candidates she assisted have risen to the highest levels of military and civilian leadership, and she will be missed.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, we have a second to certify our growth in the VA by nominating James Byrne and approving his appointment. We have all worked hard to see that the VA is responsive. We get good news in the papers, not bad news. We are helping our veterans get back to work. The VA is working. We have some problems, but we have a lot fewer than we used to have. A lot of that is because of James Byrne. He has been working already, and we need to make him permanent. Please help us to confirm James Byrne. I yield to the Senator from Montana, Mr. Tester.

Mr. ISAKSON. I yield the floor.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I rise for a moment to pay tribute to a great Georgian and his wife who this past Saturday in Athens, GA, before the University of Georgia football game, were honored by naming the field at the Sanford Stadium, Dooley Field. Vince Dooley coached Georgia to a national championship in 1980 and coached Herschel Walker, probably the most famous running back in the history of football. He was also a great contributor to the university, contributing millions of dollars himself, personally, to see that libraries were built. He wrote seven books, including a book on flowers, which is the one that all botanists around the world pay attention to, and he is an expert historian on the Civil War. He is just a great American. He went to Auburn, but he recovered and came to Georgia. He started coaching at Georgia and did better and better until he got us a national championship. This weekend, as our senior past athletic director and past coach, we named the field at Georgia after Vince Dooley for 25 years of outstanding service to the university and a lifetime of service to education. May God bless Vince Dooley, Barbara Dooley, and their family. Congratulations to the University of Georgia and congratulations to Vince. I yield back.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I commend my colleague from New York for his tireless work to ensure that the brave men and women who selflessly responded to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, receive the compensation and care they deserve. Out of respect for his work and their sacrifice I do not want to hold up the passage of this bill. However, I think it is also important that we remember the other Americans who have suffered and lost loved ones at the hands of foreign terrorists. In 1979, a group of Americans were taken hostage from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran. In 1981, after 444 days of torture, 52 of them were finally released. Years later, I had the opportunity to meet with several of these brave Americans who reside in my State. In 2015, I worked with my colleagues in this body to ensure that these victims, their families, and other victims of international terrorism were able to receive compensation through the creation of the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. Congress was clear that this fund was created specifically to help the Tehran hostages and other victims of state-sponsored terrorism who were not eligible to participate in other compensation funds. However, due to a misinterpretation of the statute, the fund has become overwhelmed. This year will mark the 40th anniversary of the Iran Hostage Crisis. Time is not on our side. People who have been waiting for decades are now dying without the compensation they were promised. Will Senator Schumer work with me and Chairman Graham to secure a solution to this problem in the next appropriate vehicle so that the Tehran hostages and other victims of state-sponsored terrorism can finally receive their due?

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today, I am honored to recognize in the Record Mr. Robert M. Williams, Jr., who recently retired after almost half a century as editor and publisher of the Blackshear Times in Blackshear, GA. While he may be a small-town newspaperman, Robert Williams is known throughout south Georgia and across much of our State because of his work ethic, his devotion to the printed word, and his dedication to the newspaper business and what it means to a community. For more than 48 years, Robert has worked to be accurate, fair, and to provide his readers with the news that affects them and the community they all cherish. He has personally written more than 2,000 columns during his career. It is worth mentioning that the newspaper's motto, printed at the top of the front page of the printed publication and online, is one Robert has also claimed as his own: ``Liked by Many, Cussed by Some, Read by Them All.'' With the weekly newspaper also turning 150 years this year under Robert's leadership, both have long been widely read. At Just 20 years old, Robert began his career at the Blackshear Times after coming down to the community from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. He was brought in by two legendary Georgians themselves, Roy Chalker, Sr., and Wilkes Williams of Waynesboro, to turn their investment around. Turn it around he did, settling well into the community at the same time. A short 5 years later, Robert purchased the Blackshear Times. Under Robert's leadership during the last 48 years, the newspaper has won hundreds of awards in a variety of categories. Robert and his wife Cheryl have both loyally and successfully served not only this publication, but the newspaper industry as a whole. The Blackshear Times is one of five newspapers that Robert and Cheryl have owned as part of their SouthFire Newspapers organization, which also includes the Alma Times, the Charlton County Herald, the Telfair Enterprise, and the Monroe County Reporter in Georgia. Robert and Cheryl have both served as president of the Georgia Press Association, our State's newspaper industry advocacy organization. Robert was also president of the 2,300-member National Newspaper Association in 2014, serving nationally as the voice of small-town newspapers. Locally, Robert Williams served two terms on the Blackshear City Council and served as executive director of both the Pierce County Industrial Development Authority and the Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. Robert is also a graduate of the Leadership Georgia program, an organization we both hold dear and that has guided our service to the State. Robert has found countless ways to give back. Whether it was as a member of the Georgia Agriculture Exposition Authority that governs the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry or the local college foundation board, Robert and Cheryl have made an impact well beyond Blackshear both professionally and personally. Last week, Robert announced the sale of the Blackshear Times, bidding farewell after one of the longest editorial tenures in Georgia. With his final column as editor and publisher, Robert was incredibly gracious, thanking his colleagues, employees, mentors, and the fine bankers who gave him those first loans. I speak for all Georgians when I say thank you to Robert and Cheryl for the difference you have made in our State. I count myself lucky to call you a friend, and Dianne and I wish you both the very best as you plan your future.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, today, I am honored to recognize in the Record the life of James A. 'Bud'' Cody, who selflessly served Georgians for decades and recently passed away in Ocean Springs, MS. Bud Cody was born in Willachoochee, GA., on November 27, 1938. From an early age, he loved being active, finding friends, and making a difference. He played on the legendary Valdosta High School football team under his mentor, Coach Wright Bazemore. He was part of the State winning 4x4 track relay team. Bud started his career at a young age, working full time at the Boys Club in Valdosta, GA, at the age of 18. He attended college at night over the next several years while helping his wife care for their children. After graduating and establishing Boys Club facilities from Louisiana to Texas, Bud was hired by the Georgia Sheriffs' Association as their first executive director and returned home to Georgia in 1966. His career with the sheriffs' association also included his becoming director of the Georgia Sheriffs' Youth Homes located at the Boys Ranch in Hahira, GA. Bud continued to serve in these roles for the next 46 years. As executive director, he also assumed control of the Sheriffs' Retirement Fund of Georgia, leading the organization's assets from $9 million in 1982 to more than $97 million to take care of Georgia's retired sheriffs. Bud retired in September 2012 with many lasting accomplishments thanks to his principled leadership and values. He expanded the Georgia Sheriffs' Youth Homes to provide a safe haven and education opportunities for thousands of Georgia's abused, abandoned, and neglected children. He also led the initiative to establish the Georgia Sheriffs' Youth Homes Foundation, which provides ongoing funds for its youth homes. Our public safety officers also have Bud to thank for the excellent training they receive to help keep them safe while protecting Georgians. Bud believed that every officer should receive the best training possible, so he helped found the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, GA, working with State leaders, criminal justice practitioners, and sheriffs to establish a world-class public safety training facility that trains more than 2,000 students daily. Over the course of his career, nine Georgia Governors routinely sought his advice and counsel. Bud's reach went beyond Georgia, too. He helped establish the National Sheriff's Association Committee of Presidents and Executive Directors in 1980 to ensure the office of sheriff had a professional code and standards. Bud joined his friend and business partner Claude Grizzard to form the company CFR. In all, they provided assistance to more than 30 States from New York to Texas to California, raising tens of millions of dollars for the purpose of helping officers and youth homes nationwide. If you ever see a car tag from a State sheriff's association, this is thanks to the efforts of Bud and Claude. Bud was beloved by his family. He was preceded in life by his father, Homer Cody, mother, Mellie Cody, and daughter, Celena Cody, and survived by his children, James A. ``Buddy'' Cody, Jr., Derek Marchman, daughter-in-law Kel Marchman, Camille Hormell, son-in-law Rodger Hormell, and Amy Asbell. His grandchildren include Wesley Leverett, Sara Cody, Laura Cody, Bryan Cronan, Austin Hormell, Quaid Hormell, Cody Kitchens, Seth Kitchens, Sara Marchman, Jamie Cody, Maggie Cody, and Wyatt Asbell. Great-grandchildren include Abigail Kitchens, Maddox Kitchens, Lucas Kitchens, and Grayson Kitchens. Most fittingly, a public memorial will be held at the Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, GA, on July 13 before his ashes are spread by his family on his beloved St. Simons Island. As we remember the life and work of Bud Cody, we send prayers to his family and all those whose lives were touched by his mission.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today I wish to honor BG Douglas Anderson, who has distinguished himself during his more than 37 years of service to the U.S. Army and this Nation. Throughout the duration of his career, Brigadier General Anderson has served in positions of increased responsibility and trust, culminating as the commanding general of the 9th Mission Support Command at Fort Shafter, HI. As the commanding general of the 9th Mission Support Command in the Pacific, Brigadier General Anderson has commanded the missions of 31 diverse units, encompassing more than 3,400 soldiers and civilians in three countries, five States and Territories, and crossing seven time zones. In this role, he rapidly increased the organization's readiness level to the highest levels the organization had seen in decades. During his tenure, Brigadier General Anderson served in leadership, staff, and command assignments in light, ranger, airborne, and mechanized infantry units; commanded a Logistics Support Battalion; was the senior adviser to an Infantry Brigade of the Iraqi Army; the division director of human resources; commanded a personnel services brigade; was the director of the 80th Training; Command Operations/ Planning/Training; commanded the 97th Training Brigade; commanded the Great Lakes Training Division; served as the deputy commanding general for the 63rd Regional Support Command; and was the director of the Army Reserve Engagement Cell, and deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Army Pacific. He has also served in numerous joint and overseas deployments and assignments in Iraq and Republic of Korea. Brigadier General Anderson was commissioned in May 1988 as a distinguished military graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Washington State University. He is a graduate of numerous military courses, including Infantry Officer Basic Course, Armor Officer Advanced Course, Engineer Officer Advanced Course (Tactics), U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, U.S. Army War College, Advanced Joint Professional Military Education Course, Canadian Security Studies Program, and United Nations Senior Mission Leader's Course. He is an Army joint planner and joint qualified officer. Brigadier General Anderson holds a bachelor's degree in political science and public administration, a master's degree in human resources management, and a master's degree in strategic studies. Brigadier General Anderson's leadership provided direct and tangible benefits to the Army, government and contracted civilians, citizen soldiers, and their family members. His outstanding service and contributions, coupled with a tireless devotion to duty, a strong love for this country and the soldiers and civilians who protect it, will have an enduring impact. Brigadier General Anderson is married and has three children. He calls Atlanta, GA, home. Our Nation thanks him and his family for their dedicated service.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, just for the record, a staff sergeant just addressed a lieutenant colonel. She is beautiful, and she is also very smart. I am glad to be in the military with her. I am glad to have served our country and proud of the service she has given our country and the service she gives to the U.S. Senate and the great State of Iowa. As chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have had a great experience the last few years pretty much lined up with what Senator Ernst said. When we got here 4 years ago in the Senate and took this committee, the VA was a mess. Veterans services were not being met. There was story after story after story of veterans not getting appointments kept, the wrong tooth being pulled, the wrong leg being set, the wrong disease being treated. Lots of hospitals had sanitation problems. There were just a whole lot of things, and I said ``What have I gotten myself into?'' because I came here to go on the committee and try to help our veterans get better healthcare. Instead, I thought I was presiding over the end of healthcare. So we all set our minds--Senator Ernst and I, Senator Perdue in the Chair now, and Mr. Scott from the great State of Florida--all of us rallied and said: We are going to make this right. We are going to go on a mission. Our mission is to make the VA work and make it work for our veterans. We are not going to take no for an answer. On the 6th day of June, a week and a half ago, we all celebrated the 75th anniversary of D-day. But it was the first anniversary of a renewed VA--a VA on a mission. I am proud to tell you now that on the first anniversary of the VA MISSION Act, which passed last year, we have fewer complaints, more compliments, better reserve, and better outcomes. We are working toward seeing to it that we have the best possible healthcare we can have for our veterans. I am glad to join Senator Ernst and the other Senators who will speak about the promises of the VA system now being met for those who have sacrificed and risked their lives for us, being sure they are given the healthcare they want. We are doing it by applying the right types of principles and the right type of can-do attitude. Care in the community, which is a major portion of the MISSION Act, was the most important part. Care in the community is basically all of the services we put together to make healthcare accessible to our veterans. We were having a problem with veterans getting appointments within 30 days of making the appointment. We were having trouble with veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA hospital or VA CBOC to get appointments in time in the system. We have had problems with certain rare diseases and difficult problems only from the types of warfare we are in today with IEDs and things like that to get the right doctors with the right veterans at the right time. Then, we had the problem of America being a country spread out all over the place, 48 contiguous States from Montana to Florida. A lot of doctors have to be utilized to get care to the veteran. It is the same thing with Hawaii, the same thing with Alaska. But we put the whole thing together in a care in the community package, which started during last year and now is in full swing, and I am proud to tell you--and I am sure I am going to regret saying this-- but we didn't have a complaint in the first week after the inception last year about the system failing to work. The access standards have been looked at and improved. We took the mistakes we made a year ago and put the answers in place, solutions in place. We did everything we could to make our mission a winner for the veterans, and we did. I am here today to join my other colleagues who are going to speak about the MISSION Act and about our veterans. We are very proud that we took the challenge to see to it that something we had promised them years ago--our vets--works and worked better for them, and we will continue to keep that pledge in the years to come. We owe no greater obligation than we do to those who served our country in the military. Our obligation is to see to it that what we promised them when they joined is what they get when they are in the veteran status. As long as I have the ability to serve in the U.S. Senate and as chairman of that committee, I will remain committed and remain on a mission to see to it that we make that a reality for all of our veterans. With that said, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I am delighted to join Senator Tester on the floor as ranking member of the Veterans' Committee, and he and I as chairman have worked together on many, many issues. And today, we are glad to come to the floor and tell the Senate how much we appreciate what they did last night in letting the unanimous consent motion pass to see to it that the blue water Navy legislation that we worked on for so many years became effective. I could take a long time explaining it, but basically it is very simple. Those who served in Vietnam and represented our country on the battlefields and at sea have been divided on the benefits they got for their service. Blue water Navy folks did not get service because it was not contemplated that they would have Agent Orange exposure by being on a ship, whereas our veterans who were on the ground got benefits because they were on the ground, and it was assumed that they did get exposure to Agent Orange. The fact of the matter is, sailors on the ships could have been exposed to Agent Orange. So the veterans on our ships were really as equal in their opportunity to have gotten exposed to Agent Orange, so they should be equally open to getting the benefit. Because of Senator Tester's work, the testament and work of every member, the committee--I can't name anybody who didn't work on it at one time or another. Some negative, some positively--but all positive in the end because we were unanimous. We passed blue water Navy and put to bed issues that affected our veterans for a number of years. I just want to thank Senator Tester immensely for his efforts, particularly in the end of last year we had a real battle to get it passed. We thought we had it passed, but we didn't at the last minute. It ended up in court and finally got a judge to rule our way and the veterans' way, and yesterday the Senate--by unanimously adopting the House bill which passed a month ago, the Blue Water Navy benefits are now available. So I want to thank Senator Tester, Senator Blumenthal on the other side, Senator Murray just did a great job. On our side, Senator Boozman did a great job. The ranking member on our side who is sitting next to me, Senator Moran, did a great job. Importantly, I want to talk about the staff for just a minute. Adam Reece is our new executive director of my staff. He has just done a great job to get this through. From my staff, Amanda Maddox has worked hard to make it happen. Annabell McWherter, Jillian Workman, and Pat McGuigan did extraordinary work to see to it we got this done at the last minute and got it through. So, on behalf of all the staff--for all the staff, minority and majority--on behalf of our veterans who risked their lives every day and a day or two after D-day when I happened to be with the President at Normandy to see the reenactment of that jump, it warms my heart to know that the Senate today is memorializing benefits that were intended a long time ago to go to those veterans who now will get it. I thank everybody who worked on it, and I am encouraged by the positive vote. I yield the floor.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, it is said that the quickest route to a man's heart is through his stomach. I tried to prove that today at lunch when I supplied barbecue for all the Members of the Senate, Republican and Democratic. For the 11th year in a row, I have done that, and I have done it for a very specific reason. Tonight, when you listen to the news on ABC or NBC or you read the newspaper, they will talk about a do-nothing Congress, and they will talk about how we never do anything and we don't get along and how we don't work, when, in fact, I know, because I have been here a long time, we work pretty hard. Now, we have a difficult time getting results sometimes, but that is because the issues are tough. When you feed a man barbecue, and you have a tough issue to handle, you have a chance of getting it done, and tonight we did that. All but three Members of the Senate were there, stayed the whole time, and the barbecue was outstanding. I want to pay tribute to the people from Marietta, GA, my hometown, who drove here for 2 nights and then cooked all night last night so the barbecue was absolutely fresh today when the Senate had it. Dale Thornton is here, and Dale and his wife Tracey have a catering business called the South 40 Smokehouse in Marietta, GA. If you have ever eaten good barbecue that has the best rub, the best smoke, best tenderness, best temperature, South 40 has it. They are fantastic. Dale has been a good friend of mine for a time and was here last year, here this year, and has been here many years before, and all I have had all day long is people coming by and saying: Is there anything I can do for you? So I want my constituents to know I wasn't wasting my time eating barbecue. I was gaining good points from my Members so if I need a vote I can get it. That is not any way of using influence, but it is a way of using barbecue. I want to thank Dale and his group, and I want to recognize all of them by name because I think they are listening at this time: Dale Thornton, who is the chief pitmaster; Tracey Thornton, who is his chief, I might add, but she is the chief and brains of the organization; Charles Wells, retired Fulton County Fire Department; Chief Todd Houghton, pitmaster and Air Force flight mechanic; Margaret Houghton; Brian Rule, pitmaster; Jay Tinney, pressmaster; Chuck Taylor, a 35-year chef; Jeff Carson, 20-year veteran chef; Kell Phelps, pitmaster; Janet Phelps; and Raylyn Phelps, the daughter. They drove up here from Marietta, GA, about 700 miles away, to prepare the best food you ever had to eat. Republicans and Democrats shared eating it all. We didn't have to do the dishes. So we ate all the food. We did it so we can take the last half of this year and work hard for the American people, and I hope a byproduct is our working together to find solutions for the American people's problems. After all, our job is not about who has the best food but who has the best ideas and what is right for the American people, and you can always find that when you are working together. I appreciate the time to recognize everybody from South 40. I thank South 40 for what they did. I thank you all for the barbecue. God bless all of you, and God bless the United States of America.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today I am proud to recognize in the Record the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs, OCLA, Christopher E. O'Connor, in honor of his upcoming retirement. Mr. O'Connor recently received the VA's Exceptional Service Award for his long record of service to our Nation's veterans. Mr. O'Connor has advised four VA Secretaries, four acting VA Secretaries, and their legislative teams as they have worked with Congress to make a stronger and more effective department for America's veterans. He has provided continuity in the Department's communication with Congress during the shift of executive administrations. Most recently, Mr. O'Connor worked with our committee on the VA MISSION Act, which is a major reform in veterans' healthcare. He also helped inform Members of Congress about the need to modernize the department's antiquated electronic health records system, and he played a key role as the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act made its way through Congress. Under his leadership, Mr. O'Connor and his team prepared VA's senior leaders to successfully participate in more than 400 congressional hearings. Their office also coordinated thousands of informational briefings to Members of Congress, committee staff, and personal staff that advanced VA's message and priorities. Upon his upcoming retirement, Mr. O'Connor leaves the Department with an important legacy. In 2017, Mr. O'Connor spearheaded the Congressional Fellowship Program, which places VA employees in a yearlong fellowship position in the office of a Member of Congress. Today, I am honored to pay tribute to Mr. O'Connor for his service to our country and his steadfast commitment to advocating on behalf of veterans throughout his career. Congratulations to Mr. O'Connor on his lasting legacy of advocacy for veterans, and I wish him the best in his retirement.