[Senate Document 111-7]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



 
TRIBUTES TO HON. MEL MARTINEZ


                                           

                                    Mel Martinez

                       U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA

                                TRIBUTES

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF

                           THE UNITED STATES



                                           
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Mel Martinez

                 




Courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office




                                      Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress

                                    Mel Martinez

                                United States Senator

                                      2005-2009

                                          a
                                           
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                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing
                                      CONTENTS
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Letter of Resignation.................................
                                                                     vi
             Farewell to the Senate................................
                                                                    vii
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
                                                                      5
                    Begich, Mark, of Alaska........................
                                                                     28
                    Brownback, Sam, of Kansas......................
                                                                      8
                    Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
                                                                     24
                    Chambliss, Saxby, of Georgia...................
                                                                     10
                    Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi..................
                                                                     23
                    Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
                                                                     17
                    Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
                                                                     22
                    Corker, Bob, of Tennessee......................
                                                                     13
                    Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
                                                                     27
                    Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
                                                                     20
                    Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
                                                                      4
                    Ensign, John, of Nevada........................
                                                                     29
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                     25
                    Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina.............
                                                                      7
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                     13
                    Inhofe, James M., of Oklahoma..................
                                                                     21
                    Kyl, Jon, of Arizona...........................
                                                                      3
                    Martinez, Mel, of Florida......................
                                                                     19
                    McCain, John, of Arizona.......................
                                                                     18
                    McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                     15
                    Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
                                                                     28
                    Nelson, Bill, of Florida.......................
                                                                      9
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                     19
                    Thune, John, of South Dakota...................
                                                                      6
                    Whitehouse, Sheldon, of Rhode Island...........
                                                                     21
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               Melquiades Rafael ``Mel'' Martinez was sworn in on 
             January 4, 2005, and made history as the first Cuban-
             American to serve in the U.S. Senate. He previously served 
             as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 
             Development under President George W. Bush.
               Mel Martinez has called Florida home since the age of 
             15, when he came to the United States from his native 
             Sagua la Grande, Cuba, as part of ``Operation Pedro Pan,'' 
             a humanitarian program that helped Cuban children escape 
             Communist Cuba. He lived with foster families who 
             generously opened their homes to him until he was reunited 
             with his family at age 19. This experience has had a 
             lasting effect on him, and instilled a strong sense of 
             community and the need to give back to this country.
               After earning undergraduate and law degrees from Florida 
             State University, he worked as a trial attorney in Orlando 
             for 25 years. Following a successful legal career, he was 
             elected mayor of Orange County. While in that role, he 
             instituted what has become known as the ``Martinez 
             Doctrine,'' which ensured that no new development could 
             take place until local schools were able to absorb the 
             rapid growth being experienced in Central Florida.
               As Senator, Mr. Martinez is committed to ensuring 
             Americans are provided with every opportunity to achieve 
             the American dream. Since 2005 he has been a leader on 
             many issues impacting Floridians by advocating for 
             veterans benefits, quality health care, and protections 
             for Florida's environment. Mel Martinez was a member of 
             the Senate Armed Services; Banking, Housing, and Urban 
             Affairs; and Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
             Committees. He also served as the ranking member of the 
             Senate Special Committee on Aging.
               Senator Martinez is a published author, an avid 
             outdoorsman, and sports enthusiast. He resides in Orlando 
             with his wife Kitty. They have three children and three 
             grandchildren.
                                Letter of Resignation
                            Wednesday, September 9, 2009

                                                    U.S. Senate,    
                                  Washington, DC, September 2, 2009.
             Hon. Joseph R. Biden, Jr.,
             President of the Senate,
             Washington, DC.
               Dear Mr. President: I hereby give notice that I will 
             retire from the Office of United States Senator for the 
             State of Florida. I, therefore, tender my resignation 
             effective at 5:00 p.m. on September 9, 2009.
                Sincerely,
                                                  Mel Martinez.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                            Wednesday, September 9, 2009

               Mr. MARTINEZ. I thank the Senator from Illinois for his 
             kindness and appreciate the opportunity to proceed with my 
             final speech on the floor of the Senate, which is a unique 
             moment in time for sure.
               The opportunity to serve in the Senate is really the 
             culmination of what has to be an unlikely journey from the 
             place of my birth in a small city in Cuba to having 
             journeyed to the United States and having had the 
             incredible opportunity to be in the Halls of the most 
             cherished institution of democracy anywhere in the world. 
             It has been, indeed, a privilege and an unlikely journey, 
             as I say.
               I am really very grateful to the people of Florida for 
             having given me the opportunity to represent them in the 
             Senate, and I think of my time in the Senate as a 
             culmination of my time in public service, the close of a 
             fulfilling chapter in my own version of the American 
             dream.
               Having lived through the onset of tyranny in one country 
             and played a part in the proud democratic traditions of 
             another, I leave here today with a tremendous sense of 
             gratitude for the opportunity to give back to the Nation I 
             love--the Nation not of my birth but the Nation of my 
             choice, which is a significant difference. It is a great 
             Nation with a proud tradition throughout its history of 
             welcoming immigrants to this country and, in addition to 
             welcoming, it has given us the opportunity to do great 
             things for all who are a part of this country.
               So that is why I consider serving my community, my 
             State, and our Nation for the past 12 years a great 
             privilege. It was a desire to give back, to make a 
             contribution to this Nation that propelled me to enter a 
             life of public service. As a mayor and Cabinet Secretary, 
             and as a Senator, preserving opportunities for others to 
             receive their own claim to the American dream has always 
             been a mission for me.
               I have worked during all phases of my public life with a 
             sincere desire to make a difference, and today I prepare 
             to return home knowing that I have done my best to advance 
             the things that make our Nation great, prosperous, and 
             free. We truly live in the greatest Nation in the history 
             of the world, and throughout my life in public service I 
             have been humbled to play a proud role in this democratic 
             history of our Nation. As mayor of Orange County, it was a 
             real pleasure and privilege to lead the community that had 
             done so much for me and for my family when we first 
             arrived in this country. Then to have the opportunity to 
             lead them as mayor was indeed a rare treat and a wonderful 
             opportunity. We carried out an aggressive agenda and tried 
             to do that which would better the lives of everybody who 
             lived in Orange County, and I am proud of some of the many 
             things we accomplished there.
               While I was mayor, I received a call from then-
             President-elect George W. Bush asking me to serve my 
             adopted Nation as the first Cuban-American to be on the 
             Cabinet of a President, which was, again, a rare privilege 
             and a wonderful opportunity. The call to serve as HUD 
             Secretary was unexpected and not only a source of pride 
             for me and my family but especially for the entirety of 
             the Cuban-American community. I will always be grateful to 
             President Bush for giving me such a historic opportunity.
               My time of serving on the Cabinet was punctuated by the 
             terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. These were 
             sobering events that turned the focus of the Nation from a 
             fairly carefree time dealing largely with domestic issues 
             to a focus on the reality of what had occurred in New York 
             and Pennsylvania and right here not far from this Capitol. 
             It was part of my job as HUD Secretary to work on the 
             reconstruction of lower Manhattan. That and a number of 
             other things were added as responsibilities for those of 
             us in the administration at that time. Forevermore I will 
             remember those days as having been a very significant part 
             of my life in public service.
               There is no question that it was a privilege to serve 
             the President, but there is no greater honor than to have 
             the people of Florida send me to Washington to represent 
             them as a Member of the Senate. Aside from the debates and 
             the speeches and all the work that goes into turning ideas 
             into law, one of the most rewarding experiences has been 
             helping Floridians resolve issues they have in their 
             everyday lives.
               In the short time I have been here, my office has 
             assisted more than 36,000 Florida families through 
             casework and written correspondence and countless other 
             efforts. We made tremendous progress on many of the issues 
             that face our State, including efforts to develop our 
             natural energy resources while protecting the environment, 
             seeking to modernize our military through increased 
             shipbuilding and ensuring we meet the Navy's goal of 
             strategic dispersal--very important to our country but 
             also to Florida--and working to protect our Nation's home 
             buyers from bad loans, bad investments, and predatory 
             lending practices.
               It has also been rewarding to know our work can often 
             impact the lives of those living outside our borders 
             fighting for freedom and those things which we hold dear. 
             I brought to my work a belief that it is always necessary 
             to provide a voice for those who are silenced for 
             attempting to advance the cause of freedom.
               Having lived under Cuba's repressive dictatorship, I 
             have always recognized the struggle of those who fight for 
             freedom. That has always been, and will continue to be, a 
             lifelong passion. I have taken every opportunity to 
             recognize those engaged in Cuba's peaceful civic struggle 
             for democratic change and those who stand up for their 
             human rights. There are names such as Dr. Oscar Elias 
             Biscet, Antunez, the Damas de Blanco--the ``Ladies in 
             White''--and also the victims of the Black Spring 
             government crackdowns. It is my fervent hope that one day 
             in the not too distant future the people in Cuba will live 
             in freedom with dignity and hope for a better tomorrow. 
             Freedom is their God-given right.
               Even though I will no longer hold public office, I will 
             devote myself to seeing the day when the people of Cuba 
             can live in freedom. The preservation of all freedoms, 
             whether they be in Cuba or around the world, call us to 
             stand up wherever and whenever it is threatened.
               One series of events will stand out in my mind as 
             evidence of the power of an individual. A constituent of 
             mine--a woman by the name of Cuc Foshee was falsely 
             imprisoned in Ho Chi Minh's prison while she was visiting 
             her family in Vietnam. This was a lady who fled Vietnam 
             and who lived in Florida. She went back to Vietnam for a 
             family wedding, and while she was there her views about 
             the government of Vietnam were clear and well known, so 
             she was, for no particular reason, thrown in jail in 
             Vietnam. When this matter came to my attention, she had 
             been in detention for over a year. She was denied any of 
             the basic rights that we understand and know. She had no 
             opportunity to have contact with home, and she had no real 
             hearing and no fair trial. Yet she was still in prison.
               One of the wonderful opportunities I have had in my time 
             here was to work for her release. It so happened that, 
             working with President Bush and then-Secretary of State 
             Rice, we had before the Senate the Vietnamese Free Trade 
             Agreement. President Bush was planning a visit to Vietnam 
             upon the completion of that agreement. So utilizing the 
             resources all of us have in the Senate to ensure the 
             consideration of that free-trade agreement was somehow 
             connected to the freedom of this innocent woman, I was 
             able to work with Secretary Rice, leading our State 
             Department at that time, as well as our President, to 
             ensure that Cuc Foshee was freed.
               I have never been more proud than the day we were able 
             to get a phone call that she was on her way to San 
             Francisco, and then had a wonderful reunion with her and 
             her family in Orlando, FL. It is something I will never 
             forget.
               We did also strive mightily in this body to seek a 
             solution to immigration reform, something I felt very 
             strongly about. And being the only immigrant in this body, 
             I believed I was dutybound to try to advance that cause. I 
             am proud to say our efforts for immigration reform gave me 
             the opportunity to work very closely with Senator Ted 
             Kennedy, whom we are also honoring today, with nearly a 
             half century of service in the Senate.
               I can recall reminiscing with him one day near his desk. 
             He came to the Senate in 1962. That was the same year I 
             came here from Cuba. It was also immediately after we had 
             a very serious confrontation involving Cuba--the Cuban 
             missile crisis. I remember discussing with him how his 
             family will be tied to that period of time, to the history 
             of Cuba, and how deeply that had touched my life as well. 
             In addition to the many opportunities to reminisce about 
             things such as that with him, I hold dear the opportunity 
             to have sat at a table and negotiated with him what I 
             thought would have been a very good immigration reform 
             package--a bill which I believed would be good for our 
             country and good for many people in our country.
               We didn't always agree. We didn't always have the same 
             point of view. But we always found a way to get along and 
             be very civil about our differences, and I admired greatly 
             his ability to put differences aside and his desire to 
             find consensus. What was most telling about working with 
             Senator Kennedy is that he was committed to reaching an 
             outcome. He wanted a solution, which then meant--and this 
             might be a lesson for current issues today--that he could 
             put aside the whole banana in order to get what he could.
               I believe in working with him and then some other 
             colleagues who have become such good and dear friends, 
             such as Senator Graham and Senator McCain and many others; 
             Senator Kyl, who made an effort to get this legislation 
             done--I must say I leave with a sense of regret that it is 
             not completed, but I do know that is an issue that will 
             have to be addressed at some point in the future.
               I would also quote from President Reagan on that issue. 
             He talked about the idea that America remains a beacon of 
             freedom to the world, when he spoke about the ``shining 
             city on the hill.''
               In his farewell address to our Nation, he touched on the 
             idea that the contributions of all individuals are what 
             make our Nation great. He said, ``If there had to be city 
             walls, the walls had doors, and the doors were open to 
             anyone with the will and the heart to get here.''
               I believe those words to be as true today as the day he 
             said them. I do hope, in the not too distant future, this 
             Congress will address itself to that very important issue.
               Whether it is immigration, budgets, or Supreme Court 
             Justices, I will also miss the debates. I thank my fellow 
             Senators for their collegiality and their friendship. I 
             know these friendships are going to be the hardest thing 
             to leave here--on both sides of the aisle. I must say I 
             have been very touched by the warm and gracious phone 
             calls and other expressions I have received from my 
             colleagues, as I say, on both sides of the aisle. It makes 
             me feel good about my relationship with all of you, and I 
             hope it will be a relationship that will continue.
               I wish to especially take a moment to thank Senator 
             McConnell, Senator Kyl, Senator Alexander, and the other 
             members of our leadership team for their kindness and 
             willingness to work with me and give me opportunities to 
             participate in our great debates. I also wish to thank 
             Senator Reid and Senator Durbin for their friendship and 
             their willingness to work with me as well.
               I have had a very special and close working relationship 
             with my colleague from Florida, Senator Bill Nelson. We 
             have known each other for a long time, long before we came 
             to the Senate. It has been a real privilege and pleasure 
             to work with him. We worked together well enough to give 
             Florida an excellent team here, and I am pleased to not 
             only have had this fine working relationship with him but 
             also that our staffs have worked together well. I thank 
             his chief of staff, Pete Mitchell, and others in his 
             office for the wonderful way in which they worked with us.
               All of you have extended great kindness to Kitty and to 
             me. I hope we will have an opportunity to see you in 
             Florida, where we will continue to make our home. I wish 
             to especially recognize some people on my staff who have 
             made my office run well. As all of you know, we rely on 
             these folks to make us look good at times and always be 
             dedicated to us. My State director has been Kevin Doyle, 
             who has done a magnificent job; senior director Kate Bush; 
             my communications director, Ken Lundberg; legislative 
             director, Michael Zehr; my executive assistant, Terry 
             Couch, who has been bouncing with me from mayor to 
             Secretary to Senator, and I daresay may even continue to 
             hang around with me in some way; my chief of staff and 
             longtime friend Tom Weinberg, I thank him especially. He 
             worked with me as county administrator and then came to 
             join me here.
               There are a few folks who were on my staff initially but 
             have now moved on: my first chief of staff, John Little; 
             Kerry Feehery; and my former State director, Matthew 
             Hunter, were also very important in my work, and I 
             appreciate them very much.
               I have to say one of the most singular honors I have had 
             in my service has been to work with the men and women who 
             serve in our Armed Forces and to get to know them--whether 
             it is people in leadership such as General Petraeus, who 
             now is a Floridian in the Central Command in Tampa, or 
             some Floridians serving in the National Guard, having 
             lunch with them in Kabul or Baghdad or other places and 
             here in Washington or around the world. They are an 
             amazing group of people. They have my respect and my deep-
             felt gratitude for the work they do as they serve our 
             Nation in foreign, distant places--and their families who, 
             with them, are part of serving as well.
               While saying thank yous, I also would like to say a 
             thank you to my wife Kitty, who has been a wonderful 
             partner and friend in my life of public service, as she 
             has been in all phases of my life. I promise you, if it 
             were not for Kitty, I would not have done half of what I 
             have done in life so I am eternally grateful to the good 
             Lord for the blessing of having a wonderful life 
             companion.
               I wish to tell you all that in George LeMieux you will 
             have a very fine person. I hope you will give him the same 
             warm welcome you gave to me and will be willing to work 
             with him. I think he will serve the people of Florida 
             well. I wish to extend a warm welcome to George LeMieux as 
             he joins this wonderful body.
               I am humbled by the trust the people in Florida placed 
             in me. It has not been easy to make a decision to move on, 
             but it is a decision I have made and I do it with a heavy 
             heart.
               I also particularly wish to address the Cuban-American 
             community throughout our country but especially in 
             Florida, who have had such great pride in me, who have put 
             so much of their faith and hopes in my public life. I 
             simply wish to say to them: me hicieron suyos y creyeron 
             en mi. Compartimos el orgullo en lo que somos y lo que 
             hemos logrado. Su apoyo entusiasta ha tocado mi corazon, y 
             atesorare estas memorias para siempre, which means simply 
             that I am appreciative of the pride we share together and 
             what we have accomplished. Your enthusiastic support has 
             touched my heart and I will always carry that with me.
               My time of service is only a fraction of the nearly two-
             and-a-half centuries that have passed since our Founders 
             charted our course as a free people, but the opportunity 
             for someone such as me to serve speaks volumes about the 
             promise they made and one our Nation continues to keep, 
             even to this day.
               I wish to close with a quote from Jose Marti, a Cuban 
             patriot, a hero of mine and to all those who strive to 
             further the cause of freedom. He said: ``Liberty is the 
             essence of life. Whatever is done without it is 
             imperfect.'' With that, I think I have tried to enjoy the 
             fruits of this liberty that this country has to offer, but 
             I have also tried to extend it to others in every way that 
             I could. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to 
             have served in this body. I am humbled by this moment, and 
             I am grateful to my colleagues for your friendship and 
             support.
               I yield the floor.
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                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                    MEL MARTINEZ
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                             Tuesday, September 8, 2009
               Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I want to say a couple of words 
             about our colleague Mel Martinez from Florida who will be 
             leaving the Senate on this coming Thursday. He has been an 
             admirable public servant, both in this body and as 
             Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. To each 
             position he brought his considerable talent and devoted 
             himself to solving problems in a practical, thoughtful, 
             and bipartisan way.
               Senator Martinez never sought the limelight; he simply 
             wanted to make a difference. He was disappointed, I know, 
             that he was unable to move immigration reform forward. But 
             we will try to apply what he has taught us about that 
             issue. His positive influence here in Washington will be 
             greatly missed.
               A farewell to Senator Martinez would not be complete 
             without a note about his compelling life story and about 
             his wife Kitty. As a Cuban emigree who came to America 
             with few ties, Senator Martinez represents one of the most 
             inspiring aspects of American life: that talent and hard 
             work unlock the door to great success. He has not 
             forgotten those who helped him, just as all of us will not 
             forget him. His wife Kitty has, likewise, made many 
             friends in Washington and will also be missed.
               Although I know he will not need it, I wish him all the 
             best in his future endeavors, and I know he will remain an 
             important voice in our party and on issues important to 
             all Americans.
                                           Wednesday, September 9, 2009
               Mr. KYL. Mr. President, as Senator Martinez knows, the 
             minority leader of the Senate could not be here this 
             morning. I made some brief remarks yesterday, but let me 
             say, just kicking off some comments I know others of my 
             colleagues want to make, that in addition to the other 
             attributes that Senator Martinez has brought to the Senate 
             representing the people of Florida, his personality, his 
             engaging wit, and his love of people, his spirit, his 
             friendliness, and his genuineness, all have been 
             appreciated by all of us, I know, very much. So it is even 
             more difficult for us to see him leave because, in 
             addition to being a good colleague and a great Senator, he 
             has been a wonderful friend.
               I think all of us appreciate that quality of 
             genuineness, which is not always the order of the day when 
             it comes to people in politics. With Kitty and Mel 
             Martinez, it is. We appreciate and love them very much and 
             we will miss them.

               Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I wish to say a few words 
             about my friendship and my admiration for the retiring 
             Senator from the State of Florida. I didn't know Senator 
             Martinez before he came to the Senate. I think the first 
             time I had an insight into who he was and what he brought 
             to the Senate was at a Prayer Breakfast, when Senator 
             Martinez explained to a number of us how he happened to be 
             an American. He was one of the fortunate few who escaped 
             from Cuba under the tyranny of the Castro regime and was 
             given a chance to come to Florida. He told me and others 
             how difficult it was, struggling with a language he didn't 
             know. He explained that one of the real saviors for him 
             was the fact that he was a good athlete so he was able to 
             play many sports, make many friends, and learn English in 
             the process. He became not only an integral part of that 
             community in Florida but an integral part of America's 
             political future.
               In his story of growing up in Florida, his family--his 
             wife Kitty and his children--mean the world to him. When I 
             heard he was retiring, I called from Illinois to reach him 
             and wish him the best. I asked, as everyone would: Why? He 
             said: ``It is all about my family.''
               I wish to tell the Senator I salute him for that. It 
             takes an extraordinary amount of courage for a person to 
             give up the adulation and the heady atmosphere of the 
             Senate, to remember what is most important in their lives.
               I also thank him for his extraordinary courage and 
             helpfulness on so many issues, particularly when it came 
             to issues of immigration. I know Senator Martinez feels 
             this personally. This is something that he has been 
             through himself and he knows so many others like him who 
             are looking for that chance to prove to America that they 
             can make a contribution.
               Senator Martinez has been an outspoken supporter of the 
             DREAM Act, which was an opportunity for younger people to 
             have their chance in America. I thank the Senator for 
             that. I know it was not easy because there are many 
             critics, as the Senator told me, who would come forward 
             and tell him what a bad idea it was. But the Senator's 
             courage in standing for that is an indication of the kind 
             of person he is.
               Florida is going to lose a great Senator in Mel 
             Martinez. America is going to lose an important voice in 
             the Senate. But I don't think we have heard the last of 
             Mel Martinez. I think his contribution, whether as a 
             citizen or some other walk of life in public service, is 
             in the future.
               I am honored to count you as a friend and colleague in 
             the Senate. I wish you and your family the very best.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee is 
             recognized.

               Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I often think how the best 
             stories in the Senate are not the political stories. We 
             can all recount them--Senator Inouye's bravery in World 
             War II, leading to a Congressional Medal of Honor; the 
             former majority leader, Bill Frist, performing open heart 
             surgery on General Petraeus when he was accidentally shot 
             in Fort Campbell; Ben Nighthorse Campbell on the Olympic 
             judo team; Jim Bunning in the Hall of Fame; Jim Inhofe 
             circling the world in an airplane the way Wiley Post did; 
             Ted Stevens flying the first cargo plane into Beijing in 
             1944 at the end of World War II; and then after the 
             elections of 2004, we had Ken Salazar from Colorado, 15th-
             generation American, whose family came to this country so 
             early; we had Barack Obama with his incredible story; and 
             then we had Mel Martinez in the same year.
               Despite the emotion of all those stories, the story of 
             Mel Martinez stands out to me. As the Senator from 
             Illinois said, imagine growing up in Cuba--a good life. 
             Not a rich life, but a good life--so well recounted in 
             this book, ``A Sense of Belonging,'' that Senator Martinez 
             wrote. Suddenly the Castro regime came, it was 1958, and 
             one day his parents put him on an airplane and sent him to 
             Miami, not knowing whether they would ever see him again. 
             Then foster homes, then bringing your parents over, going 
             to Florida State, meeting Kitty, becoming the first 
             Hispanic lawyer, I guess, in Orange County, and then the 
             mayor and then a Cabinet member, then Senator, then 
             Republican National Committee chairman--what a terrific 
             story, so well told in this book.
               One thing about our country that is unique is we believe 
             anything is possible. The rest of the world looks at us 
             and thinks that we Americans are very naive, but 
             constantly we prove that anything is possible, over and 
             over again--often with the election of a President from 
             unusual circumstances, as we just had. But the story of 
             Mel Martinez, his escape from Cuba's communism, his coming 
             from that, speaking no English, to what he has already 
             accomplished, and now moving on to yet another career, 
             this one in private life, is an inspiration for our 
             country. He has enriched this body. He said in his book:

               My journey has taught me that it is not an empty cliche 
             that this country is a land where dreams can and do come 
             true.

               His life shows that. We have enjoyed his friendship. We 
             appreciate his example for the country, and we wish him 
             and Kitty well for the next chapter in their lives.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Dakota.

               Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in 
             congratulating my friend from Florida for his service to 
             our country. He has served in so many different ways as 
             has already been noted. But he is truly an example of the 
             American success story, someone who came here, established 
             himself, and has risen to the very highest, I guess you 
             would call it, echelons of this country in terms of public 
             service and his contributions to the private economy in 
             this country. So it is with great regret that we say 
             goodbye to him as a Senator but continue to maintain the 
             strong friendships we have built and developed during his 
             service here.
               They say that someone is measured not by the days in 
             their life but by the life in their days. While Senator 
             Martinez has maybe not served here as long as some other 
             Senators--he and I came into this Senate together back in 
             2005--he may not be measured by his days of life in the 
             Senate, but he is certainly measured by the life of his 
             days in the Senate because he has added vitally to the 
             debate here. He is an incredibly thoughtful Senator, 
             someone from whom I have to say I have learned a lot--not 
             just in our personal friendship but professionally--
             because he brings so many insights and such thoughtfulness 
             in the way he looks at issues--domestic issues, foreign 
             policy issues. I have learned a lot about Cuba. I have 
             learned a lot about Latin America.
               I have learned a lot about the Hispanic community in 
             this country. And those are insights and contributions 
             that he has made that no one else could make. It is very 
             rare, indeed, to have someone of his experience and life 
             experience and his quality to serve in the Senate and be 
             able to rub shoulders and learn every single day from 
             those experiences.
               I congratulate Senator Martinez and his family. As he 
             said, like myself and many others of us, Mel married over 
             his head. He has a wonderful wife and family. And I hope 
             that now, when he is not a Member of the Senate, we will 
             get to see a little bit more of him in the State of South 
             Dakota, because his son John married a South Dakota girl.
               I have been trying to hunt pheasants. He has made trips 
             up there, but it is always a little bit later in the 
             season when that time of the year comes around, and the 
             climate tends to change in South Dakota. But I hope that 
             now that he has a little bit more time to enjoy those 
             types of things, we will get that chance.
               I want to express my great appreciation to the Senator 
             from Florida for an extraordinary run here in the Senate. 
             He truly is the kind of person where what you see is what 
             you get. That is rare in politics today--genuine, 
             thoughtful, sincere, kind, generous, the kind of person 
             who serves whom I want to see more of in public life.
               It has been a pleasure and an honor to have had the 
             opportunity to serve with him in the Senate and to call 
             him a colleague. But it is even a greater privilege and 
             honor and opportunity to have been able to call him my 
             friend.
               So, Mel, best wishes. Whatever you do, you are going to 
             do well. We are proud of you. And thank you for your great 
             contributions to our country. God bless you.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina 
             is recognized.

               Mr. GRAHAM. This is the time in a person's career you 
             are supposed to lay it on thick. But there is no need to 
             do that in Mel's case. I think everybody here speaking on 
             both sides of the aisle is trying to say thank you for 
             your friendship, and there are a million ways to say it. 
             To Kitty, again, thank you for being part of our lives 
             here. We are going to continue this relationship.
               I think all of us have got stories about Mel. I first 
             heard about Mel by reputation. He was a Republican trial 
             lawyer. That intrigued me. There are not many of us. We 
             can meet in a phone booth. I got to know Mel during his 
             campaign and did some events for him. I think that 
             experience of representing people in court made him a good 
             Senator because he understands that there are two sides to 
             every story, and sometimes a person needs the best 
             advocate they can get, even though their cause may not be 
             so popular at the moment.
               I got to know Mel during the immigration debate. That is 
             a hell of a way to meet someone. You will learn quickly 
             when you are talking about politics at that level, that 
             emotional, and Mel was going to be part of that debate 
             whether he wanted to or not because of who he was. You 
             could not talk about immigration and not think about Mel 
             Martinez. He was the first one to show up and he was the 
             last one to leave, and we will get that bill passed one 
             day. It will be a tribute to Mel and Senator Kennedy that 
             the guts of the bill will be the solution that will be 
             embraced down the road.
               That was tough politics. We would reminisce at night. 
             And Saxby was involved. We would meet every morning in the 
             room over there, the President's Room, with Senator 
             Kennedy and Senator McCain, trying to figure out where we 
             were based on what happened the night before. Usually we 
             had lost ground, but we kept plugging. But a lot of 
             stories were told about what was going on in Mel's life.
               There is a lot of hatred out there, quite frankly. There 
             are a lot of people who should be upset about the 
             immigration system not working and broken borders and 
             legitimately concerned about the solution we were 
             offering. But there were some people who were, quite 
             frankly, hateful. I think Mel took the brunt of that more 
             than anyone else. It did not get a lot of publicity, and 
             probably it should not. But I know what he and Kitty went 
             through to try to fix a broken immigration system. I will 
             be forever grateful for their effort, because it was 
             personally very difficult.
               When Mel left a repressive place, he came to a hopeful 
             country, and during that debate he never lost sight of 
             what America is all about. America will never be defined 
             by the people who hate. America will always be defined by 
             people who love and care. I have never met two people who 
             love and care more than Kitty and Mel. You will be missed.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas is 
             recognized.

               Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I too join my colleagues 
             in recognizing Mel Martinez and his great contribution to 
             this body and his friendship. I think most of those things 
             have been said.
               One of the things I learned from a leader in the 
             Senator's State was a saying that he gave to me that: ``We 
             get into trouble when we look at people as problems and 
             not as people.'' I have thought about that for a long 
             time, because you can go back in our history, and 
             generally when we have looked at people as problems and 
             not people, that is when we have gotten into trouble. When 
             you look at various situations we have had, and even the 
             immigration debate would be one: ``Well, this is a 
             problem.'' ``No, this is a person.'' Or you can look at 
             our debate on abortion in this country and say: ``Well, we 
             have got a problem here.'' ``No, we have a person here.''
               The consistency of what I have seen in Mel's policy 
             position has been very much, ``no, this is a person.'' It 
             is not just a person, this is a great person, and not just 
             a great person, this is an unusual individual. He 
             celebrates that with everyone. That is a beautiful thing 
             to do and it is a beautiful thing to have, and it is a 
             beautiful thing to see, because then that carries over 
             into his friendships. So whenever he is talking with 
             someone else, it may be a colleague or another individual, 
             normally you are thinking ``OK, I need to get something 
             done through this person.'' But I do not usually find that 
             in a conversation with Mel. Normally what I find is: Well, 
             yes, I need to get something done, but what I am 
             interested in is you and what you are thinking and who you 
             are. And this is not an opportunity for me to get 
             something, this is an opportunity for me to celebrate 
             another beautiful soul who is standing right there and 
             staring at me and talking to me, and I have this unique 
             opportunity to engage them.
               How much better we all are when we look at people as 
             people and not as problems or as opportunities or as 
             obstacles to get through. That is where I find what he 
             embodies does in this way he works. I am going to miss 
             you, Mel. We are going to miss you an awful lot. We 
             appreciate you. I appreciate the lessons you have taught 
             me by the way you live and by the way you serve. God bless 
             you.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.

               Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I speak with a 
             good degree of regret, because he knows the heartfelt 
             sentiments I am going to express, because I have tried for 
             now the better part of 3 months to talk him out of this 
             particular day. I did not want him to resign.
               It has been good for Florida the way the two of us have 
             worked together professionally, because it is built on a 
             personal friendship that goes back over 30 years. There 
             was not a day we were in session here that Mel and I did 
             not talk.
               Of course, this floor of the Senate is the place that 
             you can get away from the other distractions, and, in 
             fact, can come together and have those conversations you 
             want. And that was so important in us looking out for the 
             interests of Florida.
               So it is with a great deal of regret that this day has 
             come. I think it is important that the two Senators from a 
             State get along, and that is particularly true of two 
             Senators who happen to be from different parties.
               It is my hope that the kind of relationship that we had 
             both privately and publicly as the two Senators from 
             Florida sends a message to our people that you can 
             transcend partisan differences in order to get things 
             done. I believe that is the relationship we have had now 
             going on in the Senate for a little over 4\1/2\ years. I 
             only wish that relationship were going to continue for 
             another year and a half, to the remainder of Senator 
             Martinez' term. But for personal reasons he has made this 
             decision.
               It is incumbent upon me as the senior Senator of Florida 
             and the newly appointed Senator to have the same kind of 
             relationship for the good of our country, for the good of 
             our State, to transcend political differences, to have a 
             good personal relationship so we can get work done in a 
             bipartisan way. I intend to do that. I assume that the new 
             Senator will do likewise. Let me say that a lot of you do 
             not know, with regard to Senator Martinez, that 30--now 
             going on 31, 32 years ago when we were a lot younger, he 
             was already back then a very prominent trial lawyer. I was 
             a pup State legislator trying to run in a congressional 
             district that included the east coast of Florida and the 
             interior, including Orlando. Mel was one of those high 
             profile, very respected attorneys in Central Florida. And 
             lo and behold, Mel and his wife Kitty, as I campaigned for 
             that congressional seat in 1978, went out and went door to 
             door for me. We have kept up that relationship over the 
             years.
               So it has been my privilege to have had that personal 
             relationship turn into the professional relationship as 
             colleagues in the Senate.
               I say to Mel Martinez and to Kitty, Godspeed.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.

               Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, this is one of those times 
             that none of us in the Senate looks particularly forward 
             to--when we have to come and speak about a dear friend who 
             is leaving the Senate. But I am excited for Mel and Kitty 
             in a number of ways and very appreciative of the great 
             relationship that we have made from a personal and 
             collegial standpoint.
               I am very appreciative of the great work Mel Martinez 
             has provided to our country over the last several years. 
             Our friend Lamar Alexander, who spoke a little bit 
             earlier, often talks and has got me talking back home, 
             particularly to young people, about what it means to be an 
             American.
               Mel Martinez has a greater appreciation about what it 
             means to be an American than anyone in this body because 
             of the fact that he is the only immigrant who is a Member 
             of the Senate. I know how hard he worked to become a 
             citizen, and that he has a great appreciation for what it 
             means to be an American.
               What a great story it is, Mel, of you dodging bullets in 
             Cuba, escaping communism and ultimately coming to the 
             United States, being separated from your parents, being 
             somewhat lost in a strange land you knew something about 
             but did not know any people.
               As a 16-year-old young man, thrust into that situation, 
             most of us would panic to some extent. Mel never did. And 
             through the raising in orphanages and foster homes, and 
             ultimately being reunited with his parents after his 
             brother Ralph came over here, and being reunited with him 
             before he was reunited with his parents, it is such a 
             great personal story, and such a touching story.
               But all of that served to develop a foundation in Mel 
             Martinez that America has been the beneficiary of, and 
             certainly those of us in this body who have come to know 
             Mel and Kitty are the beneficiaries of. I guess the ironic 
             thing is when you read Mel's book, ``A Sense of 
             Belonging''--which I would recommend to everybody who is 
             listening out there today; what a great book; it is a 
             short read, but you will have a lot of fun reading it and 
             it will be of great interest to you--what you realize is 
             when Mel got here, there were several things that allowed 
             him to transition into American society.
               First of all, he was a bright young man. He did not know 
             the English language when he came here, but he committed 
             to learn it, and he did learn it. Second, he was a very 
             affable person back then, just as he is now. He made 
             friends very easily, and that helped him make that 
             transition. Third, he was a good athlete, maybe even a 
             great athlete. In fact, if he could have hit the curve 
             ball he might be representing the Florida Marlins today 
             instead of the State of Florida. But it is a great way to 
             look at the history of America when we look at the history 
             of Mel Martinez and his transition all the way from rural 
             Cuba to the Senate.
               But I guess the most important thing I could say about 
             him is what has already been alluded to by the assistant 
             majority leader; that is, Mel came to the Senate for all 
             the right reasons. He came into public service for all the 
             right reasons. He is leaving for all the right reasons. I 
             know because of the many conversations he and I have had 
             about our families what a dedicated husband he is, what a 
             dedicated father he is. He has seen his two older 
             children, Lauren and Jack, come up and become very 
             successful in their own right. Now he has Andrew. Andrew 
             is a 15-year-old young man who is growing up in Orlando 
             and is doing the things all young men do. Unfortunately, 
             his dad is gone during the week and is home during the 
             weekends, and that is the time when young men like to be 
             with their friends. Mel is missing a lot of that. That is 
             the reason he is going back home, and that is the reason 
             all of us can stand here and say: ``Wow, I wish I had the 
             courage to do that.''
               I had a very similar experience during my days in the 
             House. When I ran for the House in 1994, my son was a 
             senior in high school. He played football on what 
             ultimately became the State championship football team. 
             There was no question from my campaign staff as to where I 
             was going to be on Friday night. I was there to see my 
             son. Mel is missing the experience of seeing Andrew play 
             on Thursday nights because he is here doing what he was 
             elected to do; that is, serve the people of Florida. He is 
             going to now have the opportunity to experience with 
             Andrew the same sorts of things he did with Lauren and 
             Jack. For that, we can say great things about his service 
             to our country, his service as mayor of Orlando or as 
             Secretary of HUD, or his service in the Senate. But his 
             service to his family is ultimately what is important, 
             and, wow, what a public servant he is to his family.
               So to him and his wife Kitty we say we thank you for the 
             great service you have provided. We thank you for the 
             great friendships you have provided to all of us as 
             Members of this body. Whatever road you ultimately travel 
             down in the days ahead, we know you are going to continue 
             to be a success. We know you are going to continue to 
             serve our country in your own special way. But, most 
             important, you are going to serve God and you are going to 
             serve your family.
               So, Mel, thanks for everything you have done. Thanks for 
             your friendship. God be with you and Godspeed.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.

               Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I think you know I spend very 
             little time talking on the Senate floor, and I plan to 
             keep it that way. But I do want to spend a moment paying 
             tribute to my great friend, Mel Martinez. I have had the 
             privilege of sitting beside him on the Banking Committee. 
             We commiserate about many things that happen in this body.
               I love working with Mel Martinez, and I am going to miss 
             him. I consider Mel to be the epitome of decency in this 
             body. I think he is a person who truly wants to do what is 
             best for this country. I have seen him many times 
             tormented over decisions we all make, which are very 
             difficult to decide from time to time: What is best for 
             our country over the long term? I value that in him so 
             much.
               I think this body will be diminished with him leaving. 
             Having people like Mel, who, again, have such a sense of 
             decency--which is, as Senator Chambliss mentioned, one of 
             the reasons he will be departing soon--will be a loss for 
             this body.
               I have not met anybody here who I think is a finer 
             individual, nor anybody who I will miss more than Senator 
             Mel Martinez. So I am happy for Kitty. I am happy for his 
             family. I am sorry for us. But I am glad I have served in 
             the Senate with somebody I consider to be such an 
             outstanding person as Mel.
               So, Mel, thank you. Thank you for the many confidential 
             conversations we have had through the years, the frankness 
             with which we have been able to talk about so many things.
               Each of us brings something to this body that is unique. 
             I think that is why it functions the way it does. I think 
             your insights into our relationships with the countries of 
             Latin America, to many of the things that were happening 
             there from the inside because of so many of the 
             relationships you have has helped all of us make decisions 
             that are more sound.
               So that peace will go with you as you leave. Surely 
             somebody else over time will help fill in that vacuum, but 
             I value the many things you have shared with me that have 
             helped me to think in a more thoughtful manner, and I look 
             forward to talking to you in the years ahead about what is 
             happening in your life. I thank you for what you have done 
             in mine.
               I thank the Chair.

               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to give tribute 
             to my colleague and friend, Senator Mel Martinez. During 
             his time in the Senate, Mel has served the State of 
             Florida and our country well.
               Overcoming great odds, Mel and his life's journey is an 
             inspiration to all. At age 15, he fled his native Cuba as 
             part of a Catholic humanitarian effort. Alone, and 
             speaking virtually no English, Mel was placed in temporary 
             youth facilities. Later, he lived with two foster 
             families, for whom he has great appreciation and 
             affection. In 1966, he was happily reunited with his own 
             family members in Florida.
               These experiences strengthened Mel and shaped his views. 
             He went on to earn graduate and law degrees from Florida 
             State University and practice law for 25 years before 
             serving as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and 
             then joining us here in the U.S. Senate.
               During his tenure, I appreciated Mel's leadership, 
             particularly working on the U.S. Senate Republican 
             Conference Task Force on Hispanic Affairs--a task force I 
             formed in 1987. I have long felt that we should not try to 
             put this vital and growing segment of our population in a 
             box because they care about the same things we all do--
             having a safe Nation, strong families, a good education 
             for all our children, and good jobs that provide well. At 
             the same time, I recognized that Hispanics and Latinos 
             bring unique and important perspectives to the issues we 
             face in Congress.
               Mel worked to advance the mission of the task force to 
             promote greater participation in the democratic process, 
             to create more job opportunities, ensure better access to 
             health care, and educate our children.
               While there is much talk on both sides of the aisle of 
             strategy and outreach to try to ``woo'' Hispanics and 
             Latinos, we should actively listen to their concerns and 
             encourage their participation. That is true of all 
             segments of our population. That is what I have tried to 
             do and that is what Mel has done, too. I understand we 
             have Mel's firm commitment to continue this important 
             work.
               Our colleague from Florida has taken strong positions on 
             a number of issues that have come before this body. Mel 
             has supported prodemocracy movements in Cuba while urging 
             that its dictatorship of abuse and misery is not 
             legitimized by our Government.
               As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Mel has 
             been a strong supporter of our war on terror, especially 
             as our brave troops combat terrorism overseas for the 
             safety of our Nation.
               Mel has supported a reasonable and rational approach to 
             ensuring our Nation's energy security. He has helped to 
             highlight our Nation's lack of action to increase our 
             production of nuclear energy--our Nation's largest sources 
             of green, clean electricity. He recognizes that our 
             domestic electricity supply must be based upon a major 
             source of green baseload power, and that nuclear power 
             holds the most potential to ensure that the American 
             economy is fueled by an abundant, cheap, and clean source 
             of energy.
               Mel has worked with us on health care reform. This is 
             not a Republican or Democrat issue--it is an American 
             issue that needs to be addressed in a bipartisan and 
             fiscally responsible manner.
               Our colleague has worked to defeat card check because it 
             reduces employees' right to a free and private election to 
             choose if they want to unionize.
               Mel has sought workable reforms to our system of 
             immigration. He spoke out against the negative rhetoric 
             that divided and polarized. He will be missed in this body 
             as the immigration debate moves forward.
               I know my friend is looking forward to writing the new 
             chapter in the book of his life. I thank him for his 
             service to our country and wish him well.

               Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we have had a chance today 
             to recognize our colleague, Senator Mel Martinez, who, 
             sadly for most of us, is leaving the Senate. Today will be 
             his last day. He had an opportunity to address the Senate 
             this morning and give some final thoughts. I would like to 
             take a few moments to give my final thoughts about Senator 
             Martinez. I expect to see him many times in the future as 
             a private citizen, but my thoughts are about him and his 
             contribution here and his life story.
               Obviously, all of us have a story to tell, the story of 
             a journey to this place. But in the case of Senator 
             Martinez, the journey certainly has more twists and turns 
             than most.
               Mel Martinez first came to this country when he was 15. 
             A political exile, he spoke no English, and did not know 
             when--or if--he would ever see his family again. His 
             journey from that point to now is proof of the boundless 
             promise that exists in America.
               More than 50 years ago in a small town in Cuba, an 11-
             year-old Mel Martinez comforted his little brother as they 
             lay on the bedroom floor while gunfire erupted in the 
             streets. It was Fidel Castro's takeover, and life changed 
             very quickly for the Martinez family and every Cuban.
               When Mel's parents overheard Cuban militiamen 
             threatening to kill their son for wearing a religious 
             symbol, they had had enough. Through a humanitarian effort 
             sponsored by the Catholic Church, Mel was sent to America 
             to find a better life.
               Eagerly embracing his adopted hometown of Orlando, FL, 
             soon Mel came to feel part of America. He mastered English 
             and earned both his bachelor's and law degrees from 
             Florida State University.
               And 4 long years after leaving Cuba, he was reunited 
             with his parents in Florida after they too escaped 
             Castro's regime--and they were so proud to see the brave 
             young man their boy had become.
               Because of this long separation from his parents, I can 
             understand now when Mel says it is the tug of family ties 
             that calls him back home to Florida. But those of us who 
             had the pleasure of working with him in Washington are 
             sorry to see him go.
               In the Senate, Mel made his mark as a leading voice for 
             greater democratic freedoms in Cuba. He has fought to 
             strengthen Social Security and to eliminate fraud in 
             Medicare and Medicaid.
               He has given hope to millions of families by working to 
             increase funding for research to cure Alzheimer's. And he 
             has stood for America's defense in a dangerous world, and 
             for the troops that so bravely take up the fight to defend 
             us.
               For 3 years as the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
             Development, Senator Martinez worked to increase home 
             ownership. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, his agency 
             was charged with directing funds to rebuild lower 
             Manhattan. He fulfilled his duties even as he, along with 
             all of us, reeled at the senseless deaths of 3,000 
             innocents.
               As the co-chair of the President's Commission for the 
             Assistance to a Free Cuba, he played a leading role in the 
             administration's efforts to bring freedom to the land of 
             his birth.
               While in Washington, Mel forged many friendships as 
             well. I first got to know Mel during his days as a Cabinet 
             Secretary. Elaine and I certainly enjoyed the company of 
             Mel and Kitty.
               My wife Elaine and Mel had one thing in common. I used 
             to pose the following quiz to people: Who were the only 
             Cabinet Secretaries who never missed a State of the Union? 
             As everyone knows, it is typically somebody in the line of 
             succession who misses the Cabinet meeting because the 
             entire Government is up here on one night. Mel and Elaine 
             never missed a Cabinet meeting because they were the only 
             two members of the Cabinet who were not born in the United 
             States and therefore were not eligible to assume the 
             Presidency if an emergency required that.
               We came to understand Mel's connection to his adopted 
             hometown of Orlando, where for 25 years he worked as a 
             successful lawyer. We learned how his election as chairman 
             of Orange County--a job analogous to a mayor, and in one 
             of Florida's largest counties--started a second career in 
             public service to the country that had given him so much.
               Now Mel will return to Florida, and I don't know what 
             his future may hold. But I do know that he'll accomplish 
             anything he sets his mind to. The incredible journey he 
             has taken, ever since he flew on a DC-6 from Havana to 
             Miami, is proof of that. Mel's life shows us that in 
             America, any dream is possible.
               Mel, it has been an honor serving with you, and it has 
             been a pleasure for me and Elaine to get to know you and 
             Kitty through the years. Whenever you may return to 
             Washington next, please remember you will always have 
             plenty of friends in the U.S. Senate.

               Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell 
             and to express my gratitude to Senator Mel Martinez as he 
             retires from service in the U.S. Senate. During his time 
             here, he established an admirable reputation for hard 
             work, dedication to his State and our Nation, and a 
             commitment to principles.
               I have had the privilege of working with Senator 
             Martinez as a member of the Armed Services Committee and 
             its Seapower Subcommittee. In addition, we worked together 
             on the Special Committee on Aging, where he has served as 
             ranking member.
               Working with Senator Martinez has always been rewarding. 
             This has been especially true on the Armed Services 
             Committee, where he brings to bear on defense issues both 
             detailed knowledge and long-range vision. On the Seapower 
             Subcommittee, he has been a strong ally in keeping our 
             Navy preeminent and has been a highly effective advocate 
             for continuing the DDG-1000 program, the next generation 
             of destroyers.
               Senator Martinez' work on the Special Committee on Aging 
             continued his long record of shaping policies important to 
             seniors in Florida and throughout America. From local 
             government to his service as Secretary of Housing and 
             Urban Development and in the Senate, he has been a strong 
             voice for ensuring that all Americans live longer, 
             healthier, and more productive lives.
               But the greatest legacy Mel Martinez leaves the Senate 
             is his inspiring life story. Born in Cuba, he arrived in 
             America at age 15. He earned his undergraduate and law 
             degrees from Florida State University, and went on to 
             practice law for 25 years. He demonstrates the highest 
             qualities of our Nation of immigrants, of the 
             opportunities America provides, and of the character and 
             determination of those who come to our shores. His desire 
             to continue to work for expanded freedoms for the people 
             of Cuba exemplifies his character and principles. I join 
             my colleagues in wishing him and his family well, and in 
             looking forward to many more contributions to the public 
             good from this man of many gifts and accomplishments.

               Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize and 
             thank my colleague and friend from Florida, Mel Martinez, 
             for his service to this country and to wish him luck in 
             the years to come. I am proud and humbled to have had the 
             chance to work with Mel over the last few years on some of 
             the most difficult and trying issues of our time, and I 
             will miss his honesty, heart, and dedication when he 
             leaves the Senate this week.
               While many of my Senate colleagues are familiar with 
             Mel's inspiring personal story I feel that it is important 
             for the American people to know that Mel Martinez' life 
             has personified the American dream and teaches us what we 
             can all accomplish through hard work, a love of God and 
             country, and true dedication to a higher cause. Mel came 
             to the United States in the 1960s as a young Cuban 
             immigrant and became the first Cuban-American to serve in 
             a Presidential Cabinet as Secretary of Housing and Urban 
             Development, and then the first Cuban-American U.S. 
             Senator.
               As a freshman Senator, Mel didn't shy away from the 
             tough issues--he did not sit back and let others tackle 
             the tough, controversial tasks--he dove in head first. 
             Personally, the most memorable example of Mel's courageous 
             work is his support of comprehensive immigration reform.
               The 2006 and 2007 immigration debates were difficult 
             times in the U.S. Senate. We had both political parties 
             and an American public divided on an issue that I still 
             believe will define the future of our country for 
             generations to come. For many, it would have been tempting 
             to sit on the sidelines, take the safe votes, keep your 
             head down and just wait for this one to pass, but not Mel 
             Martinez. He took his strong personal convictions and put 
             them in action. We spent many hours together, working in a 
             bipartisan fashion to try to reach an agreement that could 
             be acceptable to both sides of the aisle and ensure the 
             security of our Nation. Every day, Mel Martinez was in the 
             trenches, on the floor, working to improve the bill, 
             working to reach a bipartisan compromise and working for a 
             better future for our country and our children.
               I also had the pleasure of traveling with Mel to the 
             Republic of Georgia where he met with Georgian leaders and 
             spoke openly about the importance of U.S. support for 
             freedom in all countries, both those distant and close to 
             our shores. Mel spoke with conviction due to his early 
             childhood spent in a country controlled by a repressive 
             dictator.
               Many in this Chamber will fondly recall Mel's leadership 
             in the Senate and his work for the State of Florida. I 
             will remember my friend, his courageous leadership on the 
             tough issues, and his willingness to put the future of our 
             Nation before his own self interest.

               Mr. MARTINEZ. I feel appreciative for all of the kind 
             comments on the floor today, especially the latest from 
             the Republican leader.

               Mr. REID. Before my friend leaves the floor, I was 
             planning to come later with some prepared remarks, but let 
             me speak from my heart about the Senator from Florida.
               I have some affinity for the Senator from Florida 
             because we were both trial lawyers. We have been to court, 
             we have voir dired juries, we have argued cases to juries. 
             I feel that as a badge of honor. Some people denigrate 
             trial lawyers. But I feel that the people whom I have 
             tried to help over the years were people who deserved to 
             be helped.
               My friend from Florida was the president of the State 
             trial lawyers in Florida. He has a tremendously sound 
             reputation as a trial lawyer, somebody who took good 
             cases, worked them hard. Judges liked him, and his 
             opponents liked him, which speaks well of this man.
               But my feelings about Senator Martinez go deeper than 
             that. I have had the good fortune of being able to attend 
             our Prayer Breakfasts on occasion here. I try to get to 
             them as often as I can, every Wednesday morning when we 
             are in session, at 8 o'clock.
               I have heard my friend from Florida talk about his 
             upbringing, his faith. He is a devout Catholic. He is 
             proud of that. He is very proud of his heritage, Cuban-
             American, versus the difficulties that have been caused by 
             the tyrannical government of Fidel Castro.
               I also am impressed with Senator Martinez as a result of 
             his family ties. He speaks so highly of his relationship 
             with his lovely wife. I have had the opportunity to know 
             his family. On rare occasions he came and asked me if 
             there was a way I could help him with a family member, 
             recognizing the kind of person he is and the family 
             associations that he has.
               The people of the State of Florida are losing a good 
             Senator, a good man. I will miss Mel Martinez.
                                           Thursday, September 10, 2009
               Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise to speak about my friend 
             and colleague, Mel Martinez, who is leaving the Senate 
             this week.
               Senator Martinez has a story unlike that of any of us 
             who serve in this body. He came to this country from Cuba 
             without his parents at age 15 as part of a humanitarian 
             effort. And as the first Cuban-American Senator, he has 
             always maintained a thoughtful and unique perspective on 
             Cuba policy, one that I have always enjoyed hearing and 
             considering.
               As chairman of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 
             Committee, I was pleased to have Senator Martinez as part 
             of that panel. It is not often you get a Secretary of 
             Housing and Urban Development sharing his expertise in a 
             Senate committee.
               He worked tirelessly to address the crisis of 
             homelessness, and I have been proud to work alongside him 
             on some of the housing measures we have passed over the 
             past couple of years. He has been enormously helpful and 
             cooperative as a member of my committee, and we will miss 
             his perspective.
               Senator Martinez and I didn't agree on every issue, or 
             even most issues. What we shared was a deep love for this 
             amazing country, a deep respect for this institution, and 
             a strong working relationship. Wherever Senator Martinez' 
             remarkable life takes him next, I know that the citizens 
             of his beloved Florida are grateful for his service and 
             will join me in wishing him and his family nothing but the 
             best.
                 PRINTING TRIBUTES FOR SENATORS KENNEDY AND MARTINEZ
               Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 
             that the tributes to Senators Kennedy and Martinez in the 
             Congressional Record be printed as separate Senate 
             documents and that Senators be permitted to submit 
             statements for inclusion until Friday, October 9, 2009.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                           Thursday, September 17, 2009
               Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, I wish to add my comments 
             to a few other comments on Mel Martinez whom we all loved 
             so much. I do not think I have ever seen anyone since 
             Jesse Helms who was loved by so many people as Mel 
             Martinez. He had a way of smiling, and in talking about 
             things in a way that others did not understand. My 
             colleagues have already come to the floor and talked about 
             his escape from Cuba and how he came over and how then he 
             was able to get his father over. It is a story that 
             America will always remember. It will always be in our 
             history books.
               He was always such a great guy. He will be missed around 
             here.
               One of the things that was not said much about him was 
             his sense of humor. I have to say I enjoyed being around 
             him because he was, in his own subtle way, a very humorous 
             person. I can remember, and I have had the occasion, 
             probably more than any other Member, going into the areas 
             in Iraq and Afghanistan and Africa where there were 
             hostilities. But I was making probably my 12th or 14th 
             trip into Baghdad on a C-130. It happened to be Mel 
             Martinez' first trip. So we were talking about: Once you 
             get out, you are going to run over to the helicopter, and 
             they are going to take you to the Green Zone, all of the 
             things to anticipate. I said to him: ``One of the problems 
             we are going to have is that when we leave, we have these 
             old C-130E models. They should be re-engined. We should 
             have J models, but we do not. Because of the cuts in the 
             military, we have not been able to upgrade those 
             systems.''
               So I said, ``When we climb out of here, it is going to 
             be in a C-130E model. We are not going to be able to climb 
             as high and as fast as we want, and there are surface-to-
             air missiles out there that we have to be concerned 
             about.'' And, of course, they are all set up. We have very 
             capable pilots and crews in these C-130s. So I said, ``We 
             will be well taken care of if something happens.'' Sure 
             enough, it happened.
               The first thing you do when you get out of your 
             helicopter in Baghdad to get on a C-130 to come back to 
             Kuwait or wherever you might be going is you take off your 
             helmet, your lifejacket, your vest, because they are so 
             heavy and uncomfortable--you get in there and you take 
             them off. Well, we all did that.
               I was, as I do quite often, sitting up with the pilots, 
             when all of a sudden the explosion came, the light was 
             there, and we deployed the heat-seeking devices that are 
             on a C-130. Of course, that is already very loud. Someone 
             who has never gone through that experience before would 
             assume we were about to go down.
               I ran downstairs and I saw Mel Martinez sitting there 
             without his helmet, without his protective vest by him; he 
             had put them back on. I said, ``Mel, what are you doing 
             putting your vest and your helmet back on?''
               He said, ``Well, I assumed that we were going to be shot 
             down. And if Kitty (that is his wife) if she found out 
             that I did not have my vest and my helmet on, she would 
             kill me.''
               Well, that is Mel Martinez. He had all of those jewels. 
             I think he is going to be missed by a lot of us for all of 
             the reasons we have articulated on the floor.
               I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
                                             Monday, September 21, 2009
               Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to honor my 
             colleague, Senator Mel Martinez, who recently resigned his 
             Senate seat. Senator Martinez has represented the State of 
             Florida in the Senate since his election in 2004.
               Mel Martinez' inspiring personal story is an example of 
             how the American dream can be attained through hard work 
             and determination. Born in Sagua La Grande, Cuba, Mel fled 
             to the United States when he was 15 years old after the 
             Castro government came to power in his homeland. Arriving 
             in Florida with one suitcase and limited English language 
             skills, Mel spent the next few years in youth facilities 
             and with foster families until he was later reunited with 
             his parents in Orlando.
               He went on to earn a law degree from Florida State 
             University, and he practiced law in Orlando for over two 
             decades. In 1998 Senator Martinez was elected chairman of 
             Orange County. He went on to serve as the Secretary of 
             Housing and Urban Development under President George W. 
             Bush. Since 2004, Mel Martinez served the people of 
             Florida in the U.S. Senate.
               Reforming our immigration system was an issue close to 
             Senator Martinez' heart. Mel worked vigorously with 
             colleagues on both sides of the aisle to try to advance a 
             solution to one of the most difficult problems confronting 
             our Nation. As the only immigrant in the Senate, Senator 
             Martinez brought a unique perspective to the immigration 
             debate. By striving for comprehensive immigration reform, 
             he hoped to share the American dream.
               Senator Martinez was deeply concerned about advancing 
             the cause of freedom in the most oppressive corners of the 
             world. Mel experienced the loss of liberty that resulted 
             from Castro's rise, and he often spoke out for those who 
             lost their voices--not only for those in Cuba, but for 
             those who suffered anywhere from tyranny and despotism.
               In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and drought in the 
             Midwest, Senator Martinez and I worked together in an 
             attempt to bring relief to America's farm and ranch 
             families. Even though agricultural production in North 
             Dakota and Florida is far from similar, we were able to 
             unite to support legislation that would have provided 
             much-needed disaster assistance to affected farmers and 
             ranchers throughout the country.
               I thank Senator Martinez for his public service and wish 
             him and his family the best in the future.
                                          Wednesday, September 23, 2009
               Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I was deeply saddened by the 
             recent announcement of the distinguished Senator from 
             Florida, Mel Martinez, that he had decided to resign from 
             the Senate. Although he had served in the Senate for a 
             relatively short period of time--since January 4, 2005--he 
             had become a very important influence in this body.
               As the first Cuban-American to serve in the Senate, he 
             shared with us his personal experiences and insights into 
             his early life in Cuba, including his separation from his 
             parents at a young age as he traveled to Florida to embark 
             upon a very successful new life of learning and leadership 
             in the United States. He earned undergraduate and law 
             degrees from Florida State University. He served as a 
             member of the Orlando Utilities Commission and was elected 
             chairman of Orange County. President George W. Bush 
             selected him to serve as a member of his Cabinet, as 
             Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He was elected 
             a U.S. Senator in 2004 and quickly established himself as 
             an effective advocate for his State in the Senate.
               Mel Martinez quickly became an active and influential 
             member of the Armed Services Committee as well as the 
             Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and the 
             Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. His 
             constituents benefited in particular from his service as 
             ranking member of the Senate's Special Committee on Aging.
               Mr. President, I congratulate my friend from Florida on 
             his very successful service and important contributions 
             through his dedicated public service in Florida and in our 
             Nation's Capital. I have enjoyed serving with him, and I 
             wish him all the best in the years ahead.
                                            Tuesday, September 29, 2009
               Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to my 
             distinguished colleague from Florida, Mel Martinez, who 
             retired from the Senate earlier this month.
               I have worked with Senator Martinez since he was elected 
             to serve the people of Florida in 2004. He has served his 
             country proudly in several different roles. Senator 
             Martinez also had the distinct honor to serve as the 
             Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in President 
             George W. Bush's Cabinet and as the chairman of the 
             Republican National Committee. In both roles, it was not 
             personal ambition that drove Mel. Rather, it was his 
             passion to make his country a better place to live for his 
             family and for all Americans.
               I have also had the privilege of serving on the Senate 
             Banking Committee with Senator Martinez. As a member of 
             this committee, Mel brought a greater understanding and 
             perspective on housing issues facing the Nation than many 
             Senators who have served on this committee. Floridians and 
             all Americans have benefited from his vast experience in 
             this area as well as his dedication to serve for the 
             greater good. A person of this caliber will truly be 
             missed in the U.S. Senate.
               I am honored to know him and to have worked with him. I 
             would like to thank Senator Martinez for his contributions 
             to the Senate and to the country we both love. I wish him 
             and his family the best in all their future endeavors.
                                              Thursday, October 8, 2009
               Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, it is always a bittersweet 
             moment when we have to say goodbye to a colleague who is 
             retiring from the Senate. We are sorry to see them go, but 
             we are also very appreciative of all they have brought to 
             our deliberations during their years of service to the 
             people of their home State and the Nation.
               Mel Martinez is such a person--the kind who makes the 
             Senate the great deliberative body that it is, for Mel has 
             a great story to tell of his life and how he came to the 
             United States to pursue his own version of the American 
             dream.
               If you would have told Mel when he was young that he 
             would someday serve as an elected official in the U.S. 
             Government, I am not sure he would have believed you. He 
             began his life in a small city in Cuba, under the 
             repressive regime of Fidel Castro. At the age of 15 he 
             escaped and began to pursue his destiny in the United 
             States. At every stage of his life he was determined to do 
             everything he could to make a difference. Looking back, I 
             think it's clear he has succeeded beyond his wildest 
             dreams.
               From the time he first arrived in the United States, Mel 
             was grateful for the opportunities that were available to 
             him, and he was determined to give something back to show 
             his appreciation for them.
               He began in his own backyard when he served as chairman 
             of Orange County. As a former mayor myself, I know how 
             difficult a job that can be. For Mel, it was a chance to 
             make the lives of his neighbors and fellow citizens 
             better, and that became his focus and his top priority.
               He did a good job and quickly earned the respect and 
             support of his fellow townspeople. He also caught the 
             attention of then President-elect George Bush who was 
             looking for someone to serve in his Cabinet who had 
             experience dealing with housing issues and the problems 
             that were facing our cities and towns. That is something 
             that Mel had been dealing with in Florida, so he became 
             the first Cuban-American appointed to a President's 
             Cabinet when he was named to serve as our Secretary of 
             Housing and Urban Development.
               Soon after Mel was sworn in he found himself in the 
             middle of a challenge as great as any that had ever been 
             faced by a Cabinet Secretary before. In the aftermath of 
             the terrorist attacks of September 11, Mel was assigned 
             the responsibility of working on the reconstruction of 
             lower Manhattan.
               Then, having served on both the local and national 
             level, Mel then decided to take on another challenge--
             representing the people of Florida in the Senate. Mel 
             proved to be more than up to the task as he has taken on a 
             variety of issues and served on several different 
             committees. Through it all, he has worked hard to put his 
             principles and values into practice every day and he has a 
             great deal to show for his service to the people of 
             Florida in the Senate.
               In the years to come, I will always remember Mel's 
             remarkable life story that stems from the years he spent 
             in Cuba living under a dictatorship. They were a matter of 
             great interest to me when I was a student, but for him, it 
             was his life. While I had only read about and watched the 
             drama unfold during my years at George Washington 
             University, Mel had lived it. It was a time that helped to 
             shape his character and mold his destiny and make him 
             appreciate the great gift of citizenship that far too many 
             of us take for granted.
               Mel has also impressed me as a man of great faith who 
             takes his relationship with God very seriously. He shared 
             his belief with us at one of our Prayer Breakfasts, and he 
             impressed us all with his great sincerity and his 
             unshakeable belief that God had placed him where He needed 
             him and that was why he was in the Senate. He saw it as an 
             opportunity to serve God and the people back home in 
             Florida, as well as those he left behind in Cuba and many 
             more just like them all over the world.
               Too often when we say goodbye to one of our fellow 
             Members, we forget that there is just as much life outside 
             of the beltway as there is inside it. Our focus on 
             Washington and our work in the Senate sometimes makes us 
             think that this is the only place where we can pursue our 
             dreams and make a difference in the world around us. Mel 
             is proof positive that there are many ways that we can 
             make this a better world and in the years to come, as this 
             chapter in his life ends and another begins, I have no 
             doubt we will see Mel continue his efforts to address the 
             problems of this world to ensure that those who have lived 
             for too long in fear and oppression in Cuba and all over 
             the world will someday claim the rights and freedoms we 
             all cherish.
               Good Luck, Mel. I hope you and Kitty enjoy the years to 
             come. Together you have made a great team and we know 
             there is still much more to come in this great adventure 
             of your lives. Good luck and God bless.

               Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in 
             appreciation and admiration of Senator Mel Martinez.
               Mel lived the first 15 years of his life under Communist 
             dictatorship in Cuba. That experience gave him a special 
             appreciation for the blessings of liberty. As Mel's own 
             career in public service took him from Florida to 
             Washington, he never forgot the people living under 
             totalitarianism in his homeland. And he never wavered in 
             his conviction that the people of Cuba deserved the same 
             rights as the rest of us, especially the rights to choose 
             our leaders, worship as we please, and live in freedom.
               Mel distinguished himself as a lawyer in central 
             Florida, then won elective office as chairman of Orlando, 
             and was appointed by President Bush to serve as his first 
             Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Secretary 
             Martinez helped the people of lower Manhattan rebuild 
             after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and he 
             worked to expand opportunities for homeowners nationwide. 
             Mel was proud that he was the first Cuban-American to ever 
             serve in a President's Cabinet.
               Mel was also the first Cuban-American to serve in the 
             U.S. Senate. In this Chamber, he raised his voice to 
             strengthen our national defense, especially the Navy's 
             shipbuilding program. He supported the development of 
             America's natural resources in an environmentally 
             responsible way. He had a heart for victims of Alzheimer's 
             disease and their families, and supported greater Federal 
             research funding to help find a cure.
               Senator Martinez and I shared a concern about waste, 
             fraud, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid. So earlier this 
             year, he and I introduced legislation to do something 
             about it. The Seniors and Taxpayers Obligation Protection 
             Act or the STOP Act would give Federal agencies greater 
             tools and authority to detect waste, fraud, and abuse 
             before they happen. The STOP Act has sponsors on both 
             sides of the aisle, and I believe its provisions should be 
             a part of our efforts to reform our health care system.
               Mel served less than a full term in the Senate, but he 
             has helped shape legislation that will govern our Nation 
             for years to come. He and his wife Kitty are now back home 
             in central Florida, and Sandy and I wish them both the 
             very best.

               Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise to remember a good 
             friend who is leaving the Senate after a career of public 
             service, Senator Mel Martinez.
               Mel Martinez came to the Senate in 2005 after serving as 
             Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President 
             George W. Bush. Senator Martinez was the first Cuban-
             American to serve in the U.S. Senate. Born in Cuba, 
             Senator Martinez arrived in the United States at age 15.
               During his tenure as Secretary of Housing and Urban 
             Development, Mel Martinez addressed the National Congress 
             of American Indians, pledging to strengthen the 
             government-to-government relationship with tribes in the 
             Federal Indian programs administered by his agency. He was 
             keenly interested in ameliorating the third world housing 
             conditions that exist in the Native villages of rural 
             Alaska. Alaska's tribe and tribal housing authorities 
             benefit greatly from Federal funding available under the 
             Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination 
             Act and other Federal housing programs, which were 
             strengthened under Senator Martinez' leadership at HUD.
               Despite the fact that the States we represent are as far 
             away geographically as States can be, we have always been 
             good friends.
               I was proud to serve with Senator Martinez on the Energy 
             and Natural Resources Committee. Senator Martinez was a 
             close ally on energy issues, and he was always a fierce 
             advocate for the interests of his Floridian constituents. 
             We shared a common interest in promoting Federal energy 
             efficiency standards, responsible nuclear waste storage, 
             and we worked together on the 2005 Energy Policy Act. He 
             was a tough bargainer on the more recent 2007 Energy 
             Independence and Security Act as he aggressively pursued 
             the interests of his constituents with respect to Federal 
             Outer Continental Shelf energy development.
               I wish Mel Martinez and his wife Kitty the best of luck 
             in their future endeavors.

               Mr. BEGICH. I ask unanimous consent that the deadline 
             for tributes to Senators Kennedy and Martinez to be 
             submitted to the Congressional Record be extended until 
             Wednesday, October 14, 2009.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                            Wednesday, October 14, 2009
               Mr. ENSIGN. Mel Martinez came to the United States from 
             Cuba at the age of 15 as part of a humanitarian effort 
             called Operation Peter Pan. We are all familiar with the 
             character of Peter Pan--he is careless and does not want 
             to grow up. He is sometimes selfish and often conceited. 
             It is ironic because Mel is the opposite of all of those 
             attributes.
               Mel Martinez arrived on our shores with no family and 
             only the hope for a better life. He had to grow up 
             incredibly fast, and he did so with great determination. 
             He worked hard to learn English, graduate from college and 
             law school, and build a legal career and solid reputation.
               And then he decided to selflessly give back to the 
             community and country that had given him so much. He rose 
             to the highest levels of our government as the 12th 
             Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President 
             George W. Bush. He served from 2001 to 2003, an especially 
             trying time in our Nation's history. But his agency's 
             focus on rebuilding lower Manhattan provided necessary 
             healing for a city and its citizens.
               In 2005 Mel was sworn in as the first Cuban-American 
             U.S. Senator. It was a privilege to serve with him and to 
             join together on many legislative efforts. Most 
             significant was our work on expanding freedom and 
             democracy for the people of Cuba. Cubans have been stifled 
             for too long by a brutal Communist dictator. They deserve 
             a voice and an opportunity for a better life. Nobody knows 
             that better than Mel Martinez, and I look forward to 
             continuing our fight to support prodemocracy efforts.
               Most recently, I was pleased to work with Mel on 
             legislation to promote U.S. tourist destinations abroad. 
             Florida and Nevada miss out on vital international tourism 
             dollars because the United States has no entity to promote 
             our amazing tourism opportunities to other countries. I am 
             confident that the Travel Promotion Act, co-sponsored by 
             Senator Martinez, will pass the Senate shortly and will 
             represent another accomplishment by my former colleague to 
             improve the lives of his constituents and fuel success for 
             all Americans.
               I thank Mel Martinez for his decades of public service 
             in Florida and here in our Nation's Capital. He proved to 
             us all that the hope for a better life combined with 
             determination and the limitless opportunities here in 
             America can make any dream come true.
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