[Senate Document 113-12]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Richard G. Lugar
U.S. SENATOR FROM INDIANA
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
S. Doc. 113-12
Tributes
Delivered in Congress
Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator
1977-2013
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 2014
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Farewell Address......................................
vii
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland...............
3, 24
Coats, Daniel, of Indiana......................
10
Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
4
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
13
Coons, Christopher A., of Delaware.............
19
Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois................
8
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
20
Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
3, 15
Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia....................
9
Kerry, John F., of Massachusetts...............
3
Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
22
Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
17
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
5
Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland..............
14
Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
27
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
18
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
28
BIOGRAPHY
Richard Lugar was born in Indianapolis, Marion County,
IN, on April 4, 1932, the oldest of three children of
Marvin and Bertha Lugar. An Eagle Scout, he graduated
first in his class at both Shortridge High School,
Indianapolis, and Denison University in Granville, OH. He
attended Pembroke College, Oxford, England, as a Rhodes
scholar, and received a graduate degree in 1956. He served
in the Navy from 1957 to 1960. Upon leaving the Navy he
returned to Indianapolis, where he ran, with his brother
Tom, the family's food production manufacturing business,
and the family farm. He was elected a member of the
Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners and served from
1964 to 1967. Subsequently he was elected mayor of
Indianapolis and served from 1968 to 1975.
He was elected to the Senate as a Republican in 1976 and
reelected in 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000, and 2006. He served
until January 3, 2013. He served as chair of the
Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, 98th Congress;
Committee on Foreign Relations, 99th Congress, 108th and
109th Congresses; and Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition
and Forestry, 104th through 107th Congresses.
Among his foreign policy contributions were the Lugar
Energy Initiative to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign
energy sources, the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat
Reduction Program to safeguard and dismantle weapons of
mass destruction in the former Soviet Union, the Anti-
apartheid Act to impose economic and political sanctions
on South Africa, and the African Growth and Opportunity
Act that promotes trade and encourages African countries
to integrate into the global economy. He played key roles
in Senate ratification of the START I, START II, and INF
Treaties and the Chemical Weapons Convention. He was an
early supporter of NATO enlargement.
In agriculture Senator Lugar built bipartisan support
for Federal farm program reforms in the 1996 farm bill and
for restraining agriculture subsidies and administering
farm programs more equitably in the 2002 farm bill debate.
He was also a leader of initiatives to streamline the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, reform the food stamp program,
and require daily price reporting by packers. Recognizing
that trade expansion is key to the agricultural economy,
he worked to improve trade opportunities for farmers,
supported normal trade relations with China, trade
promotion authority (fast track) for the President, and
vigorous negotiating to lower foreign barriers to U.S.
farm products.
Among Senator Lugar's many other initiatives are a law
providing funding for competitive agricultural research
grants and the National Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals
Act of 2000, which promotes production of cost-effective
biofuels made from plant material. He supported literacy
and school reform and authored the S-CHIP Improvement Act
of 1999, which facilitated signups for the Children's
Health Care Insurance Program. He authored bills to
promote control of soil erosion, improve rural water
quality, and control acid rain. He helped facilitate
training of first responders. He was a leader in
negotiating the bailout programs for Chrysler and New York
City loan programs. As a member of the Joint Committee on
the Organization of Congress, he was a strong advocate for
improving the legislative process, streamlining
appointment procedures, adopting a 2-year budget, and
limiting the use of Senate ``holds.''
The Lugars were married in 1956. Richard Lugar and his
wife Charlene have four grown children: Mark, Robert,
John, and David, and 13 grandchildren.
Farewell to the Senate
Wednessday, December 12, 2012
Mr. LUGAR. Madam President, I rise today to address my
colleagues on a number of issues important to the future
of the United States and to offer some perspective on
Senate service.
In a few weeks, I will leave the Senate for new pursuits
that will allow me to devote much deeper attention to a
number of issues that have been a part of my Senate
service. Among these are preventing the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction and developing more efficient
ways to feed the world. I am especially pleased that I
will be serving on the faculty of the University of
Indianapolis and helping that institution establish a
Washington internship program. I look forward to
announcing additional endeavors of service in coming
weeks.
My service in the Senate would not have been possible
without the encouragement and constant support of my
loving wife Char, our four sons--Mark, Bob, John, and
David--and the entire Lugar family. Their strength and
sacrifices have been indispensable to my public service. I
also am indebted to a great number of talented and loyal
friends who have served with me in the Senate, including
more than 300 Senators, hundreds of personal and committee
staff members, and more than 1,000 interns. In my
experience, it is difficult to conceive of a better
platform from which to devote oneself to public service
and the search for solutions to national and international
problems. At its best, the Senate is one of the Founders'
most important creations.
A great deal has been written recently about political
discord in the United States, with some commentators
judging that partisanship is at an alltime high. Having
seen quite a few periods in the Congress when political
struggles were portrayed this way, I hesitate to describe
our current state as the most partisan ever. But I do
believe that as an institution we have not lived up to the
expectations of our constituents to make excellence in
governance our top priority.
Many of us have had some type of executive experience as
Governors, mayors, corporation chiefs, and Cabinet
officials. I had the good fortune of serving two terms as
the mayor of Indianapolis prior to my Senate service. For
the last 36 years I have attempted to apply lessons
learned during those early governing experiences to my
work in the Senate. As mayor, my responsibility for what
happened in my city was comprehensive and inescapable.
Citizens held the mayor's office accountable for the
prosaic tasks of daily life, like trash collection and
snow removal, but also for executing strategies for the
economic and social advancement of the city.
In legislative life, by contrast, we are responsible for
positions expressed through votes, cosponsorships,
interviews, and other means. It takes courage to declare
dozens or even hundreds of positions and stand for office,
knowing that with each position, you are displeasing some
group of voters. We do our country a disservice if we
mistake the act of taking positions for governance. They
are not the same thing. Governance requires adaptation to
shifting circumstances. It often requires finding common
ground with Americans who have a different vision than
your own. It requires leaders who believe, like Edmund
Burke, that their first responsibility to their
constituents is to apply their best judgment.
It is possible to be elected and reelected, again and
again and gain prominence in the Senate while giving very
little thought to governance. One can even gain
considerable notoriety by devoting one's career to the
political aspects of a Senator's job--promoting the party
line, raising money, and focusing on public relations.
Responsibility for legislative shortcomings can be pinned
on the other party or even intractable members of one's
own party. None of us is above politics, nor did the
Founders expect us to be. But, obviously, we should be
aspiring to something greater than this.
Too often in recent years, Members of Congress have
locked themselves into a slate of inflexible positions,
many of which have no hope of being implemented in a
divided government. Some of these positions have been
further calcified by pledges signed for political
purposes. Too often we have failed to listen to one
another and question whether the orthodox views being
promulgated by our parties make strategic sense for
America's future. The result has been intractably negative
public perceptions of Congress. A Rasmussen Reports poll
conducted this month found that only 10 percent of likely
voters gave Congress a rating of ``excellent'' or
``good.''
For me, the irony is that having seen several
generations of lawmakers pass through this body, I can
attest that the vast majority are hard working, genuinely
interested in public service, and eager to contribute to
the welfare of our country. Often, the public does not
believe that. It is easier to assume that congressional
failings arise from the incompetence or even the
malfeasance of individual legislators. Or perhaps, as some
believe, Washington, DC, itself is corrupting. It is far
more disconcerting to think that our democracy's
shortcomings are complex and defy simple solutions, but
the Founders were realists who understood the power of
factionalism, parochialism, and personal ambition. They
understood that good intentions would not always prevail.
Accordingly, they designed a system to check abuse and
prevent power from accumulating in a few hands. But they
knew that the efficient operation of such a republic would
require a great deal of cooperation. They knew that it
would require most elected officials to have a dedication
to governance, and they trusted that leaders would arise
in every era to make their vision work.
The Senate has a unique role to play in good governance.
We have attributes not possessed by the executive branch,
including staying power. Administrations turn over every 4
or 8 years. But Senators can have careers spanning decades
that allow them to apply expertise and political
understanding to problems over many years, even as
administrations come and go. We can also confer a
bipartisan framework on a policy. Even a small bipartisan
group of Senators cooperating on a difficult problem is a
powerful signal of the possibility for a unifying
solution.
My hope is that Senators will devote much more of their
energies to governance. In a perfect world, we would not
only govern, we would execute a coherent strategy. That is
a very high bar for any legislative body to clear. But we
must aspire to it in cooperation with the President
because we are facing fundamental changes in the world
order that will deeply affect America's security and
standard of living.
The list of such changes is long, but it starts in Asia
with the rise of China and India as economic, political,
and military powers. The Obama administration has
conspicuously announced a ``pivot'' to Asia. At the center
of this pivot is China, which exists as both an adversary
to certain U.S. interests, and a fellow traveler sharing
mutual goals and vulnerabilities on others. The ongoing
challenge will be for the United States to discern,
sometimes issue by issue, whether China is an adversary or
a partner. This calibration will impact America's
relations with the rest of Asia and may ultimately
determine prospects for war or peace in this world.
While visiting Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines
in October, I was reminded of the economic vitality of
Southeast Asia and the fact that the 10 countries
comprising ASEAN represent the fourth largest export
market of the United States. These countries are center
stage to the circumstances with China. We must stand firm
with our friends throughout Asia and actively pursue
prospects for free trade with open sealanes and other
policies that will strengthen America's economic growth.
More broadly, we face the specter of global resource
constraints, especially deficiencies of energy and food
that could stimulate conflict and deepen poverty. We have
made startling gains in domestic energy production, but we
remain highly vulnerable to our dependency on oil. Perhaps
equally important, even if we are able to produce more
energy at home, we cannot insulate ourselves from energy-
driven shocks to the global economy. In other words, we
have to cooperate with other nations in improving the
global system of manufacturing and moving energy supplies.
Currently, a key to this is helping to ensure the
completion of the southern energy corridor serving Central
and Southeastern Europe and unleashing our own liquefied
natural gas exports to address the energy vulnerabilities
of our closest allies.
The potential global crisis over food production is less
well understood. Whereas research is opening many new
frontiers in the energy sphere, the productivity of global
agriculture will not keep up with projected food demand
unless many countries change their policies. This starts
with a much wider embrace of agriculture technology,
including genetically modified techniques. The risks of
climate change intensify this imperative.
Even as we deal with potential resource constraints, our
country remains vulnerable to terrorism and asymmetric
warfare. Access to the Internet and social media has
deeply altered international politics, in most cases for
the better. But it also has contributed to instability
through sudden upheavals like the Arab Spring; it has
allowed destructive terrorist movements like Al Qaeda to
franchise themselves; and it has intensified risks of
cyberattacks, espionage, and the proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction. The potential catastrophe remains of
a major terrorist attack on American soil employing
weapons of mass destruction. If that happens, in addition
to the lives lost, our expectations for economic growth
and budget balancing could be set back by a decade or
more. Having devoted considerable time to this problem, my
experience is that there are no silver bullets. Protecting
the United States from weapons of mass destruction is a
painstaking process that every day must employ our best
technological, diplomatic, and military tools.
Amidst all these security risks, we must maintain the
competitiveness of the United States in the international
economy. We should see education, energy efficiency,
access to global markets, the attraction of immigrant
entrepreneurs, and other factors as national security
issues. My own view is that the fundamentals of American
society still offer us the best hand to play in global
competitiveness. No other country can match the quality
and variety of our postsecondary education. We have the
broadest scientific and technological base and the most
advanced agricultural system. Our population is younger
and more mobile than most other industrialized nations. We
can still flourish in this global marketplace if we
nurture the competitive genius of the American people that
has allowed us time and again to reinvent our economy.
But we must deal with failures of governance that have
delayed resolutions to obvious problems. No rational
strategy for our long-term growth and security, for
example, should fail to restrain current entitlement
spending. No attempt to gain the maximum strategic
advantage from our human resource potential should fail to
enact comprehensive immigration reform that resolves the
status of undocumented immigrants and encourages the most
talented immigrants to contribute to America's future.
Faced with immense responsibilities, there is a need to
elevate our Senate debate. It is vital that the President
and Congress establish a closer working relationship,
especially on national security. This is not just a matter
of process. It is necessary to undergird national unity in
the event of severe crises, such as war with Iran or
another catastrophic terrorist attack.
This cooperation depends both on congressional leaders
who are willing to set aside partisan advantage and on
administration officials who understand that the benefits
of having the support of Congress is worth the effort it
takes to secure it. Currently the national security dialog
between the President and Congress is one of the least
constructive that I have ever witnessed. There is little
foundation for resolving national security disputes or
even the expectation that this can occur. Before the next
9/11, the President must be willing to call Republicans to
the Oval Office to establish the basis for a working
partnership in foreign policy. And Republicans must be
willing to suspend reflexive opposition that serves no
purpose but to limit their own role in strategic questions
and render cooperation impossible. All parties should
recognize the need for unity in the coming year when
events in Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, North Korea, and other
locations may test American national security in extreme
ways.
I commend each of you, my Senate colleagues, for the
commitment that led you to stand for election to the U.S.
Senate. Running for office is a difficult endeavor that is
usually accompanied by great personal risk and cost. Each
one of you is capable of being a positive force for
changing the tone of debate in our country. Each one of
you has a responsibility not only to act with integrity
and represent your constituents, but also to make the
informed and imaginative choices on which good governance
for our country depends.
I am optimistic about our country's future. I believe
that both internal divisions and external threats can be
overcome. The United States will continue to serve as the
inspiration for people seeking peace, freedom, and
economic prosperity. And the U.S. Senate should and will
be at the forefront of this advancement.
May we seek each day from God our creator, the wisdom
and the will to do our best in the governance of our
country. And may God continue to bless the United States
of America.
I yield the floor.
?
TRIBUTES
TO
RICHARD G. LUGAR
Proceedings in the Senate
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Mr. HARKIN. ... I thank Senator Lugar for all of his
efforts through so many years on so many different issues,
and on this issue especially [the rights of persons with
disabilities], going back to the beginning of the
Americans with Disabilities Act. If I might divert from
this just for one brief moment to thank Senator Lugar for
his leadership in making the world safer by getting rid of
nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union. What a singular
effort that has been. Senator Lugar has done much to make
the world a better place for us and for our kids and
grandkids. So I salute him for his wonderful leadership in
that area. ...
Mr. KERRY. Madam President, I thank the Senator from
Iowa and I want to comment quickly before I yield the
floor to the Senator from Minnesota. I also have a
unanimous consent request.
I heard the Senator pay appropriate tribute to Senator
Lugar for his accomplishments in terms of making the world
safer. I say to my friend, without any question whatsoever
in reserve that the accomplishment of the ADA is one of
those singular moments in the career of any U.S. Senator
and it made the world better here at home, and a lot of
other places if we get this done. The Senator from Iowa
helped set that gold standard, so I thank him for that and
for the pleasure--there are only three of us left from our
class, so it is good to stand up with him today, and I
appreciate it enormously. ...
Mr. CARDIN. ... I want to acknowledge the work of
Senator Lugar, who is on the floor. He has been a real
champion on basic human rights issues and advancing it
through treaties on which the United States has taken
leadership. I applaud his unstinting commitment to
advancing the rights of people with disabilities. ...
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, in his 36 years of service
in the Senate, Richard Lugar has established a reputation
as an extraordinary leader on such issues as foreign
relations, national security, energy policy, agriculture,
and economic growth. He is the Senate's most senior
Republican and the longest serving Member of Congress in
Indiana's history.
Senator Lugar has established a well-deserved reputation
as a true statesman. At a time when the coarsening
political discourse across our Nation and in Congress is a
growing concern, Dick Lugar is a shining example of
civility and mutual respect we must regain if our Nation
is to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
Thirty-six years in the Senate is a part of Dick Lugar's
long time of service. After attending Oxford University as
a Rhodes scholar, Dick volunteered for the U.S. Navy in
1957, eventually serving as an intelligence briefer for
the Chief of Naval Operations. As the two-term mayor of
Indianapolis, beginning in 1968, he was a trailblazer in
unifying local government, setting his city on a
remarkable path of economic growth and prosperity as well
as efficiency. As mayor, he served three terms on the U.S.
Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and as
president of the National League of Cities. It is evident
Dick Lugar always rises to the top of any organization
because his colleagues recognize his extraordinary
capability and his outstanding leadership.
Dick's life experiences and character have served the
people of Indiana and our country so well. He has been the
leader in reducing the threat of nuclear, chemical, and
biological weapons. What better tribute or legacy could
anyone leave the world than to reduce the inventory of
these dangerous weapons. The bipartisan partnership he
forged in 1991 to destroy these weapons of mass
destruction in the former Soviet Union has resulted in the
deactivation of more than 7,600 nuclear warheads that once
were aimed at the United States.
As chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Dick Lugar has
led the way for reforming our Federal farm programs and
has promoted research advancements and increased export
opportunities that have generated higher net income for
America's family farms. Through the Lugar Energy
Initiative, he has combined his foreign policy and
agricultural expertise to promote policies to spur
economic growth.
In the dark days following the attacks of September 11,
2001, Senator Lugar set forth a set of principles to guide
our Nation in these difficult times. The Lugar doctrine
calls upon the United States to ``use all of its military,
diplomatic and economic power--without question--to ensure
that life-threatening weapons of mass destruction
everywhere are accounted, contained and hopefully
destroyed.''
In addition, the Lugar doctrine asserts that America
should encourage democratic institutions and decrease
reliance on foreign energy sources.
These accomplishments, and so many more, stem from a
profound intellect combined with character. There is
nothing I love more than to hear Dick Lugar give a
tutorial on any country in the world, and he can talk
knowledgeably and teach us about any country in the world.
That is the depth of his experience, his knowledge, and
his expertise.
Dick has also always been a voice of reason in the
Senate. No matter how bitter the debate, he has always
stood by his values and engaged in thoughtful discussions
that result in solutions. That is why his advice has so
often been sought by Presidents, military leaders, Cabinet
secretaries, Governors, and so many of his colleagues,
including me.
As Dick Lugar returns to the private life he left behind
so many years ago, his advice will continue to be sought
after and I hope heeded. His knowledge and insight will
still be valued, and the example of his decency and
civility he has set throughout his life should guide us
all. The people of Indiana and America are grateful for
his service, and I am so grateful for his friendship and
guidance over the years we have served together.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as we enter the final
weeks of the 112th Congress, one of the toughest tasks for
me is saying goodbye to colleagues who will not be with us
at the start of the next Congress.
I would like to kick it off this morning by spending
just a few minutes bragging on my longtime friend and
neighbor to the north, Senator Dick Lugar.
Let me start by saying I am grateful to have served
alongside this good man and to have had a front-row seat
for much of his illustrious career.
To give an idea of the kind of career Dick Lugar has
had, consider this: He was an Eagle Scout, first in his
class in high school, first in his class in college, a
Rhodes scholar, Naval intelligence briefer, corporate
turnaround artist, and big city mayor. That was all by the
age of 35. He has excelled at everything he has ever done.
Most incredibly, he has done it with perfectly smooth
elbows. Walk into any office on Capitol Hill and you would
not find a single person who would say a bad word about
Dick Lugar. He has earned the respect and admiration of
everyone who ever crossed his path. I assure you, in the
world of politics, that is nothing short of a miracle. Now
Dick has decided to press his luck. He is moving into the
only line of work where rivalries are even more vicious
than in politics--he is becoming a college professor.
Dick and I go all the way back to my first Senate race
in 1984. He was the head of the NRSC at the time. He took
a chance on me, and I have always been grateful. He has
been a friend ever since.
A lot of Hoosiers cross the Ohio River every day to work
in Kentucky, but it is not often a Hoosier Senator crosses
it to help a Kentuckian making his first bid for the
Senate. Since we are from neighboring States, our work in
the Senate has often overlapped over the years. I truly
lucked out. Dick has always been helpful and cooperative
and a perfect gentleman.
With his six terms in the Senate, Senator Lugar is the
longest serving Member of Congress in Indiana history. He
ranks 10th on the list of Senators who have cast the most
rollcall votes.
As the longtime chair or ranking member on the Foreign
Relations Committee, he has become one of America's most
respected voices on matters pertaining to foreign policy.
Indeed, Senator Lugar commands the highest respect not
only from his peers in the Senate but around the world,
for his deep knowledge of foreign policy, national
security, agriculture, and trade.
To a lot of liberals, he is a walking contradiction: a
Republican intellectual. He has always worn that
reputation lightly. Anyone who has ever been on a codel
with Dick has seen his method. He stuffs his carry-on to
the point of bursting with memos, newspapers, magazines,
journals, reports, survey data, you name it. Apparently,
Trent Lott sat next to him on the plane once and was
horrified at the way he tore out the pages and scribbled
notes on them. We all know Trent would never be so
indelicate.
Senator Lugar has always had a global view. It started
during his days as a Rhodes scholar and an intelligence
briefer in the Navy and he brought that global view back
to Indiana. After the untimely death of his dad, Dick and
his brother took over the family business and reinvented
it from a struggling domestic operation to a global leader
in the manufacture of baking machinery.
He went from success to success, moving from a seat on
the Indianapolis school board into the mayor's office, and
then, in 1996, on to the Senate. What a Senate career it
has been.
For my part, I think Senator Lugar's achievement in
passing the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threats Reduction
Program in 1991 was a great achievement, not just for
himself but for the entire world.
The Nunn-Lugar program provides assistance to former
Soviet states such as Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and
Belarus in helping them dismantle and destroy their
nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, in order to
prevent them from coming under the control of terrorists.
As of 2011, Nunn-Lugar has deactivated over 7,600
strategic warheads, 791 intercontinental ballistic
missiles, 669 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, 32
nuclear submarines, and 194 nuclear test tunnels. It has
neutralized 1,395 metric tons of chemical weapons, and it
has certified that the countries of the Ukraine,
Kazakhstan, and Belarus--which once held the third,
fourth, and eighth largest nuclear arsenals in the world,
respectively--are now nuclear-free. What an incredible
legacy.
After the 9/11 attacks, Senator Lugar called for and
helped pass the expansion of the Nunn-Lugar approach,
resulting in the Global Threat Reduction Initiative, which
aims to prevent chemical and biological weapons from
falling into the hands of terrorists. He has been a leader
in Congress on the issue of ensuring food safety and
supply internationally for years.
It is the mark of a leader that he thinks not only of
his own moment in time but of the future of his community
and of his fellow man, here and around the world. I think
it is safe to say few Senators embody that spirit as fully
as Senator Lugar. That is not just my opinion. For his
work to make the world a safer place, Senator Lugar has
been justly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Senator Lugar was first elected to the Senate in 1976
and has served for six terms. He is beloved in his home
State of Indiana and in bordering Kentucky too. There is
not only a lot of admiration but a lot of affection for
this giant of the Senate just south of Hoosier territory.
Senator Lugar has put his extraordinary talent to the
service of this institution and his fellow countrymen, and
I have no doubt he will be remembered as one of the best.
Senator Lugar would probably tell us his greatest
achievement was marrying Char. They have been married now
for more than 50 years. They are proud of their 4 sons and
their 13 grandchildren, and they can be proud of the great
teamwork they have had together over the years, from their
time as copresidents of their senior class at Denison
University. Char and the boys were involved in all his
campaigns. The Senate family is sad to see them go as
well.
Senator, you are a treasure to the Senate and a model of
the public servant. We are sorry to see you go, and I am
sorry to lose your wise counsel. I know that whatever you
turn to next, you will be a great success, and I look
forward to hearing all about it. Thank you for your
tremendous service to this body, to the State of Indiana,
and to the Nation.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, let me first echo the
comments of the Republican leader, Senator McConnell,
about our colleague and friend, Senator Dick Lugar of
Indiana.
It has been my good fortune now for some 16 years to
serve in the Senate with Senator Dick Lugar and to come to
know him and his wife Char and, more important, to come to
know their work together on behalf of Indiana and the
United States. Dick Lugar is truly a giant in the Senate.
We are going to miss him. There aren't many with the
vision of Dick Lugar.
There is something about standing in the middle of this
country, Adlai Stevenson II once noted, with the flatlands
all around you that gives you a perspective on the world a
little different. Dick Lugar's perspective on the world
has been so insightful and so important for decades.
His work with Senator Nunn in dealing with the
proliferation of nuclear weaponry and the dissolution of
the Soviet Union was truly historic and may have saved the
world from catastrophe time and again. He reached out to a
young Senator from Illinois by the name of Barack Obama
and took him on a congressional delegation tour to look
into this issue. I think at the end of the day their
friendship was solid, and President Obama notes it was one
of the more important overseas visits he made as a Member
of the Senate.
I know Dick Lugar as well from the many times we came
together with our wives at the Aspen Institute. It is
truly unfortunate that there aren't more Senators
participating in the Aspen Institute. It is a meeting,
usually overseas, of Members of the Senate and their
spouses with experts to discuss some of the most important
problems facing us in this world. No lobbyists are allowed
to attend; it is truly 2 or 3 days of work. It is also a
time in the evening to sit together and come to know a
family. Loretta and I have come to know Char and Dick
Lugar as exceptional people. Char and I would sit and talk
about books--which she loves to read and I do too--and
Dick and I would talk about the topic of the day, and we
created a bond of friendship in those experiences.
He has done so much work in the Senate, as Senator
McConnell noted, starting as the mayor of Indianapolis and
working his way up to the Senate. He became a powerful
force in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and I was
honored to serve on that committee over the last several
years and watch his work unfold and evolve.
Dick Lugar is going on to great things, I am sure. This
is not the end of his service to our country. I wish him
and Char the very best, whatever their next undertaking
may be.
As you receive praise from the Senator from Kentucky to
the south of Indiana, accept some from the Senator from
west of Indiana in the State of Illinois. I am honored to
count Dick Lugar as a friend, and I am sure going to miss
you. You have been an extraordinary ally and colleague on
so many important issues.
Mr. ISAKSON. I would like to turn to Richard Lugar from
Indiana. Richard Lugar is one of those rare people who are
referred to as an institution, and he is truly an
institution: Six terms in 36 years in the Senate, a
candidate for President of the United States in the
Republican primary a number of years ago, a bipartisan man
who worked with then-chairman of the Armed Services
Committee Sam Nunn to put together the Nunn-Lugar
agreement, which is allowing us to tear apart nuclear
warheads, reprocess those nuclear warheads, tear down
nuclear missiles and ballistic missile launchers, and have
a safer world. The reason there is not a terrorist attack
using nuclear fission materials today so far is probably
more because of Dick Lugar and Sam Nunn than any two
individuals in the United States.
Dick Lugar is a man I admire greatly. When I came here,
I hoped one day I could work on the Foreign Relations
Committee so I would have the opportunity to work with
Dick Lugar. That opportunity took place, and the Presiding
Officer and I have served together with Dick Lugar for 4
years. I watched Dick Lugar during tough times, during
happy times, during good times, and during challenging
times. He is always even. He has always got an even keel.
His rudder is in the water. He knows where he wants to
take the committee, but he doesn't drive it, he leads it.
One of the great negotiators of our time, one of the
great men of our time in terms of foreign relations, Dick
Lugar is the man who has meant more to our country than
anybody I can possibly think of today, and he has a legacy
of supporting the State of Indiana in any way he possibly
could, from the school board, to mayor of Indianapolis, to
U.S. Senator, to a great lecturer and leader on the
national and international stage. We will miss Dick Lugar
very much, and I am sure he will miss us, but I hope all
of us will remember and learn that he taught us about a
steady hand, good diplomacy, and the importance of
diplomacy over guns any day of the week.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Mr. COATS. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the
service of Senator Richard Lugar and to pay tribute to his
legacy. I served alongside Senator Lugar as the junior
Senator of Indiana during my two tours of service in the
Senate. All of us who seek public service want to make a
difference, and most certainly Senator Lugar has done
that.
At an early age Dick Lugar developed a passion for
knowledge. A native of Indianapolis, he was valedictorian
at Shortridge High School. It was then and is still a
distinguished institution where knowledge is at the
forefront of everything done in that school. One of our
former Members, Ted Stevens, was also a graduate of
Shortridge High School.
Dick Lugar then went on to become valedictorian in
college when he graduated from Denison University with a
bachelor's degree in economics. He went on to attend
Pembroke College at Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar
and obtained a second bachelor's degree and master's
degree in politics, philosophy, and economics. Today he is
one of the most decorated scholars in the Senate with 46
honorary degrees from 15 States and the District of
Columbia.
Following these most impressive academic achievements,
Senator Lugar spent several years in the U.S. Navy
ultimately serving as an intelligence briefer for ADM
Arleigh Burke, Chief of Naval Operations. The Navy and
Admiral Burke chose the best person they could for that
particular job. Dick Lugar quickly became well known for
not only his hard work but his leadership ability and his
intellectual prowess. Senator Lugar then returned to
Indiana where at the young age of 35 he became the mayor
of Indianapolis, serving two terms from 1968 to 1975.
There is no question that Dick Lugar is recognized as one
of the most influential and visionary mayors Indiana has
ever seen, and maybe the country has ever seen.
Having just left military service myself, I was working
full time attending Indiana Law School at night. That
didn't leave much time for Marsha and me to enjoy the
amenities of Indianapolis but, frankly, there were very
few amenities to enjoy at that particular time. It was
then that our newly elected mayor began a remarkable
transformation of Indianapolis into what has now become
one of the most attractive and livable cities in America.
As mayor, Dick Lugar worked carefully with the Indiana
General Assembly and then-Governor Ed Whitcomb to extend
the boundaries of the city and merge the governments of
Indianapolis and Marion County to provide common essential
services more efficiently--a concept then called Unigov.
Unigov wasn't without controversy, but because of Dick
Lugar's vision, careful negotiations, and decisive action,
Indianapolis became a model for other cities across the
Nation.
When the law took effect in 1970, Indianapolis'
population rose from 476,000 to 793,000. Indianapolis
moved from the 26th largest city to one of the Nation's
largest dozen cities literally overnight. When I think of
the numerous positive changes in Indianapolis over the
past 40 years, I see the fulfillment of the vision of
then-Mayor Dick Lugar.
The Midwest has a way of producing men and women of
sense and decency. However, not all of us fall into that
category. Sometimes that sense is questioned, but we do
have individuals who have the ability to see to the heart
of the matter and to find a way to resolve a problem. Such
skill is extremely valuable in the U.S. Senate, a body
that by its very design is supposed to foster compromise
between legislators on issues before the Nation. So it was
a natural progression that following his success as mayor,
Dick Lugar's next job would be serving Hoosiers as a U.S.
Senator.
Since 1977, Senator Lugar has represented Hoosiers and
served our Nation admirably. Without question, Senator
Lugar is the type of lawmaker and leader who works hard to
bring both parties together, find common ground, and pass
needed legislation. Although his contributions are many--
including his long and valued service on the Senate
Agriculture Committee--Senator Lugar's most important role
in the Senate has to be his leadership on the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee. As a two-time chairman of
this committee, he has been one of the most influential
minds on foreign policy in the Senate's history. He has
worked tirelessly on policies and legislation to promote
arms control, control and dismantle nuclear arms, and to
address the global food crisis.
Among his many accomplishments in the field of foreign
relations, his signature piece of legislation, no doubt,
is the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, more commonly
known as Nunn-Lugar. When Senator Lugar joined the Foreign
Relations Committee in 1979, he traveled to the former
Soviet Union on multiple occasions to gain a better
understanding of how the United States could secure and
dismantle weapons of mass destruction.
His experiences led him to champion the landmark
legislation that successfully resulted in the deactivation
of nuclear warheads, making this world a safer place. To
date, the Nunn-Lugar Program has deactivated more than
7,600 nuclear warheads that were once aimed at the United
States. It is a contribution to which Americans can never
give enough thanks.
Over his 36 years in this institution, Senators from
both sides of the aisle have considered Dick Lugar a
trusted resource when it comes to foreign policy and many
other important issues. He has been a consistent resource
for those who seek thoughtful answers to difficult
political questions.
When I first arrived here in 1989, Senator Lugar and I
operated a unique joint office arrangement in Indiana. We
shared office space and staff in our State. Many of our
colleagues were surprised by this arrangement, but Dick
Lugar and I like to tell Hoosiers that they are getting
twice the service for half the price. All those who work
in this Chamber can learn from Dick Lugar's passion for
public service. His sincere desire to reach across the
aisle and find common ground complements his unique talent
for forging coalitions and bringing people together to
accomplish big things.
A tribute to Senator Lugar would be incomplete without
recognizing the support of his wife Charlene, his four
sons, and his extended family. Public service places
unique demands on our families, and their sacrifice and
support plays an important role in any Senator's success.
It has been an honor for me to work with Senator Lugar.
I am thankful for his service to Indiana and to our
country.
My wife Marsha and I wish Senator Lugar, Char, and his
family nothing but the best as my dear friend begins this
next chapter of his life. Senator Lugar has dedicated so
much of his service to our country. He has outlined many
other ways in which he will be continuing to do that and
that is a great benefit to our Nation and to our State. I
am certain we will continue to learn and benefit from the
Senator's lifetime of public service.
I know my colleagues join me in thanking Senator Lugar
for his many years of dedicated and distinguished service.
It has been a pleasure to serve as a junior Senator from
Indiana under the Senator's leadership.
With that, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, let me add my words of
commendation to those of Senator Coats for Senator Lugar.
I have often joked with him that he has been my Secretary
of State while I have served here in the Senate. We could
count on Senator Lugar to give good, unbiased advice on
complicated foreign relations issues, and we will very
much miss Senator Lugar's voice here in the Senate, and
also his better half, Char Lugar, who I think we all know
is a bright light. It has been an honor and a privilege to
serve with Senator Lugar, and I know his voice will
continue to be heard on the important issues of the day.
In both Indiana and North Dakota, agriculture is a
pillar of the economy. Senator Lugar fully understands the
importance of farming, and it has always been near his
heart. He still manages a 600-acre corn, soybean, and tree
operation back home. Here in the Senate, he has been a
champion for his State's farmers, serving on the
Agriculture Committee since his first term. I have worked
with him as a member of that committee since I joined the
Senate a decade later. He twice served as chairman, most
notably during the passage of the 1996 farm bill.
I had the privilege to work with Senator Lugar in
crafting numerous farm bills. During the Agriculture
Committee's debate of the last farm bill, Senator Lugar
and I teamed up to fund rural energy programs. We both
understand the importance of getting more energy from the
Midwest instead of the Middle East. Rather than sending
our dollars outside of the country to buy oil, we can
invest in renewable energy that is produced at home.
Without Dick's support, the Senate's version of the farm
bill would have lacked these important provisions.
When the history books are written about our era,
Senator Lugar will be remembered as one of the Senate's
leading voices on foreign policy. A proven leader, Dick
has been recognized by his colleagues for his clear-eyed
analysis and practical solutions to global problems. His
expertise has been invaluable to the Senate, whether it
was regarding the threats of the Soviet Union during the
cold war or Islamic terrorism today. One of Senator
Lugar's brightest achievements was the creation of the
Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, commonly known as
Nunn-Lugar. Through this program, the United States helps
partner countries destroy and secure weapons of mass
destruction. It has deactivated over 7,600 nuclear
warheads that once threatened our Nation. Our world is
undoubtedly a safer place because of Senator Lugar's
unwavering commitment to secure nuclear material.
Dick has been one of the most pragmatic Members of the
Senate. He understood that compromising with others does
not mean betraying one's beliefs. He was willing to work
with Members on both sides of the aisle to achieve
sensible solutions to our Nation's problems. At a time
when our country desperately needs to set aside inflexible
partisan rigidity in order to advance the common good,
Senator Lugar will be greatly missed.
I thank Senator Lugar for his service in the Senate, to
his State and the country. I thank him for being a friend
to me, and I wish him and his family the very best in the
future.
Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I rise to comment about
some wonderful men in the Senate who are retiring on both
sides of the aisle. Earlier today I spoke about my deep
affection and sorry-to-see-go friends Olympia Snowe and
Kay Bailey Hutchison, but I want to rise as the dean of
the women in the Senate to say some very special words
about very special men on both sides of the aisle. Because
when I came to the Senate, it was only Nancy Kassebaum and
me, and yet we worked on so many issues together. There
are really wonderful men here who supported me, supported
our issues, but really stood up for those States and their
communities. ...
I also wish to pay tribute to someone on the other side
of the aisle, my very good friend and someone I admire
tremendously, Senator Dick Lugar from Indiana. Who does
not admire Senator Lugar, a gentleman, a scholar, I might
even add a Rhodes scholar, a definite advocate for
Indiana, an incredible leader on foreign policy.
I am so proud of him and the work he did and the way he
reached across the aisle to work with our colleague
Senator Sam Nunn on their famous Nunn-Lugar Cooperative
Threat Reduction Program. They truly worked together to
begin to end the threat of weapons of mass destruction in
the former Soviet Union and made the world a better and
safer place.
We want to wish Senator Lugar a fond farewell and let
him know he will be deeply missed. I certainly will miss
him. I valued his thought, his counsel, his observations,
particularly in the area of foreign policy. He taught me a
little bit about foreign policy too. ...
I wanted to be sure that the day would not end without
my acknowledging these wonderful people who have given a
big part of their lives to making this country a better
place. I want to, in the most heartfelt way--I am so sorry
we did not have a bipartisan dinner or party to be able to
express this. I would have liked to have been in the same
room, breaking bread with them, in order to be able to
tell them how much we appreciate them, across party lines,
across those lines that ordinarily divide us. They came
from different parts of the country, they arrived in the
Senate with different objectives, they will leave under
different circumstances. But I want to again let them know
that each and every one of them had a positive impact on
me and I think a wonderful impact on the future of this
country. So I wish them well. God bless and Godspeed.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Mr. HARKIN. In these closing weeks of the 112th
Congress, the Senate is saying farewell to a number of
retiring colleagues. One of our most poignant farewells is
to a Member respected and esteemed on both sides of the
aisle. I speak of Senator Dick Lugar of Indiana.
He is a friend, a fellow Midwesterner. But to all of us,
he is much more. Dick Lugar is truly a Senator's Senator.
He epitomizes the very best in this institution, and it is
a sad commentary on the state of our Nation's politics
that the main reason why Senator Lugar is leaving the
Senate is because his primary opponent attacked him for
the very qualities we admire and need here: his readiness
to forge fair and honorable compromises, his insistence on
putting country ahead of party or ideology, his enormous
decency and civility.
As we all know, Senator Lugar has been the Senate's most
passionate and effective advocate of arms control and
nuclear nonproliferation. The program he created with
former Senator Sam Nunn has assisted Russia and other
countries of the former Soviet Union to secure and dispose
of their weapons of mass destruction. What an amazing
accomplishment by Senator Lugar. I also want to salute
Senator Lugar's record of principled, conscientious
leadership on the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry, including as chairman from 1995 to 2001.
He is a key author of landmark measures strengthening
Federal agricultural conservation policies and programs,
particularly in the 1985 farm bill and succeeding farm
bills.
He has been instrumental in strengthening--and in
fighting for at critical junctures--Federal nutrition
assistance, including school lunch, breakfast, and other
child nutrition programs through the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program and through support for food
banks and other emergency food assistance. Dick Lugar has
also been an outstanding leader in enacting Federal
initiatives to research, develop, and market farm and
forest commodities by converting them to energy and bio-
based products.
For me, it has been a great honor to be Senator Lugar's
friend and colleague for 36 years and to serve all of that
time with him on the Agriculture Committee. Our
friendship, of course, will continue, but I will miss, as
we all will, Senator Lugar's calm, positive, always
constructive influence on this body. Across 36 years of
distinguished service, this Senator and statesman has
faithfully served the people of Indiana and the United
States. There is no doubt that he will pursue new avenues
of public service in retirement.
So I will miss his day-to-day friendship and his counsel
in the Senate. I wish Dick and his wonderful wife Char all
the best in the years ahead.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, the Senate has traditionally
been seen as a moderating force in American politics, as a
place where partisan interests give way to practical
problem solving, and where men and women of good will
could, while they might often disagree and debate, find
agreement on the challenges our Nation must face.
Richard Lugar has, for more than 30 years, upheld that
Senate tradition. All of us, regardless of party, have
great respect for his intelligence, his integrity, and his
concern for the good of our country.
We have worked together on many matters. Manufacturing
is a vital sector in the economies of both our States, and
Senator Lugar has been a strong supporter of Federal
programs that benefit manufacturing, including the
Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which helps U.S.
manufacturers research and develop new technologies,
increase efficiency, improve supply chains and out-
innovate our overseas competitors. We have worked together
on other issues of mutual interest to Indiana and
Michigan, including preservation of the Great Lakes and
strengthening America's agricultural sector.
These are important contributions. Senator Lugar's most
lasting legacy, however, is likely to be his work
protecting Americans, and people all over the world, from
the threat of proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction. As a Midwestern Senator, he has followed in
the finest tradition of Arthur Vandenberg, a Republican
Senator from Michigan who famously coined the concept that
``politics stops at the water's edge.''
In 1991 Senator Lugar joined with Senator Sam Nunn in a
bipartisan effort to deal with a pressing national
security challenge arising from a major national security
success: the collapse of the Soviet Union. While the end
of the cold war made the world a safer place, the
splintering of a superpower meant the fearsome Soviet
arsenal of nuclear and chemical weapons was now in the
possession of 15 separate nations. Many worried, with good
reason, that these newly independent nations, struggling
in the aftermath of the Soviet collapse, might be unable
or unwilling to prevent the misuse or diversion of these
weapons.
The answer was the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program,
commonly known as Nunn-Lugar, and widely hailed as one of
the smartest investments America has ever made in our
security. Nunn-Lugar has eliminated more than 7,600 former
Soviet nuclear warheads, and nearly 2,500 nuclear-capable
missiles. It has secured two dozen nuclear weapon storage
sites, and significantly strengthened controls over
remaining weapons of mass destruction, WMD, and their
deadly materials. As the WMD proliferation challenge has
evolved, Senator Lugar has worked hard to ensure that
Nunn-Lugar has adapted to meet that challenge, in new
regions such as Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. It has
been an integral part of our national security strategy
ever since the end of the cold war, making our Nation more
secure, keeping us safe.
This is a legacy of which any Senator would be
justifiably proud, and it is one on which Senator Lugar
has continued to build. We saw the value of his leadership
as the Senate debated and passed the New START Treaty, and
we've seen it in the countless instances when Senator
Lugar has advocated for and helped the Senate approve
international agreements that have made our Nation, our
allies, and our planet a safer place.
The Senate will miss Richard Lugar's leadership. I hope
that each of us who will return to the Senate in the new
year can keep in mind his legacy of bipartisan leadership
and practical problem solving as we confront our Nation's
challenges.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Mr. REED. Madam President, at this time, I wish to take
a few minutes to salute my colleagues who are retiring at
the end of this year with the conclusion of the 112th
Congress: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Jeff Bingaman of New
Mexico, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Kent Conrad of North
Dakota, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Kay Bailey Hutchison
of Texas, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Jon Kyl of Arizona,
Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Richard Lugar of Indiana,
Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Jim
Webb of Virginia. They have all worked ceaselessly to give
their constituents the best representation and give the
country the benefit of their views, their wisdom, and
their experience. They are men and women who are committed
to the Nation, and they have every day in different ways
contributed to this Senate and to our great country.
I wish to thank them personally for their service, and,
in so many cases, their personal kindness to me; for
listening to my points and for, together, hopefully,
serving this Senate and this Nation in a more positive and
progressive way.
In particular, let me say a few words about some of the
Members with whom I have had the privilege to work more
closely. ...
Richard Lugar is one of the most decent and thoughtful
individuals ever to serve in this body. We will miss his
wisdom and his voice, particularly on nuclear
nonproliferation and arms control. I am also pleased to
have joined him on so many other issues, and he leaves an
extraordinary mark on this institution. ...
I could go on with all of my colleagues, just thanking
them for their friendship, for their camaraderie, and for
their commitment to the Nation and the Senate. As they
depart, they have left an extraordinary legacy. Now it is
our responsibility to carry on in so many different ways,
and I hope we measure up to what they have done. If we do,
then we can go forward confidently.
Mr. COONS. ... There are so many other Senators I want
to speak about today [besides Daniel Inouye], but let me
turn to a few, if I might, and give some insight for the
folks who only see Members of this Chamber on cable TV
shows or in the give-and-take of election season or who
only know them as the cutout and caricatures that the
public thinks of as Senators. If there is a common thread
between them, it is that they share that loyalty, work
ethic, and humility that so characterized Senator Inouye
in his decades here.
I had the honor to serve with Senator Dick Lugar of
Indiana on the Foreign Relations Committee. Over the 35
years he served in the Senate, he applied the practical
perspective that experience as the mayor of Indianapolis
gave him. He worked to make the world a safer place for
all of us.
Along with 12 of our colleagues, Senator Lugar will
retire from this Chamber this month after a remarkable
career. He knew the stakes were too high to let partisan
politics and personality prevent progress. He partnered
with Senator John Kerry, Senator Sam Nunn, and then-
Senator Joe Biden of Delaware on the Foreign Relations
Committee. Because of their work together, there are
thousands fewer nuclear weapons in our world. Serving with
Dick Lugar these last 2 years has been a tremendous honor.
...
So here we are, 5 days before my family celebrates
Christmas and 12 days before the new year and the
beginning of the so-called fiscal cliff. Our politics have
paralyzed this Chamber and this town. But what the example
of all of these remarkable Senators has shown us, what it
has taught me is that we can still be better than our
politics.
The humanity of this place, too often shoved aside by
the politics of the moment, shows us that we can do
better. One by one, these Senators, in delivering their
farewell addresses to this Chamber, stood at their desks
and each in turn urged us to find a way to return to the
days when Senators knew each other and worked together.
What will it take to get us to that point again--a
horrific tragedy in an elementary school, a dangerous
economic cliff, some devastating attack, a cyberassault on
America?
Our retiring colleagues are each telling us, each in
turn, that it is not too late to restore the humanity of
this Chamber and make a positive difference in the lives
of all we serve. Will we heed their call? I hope and pray
we will because we can do better. We must do better. And
in the spirit of each of these departing colleagues, I
will do my level best. I hope we all can commit to doing
the same.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, at the end of each Congress the
Senate has a custom of taking a moment to express our
appreciation to those Members who will be returning home
when the gavel brings the current session to a close. This
tradition provides us with an opportunity to acknowledge
each Senator's efforts and take note of the difference
they have made both back home and here in Washington, DC.
One Senator I know I will miss in the months to come is
Senator Richard Lugar. He has had a great influence on my
service here in the Senate. During his six terms of
service in the Senate, I know I'm not the only one who
learned a great deal from him about how to be the kind of
legislator who gets results.
I was fortunate to have had Senator Lugar reach out to
serve as a mentor to me. When I first arrived, my
experience in the Wyoming State Legislature had taught me
to enter the legislative battles slowly, taking the time
to learn from the seasoned veterans how to be an effective
advocate for my home State and the people back home.
Senator Lugar proved to be a good choice for me to observe
as I tried to pick up on his way of doing things on the
floor and in his committee.
I soon learned that Senator Lugar had a style all his
own. His quiet and calm demeanor in his dealings with
other Members and the thoughtful presentations he made on
the Senate floor made it clear that he always had a
strategy in mind as we took up those issues that meant a
great deal to him.
I shouldn't have been surprised he had such a good
understanding of the right way to do things here. It's an
indication of one of his great achievements--he's a fellow
Eagle Scout. That great training he received in his
younger days never left him. His years in the Boy Scouts
prepared him for the challenges he had taken on over the
years and it taught him the importance of teamwork--
bipartisan teamwork--in taking on the issues that were of
such great concern to the people of his State. His
experience with the Scouts taught him a great deal about
life and the importance of holding on to the principles
and values that helped to make him a leader back home and
here in the Senate.
Another aspect of our lives that we have in common is
our service as mayor. There are few jobs quite as
difficult as that, and I have a great deal of respect for
anyone who takes on that challenge. I served as mayor of
Gillette, WY, during a difficult time in its history.
Senator Lugar served as mayor of Indianapolis. He brought
quite a few good proposals with him and that helped to
make it possible for him to do some pretty remarkable
things. One accomplishment that stands out was his
consolidation of the city and the surrounding county. That
helped to make the government work better for the people
of the area. His proposals received a great deal of
attention and that got his administration noticed. It soon
led him to bring his unique brand of leadership to the
National League of Cities, where he served as its
president.
After such a string of successes, it was only natural
that he then bring his vision for the future of our Nation
to the U.S. Senate. For six terms he has been a strong
voice for the people of his home State on a long list of
issues that were of great concern to them. He has been a
leader in both the areas of foreign affairs and
agriculture. He has been a great friend of rural America
as he has worked to ensure that the programs and policies
that work so well in urban areas also benefit rural States
and communities like those in his home State and mine. He
has compiled a legacy during his service in the Senate
that should make him very proud.
Now Senator Lugar will be returning to his beloved home
State. Those are his roots and it represents the kind of
experiences that helped to form him over the years. It was
a life that made him what he is today--strong,
independent, and committed to doing what is right.
Now that this chapter of Senator Lugar's life has come
to a close, another will soon begin. That is just as it
should be. We will miss his leadership on a long list of
issues. I hope we continue to hear from him with his
thoughtful ideas on the direction we need to follow to
turn our economy around.
I know I join with our colleagues in thanking Senator
Lugar for his service, for the leadership he has provided
on more issues than I could ever list in this short
reflection on his many years in the Senate, and most of
all, for his friendship. That was a great gift that meant
a great deal to us all.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I have served with hundreds of
Senators in my nearly 38 years representing Vermont in
Washington. Few embody the statesmanship that you find in
Senator Richard Lugar. For more than 36 years, Senator
Lugar has represented the State of Indiana in the U.S.
Senate--the longest serving Republican Senator here today.
It has been an honor, a privilege, and a joy to work with
him to advance so many important legislative issues.
Senator Lugar exemplifies the ideal of bipartisanship
that is too often lacking today in Washington. Although we
come from different political views, Senator Lugar and I
worked shoulder to shoulder to reach across the aisle to
find compromise and common ground on two farm bills--the
Leahy-Lugar bill, and the Lugar-Leahy bill. That
collaborative effort, which led to reforms at the
Department of Agriculture resulting in the savings of
billions of dollars, is an example of how well the Senate
can function when bipartisanship is the order of business.
Whether he chaired the Agriculture Committee, or I did, we
always found a way to work together.
Perhaps Senator Lugar is most well known for yet another
bipartisan effort, the 1991 Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat
Reduction. Nunn-Lugar was enacted to protect Americans
from the threat of nuclear weapons in the former Soviet
Union. Ever since it became law, Senator Lugar has
continued his efforts to reduce the threat of nuclear
annihilation. In 2007, after a trip to Russia, Azerbaijan,
and Ukraine, Senator Lugar and then-Senator Barack Obama
crafted the Lugar-Obama Proliferation and Threat Reduction
Initiative to decrease the number of hidden traditional
weapons around the world. Senator Lugar's ability to build
strong relationships with party opposites such as
President Obama resulted in legislation that benefits
citizens of Indiana, but also the entire Nation.
As a leading member and former chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Lugar has championed
human rights around the world. Most recently he advocated
aggressively for ratification of the bipartisan Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. A recognized
leader in international affairs, Senator Lugar has
supported causes from eradicating hunger, to combating
terrorism wherever it occurs. He has promoted sound,
reasonable immigration reforms to encourage the best and
brightest to come to America. And he has warned of the
catastrophic risks of climate change.
Earlier this year, Senator Lugar and I reached a pair of
milestones together. I was honored to cast my 14,000th
vote in the U.S. Senate. I was delighted that Senator
Lugar, on the same vote, reached the 13,000 marker. Ours
has been a partnership of more than three decades, and to
share this milestone with Senator Lugar was a memory I
will cherish.
A couple of years ago, Dick and I found ourselves
sitting down together in the Senate Judiciary Committee
Hearing Room, speaking with a reporter about the
importance of bipartisanship in Congress. We both recalled
with fondness our earliest days in the Senate, sitting on
the farthest ends of the dais, and struggling to hear what
the most senior members of the panel were saying. We
suspected--no doubt correctly--that this was not happening
by accident. From those days sitting together was born a
friendship that has spanned three decades. In his farewell
in this Chamber, Senator Lugar cautioned that many in
Congress ``have not lived up to the expectations of our
constituents to make excellence in governance our top
priority.'' Every day in this Chamber, Dick Lugar made
excellence his top priority. He is a pillar of the Senate,
a mentor to many, and a role model to those to come. I
will miss my friend.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute
to the Senators who will not be returning when the 113th
Congress commences next month. I have already spoken about
Senator Kyl and about Senator Inouye, one of the truly
great Americans and giants of this institution. At the
time of his death, Senator Inouye was just a few weeks
short of celebrating 50 years of Senate service. Only
Senator Byrd served in this institution longer.
Turnover is a natural occurrence, but it's important to
acknowledge that the Senators who are departing have
served in the Senate for a combined total of 237 years, or
nearly 20 years per Senator, on average. Add Senator
Inouye, and the total is close to 300 years. That service
represents an enormous amount of expertise on issues
ranging from national defense and foreign affairs to the
Federal budget to energy policy. The departing Senators
will also take with them vast institutional knowledge and
bipartisan friendships and working relationships that will
leave a void we will need to fill. ...
Mr. President, Senator Richard Lugar isn't just one of
our leading Senators; he's one of the Nation's greatest
statesmen over the past quarter century. We have been
fortunate indeed to have Senator Lugar at the helm of the
Foreign Relations Committee, either as chairman or ranking
member, for so many years. He is quite literally a
gentleman and a scholar. After graduating first in his
class from high school and from Denison University, he
attended Pembroke College at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar,
where he earned a second bachelor's degree and a master's
degree in 1956. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to
1960, earning the rank of lieutenant, junior grade. While
he was in the Navy, he was an intelligence briefer for
Admiral Arleigh Burke.
To this day, Senator Lugar shows his fifth generation
Hoosier roots, managing the family's 600-acre corn,
soybean, and tree farm. When he was just 35, he was
elected mayor of Indianapolis and served two highly
successful terms. He was elected president of the National
League of Cities in 1971. Senator Lugar defeated incumbent
Senator Vance Hartke in 1976 with 60 percent of the vote
in a year when the Democratic candidate for President,
Jimmy Carter, won the election. Senator Lugar was
reelected five times. On three of those occasions, he
received well over 60 percent of the vote. In 2006 he
received over 87 percent of the vote while Democrats were
recapturing control of Congress for the first time in 12
years.
Before Senator Lugar chaired the Foreign Relations
Committee, he chaired the Agriculture Committee, during
which time he authored the 1996 farm bill. He established
a biofuels research program to help increase U.S.
utilization of ethanol and combustion fuels and led
initiatives to streamline the Department of Agriculture,
reform the food stamp program, and preserve the Federal
school lunch program. Over the course of his career, he
has been deeply involved in food security issues, both
domestically and around the globe.
Senator Lugar generally holds conservative economic
views, but he supports President Obama's DREAM Act and
certain restrictions on gun ownership. He was the first
Republican Senator to announce his support for President
Obama's first Supreme Court nominee, U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor. He also voted in favor of
President Obama's second Supreme Court nominee, Solicitor
General Elena Kagan. I was proud and privileged to work
with Senator Lugar on an extractive industries
transparency provision that we are able to include in the
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
I have learned so much from Senator Lugar serving on the
Foreign Relations Committee.
In a long career of dazzling accomplishments, Senator
Lugar has made his greatest mark with respect to foreign
affairs. In 2006 Time magazine rated him as one of
America's 10 Best Senators in an article entitled ``The
Wise Man.'' According to the article, Senator Lugar's
``thinking has often proved to be ahead of the curve.'' He
pushed for democratic governments in the Philippines and
South Africa and the development of alternative fuels to
reduce our reliance on foreign supplies of oil in the
1980s. He has been influential in gaining Senate
ratification of treaties to reduce the world's use,
production, and stockpiling of nuclear, chemical, and
biological weapons. In 1991 he collaborated with then-
Senator Sam Nunn, a Democrat from Georgia and chairman of
the Armed Services Committee, to eliminate latent weapons
of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union. To date,
the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program has
deactivated more than 7,600 nuclear warheads. Three months
after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the
United States, Senator Lugar enunciated the Lugar
Doctrine, which commits the United States to use ``all of
its military, diplomatic, and economic power--without
question--to ensure that life-threatening weapons of mass
destruction everywhere are accounted, contained, and
destroyed'' and which ``asserts that the United States
should encourage democratic institutions and decrease
dependence on foreign energy sources.'' Few, if any,
people have done more than Senator Lugar over the past 36
years to ensure security, promote freedom and peace, and
reduce the threat of war.
In 2008 Senator Lugar received the Paul H. Douglas
Ethics in Government Award, which is awarded by the
University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public
Affairs. He gave a profound speech on the nature of
bipartisanship when he received that award. I think the
speech perfectly exemplifies Senator Lugar and his
approach to governance, and I would exhort everyone to
read it and take it to heart. This is part of what he
said:
Too often bipartisanship is misrepresented as the
byproduct of moderate political views or the willingness
to strike deals. We should be clear that bipartisanship is
not centrism, and it is more than just compromise. It is a
way of approaching one's duties as a public servant that
requires self-reflection.
I believe this type of independent self reflection and
discipline of thought is at the core of any politician's
attempt to be truly bipartisan. In today's political
environment, politicians are bombarded by demands from our
respective parties and loyalist groups to adopt certain
orthodox positions. To some extent this is a necessary
element of a two-party system. But when positions are
adopted purely on the basis of partisan advantage or
strategic opposition to the other party, our system begins
to break down. Some Members may genuinely agree with their
party 50 percent of the time, others may genuinely agree
with their party 99 percent of the time. The question is
whether a politician arrives at those conclusions through
honest reflection and careful study of the issue or
whether they arrive there because they have adopted an
``us-versus-them'' mentality. Increasingly at all levels
of American politics, capable leaders are succumbing to
the temptation to put politics first. ...
Particularly destructive is the misperception in some
quarters that governing with one vote more than 50 percent
is just as good or better than governing with 60 or 70
percent support. Under this theory, the compromises
necessary to achieve greater consensus among the American
people and Congress merely dilutes the strength of one's
partisan accomplishments.
The problem with this thinking is that whatever is won
today through division is usually lost tomorrow. The
relationships that are destroyed and the ill will that is
created make subsequent achievements that much more
difficult. If the minority is not a participant, it begins
to see its job as frustrating the majority, rather than as
trying to advance its ideas or contributing to good
legislation. A 51-percent mentality deepens cynicism,
sharpens political vendettas, and depletes the national
reserve of good will that is critical to our survival in
hard times. Leaders should not content themselves with 51
percent if they can expand a working majority through
outreach, judicious rhetoric, bipartisan alliances, and
thoughtful argumentation. National unity is not simply a
civic nicety; it counts in real policy terms. ...
Senator Lugar concluded his speech by remarking that
former Senator Paul Douglas' life ``provides us with an
extraordinary example of what can be achieved through
thoughtful dedication to public service.'' The same can be
said for Senator Lugar. ...
Mr. President, these men and women who will be leaving
the Senate soon have made extraordinary sacrifices to
serve our Nation. We are fortunate that they have chosen
to spend significant parts of their lives in public
service. All Americans owe them a debt of gratitude. Those
of us who will be in the Senate next month when the 113th
Congress convenes can best honor the legacy of our
departing colleagues by reaching across the aisle as they
have done so many times to forge bipartisan consensus and
solutions to our Nation's most vexing problems. The men
and women who will be leaving the Senate at the end of
this Congress understand that compromise isn't a dirty
word; it is the genius at the heart of our political
system. We will miss them.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on
behalf of my friend and colleague Senator Dick Lugar, who
is retiring from the Senate at the end of this year.
Senator Lugar has been a good friend to me in the decade
we have served together. As the Chamber's most senior
Republican he has been a mentor to me, and when I first
came to the Senate he was also my chairman on the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee. I have been proud to work
with him on a number of foreign policy issues, including
those affecting the United States like the Law of the Sea
Treaty. We have also worked together on energy issues.
Senator Lugar's Practical Energy Plan is a thoughtful bill
to strengthen our energy security. On this bill, as on all
other issues throughout his Senate career, Senator Lugar
worked to develop practical solutions to the challenges we
face regarding energy.
Senator Lugar is the longest serving Member of Congress
from Indiana. He graduated first in his class from
Shortridge High School in Indianapolis and after attending
college, he began his service to our country as an
intelligence briefer in the U.S. Navy. He later served as
mayor of Indianapolis, on the U.S. Advisory Commission on
Intergovernmental Relations, and as president of the
National League of Cities before beginning his 36-year
Senate career.
He has clearly served the people of Indiana well. Just
last month, the Indianapolis Monthly Magazine published
``By the Numbers: Richard Lugar's Legacy,'' which listed
many of Senator Lugar's accomplishments. The article noted
that Indianapolis gained 57,000 jobs during Senator
Lugar's tenure as mayor and 7,600 nuclear warheads were
deactivated as a result of the Nunn-Lugar Program.
According to the article, Senator Lugar has cast more than
13,000 votes in the Senate and worked with 7 different
Presidents. He has been recognized for his service with
the Guardian of Small Business Award, the Spirit of
Enterprise Award, the Watchdog of the Treasury Award, and
more than 45 honorary degrees from colleges and
universities in 15 States and the District of Columbia.
The American Political Science Association got it right
when they named him an outstanding legislator, and he won
his last general election with 87 percent of the vote.
I will miss Senator Lugar's friendship, commonsense
approach to getting things done, and commitment to the
people of Indiana and the people of the United States. I
will miss his always congenial personality and his
gracious and respectful manner toward others. I will close
by noting what I think may be the biggest accomplishment
noted by Indianapolis Monthly Magazine, his 56-year
marriage to his wife Char. I wish them the best in the
coming years.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
ORDER FOR PRINTING OF TRIBUTES
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of
materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to the
retiring Members of the 112th Congress.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.