[Senate Document 113-31]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]





 
                     TRIBUTES TO HON. MIKE JOHANNS
                                          

                                Mike Johanns

                       U.S. SENATOR FROM NEBRASKA

                                TRIBUTES

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF

                           THE UNITED STATES

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

               

                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 

                               WASHINGTON : 2015 
 
 
 



                                      Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress

                                    Mike Johanns

                                United States Senator

                                      2009-2015

 
  [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]                                         


                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                                      CONTENTS
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Farewell Address......................................
                                                                    vii
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Ayotte, Kelly, of New Hampshire................
                                                                     23
                    Bennet, Michael F., of Colorado................
                                                                     26
                    Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
                                                                     30
                    Carper, Thomas R., of Delaware.................
                                                                     19
                    Chambliss, Saxby, of Georgia...................
                                                                     10
                    Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
                                                                     17
                    Coons, Christopher A., of Delaware.............
                                                                     22
                    Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
                                                                      6
                    Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois................
                                                                     22
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                     24
                    Fischer, Deb, of Nebraska......................
                                                                     11
                    Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina.............
                                                                     27
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                 27, 29
                    Heitkamp, Heidi, of North Dakota...............
                                                                     25
                    Hoeven, John, of North Dakota..................
                                                                 18, 23
                    Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia....................
                                                                     10
                    Johanns, Mike, of Nebraska.....................
                                                                      6
                    Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
                                                                     28
                    McCain, John, of Arizona.......................
                                                                      8
                    McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                  3, 11
                    Portman, Rob, of Ohio..........................
                                                                     13
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                 20, 21
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                      6
                    Roberts, Pat, of Kansas........................
                                                                     15
                    Shaheen, Jeanne, of New Hampshire..............
                                                                     29
                    Wyden, Ron, of Oregon..........................
                                                                     20
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               On January 6, 2009, Mike Johanns was sworn in as U.S. 
             Senator for Nebraska. He won the support of an 
             overwhelming majority of Nebraskans by demonstrating 
             principled leadership throughout more than 30 years of 
             public service.
               Senator Johanns served on four committees in the 113th 
             Congress: Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; 
             Appropriations; Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; and 
             Veterans Affairs. In previous Congresses he served on the 
             Committee on Environment and Public Works, the Committee 
             on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the Committee 
             on Indian Affairs.
               Senator Johanns established himself as a legislative 
             leader on issues that are not only important to Nebraska 
             but also the Nation. He introduced and championed 
             commonsense legislation dealing with issues ranging from 
             agriculture to veterans to small businesses.
               After hearing from businesses in Nebraska about a 
             provision in President Obama's health law that would have 
             created a paperwork nightmare for job creators, Senator 
             Johanns began an effort that gained bipartisan momentum 
             and the 1099 reporting mandate was repealed. On 
             agriculture, he led the fight against harmful government 
             regulations and continued his work on a long-term, reform-
             minded farm bill that focused on risk management tools. 
             One of the first pieces of legislation to be signed into 
             law for 2013 was the National Defense Authorization Act, 
             which contained Senator Johanns' legislation to help 
             returning veterans find civilian employment and supplied 
             funding to continue work on the new command facility for 
             the Strategic Command (STRATCOM) at Offutt Air Force Base.
               Before being elected to the Senate, Mike Johanns was 
             appointed the 28th Secretary of the U.S. Department of 
             Agriculture in January 2005. For nearly 3 years he worked 
             to expand foreign market access for U.S. producers, 
             promoted the growth of the renewable fuels industry, and 
             advanced cooperative conservation. Additionally, Mike 
             Johanns developed an indepth farm bill proposal, which 
             became the foundation for improvements and reforms adopted 
             in the final 2008 farm bill.
               Mike Johanns also served as Nebraska's 38th Governor 
             from 1999 to 2005. As Governor, he promoted an agenda of 
             tax relief, less government, building the economy, 
             protecting families, and ensuring the health, safety, and 
             success of Nebraska's children.
               Mike Johanns served on the Lancaster County Board from 
             1983 to 1987, and on the Lincoln City Council from 1989 to 
             1991. He was elected mayor of Lincoln in 1991 and was 
             reelected in 1995 without opposition. He successfully ran 
             for Governor in 1998 and was reelected in 2002.
               He grew up on a farm where he learned a work ethic that 
             has been put to use serving the people of Nebraska and 
             this country. The values he developed while growing up 
             serve as the foundation for his commitment to public 
             service. Mike Johanns is a graduate of St. Mary's 
             University of Minnesota. He earned a law degree from 
             Creighton University in Omaha and practiced law in O'Neill 
             and Lincoln.
               Senator Johanns is married to Stephanie Johanns, former 
             Lancaster County Commissioner and Nebraska State Senator. 
             The couple has two children and five grandchildren.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                              Tuesday, December 9, 2014

               Mr. JOHANNS. I wish to start by saying I so appreciate 
             the kind words by Senators McCain, Chambliss, and Isakson. 
             I see there are others in the Chamber who may weigh in and 
             offer a thought or two. I can't express how much I 
             appreciate it.
               I would like to offer a few thoughts--my farewell 
             thoughts--today.
               I rise, first, to convey a very deep and sincere 
             appreciation to the people of a really great State, the 
             State of Nebraska. They have entrusted me with the high 
             privilege and the solemn responsibility of representing 
             them in this body.
               I am honored to have served as a Senator from Nebraska, 
             and I hope and pray that I have done so in a manner that 
             upholds the high standards that Nebraskans have rightly 
             established for their elected office holders.
               If I could turn back the clock 32 years I would do it 
             again--from my first day as the county commissioner, 
             throughout my service as a Lincoln City Council member, as 
             mayor of our capital city, Lincoln, as the Governor of 
             Nebraska, in President Bush's Cabinet, and now as a 
             Senator. No doubt about it, if I could turn back the 
             clock, I would just do it again.
               I am so grateful for the trust placed in me and the 
             support of so many people who have made this service 
             possible.
               Let me start with the top of the list, and that would be 
             my family. My wife, Stephanie, has been an incredible 
             pillar of support.
               One of my best friends refers to her as ``spirited.'' 
             That would be an understatement. She is a true partner. 
             She has given her whole heart to public service--both her 
             own service as a State senator and as a county 
             commissioner when we first met--and to mine.
               I thank my children, Justin and Michaela, who are now 
             grown up. They have their own families. We have five 
             beautiful grandchildren. They have been a source of true 
             joy and pride. They too have cheerfully supported me 
             despite the sometimes long hours and the missed 
             birthdays--I could go on and on. It cut into that dad and 
             grandpa time.
               I offer a special word of thanks to the hundreds or 
             thousands of volunteers whom I could never thank 
             individually. They went out there, pounded the yard signs, 
             walked the precincts, worked the phone banks, and they 
             probably wrote checks when the bank account was pretty 
             low. Their belief in me is what has been inspiring in 
             those campaigns.
               Another group of people near and dear to my heart are my 
             current and former staff, campaign or government related. 
             We have always called ourselves Team Johanns. It is an 
             extended family and for good reason. Their hard work, 
             their commitment, and their professionalism enabled me to 
             represent and serve our great State and our country.
               I have not only been truly blessed by the privilege to 
             serve, but I have been blessed by the privilege of meeting 
             some very extraordinary people.
               In my various roles I have been with world leaders, 
             spiritual heads, cultural icons, Presidents, Vice 
             Presidents, Prime Ministers, Queens, and Kings--all 
             memorable experiences to be sure. But I will say they are 
             not the extraordinary people I speak about today. My real 
             inspiration comes from ordinary people whom I have 
             observed and watched do remarkable, extraordinary things.
               Each year for the past 6 years, I have had the privilege 
             of selecting a Nebraska family to be honored as ``Angels 
             in Adoption.'' Each year their stories of unconditional 
             love show the limitless capacity of the human heart.
               One family, the Welchels of Harrisburg, NE, went from 
             two children to seven. They adopted five children, all 
             with special needs, but their selflessness did not stop 
             there. They created a camp where these very special kids 
             could share life's journeys. How powerful is that?
               I have learned that heroes walk among us daily whose 
             courage is revealed in split-second decisions, and in that 
             split second they put the lives of others in front of 
             their own.
               Two Nebraskans did exactly that in 2012. A schoolbus had 
             collided with a semitrailer on a rural road near a 
             community called Blue Hill, NE. These individuals, Ron 
             Meyer and Phil Petr, arrived on this horrific scene. They 
             bravely ran onto that burning bus and pulled five children 
             to safety. A witness who was there at the scene expressed 
             absolutely no doubt those five children would have 
             perished, as others sadly did, if not for the remarkable 
             courage of Ron and Phil.
               I have been so moved beyond words by my conversations 
             with the parents of our fallen men and women in uniform. I 
             would call them to offer them my condolences, and I have 
             found their strength to be so astounding. To a person, 
             they speak with such passion about love of country and 
             pride in their loved one's service, despite sorrow. They 
             honor their children with their patriotism. They honor 
             their children with their fortitude. Their grace through 
             incomprehensible grief inspires immeasurable gratitude. 
             May God bless them and all of the families of the fallen.
               Walking the streets of a tornado-ravaged community--and 
             I have done that too many times as Governor and as a 
             Senator--I saw ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
               One stands out especially in my mind. I watched in 
             amazement as Kim Neiman, the Pilger, NE, city clerk, 
             attempted to take care of every conceivable need of every 
             single resident following a devastating tornado that 
             literally leveled this Nebraska community.
               Her tireless advocacy, her raw determination was focused 
             entirely on the community she loved. She had virtually no 
             regard for her personal loss. You see, her home was 
             destroyed, and her life was turned upside down by this 
             tornado as well. But for Kim, community came first.
               These are good people, and there are so many more like 
             them. They inspired me, and they have motivated me to 
             search for solutions to break through partisan rancor that 
             too often dominates this government.
               But they also fuel my optimism for the future. You see, 
             I believe that America's strength is in the fabric of 
             which we are woven. The threads of this fabric include 
             both the character of our people and the wisdom recorded 
             in our Constitution.
               It is a very strong and very durable fabric that 
             withstands the overreach of any one President and the 
             misguided policies of any one administration.
               That is why I look back, not with any regret--I would do 
             it all over again--but with gratitude. There were 
             victories won during my time here, and I am pleased to 
             have lead some of those charges. But I have to admit many 
             battles remain.
               I would be dishonest if I denied some feelings of 
             frustration about the absence of the will to address 
             issues of paramount importance to our country, but I know 
             that no issue is powerful enough to shred the fabric of 
             this great Nation. Rather, these challenges are 
             overpowered by the ordinary people who do extraordinary 
             things, by the character of our people, and by the wisdom 
             of our Founders. So I reject the prophecy of hopelessness.
               As the challenges we face grow more urgent--and they 
             will--so grows the collective fortitude to address them, 
             and I believe that is about to intensify.
               On January 3, I will officially pass the baton to 
             Senator-elect Ben Sasse, and I wish him the best. With the 
             114th Congress, there will be a new day in this Chamber, a 
             new majority, and a lot of new faces. I hope they embrace 
             the new opportunities to exemplify true statesmanship.
               Although confidence in our Nation's ability to solve 
             problems may be shaken, I still believe ordinary people 
             can do extraordinary things--even here in Washington, DC. 
             May God guide those efforts and may God bless this great 
             country, the United States of America.
               I yield the floor.
?

                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                    MIKE JOHANNS
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                             Thursday, December 4, 2014
               Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to a 
             truly outstanding Senator, who will soon retire from this 
             body after more than 30 years of public service.
               Of course, I am speaking of Senator Mike Johanns. Mike 
             has had a remarkable career. He is the only current Member 
             of this body--besides Senator Alexander--who has served as 
             Senator, Governor, and Cabinet secretary.
               Yet for all he has accomplished, Mike isn't the 
             flashiest Senator. He doesn't hold the most press 
             conferences, he doesn't yell the loudest, and you never 
             have to worry about him knocking you over to get to a TV 
             camera, but in his steady and determined style, Mike has 
             proven himself a remarkably successful Member of this 
             body.
               That was true in his successful battles to defend 
             Nebraska's rural communities against government overreach, 
             it was true when he worked with the late Senator Byrd to 
             sink a national energy tax that threatened his 
             constituents, and it was true when he led the first 
             successful legislative effort to revisit Obamacare, 
             working with many Democrats to repeal the so-called 1099 
             provision.
               Mike has never looked for drama. He is always aiming for 
             results. So it didn't take long for people in the Senate 
             to recognize that Mike was more than just another freshman 
             in the minority. He became the guy you would turn to if 
             you wanted to get an amendment up to 60 votes.
               That is truly remarkable for a first-term Senator. It is 
             especially remarkable when we consider that Mike came to 
             the Senate at a time when Republicans were in the deep 
             minority. But then again, Mike is a very remarkable guy: 
             county commissioner, city councilman, mayor, Governor, 
             Secretary of Agriculture. You name it, Mike has done it, 
             and that was before he even set foot in the Senate.
               Some think Mike must have a secret that allows him to 
             assemble bipartisan coalitions on conservative issues, but 
             I don't think it is much of a secret at all. Mike works 
             across the aisle. He works in good faith, and he works 
             hard. He doesn't care what party you are from and 
             absolutely no one can outwork him.
               Mike makes sure of that by getting up earlier than 
             anyone else. It is a habit he learned growing up on a farm 
             in northern Iowa. He would get up at 5 a.m. every day and 
             then from age 4 he would work. He would shovel muck. He 
             would fill the hog tanks. He would even deliver piglets.
               The point is, Mike developed an appreciation for hard 
             work and responsibility at an early age. Along with his 
             strong Catholic faith, these are the traits that still 
             define him today, but they don't paint the whole picture, 
             because Mike Johanns may be an accomplished man, he may be 
             one of the smartest and most capable public servants you 
             will ever meet, but he is absolute putty in the hands of 
             his wife Stephanie. She is always by his side. She is his 
             best friend, and they complement each other perfectly.
               Their idea--listen to this--of a perfect night out is a 
             night in together. They are both Husker fans and, as Mike 
             put it, ``Steph is almost never in a bad mood.'' He said, 
             ``She jumps out of bed, and she's got a big smile on her 
             face and she thinks this is bound to be the best day of 
             her life.''
               It is a personality perfectly suited, as one can 
             imagine, to the campaign trail, which is a good thing 
             because the two of them have logged tens of thousands of 
             miles together campaigning across Nebraska, usually in 
             matching T-shirts, sometimes in a beat-up old Corsica.
               They have plenty of stories from the trail, too, but one 
             from Mike's run for Governor stands out particularly. This 
             is what happened: The Johanns were driving home after a 
             long day of marching in parades in the hot Sun. They 
             passed a barn on the way, assuming it was a cattle sale. 
             They figured they would drop in and press a few palms. 
             Stephanie parked the car, Mike opened the door, and dozens 
             of well-dressed Nebraskan eyes fell on them.
               The Johanns, in their sweaty T-shirts, hadn't dropped by 
             a cattle sale; they had crashed a wedding. I will give 
             them this, they made the best of it. Mike ended up dancing 
             with the bride, and of course he went on to win the 
             election as well.
               This is the sequel: Months later, at an inaugural ball 
             in Lincoln, two uninvited guests showed up. It was, of 
             course, the bride and her husband.
               They had a simple message: ``You crashed our wedding, 
             Governor, and now we're crashing your inaugural.''
               So the senior Senator from Arizona [Mr. McCain] may like 
             to brag about his Hollywood cameo with Vince Vaughn, but 
             our colleagues know the truth. Senator Mike Johanns is the 
             original--the original--wedding crasher.
               Mike and Stephanie certainly have traveled a long and 
             interesting road from when they first met while serving on 
             the Lancaster County Board in the 1980s, when Mike would 
             draft up walking lists on an old typewriter and they would 
             go out and campaign door to door.
               A lot has changed. For one thing, Mike isn't a Democrat 
             anymore. But much is the same too. Mike still cares deeply 
             about mental health issues. It is what brought him into 
             politics in the first place. It is what he considers his 
             crowning achievement as Governor. He still has loyal fans 
             on staff who remember all of his efforts on the issue.
               It is a rare thing, the loyalty Mike inspires in people. 
             This is the Senator with staffers who have been with him 
             for many years, some since his days in local politics, and 
             here is what they all say about Mike Johanns: Senator 
             Johanns is a man who cares--cares about his family, he 
             cares about the people who work for him, and he cares 
             about his constituents. That is why he has given his cell 
             phone number out to half of Nebraska.
               He has made his mistakes, of course. As mayor of 
             Lincoln, he had to cancel Halloween one year. But that is 
             old news. To many Nebraskans he is still Governor, to 
             others he is simply Mike. But whatever Nebraskans call 
             Mike Johanns, they respect him, and I know they are going 
             to miss him. And so are we.
               At least retirement will give Mike more time to pursue 
             his hobbies. We hear he is a voracious window washer. He 
             has even been known to pull out the Windex on vacation. 
             Whatever he does, we know this is a retirement that is 
             well earned. He has dealt with bird flu, mad cow disease, 
             the farm bill, deficit reduction, and just about any other 
             issue you can think of over a long and distinguished 
             career in public service.
               We all want to thank Senator Johanns for his loyal and 
             dedicated service to the Senate and to the people of 
             Nebraska. We wish Mike and Stephanie the best as they look 
             forward to their next adventure together.

               The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader.

               Mr. REID. Mr. President, I want to join in the remarks 
             of the distinguished Republican leader, but add to that 
             that Stephanie is one of the funniest people Landra and I 
             have ever known. She has a great sense of humor. What the 
             Republican leader laid out is perfect, except this woman 
             has a sense of humor that is really quite remarkable.
               I suggest the absence of a quorum.

               The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Will the Senator 
             withhold his request?

               Mr. REID. Yes, Mr. President.

               The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from 
             Nebraska.

               Mr. JOHANNS. Mr. President, just a word or two to both 
             leaders. Thank you so much for your kind words. I also 
             want to say thank you for mentioning my wife Stephanie. 
             This has been a remarkable partnership for a lot of years, 
             and I could not have done what I did without her. So thank 
             you to Senator McConnell. Mr. Leader, thank you. It has 
             been an honor to serve in this body. I will have more to 
             say next week in my farewell speech, but I did not want 
             this day to go by without expressing my appreciation. 
             Thank you.
               I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a 
             quorum.
                                               Monday, December 8, 2014
               Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, in the waning days of the 
             113th Congress it is a bittersweet moment as many of us 
             are saying goodbye--although not on a permanent basis but 
             at least in terms of our official relationships working 
             together as Senators--to so many of our good friends and 
             valued colleagues. Every other December we find ourselves 
             bidding farewell to some of the most admired and respected 
             Members of this Chamber. Today I want to say a few words 
             about three of these esteemed Members, starting with my 
             good friend, the senior Senator from Georgia [Mr. 
             Chambliss]. ...
               Next, I would like to turn to my colleague from 
             Nebraska, the senior Senator Mike Johanns. Even if Mike 
             Johanns had never been a Senator, he would have compiled 
             an extraordinary career of public service. It started with 
             a stint on the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners and 
             continued with 2 years on the Lincoln City Council, 
             followed by 8 years as mayor of Lincoln, NE.
               In 1999 Mike left the mayor's office and moved over to 
             the Nebraska State Capitol, where he served for 6 years as 
             Governor. He said one of his proudest gubernatorial 
             accomplishments was enacting a mental health reform law 
             that helped improve the lives of some of Nebraska's 
             neediest and most vulnerable residents. That to me tells a 
             lot about his character and sense of compassion.
               Born and raised as a farmboy, Mike was named America's 
             28th Secretary of Agriculture in 2005. Over the next 3 
             years, he held more than 50 separate forums on the farm 
             bill--more than 50. Not surprisingly, he continued to work 
             on agriculture-related issues when he joined the Senate. 
             Indeed, he has been a true leader, fighting passionately 
             to defend the rights and livelihood of farmers and 
             ranchers everywhere--especially in Nebraska.
               These are issues that are vitally important to millions 
             of Americans, including Mike's constituents, but they are 
             not the kind of issues that help land you prime time 
             appearances on cable news. Luckily for us, Mike doesn't 
             care about media attention, but what he does care about is 
             doing the right thing for his State and for our country.
               He understands something that many of us too quickly 
             forget--that taxes and regulations should be forced to 
             pass a simple cost-benefit test. That is why Mike worked 
             so hard to block the national energy tax known as cap and 
             trade, and that is why he has consistently demanded that 
             the Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal 
             agencies demonstrate how their proposed rules would affect 
             American jobs and American workers.
               It is also why he has so aggressively pushed to abolish 
             the IRS 1099 reporting requirement in Obamacare, which 
             would have placed a costly new burden on America's small 
             business owners and indirectly on the jobs that they 
             create. Mike did more than anyone else to help highlight 
             the problems with this requirement and to demand its 
             repeal. Thanks in large part to his efforts, 81 Members of 
             this Chamber voted to abolish it back in 2011.
               There is an old cliche in politics that there are two 
             types of politicians--show horses and workhorses. Mike has 
             never sought the limelight, and has certainly done more 
             than his fair share of the work. But he has done so in a 
             very quiet and thoughtful manner. He is someone who has 
             kept a low profile while working behind the scenes, 
             building bipartisan consensus and being infallibly polite 
             and gentlemanly in the process.
               He is the type of Senator who is universally admired and 
             respected by all of our colleagues. His accomplishments 
             here in the Senate--I have just mentioned a few--have been 
             manifold. Yet I am quite certain his proudest 
             accomplishments are his family--his wife Stephanie, their 
             two children, and five grandchildren. They have been 
             generous enough to share Mike with us for the past 6 
             years, and now it is time for Mike to be with the people 
             he cares about the most. We will miss him a whole lot, but 
             he is moving on to perhaps the most rewarding chapter of 
             his life.
               Mike, thanks for all you have done. Thanks for your 
             service, your guidance, and most of all for your 
             friendship.
                                              Tuesday, December 9, 2014
               Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I come to the floor to 
             praise the public service of and bid farewell to my friend 
             and valued colleague from Nebraska, Senator Mike Johanns.
               With my remarks, I celebrate not just Mike's last 6 
             years in the Senate but also his 30-plus years in public 
             service that will culminate with the end of this term.
               At the highest levels of government in both the 
             legislative and executive branches, Mike's life of public 
             service has been punctuated by great accomplishment. From 
             the Lancaster County Board in Nebraska to the Lincoln City 
             Council, from his service as mayor of Lincoln to his 
             service as the 38th Governor of Nebraska, from his service 
             as the 28th U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and throughout 
             his tenure in the Senate, Mike has demonstrated a 
             commitment to those with muted voices in our political 
             system, including small business owners, veterans, those 
             impaired by mental illness and most certainly America's 
             farmers and ranchers.
               In the Senate, Mike's leadership and bipartisan efforts 
             to repeal purposeless tax reporting requirements in 
             Obamacare, his championing new trade agreements, and his 
             contribution to the development and final passage of a new 
             farm bill this year all describe a strong conservative 
             legislator committed to stimulating economic growth 
             through reduced government spending, lower tax rates, and 
             reduced regulatory burdens on American business.
               I have appreciated Mike's partnership on key 
             legislation, including his joining me to cosponsor the 
             bipartisan Congressional Accountability and Line-Item Veto 
             Act of 2009. During the 112th Congress, we were both 
             cosponsors of the Foreign Earnings Reinvestment Act, a 
             bipartisan effort to let corporations reinvest earnings 
             kept overseas by our high corporate tax rates back into 
             the American economy.
               I was also proud to join Mike as an original cosponsor 
             of his bill, the Two-Year Regulatory Freeze Act of 2011, 
             which sought to give the American economy a much needed 
             reprieve to burdensome and confusing Federal regulations 
             that frequently hinder economic growth. Mike was also an 
             original cosponsor of the Jobs Through Growth Act, and 
             many others.
               I am also grateful that he joined in helping replenish 
             the Forest Service's aging air tanker fleet. A decade ago 
             the Forest Service had roughly 40 large air tankers to 
             fight wildfires that burned millions of acres of land 
             across Western States, including Nebraska and Arizona.
               Today they own eight large air tankers. Senator Johanns 
             and I saw an opportunity to transfer several excess 
             Department of Defense aircraft to the Forest Service to 
             temporarily address this shortage, and that has happened.
               While Mike and I have had disagreements along the way, I 
             have always respected his knowledge and experience as a 
             farmer, foreign trade expert, and the Nation's former 
             Agriculture Secretary.
               I am proud of the areas where we agree: reining in 
             certain farm subsidy programs, advocating for free trade 
             agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, and 
             even working together to kill the proposed USDA catfish 
             office--a little known $15 million program inside the last 
             farm bill that we both highlighted as wasting taxpayer 
             money and that, from a trade perspective, was negatively 
             impacting our cattlemen and soy farmers.
               We also agree on the need to help returning veterans 
             seeking to reenter the workforce as beginning farmers, an 
             effort he championed in our last farm bill. I have long 
             applauded Senator Johanns for calling on Congress to pass 
             laws to stop farm subsidies from going to millionaires 
             while he was a sitting Secretary of Agriculture.
               As much as I respect the substance of Mike's 
             accomplishments in public service, I have valued how he 
             has achieved them with a quiet, purposeful dignity and, 
             indeed, a vibrant sense of humor. He has never been 
             opposed to bipartisan cooperation whenever it is needed to 
             further the interests of his constituents or the greater 
             Nation.
               For these reasons, his approach to governance in 
             legislating has earned him the respect of colleagues and 
             constituents across the political continuum. It should 
             also serve as an example to all of us in this body who 
             remain behind.
               In an email Mike wrote to his friends last February 
             announcing his decision not to seek reelection in 2014, 
             Mike wrote: ``With everything in life, there is a time and 
             a season.''
               Well, to my friend and valued colleague, Mike Johanns, I 
             bid fair winds and following seas in all that he and his 
             lovely wife Stephanie do, and I thank him for his service 
             and his friendship.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.

               Mr. CHAMBLISS. Madam President, I rise and second what 
             my friend and colleague from Arizona said.
               It has been a privilege of mine to serve in this body 
             for 12 years--and I will be making some comments about 
             that tomorrow--but during my early years in the Senate the 
             Secretary of Agriculture was Secretary Mike Johanns.
               Being a very active member of the Agriculture Committee 
             and being chairman for 2 years during then-Secretary 
             Johann's tenure, I had the opportunity to work with Mike 
             on a day-to-day basis and, boy, what a pleasure it is to 
             work with one of the finest gentlemen and public servants 
             I have ever known. He is smart, and he is political when 
             he needs to be political, but he has as much or more 
             common sense as, again, any public servant I have ever 
             known.
               For the past 6 years, he has been my next door neighbor 
             in the Russell Building, so we see a lot of each other 
             coming and going and have the opportunity to visit on a 
             regular basis.
               As I leave at the end of this term, one of the real 
             Members of the Senate I am going to miss is Mike Johanns. 
             I publicly thank him for his service and thank him for his 
             commitment. I wish him and Stephanie the best, but what I 
             really thank him for is the great friendship he and I 
             developed over the years.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.

               Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, I join the Senator from 
             Arizona and the Senator from Georgia--my senior Senator, 
             Mr. Chambliss--to rise for a minute and talk about Mike 
             Johanns.
               I want to amend that. I don't want to just talk about 
             Mike Johanns, I want to talk about him and Stephanie 
             Johanns.
               In the South what we have is what we call a two-for. 
             Mike and Stephanie are a two-for. They are a great pair 
             for America, and they are a great pair for the State of 
             Nebraska.
               As a Senator from an agricultural State, I know the 
             value that Mike brought to the Cabinet of the United 
             States when he was Secretary of Agriculture.
               I know from his serving the State of Nebraska when he 
             was Governor what a great job they did. I know the past 6 
             years, working side by side with Mike Johanns has been a 
             real treat. He is a gentleman, and he is a scholar. He 
             doesn't do anything if he doesn't know what he is doing, 
             and if he is not always right, he is almost always right 
             because he always has Stephanie there to guide him in the 
             right direction.
               I pay tribute to a great Senator, and a great personal 
             friend, Mike Johanns, and his lovely wife Stephanie.

               Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I had an opportunity to 
             address the extraordinary career of the Senator from 
             Nebraska the other day, and he was on the floor, which was 
             welcomed, and his staff was in the gallery. I wanted to 
             say again, in a much shorter version, how much we all 
             appreciate his remarkable contributions to our country, to 
             his State, and to the Senate and wish him well in the 
             future.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.

               Mrs. FISCHER. Madam President, I rise today to celebrate 
             the legacy of my dear friend, my colleague, and my fellow 
             Nebraskan, Senator Mike Johanns.
               Senator Johanns has dedicated more than three decades of 
             his life to serving the people of Nebraska and also this 
             Nation. His career in public service began at the local 
             level, where he was elected to the Lancaster County Board 
             of Commissioners. He later joined the Lincoln City 
             Council, and eventually became mayor of Nebraska's capital 
             city where he served for two terms.
               Perhaps the most infamous decision Senator Johanns ever 
             made throughout his career in public service was in his 
             days as mayor of Lincoln. After an early season winter 
             storm dropped more than a foot of heavy wet snow on 
             Lincoln in late October, Mayor Johanns decided to cancel 
             Halloween. He cited power outages and hazardous downed 
             powerlines.
               As you can imagine, this news was not received well 
             among some of those Lincolnites. To this day, constituents 
             haven't forgotten and they still occasionally remind him 
             of how he deprived an entire city of trick or treats on 
             that fateful October evening. He made up for it, though, 
             when he and his wife Stephanie treated children who came 
             to trick or treat at the mansion.
               Fortunately, this incident didn't deal a death blow to 
             Senator Johanns' political career. He went on to serve as 
             Governor of Nebraska and was reelected to a second term.
               As Governor, he focused on fiscal discipline and the 
             responsible use of limited State tax dollars, principles 
             he upheld here in the Senate as well. At one point, as 
             Governor, he even vetoed an entire 2-year budget proposal 
             because it raised taxes to expand government power.
               He also championed ambitious mental health reforms that 
             allowed patients to receive care in the stability and in 
             the security of their own communities where they could be 
             near their loved ones. A decade later, these reforms in 
             Nebraska are still regarded as a major milestone in 
             improving mental health care.
               Before he was a Senator or a Governor or a mayor or a 
             city councilman, he worked on his family's dairy farm. 
             That is not easy work. As Mike puts it, it is a job that 
             builds character and humility. Growing up on a dairy farm, 
             he would milk cows every day before school, sometimes even 
             taking the tractor halfway to town in the winter months 
             when the roads were so bad that the schoolbus couldn't get 
             out to his farm.
               This upbringing gave Senator Johanns a great 
             appreciation and a deep understanding for the needs of our 
             Nation's agriculture producers, so it was no surprise when 
             President George W. Bush selected him to lead the 
             Department of Agriculture as its Secretary. Mike dutifully 
             served in this role, overseeing a new reform-oriented farm 
             bill and opening doors to new global markets for our 
             Nation's ag producers.
               As Secretary of Agriculture, he saw first hand the 
             challenges facing hungry nations. It was in this role that 
             he fell in love with the people of Africa, and he has 
             worked here in the Senate to develop food aid programs 
             that not only feed but also empower hungry populations 
             around the world.
               Senator Johanns has tirelessly worked for our State and 
             our Nation. He brought to the Senate a unique perspective, 
             having served virtually every level of government. His 
             well-rounded approach to his work here reflects that rare 
             wisdom. Many of us here have had the pleasure of working 
             closely with him because he always makes a point to work 
             with his colleagues regardless of party affiliation, 
             whether it be on complex legislation or that annual Senate 
             secret Santa tradition.
               We are all familiar with the confident, peaceful 
             demeanor he brings to the Senate, and his plain-spoken 
             clarity will truly be missed once he leaves Congress. This 
             is who Mike Johanns is. It is who he has always been: a 
             quiet workhorse with a soft spot for the world's most 
             disadvantaged, and a burning desire to help wherever he 
             can. Friends back home who have known him since before he 
             began his career in public service will tell you that he 
             is the same man today he was back then--never losing sight 
             of his goal of helping people, never getting a big head, 
             and always putting Nebraska first.
               The Senator's wife Stephanie has been by his side 
             throughout every step of this tremendous journey, always 
             supportive and steadfast. Anyone who knows Mike knows he 
             and Steph are inseparable. I am sure they are both looking 
             forward to having more time to spend with family next 
             year.
               Mike, you are a statesman and a model citizen. I am 
             thankful for all the work you have done for Nebraska and 
             for the entire Nation. You have set such a great example 
             for your fellow Senators, and we all appreciate your 
             dedication over these past 32 years. You have served 
             Nebraska with dignity and integrity. Good luck. I wish you 
             and Stephanie all the best. God bless you both.
               I yield the floor.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.

               Mr. PORTMAN. Madam President, this is a bittersweet time 
             for all of us. As you have heard, as we close the book on 
             one term of Congress and look forward to the next, we are 
             here to say goodbye to one of our esteemed colleagues who 
             is finishing his service in the Senate. It is always 
             tough, but it is especially hard for me with regard to 
             Senator Mike Johanns--a guy I consider a fine Senator, 
             also a good friend, and sort of the perfect example of the 
             statesman. Through his impressive career as mayor, 
             Governor, Cabinet member, and Senator, as his colleague 
             has just said, he has displayed that.
               I first met Senator Johanns when he was Secretary 
             Johanns. He was Secretary of Agriculture in the George W. 
             Bush Cabinet, and that meant we got to spend a lot of time 
             together. I was the U.S. Trade Representative, and I truly 
             believe I have traveled around the world more with Mike 
             than I have with my family. We went all over, from Asia to 
             Europe to South America and Africa. We fought for farmers 
             and ranchers. Our ideal was that we could expand exports, 
             and we were able to do that and make some progress with 
             his hard work.
               We went to farflung corners of the world, such as 
             Burkina Faso, to deal with cotton issues important to U.S. 
             farmers. We spent countless--and I mean countless--hours 
             on something called the green room negotiating sessions, 
             trying to reach a deal in the Doha round of talks with the 
             World Trade Organization.
               I remember one time Mike and I had the opportunity to 
             brief reporters as we were going across Africa. We were 
             racing across the Sahara Desert to make our way to an 
             airport. Because the airport had no lights, the pilots 
             insisted we get there while there was still light so they 
             could see where they were landing.
               He taught me a lot, not just about arcane agricultural 
             issues, such as what is a green box or an amber box 
             subsidy in agriculture--fun issues such as that--but he 
             also taught me a lot about negotiating and about how, as 
             we said earlier, to be a statesman.
               We had some tough negotiating sessions, but Mike was 
             always a proud and relentless representative and champion 
             for the interests of our great country and the interests 
             of the farmers and ranchers he knew so well. He always did 
             his job on the global stage with honor and with dignity. 
             If there has ever been a more forceful advocate for 
             American farmers, whether it was there or here in the 
             Senate, I don't know who it is.
               In 2007, he told me he was going to leave the 
             administration and go home to Nebraska, and that he was 
             considering running for the Senate. I never thought I 
             would be able to serve with him, because I didn't know I 
             was going to follow him, but I knew when he told me that, 
             he would be in the Senate and that he would put in the 
             same level of dedication to this body as he had as 
             Secretary of Agriculture, and that has been true.
               He is not flashy. His colleague from Nebraska has just 
             called him a workhorse. I hope he takes that as a 
             compliment. I would. He has never sought out the cameras 
             or, for that matter, sought out recognition for his good 
             work. He just does the right thing. A true statesman.
               So, Mike Johanns, we are going to miss you. We are going 
             to miss Stephanie. And we wish you Godspeed.
               I yield the floor.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.

               Mr. ROBERTS. Madam President, the first time I met Mike 
             Johanns was in Hutchison, KS. Hutchison, KS, is where we 
             have the State fair every year. I was somebody then. I was 
             the chairman of the sometimes powerful House Committee on 
             Agriculture, and I had made a pitch to get the Secretary 
             of Agriculture to actually come to the fair, thinking that 
             Mike Johanns would be a far better speaker than myself and 
             maybe I could avoid some trouble. So I had the Secretary 
             come and I made the promise that every farmer who wanted 
             to ask the Secretary of Agriculture a question would have 
             that opportunity. I hadn't bothered to tell Mike about it, 
             but when he arrived on the scene, he nodded his head and 
             said, ``Fine.'' He had this yellow tablet under his arm, 
             and with ample staff, some who used to work for me, but 
             that is beside the point.
               So cutting things short, all the activities in the State 
             fair he attended, and he dutifully went around to every 
             exhibit, and we finally ended up in the amphitheater and 
             there must have been 150 to 175 farmers all lined up 
             waiting to speak to or to question the Secretary of 
             Agriculture. I thought to myself: Oh, my gosh, what have I 
             done? The Secretary is coming in--I didn't know Mike that 
             well at that particular time--and what have I gotten him 
             into?
               But Mike didn't seem to be bothered at all. He was 
             absolutely comfortable, unflappable. He had the microphone 
             and he sat down at a table, put down the yellow tablet and 
             said, ``Yes, sir, and what is your first question and what 
             is your name?'' The individual would give his name and the 
             question, and Mike would write down the question. He said, 
             ``Thank you very much for that. It will receive all of our 
             attention. Next.''
               He went through the whole 125 or 150 and never answered 
             a question, but he wrote it down. Every farmer who came up 
             later to me said, ``You know, the Secretary wrote down my 
             question.'' They were tremendously impressed, as opposed 
             to me. Silly me, I would have tried to answer their 
             questions, and we would have been there 2 or 3 hours, Lord 
             knows how long. So I asked Mike, ``How do you get by with 
             that?'' He said, ``Well, it saves a lot of time and you 
             never get in trouble by what you don't say,'' which always 
             sort of stuck with me and what a class act he was.
               County commissioner, mayor of Lincoln, Governor, 
             Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Senator. I suppose if I 
             floated a balloon for you to be President that you might--
             no, Stephanie wouldn't buy it and you wouldn't either. But 
             that would be the logical next step, Mike, and I think we 
             certainly could and probably will do a lot worse. But at 
             any rate, since I brought up Stephanie, Franki and I 
             extend our very best wishes and love.
               I do have somewhat of a minor discomfort, it isn't a 
             quarrel--I would never quarrel with Stephanie--but some 
             degree of discomfort.
               We have to have meetings around here a lot, and some of 
             us stay for the whole thing. We would always look around 
             for Mike. He would be around for the fireworks and then he 
             would leave and he would always go home--because he had a 
             home very close on Capitol Hill--to be with Stephanie.
               She is absolutely wonderful. She has the best smile 
             ever. You cannot be unhappy or in a bad mood ever when you 
             see Stephanie.
               So I would come to work in the Hart Building or here in 
             the Capitol and I would happen to run into Stephanie and 
             she would always come up with that big smile on her face 
             and say, ``Hi, Pat. How are things going?''
               What are you going to do? I mean, I am trying to be the 
             curmudgeon of the Senate, but Grassley keeps edging me 
             out. So here I would be in sort of a bad or a grumpy mood 
             and she would flash that smile, and I would say, ``Just 
             fine.'' Then I would be feeling pretty good and I would go 
             into the office. They would say, ``What is wrong? You have 
             a smile on your face.'' I would say, ``I've been 
             Stephanized.'' I am truly going to miss that.
               I remember the time we were sitting probably right about 
             here in the back. We had just concluded the farm bill for 
             the first time, and then it took us 400 days to get the 
             rest of it. Mike is an expert on agriculture program 
             policy. Ask anybody else if they would like to talk about 
             agriculture program policy and you would get a high glaze 
             after about 8 seconds--but not Michael. Mike knows 
             agriculture farm program policy. We call it farm program 
             policy in Nebraska and Kansas, but he knows an awful lot 
             about it.
               I asked him, ``How many people do you think in this 
             body, in this Senate, absolutely understand farm program 
             policy?'' He retorted, ``How many people want to 
             understand agriculture program policy?'' We decided there 
             were about 5 in the Senate and maybe about 10 in the 
             House--which shows you why we have a tough time getting 
             the farm bill done.
               I relied on his advice and counsel when I was the 
             ranking member. I am so sorry--I regret--should I have the 
             privilege of becoming chairman of the Senate Agriculture 
             Committee, I would look forward to a dynamic duo with 
             regard to what we could accomplish. But Senator Johanns is 
             like Shane: Come back, Shane. Come back, Mike. But Shane 
             rode away, and the Senator is going to ride back to 
             Nebraska. I give him that, and I give him all of the 
             success he can possibly have.
               Six years is all this man has served. Some people have 
             been here a lot longer. I have. You can accomplish a lot 
             in 6 years. People say: What can you do in 6 years?
               No. 1, you can work on legislation and you can know what 
             you are talking about and you can earn people's respect 
             and you can be smart about it. I don't mean smart smart. I 
             mean just smart, so that what you say and when you say it, 
             people pay attention. That is precisely the kind of person 
             Mike is. You can have all the integrity in the world and 
             you can do exactly what he says when he talks about the 
             people of Nebraska.
               The people of Kansas are very similar to the people of 
             Nebraska. My only complaint with the people of Nebraska is 
             they chose to go play in the Big Ten and are finding it a 
             little more difficult than running the track meets they 
             used to run against Kansas State and KU. But if you want 
             to go to the Big Ten and do that, why that is your 
             business--but we have the same kind of roots.
               I have always said there are no self-made men or women 
             in public office. It is our friends and the people we 
             represent who make us what we are, and Senator Johanns has 
             spoken so eloquently to that.
               Michael, I was trying to think of a tag I could label 
             you with that might be noteworthy of everything you stand 
             for. Others will do better than I and others have already 
             said that. I simply come up by saying that you are an 
             uncommon man with a very common touch, and I am going to 
             miss you--and everybody in the conference is going to miss 
             you and I suspect everybody in the Senate is going to miss 
             you for the way you have conducted yourself and the job 
             you have done for Nebraska.
               We wish you all the best and we love you.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Manchin). The Senator from 
             Maine.

               Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, when Senator Mike Johanns 
             stated in February of last year that he had decided not to 
             seek a second term in the Senate, he did so in a way that 
             revealed so much about his character. There was no 
             dramatic press conference, there were no weeks of rumors, 
             there were no guessing games. Instead, there was just a 
             simple and brief press release.
               Then, the very next day it was back to work for Senator 
             Johanns, traveling throughout the State of Nebraska for a 
             series of townhall meetings with the people he is honored 
             to serve.
               Nine months later, in October 2013, his character again 
             shone through. The Federal Government was shut down due to 
             a massive failure to govern responsibly. It was stifling 
             our economy and causing great harm to the trust the 
             American people deserve to have in their government.
               As a key member of our Common Sense Coalition, Senator 
             Johanns worked effectively and quietly to restore 
             government operations and to restore citizen trust in 
             government. Again, no dramatics, no search for the 
             limelight, just solid results, just effective leadership.
               Quiet, effective leadership guided by common sense has 
             been the hallmark throughout the Senator's 32 years in 
             public service. From Lancaster County commissioner and 
             mayor of Lincoln to Governor of Nebraska and U.S. 
             Secretary of Agriculture, he has been well informed, 
             thoughtful, and untiring.
               The old farm country saying that sowing is easy, reaping 
             is hard, perfectly describes his record of accomplishment 
             and his determination to see any task to its completion. 
             Most of all, the Senator from Nebraska always does what he 
             thinks is in the best interests of our country and of the 
             people he so proudly represents.
               In an interview shortly before he announced that he 
             would be leaving the Senate, Senator Johanns said he hoped 
             he would be remembered as ``a guy who was good to work 
             with.''
               Working with Senator Mike Johanns has been more than 
             just good. It has been an honor and a privilege and I wish 
             him and Stephanie all the best.
               Thank you for your service.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.

               Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I rise to also express my 
             appreciation for Senator Mike Johanns and for his wife 
             Stephanie.
               I first met Mike shortly after I was elected Governor of 
             my State. At that time Mike was serving as Governor of 
             Nebraska. Right away when I went and visited with Mike I 
             could tell this was somebody who was not only somebody we 
             could count on but who had the right motivation in public 
             service, had great ideas, and was somebody I could look to 
             as a mentor, and I have ever since.
               From his experience at the local level as commissioner, 
             then as mayor, then as Governor, then as Secretary of 
             Agriculture, and then as a Senator, Mike has been somebody 
             all of us have counted on and somebody whose advice we 
             have sought when we wrestled with tough decisions.
               So I just want to add my voice as well to the others who 
             have expressed our appreciation for Senator Mike Johanns 
             and for Stephanie and to say how much we are going to miss 
             him. We are going to miss him not only on a personal 
             level--because he is a great guy and a great friend and 
             somebody we can count on--but we are going to miss his 
             advice, his counsel, his participation in this process on 
             behalf of the American people.
               I think Mike epitomizes the kind of approach we need to 
             have in this body to get work done--to listen, to think 
             carefully, and to remember always that we work for the 
             American people, and he has a long and distinguished 
             career doing that.
               He is somebody who will be truly missed, and I think he 
             is somebody who exemplifies the very best of this body and 
             of public service on behalf of our great Nation.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.

               Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, our colleagues know the 
             Presiding Officer is a recovering Governor, I am a 
             recovering Governor, Mike Johanns is a recovering 
             Governor. So we are sort of a support group for one 
             another, men and women who used to be somebody special. I 
             am kidding because I think we still are.
               The Senator was talking about Michael, and I had the 
             privilege of knowing him and his wife for a number of 
             years. We were Governors together, and my wife Martha and 
             his wife Stephanie were First Ladies together and define 
             what the standards should be for First Lady or First Man, 
             if you will, if you have a female Governor.
               I will never forget when I first met him. I was talking 
             about Stephanie and how we know each other and so forth, 
             and he told me this great story about--I think they were 
             county commissioners together. It was Lancaster County.
               I might be mistaken, I think he used to be in those days 
             maybe a Democrat, and a long time ago I was a young 
             Republican for Barry Goldwater, when I was a 17-year-old 
             Republican freshman student at Ohio State, and later found 
             out Hillary Clinton was a Goldwater ``Golden Girl'' at the 
             Republican Convention in 1964.
               In any event, I just want to say one of the reasons he 
             is so thoughtful, and I hope maybe the reason I am fairly 
             thoughtful, is because we have the ability to work across 
             the aisle and to see and appreciate the views of other 
             people.
               The story about how he and Stephanie, when they were on 
             county council together, they met, started liking each 
             other, started dating, fell in love and later got 
             married--they even had lunch together every day they were 
             on county council, and every day he was Governor they 
             continued to have lunch together and here, too, for many 
             days. That is a love, the kind you just don't see. You 
             just don't see that very much.
               I just want to say: You are such an inspiration to the 
             rest of us, you and your wife, the way you cherish each 
             other and hold together and support each other and stand 
             by each other. It is just a real source of inspiration.
               There is an old saying: It doesn't matter who gets 
             credit for something when you get a lot more done. You 
             define that, a guy who doesn't need headlines, a lot of 
             attention. I hope the rest of us are that way, but you 
             define that for us.
               We love working with you. We are going to miss you. We 
             wish you the best and wish you Godspeed. As we say in the 
             Navy, fair winds. God bless you.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.

               Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I am here to talk about the 
             Intelligence Committee report, but before the Senator 
             leaves the floor, I just want to tell my colleague from 
             Nebraska how much I appreciate his service. I note for the 
             body that in the effort to build a bipartisan coalition 
             for major tax reform, Mike Johanns was the Senator whose 
             counsel we all thought we needed, and I thank him.

               Mr. REED. Mr. President, I would like to take a few 
             minutes to salute my colleagues who are departing the 
             Senate at the end of this year with the conclusion of the 
             113th Congress: Mark Begich of Alaska, Saxby Chambliss of 
             Georgia, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Kay Hagan of North 
             Carolina, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, 
             Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, 
             Carl Levin of Michigan, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Jay 
             Rockefeller of West Virginia, Mark Udall of Colorado, and 
             John Walsh of Montana.
               They have all worked hard, ceaselessly giving their 
             energy and considerable time and service to their 
             constituents, to their home States and to our country. I 
             want to thank them for their service and for their 
             kindness to me over many years in so many cases. In 
             particular, I want to say a few words about these 
             colleagues. ...
               I have been proud to work with Mike Johanns, an 
             extraordinary Senator and an extraordinary gentleman, on a 
             number of issues. We were particularly happy--both of us--
             when the HAVEN Act was incorporated into the pending 
             version of the National Defense Authorization Act. This 
             legislation will allow disabled and low-income veterans 
             the ability to finance improvements to their homes so they 
             are safer and more accessible. We also worked together on 
             healthy housing efforts and to reduce lead hazards. This 
             is consistent with so many things he has done, 
             particularly with respect to veterans. Again, I wish him 
             the best as he goes forward. ...
               Along with all of my other colleagues who are leaving us 
             at the conclusion of the 113th Congress, let me thank them 
             for their service, their dedication to improving the lives 
             of Americans, and on a very personal level for their 
             friendship. I wish them all well.
                                           Wednesday, December 10, 2014
               Mr. REED. ... Before I conclude with my remarks 
             regarding the traditional defense programs, I want to 
             touch on two other aspects of the legislation, one in 
             particular with respect to the defense act. I am pleased 
             that it includes the HAVEN Act. This is bipartisan 
             legislation that I introduced with Senator Johanns to help 
             more veterans with critical repairs and modifications for 
             their homes so they are safer and more accessible.
               This program is directed at our disabled and low-income 
             veterans. They find themselves out of the service, they 
             have benefits, but they have needs to fix their homes and 
             this program will help them do that. It establishes a 
             competitive pilot program allowing nonprofit organizations 
             throughout the country to apply for grants administrated 
             by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help 
             make key improvements to the houses of veterans with 
             disabilities, or low-income veterans.
               It is fitting we take this step to give back to those 
             who have made a personal sacrifice for our Nation, and I 
             am particularly delighted I was able to work with Senator 
             Johanns. As I noted in my remarks yesterday, he is 
             retiring, but his decency, integrity, intelligence, and 
             commitment to his constituents and also to the men and 
             women of the Armed Forces will be missed here. ...

               Mr. DURBIN. I have some tributes here for my colleagues 
             who are retiring, leaving the Senate. It is a lengthy list 
             of tributes. ...
               I want to say a word about three others on the other 
             side of the aisle who are retiring: Saxby Chambliss of 
             Georgia, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, and Mike Johanns of 
             Nebraska. I got to know them when I gathered with one of 
             these gangs, as they call them around here, to talk about 
             deficit reduction. We spent more time together trying to 
             explore the Federal budget in ways to reduce our deficit 
             in a thoughtful manner so that we really got to know one 
             another and respect one another.
               There is a world of difference in our political values 
             and philosophies, but each of them in their own way made a 
             positive contribution toward making this a stronger 
             nation. ...
               Finally, here is a suggestion for when you have watched 
             all of the ``shouting head'' political TV talk shows you 
             can take: Listen to Senator Mike Johanns. Mike's quiet, 
             reasonable approach was a real asset not only to the Gang 
             of Eight negotiations, but to the entire Senate. We will 
             miss his calm demeanor and his good-faith efforts to find 
             smart, fair solutions to tough challenges.
               None of them is running for reelection so I can't hurt 
             them politically by saying that I regard each of these 
             Senators as friends. They showed political courage when 
             partisanship would have been easier.
               I wish them the best in all their future endeavors.

               Mr. COONS. ... As I close, I would also like to thank 
             those of our colleagues who will be leaving the Senate 
             after the New Year.
               It is an incredible privilege to work in this Chamber 
             and to represent the people. Every day I am awed by the 
             dedication and talent of many of my colleagues, public 
             servants who come to work to fight for their States and 
             their government.
               To those who are ending their service in the Senate, 
             know that I value your friendship and partnership. It has 
             been an honor to work with you, and I thank you for all 
             you have done for our Nation.

               Ms. AYOTTE. Mr. President, I rise to thank my friend 
             Saxby Chambliss. Senator Coburn spoke about leadership. We 
             are very much going to miss Senator Coburn, Senator 
             Johanns, and Senator Chambliss in this body. ...

               Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, in the new Congress we will 
             welcome 12 new Republican Senators, and that is wonderful. 
             They are great people. They are excited. They are 
             enthusiastic. I think they are going to do wonderful 
             things. We are going to lose 3 of our Republican 
             colleagues. I am thinking, maybe that is about the right 
             ratio; it is about 4 to 1.
               But these are three individuals who are unbelievable in 
             what they have been able to do in the relationships they 
             built, the friendships, and the work they have done on 
             behalf of the American people. So I am looking at that 
             statistic and I am thinking: Wow, these are three great 
             people who have done the work of many, and I think they 
             have laid the foundation in many ways for us to get to a 
             majority: Senator Johanns, Senator Coburn, and Senator 
             Chambliss. I think they have done a lot of that work 
             required for us to get to majority.
               We have heard about the great Senator from Georgia. But 
             I think the things I am going to talk about for a minute 
             in regard to Saxby Chambliss apply to the two individuals 
             sitting here with him. They are cut from the same cloth: 
             Senator Coburn, Senator Johanns, true public servants. 
             People who ran for the right reason; people who serve for 
             the right reason. I think we could ask anybody in this 
             body on either side of the aisle, and they would tell us 
             that these three individuals served for the right reasons, 
             and served the American people to the very best of their 
             ability--not just the people of their State, but the 
             American people. They will be remembered long after they 
             are gone. They will be remembered because of the great, 
             wonderful people they are, for the relationships they have 
             built, and for that service. So I echo Senator Ayotte's 
             comments.
               Senator Coburn touched on it, too. One of the first 
             people I looked to as a mentor when I came here 4 years 
             ago was Saxby Chambliss. Now, that doesn't seem 
             intuitively like something I would do--I am from North 
             Dakota, he is from Georgia. Mike Johanns has been a mentor 
             of mine since Governor days, so for more than a decade. 
             But one of the first people I looked to as a mentor was 
             Saxby Chambliss, and I don't even know why. It was one of 
             those things that immediately you like the guy. But as you 
             listened to him a little bit, you respected the guy. You 
             thought: This guy has something to say. He knows what he 
             is doing. But then, it is that relationship thing--that 
             thing where he goes out of his way to work with you, to 
             help you, to understand what you are trying to do in a 
             friendly way, with great humor, and he does it naturally. 
             It is just who he is. It is automatic. I think Senator 
             Isakson really put his finger on it: It is just the way he 
             is. You are naturally drawn to him. ...
               When we talk about Saxby Chambliss, Tom Coburn, Mike 
             Johanns, it doesn't get any better than that. We will miss 
             them a lot.
               I wish all three of them Godspeed, and may God bless you 
             in your next career.

               Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, as the current session of 
             Congress comes to a close it is our tradition to take a 
             moment to express our appreciation for the faithful 
             service of those of our colleagues who will be returning 
             home at the end of the year. We appreciate their hard work 
             and great service on behalf of their home States and our 
             Nation. We will miss them and the thoughtful suggestions 
             and good ideas they have brought to our deliberations on 
             the issues before us.
               The word ``service'' brings to mind one of our retiring 
             colleagues, Mike Johanns. Mike has followed a path that 
             has brought him from his service as the mayor of Lincoln, 
             to his post as the Governor of Nebraska, on to serve in 
             the President's Cabinet as Secretary of Agriculture and 
             then on to the floor of the U.S. Senate. He has made 
             important contributions at each post and now, as he has 
             decided with the support and guidance of his family, ``it 
             is time to close this chapter in his life.''
               As a former mayor myself I have a great deal of regard 
             for Mike and his commitment to the people that he has 
             served for many years. He has a great understanding of his 
             home State of Nebraska and the workings of its State and 
             local government. He understands the challenges that face 
             his home State in the present, and the hopes and dreams of 
             the people of Nebraska for the future.
               It did not take long to discover that Mike is a 
             workhorse, not a show horse. He is not someone to land on 
             a weekend talk show every week talking about what needs to 
             be done--he would rather be in committee or on the floor 
             every day doing it. In everything he did Mike always 
             brought along an abundance of Nebraska common sense. He 
             used that special gift of his and his varied background as 
             a starting point for finding common ground and a workable 
             solution on a number of issues that would be acceptable to 
             all.
               During his service in the Senate it has been good to 
             have a neighbor to work with who understands agriculture 
             and our rural way of life. He has been a great help in 
             making the case clear to the Congress about the difference 
             between living on a farm and living in a big city or town.
               That is why I will not be the only one who will miss 
             him. Our rural communities in the West will miss his 
             ability to understand the problems of rural America and 
             what should be done to address them.
               Mike has also been one to focus on the money side of 
             each issue that came to the Senate. He knows how important 
             it is for us to get a handle on our Nation's finances to 
             ensure that our children and grandchildren will not have 
             to clean up the financial mess we are going to leave them 
             if we are not careful. Mike has said that our failure to 
             act will cause our financial problems to appear sooner 
             than we might think.
               I am sorry to see Mike go when there is so much to be 
             done that could use his understanding of the issues and 
             his experience, as can be seen by the impact he has had on 
             the local, State, and national level.
               Still we know where to find him whenever we could use 
             some of his Nebraska-rooted common sense. Thanks, Mike, 
             for your service to the State of Nebraska and to our 
             Nation. You can be proud of what you helped to accomplish 
             and the seeds you planted that will lead to more 
             accomplishments in the years to come.
               Thanks for your leadership and thanks for your 
             friendship, too. Diana joins in sending our best wishes to 
             you and our appreciation for all you have done. Please 
             keep in touch with us. We will always be pleased to hear 
             from you.

               Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, I wish to honor my 
             colleague from Nebraska, Senator Mike Johanns, who is 
             retiring from the Senate at the end of this year. Senator 
             Johanns has been a friend since I started in the Senate, 
             and I appreciate his willingness to work with me toward 
             our shared goals. He is one of only two current Senators 
             to have served as a Governor and Cabinet secretary, 
             providing him with a tremendous amount of wisdom on how to 
             get things done. It is his incredible knowledge and strong 
             Midwestern work ethic that I admire most about him.
               For more than 30 years, Senator Johanns has been a 
             strong voice for the people of Nebraska. His first act in 
             public service was in 1983 as a county board member in 
             Lancaster County. He later went on to serve as both 
             councilman and mayor of Lincoln. He would eventually 
             become Governor of Nebraska and Secretary of Agriculture 
             under President George W. Bush. Senator Johanns set no 
             limits to his potential; readily serving in any capacity 
             he could to make our great Nation a better place.
               Senator Johanns and I serve together on the Agriculture 
             Committee and I greatly admired the thoughtfulness and 
             expertise he brought to the negotiations on the farm bill. 
             His knowledge as a former Agriculture Secretary was 
             unmatched and ensured many improvements were made 
             throughout the debate. Senator Johanns never forgot about 
             our farmers and always kept his eye on providing them with 
             the best possible outcome he could.
               We also had the privilege of working together on the 
             Banking and Housing Committee. He and I worked together 
             with a bipartisan group of committee members to draft and 
             advance legislation reforming the housing finance system 
             to protect the American taxpayer from another bailout and 
             to guarantee that another housing crisis does not happen 
             again. Once again, his voice on behalf of rural America 
             during these talks was critical and something that I 
             greatly appreciated.
               Senator Johanns has never been about taking credit or 
             seeking the spotlight. He maintained a strong, hard work 
             ethic throughout his time in the Senate and was one who 
             was willing to cross the aisle to get things done. The 
             American people expect that of their representatives, and 
             Senator Johanns met those expectations on behalf of 
             Nebraska.
               I will miss having him as my colleague in the Senate, 
             but I also know that his wife and family will enjoy the 
             free time they will have with him. I wish him happiness 
             and success in the next chapter of his life.
                        ORDER FOR PRINTING OF SENATE DOCUMENT
               Mr. BENNET. I ask unanimous consent that the tributes to 
             retiring Senators be printed as a Senate document and that 
             Senators be permitted to submit tributes until December 
             23, 2014.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                              Friday, December 12, 2014
               Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I will now speak very briefly 
             about my retiring colleagues and then turn it over to the 
             Senator from Florida. I promise I will be brief.
               Everybody will face retirement, voluntarily or 
             involuntarily. There will be a last vote to cast and a 
             last speech to make. Only God knows when that day comes 
             because we are all just one car wreck away from ending our 
             careers.
               To the retiring Members, I have had the pleasure of 
             serving with you, and I know you all. You did what you 
             thought was best for our country and your State, and what 
             more could anyone ask? My good friend Mark Pryor, who 
             tried to find common ground at a time when it is hard to 
             find. Mary Landrieu, who would drill under the Capitol if 
             she thought it would help American energy independence. We 
             have good friends on the other side, and I will miss you, 
             and I wish you well. But I would like very briefly to 
             speak about four. ...
               Mike Johanns--he introduced me to Bono. I said, ``Who is 
             Bono?'' I don't follow that music that much, but I 
             actually did know Bono.
               Mike introduced me to Africa. He was the Secretary of 
             Agriculture for the Bush administration, and he had a 
             passion for the developing world, particularly Africa. 
             Through Mike I got to know The One Foundation and the 
             Gates Foundation. Through Mike and Stephanie I have been 
             to Africa many times, and you represent the best in our 
             country. You are absolutely wonderful people. You will be 
             missed. My way to repay you is to stay involved in the 
             developing world. ...
               To all of you, Godspeed. I wish you nothing but the 
             best.
               I am fortunate enough to go into my third term. To my 
             colleagues, as we go into the next Congress, let's try to 
             do better. I know we can. If we do, all boats will rise.

               Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I honor my colleague and 
             friend Mike Johanns. For many years, Senator Johanns has 
             worked tirelessly for the people of Nebraska, first at the 
             local level, then at the State level as Governor, and most 
             recently as senior Senator from Nebraska. Mike is a kind 
             and thoughtful man, and I have been grateful to serve with 
             him these past 6 years.
               Senator Johanns was born and raised in Osage, IA, where 
             he grew up working on his family's farm. After high 
             school, he attended Saint Mary's University of Minnesota 
             and Creighton University School of Law. Following law 
             school Mike clerked on the Nebraska Supreme Court and then 
             practiced law in Lincoln, NE, where he was a founding 
             partner at Nelson, Johanns, Morris, Holdeman, and Titus.
               In 1983, Senator Johanns was elected to the Lancaster 
             County Board. Five years later he won election to the 
             Lincoln City Council, and then, 3 years after that, became 
             mayor of Lincoln. Mike followed his success in local 
             politics with success in State politics. In 1998, he won 
             his first term as Governor of Nebraska, and was reelected 
             by a landslide 4 years later.
               Senator Johanns entered national politics in 2004 when 
             President George W. Bush asked him to serve as Secretary 
             of Agriculture. Four years later he won election to the 
             U.S. Senate from Nebraska, where he has served with 
             distinction ever since.
               When he retires later this month, Senator Johanns will 
             have spent more than 25 years as a public servant. I 
             commend him for his service to the State of Nebraska and 
             to the people of this Nation.
               Although his tenure in the Senate was brief, Senator 
             Johanns wasted no time. His previous experience as 
             Secretary of Agriculture proved indispensable as a member 
             of the Senate Committee on Agriculture. To this committee, 
             he brought expertise on farming issues unrivaled by other 
             freshman Senators. He also served actively on the Banking 
             Committee and was a member of the Senate's Gang of Eight 
             during budget negotiations in 2011. Throughout his 
             service, Senator Johanns always had the best interests of 
             the Nation at heart.
               Madam President, Senator Johanns is a good man who has 
             served his country well. His retirement is well deserved. 
             I wish him, his wife Stephanie, and their children the 
             best going forward.
                                              Monday, December 15, 2014
               Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, it is not uncommon for 
             Senators to leave this Chamber to serve in Cabinet 
             positions. Senator Mike Johanns, however, brought that 
             executive branch experience with him when he was elected 
             by the people of Nebraska to represent them in the Senate. 
             A former mayor, Governor, and U.S. Secretary of 
             Agriculture, Senator Johanns has served at every level of 
             government.
               While we have often supported competing proposals, we 
             have found important and meaningful places to work 
             together. Senator Johanns joined me in coauthoring 
             legislation to improve the Food for Peace Program, helping 
             to feed an additional 200,000 people in dire need. Serving 
             on the Agriculture Committee together, we are both 
             committed to farming, family farming, and supporting our 
             Nation's agriculture sectors and the people and 
             communities that are part and parcel of farming and food 
             production in America. Senator Johanns has also been an 
             important advocate for veterans, working on programs to 
             help returning soldiers find civilian employment.
               I wish Senator Johanns, his wife Stephanie, and their 
             family the very best in this next chapter of their lives.
                                             Tuesday, December 16, 2014
               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, as we wind down the final days 
             of the 113th Congress, it is a good time both to reflect 
             on the past and to look toward the future. I have been 
             very moved as I listened to the farewell speeches of our 
             departing Senators, and I wish I had time to pay tribute 
             to each one of them. They have all been wonderful 
             colleagues, and I enjoyed working with and getting to know 
             every one of them. I wish them all the very best in all 
             their future endeavors. They will most certainly be 
             missed. ...

               Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, over three decades as a 
             public servant, my friend and colleague Senator Mike 
             Johanns of Nebraska has proven time and time again that 
             politicians can be deeply principled while still 
             recognizing the need to find common ground on the complex 
             and difficult choices we must make as a nation. I believe 
             this is a lesson that all former Governors carry with them 
             after holding executive office, and Senator Johanns and I 
             were often able to reach an understanding on that basis.
               Before coming to the Senate in 2009, Mike Johanns had 
             already built a distinguished record of public service as 
             a county board member, city council member, mayor, and 
             two-term Governor of Nebraska. Senator Johanns also served 
             for 3 years in the White House Cabinet as Secretary of 
             Agriculture to President George W. Bush. While leading the 
             Department of Agriculture, Senator Johanns helped U.S. 
             agriculture producers find new markets overseas, promoted 
             expanded use of renewable fuels, and encouraged 
             conservation of agricultural lands. Having played a key 
             role in developing the farm bill passed by Congress in 
             2008, then-Secretary Johanns decided to return to 
             legislating full time and successfully ran to represent 
             Nebraska in the Senate.
               Senator Johanns' time in Congress is best characterized 
             by his low-key approach to the most high-profile and 
             consequential issues of the day. He was one of the 
             bipartisan Gang of Eight Senators who tackled the 
             challenge of crafting a comprehensive Federal deficit 
             reduction plan in 2011, and in 2013 we worked together on 
             a bipartisan deal to reopen the Federal Government and 
             avoid a default on our national debt. I was also very 
             proud to work with Senator Johanns on legislation to 
             address the unacceptable trends in military sexual 
             assault. Senator Johanns always brought the work ethic he 
             developed growing up on a Nebraska farm to our business in 
             the Senate, and for that and many other reasons I very 
             much enjoyed working with him.
               Senator Johanns has given many years to public service, 
             earning him the right to seek a bit of a break from the 
             spotlight, and I wish him all the best in his retirement.

               Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I wish to celebrate and thank 
             the 13 outgoing Senators who have worked tirelessly to 
             represent their home States in the Senate: Senator Mark 
             Begich, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Senator Tom Coburn, 
             Senator Kay Hagan, Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Mike 
             Johanns, Senator Tim Johnson, Senator Mary Landrieu, 
             Senator Carl Levin, Senator Mark Pryor, Senator Jay 
             Rockefeller, Senator Mark Udall, and Senator John Walsh.
               I have worked side by side with these men and women for 
             years--some for decades--and witnessed first hand their 
             extraordinary commitment to public service and to the 
             people they so proudly represent.
               Even when we didn't see eye to eye on every issue, I 
             always deeply respected and admired their service to our 
             Nation and their dedication to fight for what they believe 
             in.
               It has been a privilege to serve alongside each and 
             every one of these extraordinary colleagues. I will miss 
             their leadership and their friendship, and I wish them all 
             the best as they embark on the next chapter.
             
             
             
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