[Senate Document 115-16]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Jon Kyl
U.S. SENATOR FROM ARIZONA
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
.
TRIBUTES TO HON. JON KYL
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Jon Kyl
S.doc.115-16
Courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office
Tributes
Delivered in Congress
Jon Kyl
United States Congressman
1987-1995
United States Senator
1995-2013
United States Senator
2017-2018
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 2021
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Letter of Resignation.................................
vii
Farewell Address......................................
ix
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Burr, Richard, of North Carolina...............
6
Inhofe, James M., of Oklahoma..................
5
Kyl, Jon, of Arizona...........................
4
Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
5
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
3
Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
7
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
6
Thune, John, of South Dakota...................
5
Warner, Mark R., of Virginia...................
5
Biography
Arizona Senator Jon Kyl served three terms in the U.S.
Senate after previously serving for 8 years in the U.S.
House of Representatives. He was elected unanimously by
his colleagues in 2008 to serve as Republican whip, the
second-highest position in Senate Republican leadership.
Senator Kyl served on the Senate Committee on the
Judiciary, where he played key roles in the confirmation
of John Roberts as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme
Court, and of Samuel Alito as Associate Justice. As a
member of the Committee on the Judiciary, he also helped
write the landmark Crime Victims Rights Act, as well as
important provisions of the Patriot Act, the Military
Commissions Act, and other antiterrorism laws.
As a member of the Committee on Finance, he was the
chief advocate of death tax repeal and other progrowth tax
policies, including low tax rates on income, capital
gains, and dividends. He was also a strong proponent of
step-by-step solutions for healthcare reform that can
improve access, lower costs, and preserve the sacred
doctor-patient relationship.
The Wall Street Journal wrote in February 2011 that
Senator Kyl ``has made his mark the old fashioned way--by
knowing what he is talking about.'' The New York Times, in
a February 2012 piece, called Kyl ``the emissary of the
Republican leadership, a gatekeeper of conservatism, and a
bridge between his party's most ardent conservatives and
more pragmatic centrists.'' His command of policy is why
national TV news networks often invited him to serve as a
commentator on various national issues.
TIME magazine recognized Senator Kyl as one the
``World's 100 Most Influential People'' in 2010, and as
one of the 10 best Senators in 2006. Capitol Hill's
newspaper, The Hill, identified him as one of the ``25
hardest working lawmakers.''
Before his public service, Kyl practiced law at
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon in Phoenix. In 1985, he served
as chairman of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.
Born in Oakland, Nebraska, Kyl received both his
bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Arizona.
He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was editor in chief of the
Arizona Law Review. He and his wife Caryll have two
children, Kristine Kyl Gavin and John Kyl, and seven
grandchildren.
Letter of Resignation
Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I am informed that it is
necessary for me to insert into the Record of the
proceedings the resignation letter that I sent to Governor
Doug Ducey of Arizona on December 12, 2018; therefore, I
ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed in the
Record at this point.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
U.S. Senate,
December 12, 2018.
Hon. Doug Ducey,
Governor of the State of Arizona,
Phoenix, Arizona.
Dear Governor Ducey: Thank you again for appointing me
to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy created by John
McCain's death. It has been an honor and a privilege to
again serve the people of Arizona.
When I accepted your appointment, I agreed to complete
the work of the 115th Congress and then reevaluate
continuing to serve. I have concluded that it would be
best if I resign so that your new appointee can begin the
new term with all other Senators in January 2019 and can
serve a full two (potentially four) years.
Therefore, I will resign from the U.S. Senate effective
11:59 pm EST December 31, 2018.
Respectfully,
Jon Kyl,
United States Senator.
Farewell to the Senate
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Mr. KYL. . . . Mr. President, the other thing I would
like to do this afternoon is to very briefly report to my
colleagues and to constituents back home on some things
which my predecessor, Senator McCain, was working on at
the time of his untimely death and which his staff and I
have continued to work on and, in several cases, have
brought to successful conclusion. I want people to know
about these items and what we have been able to
accomplish.
I first want to thank the members of his staff who
wanted to stay in the service of the government and the
State of Arizona and were willing to take a position in my
office, as a result of which, we were able to really have
a seamless transition from some of the things Senator
McCain was working on and my ability to continue to do so.
One of the first things of which I was aware but not
really aware of the depth that he had taken it is a new
relationship in the State of Arizona among the three
pillars representing the defense establishment in our
country and specifically in the State of Arizona. These
are, first of all, our military installations--Arizona is
blessed to have a lot of military installations; second,
the defense industries--again, Arizona is the home to many
important defense industries serving all of our branches
of the military; and finally, the communities that support
both of those elements of our establishment.
As a result, I had the opportunity to meet throughout
the State with the groups that Senator McCain had helped
to nurture and to create--in particular, a group in Tucson
and Southern Arizona, including Yuma, called the Southern
Arizona Defense Alliance; in Flagstaff and Northern
Arizona, the Northern Arizona Military Affairs Council;
and in Central Arizona, Maricopa County and the Phoenix
environs, the Mesa Industry and Defense Council.
Meeting with the representatives of all three components
of our military society and hearing about the successes
they had in working with each other and in providing a
real synergy that benefited them all just reminded me
again of how important Senator McCain's leadership was to
the State of Arizona and to our national security.
I wanted to mention that today and to let everyone know
that I will be passing on to my successor the advice that
these councils continue to need to be supported and
nurtured by the Senators from the State of Arizona, as
well as the Members of the House of Representatives.
A second thing that John McCain was involved in as part
of his activities as chairman of the Senate Committee on
Armed Services was the creation--a couple years ago--in
the defense authorization bill of a national commission to
advise the Secretary of Defense on the strategy for the
United States and to report back to Congress--and
specifically the Committee on Armed Services--on their
conclusions.
This bill created the National Defense Strategy
Commission, comprised of 12 members, 3 of whom were
appointed by the chairman and the ranking member--each--of
the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House
Committee on Armed Services.
I was privileged to have been appointed by Senator
McCain to serve on that Commission, and I did for
approximately a year. My service there ended as we
finished our report. Before it was signed, while it was
still being edited, he passed away, and I was appointed to
serve in his stead. So I have had the unique opportunity
to both help write the report and then be a member of the
Committee on Armed Services, on which he sat, to receive
the report and to question the cochairmen of that
Commission, Ambassador Eric Edelman and ADM Gary Roughead,
Retired.
I think the importance of this Commission report
reflects what Senator McCain hoped to achieve, and that is
a bipartisan consensus, a unanimous report which provides
advice to the Secretary of Defense and will provide advice
to both the House and the Senate.
As I said, there has already been a hearing before the
Senate Committee on Armed Services, and I know the House
committee is going to invite members of the Commission to
brief it as well.
It is my hope that the recommendations of this
bipartisan Commission will be followed by the Congress and
by the President and the Secretary of Defense because I
think they represent some very strong conclusions about
what is necessary to enhance our national security.
A third thing Senator McCain wanted to do as chairman of
the Committee on Armed Services was to hold a series of
hearings or briefings before the committee that focused on
the advances in technology that were having and can have
an important impact on our national security--in many
cases, on the kinds of things that we acquire in support
of our military superiority, things like hypersonics and
artificial intelligence, super-advanced computing, cyber
technology, and the like.
After speaking with the chairman of the Senate Committee
on Armed Services now, Senator Inhofe, it is my
understanding that he, in fact, has a plan to carry out
this legacy of Senator McCain and hold a series of
briefings early next year on all of these technological
issues so that our Members will be better able to evaluate
the kinds of things that will help our military have
superiority in the future. I am happy to have had some
small part to play in advancing that.
There were a couple of other more specific things that
Senator McCain didn't work on but which bear his name that
I wanted to mention.
One, I cosponsored and helped secure passage of S. 2827,
which was a bill to reauthorize the Morris K. Udall and
Stewart L. Udall Foundation at the University of Arizona.
This was something that Senator McCain helped to create
and to foster throughout his career. I am also pleased to
announce that this legislation names the foundation's
environmental conflict resolution center after the late
Senator John McCain. I am pleased to make that
announcement here.
There is one other item that we are continuing to try to
accomplish in Senator McCain's name. We are not across the
finish line yet, but we hope to get there. That is
something called the 21st Century Conservation Service
Corps Act, S. 1403. This bill carries the name of Senator
McCain, and it was one of his favorite projects. It
expands volunteerism in our national parks and public
lands.
I can tell you that while John McCain came to Arizona
having lived in many other places of the world and in the
United States, primarily as a result of his service in the
Navy, he acquired a love for the State of Arizona which is
unequaled among all of us who have been there for a very
long time. He loved the beauty of the State, the
ruggedness of it, the incredible variety in the flora and
fauna. When I would visit John and Cindy's home in the
Sedona area, I could always count on being taken on a hike
around the perimeter of the property to show me all of the
interesting things he had discovered over the last several
months, including where the hawks live and where the owls
live, and where they found the rattlesnakes, and all of
the other things that pleased him to be a part of that
environment.
So we are hopeful that we can get this Service Corps Act
passed, if not in the latter part of this session, at
least perhaps early next year.
I want my colleagues to know that although Senator
McCain passed away in the early part of his Senate term,
he was working on a lot of things that his staff and I
wanted to continue to move forward, and I am just pleased
we have been able to move these items forward and wanted
my colleagues to appreciate that, as well as his friends
and constituents in the State of Arizona.
I thank my colleagues here who helped to make some of
these things possible and urge that they continue to focus
on the one item of unfinished business that can perhaps be
accomplished next year.
I conclude by thanking the Governor of the State of
Arizona for appointing me to serve for part of the
remainder of Senator McCain's term. It has been a great
honor and privilege for me to again serve the people of
the State of Arizona, particularly to succeed my friend
and colleague John McCain.
I yield the floor.
?
TRIBUTES
TO
JON KYL
Proceedings in the Senate
Thursday, December 13, 2018
ORDER FOR PRINTING OF SENATE DOCUMENTS
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent
that there be printed as a Senate document a compilation
of materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to
retiring Members of the 115th Congress, and that Members
have until Friday, December 21, to submit such tributes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on another matter, to
the untrained eye, it might seem that I have completed my
thanks and farewells to all my Republican colleagues who
will depart at the end of this Congress, but I would be
remiss if I did not also mention the junior Senator from
Arizona, our good friend Jon Kyl.
When Senator Kyl bid farewell to this body in 2012, it
took me quite a while to come to terms with the prospect
that we had cast our final votes together. I went through
stages of grief. Eventually, I came to acceptance, but, as
it turned out, the great State of Arizona was not quite
finished with this distinguished leader after all. If Jon
had planned on a relaxing, undisturbed post-Senate career,
then, his biggest mistake was leaving a record as one of
the most earnest and effective legislators this body had
seen in recent memory, because when the people of Arizona
needed to step in and honor the towering legacy of our
friend John McCain through the end of this Congress, his
counterpart of 18 years was the natural choice.
As the entire Nation mourned the loss of a decorated
hero and statesman, Jon Kyl volunteered his even keel and
sound judgment to fill the void, and while the Senate may
have changed in some small ways in the 6 years since Jon
left us, he has likely noticed over the past few months
that some things never do. This floor remains the stage
for the most important policy challenges facing our
country. There is still an urgent need for hard-working
public servants with expertise to enter the fray, and he
is still the junior Senator from Arizona.
From his first day back, Jon has smoothly continued
Senator McCain's habit of making an outsized impact for
his State. He cast his vote to confirm a well-qualified
Supreme Court nominee. He has joined in advancing major
legislation, and he has continued his advocacy for
improving our Nation's military readiness.
As we say good-bye one more time, I know every Member of
this body will join me in gratitude that Jon answered the
call when his experience and talents were needed.
Like the others who have been lucky enough spending 18
years with Jon already, I am especially grateful for this
opportunity to work alongside such a dear friend. So I
want to thank Jon for his abiding commitment to service.
We wish him and his wonderful wife Caryll much health and
happiness in the years to come.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
Mr. KYL. Madam President, I just want to thank my
colleague, the majority leader, for his comments about me.
He asked if there were differences between the time that
I served before and this most recent time, and I must say
that the thing that I have noticed most is the kindness
with which I have been treated by my colleagues and by
staff--I am talking about colleagues and staff on both
sides of the aisle--and by other people who work here at
the Capitol, including, most especially, the Capitol
Police.
I never expected to be welcomed back with that degree of
kindness, and I have commented that it might be a nice
thing if we could extend that same degree of kindness to
each other every day, rather than to just those who come
back after a long absence.
But I do very much appreciate your comments, Mr. Leader,
and most especially your leadership and friendship over
the years. Thank you very much.
The PRESIDING OFFICER [Mr. Kyl]. The Senator from
Vermont.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, before I begin, I would note
my long friendship with the Presiding Officer. I was
delighted to see him come back to the Senate. I wish him
well now as he leaves the Senate. He is always welcome, by
both Democrats and Republicans, when he comes back.
I realize the Presiding Officer is constrained and
cannot respond to whatever I say about him, but I assure
him that I will stay within the Senate rules and say only
nice things because that is all I know about him. . . .
Mr. INHOFE. . . . One of the significant individuals on
this report [of the National Defense Strategy Commission]
was Senator Kyl from Arizona. The reason I say that is,
Senator Kyl, in my opinion and in the opinions of many
people, has been historically in the U.S. Senate and has
been, perhaps, one of the most--if not the most--
knowledgeable of individuals on the threats we face and on
our capabilities we have in this country. It is unique
that Senator Kyl is on this Commission because, when he
got on the Commission, he was not a member of the U.S.
Senate. He came back after the death of Senator John
McCain and is serving for what appears to be just a short
period of time. So he is in the unique position of serving
on the Commission and of having been, for many years, in a
position to help us meet something we have not met before
that is a real challenge. . . .
Mr. THUNE. . . . Mr. President, I also want to mention
Senator Kyl, who announced he is retiring from the Senate
for the second time.
Senator Kyl initially retired at the end of the 112th
Congress after a distinguished Senate career but stepped
up to fill in after we lost Senator McCain earlier this
year.
Senator Kyl is rightly renowned in this body for his
statesmanship and his deep knowledge, and it has been a
pleasure having him back in the Senate, even if that was
just for this brief time. . . .
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I am going to be here on
another matter in a moment, but I wanted to add my thanks
to the great work that Senator Kyl has done.
I remember coming here as a freshman Senator in early
2009, and Jon Kyl was one of the people who was kind
enough to take me in. We didn't always agree. I still
remember a very famous battle over slots at National
Airport. But Jon Kyl has always been someone I have
enormous respect for. I think Senators on both sides of
the aisle have respect for him, and we very much
appreciate his willingness to come back into service,
fulfilling part of the tenure of his dear friend, Senator
McCain.
I know enough about Jon Kyl to know that, shall I say,
his livelihood prior to coming back into the Senate was
quite good, and his willingness to give that up to serve
Arizona and the country is a real tribute to the
individual and the patriot he is. We will all miss him,
and I wish him all the best going forward.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.
Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I want to add my thanks to my
colleague from Arizona. I came to speak on something else,
and I will say this: If there is one individual I have
tried to emulate since the day I came to the U.S. Senate,
it has been Jon Kyl. He represented Arizona well, but,
more important, he represented the Kyl name well. Jon, I
am grateful that you would come back for this short
period. Godspeed as you leave.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to
salute my colleagues who are departing the Senate at the
conclusion of the 115th Congress: Bob Corker of Tennessee,
Jeff Flake of Arizona, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Heidi Heitkamp
of North Dakota, Dean Heller of Nevada, Joe Donnelly of
Indiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Bill Nelson of
Florida, and Jon Kyl of Arizona. All of these Members have
dedicated themselves to serving their constituents, their
States, and our country. The institution of the Senate and
the Nation as a whole are stronger because of their
service and commitment.
I have been privileged to serve with each and every one
of them and want to spend a few moments thanking each of
them for the wisdom and experience they brought to their
work and for their friendship. . . .
I want to turn my attention to three Members I had the
privilege to work with and serve with on the Committee on
Armed Services. . . .
Finally, I would like to recognize Senator Jon Kyl. I
thank Jon for his willingness to serve again following the
passing of Senator John McCain.
I had the privilege of serving with him in his prior
stint in this body. He served for many years in Republican
leadership, including as minority whip. He was also a
longstanding member of the Committee on Finance. I was not
on this committee, but given my advocacy for extending
unemployment insurance--for which there was a critical
need at the time--I did have a chance to serve with him on
the Conference Committee for the Middle Class Tax Relief
and Job Creation Act of 2012.
It was a pleasure to serve with him. He is a man of
principle, a man of great decency and dignity, someone who
has honored the Senate with his service, honored Arizona
with his service, and makes us all very proud to know him.
It was indeed a pleasure to serve, all too briefly, with
him as a member of the Committee on Armed Services.
I would like to thank him for his service and wish him
well as he leaves this body once more. To all my
colleagues, I give them my greatest respect and admiration
for their service to their States, to the Senate, and to
the United States of America.
I yield the floor.
Friday, December 21, 2018
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, December should be the
happiest month of the year, as we await Christmas and the
New Year, but in the even numbered years, it is
bittersweet as we say good-bye to colleagues who will not
be returning in the next Congress. While the body often
seems to be polarized and contentious to the public that
knows us only from media appearances, the fact is that
partnership and alliances across the aisle are part of the
fabric of the body, and friendships of unlikely allies
abound. This is not to say that we don't disagree on
issues; we very much do. But we strive for these
disagreements never to erode our collegiality.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank those
with whom I have been proud to serve: Mr. Hatch, our
President pro tempore, Mr. Corker, Mr. Flake, and Mr.
Heller on my side of the aisle for their distinguished
service. To my friend, Mr. Kyl, it has been a pleasure to
serve with you again. On the Democrat side of the aisle,
Mr. Donnelly, Ms. McCaskill, Mr. Nelson, and especially my
dear friend, Ms. Heitkamp, the Senator from North Dakota.
Each of these individuals cares deeply for the Nation, for
the States they have represented so ably, and for the
Senate.