[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 149 (Tuesday, December 9, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6421-S6424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTES TO MIKE JOHANNS

  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 power 
lines.
  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. And 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 ag 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 firsthand 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.

[[Page S6422]]

  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 far-flung 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. Senate. 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

[[Page S6423]]

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 of 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. I will have more to say about his 
career before the end of this week.

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