[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 193 (Thursday, December 6, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S7353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BOB CORKER

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to 
recognize a member of the Senate who will be retiring at this end of 
this Congress, my colleague and friend, Senator Bob Corker. I have had 
the pleasure of serving in the Senate alongside Bob for close to 11 
years, and it has been a privilege to work and join with him on a 
number of legislative efforts. Particularly, I am grateful for his 
diligent fiscal conservatism on the Budget Committee. I will miss 
working with him to address our Nation's fiscal issues.
  Bob's path to the U.S. Senate began at the young age of 25, when he 
founded his own construction company, which would eventually expand 
operations in over 18 States. He continued to polish his business 
acumen thereafter, acquiring two of the largest real estate companies 
in Chattanooga in 1999. As a testament to his success in business, he 
would later be inducted into the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame at the 
University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Bob carried his business-oriented 
results-driven attitude with him when he ran for mayor in the scenic 
city of Chattanooga, TN, at the turn of the millennium. As mayor, Bob 
excelled, delivering to Chattanooga denizens a lean and balanced city 
budget while also lowering the tax rate, among other noteworthy 
accomplishments. Bob's path to Washington is one that we shared. I, 
too, was a businessowner and a mayor before serving in the U.S. Senate.
  Bob's commitment to public service didn't end in Chattanooga--far 
from it. His career was just beginning to take off. In 2006, he won one 
of the most competitive U.S. Senate races of the year. Incidentally, 
that was the year I met Bob. My initial impressions of him still hold 
true today: industrious and principled. Later, I would realize our 
shared experiences as businessowners and as mayors uniquely shaped our 
understanding of the proper role and scope of the Federal Government. 
Bob quickly ascended in Washington, becoming chairman of the Foreign 
Relations Committee and making a name for himself on the Banking 
Committee. His reputation soon preceded him on a host of issue areas, 
including housing finance reform and strategic diplomacy abroad. He 
made his disagreements respectfully clear and stood up for what he 
believed was right. Evidently, the people of Tennessee liked what they 
saw and handily elected him to a second term.
  Bob should be incredibly proud of his work and tenure as chairman of 
Foreign Relations Committee. His breadth of experience on the committee 
and visits to over 70 countries have provided his colleagues with 
invaluable institutional insight on the impact American leadership and 
diplomacy abroad continues to have on our economy and national 
security. The Electrify Africa Act is a significant achievement of the 
committee I would like to pay special homage to. The bill states it is 
the policy of the United States to promote first-time power services 
for at least 50 million people in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020. Having 
traveled to Africa myself and witnessed firsthand the severe shortage 
of electricity-generating infrastructure, I know that Bob's bill was a 
noble one. He worked tirelessly on it before it was signed into law in 
2015.
  It is with these memories of his service that I watch him depart the 
Senate. His bold presence and tested leadership will be profoundly 
missed. The mark he has left on the institution will not be forgotten. 
My wife Diana joins me in sending our very best wishes and gratitude to 
Bob for his public service. We wish him all the best in his future 
endeavors, and we are happy he will be able to spend more time with his 
wife Elizabeth and his three children.
  Bob, from one Sigma Chi alum to another, ``In Hoc Signo Vinces''. May 
you continue to pursue a life of high ideals, noble purposes, and 
strong character.
  Happy trails.

                          ____________________