[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 95 (Thursday, June 6, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E726]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               INTRODUCING SENATOR LUGAR POST OFFICE BILL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANDRE CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 6, 2019

  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce a bill to 
name a U.S. Post Office in Indianapolis in honor of Senator Richard 
Lugar. Senator Lugar, who served as mayor of Indianapolis from 1968 to 
1975, also represented Indiana honorably in the U.S. Senate from 1977 
to 2013. He was a brilliant scholar, a brave member of our armed 
forces, and a dedicated public servant who championed people and 
principle over party.
  His distinguished life demonstrates the type of leader that Indiana 
cultivates, and his public service is an unquestionable example of his 
deep commitment to our country. He was not only a pillar of strength in 
his local community, but he was also a trusted, unfailing 
personification of excellence in national leadership.
  That excellence pervaded everything that Senator Lugar achieved in 
life, beginning early in his youth. He participated in youth 
organizations, reaching the highest achievement attainable in the Boy 
Scouts of America--the rank of Eagle Scout.
  After completing his studies at Denison University, he studied at 
Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Following graduation, he served in the 
United States Navy as an intelligence officer.
  His political career began shortly thereafter, upon his return to 
Indianapolis. He promptly began contributing to the well-being of the 
community in Indianapolis, serving on the local school board and then 
becoming mayor in 1968.
  Following his mayoral service, Lugar ran for the United State Senate, 
and he was elected in 1976. It was in the Senate where Richard Lugar 
truly became the resilient and formidable political leader that we have 
come to recognize. He served as the Chairman of the Senate Agricultural 
Committee, where he garnered bipartisan support for farm program 
reforms, initiated the biofuels research program, reformed the food 
stamp program, and preserved the federal school lunch program. He also 
served 34 years on the Senate Foreign Relations committee, including 
two terms as chair. In this capacity, he was a leader in reducing the 
threat of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons through the passage 
and implementation of the Nunn-Lugar program. He also played an 
essential role in enactment of sanctions against the Apartheid 
government of South Africa and the U.S. recognition of democratic 
government in the Philippines. He contributed to the expansion of the 
NATO Alliance, the implementation of the U.S. President's Emergency 
Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to end the global AIDS epidemic, and the 
ratification of anti-terrorist treaties. For all he accomplished, he 
was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. He was awarded 
47 honorary degrees and received numerous other awards. When he passed 
away, he was the President of the Lugar Center, a non-profit 
organization focusing on global food security, Weapons of Mass 
Destruction proliferation, aid effectiveness, and bipartisan 
governance.
  His commitment to good governance and diplomacy, particularly his 
tireless efforts on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made our 
world a better, safer place. He won the respect of people across the 
political spectrum and earned that Presidential Medal of Freedom in 
2013 from President Obama--our nation's highest civilian honor.
  In our increasingly divided society, everyone can help his legacy 
live on by pledging to advance the Hoosier values of bipartisanship and 
cooperation that defined Senator Richard Lugar's life.
  This bill is supported by the entire Indiana delegation, and I urge 
all my colleagues to join me in supporting this effort.