[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 129 (Tuesday, July 30, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5160-S5162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Maiden Speech

  Ms. McSALLY. Madam President, I rise today to give my maiden speech 
as the 14th Senator to represent our great State of Arizona.
  It is an honor to be serving Arizona in the United States Senate and 
humbling to be appointed to serve in the seat held by Senator John 
McCain. Like most of my life, I didn't take the traditional path, but I 
am blessed to have been given the opportunity to make a difference for 
others and stand in this historic Chamber today.
  I love Arizona--the Grand Canyon State--its people, and our spirit. 
Like many Arizonans, I wasn't born there, so this is a love of choice. 
Also like many Arizonans, I first came to the State on a military 
assignment in the summer of 1990 to attend pilot training at Williams 
Air Force Base, now home to a thriving industrial park called Mesa 
Gateway.
  I fell in love with Arizona right away and was fortunate to have the 
majestic view from the sky as a pilot. What a privilege to live in a 
land of adventure that I had only read about as a kid, home to one of 
the seven natural wonders of the world in the Grand Canyon and our 
diverse landscapes, mountains, canyons, lakes, rivers, sunsets, and the 
powerful desert lightning.
  After an assignment away, I came back to Arizona to fly the A-10 
Warthog at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. I can tell you, from 
experience, there is nothing quite like finishing a demanding training 
mission on the Barry Goldwater Air Force Range and having a near 
heavenly view of Arizona's beautiful red sunsets.
  It isn't only our climate and beautiful landscapes that make Arizona 
a great place to live and work. We Arizonans are known for our fierce 
independence, resilience, heartiness, hard work, faith, and diversity. 
It is this legacy of service and patriotism that transcends 
generations.
  They say the best comes last, and that couldn't be truer when it 
comes to Arizona. We were the last in the continental United States to 
become a State in 1912 and have a history of attracting adventurous 
hard-working people searching to live out their dreams.
  Our State motto is ``Ditat Deus,'' or ``God enriches,'' highlighting 
the importance of faith in God in our past and our future.
  The original foundation of our economy is known as the five Cs: 
copper, cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate. Today, we still have 
Morenci mine, the largest copper producer in North America, which I 
recently visited.
  Arizona has made history in our own unique way. We are known around 
the world for the famous town Tombstone and the legendary OK Corral. We 
gave women the right to vote 8 years before the whole Nation and are 
the proud home to Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman ever to serve on 
the Supreme Court.
  Arizona has always proudly hosted and supported our troops and 
remains crucial for our defense. Our vast open land, beautiful weather, 
and airspace makes our State a national security treasure, and 
Arizonans have always answered the call to serve in uniform and support 
our vets.
  Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized Tribes and has the largest 
percentage of Tribal geography in any State. The Old Oraibi Hopi 
Village is

[[Page S5161]]

the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the country, started 
around 1,000 AD. Piestewa Peak is named after Specialist Lori Ann 
Piestewa, the first Native-American woman to die in combat while on 
foreign soil while serving in the U.S. military.
  Arizona has a history of punching above our weight with elected 
leaders. Carl Hayden was our first Congressman turned Senator, who 
served 56 years and secured funding for the Central Arizona Project to 
support our water needs. Raul Castro was the first Latino Governor of 
Arizona and served as U.S. Ambassador to multiple countries. We are 
home to two Senate heavyweights: Barry Goldwater, who served five 
terms, and John McCain, who served six terms in this Chamber.
  I approach this opportunity to serve in the Senate the same way I 
approached my 26 years in the Air Force as a fighter pilot and my 4 
years in the House. I lost my father at the age of 12, so my life was 
shaped early on to be treating each day as a gift. In the hospital, 
shortly before he died, my dad told me to ``make him proud.''
  My journey to this chapter of service has not been an easy one, but I 
learned from my dad and my mom, who was left behind with five kids, 
that hard work, education, faith, and a mindset of service to others 
are unfailing foundations for any endeavor in life.
  When I retired from the Air Force, having served both in peace and 
war, I gave a speech, and I shared some principles and lessons I 
learned along the way that still ring true today for this new 
deployment here to the Senate.
  First, know your oath. The oath that I took on January 3 as a U.S. 
Senator is the same oath--the same exact wording--as the one I took as 
a military officer. The oath and what it represents is what those of us 
who serve in the military were willing to fight for and, if necessary, 
die for.
  During my 8-year battle with the Pentagon over their policy requiring 
U.S. servicewomen to be treated like property and wear the Muslim burqa 
like coverings over them when they were off base in Saudi Arabia, I 
often felt alone and discouraged. There was extraordinary pressure 
telling the top four-star brass they are outrageously wrong; and me, a 
lowly ranking major, had every reason to believe my career would be cut 
short for taking on the establishment over what I believed was wrong.
  At the most anguishing moments in that long fight, I had to ground 
myself in my oath and why I placed service above self. We were taught 
as cadets and officers that moral courage means doing the right thing, 
even if it comes at a great personal cost to you. Trust me, I was 
tested, but stayed the course.
  Subsequently, I sued Donald Rumsfeld, which we all can probably 
agree, on both sides of the aisle, is not a good career move. 
Nonetheless, I went on a one-woman lobbying campaign as a regular 
citizen, which led to legislation being passed unanimously, signed into 
law, and resulted in overturning this demeaning discriminatory policy. 
It took 8 years to win, but by all measures, it was worth it.
  I credit that oath. It gave me purpose. It gave me power. It enabled 
one woman, opposed by the entire Department of Defense, to endure and, 
as a result, change the world. So this is how I plan to serve Arizona 
in this body: standing up for what is right in the same fighting spirit 
that comes with living up to my oath of service.

  Next, the question is, is this a job, a career, or a calling? A job 
brings a paycheck, provides certainty, and pays the bills. A career can 
sound noble at its surface, but if someone is only focused on a career 
path and advancement, they can purposefully or inadvertently step on 
others, not be a good teammate, not rock the boat to do the right 
thing, make decisions based on fear. A career focus can foster risk 
aversion and selfish motives. A calling, however, is being a part of 
something greater than yourself.
  Just like my time in uniform and in that message I gave at my 
retirement, I approach my time here in the Senate as a calling for this 
season and this moment in time. I get up every day with a focus of what 
I can do today to make a difference for Arizonans.
  Next, don't walk by a problem. It is part of our military culture 
that, if you are complaining about something, you better be willing to 
step up and do something about it. God puts us in certain circumstances 
in order for us to use our energy and our talents to make a difference 
for others. That is how I went from yelling at the television in my 
living room to delivering this speech in this hallowed Chamber today.
  As I learned from my dad's untimely passing, if these 2 years are the 
last 2 years of my life, what will I do with them? How can I make this 
time truly meaningful for those I represent?
  The Senate was created to be the world's most deliberative body and 
designed to be methodical in nature, but it wasn't designed for 
anonymous holds or partisan bickering to score cheap political points 
or clicks on stories.
  I built a reputation in the House for being a pragmatic problem 
solver who understands why constituents send people to Washington: to 
work together, to increase opportunity and prosperity for everyday 
Americans, and to take a stand when actions go against their best 
interest. Far too often, too many elected officials lose sight of that 
goal.
  During my retirement ceremony, I concluded with this quote from a 
renowned fighter pilot named John Boyd. He says:

       One day you will come to a fork in the road. And you're 
     going to have to make a decision about which direction you 
     want to go.

  He raised his hand and pointed.

       If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to 
     make compromises and you will have to turn your back on 
     friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will 
     get promoted and you will get good assignments.

  Then Boyd raised his other hand and pointed in another direction.

       Or you can go that way and you can do something--something 
     for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. If 
     you decide you want to do something, you may not get promoted 
     and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly 
     will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won't have 
     to compromise yourself. You will be true to your friends and 
     to yourself. And your work might make a difference. To be 
     somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll 
     call. That's when you will have to make a decision. To be, or 
     to do? Which way will you go?

  That question is what should be posed to all of us who serve in this 
Chamber today. It is no secret my path is to take action and do 
something. I would ask my fellow Senators to join me to do something 
with this precious time we have been given. I already know so many of 
you feel the same and are driven to serve. Let's point in the direction 
of do.
  There are only 1,983 people who have served as United States 
Senators. How many can you name? As for me, but a fraction. Except for 
a few extraordinary exceptions, no one is going to remember our names 
when we are no longer here. We will go back to being regular citizens, 
so it is about service now, not self--to do something that matters.
  Arizonans, like people all over the country, are tired of the 
gridlock. They want Congress to work for them, not the other way 
around. Many people here want to protect this institution, but the 
American people have basically lost faith in these bodies and those 
serving in them.
  Our approval rating is pathetically low and is likely credited to 
family members and paid staff. To point the direction of John Boyd's 
challenge of doing something, we must commit today to stop the 
dysfunction, break the gridlock, stop spinning, stop obstructing, start 
truly working on behalf of the American people.
  Yes, we live in divided times, but there is always more that unites 
us than divides us.
  Since I took this oath on January 3, my first mission in the Senate 
was to visit all 15 counties in Arizona to listen to my constituents' 
priorities and challenges. It was a ``2 ears and 1 mouth'' tour--used 
proportionally. Despite the diversity of our State, there was 
tremendous common ground on so many major issues and priorities.
  Arizonans want us to promote policies to ensure, if they work hard, 
they will be able to provide for their family, get ahead, and meet 
their full potential. They want to make sure our country is safe for 
them and their children. They want a life of dignity and respect for 
one another. They want us to give our military men and women everything 
they need to do their mission and take care of them and their families 
when they are done serving.

[[Page S5162]]

  That is why I am going to continue to fight to protect the A-10 
Warthog at Davis Monthan and fight for the F-35 at Luke Air Force Base, 
plus other amazing military installations that we have and their unique 
missions in Arizona. It is why, since taking office, I have visited 
numerous veteran service organizations, like U.S. VETS, where I heard 
real stories from veterans who struggle with homelessness and addiction 
who have since been helped off the street and have been able to start a 
new life for themselves.
  Arizonans want us to solve the border crisis and stop playing 
political games with it. It is a crisis all too real for cities like 
Yuma, where I saw firsthand the place where over 300 migrants illegally 
crossed the border due to poor infrastructure and lack of resources for 
agents, or like Douglas and Nogales, where outdated facilities leave 
agents overwhelmed with volume and leave our country vulnerable to 
illegal trafficking of drugs or people.
  Arizonans want us to work together to bring down the out-of-pocket 
costs of healthcare and allow patients, families, and doctors--not the 
government or insurance companies--to make healthcare choices for them. 
We can do this by protecting preexisting conditions and supporting 
initiatives like association health plans, which allow groups like the 
Southern Arizona Chamber of Commerce Association to partner small 
businesses together to access health insurance plans that right now 
only big companies can.
  Lives will be saved with the medical innovation that is happening in 
my State. Arizona is home to many institutions that are leading the way 
to find new treatments and cures for deadly diseases.
  When I visited the Ivy Brain Tumor Center, I was inspired by the 
story of Catherine Ivy, whose husband Ben passed away from 
glioblastoma, the same deadly cancer that took the life of Senator 
McCain. Instead of being consumed with her grief, Catherine searched 
all over the world for the best place to invest and partner for 
groundbreaking innovation to conquer this disease.
  She found it at the Barrow Neurological Institute right there in our 
own State of Arizona. Dr. Nader Sanai and his team are doing amazing 
work and leading in cutting-edge research and clinical trials. We need 
more investments and less barriers for initiatives like this.
  Arizonans want us to continue to tackle the opioid epidemic that is 
disproportionately impacting our rural communities. During my 15-county 
tour, I met Jason Kouts, the mayor of Safford, who shared the senseless 
death of his son Josiah whom his family lost to an opioid addiction. 
His life and all its potential tragically ended with a fentanyl-laced 
heroin dose. We mourn for his family and pledge to end this crisis.
  Arizonans want us to smartly invest in infrastructure for the long 
haul, not in a one-size-fits-all approach. What they need in New Jersey 
is not necessarily what we need in Arizona. We need flexibility and 
partnerships with States. Cities in both the West and East Valley of 
Maricopa County have been tasked with the daunting feat of keeping up 
with the fastest population growth in the country but without the 
resources to modernize their streets and freeways. We need bipartisan 
solutions to modernize our infrastructure, including water 
infrastructure and rural broadband.
  Arizonans want us to ensure that our freedoms and opportunities are 
preserved for their children and their grandchildren. They want us to 
ensure that seniors can have retirement security after working their 
whole lives.
  We can solve some of these problems in the days ahead if we choose 
to--if we choose to work together and do something bigger for those we 
all serve.
  At this moment in history, as John Boyd said, we are at a fork in the 
road, and we have a choice: Be someone or do something. I choose to act 
for those I serve. I know you do too. So let's get to work for the 
Nation.
  As Senator McCain once said: ``Americans never quit. We never 
surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.''
  I yield the floor.