[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 192 (Tuesday, December 3, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6796-S6797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Tribute to Johnny Isakson

  Madam President, on a bittersweet note, Johnny Isakson--what a fine 
man. Today, Members of this Chamber will hold a bipartisan lunch to say 
goodbye to one of our most beloved colleagues, Johnny Isakson of 
Georgia, who is retiring before the end of the year.
  Over the last few months, there have been numerous tributes to Johnny 
on

[[Page S6797]]

the Senate floor. He has been called ``a real friend,'' ``a mentor,'' 
``more than a colleague,'' ``humble and tenacious,'' ``they don't come 
any better''--and that is just by Democrats. That is one of the reasons 
I suggested to Leader McConnell that we have a lunch for Johnny 
Isakson, which we are having this afternoon.
  Just as there is good reason to praise Johnny Isakson in the ways 
Democrats did, there is good reason that during his chairmanship, 
Isakson's committee passed so many bipartisan bills--57, to be exact--
to help veterans. It is because he treated everyone--Democrat, 
Republican, Independent, newly elected or committee chair--with 
respect. Johnny never let the cynicism of our political times dim his 
faith in our ability to get something done.
  Johnny Isakson didn't have the loudest voice in the room, but it was 
often the most influential. That is because he built years' worth of 
trust. You never doubted his word. He was an honest broker. So whenever 
a chasm seemed to separate the parties on a certain issue, Isakson was 
often the one spanning the divide. I know that from experience, over 
and over again. As an example, when families in New York struggled to 
recover from disasters, like Sandy, only to find that flood insurance 
rates were crushing them with enormous debt, it was Senator Isakson, 
whose State has suffered its fair share of disasters, who worked with 
my office to find a solution.
  We made enormous progress working together to strengthen media shield 
laws, protecting fearless and independent journalism at a time when we 
needed to stand up for a free and open press.
  In this most recent important appropriations process, we worked 
together to help the widows and children impacted by 9/11 gain access 
to a special terror victims' funding. I want to thank him personally 
for that, and more broadly, I want to thank him for the example he set 
for many other Senators.
  There are many fine adjectives that will be used to describe Senator 
Isakson, and all of them will be well-deserved, but one word used to 
describe Senator Isakson is not often found in the Halls of Congress: 
``kind.'' Johnny Isakson is one of the kindest, most thoughtful 
Senators I have known in my time here. He is a true statesman. That is 
why I know that independent of any party or politics, everyone here 
will miss Johnny.
  I will have more to say about our friend at the bipartisan lunch this 
afternoon, but for now, I would like to note for the record Senator 
Isakson's many years of faithful service to his beloved State of 
Georgia and his country. We wish him and Dianne the very best as he 
enters the next chapter of his life.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Scott of Florida). Without objection, it 
is so ordered.
  The Senator from Arkansas.