[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7253-S7257]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Tribute to Tom Udall

  Now, let me tell you a little bit about our senior Senator, Tom 
Udall.
  One of the first times I ever spent any serious time with Tom Udall 
was actually on horseback. Tom was serving at the time as the 
Congressman for northern New Mexico's Third Congressional District, and 
I was leading a group called the Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness. 
Together, we rode into rugged mesas and canyons east of Las Vegas, NM--
that is the original Las Vegas--that I hoped would soon be designated 
as the Sabinoso Wilderness.
  It was clear right away that Tom shared my sense of wonder in the 
outdoors and wild places and a strong commitment to protect those 
precious landscapes for future generations, and despite his day job 
walking the Halls of Congress, he was pretty comfortable on that horse 
of his--much more so than myself.
  More than a decade later, Tom and I would repeat that horseback ride 
in Sabinoso, alongside President Trump's then-Interior Secretary Ryan 
Zinke.
  We were both serving in the Senate by this point. We had successfully

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worked together to establish not just the Sabinoso Wilderness but also 
the Ojito Wilderness, the Columbine-Hondo, the Valles Caldera National 
Preserve, the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, and the 
Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.
  Now we were working to convince Secretary Zinke--someone I might 
describe as a bit of a wilderness skeptic--to sign off on the Bureau of 
Land Management's acceptance of a generous land donation by the 
Wilderness Land Trust. This land donation would finally open up public 
access to the spectacular opportunities in the Sabinoso, which was then 
actually completely landlocked by private lands, and it would 
substantially grow the Sabinoso Wilderness area.
  A couple of hours of both of us riding into Canyon Largo alongside 
Secretary Zinke, alongside local sportsmen and public lands advocates 
and community-elected leaders, accomplished what months of testy 
congressional hearings and office meetings and phone calls here in 
Washington, DC, could not. Just days after his visit, Secretary Zinke 
announced that his reservations over accepting new wilderness were 
assuaged and that he would approve the donation at the Department of 
Interior.
  Thanks to those efforts and that horseback ride, for years to come, 
all New Mexicans and all Americans will be able to visit this stunning 
wilderness that we all own together.
  This story is but one example from Senator Udall's long career that 
demonstrates how bringing people together, even those who may have 
major disagreements--especially about politics--can still help to find 
common ground and forge a path forward. That is one of the main lessons 
that I will always take with me about the example that Senator Udall 
has set as such a principled leader.
  Tom has devoted his entire career to serving the people of my State. 
As our State's attorney general, Tom took on major challenges, from 
curbing pervasive drunk driving to domestic violence, to prosecuting 
unethical and corrupt elected officials and protecting consumers and 
seniors from all manner of predatory scams.
  Then, during his 10 years of service in the U.S. House of 
Representatives, Tom fought to deliver for northern New Mexico's 
communities. He stood firmly against the Bush administration's tax cuts 
for the wealthy. He opposed the misguided invasion of Iraq. He called 
on Congress to rein in the civil liberties abuses in the PATRIOT Act.
  Tom was first elected to serve our State in the U.S. Senate in the 
exact same year that I was first elected to Congress. It has been a 
privilege to sit in a front-row seat during this time while he led our 
State's congressional delegation.
  I believe that all of us in this body can agree that there are few 
greater examples than Tom Udall in embodying the best of what it means 
to be a Senator.
  Over his two terms in this Chamber, Tom has showed us all how to 
act--to act with decency, to act with integrity; how to stay true to 
your principles but also how to find the deliberative compromises that 
have become all too rare in today's Senate. Tom knows that to get 
anything done, especially in this era of extremely polarized party 
politics, you need to be able to bring people together, to break bread, 
to have the patience to work through disagreements, and to focus on 
results, not politics.
  That was perhaps best demonstrated in his ability to pass a landmark, 
bipartisan overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act--likely one of 
the greatest environmental law achievements in the last decade. TSCA is 
just about the most complicated piece of law that you can possibly 
imagine; however, the powers that it grants to the Environmental 
Protection Agency are some of the only things protecting us, standing 
between us and many harmful chemicals.
  In the last decade, it became increasingly clear that the original 
law, which had passed back in the 1970s, was simply no longer effective 
and required significant reforms, but getting a new law passed had 
proved to be practically impossible for many Senators who had tried for 
years to get this done.
  Because of all the major industry interests, disagreements from 
various groups, TSCA reform had become one of the many things that 
conventional wisdom simply said would never get done, especially in 
today's gridlocked Congress. But Tom did not take no for an answer. He 
took on the years-long, daunting challenge of convening an incredibly 
wide range of stakeholders to get the details right and successfully 
steered a new law all the way to final passage. I believe Tom Udall was 
successful in this precisely because of the way that he stands up for 
his principles with moral clarity.
  At a time when our democracy has felt fragile, Tom has led the way in 
fighting the corrosive effects of dark money in our politics. He 
championed voting rights, and he called for rules reforms to make this 
body, to make this Senate work for ``we the people'' once again.
  Through his role on the Foreign Relations Committee, Tom has held 
administrations from both parties accountable for responsibly 
exercising American power overseas.
  He has been a steadfast champion and ally for Indian Country, 
fighting for water access, education, healthcare, and law enforcement 
resources for Tribal nations.
  For years, Tom has called on us to finally confront the climate 
crisis that threatens New Mexico's land and water and, frankly, the 
future of our country and our planet. I have been so proud to partner 
with Tom over these last years to pass landmark protections for the 
natural resources and public lands that we in New Mexico all treasure. 
Our children and future generations will see the legacy of Tom's 
conservation work for years to come.
  Finally, it goes almost without saying, but I am confident that Tom's 
leaving the Senate will not mean leaving behind his lifetime commitment 
to service--in fact, far from it. Whatever his next chapter brings, I 
am certain that Tom will never stop looking for ways to help the people 
of New Mexico, although I do hope he will find the time to get outside, 
to spend time in a remote mountain pass from time to time or on a fast 
flowing river.
  It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to serve alongside Senator 
Udall for these last 12 years and to fight together to deliver 
resources and results for New Mexicans.
  Thank you, Tom, for everything that you have taught me and for 
everything that you and Jill have done for New Mexicans and for 
Americans. Julie and I certainly wish you the best in this next chapter 
in your life, and it has truly been my honor.
  Thank you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah
  Mr. LEE. Madam President, I stand today to give tribute to my friend 
and colleague, the senior Senator from New Mexico, Tom Udall, who was 
assigned to be my mentor when I first arrived in the Senate nearly 10 
years ago.
  Over a series of meetings we had over breakfast, lunch, and in our 
offices, Tom mentored me and tutored me on the rules of the Senate. He 
took the time to explain the nuances of the filibuster and how the 
Senate has deviated from the rule as it was originally designed. The 
concept is not a familiar one, nor is it intuitive, and yet Tom was 
able to explain it to me in a way that was simple and easy to 
understand and helped me grasp the passion that he has for addressing 
that issue and for reforming the Senate for the better ever since then.
  He had a way of doing it that didn't make anyone feel demeaned but 
made them, rather, more enthusiastic about making the Senate a better 
place in which to work, operate, and legislate.
  I have no idea whether the person who assigned Tom as my mentor knew 
that Tom and I were related, that we are second cousins, that his 
grandmother and my grandfather were brother and sister, or that my 
grandmother on the other side of the family was his U.S. history 
teacher at James Fenimore Cooper Intermediate and Junior High, but our 
paths seemed destined to cross.
  I didn't know Tom well growing up, although I knew his father 
Stewart, and I knew his Uncle Morris. Tom was already off to fame and 
stardom by the time I came along, but I knew his family long before I 
got to know him. In many ways, they saved the best for last.
  Even though I got to know your dad and your Uncle Morris before I got 
to

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know you, I tremendously enjoyed getting to work with you. You and I 
come from similar parts of the country, from some of the same ancestral 
pioneer stock, and we have very different ideas. Yet Tom Udall has 
always been someone with whom I have been able to communicate freely 
and frankly and from whom I have always heard positive, uplifting 
communication, even when we disagree, which happens from time to time.
  Thank you so much for your service. It has been a pleasure getting to 
work with you as a colleague. I wish you and Jill the very best success 
and happiness in your future endeavors.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. MERKLEY. Madam President, Senator Udall and I came here in the 
same class 12 years ago. It is hard to believe that 12 years have 
passed. How can that happen so quickly? We have seen the Senate in 
various chapters as it sought to address the big challenges facing 
America.
  Colleagues have already noted Tom's intense advocacy for the 
wildlands of the West and the poetry that he brought to it in his 
speech today with Mr. Stegner's reflections on the majesty and 
importance of the wildlands of the West and all of his efforts to 
protect those lands.
  Colleagues have mentioned how, when folks thought it couldn't be 
done, he dived into this partnership with Senator Vitter to drive the 
Lautenberg Toxic Substances Act and got it accomplished through months 
and months of intense negotiations.
  He cares about the function of this body and has shared with us idea 
after idea on how we might make it work better--ideas that we should 
still work to consider in the months and years ahead.
  As he thought about protection of lands, he thought about protection 
of the oceans and the role of plastics in the oceans. He spearheaded 
efforts for us to reconsider how we produce so much plastic waste and 
where it ends up and the damage that it does--a vision that others will 
have to carry the baton on after his departure.
  He has stood up fiercely for the constitutional vision of a nation 
and a government of, by, and for the people, that money is not speech, 
and that corporations are not people.
  Tom, thank you. Thank you for fighting for the vision of our 
Constitution, for a government that can and will take on the issues 
facing us. We will miss you. I personally hope that you will have a 
major role in continuing to advance the protection of those wildlands 
in the West in the near future. All my best, and take care in your next 
chapter.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Blackburn). The Senator from Wyoming.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, just a little reflection on Tom Udall 
and working together on the Indian Affairs Committee that I chaired, 
and he was the ranking member. I will tell you that I will miss my 
friend Tom Udall.
  Bobbi and I will miss your life partner Jill as well. We are so 
grateful for your friendship and your leadership in this body.
  When Senator Udall started today on the floor, he mentioned that he 
was a son of the West and mentioned that it is something that runs in 
the family. Madam President, Tom's father, Stewart Udall, was Secretary 
of the Interior of the United States. If you go to the Interior 
Department office, you will see it is the Udall name on the building 
because of this ongoing commitment and love that the Senator has spoken 
about today.
  What many don't know is the relationship between Wyoming and the 
Udall family. It was Stewart Udall, Secretary of the Interior, who came 
to Wyoming with a young President a number of years ago. That President 
was John F. Kennedy. It was September of 1963.
  I went back to the archives at the University of Wyoming and found 
photos of Tom's dad and the President at the time, John Kennedy, and a 
number of Wyoming leaders at the time. I gave copies to Tom and to Jill 
to share the bond of our States.
  It would surprise many, I think, in this body to know that I have a 
picture, actually, of John Kennedy hanging in my office up in the 
Dirksen Office Building--John Kennedy addressing the crowd at the 
University of Wyoming Arena-Auditorium in September of 1963.
  As Tom this morning talked about conservation, John Kennedy talked of 
conservation that very day that he gave that speech with your father on 
the stage, together so many years ago. At the time, John Kennedy talked 
of the living balance between man's actions and nature's reaction to it 
and the living balance that must exist.
  So, today, I come and thank my friend for his stewardship, for his 
leadership, and for his friendship, and I say this with a great deal of 
appreciation and admiration and respect.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
  Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I rise today to honor someone whom I 
have had the good fortune of working with both in the U.S. House and 
the U.S. Senate. Senator Udall and I spent a long time together, and I 
am very, very grateful.
  I want to take a step back just for a moment and say that in American 
political history there are certain names that carry a legacy. There 
are the Roosevelts, a family of great means who, nonetheless, 
understood the deeply personal pain of the Great Depression and helped 
bring a nation through it. There are the Kennedys, a family that for 
generations has been near the center of American power and popular 
culture. And there are the Udalls.
  Now, the Udalls have never been flashy. They might not be the 
equivalent of political royalty. You might find the Udalls more likely 
to be in cowboy boots and jeans than expensive suits, but they are a 
family that is deeply rooted in public service, protecting the people 
and the places of the West, and just being some of the kindest, hardest 
working, most decent folks you could ever meet, period.
  Senator Tom Udall has certainly lived up to his family's legacy 
during his long career in public service. New Mexico is so fortunate to 
have been represented by him, and I feel so fortunate to have him as my 
friend.
  Tom, it has been such a pleasure to work with you on so many 
different issues. You talk about the land, and I talk a lot about 
water. And even though you are not surrounded by the Great Lakes, as we 
are, you have been as passionate in working with us to protect our 
beautiful water, as you have with other natural resources. So thank you 
for protecting the funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
  Also, I thank him for ensuring that our community health centers 
receive full funding, for strengthening rural communities, and for 
improving services for our veterans.
  I appreciate so much your leadership in the bipartisan efforts, and I 
was proud to support you and help on tax reform. I have been so 
impressed by your work on clean energy and on protecting the wild 
places that make our States so special, and, of course, your work on 
reforming the Senate and shining the light of day on money and 
politics.
  I am so grateful for your strong leadership on the Indian Affairs 
Committee and your hard work and advocacy--so effective in advocating 
for our Nation's Tribes.
  You have also set yourself apart through your work on Foreign 
Relations and on keeping our Nation safe. I will never forget our trip 
to Vietnam and South Korea last year. We were, over the Easter weekend, 
flying in Southeast Asia, and it was such a wonderful moment when Jill 
organized a Passover Seder for everyone on the plane--what a special 
moment on this bipartisan trip. It brought everybody together to focus 
on our common humanity and what we are each called to do, which is to 
serve others.
  Whatever the future holds for you, I have no doubt that you will 
continue serving the people of New Mexico and this Nation, and I 
believe we have more than benefitted from your leadership. Public 
service, that is what Udalls do.
  Senator Udall, congratulations on your retirement. Thank you for a 
job well done, and so many best wishes to you and your life partner 
Jill and your entire family. You have been a real blessing not only to 
New Mexico but to our country.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland

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  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I just really want to thank Senator 
Udall for his commitment to public service. When I think of a person of 
his talent, his expertise, and his effectiveness, he has devoted his 
entire life to public service to make New Mexico better, to make 
America better, and for global justice. I just really want to thank him 
for his many years of public service. I know that he has not finished 
his commitment to try to help our community, but we are going to miss 
him on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
  I had a chance to work with Senator Udall when he and I were in the 
House of Representatives, and we worked on so many issues--from the 
environment to justice issues, to integrity in the process to make sure 
our system of justice, our system of law, and our system of legislating 
meet the high expectations of our democracy. We know that we can do 
better to form a more perfect union. We are on that path, and we can do 
better. And thanks to Senator Udall, we have done better, but we still 
have a road ahead of us.
  So, you are an inspiration to all of us. We want you to know that. We 
love you. We greatly admire your service to this body and to our 
community. As has been said by others, we are not only going to miss 
your relationship on working with issues here; we are going to miss the 
friendship and seeing you on a more regular basis.
  We know that your life partner Jill has been a steady supporter of 
what you have done. So on behalf of your colleagues in the U.S. Senate, 
we say thank you for a job well done. We are proud to have called you 
our friend and associate, and we will continue to work with you.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I had the privilege of knowing Tom 
Udall's uncle when I served in the House of Representatives. He was not 
only a great leader, but he was a funny man. I have repeated some of 
his lines and jokes so often. I don't even give him credit anymore. I 
hope his family and his memory will forgive me.
  I have often repeated his prognosis for politicians. Morris Udall 
said: Once you get politics in your bloodstream, only embalming fluid 
will replace it. I have often thought of what drives us, the men and 
women of the Senate and the House, to continue to engage in this life's 
work of politics, with all the cost that it incurs in our lives. 
Clearly, we are driven by something more than just comfort.
  To my friend, Tom Udall, let me say I am glad you proved your uncle 
wrong. As much as I wish you were staying with us for a while longer, I 
know that you are not leaving public service. You never will. You are 
just leaving this chapter.
  In the Udall family, public service is a noble tradition. Your uncle 
always served with honor in the House for three decades. Your cousins--
Mark Udall, Mike Lee, and Gordon Smith--have all served in the Senate. 
Your father, Stewart Udall, answered President Kennedy's call for the 
best and brightest and served as President Kennedy's Secretary of the 
Interior.
  I want to mention one footnote that should never be forgotten, 
particularly at this moment in history. When we watch the NFL and their 
dedication to the notion of Black Lives Matter, they should remember 
that over 50 years ago, it was your father, as Secretary of the 
Interior, who said to the NFL football team that was using RFK Stadium 
that they had to integrate and bring in their first Black player or he 
wasn't going to renew their Federal lease on that premises. He changed, 
overnight, the fate of that Washington football franchise when it came 
to the issue of race. That shows the kind of leadership which 50 years 
later looked so visionary.
  But when it comes to preserving America's national treasures in the 
20th century, the Udall name ranks right up there with Teddy Roosevelt. 
Roosevelt was a giant of conservation. He believed that we have a moral 
obligation to preserve our planet and the treasures of it for future 
generations.
  I have no doubt that your father and your mother would be proud of 
your service in the Senate. You have carried on this legacy with such 
perfection by preserving America's irreplaceable national treasures. I 
have vivid memories of two majestic national monuments that are in 
Utah--Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. President Obama showed 
real leadership in creating those monuments, and you have led the fight 
to preserve them through the current administration.
  The passion with which you spoke about the history and importance of 
these treasures is something I will never forget. I was proud to 
cosponsor your proposal, the ANTIQUITIES Act, to make clear that only 
Congress can alter the list of protected national monuments. Thank 
goodness we have public servants like Tom Udall, who is willing to 
fight to preserve a piece of this world so that future generations can 
see it as God created it. Your ``30 by 30 Resolution,'' which you 
cosponsored with Senator Bennet of Colorado, is another example of 
creative, innovative Udall ``conservationism.''
  Your efforts to preserve America's most sacred treasures do not end 
with open spaces and a healthy environment. You have also been a brave 
and tireless champion of the need to preserve the fundamentals of our 
democracy. Along with your efforts to protect national monuments, you 
also led to preserve the delicate balance of powers envisioned by our 
Founders. You were the lead sponsor in this Chamber in the For the 
People Act to protect voting rights, strengthening government ethics, 
and changing the way congressional campaigns are funded--a bill that I 
have built on myself to try to protect our body politic
  Our goals were always the same: to break the grip of special 
interests on our politics and government while making it more 
affordable for men and women with good ideas but without massive wealth 
to run for Congress. These last years have shown us how fragile our 
democracy can be and how much work we have to do to restore people's 
faith in government.
  I want to point out one particular bill--TSCA. Tom, I will never 
forget what you did with that. I don't know how many months--maybe even 
years--that you weathered on despite opposition, not only from the 
other side of the aisle but sometimes from our side of the aisle, to 
get this issue into perspective. There were chemicals that were being 
put into things as basic as furniture that American families had no 
idea would be dangerous.
  I have never forgotten this image. You told this story on the floor. 
To think that that cushion on your couch is treated with some chemical 
that could be harmful to individuals and that every time you, as a 
father, sat down on that couch and pulled that baby close to you, you 
could have been spraying chemicals in that baby's face. I thought about 
that ever since you gave that speech and how much work you did to make 
sure that we remedy that wrong and that we gave notification and 
clearance before these chemicals were being used in products that 
American families didn't even know about. I gave you my word that I 
would push hard with you on that. I was just one of the soldiers in the 
back of the ranks, but I was proud of every moment of it.
  I wish you and your wife Jill a special happiness in the next 
chapter. Jill, of course, is originally a native of St. Louis, and I 
grew up across the river. We had many fun times talking about her youth 
and reminiscing about mutual friends. She is just an exceptional person 
herself, and you know it and I do too. To your daughter Amanda, I wish 
an equally happy and healthy future. As our friend John Lewis might 
say, may you continue to find ways to get into good trouble.
  In this Senate, you have been the voice for so many people who had no 
voice. You have chosen to be an advocate for Native Americans. And if 
there is ever a cause which every single Member of the Senate and the 
House should take as their own, it is to bring justice to this group of 
people who were here before us and were not treated well by this 
government.
  I will close now with a thought from one of their great leaders, 
Sitting Bull. In negotiations with the Federal Government, Sitting Bull 
advised: Let us put our minds together and see what future we can make 
for our children.
  This is the spirit which Tom Udall has brought to the U.S. Senate in 
every aspect of public service. It has been an honor to work with you, 
Tom. I wish you all the best because you are the best.

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  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I know we are about to vote, and I will 
speak further at another time about Senator Udall, but I just want to 
tell him what I told you--all of you--what I said to him when he 
finished speaking: In my 46 years here, it is one of the finest and 
most moving, heartfelt, honest speeches I have heard. I have also sent 
a note, I say to Senator Udall, to Jill Udall to tell her how great you 
are, but I think she probably knew it. But I will speak further at 
another time.

  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.
  Mr. CARPER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my 
brief remarks before the vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. CARPER. Madam President, I want to say a few words about 
leadership. When I think of the word ``leadership,'' I think of Tom 
Udall.
  Leaders are humble, not haughty. Leaders have the heart of a servant. 
They realize that our job is to serve, not to be served. Leaders have 
the courage to stay in step when everyone else is marching to the wrong 
tune. Leaders unite, not divide. They build bridges, not laws.
  Leaders surround themselves with the very best people they can find. 
When the team does well, the leader gives the credit to the team. When 
the team falls short, the leader takes the blame.
  The best leaders among us realize they don't build themselves up by 
tearing other people down. Leaders are aspirational. They appeal to our 
better angels.
  Camus--a Frenchman--used to say that leaders are purveyors of hope. 
Leaders seek to do what is right, not what is easy or expedient but 
what is right.
  Leaders embrace the Golden Rule: Treat other people the way they want 
to be treated. The Golden Rule is in every major religion on the 
planet. He embodies it.
  Leaders believe that we should pursue excellence in everything we do. 
If it isn't perfect, let's make it better. And when a leader knows that 
he or she is right, they just won't give up. They don't give up.
  Those are the qualities that we all admire in leaders. To be totally 
honest, I fall short on a number of them. And I guess if we are all 
truthful, we would all say the same thing.
  He doesn't fall short on any of them. Tom Udall is the 
personification of what a leader should be and a friend as well.
  I just want to say thanks to his parents for raising him, bringing 
him into the world, and putting him on the right path, giving us a 
chance to serve with him.
  I also thank Jill, his wife, for being just a terrific partner with 
him. When we were stuck on TSCA--the Toxic Substance Control Act--she 
came to the hearings in the committee. He was no longer on the 
committee, but she came there, and everybody could see on her face that 
we better get this right or we were in trouble.
  The reason we had to pass the Toxic Substance Control Act is that the 
Federal law that we passed a quarter century ago before didn't work, 
and every other State stepped in and decided to have their own State 
version. It was a patchwork quilt. It just didn't work. He pointed it 
out and made it happen, made a change, and I just will always be 
grateful for that.
  The other thing I want to say is that he is a friend. I think if you 
talk to anybody here, they would say that he is a friend. I don't care 
if you are a Republican or a Democrat; he is a friend.
  My wife and I and our sons, Christopher and Ben, had the opportunity 
at the end of an Aspen Institute seminar in Tanzania, which was just an 
incredible experience, to stay for 4 or 5 days afterward and just 
travel throughout, go on a safari, and have a chance to see amazing 
things--amazing things. When it was all over, we went back to the 
airport in Tanzania, the Kilimanjaro airport, to catch a flight back to 
the States. I will never forget. Our son Ben, who is our younger son, 
said to his mom and dad and his older brother: That was the best 
vacation we have ever had.
  We talk about things we share with one another, but that is one that 
is especially close to my heart.
  Godspeed. God bless you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cruz). The Senator from Idaho.
  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory 
quorum call be waived.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.