[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 190 (Wednesday, December 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S7012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Tribute to James M. Inhofe

  Madam President, now, on a related matter, the annual defense bill I 
just discussed will carry the name of one of our most senior and 
distinguished colleagues this year--the outstanding Armed Services 
Committee ranking member to whose career it will provide the perfect 
capstone.
  Senator Jim Inhofe's often soft-spoken manner and unfailing humility 
are a pair of traits that have combined to produce one of the most 
effective legislators I have ever had the privilege of working with.
  At the same time, over the same one career, Jim's name has come to me 
in both steady, solid, conservative constancy here at home and 
relentless energy as a globetrotter dealmaker. The mixture has left his 
home State, our entire Nation, and faraway lands all changed for the 
better.
  The roots of Jim's conservative bona fides aren't hard to trace. In 
fact, the story of his entry into politics is a familiar one for 
millions of Americans.
  There was honorable military service. There was hard work and success 
as a small businessman in his hometown of Tulsa. And then there were 
the inevitable headaches of having your can-do, entrepreneurial dreams 
bogged down in bureaucracy and regulation. Jim knew it shouldn't be 
that way, so he threw his own hat into the ring.
  Jim's fashion for harnessing American energy was obvious pretty early 
on as well. Apparently, even while he was a student at the University 
of Colorado, Jim got together with some classmate and filed a claim on 
uranium deposits discovered nearby.
  This is a man who seems to have been born with a built-in turboprop. 
Our friend has an insatiable drive to discover and get things done. 
Short stints and bouncing around were how a busy young Jim Inhofe 
worked his way to a college degree--by way of nine different schools. 
It is also how this seasoned aviator circumnavigated the globe.
  Jim's conservative convictions and his boundless, problem-solving 
energy might have seemed to be on a collision course; but, instead, 
they had proven the perfect harmony: from the State Capitol, where Jim 
earned the trust of his Oklahoma Senate colleagues and served in the 
thankless role of minority leader, to a gubernatorial campaign, during 
which he reportedly lost 57 pounds, to the 1994 Senate race, where our 
friend clawed his way back from 32 points down in the polls to win back 
a seat Republicans had only held 6 of the last 45 years, to the 5 more 
landslide reelections that followed.
  You would be forgiven if you assumed that such a successful elected 
official might have made some major compromises along the way. But you 
don't become famous for flying planes upside down without a strong 
internal compass that stays fixed on true north.
  Our friend knows that faith can move mountains. And James 
``Mountain'' Inhofe has himself been moved to incredible achievements 
by his love of God, love of country, and love of neighbor.
  Don't get me wrong. Jim knows how to twist the screws to get things 
done: like landing generational investments in transportation 
infrastructure across Oklahoma and the heartland; or protecting 
American energy dominance, by pioneering and then protecting the new 
technologies and methods that have ushered in a whole new era of 
prosperity and independence for our country; or strengthening and 
modernizing our Armed Forces by leading the must-pass NDAA across the 
finish line.
  Jim's done it all. But in a city where a lot of people treat 
friendships and relationships as means to desired ends, Jim has always 
viewed genuine relationships as noble ends in themselves. Just take it 
from our Democratic colleague from Rhode Island. Senator Whitehouse 
once had to admit that Jim simultaneously was his ``worst foe'' and his 
``key ally''; or consider the many years Jim has devoted to deep 
partnerships with leaders in Africa. By all accounts, Jim's engagement 
began not with lobbying a particular issue or advancing a particular 
administration's priorities. Our friend has never been anyone's tool or 
puppet. Jim formed deep, genuine, personal bonds with fellow 
legislators and leaders in Africa just because he felt drawn to do so.
  But as always happens with Jim, where relationships started, big 
results followed. Jim's trusted status as a senior statesman and stable 
counselor had Secretaries of State, Secretaries of Defense, and 
Ambassadors seeking his sage advice.
  Just a few years ago, as I understand it, Jim was called upon to help 
ease an extremely tense and acrimonious political standoff between 
rival leaders in Kenya. Of course, he had known both men for years. And 
when the opportunity arose during the country's National Prayer 
Breakfast, Jim took a moment of personal privilege after praying an 
invocation and got the two men to literally hug each other in front of 
the cameras and their countrymen. It made international news.
  So you get the picture: Relationships matter. But with Jim, two 
relationships matter most of all: the one with his God and the one with 
his beloved Kay.
  Jim and Kay have been married for 63 years. And anyone who has spent 
any time around Jim knows what happens when his beloved bride calls him 
up. It doesn't matter if you are the President of Kenya or the 
President of the United States, your conversation is politely put on 
hold. The woman Jim calls ``his rock'' always comes first.
  Over the last half century, Jim Inhofe's devotion to his country, his 
fellow Oklahomans, and his conservative principles have produced a 
mountain of a legacy. But I know his most cherished peak is his and 
Kay's mutual love and devotion and the legacy that relationship has 
produced; namely, Perry, Katy, Molly, and Jim, who have in turn grown 
the Inhofe clan by, I believe, 16 grandchildren.
  Our dear friend has given generously to his country. He has more than 
earned some extra time with those he loves most. So Jim, thank you. 
Thank you for your exemplary service.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore (Mr. Lujan). The majority whip.