[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 3, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S13]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO BEN SASSE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, normally when a new Congress convenes 
on the 3rd of January, the Senate has already said farewell to all of 
our departing colleagues, but this first week of the 118th Congress is 
also the last week we will get to enjoy the collegial and cerebral 
stylings of our good friend, the junior Senator from Nebraska, Ben 
Sasse.
  I spoke earlier this morning about Senator Mike Mansfield, whose path 
to politics began in the faculty lounge. Well, so did Ben's, but, alas, 
the legislature's claim on Senator Sasse has proven temporary, and now 
the ivory tower is literally striking back.
  A quick look at Ben's resume leaves no mystery about the intellectual 
formation of our sharp colleague from the Cornhusker State--
valedictorian of Fremont High School, degrees from Harvard, St. John's, 
and Yale, and high-flying stints as a sought-after consultant in 
business.
  As I understand it, it wasn't just brainpower that punched Ben's 
ticket through the Ivy League; it was also a bit of blunt force. Let me 
explain.
  As the story goes, a childhood tumble out of a hay loft left our 
colleague with a big scar and some lasting numbness in his forehead. I 
am not literally making this up. Naturally, as a budding competitive 
wrestler, our friend started to make a name for himself, turning a 
would-be handicap into a signature move: the head butt. Needless to 
say, college recruiters took notice.
  This hardheaded practicality has combined with Ben's smarts and 
creativity to produce an interesting and impactful career, like using 
the wrestling mat as a springboard to a world-class humanities 
education; applying the skills of a business consultant to turn around 
a small, struggling, Christian university; being one of the Senate's 
most creative big thinkers while also staying attuned to working 
families' daily struggles; or writing a new bestselling book every few 
years while spending his summers waist deep--listen to this--in corn 
and soybean fields.
  Now, I could be mistaken, but I believe there was one period where 
our colleague signed himself and his family's minivan up for a ride-
sharing app so that he could pick his constituents' brains as he 
shuttled them to their destinations.
  So, Madam President, just boring old business as usual.
  In one of Ben's books, our colleague wrote about a practice that he 
and his wife Melissa have enjoyed incorporating into their family. He 
calls it their family canon--a collection of good books on big, 
consequential topics that are meant to be read and discussed together 
repeatedly.
  So while Corrie, Alex, and Breck are growing up with the Sasse family 
canon, Ben's colleagues have spent the past 8 years with the Sasse 
Senate canon--eloquent arguments, new ideas on issues ranging from the 
future of work to the future of war, to the dignity of the human 
person.
  Our colleague from Nebraska has been among this body's leading voices 
on data privacy, intellectual property, automation, the economic 
threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party, religious liberty, civics 
education--all in a day's work.
  But behind the seemingly disparate interests, behind the fascinations 
with seemingly opposite things like new technology and ancient 
philosophy, I see a clear common thread: Senator Sasse is passionate 
about things that bear directly on the future of the American 
experiment.
  That is the central passion that brought our colleague to this 
Chamber. Now, as he departs to head a major American university, it is 
the same passion that is taking him away from it. When it comes to 
protecting and strengthening our country's future, education is right 
up there with legislation.
  And, anyway, I suspect many of us shared a hunch that, one way or 
another, this Renaissance man's diverse resume was probably not 
completed when he was sworn into the Senate 8 years ago.
  This next adventure for the Sasse clan promises not just more 
sunshine but also more stability and family time, thanks to the end of 
the weekly cross-country commutes.
  So, look, I think I speak for all 99 of his Senate colleagues when I 
offer both our condolences on replacing committee hearings with faculty 
meetings and our congratulations on this exciting opportunity to lead 
an important institution.
  So, Ben, your colleagues wish you and Melissa all the best as you go 
write the next interesting chapter to the Sasse family canon together.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kaine). The Senator from Nebraska.

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