[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 15, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Remembering Judith Heumann

  Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. President, I come to the floor today with a heavy 
yet full heart to pay tribute to someone I owe so much to, someone who 
millions of Americans living with disabilities owe so much to, Judy 
Heumann.
  To honor her, I want to start by describing the environment we are in 
for those who may be listening in who may be visually impaired. We are 
in the United States Senate Chambers. I am sitting in the top row of 
chairs. I am sitting in my wheelchair. I am an Asian-American woman 
with brown hair, and I am wearing my signature red lipstick, just as 
Judy used to wear.
  Judy was more than a friend; she was a personal hero to me. She was a 
person who devoted her life to expanding disability rights, to making 
sure that accessibility in this country is not an afterthought but, in 
fact, is the norm.
  She worked so hard because she recognized a simple truth: that 
everyone, whether they know it or not, is just 1 day, 1 split-second 
away from acquiring a disability and needing the protections and rights 
that too many take for granted, rights that every American deserves.
  You know, when I earned my disability in 2004, I actually considered 
myself pretty lucky. I say ``lucky'' because when I got home from Iraq, 
the Rehabilitation Act had been the law of the land for more than 30 
years, and the Americans with Disabilities Act had been in place for 
more than a decade, both of which Judy had fought tirelessly to 
implement and, in fact, was the author of, and both of which empowered 
people like me to lead full lives. So, yes, pretty darn lucky because I 
wouldn't be able to roll my wheelchair through the maze of the Capitol 
Building and onto the Senate floor today to give this speech without 
those laws or without the unwavering advocacy and leadership of Judy 
Heumann.
  You see, Judy passed her exams to earn a teaching license before 
people with disabilities had equal protections under the law, but she 
was denied that license by the school board even though she passed the 
exams--denied it just because of so-called concerns about legal 
liability in the workplace because she had a disability.
  They said that because Judy used a wheelchair, she represented a fire 
hazard and couldn't safely teach in a classroom. Judy, rightfully so, 
wasn't going to take that for an answer, so she got to work. She worked 
and she worked and she worked. She fought and she fought some more. She 
made a fuss. She caused what civil rights giant John Lewis called 
``good trouble.''
  It is in large part because of her never giving up that the 
Rehabilitation Act exists, that the ADA exists, and that my full, 
wonderful, beautifully chaotic life is possible. For that and for so 
much more, I will be forever grateful for Judy Heumann.
  Judy passed away earlier this month, but what she lived for will live 
on forever. I will never forget the hard-earned lessons she taught me 
about what it means to truly fight for our civil rights, to keep up 
that work day after day after day, and to make sure we empower those 
who come next to continue reaching toward a more just and more 
accessible future.
  In her name, I will forever keep striving to bring about that better 
tomorrow when people with disabilities won't have to work so hard just 
to live our daily lives.
  Rest in power, Judy. We miss you already.


        190th Anniversary of the U.S. Partnership with Thailand

  Mr. President, ``sawadee ka.'' I come to the floor today to 
commemorate a special moment, the 190th anniversary of the U.S. 
partnership with the Kingdom of Thailand.
  I am an American, but my Thai heritage makes me a living example of 
the unshakeable bond between our two nations.
  Our nations have a long, long history of friendship. For centuries, 
our countries have learned from and leaned on each other militarily, 
diplomatically, economically, culturally--you name it. From the 
environment to our economies, national security to cyber security, we 
have helped one another grow and evolve, adapting to a world that is 
evermore connected, adapting to an era in which technology allows 
allies half a world away to be there for each other in half an instant.
  There is a reason Thailand is often called Washington's oldest ally 
in Asia. Ever since an American ship landed on Thailand's shores more 
than 200 years ago, ever since President Andrew Jackson and Thai King 
Rama III signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation formalizing 
peaceful relations between our countries, ever since King Mongkut 
offered to send elephants to President Abraham Lincoln an ocean away, 
our nations have proven that there is no greater asset than a partner 
you can count on in times of both peace and conflict. Time after time, 
we have worked side by side to catch the bad actors running 
international criminal networks, to give humanitarian relief to those 
who need it, to keep the peace far beyond our own borders.
  We have seen our shared interests and values manifest time after time 
over the past 190 years. To name just a few examples, more than 300,000 
people of Thai descent--myself included--live in the United States 
today, and thousands more come to study every semester.
  The jointly run Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences 
has been at the forefront of research on infectious diseases since the 
1960s, developing treatment for a host of diseases that have saved 
millions of lives in both our countries and around the world.
  Under a 2002 framework, hundreds of U.S. companies have invested in 
Thailand, fueling bilateral trade of over $74 billion in 2020 alone.
  And, during World War II, the United States worked with Thai students 
in the United States and dissidents inside Thailand to create the Free 
Thai Movement. Then, our security alliance was eventually formalized 
under the Manila Pact of 1954 and the Thanat-Rusk communique in 1962. 
And, now, the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group in Thailand helps 
organize more than 400 joint exercises per year, including Cobra Gold, 
the largest multilateral exercise in the Indo-Pacific region.
  In 2023, with more and more geopolitical threats rising by the day, 
the strength of our bond is as important as ever. Our alliance provides 
some sense of stability amidst that chaos and some sense of security 
amidst the unpredictability. It helps to make a tenuous situation a 
little bit more tenable.
  In just a few months, Thailand will hold national elections for the 
second time since the military coup of 2014. As in other countries, 
Thailand's path to democracy has had its challenges. There have been 
setbacks as well as advances. But in this moment, I know I speak for my 
colleagues in this Chamber when I say we look forward to an election 
that is free and fair, an election that cements Thailand on the road to 
a stable democratic system based on the rule of law, civilian 
authority, and respect for internationally recognized human rights.
  Let me just close by saying: For the progress that Thailand has made 
toward that more democratic future, for the friendship our two nations 
have shared, as well as for all the years that I was lucky enough to 
call Thailand my home as a child, I am endlessly grateful, and I am 
forever proud to call myself an American of Thai descent.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.