[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 83 (Wednesday, May 17, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1687-S1689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Maiden Speech

  Mr. BUDD. Mr. President, it is my honor to rise today to speak on 
behalf of the citizens of the great State of North Carolina.
  I wouldn't be here today without some very special people: the love 
of my life, Amy Kate; our three kids, Joshua, Kathryn, and Macy; and my 
wonderful parents, Richard and Sylvia Budd.
  I wouldn't be who I am or where I am today without all of your love, 
your support, and your strength.
  I also want to thank the dedicated members of my team, both my 
official staff and campaign staff, who have helped me along this 
journey.
  As this voyage unfolded, I was always grateful for my fellow 
Senators, whose presence was a constant source of encouragement and 
advice. I want to thank Senator Richard Burr and Senator Thom Tillis 
for their service to this institution and to our State.

[[Page S1688]]

  I was also inspired by the Senators who are no longer with us, whose 
lasting imprints are signatures in these desks. As I open this desk, I 
see the signature of the late, great Senator Jesse Helms. He was one of 
our State's most legendary leaders, and I can only hope to be as fine a 
Senator for North Carolina as he was.
  I also look to Senator James Broyhill, whom we lost just this year. 
He was a great friend to our family for decades, and his commitment to 
public service is one that I am going to try to emulate for as long as 
I hold this office.
  As someone who was born and raised in North Carolina, I want you to 
know that it is a part of me. It is in my bones.
  But you really don't know your State until you have visited every 
corner of it. Our State has 100 counties, and during our campaign, I 
visited each and every one of those counties, some of them multiple 
times, and not just the ones with the high populations or the ones with 
the big TV markets. It was that 100-county tour that helped me fall 
deeper in love with my home State, and I am going to be a better 
Senator for having done it.
  But of all North Carolina's counties, one is near and dear to my 
heart, and that is Davie County. I was told a while back that I was the 
first U.S. Senator to come from Davie County. I owe a lot to the place 
that I call home.
  It is the values of small North Carolina counties like mine that are 
my values too, and those aren't just another set of policy issues. 
North Carolina values are about how somebody goes about their daily 
life. It is about faith. It is about loyalty to our family and to your 
friends. It is about being a man of your word. It is about being 
honest. It is about being reliable. It is about working hard. And it is 
about serving others.
  Our State's motto is ``esse quam videri,'' or, in English, ``to be 
rather than to seem.'' To put it another way, we tend to walk the walk 
more than talk the talk, and that is the sort of spirit that I want to 
endeavor with me during my time here in office.
  In the relatively short time here in the Senate, I have been to 11 
countries. I have met with ambassadors and with foreign leaders, and I 
have been able to visit and thank American troops stationed overseas.
  One of the big lessons I learned is this: For as much importance as 
we place on our international standing--and, believe me, we should--
what is most important is that we don't lose our way here at home. We 
need to be an America that is worth defending, and everything we do 
here should be about creating a strong Nation. But we should not seek 
strength without purpose, and our purpose is clearly laid out in our 
founding documents. And it has been taught the hard way, through nearly 
250 years of lived history, witnessing what works and what doesn't.
  Winston Churchill once famously observed that ``Americans will always 
do the right thing, only after they have tried everything else.''
  In the last few years it seems like, well, we tried everything else--
a lot of bad ideas, and there are some big things that aren't working.
  We live in a culture that, unfortunately, extenuates all the ways 
each and every one of us is different, instead of all the things we 
have in common. And it is these differences that are used by some to 
drive us apart, drawing lines based on race, gender, or bank accounts.
  In recent years, far too many members of America's next generation 
are being indoctrinated with a sense of victimhood and despair instead 
of being encouraged with vision and with hope. That indoctrination has 
real-world consequences, and we have seen it borne out in disturbing 
national trends.
  Less than 40 percent of our country says they are extremely proud to 
be an American. The rate of churchgoing and a belief in God now sits at 
historic lows. One in 10 Americans suffers from depression, 
and depression among young adults is particularly acute. One CDC study 
revealed that 42 percent of high school students felt so sad or 
hopeless in the last few weeks that they could not go about their daily 
business.

  Among young adults, substance abuse is at an alltime high. Rates of 
suicide have increased, and more than one in five high school students 
has seriously considered attempting suicide. These numbers should shock 
our national consequence, and it should serve as a wake-up call for 
change.
  Despite these discouraging statistics, we don't have to reinvent the 
wheel to know how to get back on the right track. Instead of teaching 
the next generation of Americans to wallow in all the things that their 
country has done wrong, we need to be celebrating. We need to be 
learning and building on all the things that we have done right. Simply 
put, we need to teach our kids to love our country, not to hate it; to 
have a spirit of gratitude and not one of disdain.
  Great nations succeed when their citizens not only have a focus on 
what makes them great but also when we collectively keep our eyes on 
what creates prosperity and human flourishing. But when we give our 
government too much power, the less freedom each individual has over 
their own life. Less freedom means you have less money and less 
opportunity to achieve your God-given destiny.
  When the government stops us from responsibly producing energy, for 
instance, and then attempts to dictate our consumption habits, it makes 
life harder and more difficult for hard-working citizens, and it 
stifles our Nation's strength.
  You know, the Apostle Paul, when he wrote to young Timothy, warned 
him to watch out for the love of money, for it is the root of all sorts 
of evil. But in this town, the root of all sorts of evil seems to be 
modern and monetary theory, the supposition that the national debt 
doesn't matter and that government spending should be the driving force 
behind the economy instead of individuals and private businesses.
  But the problem with this is that a bigger government with endless 
spending creates economic stagnation. It convinces people to accept 
financial mediocrity, instead of incentivizing innovative and creative 
members of society to take risks, to fail, and to get back up and try 
again for a better tomorrow.
  We need to be creating an economy that rewards risk-taking and allows 
people to be working toward their American dream. But it is government 
that too often stands in the way of that dream.
  It was the trillions of pandemic spending that caused the inflation 
that now eats away at the buying power of each and every consumer, and 
it was the limitless spending of the last quarter century that has 
created a Federal budget so out of whack that the basic goal of 
balancing our country's checkbook, well, it is politically toxic to 
consider.
  Looking to government as our economic savior is simply not the 
solution. Capitalism, open markets, a free and moral people--that is 
the formula for success, success that our country saw not too long ago. 
And we could surely recreate it if we have the right leadership that 
lightens the regulatory burden on America's job creators. The stronger 
that we are here at home, the more leadership that we can exert on the 
world stage. That is what is missing today, a strong and a confident 
America.
  The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August of 2021 was nothing 
short of a national tragedy and disgrace. Not only did it result in the 
devastating loss of 13 servicemembers and the abandonment of countless 
citizens, but it put American weakness on full display. We were seen by 
our enemy as hapless, shortsighted, and not willing to change course 
when the facts on the ground called for a change.
  In speaking with allies and international leaders, I heard over and 
over again that it was the Afghanistan debacle that caused our allies 
to wonder if they can even count on us anymore. They wonder if, when 
the going gets tough, we would be more likely to cut and run than stand 
by their side, as they have stood with us. That undercuts America's 
standing in the world.
  As we see the results of weakness across the globe, a Russian 
dictator is blatantly invading its neighbor or unleashing unspeakable 
chaos and suffering on innocent civilians, or we see China, led by a 
brutal communist government, growing more aggressive not only toward 
Taiwan but blatantly launching spy crafts over the U.S.

[[Page S1689]]

mainland, buying up critical infrastructure inside the United States 
and stealing the intellectual property of U.S. citizens. Iran and North 
Korea are spinning up their centrifuges, cracking down on their own 
people, and making threats to the security of their respective regions. 
At our own southern border right now, we have a historic humanitarian 
and national security crisis. But instead of pursuing what used to be a 
nonpartisan imperative to secure the border, the current administration 
is retreating from their responsibility to protect and defend this 
country.
  All of this chaos is the result of America being a diminished 
country, all too willing to cede the stage and to let others lead. That 
is not the way that the world will find peace and security. Peace is 
achieved through American strength, and it is American weakness, 
instead, that provokes evil. Our country must return to the principles 
of clarity and purpose, a willingness to act when the situation calls 
for it, and the strength to follow through when we face obstacles.
  As a country, we can have anything that we want, as long as we act 
with wisdom and conviction. And, ladies and gentlemen, we know what 
works. We have done it before, and you can bet that we can do it again. 
Despite all the things that are broken right now, none of them can 
overshadow the uniquely American ability to overcome a challenge.
  Each and every day, I am filled with a tremendous sense of gratitude 
that I live in the United States of America, and I believe that 
millions of people out there, they feel the exact same way.
  In the final analysis, it is our shores that welcome 1 million legal 
immigrants every year. It is our country that is viewed by millions as 
a place where they can shed an old life and they can start again.
  People vote with their feet. In the United States of America, we are 
still the last and best beacon of hope on this planet. All we have to 
do is keep it that way.
  At the end of the day, we must seek to be a nation that empowers 
every citizen, ensures human flourishing, and preserves freedom for 
each and every individual to pursue their American dream.
  I am going to leave you with this. My No. 1 goal during my time in 
the U.S. Senate is to create a strong nation, to build strong families, 
and to be of service to others; to make other people's lives better, to 
do just what I said that I was going to do.
  That is how I have lived throughout my life, and that is the kind of 
Senator I want to be.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.
  Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I want to just speak briefly on Senator 
Budd and how thrilled I am to have him as a colleague in the U.S. 
Senate.
  I think, if you heard his speech, he mentioned our State motto, 
``esse quam videri'': ``to be rather than to seem.''
  What you saw here was a rational, reasonable, respectful Member of 
the Senate. I observed that for years when he was in Congress. Ted Budd 
and I met back in 2013. I watched him serve the State of North Carolina 
before he was elected to Congress. I admired the way he carried himself 
when he was in the House. I have been thrilled to see how well he has 
hit the ground running here in the Senate.
  But I will tell you, much like my campaigns--they are not necessarily 
easy in North Carolina, and, truthfully, Ted was running in a primary. 
I had two friends running in a primary. The way he conducted himself 
there was also very rational, very reasonable, very respectful. That is 
why I think he is a U.S. Senator today.
  That is the second reason. The primary reason he is a U.S. Senator 
today relates to a lady named Amy Kate, her son, and two daughters.
  Now, if it wasn't in violation of the rules, I would look up in the 
Gallery and thank Amy Kate and her family directly, but that is a 
violation of the rules, Amy Kate, so I won't do that.
  But I just want to let everybody know in North Carolina, you have 
picked a great partner for me to have in the U.S. Senate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I just wanted to say to our new 
colleague: Welcome to the Senate, and an outstanding opening speech. I 
look forward to serving with you for many years to come.