[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S1567]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                 Welcoming Alan Armstrong to the Senate

  Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, 2 hours ago, Markwayne Mullin was sworn 
in as the Secretary of Homeland Security. I am grateful that he is 
there and is taking on that role. We finished that vote last night, and 
at the end of that vote last night, he walked over to his desk, which 
is right over there, and signed paperwork to resign from the U.S. 
Senate.
  This morning, the Governor of Oklahoma announced his selection for 
the interim Senator to be able to come in. It is solely the Governor's 
decision to be able to make this decision, and I think he has made a 
great decision on this.
  The Governor signed paperwork this morning in Oklahoma and announced 
that he was appointing Alan Armstrong, who is the just-past president 
and CEO of the Williams Companies, a third-generation Oklahoman and 
Tulsan to be our next Senator for the State of Oklahoma.
  He and his wife Shelly have been married for 40 years. They have four 
grown children. They have three grandchildren. He has just stepped down 
and retired from his position in leadership at Williams and was looking 
forward to spending a lot more time with grandchildren, and the 
Governor contacted him and said: Hey, would you, instead, consider 
giving the next 9 months to the United States of America and to the 
State of Oklahoma to be able to serve as the junior Senator for 
Oklahoma.
  I am grateful that he said yes because I think he will do a terrific 
job in this role. He comes with a tremendous amount of business 
experience coming in, but people lose track of the fact that he was 
president and CEO of one of the largest natural gas and midstream 
companies in the country; in fact, one of the largest companies in the 
world to be able to handle the movement of clean, natural gas all over 
the country.
  There are literally families all over America that are depending on 
the services that Williams provides for them every day. They may not 
know the name Williams, but the reason that their stove works, their 
heater works, or their hot water tank works is because Williams is 
actually providing the access to be able to get that energy to that 
spot at that moment.
  He graduated from the University of Oklahoma years ago and graduated 
as a civil engineer who went to work for Williams almost four decades 
ago as just a civil engineer. He literally worked his way up the ranks, 
serving in multiple different roles in the Williams Companies until he 
finally attained president and CEO where he has led the company since 
2011, just stepping away to, as I said, get more time with 
grandchildren until he got that call just about a week ago.
  So I am grateful that he is coming. I am looking forward to my 
colleagues having the opportunity to be able to meet him and to be able 
to integrate him into this body of 100 Members.
  He will join as rank No. 100 and will serve here through the rest of 
this year, but I am very grateful that he has chosen to set aside his 
private life to be able to step into a season of public service.
  So I look forward to my colleagues, in just a few moments, getting a 
chance to be able to meet the newest Senator to join us, the soon-to-be 
Senator Alan Armstrong.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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