A resolution honoring former President Gerald R. Ford on the occasion of his 91st birthday and extending the best wishes of the Senate to former President Ford and his family.

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the only person from the State of Michigan to have served as President of the United States. On behalf of the people of the State of Michigan, I want to extend my best wishes to President Gerald R. Ford and his family on the occasion of his 91st birthday.

President Ford took office during an extraordinarily trying time for America. He was the first Vice President chosen under the terms of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment and, in the aftermath of Watergate, succeeded the first American President ever to resign. In his inaugural address on August 9, 1974, President Ford noted, ``This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts.'' Gerald Ford took on the challenge of healing our national faith in the presidency with courage, wisdom and integrity.

Indeed, it was President Ford's reputation for openness and integrity that propelled him into the White House. He was appointed Vice President after serving twelve terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, having secured each term with more than 60 percent of the vote. The confidence of his colleagues fueled his ascent to Ranking Member on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and, eventually, to Minority Leader. It also won him an appointment to the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

As President, Gerald Ford led our Nation on the path toward healing a wounded faith in that office. He also labored to improve relationships among nations. In his own words ``a dyed-in-the-wool internationalist,'' President Ford presided over the signing of the Helsinki Agreement, which ratified post-World War II European borders and codified international human rights standards. He also worked for improved relations among the nations of the Middle East and, together with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, set new limitations on nuclear proliferation.

Since leaving the White House in 1977, President Ford has remained actively engaged in the political process and has continued to speak out on important issues. He has lectured at hundreds of colleges and universities, hosted numerous forums on public affairs, and served as an adjunct professor of Government at the University of Michigan. In 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded Ford the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor.

Gerald Ford has also made an important mark in his home State of Michigan. In 1977, he announced the establishment of the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Public Policy and Service at Albion College, which administers an interdisciplinary program for undergraduate students preparing for careers in public service. In 1981, the Gerald R. Ford Library in Ann Arbor and the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids were dedicated. Through these institutions, the people of Michigan and many visitors from around the country and the world continue to benefit from President Ford's legacy of internationalism, scholarship and humor.

President Ford, on the occasion of your 91st birthday, the American people salute you, and express our profound gratitude for your leadership and service.

Mr. President. I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I join my colleague from Michigan in supporting resolution honoring Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States on the occasion of his 91st birthday.

President Ford, the favorite son of the city of Grand Rapids, and the only President from Michigan, played a memorable role in our Nation's history in one of its darkest hours. The first Vice-President appointed under the 25th amendment to the Constitution, he became president when Richard Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It was Gerald Ford's calm and steady leadership that began the process of healing our Nation's wounds after one of the most serious domestic crises in our history. President Clinton awarded him the Medal of Freedom, in 1999, in recognition of that leadership.

Gerald Ford served thirteen terms in the House of Representatives. From 1965 through 1973, he was the minority leader in that body. It is particularly instructive in this time of partisan division in the Congress to reflect on his example as one who fought many battles on behalf of his party, and his constituency, but who did so without acrimony or ill-will. He build life-long relationships and friendships across the party aisle--even with his opposite numbers in the House Democratic leadership. We would be well served at this time in this body to remember his example.

I extend my congratulations and best wishes to Gerry Ford, his wonderful wife, Betty, and his family. I am certain that the people of Michigan, and our colleagues in the Senate join Senator Stabenow and me in paying tribute to President Ford on his 91st birthday.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 405, which was submitted earlier today by Senators Stabenow and Levin.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution and preamble be agreed to en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.