A resolution designating July 28, 2007, as "National Day of the American Cowboy".

Madam President, I join my colleagues in paying tribute to our friend and colleague, Senator Craig Thomas. I always said if I got into a tough situation--using the allegory, a gunfight on Front Street in my hometown of Dodge City, KS--I would want Craig Thomas by my side. I also knew that he would be there.

In that regard, it was only 2 weeks ago that he and Susan, his wife, corralled a group of supporters for me and we talked about his personal battle. He was confident. As Senator Dorgan has indicated, he looked good. And we joked with him of no longer being a member of the folliclely challenged caucus.

His turn for the worse and sudden passing comes as a great shock to all of us. We served together in the House where, as in this body, he was always a voice of reason, a man of trust, decency, and commitment. Just this morning he was described by a fellow colleague as a ``lovely man,'' a description that does not quite jibe with

Craig, a rough-hewn rancher with a gentle, quiet Wyoming demeanor, but it is a term that is true to the man.

I do not know of anyone who did not like or respect Craig Thomas. In this day of rough and tumble public service and the Congress overflowing, it seems, in a cauldron of partisan discontent, Craig transcended all of that.

In the end, the only thing any of us who have the privilege of public trust has going for us is our word. Craig Thomas set the gold standard in keeping his word and our trust and our admiration.

The Senate, Wyoming, and our Nation have lost a steady hand and a man who did much for his special State. He was dependable in the finest sense of the word. He never sought the center ring or the spotlight; that was not his style. He was the epitome of a workhorse, not a show horse.

I remember and I treasure our times together, especially when I first came to the Senate. We both agreed the length of a conversation does not tell anything about the size of the intellect. We also agreed that no matter who says what, you should not believe it if it does not make sense. Craig made sense. He did not need decorated words to make his meaning clear. He spoke Wyoming, and Kansas for that matter.

Craig would take the floor during morning business, and in his calm, reasonable manner then discuss an issue of the day. And you sort of had to sit on the edge of your seat and lean forward, and as they say in his beloved Marine Corps, listen up. He talked softly, he talked low, he talked slowly, and he said a whole lot without saying too much.

To some of us in this body he was, and is, a fellow marine. In this case, Semper Fidelis, always faithful, is most appropriate. As I said, if anyone faced trouble in their life, the one person you would want by your side would be Craig Thomas. I shall miss him greatly as a personal friend, confidant, and supporter.

Both of the offices I have occupied in the Senate were previously occupied by Craig. I just thought if they were good enough for Craig, I would fit right in. There is a short book by Bix Bender called, ``A Cowboy's Guide to Life.'' In it, he describes the code of the West and urges men of this common background to write it in hearts, to stand by the code, and that it would stand by you. Ask no more and give no less than honesty, courage, loyalty, generosity, and fairness.

Madam President, Craig Thomas embodied that code. Now, while our minds are full of sorrow and our hearts certainly heavy with his loss, Craig would not want that. In this regard, the words of Helen Steiner Rice come to mind as our thoughts and prayers are with his supporter, friend, and his wife Susan; his sons, Patrick and Greg; and his daughter Lexie.

When I must leave you

for a little while,

Please go on bravely

with a gallant smile

And for my sake and in my name,

Live on and do all things the same.

Spend not your life in empty days,

But fill each waking hour

in useful ways.

Reach out your hand

in comfort and in cheer,

And I in turn will comfort you

and hold you near.

Bless Craig Thomas.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I had the great privilege of presiding this morning. I got to listen to my colleagues come to the floor to pay tribute to our friend, an outstanding Senator and a wonderful man, Craig Thomas from Wyoming.

So many things were said this morning, but I wanted to add a few more. First of all, as I sat in the chair to listen to the tributes, I want to give a compliment to the Senator from Wyoming, who spoke on behalf of his colleague. I have heard many tributes in the 10 years I have been in the Senate but, to me, it was one of the most beautiful tributes that a partner and colleague has made for another. Senator Enzi will continue to carry on the great traditions of the State, and I am sure he, as we all have, will be inspired by his friend that we lost. It was evident in his heartfelt and beautifully executed remarks this morning.

I wanted to rise as a Member who served with Senator Thomas on the Energy Committee, someone who worked fairly closely with him, although we are not of the same political party, to reiterate just a few things about his character.

This life we choose to live in public life is not the easiest life to live, and sometimes it is harder on our families than it is on us individually. It is a life that we choose because we want to serve our constituents. We believe we can do that job.

I heard so many of our colleagues rise to pay tribute to the Senator but

mention Susan, his wife, that I wanted to restate for the record how inspirational their relationship has been to me and to many of us. Not only did Susan wait for him, many times outside of this door, to greet him always with a smile or encouragement, they often were able to travel together as a couple, to share both the joys and the burdens of this life. I think it is a tribute to both of them and particularly to Craig Thomas, who shared his life in such a special way with his spouse, which stands as an inspiration to us all, and Susan to him.

I also wanted to say what a strong and steady voice, an unflinching champion for Wyoming he was, in fact, even in the twilight of his life, within the last few weeks, as was mentioned by some of us who were with him at the Prayer Breakfast, some of us who were with him at the bipartisan conference, and some of us who were with him in one of his last Energy Committee meetings. I recall the memory of his voice, although weak in body, strong in spirit, fighting for Wyoming, talking about coal, talking about a new energy policy, talking about how the country depended so much on the resources of Wyoming and how he was determined to continue to fight and provide that point of view on our committee. So on the Energy Committee we will miss him, always there, always on time, always steady, always strong, and never forgetting the State he came to represent and did so, so completely and so consistently.

Finally, some of us have mentioned the inspiration he has been to us in terms of his quiet and gentle spirit, knowing that he was facing a very difficult time, with his time perhaps not that long to be here. As many of our colleagues have said, however, he never complained. He always said how well he was feeling and how much better and how thankful he was for his doctors, for his family's support, and he was always thanking us for being there when we could.

I wish to mention the strength of his spirit in having come to terms and making peace in his life, that God was his friend. He had a great faith in God Almighty. It was evident by the way he walked, not agitated and not nervous, not anxious and not afraid, but basically the quiet confidence of a person who was at peace with God and with whatever God would have in store for him. I think those of us in the Senate family, for all we remember of him--as a cowboy, as a marine, as a Senator--we will always remember the last few weeks of that quiet confidence of a man who knew why he was born and where he was going. That was our good friend Craig Thomas.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I appreciate this consideration. I realize we must move to the legislation before us, the issue of immigration, but I wanted to take just a few minutes this afternoon to stand in tribute to my friend, to our friend and colleague, Senator Craig Thomas.

I think it is fair to say that this is very difficult for all of us here in the Senate. It has been described that we are a family. We are friends. My neighbor Senator Thomas and I have sat on this back row together for this past year. I sit next to him in the Energy Committee. I sit next to him in the Indian Affairs Committee. He is a friend and a man whom I will miss very deeply. To learn this morning of his passing leaves me truly with a hole in my heart. I can't imagine the depth of loss the family and his wife Susan are feeling at this point.

We recognize that we were privileged to serve with a truly incredible man. I haven't served with him as long as many of my Senate colleagues. I came to know him really from a very personal perspective. I was fascinated with the fact that he is a true cowboy. I have always kind of thought that cowboys never die. He was claimed by a very terrible disease, a very terrible cancer, leukemia. Alaska mourned the loss of a young woman just last year who was claimed by leukemia. She was a world-famous dog musher. In Alaska, we say dog mushers, real famous dog mushers never die, either. So, again, my heart is very heavy.

When I got up this morning and saw on my BlackBerry the news of Senator Thomas, there was a second BlackBerry that came to me from one of the pages who served here in the Senate just last fall. She was one of the winter pages. I was very touched by the note she sent to the head of the page program, and she forwarded me a copy of it as well. I want to read just a paragraph from her e-mail to me because I think it reflects how Senator Thomas touched the lives of so many--not just his colleagues and not just the people of Wyoming but a young 16-year-old page from Alaska. She wrote:

My class and I witnessed some of the stages of Senator

Thomas' sickness, but we never witnessed him getting upset or

angry because he was feeling down and overtired due to his

symptoms and treatments.

Senator Thomas was a cheerful man, always smiling and

personable, even when he was not being approached. He did not

have to address us at all; we were pages, mere peons in the

infrastructure of what we know as the Senate. Yet, every time

he entered the Senate, he warmed the room with his smile and

a warm glow that protruded gently from his kind eyes. When he

would speak to us, he did so with the utmost respect and

thoughtfulness, truly treating us as equals. He never looked

down on us, and I believe that is why his memory has stayed

with me and will continue to do so in the future.

What made Senator Thomas remarkable, aside from all this,

was that at the end of the day when we were at our lowest

point and we felt so tired we couldn't help but frown, he was

the one that no one ever caught frowning. He was a great

Senator, and from what I have had the chance to witness

firsthand, a great man. I am deeply sorry for this loss, and

I hope that this e-mail will attest to that. His actions and

his kindness were not lost on us.

This was signed:

With utmost respect and deepest sincerity, Former U.S.

Senate Page, Lily George

From Anchorage, AK.

I thought it important to share that e-mail with my colleagues because, again, Senator Thomas was one who generated warmth with everybody he reached out to, whether they were pages or Senators or people in the airport. We will miss him very deeply here in the Senate.

Madam President:

I saw the sun sink in the golden west

No angry cloud obscured its latest ray.

Around the couch on which it sank to rest

Shone all the splendor of a summer day.

And long though lost to view, that radiant light

Reflected from the skies, delayed the night.

Thus, when a good man's life draws to a close,

No doubts arise to cloud his soul with gloom,

But faith triumphant on each feature glows,

While benedictions fill the sacred room;

And long, long do men his virtues wide proclaim

And generations rise to praise his name.

It is with deep sorrow--deep sorrow--that I note the passing of our colleague Senator Craig Thomas of Wyoming. He was my friend. He always passed here and I would say: How are you doing today, Cowboy?

First elected to the Senate in 1994, Senator Thomas was twice reelected to the Senate by some of the widest margins in his State's history, one time reaching 75 percent of the vote. It is hard to beat that.

As has already been mentioned today, he was one of the very few people from Wyoming to have represented his State in both houses of the Congress, over there and over here. Here in the Senate, I found him to be a most considerate and patient colleague. He was always willing to step aside for another Senator who sought recognition. He was a nice man, a very quiet man with a radiant smile, staying out of the spotlight, working behind the scenes, always ready to cooperate and work with others for the good of our country. He was a good, decent human being.

Yes, we represented different political parties. Yes, we sometimes held different political views, and we came from vastly different parts of the country, but we shared important common interests and objectives. With his State of Wyoming being the No. 1 coal-producing State in the Nation and my State of West Virginia being No. 2, I always appreciated his support for clean coal technologies and legislation that promoted the use of coal. I always appreciated his interest in and support of our country's beautiful and magnificent national parks. As chairman of the National Parks Subcommittee on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, he sponsored legislation that both protected and promoted these national treasures.

Just as this former marine dedicated his life to his country, he dedicated his career in the Senate to improving the quality of life for rural America. As cochairman of the Senate rural health caucus, he worked tirelessly to improve the quality of rural health care. He was truly a fine Member of this institution and a great American who will be missed by his colleagues, certainly by me, and by the people of Wyoming.

I express my sincere condolences to his wife Susan, to his sons and other members of his family, to his staff, and to the people of Wyoming. All of us will miss Senator Thomas. But we will always retain our very fond memories of him, Craig Thomas. Bless his soul. May God bless him.

I repeat these few verses in his memory:

Let Fate do her worst,

There are relics of joy,

Bright dreams of the past,

Which she cannot destroy;

Which come, in the night-time

Of sorrow and care,

And bring back the features

That joy used to wear.

Long, long be my heart

With such memories filled,

Like the vase in which roses

Have once been distilled;

You may break, you may shatter

The vase, if you will,

But the scent of the roses

Will hang round it still.

Goodbye, Craig. I will miss you. But we will meet again on that far shore where the roses never wither and the flowers never fade.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, this is a sad time for the Senate. As we continue with the important business of the Nation, we pause for a few moments to think about our common loss of one of our kindest, most dedicated, and most thoughtful colleagues, Senator Craig Thomas of Wyoming. All of us have our own private memories of our relationship with Craig. Mine is of him as a kind of silent leader, kind of an atypical character, if you will, in the Senate.

When I got here 4\1/2\ years ago, someone alleged--and this is a broad characterization--someone said: Welcome to the Senate, a place that has 100 large egos and 200 sharp elbows.

I think what that person forgot to do was account for somebody such as Craig Thomas, who was never jockeying for the headlines and spotlight but always focused on his work and quietly, every day, made a difference.

I learned firsthand in recent months, as I began working with a number of Senators on this side of the aisle, trying to encourage their active participation in the floor debates, Craig understood it is open debate and discussion in this, the world's greatest deliberative body, that protects and extends democracy. Indeed, every week as we met, Senator Thomas would simply ask: What can I do, John? It is that fundamental desire to serve the public, the most basic and fundamental question of all that best characterized Senator Craig Thomas: What can I do?

He was a defender of American values. From his service in the Marine Corps to his time in the House and the Senate, he served with courage and integrity. Nowhere was that more apparent than in the way he served and handled his final illness. You never would have known that he had been through chemotherapy or that he was not feeling well. The only way you would know is because his hair had fallen out as a result of the chemotherapy. It was almost back in its original form. But you never would know from his attitude, which was always upbeat, always positive, never looking for sympathy but simply, day in and day out, doing his dead level best to represent the people of Wyoming in the Senate.

He was known as one of the people's most staunch advocates, leading the charge against Government waste and always fighting higher taxes.

In many ways, Senator Thomas was an example to all of us. In an environment that can sometimes turn too nasty, his friendly demeanor and his dedication to his country was always a reminder that public service is more than a duty, it is a privilege. It can be conducted in a way that does not turn political adversaries into personal enemies. It can be done without bitterness, without anger, and with dignity.

I know Craig was honored to be able to represent the State of Wyoming and that the State of Wyoming was privileged to be served by such a man. Wyoming and the Nation now mourn the loss of this great Senator, this great patriot, this fine husband and father, and this good man. He left an indelible mark on the Halls of the Senate and America in general. He will be missed.

For Susan and all the Thomas family, Sandy and I say to you, you are in our thoughts and prayers, as I know you are in the thoughts and prayers of countless millions of people all across this great land. In these trying times, we are all comforted by the strong faith in God that Craig exemplified, as well as the enduring legacy he left and his positive impact upon the Nation.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise to speak as in morning business.

Madam President, on behalf of Kathy and myself, we send our deepest condolences and expressions of sympathy to Susan and her family on Craig's passing. Susan and Craig were good friends of ours. Susan is and Craig still is. They are special people. They are people whom you like to call friends, the type of people who are there. And they had a special relationship. I don't know how many votes we cast together. It was a lot. Craig arrived 2 years after I had. We would walk out of this Chamber together very often, and Susan, because she was here in Washington, would almost always be right out there, right outside the door, with a great smile to greet us, even though we probably just lost the vote.

Craig was special because, as has been mentioned and said so well by his partner Senator Enzi and his colleagues, Senator McConnell, Senator Inhofe, Senator Stevens, Senator Isakson, Senator Martinez, and the Democratic leader, Senator Reid, and Senator Durbin, everybody respected him. You may not have agreed with him, but you could not help but respect him. He was quiet but accomplished and understood the issues. He was a man of inordinate common sense. When he would look at an issue, he would cut through all the puffery, all the theater, of which there is a fair amount around here, and he would get to the essence of the question. Then he would bring common sense to the question. Yes, it was common sense born out of a philosophy, which is our side of the aisle, which is conservative, but it was a common sense that cut across ideology most often because it was usually so obvious what the conclusion would be as presented by Craig.

I had the great good fortune--I don't know how it happened, but it was good fortune for me--to end up spending almost every Tuesday lunch, where we do policy, and almost every Wednesday lunch, where we do steering and get together as Members of the Republican Senate to discuss whatever is happening, to sit beside Craig. We sort of gravitated to each other. That is sort of ironic, me being from New England and him from Wyoming, but I think there is a certain, hopefully, identity of our approaches to events. I am certainly proud to say that. The great fun about sitting beside Craig was that not only did he have this wonderful common sense, but he had an extraordinary sense of humor. He would listen to statements made, often by our leadership--I do not wish to be disparaging here; I am simply being kind--and he would make some smiling, thoughtful comment that was usually fairly humorous and a touch irreverent about comments made by our leadership as to what we should be doing. You couldn't help but laugh because he was a person who had a sense of self, a sense of humor, a focus on what was right and what was wrong and what life should be about.

This disease attacked him, but honestly, you couldn't convince him that it attacked him. You would ask him how he was doing. He would say: I am OK. Even though you knew he was going through extraordinary pain, you would never, ever--at least I never, ever--hear him complain. He was a genuine marine in that sense.

He will obviously be missed around here. He was a low-key person who had a high-level impact. I will certainly miss him. I will miss him at those lunches and I will miss seeing Susan outside the door.

To Susan and his family, Kathy and I say: He was a great friend, and we will miss him.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I listened to my colleague from Texas. I come to the floor to add a word about my friend whom we have lost, Senator Craig Thomas. Craig was from the State of Wyoming. He was from the northern Great Plains. Last evening, when I heard he had died, I spent a lot of time thinking about Craig and about this place.

Most Americans see the partisanship. This is actually a political body, so it is not unusual there would be some partisanship. What most Americans never have the opportunity to see is the friendship. This is a small community of 100 Members of the Senate, men and women who come from every part of our country who are elected to serve. There is a great deal of friendship that exists in this Chamber, even in the middle of all of the politics that exists in our political system.

Senator Craig Thomas was an interesting and a wonderful man. I have had, especially the last 6 months, an opportunity to work very closely with him. I knew him as a Member of the House of Representatives. I knew him as a Member of the Senate and a colleague in both the House and the Senate. But the last 6 months we worked together, I as chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee and Craig Thomas as vice chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee. We sat next to each other, hour after hour, hearing after hearing, and I got to know a lot about Craig Thomas that I had not previously known.

His word was his bond. He was quick with a smile. A quiet man in many ways, he cared deeply about his home State of Wyoming and cared deeply about the future of his country.

Craig was a proud son of the American West who never, ever forgot about the people he represented. His commitment to American Indians, and especially and particularly to those living on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, was evident as I worked side by side with him on the Indian Affairs Committee, as was his strong support for Indian health care and for all of the other services to Native Americans.

I was pleased to have the opportunity to work with him and to get to know him and to admire his work. In recent months, of course, Senator Thomas faced some very challenging health care issues with a very challenging illness. He met those challenges with courage and with grace. He never complained. I never heard him complain. In fact, it was just about 3 weeks ago at a hearing that I turned to him and said: You look great. You really look terrific. He said: I feel good. I feel great.

He was a person with that kind of attitude. What a wonderful contribution to the Senate. I think all of us here will miss a terrific friend.

Let me end as I started by saying this is a political body. I know most Americans see the evidence of that politics, so they see sometimes the politics and the partisanship. What most Americans never have the opportunity to see is the friendship that exists on the floor of the Senate. Yes, even between those who from time to time are adversaries in debate but who understand each other and are friends with each other.

I had the privilege of working with Senator Thomas for many years in the House and in the Senate, and particularly in the last 6 months as chairman and vice chairman of the committee. I will miss him dearly. I considered Senator Craig Thomas a friend. My thoughts and prayers today are with his wonderful family as well.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for 5 minutes.

Madam President, I join my colleagues in expressing my heartfelt condolences to Susan, the entire Thomas family, and the people of Wyoming over the passing of our dear friend Senator Craig Thomas. We have lost one of the truly great statesmen from this body who always had a kind word and a smile for me in the hallway or here in the well or in this body and anyone else he came across during the day. He had a wonderful way of calming people down and making people feel at home. I personally felt a kinship with Senator Thomas. Our offices were not merely located in the same corner of the third floor of the

Dirksen building, we were neighbors in every sense of the word. We also had the distinction of serving together on both the Senate Finance and Energy committees. Not a day would go by that we didn't share a ride in the elevator or cross pathways in the hall or stand and visit with our staffs together.

We also both came from rural States with similar needs, and we worked together to address many of the same issues the citizens of Wyoming and Arkansas face. As one of the cochairs of the Senate rural health care caucus, Senator Thomas was a true leader and a fighter, consistently fighting to improve access to health care for rural communities, especially for seniors. We worked on several issues together to make sure our rural constituents had a voice on health care and many other important issues. Senator Thomas and I also were delighted to work together to improve tax fairness for the numerous disabled veterans who served our country with dignity and honor and call Arkansas and Wyoming their home.

Senator Thomas was a tireless advocate for Wyoming and fought to ensure that the interests of his State were always protected throughout the legislative process. I can't tell you how many times I saw different constituent groups from Wyoming lined up in the hallway to visit with their very respected Senator. He was always accessible and always made time for folks who traveled so far to see him. But he also made time to visit with those who were there in the hallway, oftentimes my constituents or staff members. He was never in too big of a hurry that he couldn't stop and take the time to visit with someone, to share with them a kind word or listen to what was on their mind or in their busy schedule.

He has a tremendous staff. They all reflect the Senator's good nature. Working with his staff so closely in the neighborhood of the third floor of Dirksen, they exemplify the courage and kindness of this incredible Senator they have served.

He was a tremendous public servant, and he served our Nation courageously as a United States marine. He was a true gentleman and one of the kindest and most genuine people you would ever meet.

I am truly saddened by the loss of my friend, and my thoughts and prayers are with his dear wife Susan and the entire Thomas family. This Senate body, the State of Wyoming, and the American people have been truly blessed by his life and his service.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 17, 2007, at 10:15 a.m., in open session, to receive testimony on United States European Command in review of the Defense authorization request for fiscal year 2008 and the future years Defense Program.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 17, 2007, at 3 p.m., in executive session, to consider a pending military nomination.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 17, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct an oversight hearing on law enforcement in Indian Country.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, May 17, 2007, at 10 a.m. in Dirksen Room 226.

Agenda

I. Committee Authorization

Authorization of Subpoenas in Connection with Investigation into Replacement of U.S. Attorneys.

II. Bills

S. 221, Fair Contracts for Growers Act of 2007 (Grassley, Feingold, Kohl, Leahy, Durbin).

S. 376, Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2007 (Leahy, Specter, Grassley, Kyl, Sessions, Cornyn).

S. 1079, Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission Act (Cardin, Warner, Kennedy).

S. 1327, A bill to create and extend certain temporary district court judgeships (Leahy, Brownback, Feinstein).

S. 1027, Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2007 (Kohl, Kyl, Leahy, Schumer, Specter).

III. Resolutions

S. Res. 138, Honoring the accomplishments and legacy of Cesar Estrada Chavez (Salazar, Durbin).

S. Res. 132, Recognizing the Civil Air Patrol (Stevens, Inouye).

S. Res. 130, Resolution designating a National Day of the American Cowboy (Craig, Cornyn, Hatch).

THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Select Committee on Intelligence

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 17, 2007, at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed mark-up.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 17, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. for a hearing entitled, Evaluating the Progress and Identifying Obstacles in Improving the Federal Government's Security Clearance Program.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 17, 2007, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing on ``Consolidation of NASD and the Regulatory Functions of the NYSE: Working Towards Improved Regulation.''

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

I rise to honor my friend Craig Thomas, the Senator from Wyoming who passed away last night, and to express my sympathy to Susan, his wife, and to his family and to the people of Wyoming. Joan and I and my staff feel we have had a very special relationship with Craig and Susan and his staff.

Two weeks ago the Senate passed S. Res. 130 declaring July 28 as National Day of the American Cowboy. This was the last piece of legislation Senator Thomas pushed through the Senate. It is so true to his spirit. Senator Thomas was himself a cowboy, a roper. He understood that as a symbol of the American West, cowboys represent much more than men on horses. They stand for courage, determination, hard work, and respect for nature. They stand for the West itself and for those who wish to protect and preserve it.

His work on the Energy and Environment Committees was a testament as well to his belief that the land we have been blessed with needs stewardship and care, and that those who live on and work with the land are often the best at doing so. Craig tried to take care of the land, especially the Wyoming he loved so much. This connection with the West, his concern for land management, and the way of life of those who lived on the land, should be his legacy. Craig rode forward into the end of his life so bravely that most of us never knew how bad his health was. He told us he was seeking treatment, but the end came quickly and, for him, stoically.

It was always a pleasure serving with Senator Thomas--first in the House of Representatives, then in the Senate, where we collaborated on a whole range of issues. The proximity of our home States and our shared interest and passion for natural resources and energy issues provided many opportunities to partner on legislative efforts.

During the 2001 anthrax attack on the Hart Senate Office Building that pushed several Senators out of their offices, I was happy to offer Senator Thomas and his staff space in my office for several months until his office was deemed safe again. During that time I was able to get to know him and his staff even better.

I offer my condolences now to his staff. He was the type of man who was not just a boss but a friend as well. I know they are hurting. He will be remembered for being the quintessential Wyoming cowboy, a gentleman with quick wit and humility of spirit that endeared him to his colleagues and made him a joy to us all.

Any man who can list cowboy, United States marine, husband, and father on his life's accomplishments lived life well. The Senate has lost a gentle giant who served his State and Nation with honor and distinction. Joan and I are keeping Susan and the family in our thoughts and prayers. I will miss my friend, Craig Thomas.

Madam President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President. I rise to honor the memory of Senator Craig Thomas, who passed away last night, Monday, June 4, at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.

I knew Senator Thomas--as we all did--as a quiet gentleman, and a dedicated advocate for the people of Wyoming.

My heart goes out to his wife Susan and to their four children.

Senator Thomas died of acute myeloid leukemia, which he had been fighting for several months.

All of us are familiar with Senator Thomas' courage, because we saw it here, in the Capitol, and on the floor of the Senate.

He came here to do his duty, even though he was fighting a disease that would ultimately take his life. That is the mark of true courage-- not at all surprising, coming from this son of the American West.

Senator Thomas was raised on a ranch near Cody, WY. He attended public schools, and graduated from the University of Wyoming at Laramie, earning a degree in agriculture.

After college, he served 4 years in the Marine Corps. Then he went on to become vice president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau, and general manager of the Wyoming Rural Electric Association.

He served 5 years in the Wyoming State Legislature. In 1989, he was elected to the House of Representatives in a special election to replace Dick Cheney, who had been named Secretary of Defense. He was elected to his first term in the Senate in 1994.

Senator Thomas was reelected to his third term last year, with 70 percent of the vote.

Here, Senator Thomas was a strong voice for the people of his home State.

This included working to improve health care opportunities for rural families, work he pursued as a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, and as cochair of the Senate Rural Health Caucus.

Senator Thomas served as chairman of the National Parks Subcommittee, and his work was recognized many times by the National Parks Conservation Association.

The organization honored him with its William Penn Mott Jr. Leadership Award, and with the National Parks Achievement Award.

I had the distinct pleasure of working with Senator Thomas on some issues close to my heart.

Earlier this year, he was part of a bipartisan coalition that joined with me, and with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, to extend the sale of the breast cancer research stamp, which has raised $54.9 million for breast cancer research.

Last year, Senator Thomas joined with me to cosponsor legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, in recognition of his message of compassion and peace.

And Senator Thomas and I collaborated on a plan to use Wyoming Powder River Coal to produce cleaner electricity, which would be sold to Western States, including California.

Senator Thomas served Wyoming and the Nation well. He will be greatly missed.