Floor Statements

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Class of 2019 and their contributions to industry, our State and beyond.

Clairborne P. Deming, Joe M. Steele, Warren A. Stephens and John W. Tyson are icons and trailblazers. They shaped my home State of Arkansas and their business fields and industries where their influence continues to be felt today.

The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas established the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame to recognize Arkansans-- by birth or by choice--who have been influential business leaders and ensure their reputations and achievements are enshrined for future generations. Currently, there are more than 80 Arkansans who have been inducted.

This year's inductees are certainly worthy of joining the ranks of those who have the distinction of being named to the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.

Claiborne P. Deming, the former president and CEO and current chairman of Murphy Oil, started his career with the El Dorado-based oil company as a staff attorney after graduating from Tulane Law School in 1979. He served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Murphy Oil before becoming the president and chief executive officer in 1994.

During Deming's tenure as CEO the company expanded internationally, tripled its production and oil and gas reserves and started an important business relationship with Walmart, whereby Murphy built and operated gasoline stations and convenience stores in Walmart Supercenter parking lots. However, Deming's legacy extends beyond business.

In 2007, he worked with the company's board of directors on a $50 million proposal to create an educational scholarship for students graduating from El Dorado High School. The program, called the El Dorado Promise, awards all graduates a scholarship equal to instate tuition and mandatory fees for bachelor or associate college degrees. The Promise scholarship has provided funding to over 2,000 students over the 10 years since it was established. Deming retired as CEO in 2008 and became chairman of the Murphy Oil Corporation's board of directors, a position he still holds today.

Joe M. Steele established Steele Canning Company in 1924 while still a teenager, packing tomatoes inside a shed on his family farm in Lowell. By 1932, Steele's young business had outgrown the small plant and he moved his operation to Springdale where it continued to grow rapidly. During World War II, 70 percent of Steele's canning products were diverted to the Armed Forces and became a regular export to soldiers on every battlefront.

Steele Canning was instrumental in several innovative marketing initiatives including sponsoring the Beatles' 1964 tour and increasing instore spinach sales with the addition of Popeye to its label. By the 1970s, Steele Canning became the industry standard and

was one of the largest canning companies in the Nation before its sale to Pioneer Food Industries.

Steele's legacy also lives on at the Beaver Water District. In 1960, Steele and fellow community leaders joined forces to explore ways to supply Northwest Arkansas with a long-term supply of clean, safe water. Steele and his colleagues advocated for the U.S. Water Supply Act which passed in 1958 and paved the way for the establishment of the Beaver Water District. Because of his efforts, long-term, abundant and economical drinking water became a reality for Northwest Arkansas.

Warren A. Stephens joined his father and uncle at Stephens Inc., a Little Rock-based investment bank and private equity firm, as a member of the corporate-finance department after graduating from Wake Forest University with his MBA in 1981. By 1983 he was named the head of corporate finance, and just three short years later he was named CEO of Stephens Inc. on his 29th birthday.

In 2006, Warren acquired 100 percent of Stephens Inc. When the global economic crisis hit just a little more than a year later, Warren's leadership helped the company remain on sound footing and continue to grow. When Warren's tenure as CEO began, the company employed only 100 workers and had just one location in Little Rock. Now, over 30 years later, Stephens Inc. has more than 1,000 employees and 28 locations across the country. In addition to his responsibilities at Stephens Inc., Warren currently serves on the board of directors of Dillard's Inc., is a member of the Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Board and is the chairman of the Episcopal Collegiate School Foundation Board.

John W. Tyson began his career in the poultry market during the Great Depression, hauling chickens from his family's farm to nearby cities to sell. When he learned that poultry prices were higher in the northern regions of the country, Tyson invested his savings and borrowed enough money to load up a truck full of chickens and drive them from Arkansas to Chicago. The long-haul trip proved to be successful.

His young business expanded greatly during World War II. As food rationing drove up the demand for poultry, Tyson moved into the business of raising chicks and milling feed. In 1947, Tyson Feed and Hatchery was incorporated and provided chicks, feed and trucking services to local poultry farmers. The company reached new heights of success in the 1950s, and in 1952 Tyson's son, Don, joined the family business as general manager.

In 1963, the company went public as Tyson's Foods Inc. and began a crusade of acquisitions that would grow Tyson Foods into a world-class protein producer. In 1966, Tyson named his son Don as president of Tyson Foods Inc but stayed on as chairman and chief executive officer. Today, thanks to Tyson's flexible business strategy, Tyson Foods is the largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef and pork in the nation.

The 2019 inductees are innovative leaders, successful entrepreneurs and determined job creators who have realized the rewards of taking risks. I congratulate Claiborne P. Deming, Joe M. Steele, Warren A. Stephens and John W. Tyson for their outstanding achievements in business and thank them for the positive impact they have had on the state of Arkansas. They are certainly deserving of induction in the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss legislation that Senator Cardin and I introduced last year and successfully worked to move through the legislative process, with lots of help from many others.

The Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act was passed by the House and Senate near the end of the 115th Congress and was signed into law in January of this year. We are thankful that our colleagues in both Chambers joined us in supporting this meaningful legislation focused on improving the lives of women and families around the world.

Because women make up the majority of the world's poor and are often held back by gender-specific constraints to economic empowerment, such as lack of access to financial services and credit, it was important to recognize that it is within our power to help elevate and enable them to achieve their economic dreams and aspirations.

In many corners of the world, cultural and historical barriers that make it difficult for women to start businesses, build savings, and make meaningful economic contributions to their communities are long established and serve to prevent many women from attaining greater stability in their everyday lives--to the detriment of their own societies as well as the global economy.

Building on our own past and experiences in the United States, we can help women in the world overcome obstacles that impede their ability to substantially contribute to economic activity and industry at home and, more broadly, within the world economy.

The Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act provides an avenue to address this inequality by tapping into the proven abilities of existing U.S. Agencies for international development programs.

USAID, which uses strategic investments to promote growth and development while advancing U.S. interests and influence, is perfectly situated to implement this initiative because it understands how to effectively deploy resources to--as its mission states--``lift lives, build communities, and establish self-sufficiency.'' The WEEE Act will help the more than 1 billion women who are left out of the world's formal financial system by working to close the nearly $300 billion credit gap that exists for women-owned small and medium-sized businesses.

Expanding USAID's microenterprise development assistance authority to include small and medium-sized enterprises with an emphasis on supporting those owned, managed, and controlled by women is critical because if these promising, industrious entrepreneurs and innovators are given the opportunity to succeed, the benefits will undoubtedly reach far and wide.

The WEEE Act will also modernize USAID's development assistance toolkit to include innovative credit scoring models, financial technology, financial literacy, insurance, and more to improve property and inheritance rights--all of which are vital in helping to overcome deep-rooted cultural and institutional hurdles that preclude women from accessing the resources necessary for economic success.

Finally, the law directs USAID to include efforts that promote equality and female empowerment throughout its programs. This may seem like a small step, but in reality, it can help transform the way international aid is implemented to the benefit of many women across the globe, poised to succeed when provided the same tools and resources as their peers in nations where those hurdles are absent.

USAID, especially under the leadership of Mark Green, the Administrator, does an exceptional job of stretching a finite amount of resources to achieve meaningful results in some of the world's most impoverished nations.

I have complete confidence that Administrator Green and his team will implement the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act in a way that will simultaneously, and even necessarily, work to the benefit of our international aid mission, while also helping to uplift and empower women in countries all over the world to succeed in a way that has been just beyond their reach until now.

Research shows investing in women has a high rate of return, and that is

exactly what the WEEE Act recognizes and seeks to capitalize on.

As Senator Cardin, senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noted when we introduced the bill: ``Investment in women creates a positive cycle of change that can lift women, families, communities, and entire countries out of poverty, and this legislation will help us make inroads toward that important goal.''

I would like to thank former Chairman Ed Royce and Congresswoman Frankel, as well as their staffs, for their leadership on this bill in the House.

I would also like to thank Senator Cardin for joining me in sponsoring the bill here in the Senate, as well as our former colleague and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, for his work to move this bill through the committee process.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the support and assistance provided by the White House, particularly from Presidential Advisor Ivanka Trump, who worked tirelessly to advocate for this bill, garner support from NGOs, and ultimately helped us see it across the finish line.

All of those who worked on this bill share an understanding that because women in some parts of the world are pushed so far to the margins that they are denied access to even the most basic financial services, much less business loans, leveling the playing field is the right thing to do. If we can achieve this goal, the world economy stands to grow significantly.

Now that the WEEE Act has become law, we have taken one significant step forward to realizing this laudable aim, and women in developing nations stand to benefit from USAID's upcoming efforts to help them find and secure their place in our global economy.

The Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act advances U.S. values and stimulates real, lasting economic opportunities around the globe for women. It will change lives and communities, promote equality, and help entrepreneurs and innovators thrive--all of which will benefit the global economy and the pursuit of prosperity.

Once again, I extend my thanks and gratitude to all who have worked so hard and helped this bill become law, and I look forward to following its implementation and results.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, January 29; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, I ask that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings; finally, I ask that all time during adjournment, recess, morning business, and leader remarks count postcloture on the motion to proceed to S. 1.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 430, which was received from the House.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, today I wish to pay tribute to Mr. Patrick Newbold for his exemplary dedication to duty and service as an Army Congressional Fellow and Congressional Budget Liaison for the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Financial Management and Comptroller. Mr. Newbold is transitioning from his present assignment to continue his selfless service with the U.S. Corps of Engineers.

A native of Florida, Mr. Newbold joined the Department of Army in 2004 as an Army Materiel Command Fellow upon graduation from Bethune- Cookman University with a bachelor's degree in computer information systems. He also holds a masters of business administration from Texas A&M-Texarkana and a master's of professional studies in legislative affairs from the George Washington University.

Mr. Newbold has served in a broad range of assignments during his 15- year Army career. His assignments took him to the most strategic locations responsible for modernizing, equipping, and empowering our Army soldiers to fight and win wars; Red River Army Depot, Texarkana, TX; Redstone Arsenal, AL; the Pentagon; and the headquarters of the United States Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC. He has held many positions, thriving in supervisory positions hallmarked by his servant leadership.

In 2018, I had the privilege of working with Mr. Newbold in my capacity as the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. Mr. Newbold worked tirelessly with Members of Congress and their staffs to articulate the Army's budget positions to the appropriations committees. His professionalism, diligence and commitment to the mission are unmatched, and his work both as a fellow for Congressman Sanford Bishop and as a budget liaison effectively represented the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense to the U.S. Congress.

Throughout his career, Mr. Newbold has made positive impacts on the lives of soldiers, peers, and superiors. Our country has benefited tremendously from his extraordinary leadership, judgment, and passion. I join my colleagues today in honoring his dedication to our Nation and invaluable service to the U.S. Congress as an Army Congressional Liaison.

It was a genuine pleasure to have worked with Mr. Patrick Newbold over the last year. On behalf of a grateful nation, I join my colleagues today in recognizing and commending Patrick for his service to our country, and we wish him all the best as he continues his service in the U.S. Army.

Mr. President, today I wish to remember and pay tribute to Dick Barclay. Dick was a friend and civic leader from Rogers, AR, who passed away from complications due to Alzheimer's last week at the age of 81.

Born in Oberlin, KS, Dick attended Kansas State University before his honeymoon brought him to Arkansas. Dick and Jan eventually moved to Rogers where Dick, along with his brother Charles, opened a successful public accounting firm that served the area for decades. When I first moved to Rogers in the 1970s, naturally, Dick was one of the first people I met and someone I quickly grew to lean on and turn to for his consistently sound advice.

In addition to his successful career as a trusted accountant in northwest Arkansas, Dick put his belief in community service into practice throughout his entire life. He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1976 until 1992. In 1996, he joined Governor Mike Huckabee's administration, where he put his financial expertise to use as executive director of budget, legislative affairs, and policy. He went on to become Arkansas's chief fiscal officer and directed the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration in 1999.

Dick didn't believe that holding public office alone was where his call to service ended, though. He was active among many different groups and organizations that worked to improve life in Rogers and in greater northwest Arkansas. A few such roles included serving on the board of the Northwest Arkansas Community College Foundation, as president and board member of the Rogers Little Theater, chairman of the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce, commissioner of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, member and president of the Northwest Arkansas Council, and chairman of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce. He also led the Benton County Republican Party for a time.

A man of strong faith, Dick was a board chair and elder at First Christian Church in Rogers. One of his sons went on to lead services at Fellowship Bible Church, and Dick, along with his wife, was proud to attend services there to show his support. He has already been remembered by others as being a devoted family man and a person of principle and integrity with the highest ethics. He was all these things and more, including a talented musician who played in a bluegrass band with friends and also performed with a barbershop quartet.

As a former colleague described him, Dick Barclay was a ``quintessential public servant.'' He had a tremendous impact across northwest Arkansas. His example of leadership and dedication are truly worthy of emulation by anyone who wishes to do the important work required to better their own town, community, and entire state.

I greatly admired and respected Dick and will feel his loss keenly, as will so many others in Rogers and throughout Benton County and northwest Arkansas. My thoughts and prayers are with Jan and the entire Barclay family at this difficult time. Dick's legacy of service, his ever-present positivity, and the difference he made in countless lives will be remembered for years to come.

Mr. President, today I wish to acknowledge the remarkable career and service of a man who has played an instrumental role in the growth and development of northwest Arkansas over the last four decades.

Dick Trammel, a pillar of the community and a leader who has been involved in almost everything positive that has happened in and around my hometown of Rogers, AR, has concluded his service at Arvest Bank after 43 years. He is also ending a 10-year term on the Arkansas Highway Commission this month.

Dick is a homegrown Arkansan. A native of Pocahontas, he attended the University of Arkansas where he was a cheerleader for the Hogs football team and earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration in 1960. After graduation, Dick returned home to work in the cotton gin and grain elevator business and became an active member and leader in Pocahontas and Randolph County.

As we all now know, the 1960s saw the founding of retail giant Walmart by Sam Walton. As Walmart was headquartered in Bentonville, Sam was able to entice Dick to relocate to the region and join First National Bank & Trust Company in Rogers in 1975. First National Bank eventually became part of Arvest Bank and Dick worked for the company for over four decades, retiring as executive vice president, member of the board of directors and board secretary of Arvest Bank, Rogers.

While enjoying a successful career at Arvest, Dick also played an outsized role in northwest Arkansas. He served as president and board member of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, was a board member at a local United Way, founded the Single Parent Scholarship Fund in Benton County, was a charter member of the Northwest Arkansas Community College Board of Trustees, and served on the Rogers Youth Center Board of Directors, among so many other philanthropic and civic endeavors.

He is also a board member of the U.S. Marshals Museum Foundation which is incredibly meaningful given the importance of the Marshals Service to the region and the work we have done to help make the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith a reality. We worked together not only in that capacity, but in many other ways to help the region grow as Dick has spent the last 10 years on our State's highway commission following his appointment to the panel by former Governor Mike Beebe in 2009.

Just recently it was announced that, through many years of persistent work between members of Congress from Arkansas and Missouri and the respective legislatures and State government agencies in both States, that a multimillion-dollar grant has been secured to complete the Bella Vista Bypass on Interstate 49. Dick and his colleagues on the highway commission understood just how important this was for the region and worked hand-in-hand with the congressional delegation to reach this outcome.

As Dick's service at Arvest and on the Arkansas Highway Commission comes to a close, it is only fitting to recognize his enormous impact on a region in Arkansas that has experienced so much growth and transformation throughout his career. Throughout all this change, Dick Trammel has remained a constant source of stability, leadership, and willingness to do whatever it takes to improve the quality of life for everyone in the community.

When my brother and I moved to Rogers to establish a medical practice in 1977, Dick was one of the first people we met. During that time and over the decades that have followed, he has been a steadfast friend and mentor. I greatly admire and appreciate his many contributions to a place we both love and have served in different capacities over the years.

I wish Dick and his wife Nancy well as he begins a well-deserved retirement. He has always been dedicated to helping people, and his lengthy career has demonstrated that commitment many times over. I am grateful to Dick and his entire family for the way they

have served and led. Because of his efforts, northwest Arkansas is in a much better place today than we he first called it home.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Agriculture Committee be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 5636.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the bill.

I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 6602.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 683, S. 3247.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment be agreed to and that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of S. 3611 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.