Floor Statements

Madam President, on another matter, we begin to reach

the period every 2 years when the Senate begins our process of honoring and bidding farewell to our distinguished colleagues who are soon leaving our ranks. Seeing friends off is hardly a task to look forward to, but it is made more tolerable when I get to boast about and embarrass our talented colleagues one last time before they head for the exits.

I will begin today with one of only two current Senators who were around when I arrived as a freshman in 1985. By then, of course, Pat Leahy had already made history.

When Pat was first elected in 1974, he was the first non-Republican to represent Vermont in the Senate since 1856. And now, after eight terms, he will depart having made history all over again as his State's longest serving Senator by a comfortable margin.

Of course, it is the dash in between the dates that matters the most, and to say that Pat Leahy has made the most of his time in Washington would be truly an understatement.

Pat first developed his habit for lifelong learning growing up around the printing press of his family's newspaper in Montpelier. But I suspect our friend never hit the books as hard as he did after he found out that the girl for whom he had fallen head over heels, Marcelle, spoke not English but French at home. The way Pat tells it, he ``wanted to know what [Marcelle's] parents were saying about [him].'' So the studies began.

Here in the Senate, that same energy and curiosity led Pat to collect enough policy passions for an entire congressional delegation--from dairy farming to privacy, to landmine mitigation.

Pat and I got a chance to work closely together during our long tenures switching off and on as chairmen and ranking members of the State and Foreign Ops Subcommittee on Appropriations. As often as the majority changed hands during our time, Pat and I made a point of working as partners. He always knew the right time to break up tense negotiations with a stemwinder of an old Irish joke.

We rolled up our sleeves and bonded over our shared commitment to extending American influence and promoting our interests using soft power, everywhere from East Asia to the former Soviet Union.

And like good appropriators, we also bonded over a firm mutual conviction that our true opponent was never each other. It was the House.

Our time leading the subcommittee together saw a major landmine removal effort deservedly come to bear the name of its champion: the Leahy War Victims Fund. And Pat lent equal support to one of my passion projects: our work on behalf of the pro-democracy movement in Burma.

All of this work was accompanied by great humor. One time, after an election that turned out well for my side, Pat showed up at our next hearing having found a unique way to show grace in defeat. Here is what happened. He showed up with a yard sign from a campaign of some local candidate where he lived that read, ``McConnell for Chairman,'' and remarked that, apparently, the voters of his neighborhood had gotten their wish.

Even just measuring by local votes cast, Pat's colossal Senate legacy put the name ``Leahy'' right up there with fellow titans like Kennedy, Stevens, and Inouye. But Pat's legendary service to the people of Vermont has been more than a vote tally. Over eight terms, he has made a point of becoming not just a familiar name but a friendly face and a committed servant to his neighbors.

And it certainly didn't come easy. The way I have heard the story, Pat's first Senate victory came after he wisely dispatched his darling French-speaking emissary, Marcelle, into the Francophone enclaves of Vermont's ``northeast kingdom.''

Of course, we know Marcelle is much more than a natural campaigner. She is an accomplished nurse and a treasured member of the Senate's family in her own right.

So I know I speak for so many colleagues, past and present, in saying the Senate will miss our distinguished President pro tempore. But we know that Pat and Marcelle have more than earned some extra free time to spend in their beautiful home State, with their kids--Kevin, Alicia, and Mark--and their five grandkids, and with the many neighbors who are grateful--so grateful--for a lifetime of outstanding service.

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

Mr. President, the world's eyes are trained this week on the people of China who appear to be engaged in the largest and most widespread protests against the country's repressive Communist Party government since 1989 and the events of Tiananmen Square.

While most of the rest of the world has learned how to adapt to the coronavirus, mitigate its worst effects, and get on with living our lives, the people of China, where the whole crisis began, are still trapped in a ``Groundhog Day'' of permanent pandemic measures.

Chairman Xi's so-called Zero COVID policy is managing to be both horribly repressive and totally ineffective at the very same time-- horribly repressive and totally ineffective at the very same time. They have had unending cycles of punishing lockdowns, repressive quarantines, and mass testing.

Reports and social media posts are flying around the country--like allegations that the government let people burn up in an apartment building fire rather than break quarantine and that a 4-month-old baby girl died because the COVID rules did not allow her to get proper medical treatment. Of course, sadly, none of this is new or an aberration. This is actually perfectly in line with the CCP's long and brutal history.

As in the past, the CCP is failing their citizens and lying about it. When the rest of the world tunes in to World Cup matches, they see cheering crowds. But in China, the broadcasts censor views of the stands to prevent their citizens from seeing unmasked foreigners enjoying actually a normal life.

The people of China have put up with this dystopian state of affairs for nearly 3 years now, and now their patience has ended. Across China's major cities, residents are taking to the streets and speaking out. Local, civil protests are not uncommon in China, but these protests appear to have a different character--more widespread, more bold and brave, more fed up.

Unsurprisingly, demonstrators have received harsh treatment from the authorities who reportedly have beaten protesters and detained a foreign journalist covering the events.

The state media keeps parroting propaganda, but video evidence of the protests and the heavyhanded response is getting through the CCP's ``Great Firewall.'' Thus far, the people have not backed down.

Now, you hear some people suggesting that if a clumsy authoritarian nation is facing such troubles at home, it must pose less of an international threat than we thought. Ah, but this is precisely wrong. Vladimir Putin's previous aggressions against Georgia and Ukraine, its operations in Chechnya and Syria, and now this latest brutal war show exactly how even clumsy and dysfunctional regimes can inflict a terrible toll on free nations and free peoples. Iran, North Korea, and Syria have spent decades proving the very same thing. Of course, China isn't declining; it is continuing to expand and modernize its military power. And Xi and

his CCP constantly show us that their view of denying their own people's freedom at home and disrupting other countries' freedom through the Indo-Pacific has two goals that actually go hand in hand. For thugs and dictators, repression at home and aggression abroad are two sides of the same coin.

So when we see the mismanagement and dysfunction from regimes like Putin's and Xi's, the answer is not--not--for America and our allies to relax our vigilance, pull inward, or pay less attention to our global interests; the answer is to increase our vigilance, redouble our strength, and keep our friends and partners even closer.

The Biden administration's statement yesterday on the Chinese people's protest was actually too tepid. But what we need are not just stronger short-term words but stronger long-term actions and strategies.

The support that America and our friends have provided to Ukraine has not just been an act of philanthropy to an innocent people who deserve help fighting off the invaders; it is also bringing major benefits to the United States and our partners in the most practical terms.

In the course of fighting for their homes and families, the brave people of Ukraine are seriously degrading the abilities of one of the free world's greatest self-appointed adversaries to deal out violence. Putin and other wannabe tyrants the world over are learning that the cost-benefit calculus to bullying and bloodshed doesn't look like they thought it would.

The importance of this deterrence goes beyond just Europe. China has spent decades investing steadily in military technologies that increase threats to U.S. forces and our allies in the region. The CCP has steadily built military installations in the South China Sea, like a bully standing on a street corner, trying to grab control over international waters and shipping lanes. China has spent years methodically building up the very capabilities it would need to seize Taiwan by force if its people refuse to bend the knee, as we have already seen them do in Hong Kong.

So clearly we need to invest in our own strength, in our own alliances, in our own military modernization and defense industrial base.

The United States needs a strong, well-equipped military capable of preserving the strategic advantage and projecting power anywhere in the world. We need allies and partners willing to invest in their own capabilities. We need our private sector and our partners to understand that free peoples ought to be doing more trading among ourselves but be a lot more careful locating their capital and their employees in a repressed country that disregards basic freedoms and steals intellectual property on an industrial scale.

We need a sufficient military industrial base to keep ourselves safe and remain the free world's arsenal--a win-win for our security and for our economy. Among other things, that means rebuilding munitions stockpiles and weapons inventories that have been allowed to atrophy since the end of the Cold War. It means not waiting to arm and train our partners until a bad actor has already started a war. It means not wasting American strength and credibility, as this administration has done by desperately chasing sweetheart deals with Iran and abandoning Afghanistan with no strategy.

Providing for the common defense is one of our basic duties here in Congress. The Democratic leader should have prioritized the National Defense Authorization Act months ago. I am glad we will finally be turning to this essential bill shortly. Strong funding and strong authorization for our national security should never have to be a partisan issue. I know our Democratic friends have internal disagreements about what level of funding our Armed Forces deserve, but Republicans can guarantee this much: Our side will keep standing strong for American security and American strength.

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

Madam President, last week, our Nation celebrated one of our great, distinctly American holidays. In President Reagan's Thanksgiving proclamation in 1982, he wrote eloquently of the ``divine plan [that] placed this great continent here between the oceans to be found by people from every corner of the Earth who had a special love of faith and freedom.''

On Thursday, millions of families sat down to catch up with loved ones, enjoy food and fellowship, and reflect on the incredible blessing it is to get to call the United States of America our home, and we kept in our prayers the many brave servicemembers and first responders who were missing at their own families' holiday tables this year in order to keep the rest of us safe and protected at ours.

This year, for too many families, Thanksgiving also brought added stress and anxiety: 2 years of ruinous inflation that have pushed up the costs of everything from food to travel, to housing, to home heating and electricity.

In January 2021, with inflation well within a normal range, President Biden and this all-Democratic Party government took power, talking a big game about ``rebuild[ing] the middle class.'' Instead, they promptly set out eroding away the ground from right underneath middle- class families' feet, taking a match to trillions of dollars and igniting the worst inflation in 40 years.

On President Biden's watch, the average American household is paying an extra $110 a month on food, an extra $111 on housing, $270 more on transportation, and $147 more on energy. That is more than $750 in hidden Democratic inflation taxes for the average household--thousands of extra dollars per family, per year, because Washington Democrats jumped headlong into party-line reckless spending that every expert and every Republican warned would hurt our country.

All in all, prices have soared by 13.9 percent since President Biden put his hand on the Bible. Thanks to his party's reckless spending, inflation is the highest it has been since the fallout of the Carter administration.

So it is no wonder this was a painfully costly Thanksgiving. Staples from turkey to potatoes, to green beans have seen double-digit price increases in just the past year--inflation literally on top of inflation.

This runaway inflation has been hitting families hard everywhere. In the State of Georgia, for example, local food assistance organizations reported skyrocketing demand heading into the holidays. The CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank said: ``We're basically back to the same level of demand we were at during the height''--the height--``of the pandemic.''

There is a charitable organization saying that Democrats' party-line policies have created an economic environment that is on par with the worst of the COVID shutdown.

On the Democrats' watch, rising housing costs in Georgia outpaced the already big jump in the nationwide average. One relief agency says requests for emergency rent, utility, and food assistance have jumped 40 percent this year.

Two years of one-party Democratic control in Washington have been a disaster for working families in Georgia, and their two Senators haven't just failed to stop the damage. They have helped cause it and cheered it on.

Georgia's Senate delegation of two Democratic Senators has been a lockstep rubberstamp along party lines for every bit of reckless liberal spending and painful tax hikes. Just when working families in Georgia needed checks and balances, what they got were reckless rubberstamps.

Earlier this month, after the American people voted to break up Democrats' one-party government, President Biden insisted defiantly: ``I'm not going to change the direction.''

It has been 2 years since the Senate Democratic leader said that if he got Georgia's two Senate seats, he would change America. Well, they certainly have done that. On party lines, Democrats' squandered a promising economic comeback and spent us into staggering inflation. And now President Biden says he has learned nothing and will change nothing.

The Democrats have shown the American people what they will do with power. But in the United States of America, the power ultimately lies with the people, and in a little over a week, the people of Georgia will have the ability to make their choice--between a check and balance or a rubberstamp.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, yesterday, the Republican conference met and selected its leadership team for the 118th Congress. I am deeply honored that my remarkable colleagues on this side of the aisle decided to rehire me for another term as Republican leader. I am proud of Senators Thune, Barrasso, Ernst, Capito, and Daines, who were also elected to take on critical roles for the next 2 years.

We have impressive new Senators-elect. We have outstanding returning Members. Our conference is brimming with energy, ideas, and enthusiasm to fight for the millions and millions of Americans who elected Republican Senators to be their champions and their voice in this Chamber.

Republicans are a big-tent party that unites around commonsense, conservative principles and policies to make our Nation stronger and make American families' lives better. We stand for fiscal sanity instead of the reckless liberal spending that created jaw-dropping inflation. We stand for the pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth ideas that built the best economy for working people in a generation, before COVID-19. Republican policies have fueled low inflation, low unemployment, and robust growth, all at the very same time.

We stand for a strong, modern military that can deter and defeat America's enemies and confident American leadership in the world instead of this administration's deeply botched retreat from Afghanistan and desperate cozying up to the murderous regime in Tehran.

We stand for American energy dominance instead of cutting off our own supplies and canceling out our own pipelines while begging foreign dictators to produce more.

We stand for real energy independence, not making China rich by buying solar panel components that make American energy more expensive and less reliable.

We stand for safer streets, and we understand that real compassion means ensuring safety and security for innocent people, not giving shorter sentences to the violent convicts who hurt them.

We stand for securing our border and enforcing our laws instead of letting unvetted people and illegal drugs pour into our country 24/7.

We stand for putting parents' rights and parents' involvement back into our Nation's schools and getting radical indoctrination out.

We stand for the quaint notion that judges need to follow our laws and the Constitution as they are written, not act like a third legislative branch that our citizens can't vote out.

We stand for free speech, religious liberty, and the freedom of worship instead of using the courts and the government to prosecute men and women of faith.

This is where we stand, Madam President, and it just so happens that the American people stand with us. Last week's exit poll showed that Republicans are more trusted on the kitchen-table issues that keep American families awake at night. When the American people got a clear, unmuddled look at our commonsense, conservative approach to the issues, they liked what they saw. We have 49 outstanding Members on this side of the aisle who are living proof of that fact, and in just a few more weeks, we will have 50.

It is the honor of a lifetime to serve alongside my distinguished colleagues and to serve our conference in this leadership role.

Now on a related matter, yesterday evening brought confirmation of some great news for the future of our country. Republicans have secured the majority in the House of Representatives for the next 2 years. It will be Senate Republicans' great pleasure to partner closely with and serve alongside the new Republican House. I want to congratulate soon- to-be Speaker McCarthy and all of the new and returning Members of Congress across the Capitol whose elections will be transforming the people's House from a reckless rubberstamp into a sorely needed check and balance.

The composition of the new House demonstrates that fatigue and exhaustion with reckless and radical far-left policies are not just limited to so-called red or purple States. New Republican Congress men and women have been hired by their neighbors even in deep-blue States like New York and California--even further evidence that when the American people get an unmuddled look at our commonsense, conservative vision on the issues, they like what they see. So I look forward to working with our House Republican colleagues, new and returning, in the years to come.

Inflation

Madam President, now on a related matter, the Capitol may be preparing for the next Congress, but hard-working Americans are still being hurt every day by the reckless, radical, party-line spending that the Democrats rammed through during this Congress.

Since President Biden took office and his all-Democratic government fired up the printing presses, our Nation has been hit with 13.9 percent inflation. In the State of Georgia, inflation is even worse; it is closer to 15 percent since January of 2021. Families are having to pay hundreds of dollars extra every month just to maintain their standard of living from before the Democrats got power, let alone trying to get ahead. The many Georgia families who can't afford it are falling farther and farther behind.

Housing inflation alone is costing the average Georgia household an extra $137 every month. Overall energy costs are up more than 9 percent in the Atlanta area just in the last 12 months alone. As we head into winter, nearly 4 in 10 households in Georgia use natural gas as their main heating fuel. Residential natural gas prices have skyrocketed more than 200 percent on President Biden's watch. The State's natural gas prices are way, way higher than the national average, and that is before you even get to the brandnew natural gas tax that both of Georgia's Senators voted to pass into law just a few months ago.

The Democrats have passed radical policy on top of radical policy, and it has brought hard-working Americans like the people of Georgia pain on top of pain. But Washington Democrats still aren't finished.

A month ago, the Biden administration decided to insult working Americans by unleashing yet another reckless giveaway that would actually transfer even more wealth toward highly educated people who already tend to be more well off.

As one study found, ``Upper-income households account for a disproportionate share of student loan debt.'' That makes sense. They borrowed money to obtain a credential that tends to push up people's salaries in the future. But President Biden decided that working people who worked their way through college or who already paid off their debt or who planned entirely different careers to avoid student loans altogether--President Biden says all those people will now be picking up the tab for doctors' and lawyers' graduate studies.

Oh, and by the way, our colleague from West Virginia Senator Manchin has himself admitted this one reckless move would more than eclipse the supposed deficit reduction that Democrats claimed they bought with their so-called Inflation Reduction Act. Even according to the generous estimates of that bill's savings that Democrats actually liked, this student loan socialism cannibalizes it all. All the supposed savings that the senior Senator from West Virginia was promised are gone in the blink of an eye. Apparently, the White House was planning the bait-and- switch all along.

Now, not surprisingly, President Biden's attempt to circumvent Congress and implement student loan socialism on his own has created some legal trouble. After all, it was Speaker Pelosi herself who admitted just months before the administration rolled out this plan that they actually lacked the proper legal authority to do what they did.

Earlier this week, a panel of the Eighth Circuit issued an injunction preventing the Biden administration from going forward with its plan, but, reportedly, President Biden's team is so desperate to make inflation even worse in this fashion, they are planning to extend student loan socialism anyway by extending their endless moratorium on payments. Washington Democrats' top priority is making sure that California doctors and Manhattan lawyers don't have to pay their debts, even if it causes even more inflation, while working people in Georgia keep getting burned.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I just want to congratulate our friend from Oklahoma on an extraordinary career of service to his State and to our country, and I will be having a lot more to say about the senior Senator from Oklahoma a little later.

Mr. President, last week, our narrowly divided country went to the polls and elected a narrowly divided Congress, including a very narrowly divided U.S. Senate.

The next couple of months will see a number of long-serving Senate all-stars taking retirement, but today we are getting to welcome and meet our new soon-to-be colleagues on both sides of the aisle as the new Senators-elect arrive here in the Capitol for orientation. Among their ranks are an all-star lawyer and leader from Alabama, the attorney general from the great State of Missouri, the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, a businessman and best-selling author from Ohio, and three distinguished Members of the House of Representatives.

Exactly 25 years ago, in remarks welcoming the new Senate class of 1996, Senator Robert Byrd told them that service in this body is both ``a supreme honor,'' ``a serious responsibility,'' and ``the highest political calling in the land.'' The famous student of the Senate's rules and history, our former colleague from West Virginia concluded that ``as long as the Senate retains the power to amend and the power of unlimited debate, the liberties of the people will remain secure.''

So, Mr. President, it is a high bar to earn the trust of one's neighbors to represent them and fight for their home State here in this Chamber. Each of our soon-to-be colleagues has cleared this high bar. I am proud to welcome members of what will be the 118th Congress freshman class. I hope sincerely that each of our incoming colleagues will embrace the honor of this immense responsibility. Of course, our half of the Chamber hopes that, even after this week, we will be not quite through with welcoming new Senators.

Democrats' unforced policy errors over the past several years have hit working families in the State of Georgia especially hard. Under one-party Democratic control in Washington and one-party representation here in the Senate, the Peach State has paid an especially painful price.

Since President Biden took the oath of office, Georgia families have watched prices rise nearly 15 percent. They have shelled out hundreds of extra dollars every month just to foot the bill for the massive, reckless spending binge their two Democratic Senators pushed through with deciding votes. Needless to say, this completely avoidable Democratic inflation tax put Georgia workers and small businesses in a heck of a bind.

``It's absolutely murderous,'' one man in Columbus, GA, told reporters. ``Food, gas prices. Inflation is awful.''

Of course, it didn't have to be this way. The people of Georgia's Senators didn't have to vote in lockstep with Washington Democrats to overheat our economy with reckless spending. Georgia's two Democratic Senators didn't have to vote for the $2 trillion in inflationary spending. They didn't have to vote for hundreds of billions of dollars in leftwing climate policies. But every single time that the hard- working people of Georgia have needed a check and balance, their Democratic Senators only gave them a rubberstamp. When Georgians needed their Senators to stand up with independence, they just fell in line.

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

Madam President, last week's midterm elections reconfirmed something that has been clear for a number of years: When it comes to politics and to policy, we are a closely divided nation.

For the third straight election, our closely divided nation saw a closely fought election go all the way down to the wire. And as the dust settles, for the third straight time, the American people have chosen a very closely divided government.

Though several races for the House of Representatives remain uncalled, it appears the likeliest outcome would mean the American people have put a stop to 2 years of Democrats' disastrous one-party government and placed the House in Republican hands.

Senate Republicans have spent 2 years working to check and balance reckless policies; it will be an outstanding thing for the country to have a set of new reinforcements arriving on the other side of the Capitol.

Now, while this election underscored some of our country's close divisions, it also highlighted areas where the people are speaking overwhelmingly with one voice. The American people are not divided over what Democrats' reckless policy decisions have done to our economy and to their families' budgets. Exit polls show three-quarters of voters say the economy they are facing is ``poor'' or ``not good.''

Americans are not divided over whether the current trends in inflation, crime, open borders, and drug addiction are acceptable outcomes for the greatest country in the history of the world; everyone knows they are not.

And Americans are not especially closely divided about whether they want President Biden to keep governing like he has been or actually change course. At this point in their presidencies, every one of the last 13 Presidents dating back to Truman had higher approval ratings than the Biden administration.

One State where Democrats' policy failures have hit especially hard is the State of Georgia. Georgia families have seen cumulative inflation of 14.7 percent since January of 2021. Both of their Senators cast the deciding vote to rubberstamp the spending that made that happen. Now households in the Peach State are paying a hidden Democratic inflation tax that adds up to thousands of extra dollars per year.

The nationwide breakdown in law and order has hit Georgia hard as well. The city of Atlanta now has per capita rates of homicide and assault that are even actually worse than Chicago.

And the people of Georgia saw their State attacked, called racist, called Jim Crow 2.0 by the sitting President of the United States, and boycotted by major corporations over a voting law that just facilitated--listen to this--historic ballot access, record turnout, and low wait times for Georgia voters.

So where do Georgia taxpayers and small businesses go to get their money back after the liberal smear campaign that led to the boycotts? But the day after the election, President Biden took to the podium and triumphantly promised that he plans to learn no lessons and change nothing at all. Here was the quote:

I'm not going to change the direction.

Thirteen-plus percent inflation over 2 years, historic levels of dissatisfaction at Americans' kitchen tables, and President Biden says he will keep doing precisely what he has been doing: more inflation, more crime, more chaos, more open borders.

If Washington Democrats do not want to pivot to sanity and common sense, if they will not help us address the ways their policies are hurting families, they will encounter stiff resistance from the sizable Senate Republican Conference that half the country has elected to be their voice, to be their champions, to fight for them.

So to sum it up, we are going to fight hard for the American families this administration is leaving behind.

Mr. President, last month, Kentucky lost a statesman, a model gentleman, and one of the key mentors of my early career. Former Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Tom Emberton of Edmonton, KY, passed away this October in a tragic house fire, a sudden and devastating loss for the entire Commonwealth. Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Tom's legacy of public service and paying tribute to his extraordinary career.

Tom was born and raised in south central Kentucky and prioritized service to that distinctive community from the outset of his career. He served a 4-year tour of duty with the U.S. Air Force then returned to the Commonwealth for an undergraduate degree at Western Kentucky University and a law degree from the University of Louisville School of Law. Not long after, he moved to Metcalfe County to serve as county attorney, beginning his long work on behalf of the region.

I first got to know Tom a few years later when, upon returning to Kentucky after a stint in Washington, DC, I got involved with his 1971 gubernatorial campaign. Four years prior, Louie B. Nunn had become the Commonwealth's first Republican Governor in two decades, and Tom bet he could build on his success to bring another four years of conservative leadership to the Commonwealth. Tom's campaign was instructive for me; he traveled all across Kentucky, including to deeply Democratic strongholds, to preach the Republican policies that most Kentuckians agreed with but, historically, did not vote for. Ultimately, Tom couldn't pull out a win that year--my future colleague in the U.S. Senate Wendell Ford was elected--but he earned respect from leaders and voters across Kentucky.

Tom was undeterred by his electoral loss and returned to Metcalfe County

to continue his work on behalf of his neighbors and build his law career. In recognition of Tom's outstanding service to the Commonwealth and ability to breach partisan divides, a Democratic Governor appointed him to a vacancy on the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1987. Voters reelected him to that position twice, and his peers appointed him to serve as chief judge of the court of appeals, a position he held until 2004. By the time of his retirement, the entire Kentucky legal community recognized this once-upstart conservative as a widely revered senior statesman.

Throughout the course of his career, Tom made sure to expand the scope of his service beyond the courtroom and the ballot box. He maintained lifelong involvement with the WKU community, serving with distinction on the school's board of regents and as the WKU Alumni Association Board President. He received repeated recognition from community organizations based in and around Metcalfe County, including the local chamber of commerce and area development district. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet even named Thomas D. Emberton Bridge in Metcalfe County in his honor.

Along the way, Tom and his wife Julia Lee built an amazing home and family in Metcalfe County. His two children, Laura and Tom Jr., five grandchildren, and recently arrived great-grandchildren were the light of his life. I had the pleasure of visiting the Emberton family over the years and reminiscing with Tom about his campaign days and discussing the current state of politics and policy in the Commonwealth. He and Julia Lee also built a special relationship with my wife, Elaine, that all of us have cherished for many years.

I was shocked to hear of Tom's sudden passing last month in a fire, when he heroically saved his wife's life and perished inside his home. Elaine and I are mourning alongside the entire Emberton family and hope they can find some solace in this difficult time. On behalf of the entire Senate, I honor Tom for his service to Kentucky and offer prayers to the Emberton family as they memorialize Tom's incredible life and career.

Mr. President, following a decade of service as Trigg County Judge-Executive, Hollis Alexander is retiring. He has spent 35 years in service to his constituents in a variety of roles and is now looking forward to spending more time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Hollis for his work on behalf of Kentucky and honoring him for his service to the Commonwealth.

Hollis got his start in public service through his work with the Cadiz Police Department, which he led as chief for nearly two decades before entering elected office. Through his career in law enforcement, he became a well-known face to Trigg County locals. His work also caught the eye of statewide leaders, and when Trigg County's previous judge-executive stepped down to take a seat in the State senate, Kentucky's Governor appointed Hollis as his replacement.

Though originally a Democrat, Hollis joined scores of other Kentucky elected officials to switch his party registration and better reflect the conservative values of most of his constituents. Since his original appointment in 2013, Hollis won reelection twice--first as a Democrat, then as a Republican--and earned the trust and confidence of his neighbors.

Hollis lists Trigg County's fiscal strength as one of his proudest accomplishments in office. Through his successful stewardship of county revenues and expenses, he was able to upgrade local government facilities and equipment. Hollis has left Trigg County's government better than it was when he found it, making a mark on his community that his neighbors will feel for years to come.

Judge Alexander says he is looking forward to spending more time with his family--and especially his four grandchildren--after he takes a step back from his current role at this year's end. I know he certainly deserves it after three-and-a-half decades of fine service to Trigg County. On behalf of my Senate colleagues, I wish Hollis the best of luck in the next step of his life and express my deep gratitude for his service to Kentucky.

Mr. President, after 20 years of service as Hardin County judge-executive, my good friend Harry Berry is retiring. Over the past two decades, he has built a Kentucky-wide reputation for steadfast leadership and selfless service. Today, I ask my Senate colleagues to join me in thanking Judge Berry for his work and wishing him well in his retirement.

Harry took a circuitous route to public service in Hardin County. A Missouri native, he spent much of his early career in the Washington, DC, area, working with the CIA, Army, and other defense agencies to coordinate engineering projects around the world. When Harry decided to retire from that role, he and his wife Jill chose Hardin County as their new home; the county was close to Jill's parents in Hopkins County and offered robust services to the former military personnel who settled in the area after service at Fort Knox.

Harry is a self-described introvert who prefers to approach the world with the quiet, analytical approach he developed as a military engineer rather than the bombast common in politics. Still, he has a keen eye for organization and development, honed through 20 years in the Army and, upon moving to Hardin County, spotted several local issues he thought he could try his hand at improving. His first run for public office was unsuccessful, but after living in Hardin County for only a few years, he won the county judge-executive race in 2002. He was the first Republican to ever occupy the office.

Twenty years later, Harry says his retail politicking has improved. But his real accomplishments in office have been largely behind the scenes: sound financial management, improved hiring and public services, upgraded government facilities, and extensive economic development spurred by his steady, capable leadership. Under Harry's purview, Hardin County has grown at a quick clip, leveraging its close connections to the Fort Knox military installation to foster new business and growth.

Beyond his public service, Harry has grown roots in Hardin County that will continue to deepen in his retirement. He has leaned into his community's extensive slate of organizations dedicated to caring for veterans, including the Disabled Veterans Association, the VFW, and the Military Officers Association. He promotes philanthropy and volunteerism through the Lions, Masons, and Shriners. As Harry takes a step back from elected office, I am sure these organizations will welcome his interest and energy.

Few leaders can move to a new community and, within only a few years, win an election to be that community's chief elected official. Fewer still can do so without any experience in public office. But Harry did so seamlessly and, 20 years later, has become an indispensable part of Hardin County government. I know I speak for many Kentuckians when I say I am sorry to see him leave this role but thankful for the two decades of service he dedicated to our Commonwealth. On behalf of my Senate colleagues, I congratulate Judge Harry Berry on his well-earned retirement.

Mr. President, Fleming County Judge-Executive Larry Foxworthy is stepping down after 20 years of work on behalf of his constituents. His keen management of Fleming County's finances and efforts to shore up government services have left a deep mark on his community. Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Judge Foxworthy for his sound leadership and congratulating him on his retirement.

Larry and his wife Joyce are both lifelong residents of northeastern Kentucky's Fleming County, part of a region of the Commonwealth noted for its rolling farmland and historic small towns. Larry has dedicated himself to both preserving that area's heritage and charting a course toward a more vibrant future. As the county has grown in population and economic development over the past two decades,

his leadership has been proven a success.

Judge Foxworthy takes a hands-on approach to leadership. Beyond the fiscal court, he offers input on several boards that impact Fleming County's economy and public services: the Fleming-Mason Airport Board of Directors, the Fleming County Hospital Board of Directors, and the Fleming County Industrial Authority Board of Directors, to name a few. He has taken his expertise region- and Commonwealth-wide, helping the Kentucky Association of Counties advocate for favorable policies on the State and Federal level, and directing economic initiatives in northeastern Kentucky through service as the Buffalo Trace Area Development District Chairman.

Future generations will feel Larry's impact on Fleming County through several tangible improvements he brought to his community. He spearheaded the expansion of the Fleming County Nature Preserve, inviting more tourists to his part of the Commonwealth. He helped protect the Fleming County Hospital from insolvency, guaranteeing continued medical care for his constituents. He has left Fleming County's finances better than he found them, allowing local government to continue to provide the services its citizens rely on.

Larry and Joyce chose to raise their three children in Fleming County and have been blessed to become grandparents in recent years. I know that, in retirement, Larry will cherish the opportunity to spend more time with his growing family and foster the next generation of leaders in Kentucky. I thank Larry for his service and, on behalf of my Senate colleagues, honor him as he charts the next chapter in his life and career.

Mr. President, Daviess County Judge-Executive Al Mattingly has served his community with distinction since 2011, earning three terms in office and leading Owensboro toward a bright, prosperous future. Last year, Al announced he would not seek a fourth term in office, following in his predecessors' footsteps by deciding to serve a maximum of 12 years as judge-executive. Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Al for his service to Daviess County and thanking him for his effective leadership.

Al felt called to public service early in life and hasn't let up on his commitment since. Following his graduation from Owensboro's Brescia College, he joined the U.S. Army to help protect and defend our Nation. Not long after, he married his wife of more than 50 years, Judy Wolfe, and then returned to his hometown for a career in the private sector.

Al has remained involved in Owensboro's thriving small business community since then and currently serves as president of the family- owned Acme Plumbing and Heating company. However, two decades ago, he realized he could make his mark on Daviess County beyond that role and ran for the Owensboro City Commission. After winning election in 2003 and again in 2007, Al earned the title of Owensboro mayor pro tem in 2007. This served as the perfect primer for his county-wide service as judge-executive, which began in 2011.

Over the past decade, Al has marked a number of important milestones in Owensboro's history. In just the last year, Owensboro earned the title of ``Bluegrass Capital of the World,'' cementing a yearslong effort to foster the musical arts in Daviess County and bring tourists to the cradle of Bluegrass music in the surrounding region. Al leveraged Owensboro's access to the Ohio River to expand Daviess County's riverport infrastructure and waterfront attractions, inviting economic development for the whole county. But more than anything, Al says his chief achievement has been his unique ability to sit down with his constituents and listen to their concerns, one-on-one. That kind of personal relationship with his neighbors and voters has always been the lynchpin of Al's career.

Al says he looks forward to spending more time with his wife and family during his retirement and is also likely to expand his lifetime involvement with his church, Our Lady of Lourdes. After his decades of service to Daviess County, he has certainly earned the right to take a step back from the public eye and enjoy his retirement. On behalf of the Commonwealth and the U.S. Senate, I would like to express my immense gratitude to Al for his work on behalf of Daviess County and wish him well in the next step in his career.