Floor Statements

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.

Madam President, last year, I made a visit to Caracas, Venezuela. It was a surprise that they even offered me a visa to journey to that country. In the course of several days, I saw firsthand what life in Venezuela was like. It was terrible from every aspect-- malnutrition, children fainting in schools, hospitals without the basic medicines, the return of diseases which had been eradicated decades before, people on the street emaciated and working day in and day out in a runaway inflation country. At 11:30 at night, there were queues by ATM machines where people stood patiently in line for hours to make the maximum withdrawal from their savings account, which was the money they needed the next day to take the bus to work. It is a terrible situation.

In the course of that visit, I met with President Maduro and talked to him directly about his plans to schedule an election. It was clear to me this election was rigged. He had intimidated and even jailed his opponents to make certain that there would be no serious opposition, and I told him there would be no credibility in that election. It wouldn't be accepted by countries around the world that he was the legitimate leader of that country. Yet he persisted and went through with the election.

During the time that I was there, I had a chance to meet with some of his political opponents. His tactics against these opponents were harsh. Leopoldo Lopez, a popular opponent, was put under house arrest for years. I spoke to him on the telephone and met personally with his wife, who described the bleak existence he had day to day in the same house under house arrest by Maduro.

One evening, we had dinner with opposition members of the National Assembly, and it was held at a secret location, upstairs in a darkened room, because of their fear of retribution by Maduro and his regime.

These are some pretty brave young men and women who are part of the opposition to Maduro. I can recall one of them saying to me: If you come back next year, out of the five of us, two will have been deported, two will be missing, and one of us will be dead. That is what happens when you oppose the Maduro regime.

One of those people who were at that dinner meeting with me was named Juan Guaido. His name became prominent just a few months ago when he stepped up in an extraordinary show of political courage and declared himself, under the original Constitution, as the leader of Venezuela-- directly confronting Maduro and his regime. Since then, he has received a lot of publicity. He went to the border with Colombia and tried to encourage the Maduro regime to allow transports of food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs into the country. Maduro refused.

He also made it clear that he was willing to risk his life. I met here in Washington with his young wife, who had a little baby girl. His wife had come to the United States to plead his case in the Halls of Congress. She knew the danger her husband faced. Yet she understood that he was willing to risk that for the future of Venezuela.

Juan Guaido's effort to become the leader of that country has been recognized now and acknowledged by leaders

of countries around the world. The Organization of American States--the largest organization of Central and South American countries-- acknowledged in a formal vote that Juan Guaido would be the leader of Venezuela by their calculation. They didn't accept the Maduro election any more than I did.

In the last several months, there has been increasing tension and concern as members of Guaido's following were jailed by the Maduro regime and concern that Guaido himself may be in danger because of this ongoing situation.

Early this morning, I received a phone call from Ambassador John Bolton, who works with the President in the White House. He knew of my interest in Venezuela, and he wanted to alert me that today was a day that could be historic, a day of reckoning. Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez, who had been under house arrest, were both appealing directly to the military leaders in Venezuela, asking those leaders to join their effort to establish a legitimate government in Venezuela and to have a free and fair election. We didn't know what was in store. There were no predictions as to who would prevail in this, and there was a great deal of danger associated with Guaido's position. Lopez, coming out of house arrest, is risking his own life in the process. We didn't know what Maduro's response would be.

In the last several weeks, there have been groups that have come to the aid and support of the Maduro regime. They include some Cuban security forces, as well as colectivos and motorcycle gangs that support the Maduro regime, but most notably the arrival of several hundred Russian military into Caracas. This, of course, complicates the situation. There are rumors in the press. We don't know which to believe and which not to believe, but at this point, there is at least a question as to whether Maduro was prepared to leave and was discouraged by the Russians and told to stay. I hope he does leave.

I hope Venezuela can turn the corner. I hope the people of that country who are leaving Venezuela by the millions to go to countries like Colombia have an opportunity to see a new life in their country and to move forward.

I have supported the efforts of the Trump administration against the Maduro regime in Venezuela with an understanding that they want to move forward with regime change in that country without the involvement of U.S. military force. I think it would be a mistake if we did that, to put in U.S. military force. We are in a situation where the history of that region is well known. There has been a lot of tension and a lot of difficulty in the past, and I hope we do not consider that military possibility. I certainly support their efforts and applaud their success in bringing the Organization of American States and other countries to the side of Juan Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez.

I urge Maduro to do the right thing for Venezuela--to avoid bloodshed, to accept Guaido's amnesty offer, and to step out of the way of a long-overdue transition and return to democracy.

Until then, I support President Guaido's peaceful effort to advance the constitutional transition period in which a credible and timely election can be prepared under his leadership. Mr. Guaido is literally putting his life on the line for the future of his country. The Russians and Cubans in Caracas who attempt to prop up Mr. Maduro must step back and let the Venezuelan people decide their own fate in an open and free election.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, it is hard to imagine that the U.S. Congress was once guarded by a lone watchman, but when the legislative branch of our government moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, that was the case. His name was John Golding. He was charged with protecting the U.S. Congress. A generation later, after several incidents, President John Quincy Adams asked that a Capitol Police Force be created. It was created with four officers working 15-hour shifts. Today, there are over 2,000 officers and civilians who work for the Capitol Police.

When you put it in perspective, 3 million to 5 million people from all over America and all over the world come to this building complex each year to personally witness the foundation--at least on the congressional side--of our democracy. We want to make certain they are safe.

We know we live in a dangerous world. The threats facing Congress today are far different than at the time of John Golding. Our exposure to risk is higher, as we learn every day and every week about horrible shooting incidents that occur. One, of course, did occur in the Capitol not that many years ago. We know we have the best protection possible in this increasingly dangerous world thanks to the dedicated, talented, and committed men and women of the Capitol Police Force.

There is an important reason why I have been able to do my job as the Democratic whip for 14 years. It is because R.D. Moore, a member of the Capitol Police team, has led my security detail during that period of time. At the end of this month, R.D. is retiring after 39 years of service to his country and more than 30 years with the U.S. Capitol Police.

Renoard Moore joined the Capitol Police in 1988, after serving 9 years in the U.S. Army. He also served with the Dignitary Protection Division, protecting the Senate and House leadership.

In 2005, when I joined the Senate leadership, R.D. became part of not just my Senate family but my family. As a team leader, he has been responsible for keeping the detail up-to-date on the logistics of every event and making critical decisions for the safety and security of our office team. Simply put, R.D. has been an important part of my life every day that he has been willing to put his life on the line for me. He has become an honorary Illinoisan in the process due to countless trips he has made back to my home State. There is even reason to believe we have made him a Cubs fan, but I am not going to say that with certainty.

Even with his commitment to duty, R.D. has always found time for his own family, putting thousands of miles on his car each year to travel across the country to Kentucky, Michigan, and other places to visit his mother, his siblings, and his cousins. Whether it was in Michigan, Kentucky, or North Carolina, he found the time for family. No matter where he was, R.D. was always willing and able to respond to a phone call or email from his extended family.

I am going to miss R.D. personally, and our office is also going to miss him. He is a caring, larger than life presence and one of the best known members of the Capitol Police detail here on Capitol Hill. If someone had a rough day, R.D. was always there with a piece of wrapped candy and a smile. If any of us needed advice on new technology, R.D. always seemed to be on top of it, whether it was the latest smartwatch or smartphone or something else that I basically didn't understand. His great sense of humor was a calming influence in the most stressful of times that we faced. He always took his job seriously, but he never took himself seriously.

As R.D. Moore retires this week, I want to thank him personally and wish him well. I do it personally and on behalf of my wife, Loretta, my entire family, and the entire Durbin Senate staff. He is a dedicated law enforcement professional who should be remembered in the Capitol, along with all of his colleagues on the Capitol Police who each and every day come to work, put on their badges, and risk their lives to keep this building and the people who come here safe. I want to congratulate Special Agent R.D. Moore on a job well done.

Remembering Richard Lugar

Mr. President, I want to take a moment to celebrate the life of an exceptional American, a statesman, a gentleman, and a friend. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana passed away yesterday. He was a man of great intellect and accomplishment and very little ego. He possessed an overabundance of the best qualities of American character.

He was a problem-solver. He believed that America can and must be a force for good in the world, and he was a visionary who had a genius for devising thoughtful, effective solutions to complex problems before many people even knew they existed.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, many people believed naively that the threat of nuclear Armageddon that had haunted the world for nearly 50 years was over, but Senator Lugar

knew better. Working with Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia, then chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a Democrat, Senator Lugar crafted a bipartisan response, the Soviet Threat Reduction Act of 1991, to prevent the huge arsenals, once controlled by the Soviet Union, from falling into the hands of terrorists and other murderers.

The bill created the CTR Program, the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, within the Department of Defense, better known as Nunn-Lugar, and led to the deactivation of more than 7,600 nuclear warheads. Before Nunn-Lugar, there were enough nuclear weapons and materials in the former Soviet Republic to destroy a good portion of the world. Much of these armaments of nuclear Armageddon were housed in ramshackle, degraded facilities watched over by guards who hadn't been paid in months and were sometimes drunk on duty. It was like a fire sale for terrorists and madmen. Under Nunn-Lugar, Dick Lugar urged America to actually pay off our old adversary to secure these nuclear stockpiles, and America and the world were safer as a result.

Sadly, today, leaders in both the White House and the Kremlin seem to be rushing to discard the nuclear arms agreements and rebuild nuclear arsenals. That is absolutely the last thing in the world we should see happening. We can only hope that the inspiration and success of Nunn- Lugar will cause them to rethink this. The state of our world is perilous enough without reigniting a nuclear arms race.

I want to make a personal note. I am deeply and personally grateful to Senator Richard Lugar for agreeing, in 2010, to be one of the two Republican cosponsors of the DREAM Act. It is a bill that I introduced many years ago to give those undocumented young people brought here as infants and toddlers and children a path to legal status and citizenship. It is the kind of thing that when you ask the American people whether it is the right thing to do, they don't hesitate. Republicans, Democrats, Independents--they believe these young people should have a chance to go to school, make America a better place, and not worry about their citizenship status.

It was always difficult to find Republicans to join me in this effort, except for Dick Lugar. Dick Lugar time and again stepped up and said: I am going to do this. America was recovering from the great recession at that time, and anti-immigrant sentiment was already strong and growing. It was being exploited, as we see today, almost on a daily basis.

Standing up for these Dreamers, who were not legal in the United States and couldn't vote in the United States, was an act of political decency and courage--just what you might expect from Senator Dick Lugar of Indiana. And 2 years later, after 36 years as a Senator and a statesman, Senator Lugar lost his seat in a primary challenge to a tea party firebrand. Analysts suggested that his support for Dreamers was one of the reasons he was defeated.

After that election, Dick Lugar defended his support for the DREAM Act and other decisions that may have hurt him in the primary, and he said: ``[Those] were the right votes for our country.'' He added: ``I stand by them without regrets.''

Dick Lugar was also a cosigner of a letter, which I sent to then- President Barack Obama. When we couldn't pass the DREAM Act, Senator Lugar joined me in sending a letter to the President, asking if there was anything he could do by Executive order that might give these young people a chance--just a chance--to prove themselves and become part of America's future. Dick Lugar and I were the two cosigners of that letter that went to the President.

It was that letter and the thought behind it which led to the creation of DACA, a program that 790,000 of these young people signed up for. They paid their filing fees; they went through their criminal background checks; they checked all the boxes; and they were given, under the DACA Program, 2 years to go to school in the United States and work in the United States without fear of deportation. It had to be renewed every 2 years, but it was Dick Lugar who stuck his neck out to help me with that letter as well. When others just wouldn't join me, he did and did it willingly. I will never forget him, and neither should anyone else.

Our friend Dick Lugar is gone, but he left a legacy of courage, decency, civility, service, and statesmanship that we would all do well to emulate and for which I am personally grateful. Dick Lugar was the best of the U.S. Senate on a bipartisan basis. This Republican colleague of mine was someone I came to respect time and again because he always put country before politics.

Loretta and I got to know his wife Char. Char and he were married when they met in college and became fast friends and built a family around that friendship and their love--a wonderful couple, great to be with and to spend many hours together. I extend my condolences, along with Loretta's, to Char, Senator Lugar's beloved wife of more than 60 years; to their sons, Mark, Bob, John, David, and their families; and to Senator Lugar's many friends.

When I think of an internationalist hailing from the Midwest who could stand there smack-dab in the middle of this country with all of that flatland and look in every direction and see how important the rest of the world was to us, I think of Dick Lugar, and I think of the contribution he made to the State of Indiana and to America and to the U.S. Senate every day of his public service.

Most people don't know that he also had a passion for planting trees. It was one of the things we used to talk about. He would buy farmland and plant trees. I think it is a suitable metaphor for his life that planting a tree is like planting a good idea. Maybe it will not come to full growth in your lifetime, but if it is good solid stock, it is going to be something that is a legacy for generations to come.

Senator Dick Lugar's contribution to Indiana, to America, and to the U.S. Senate planted many trees that will benefit future generations to come.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I announce that the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Leahy) is necessarily absent.

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 come to the floor this afternoon to honor a member of my staff. I thank Senator Fischer and Senator Manchin for giving me an opportunity to speak at this moment.

MJ Kenny has been part of my team in the Senate for 9 years, and for the past several years, he was a constant on the floor of the Senate as deputy floor director of my staff. At the end of this week, he is going to be moving on to a new professional opportunity.

Unlike many of us who work in this building, MJ actually is a resident of the Washington, DC, area. He graduated from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD, a suburb of the city of Washington.

Walt Whitman wrote in his essay, ``Democratic Vistas,'' the following: ``Did you too, O friend, suppose democracy was only for elections, for politics, and for a party name?'' Walt Whitman understood that democracy is more than campaigns. Democracy is certainly more than just yelling at one another. Democracy is a process. It is a daily dedication to the institutions and norms and the rule of law. Making democracy work takes skill and commitment, and it takes many people who are willing to make a sacrifice and see the demands for long hours and the demands for time on the floor as part of their democratic commitment. This can demand great patience and great sacrifice. I think Walt Whitman would have given MJ Kenny high marks, as do I.

For the last few years, MJ has helped to make sure the Senate does the daily work of democracy. I have counted on him to make sure that my interests were represented on the floor of the Senate, that my constituents in Illinois had a voice in the Senate, and that stories about Dreamers and other important information be shared in the Congressional Record with my colleagues and beyond. Making certain that the information was floor-ready was a responsibility of MJ Kenny, and he handled it professionally.

MJ and my floor director, Reema Dodin, are my dynamic duo who help make things happen around here. Together, they are my eyes and ears on the floor when meetings and other obligations take me away. MJ has also been a big help to so many other Senators.

He came to my office 12 years ago for an informational interview. We tried to decide whether we were right for one another. Luckily, I came to the conclusion that this graduate of Northwestern University in Chicago with a degree in history, who had already interned for then- Congressman and now Senator Chris Van Hollen, was a good fit for my team and a good prospect to help us move forward. I gave MJ Kenny his opportunity, and I am sure glad I did. He flourished.

In one year he moved from legislative correspondent to legislative aid to becoming a key part of my floor team. In every job he has done for me, MJ has been a steady, reliable partner. Even in difficult times, he works long hours without complaint and with grit and good humor.

In college, he studied history. In the U.S. Senate and on this floor for the last 9 years, he has not only witnessed history, he has helped to shape it. I couldn't ask for more in a staff.

I suspect that some of what MJ knows about patience and perseverance he learned as a lifelong, long-suffering Baltimore Orioles fan. It is like being a Chicago Cubs fan. Among his treasured possessions on his desk is a bobblehead of Manny Machado, the former O's third baseman and Golden Glove winner. Just as Manny Machado left the O's, MJ Kenny is leaving the Senate at the end of this week. I want to wish him continued success and thank him again for being such an important part of my team over the years.

I yield the floor.

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker) and the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) are necessarily absent.

Mr. President, in the early 20th century, hundreds of emigrants left the Palestinian town of Beitunia to come to Chicago for a better life. Many could not read or write in English. Still, they set about succeeding in America and fitting into society, overcoming obstacles in a new land, becoming salesmen, shopkeepers, and factory workers. Miriam Zayed grew up in this community outside of Chicago.

Khalil Gibran once wrote, ``I slept, and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke, and I saw that life is all service. I served, and I saw that service was joy.'' The call to service isn't an easy path, and not nearly enough answer this call, but there are times when you meet someone who embodies the joy of service. This was Miriam Zayed.

Miriam passed away last fall in October after a lifetime of leadership. She spent her life fighting for Arabs and Muslims in the Chicagoland area and the rights of everyone.

Born and raised in Chicago, Miriam always had a love of politics and education. She convinced her parents to let her go to Chicago State University, becoming among the first in her family to attend college. But there was one stipulation. Her mother had to go with her every day. Miriam's thirst for knowledge would not be deterred by having her mom take her to and from school and wait outside her classes. She went on to receive her master's degree from National Louis University in curriculum education.

Miriam was one of the first Arab Americans in the Chicagoland area to run for public office when she ran for District 230 School Board in the 1990s.

As treasurer of the Arab-American Democrat Club, Miriam brought all local politicians and candidates to attend the annual candidate's forum brunch and encouraged the Arab-American Community to attend and be recognized as voting constituents. I have attended the AADC forums, and promise you, it was always a full house, and Miriam was always working. She never sat for the entire event.

Those that attended AADC brunches, events at the United Holy Land Fund, or the Beitunia Club events knew the tireless work of Miriam Zayed. She never sought the limelight, but all who knew her respected her.

When she wasn't building her community, Miriam was teaching in the Chicago Public School system in the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago. For decades, she taught at the Earle Elementary School. She took her classes to the Art Institute in Chicago, and for some students, it was the first time they ever went downtown. She educated her students about State government and introduced them to public officials. Miriam purchased school supplies and clothing for her students too. Miriam also somehow found time to run her own business as a certified public accountant, helping people in the community with their tax preparation and planning needs. She treated everyone as family.

The week before she passed away, a candidates' forum and brunch that she helped organize took place to celebrate politics and the 2018 election. By then, she was too ill to attend as she had done so many times before. The brunch's keynote speaker, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, reported that April would be designated Arab Heritage Month by the State of Illinois. There wasn't a better place to make that declaration.

In May of this year, Miriam will be awarded the 2019 Najeeb Halaby Award for Public Service posthumously by the Arab American Institute Foundation at the Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards. This award is given to those who promote greater understanding and appreciation of diversity and inclusion. Her decades of work for her students, the greater Chicago area, and the many communities of which she was a member make her more than worthy of the award.

Miriam's joy in service and love for her family and community will be missed. She is survived by her husband Refat Zayed; her children Hythem Zayed, Belal Zayed, Holly (Zayed) Murad, and Lena Hussien; and by her brothers and sisters, Nancy, Zayid, Adele, Heyam, Hanan, Cindy, and Dena.

Mr. President, the late Pulitzer award-winning historian Studs Terkel in his seminal book, ``The Good War,'' described how the Second World War helped give birth to a new middle class for America. The GI bill helped make new things possible. One of those things was the opening of the suburbs for everyone and not just the exclusive domain of the upper class. Thanks to the GI bill, new suburbs became places for returning soldiers and their families to earn a better way of life. This is how Park Forest entered the lexicon of Americana. It was one of America's first ``GI Towns.''

Park Forest has always been on the frontlines of progress. The town won the All-American City award twice, first in 1953 and then in 1977, for its work in racial integration and open housing initiatives. For the last 20 years, my friend, Mayor John Ostenburg, has maintained this tradition while leading Park Forest through a new time of transition and anxiety. Now, as John passes his leadership to a new generation, Park Forest has never been stronger.

John's vocations and career highlights were too numerous to count.

John was born and raised in Springfield, IL. Graduating high school in 1963, he joined a Catholic seminary called the Clerics of St. Viator, where he developed a lifelong sense of justice and humanity. His expertise and interest in the studies of the Trappist monk Thomas Merton earned the admiration of so many, and John regularly is published discussing Thomas Merton.

As a young seminarian, John joined 35,000 others in rallying with Dr. Martin Luther King at Soldier Field in Chicago and then marched with him as he went to Chicago City Hall to post his demands on its doors. He remains, to this day, a life member of the NAACP. Making a difference has always been part of who John Ostenburg is as a person. He witnessed firsthand the violence at the 1968 Democratic Convention while working as a campaign manager for Eugene McCarthy's Presidential campaign.

Upon leaving the seminary, John became a reporter at the Springfield State Journal covering the African-American community. He would go on to be an editor for the Joliet Herald-News, a sports editor for the Tinley Park Crescent Newspapers, and a reporter for the Hammond Times. He even was part-owner and managing editor for the Lockport Free Press.

What brought him to Park Forest was education. He took a job as communications director for Prairie State College. John has been a classroom teacher at the grade school, high school, community college, and university levels. His expertise teaching and administrative work made him an ideal leader in the Chicago Teachers Union. He edited the Union's publications, chaired the communications department, and was legislative director and chief of staff from 2007 to 2010. He also helped move the organization out of debt into fiscal stability.

John's love of Park Forest and its residents always came through to everyone. It was the late Marge Friedman Scherr, a legend in the community, that talked him into running for the Park Forest village board. She saw greatness in him. He lost in 1983, but he didn't give up. He won a 2-year term in 1985, and after the board approved a staggered 3-year term, won again in 1985.

In 1992, John ran and won a seat in the Illinois Legislature for the 80th District. He lost reelection 2 years later, but it was a blessing in disguise. John returned to the Park Forest village board in 1997, and in 1999, he ran and won his first term as mayor. He would go on to win reelection in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015, becoming the longest serving mayor in the history of Park Forest.

During his time as mayor, John helped Park Forest continue its tradition as a place of progress. His visionary approach made the town an All-American award finalist in 2000 and 2006. John continued Park Forest's tradition of diversity by encouraging unity and equality in Chicago Southland, earning a 2009 Award from Diversity, Inc. John's expertise in housing is respected nationally, and he has served on panels for the Brookings Institute on confronting poverty in America.

John implemented the Park Forest Sustainability Plan to help ensure residents maintain high-quality life for future generations through green projects that bring the community together. Under John's leadership, Park Forest was the recipient of the Distinguished Budget Award and Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for more than 20 years.

John Ostenburg's focus on service to others and the greater good is a trademark of his lifetime. His role model Thomas Merton once said, ``We do not exist for ourselves.'' John's career is a reflection of this. Son, father, grandfather, author, and mayor are all roles in which he excelled. The people of Park Forest, the people of Illinois, and I take pride in calling him a friend. We thank him for his public service. John will never cease being a servant to people.

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker) and the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker) is necessarily absent.

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