Floor Statements

Mr. President, I am so glad the junior Senator from Indiana occupies the chair as Presiding Officer at this time because it was 100 years ago next week that ``The Voice of a Thousand Main Streets'' first began broadcasting from the second floor of the Main Auto Supply Building in downtown Fort Wayne, IN--an area that the Presiding Officer knows well.

On March 31, 1925, at 500 watts, 1320 on the dial, the voice of the Midwest, WOWO Radio, hit the airwaves. In Indiana, from such humble beginnings, great things often rise, and those distinctive call letters, ``WOWO,'' endure today.

In fact, over the past century, through good times and bad, Hoosiers in the northeast part of our State have turned on and tuned in to WOWO radio. Although the number on the dial has changed, the studio was moved, the station's wattage has expanded, and the world of media has evolved, Hoosiers still listen to WOWO today.

WOWO is not just a radio station in this community; it is the community's radio station, one it has loved and taken care of for 100 years now. Its programs didn't just entertain Fort Wayne but became part of its culture. Its personalities didn't simply report the news but made history.

During the Great Depression, WOWO turned Fort Wayne into a midwest hub of country music and helped Hoosiers escape from hard times, if only for an hour.

After Pearl Harbor, WOWO provided desperately needed updates as they arrived over the wire with word of the progress of the war effort to the families of the 12,000 soldiers from Fort Wayne fighting overseas.

No matter the era or the decade, WOWO always looked out for its audience. It brought them the local news, helped them stay informed and engaged. Every morning, the legendary Bob Sievers called the Fort Wayne Police Department before going on the air.

When the station moved to the Gaskins Building on Washington Boulevard, where there were no nearby windows, a reporter ran down the hall, climbed out on the fire escape, and looked to the sky to determine the weather. The Gaskins Building is now gone, but, as WOWO listeners know, the station still reports the weather from its ``world famous fire escape.''

During the events that defined the last century for people in and away from northeast Indiana--from the blizzard of 1978 to that terrible September morning in 2001, from the thrill of the Moon landing to the loss of the space shuttle Challenger--listeners can still remember not just where they were when they heard the news but how they heard it: from WOWO through the radio in the car, on the kitchen table, in their classroom.

During tough times, WOWO provided welcome distractions. The audience could tune in to the ``Hoosier Hop,'' where local talents Nancy Lee and the Hilltoppers played and Kenny Roberts yodeled. They could visit the Little Red Barn on a farm down in Indiana for the latest in ag news. ``Modern Home Forum,'' hosted by the fictional Jane Weston, offered cooking lessons. Broadcasts of Komets and Pistons games brought the people of Fort Wayne together around their beloved hockey and basketball teams. The innovative and much imitated ``Man on the Street'' and ``One Moment'' programs turned the shows' listeners into stars.

If a member of the Fort Wayne community lost their dog, WOWO could help them find it. If they fell on hard times, it offered them a hand up.

In the 1940s, the station created the Penny Pitch, encouraging listeners to contribute pocket change for a disabled young man so he could realize his ambition of pursuing a career in journalism. The annual drive still raises money to provide resources to charities across northeast Indiana. Last year, the Penny Pitch raised over $135,000 for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fort Wayne.

Throughout WOWO's history, many of its personalities became household names across northeast Indiana. Broadcasters like Bob Chase, who served our Nation in World War II and then served WOWO listeners as sports director and the voice of the Komets hockey team for over six decades, were beloved figures. More recently, Charly Butcher, Patrick Miller, and Kayla Blakeslee became well known and trusted by the WOWO audience. Brian Ford, WOWO news director, recalled that as a child, when the sky grew dark and storms neared, his grandmother would simply say: Turn on

Mr. President, President Biden is spending his final days in office on a valedictory tour.

Now, here is one accomplishment he won't mention: a crisis on our southern border which has spread chaos across our country, flooded our communities with fentanyl, and cost innocent American lives.

Now, it is correct to call this one of President Biden's ``accomplishments.'' He intentionally reversed the Trump administration's border policies as soon as he reached the Oval Office, and it was by design--by design--that millions of migrants who illegally crossed our southern border were released into our country. This self-inflicted disaster will be a major part of President Biden's ignominious legacy, and it is, in part, why Americans chose to return President Trump to office in November.

When the American people voted for a Republican President and a Republican Congress, they were voting to restore the rule of law at the border. They were demanding that their government fulfill its constitutionally delegated duty to provide for their national security. They were demanding that their government do that, and they were arguing, correctly, that it is not discrimination for a nation to demand that those who seek to call it home do so legally.

The American people want the return of commonsense immigration policy; that is all. That is what I hear back home. But you see, this wasn't possible under President Biden.

Beginning next week, we will have a new President, and there will be no excuses. The open-border policies must end. Criminal migrants must go. The number of Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers must be increased. Barriers to illegal entry must be expanded and enlarged. Republicans are working on legislation which will help accomplish all of these things and improve the security of our border, just like the American people expect.

It will be too little, too late for the family of Laken Riley, though. Of course, she should still be with us today. The man who murdered her last February should have never set foot in America. Her death was preventable. Her killer entered this country illegally and was quickly paroled. Then he was sent, at taxpayer expense, to New York, where he was arrested and released. If that was the end of the story, it would still be an outrage and an indictment of the failed Biden administration. But from there, he went to Georgia, you see--all courtesy of taxpayers--where he was arrested and freed again before brutally murdering Laken Riley.

Weakening border enforcement, incentivizing criminals with specious asylum claims to cross our border, failing to detain and deport these very same people for crimes committed far away from it--these were the policies that led to Laken's death. This cannot happen again. It can't happen again to another American or to their family. That is why we need to pass the Laken Riley Act. It won't singlehandedly end the crisis at our southern border, no. That is not its objective. But it is an important first step in the broader mission we have been assigned by the American people.

Homeland Security must detain migrants charged with crimes--here again, common sense--crimes like shoplifting, one of the crimes for which Laken's killer was arrested. The bill we are currently debating, the Laken Riley Act, requires that they do this and that we meet the objectives of the American people as it relates to border security.

You see, enforcing immigration law is a national security priority. I began emphasizing this years ago. I know so many other Americans believe this in their bones. It is time Washington started acting like it.

So this bill is one of many steps we should take to reverse the Biden administration's open border policies. Stop the madness. Stop the madness. I plead with my colleagues to support the Laken Riley Act. We should pass it now.

Let President Biden have his victory tour. But starting next week, the insanity ends, and we begin to secure our border.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I have seven requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and MinorityLeaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

committee on commerce, science, and transportation

The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on a nomination.

committee on energy and natural resources

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on a nomination.

committee on foreign relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on a nomination.

committee on homeland security and governmental affairs

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 1 p.m., to conduct a hearing on a nomination.

committee on the judiciary

The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing on a nomination.

special committee on aging

The Special Committee on Aging is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 3:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing.

select committee on intelligence

The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 15, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on a nomination.

Madam President, I wanted to address Senator Braun's family, members of his staff, and others who may be watching these proceedings today. Congratulations to Senator Braun for a great run here. To his family, just wonderful people, I see Maureen in the Gallery and other members of the family. I know they are incredibly proud of Mike at this moment, and they are looking forward to the next step in his professional journey and, therefore, their journey, so thank you for your service.

I know that this is every bit as much of a sacrifice and a period of service for members of one's family as it is for us. Sometimes, it is more challenging for family members because we lose all control over what people are saying and whatnot but great to visit with you, and I am looking forward to this next step.

And then members of the team, I think it was right and appropriate that Senator Braun spent so much time talking about your great work on behalf of the people of Indiana.

The bills that he has shown leadership on, multiple bills, and successes would not have happened, as he said, but for your work, the phone calls received, and the emails responded to, all the meetings. I mean, it is really important. Many people call their U.S. Senator only once. Most people don't call, but they will talk to someone who has talked to a U.S. Senator, and those interactions are just so essential.

They shape people's views of what government can be, and they help people be reassured during times like these that they are represented. And so

I appreciate you very much. For many of you, I know you will return to the great Hoosier State and keep working in some sort of service capacity, and I will look forward to working together.

Mike, I have to say, the Senate's loss is Indiana's gain. You have certainly served with distinction here, but I know you have always prided yourself, appropriately so, on your executive responsibilities and achievements over the years. Now, the people of Indiana will benefit from a different type of service, and we are all very much looking forward to seeing what is next. It has already started, I know.

I have to say, the hunting is better. The hunting is a heck of a lot better, whether you are a hunter hunting things with faces or mushrooms, and there is no better place to do that kind of thing than southern Indiana, Dubois County, preferably.

You know, this is Indiana's win, this moment right here--remembering the great service and achievements--but when you reflect on the experience you bring to this next step, building and running a large organization, and yet you still have exposure to and experience in government between the local school board levels, State legislature for a brief period of time, and then the U.S. Senate, what better perspective could an incoming chief executive of a State have?

So I am really excited about this step. Your commitment, I know, will be enduring to fiscal responsibility and economic freedom. Those have been hallmarks of your service here. They are, frankly, expectations that people have of you and of our State. Carrying on that tradition of fiscal responsibility and effective management is, I think, one of the reasons you were elected, despite some strong and talented opponents you faced in that recent election.

So here we are. Here we are parting ways in the U.S. Senate. But as we leave this Chamber, I will have an opportunity to call you Governor- elect, and then we can keep working together on veterans' issues, on budgetary issues, on expanding healthcare access to more people, on ensuring that Hoosiers and others across the country have access to affordable, quality housing near where the jobs are. All of these issues that make normal life possible in this country. Government can be maddening; government can be inefficient; government can be unresponsive; but government is necessary. And if it is necessary, let's make it good government. Let's do what we can to instill some measure of confidence in this system, as imperfect as it may be.

I think that this is something in this new capacity that you can help deliver at a time when so many people are pessimistic about the state of affairs. Again, you are the guy to make this happen.

So Godspeed, Senator Braun. Godspeed to members of your team and to your beautiful family. I am looking forward to helping make you successful in this next step because if you are successful, Senator, then the State of Indiana is successful.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, if you conduct a quick survey of global events over the past 4 years, it is impossible--impossible--to argue that the world is more secure today than it was when the Biden administration began.

Events began to spiral downward in the summer of 2021 when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan. The Biden administration's botched withdrawal cost the lives of 13--13--brave, patriotic American servicemembers. It left American citizens behind, and it left Afghans desperately clinging to the sides of aircraft departing Kabul.

We shouldn't forget this. It conveyed a message of American weakness to the world, a message that was heard loud and clear in places like Moscow, Tehran, and Beijing.

Just 6 months after the debacle in Afghanistan, Russian tanks rolled across the Ukrainian border. Vladimir Putin launched the largest conflict in Europe since World War II. The United States has stood with the Ukrainian people rhetorically. We provided some critical assistance to ensure Ukraine did not lose against the Russian onslaught.

But I have to say, it has not put Ukrainians in a position to win. The Biden administration has too often slow-walked deliveries of weapons or they have imposed other restrictions on the Ukrainian forces. This foot-dragging, this obstructionism, this bureaucratic lethargy, this timidity has undermined our ability to convincingly deter Putin's ambitions or deter a broadening conflict.

So here we are today. The war drags on with no strategy and no defined end goal for American support of Ukraine. Of course, the American people are understandably exasperated by this development. Meanwhile, additional conflicts developed in other regions, as if that wasn't enough.

Determined to revive the Iran nuclear deal, the Biden administration repeated the mistakes of the Obama years. They loosened sanctions on the Iranian regime, and the results predictably have been nothing short of disastrous.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas, the Iran-backed terror group controlling Gaza, carried out the worst attacks against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Iran-backed Hezbollah has attacked Israel from the north and forced the evacuation of Israeli civilians.

And in recent months, President Biden has sadly undone much of the good will he initially created when he stood with Israel after October 7. In the process, President Biden has caved to misguided or hostile voices from within his own administration who demand that Israel defend itself with one arm tied behind its back.

For 4 years, the Biden team has failed to formulate a strategy for restoring deterrence and stopping Iran's campaign of terror and chaos, leaving our ally Israel and the entire Middle East less safe and rolling back the diplomatic progress of the Abraham Accords of the Trump years.

Across the Pacific, the Chinese Communist Party continues to build up its military, threaten Taiwan, wage economic warfare against our businesses and our supply chains, pursue economic coercion against American partners and allies, and undermine security and stability in the broader Indo-Pacific.

Other than that, things are placid.

We saw these developments play out most visibly when China launched a surveillance balloon over North America last year. It traveled over the United States. Here again, President Biden failed to provide answers to the American people about that situation or to restore deterrence so that the Chinese Communist Party understands it cannot spy on our schools, on our military bases, on our homes, on our farms, on the American people. Today, our strategic competition with China continues on as it must, with the CCP's global power and influence largely unchecked over the past 4 years.

Whether it be in Afghanistan, the Middle East, or the Indo-Pacific, the

world that President Biden is leaving behind--there are no two ways about it; let's not be mealymouthed--it is a world full of chaos. A band of malevolent nations--China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and others--that band is redrawing borders, threatening neighbors, stealing intellectual property, sowing chaos, and threatening the global stability. Unchecked, their aggression emboldens other foes of freedom, and it triggers evermore destabilizing conflicts.

So what is to be done? I know there is a natural tendency to withdraw from the world, to give up on our leadership responsibilities, to give up even on what I would characterize as our own security interests. And, understandably, right now there is a natural impulse to withdraw, certainly, from our global leadership role. It all just seems so daunting right now.

We have domestic problems, of course, but we cannot ignore the costs of such a divestment, costs which are manifesting themselves at this very moment. Abandoning our allies and partners will empower and embolden authoritarian powers, such as China, Russia and Iran and others around the world.

Leadership comes with a price. It also comes with rewards, as we have learned throughout our history.

I look forward to working with President Trump and the many talented members of his incoming administration to reverse years--years--of disastrous policies, to restore deterrence against tyrants everywhere. We must be smart. We must be economizing in our global engagement, and I believe President Trump and the team he is building understand that.

We must continue to rebuild our defense industrial base across the country. Restoring our military readiness from artillery and submarines to semiconductors is critical--not promoting war but instead deterring conflict and furthering America's global interests, many as they are.

We must continue to persuade our allies to increase real investment in their own defense. The American people can do a lot, but we can't do it all. Our partnerships with European and Indo-Pacific nations must remain firm, but our allies also must understand that we can't bear the burden of defending the entire globe alone. We need to use our diplomatic leverage, maintain a strong military, and stand with our allies and partners.

A final piece is economic innovation here at home, something I have been working a lot on in my capacity as the U.S. Senator for Indiana. At a time of technological transformation, the United States cannot just be resilient; no, we must continue to lead. All of these pieces are critical to American foreign policy as we move forward. It is time to turn the page on the last 4 years, time to restore deterrence, and time to get back to peace through strength.

Madam President, I rise today to recognize a former staff member and friend, Becky Lambert.

Last year, Becky retired after 12 and a half years as constituent services director in my office. In her time serving Hoosier taxpayers, she worked on more than 4,000 cases, helped veterans obtain more than 80 medals, and returned more than $68 million to individuals fighting to get benefits they were owed. In addition to her accomplishments, her quick wit and bright personality helped to make our New Albany office an amazing place to work.

Becky was born and raised in Prophetstown, IL. She was a brilliant student who earned bachelor's degrees in both criminal justice and accounting. Before joining my staff, she held several different career roles, including helping displaced workers upskill and re-enter the workforce through Business Employment Skills Team. Becky is also a lover of the arts. She is a gifted pianist who has taught countless others over the years. She also created and directed large annual Christmas productions and semi-annual stage productions at her church.

Becky was inspired to enter public service by her father, George ``Bud'' Thompson, who held many public positions in Illinois, including local school board member. She always said she hoped to emulate his servant's heart, and I can say unequivocally that she succeeded in her mission.

On behalf of my staff and the entire state of Indiana, I thank Becky for her service and wish her the best in retirement.

Madam President, I rise today to in honor of Hoosier Hero Carver McGriff.

A great Hoosier is gone, and with him, another link to our Greatest Generation is lost. Carver McGriff of Indianapolis, who died on July 20 at the age of 99, never considered himself a hero or sought the many honors he received.

After all, thousands of other boys stormed the beaches of Normandy. As Carver would remind us, he was just among the fortunate who came home. But a few of those honors bear mentioning: the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, the French Legion of Honor medal. Characteristically, on his induction into the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame, Carver said, ``I have no idea what I did to deserve it, not very much.''

Let the record show, here is what he did to deserve it and why he was a hero:

As part of the 90th Infantry Division, he manned a machine-gun on Utah Beach, surrounded by the enemy during Operation Overlord. He took artillery fire in both legs and one arm, was captured by the Germans, and spent a month as a prisoner of war. Injuries prevented further Active Duty, but after his rescue, he remained with the Army until the war was won and the Axis defeated.

Like so many other Americans, he then came home, started a career, raised a family, and contributed to his community. He tried his hand at business, but Carver's calling was the ministry. He served for 26 years as the senior pastor at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, growing its congregation dramatically during his tenure.

Carver rarely celebrated his part in winning the war and spoke of his service humbly. What he took from this difficult period of his life was a sense of grace, inspired by the humanity he saw in the worst moments of combat: the French priest who offered him and other hungry Americans food and the common citizenship among soldiers that mattered more than color or creed.

What he thought of most often, though, were those boys who did not come home. In later years, when he would guide tours across Normandy, Carver would point to the crosses standing in the American Cemetery. Then he would ask his companions to pick one out, say the name engraved on it, and offer a prayer for the soldier resting under it. ``It has been a long time since someone has said a prayer for that boy, but you can,'' he would remind them.

And we can do the same. I ask my fellow Americans to join in saying a prayer for Carver McGriff and extending condolences to his beloved wife Marianne, their three daughters, and nine grandchildren. But as we mourn his loss, we also celebrate an incredible life, full of years and purpose, led with humility and courage.

If, in the decades ahead, future Americans ever wonder why we referred to this generation as the Greatest, they need only look to the example of Carver McGriff, not simply because of his valor in a war, but because of how he lived his life and served his country long after it was over. Great, indeed.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life and career of a true hero, Sheriff John Plasse.

For four decades, Sheriff Plasse lived to serve and protect his community and his country. He died on Wednesday, July 24, after a battle with cancer. Sheriff Plasse served in law enforcement in Terre Haute and Vigo County since 1985. He served 33 years in the Terre Haute Police Department, including 11 as chief of police, before retiring from the department in 2018. But he was not done working to keep his community safe. In 2018, he was elected Vigo County Sheriff, a position he held until his passing.

Sheriff Plasse also served 34 years in the Indiana Army National Guard. He rose to the rank of sergeant major with the 38th Infantry Division before retiring in November 2017. He was a veteran of the War in Afghanistan and, among his many commendations, awarded a Bronze Star.

While his military and law enforcement careers are impressive, he was also beloved in Terre Haute for his selfless service in the community. He served on numerous boards and volunteered for countless charitable organizations including the Boys and Girls Club, the United Way of Central Indiana, the Hamilton Center, the Special Olympics, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, to name just a few.

Sheriff Plasse is survived by his wife Julie, three children, and three grandchildren. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the countless individuals whose lives were changed as a result of his service.

It is my honor to recognize Sheriff John Plasse for his life of service.

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the life and legacy of Jim Morris. Jim Morris is one of the most influential civic leaders in Indiana's history, and he passed away earlier this month.

I first met Jim Morris about 20 years ago. It was when I returned home to Indiana, after spending time in the military and after a brief stint as a staffer here on Capitol Hill. The only thing I remember about that initial meeting was that it wasn't particularly memorable.

Jim Morris wasn't the kind of man who would bowl you over with his charisma or his magnetism. This wasn't his style. It was never about him. But, over time, the weight of continuous heartfelt interactions with Jim could change a person. Indeed, you might say they changed an entire city.

Jim Morris died July 12. He was 81. He had a 60-year career of service, all

told, to the city of Indianapolis, the State of Indiana, and even to the world.

Though Jim would bark at the title ``model,'' in my mind he was, in many ways, a model American citizen.

Jim grew up in Terre Haute. He attended Indiana University. It was there that he fell in love twice, once with the school itself and once with his beloved wife Jackie. And that endured.

In 1967, not long after graduation, he became chief of staff to a young mayor of Indianapolis named Richard Lugar. Since that moment, almost nothing great in our capital city happened without Jim's involvement. He helped launch a university in downtown Indianapolis, until recently known as IUPUI. He was involved with the building of the Indianapolis Zoo, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Indiana Pacers. They all had Jim's fingerprints on them.

Jim understood that the key to healthy organizations and healthy communities was to connect and empower others and ensure that seriousness of purpose was met with civil discourse.

In 2002, Jim took that approach global when he was appointed to lead the United Nations World Food Programme. He served as executive director of the program for 5 years, caring for and delivering aid to men, women, and children around the world who experienced a level of poverty that is difficult for us to imagine.

These monumental headline-grabbing accomplishments were only a part of who Jim Morris was, though. Indeed, his true legacy was far deeper, more personal, and, I dare say, more beautiful.

He always counseled friends to expand their work to its widest possible sphere of impact, to help more people, or--as he sometimes put it--to find someone who could use a boost.

He practiced what he preached. Indeed, countless Hoosiers have been affected by the small acts of altruism: funding local food banks, building neighborhood basketball courts, and similar generosities that we will never know about.

His servant's heart, no doubt, stemmed from his deep and abiding faith in God. He was an active member in the Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. He didn't boast about many of his accomplishments. Instead, he lived a life worthy of the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 20: ``Whoever wants to become great among you, must be a servant''--a servant.

I think about our ``forgettable'' first meeting often. I could be wrong, but Jim probably would have made a poor candidate for public office today. But, you see, that was a choice.

For me, Reverend Henry summed it up at Second Presbyterian, last Friday, in his memorial meditation to Jim. He said that Jim Morris chose--he chose--hope over despair, connection over division, gentleness over meanness, courtesy over discourtesy.

There is power in that choice. Jim Morris chose to be a decent man. He knew, and we must never forget, that no man can truly be great if he is not good. Now, more than ever, we need good men and women like Jim Morris in every corner of our Nation--men and women who become great through selfless service to their communities and endeavor to make life better for the rest of us.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, in 1864, after 3 years of Civil War, many citizens of the North were ready for peace. The 13th Amendment had passed in this very Chamber but failed to do so in the House of Representatives, and the fate of Abraham Lincoln's Presidency--and perhaps the continuation of the war--was on the ballot.

In that spring of 1864, Lincoln placed his hand on a Hoosier general's shoulder, and he said: ``I believe it right to give you a chance.'' What he really meant was a second chance.

I rise to mark a day 160 years ago when that second chance and a refusal to flinch from duty, even in a forlorn hope, saved our Nation's Capital and possibly much more than that.

Not long after his meeting with Lincoln, that same soldier was ushered into the office of Secretary of War Ed Stanton.

``What do you know of the Middle Department?'' the Secretary asked.

``Nothing,'' his visitor replied.

``Nothing?'' the Secretary repeated.

``I am from the West,'' General Lew Wallace answered.

By ``the West,'' Wallace meant Crawfordsville, IN, and that is exactly where he was when the year began--an officer whose career appeared to be at a dead end.

Two years before, the division under his command arrived late to the Union lines during the first day of fighting at Shiloh. Wallace was scapegoated after one of the deadliest battles in the war up to that point. He was removed from his command in the Army of Tennessee and placed on reserve. Requests for a reinstatement failed.

``I had cast my last throw. What next?'' Wallace wondered.

The answer came from another Hoosier--President Abraham Lincoln. Wallace was to report to Washington and take command of the 8th Army Corps and the Middle Department even though he didn't even know where the Middle Department was headquartered. The answer, Stanton told him, was Baltimore, and that is where Wallace headed after buying a Rand McNally map of the United States for 15 cents.

In early July, Wallace sat at his desk studying that map closely. He had just received word from the anxious president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad that Confederate troops were advancing through the Shenandoah Valley. The path from there to Washington, DC, was wide open. The city was poorly defended with Union soldiers. They were away attacking Richmond at the time.

``Washington, seriously menaced, was incapable of self-defense--that much was clear,'' he wrote years later.

Staring at that map, Wallace understood that the threat was very real and his responsibility was crystal clear. Without orders--without orders--he departed for Monocacy Junction, where the roads and railroad leading to Washington and Baltimore crossed a tributary of the Potomac.

Upon arrival, he stood on a bluff looking down on the Monocacy River and the green pastures and golden wheat fields beyond it. He could see the steeples of Frederick, MD, not far off and the Catoctin Mountain on the horizon.

The peaceful summer was interrupted with the echo of distant gunfire. Soon it was clear: General Robert E. Lee had sent General Jubal Early north to take Washington. He had crossed the Potomac and was on his way east toward Monocacy Junction, perhaps to Baltimore--more likely to Washington, just 40 miles away.

Wallace had already moved with great urgency. He messaged Washington to recall troops and prepare for an attack. He called in what brigades or parts of brigades he could to augment his own men, eventually raising a force of several thousand. Then he spread them thinly along the eastern bank of the river, determined to block its bridge just long enough for reinforcements to arrive in the Capital.

On the night of July 8, the eve of the battle, Wallace laid down and placed his head on a folded coat, but anxiety made sleep impossible. Could he throw a hastily gathered and mostly green force in the way of a superior army, in an objective so hopeless? The Navy Yard up in flames, the Capitol menaced, the library inside it looted, the treasury emptied, foreign heads of state rushing to recognize the Confederacy-- and then, most painfully, the image of Abraham Lincoln ``cloaked and hooded, stealing like a malefactor from the back door of the White House just as some gray-garbed Confederate brigadier burst in the front door.''

The next morning, July 9, when the Confederate Army of over 15,000 arrived at Monocacy River, it was met with fierce resistance from the outnumbered Federals. Rebel charges were repeatedly turned back until late in the afternoon, when Wallace, after heavy losses--nearly 1,300 dead and wounded--ordered his men to withdraw toward Baltimore.

Early's battered army paused for the night before it continued on to Washington. When he reached its gates on the 11th, Union reinforcements were waiting. A skirmish at Fort Stevens followed, and the rebels departed emptyhanded.

The Union stand cost the Confederates a full day--a full day--and with it, their chance at Washington.

Monocacy. Monocacy. Monocacy is usually unmentioned among the list of consequential Civil War battles, but today, on its 160th anniversary, we reflect on its importance. You see, had Early's men taken the Capital, however briefly, the humiliation could have persuaded a war- weary population to dismiss Abraham Lincoln.

What then would be the fate of the 13th Amendment or the eventual terms of peace? Because of Wallace's steely resolve and his men's uncommon valor, the questions went unanswered. Lincoln was reelected. The following January, the 13th Amendment to forever end slavery passed Congress. The war was over by April, and the Union was preserved. And General Lew Wallace, not unlike the hero of a novel he later wrote, was redeemed.

When it comes to words, Wallace will always be best known for ``Ben- Hur,'' but the message he forwarded to Washington after the Battle of Monocacy is timeless too. It should inspire all of us still, a reminder that rising to our duty, no matter the odds or even outcome, can change the course of history.

I did as I promised. Held the bridge to the last.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I rise today to honor the life of Sally Lugar, who passed away peacefully amid the love of family and friends on May 2, 2024.

Sally was a proud, lifelong Hoosier. She was born in Martinsville, IN, on June 12, 1934. After graduating high school, she attended Purdue University and earned a degree in home economics. While at Purdue, she was a varsity cheerleader, president of her dorm, and spent 3 years on the Debris, the Purdue yearbook. After graduating, she taught english, health and science, and physical education at Muncie Central High School.

Sally married Thomas R. Lugar on April 12, 1958, and they were blessed with three children, five grandchildren, and one great- grandchild. When Tom passed in 2018, they had been married for 60 years. Sally and Tom were avid travelers who loved experiencing new cultures and creating new lifelong friendships. She loved connecting with people and serving her fellow Hoosiers. In the last 60 years, Sally served more than 30 central Indiana nonprofit organizations. She did this while managing

a family farm in Morgan County and raising three children.

Her service included active engagement with the tennis community and extensive involvement with the greater Indianapolis community. In the tennis world, she served as the president of the Central Indiana Tennis Association; held leadership positions with the Western Tennis Association, WTA Junior Development Committee, National Junior Tennis League; and co-founded the Indianapolis Junior Development Fund.

Sally was a leader in central Indiana, holding positions with the Junior League of Indianapolis, Day Nursery Auxiliary, Methodist Hospital Task Core, WINS, Teachers' Treasures, Purdue Consumer and Family Sciences Alumni Association, Purdue President's Council, YWCA, Progressive Club, WFYI, Propylaeum Historic Foundation, Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae Association of Indianapolis, and Daughters of the American Revolution, and she was an active participant in many other civic and charitable organizations.

Sally loved her family and relished every family gathering. She loved Tom and her children deeply and was extremely proud of their accomplishments. She taught right and wrong, honesty, fairness, and respect. I know Sally will be missed dearly by her family, her community, and the whole State of Indiana, and we celebrate her remarkable life.

Madam President, 100 years ago this week, a legend was born. One hundred years ago, the champions of religious freedom refused to back down in the face of intolerance and hate. One hundred years ago today, the University of Notre Dame earned the moniker the ``Fighting Irish.''

On May 17, 1924, thousands of members of the Indiana chapter of the Ku Klux Klan gathered in South Bend, IN, for a rally, a rally called by their infamous leader D.C. Stephenson. The target that day for their despicable and misguided message of ``true Americanism'' was the Catholic institution of the University of Notre Dame, the young men who attended the university, and the Holy Cross priests who taught at it.

In the years that immediately preceded that fateful day, the KKK had watched with despair as Coach Knute Rockne and his football ``Ramblers'' had barnstormed across the country, winning praise for their fighting spirit and the university.

We can't forget that at the time, Catholics were a major target for the KKK in the Midwest, and Notre Dame's success on and off the field was an affront--an affront--to the Klan's false message of superiority.

So the KKK gathered outside the Golden Dome for what was to be a 3- day rally, complete with parades and speeches and dances and no small amount of overtly violent intimidation. You see, they weren't used to anyone standing up to them. They weren't expecting anyone to stand up to them. And little did they know that the mostly Irish Catholic student body across the street had no intention of being intimidated.

Little did they know that the students were so animated that the university president, Father Matthew Walsh--a World War I veteran--had been trying in vain to tell his students to stay safe and to shelter in the school.

Little did the KKK know that on that day, the intended aspersion that the student body had co-opted as their preferred nickname--the ``Fighting Irish''--was about to reach a national audience.

As the story goes--no doubt colored with some apocryphal additions over the years--the Klansmen began arriving in South Bend and hundreds of students marched out to meet them. At first, the students almost playfully offered to assist the Klansmen in finding lodging and food, sometimes leading them down allies, other times leading them back out of town.

However, when one KKK leader evidently became wise to the ruse and pointed a pistol at a student who had intended to pull down the unsacred cross of lights hung in a downtown third-floor window, well, as they say, all hell broke loose. Klansmen who chose to fight quickly met their match and scrambled out of town. Students grabbed produce-- yes, even potatoes--from a local vegetable stand and hurled them at the cross, taking out all but the uppermost bulb.

At that very moment, legendary ``Four Horsemen'' quarterback Harry Stuhldreher launched an impossible shot. He threw a potato 40 feet in the air at the bulb, successfully darkening the last unholy light.

Moments later, the rest of the Klansmen were run out of town, tails between their legs. A subsequent exchange the next day led to another rout by Notre Dame running the record to 2 and 0 against the Klansmen that weekend.

That weekend, in describing the Notre Dame student body's takedown of the most vaunted KKK chapter in the country, several national papers seized on the ``Fighting Irish'' moniker that had previously only been applied to the football team.

If you are interested in more details about that fateful weekend, Notre Dame alum Todd Tucker has written an acclaimed book entitled, ``Notre Dame vs. The Klan.''

Events like the one that took place in South Bend, IN, often prove to be historical inflection points.

In early 1924, intolerance and hatred were on the rise in the country, not just in Indiana but from coast to coast. For many, it was easier to give in to the fear of an uncertain future than to work to build a better community.

But Indiana and the country were soon to turn a corner, and the timing couldn't have been more poetic. Rockne, Stuhldreher, and the rest of the ``Fighting Irish'' football team would pull off a perfect 10-and-0 season later that year en route to the 1924 national championship. And the Indiana chapter of the KKK would quickly fizzle after the rape and murder conviction of its leader, D.C. Stephenson, the next year.

As for the university itself and its brave and proud student body, it would be 3 more years before Father Walsh would reluctantly give in to the wave that started that May day in 1924 and officialize the nickname the ``Fighting Irish.''

But make no mistake, it was 100 years ago this week, in an act of defiance against religious intolerance, that the ``Fighting Irish'' truly came into being.

So on this day, we remember their bravery in exercising their most basic of American freedoms as we celebrate the day they put the fight in the University of Notre Dame ``Fighting Irish.''

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that DeMark Schulze, a State Department Pearson fellow from my office and a 2005 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, be granted floor privileges until August 3, 2024.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to use a prop during my remarks.

Mr. President, you might be surprised by the guest book of a museum in a small town in Indiana. Inside it are names of visitors from all 50 States and from much farther away--other countries, other continents, places like Italy, France, Japan, and New Zealand.

They have made their way to Milan--Milan, IN. And they have done so because here is where the heart of Hoosier Hysteria lives. It is the greatest basketball story ever that has taken place. It happened there 70 years ago this week, March 20, 1954, at the Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis: the finals of the

Indiana High School Basketball Tournament, the Indians of Milan High, enrollment 161, versus the Bearcats of Muncie Central, enrollment 1,660. Fifteen thousand fans are in the bleachers, with thousands more Hoosiers listening over the radio. It is the fourth quarter. The game is tied at 30; 18 seconds on the clock. Milan inbounds. Senior Bobby Plump gets the ball. He fakes left, dribbles right, pulls up, knocks down a 14-foot jump shot just as the clock expires. The nets come down. The celebration starts.

The next morning, the new State companions headed home. They are in a fleet of Cadillacs along Indiana's county roads. There was no interstate or highway connecting Indianapolis to Cincinnati, the closest city to Milan.

Hoosiers were awaiting along the way in Greensburg, in Shelbyville. They were holding signs. They were waving. State Road 101, which led back home, was lined with cars and cheering fans for 13 miles. And 40,000 people were waiting in little Milan, IN, even though at the time, the town had only 1,100 residents. This is Hoosier Hysteria. This is what the people of Indiana are so excited about every March.

That year, in 1954, as the players from Milan rolled into town, two members of the team, Ray Craft and Kenny Wendelman, hopped on the roof of their Cadillac with the championship trophy between them. The procession ended near Milan High. That is where that trophy remains today.

The next morning, the crowd was gone. The small town, its quiet had gradually returned. In the days that followed, members of the team graduated. They went off to college, pursued careers. They drifted apart. Coach Marvin Wood took a job up in New Castle.

The passage of time brought other changes--not all of them welcome, of course. Little Milan, like so many towns across the country--it is facing challenges. And the single class basketball tournament system that gave small town teams like Milan a shot at the title is no more.

Some of the schools that played in the 1954 tournament are gone. Milan, it hasn't won another championship. Though, it must be said they made it to the semi-State back in 1973.

Despite this--or possibly because of it--the Milan Miracle is as inspiring as ever. Yes, it is the tale of the little guy, the underdog, David versus Goliath, the smallest school to ever win the single class tournament. Literally, in fact, Muncie Central's average height was 6- foot-4. Milan was 5-foot-11.

This story is so much bigger than that, so much bigger than basketball or even Indiana, for that matter.

Milan's players always note that their championship run in 1954 wasn't a lightning strike. It wasn't even a stroke of good luck. No, the Indians made it to the final four the previous year. Most of the players had known and practiced with each other since grade school. They played tough. They were coached well. Perhaps most importantly, they had faith--faith in their teammates, faith in one another, faith in that community that they represented, faith that merit and hard work would be rewarded, faith that, just maybe, their dreams would be satisfied.

Bobby Plump's last shot is still talked about around the country, really, but certainly, back home in Indiana. That is the moment we remember. But it was the culmination of a lot of hard work, dedication, and teamwork. And it happened because of the support of families, friends, and neighbors.

Milan was a place where, when a student needed a winter coat, locals--they took up a collection at the drugstore. They bought that coat. It is the place where the kids who didn't have a lot of money could eat for free at Rosie's. The ones from nearby Pierceville who often had to walk to school, they could count on rides from friends.

In a different era, when the world seemed so much smaller, the local basketball team was, at least for the month of March, the world--the world--every one of these teams, the celebration of your togetherness, your community, your opportunity to show your stuff.

Even a water shortage in the spring of 1954 didn't dampen Milan's or Ripley County's excitement for the Indians. In fact, as an area newspaper reported: ``water or no water, Ripleyians want Milan to bring home the crown.''

Apart from what happened on the hardwood at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the memory of Milan lasts because--because their team and town symbolizes what keeps all of our communities together, what lifts our hopes and fuels our dreams, even when it feels like hopes and dreams are all we have.

That trophy that I mentioned, that trophy in the newly refurbished lobby of Milan High's gymnasium, today is a symbol of more than just a State championship. Oh, it is so much more.

You see, it is proof of how much we all can achieve when we work together towards a common goal and resolve to hold our own, no matter the odds, no matter how insignificant others might say we are or think we are. It is an inspiration still across small towns and struggling places waiting on their own miracle, where the basketball team brings people together and makes them feel proud of the places they call home. This--this is why we still celebrate little Milan beating mighty Muncie Central 70 years on. It is why we will, I believe, for the next 70 years too.

Of course, for those who haven't already figured it out, this is the story that inspired ``Hoosiers,'' a beloved movie written and directed by a pair of Hoosiers.

You see, visitors regularly come to Indiana in search of the movie's fictional Hickory, hoping to find the small town epicenter of Hoosier Hysteria. But what they are really searching for is right there in Ripley County. It is an actual town with a real history and a tradition to be proud of and, dare I say, replicated.

They will recognize it by the basketball goals in driveways, the backboards on barns, the black water tower with white lettering, prominently reading: ``STATE CHAMPS 1954''--it is still there. I have seen it many times, the historical marker commemorating the Milan miracle and that museum that celebrates it right there in the center of town.

As a newspaper declared back in 1954:

In basketball, Little Milan is the new capital of Indiana.

I think that is about right. Well, 70 years later, it is still the capital, and the Indians will always be champions.

I yield the floor.