[Page S6943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Tribute to Jon Tester

  Mr. President, the big man from Big Sky Country, Jon Tester--before 
his election to the Senate, 18 years ago, Senator Jon Tester had never 
lived more than 2 hours away from his family's wheat farm in Big Sandy, 
MT, the same farm his grandparents homesteaded more than a century ago.
  Jon started his campaign for the U.S. Senate traveling across the 
State on a farm tractor-trailer. And with his seven fingers, Roger 
Maris flattop, and scuffed size-12 cowboy boots, he has cut a singular 
figure in the Halls of Congress. He is a prairie pragmatist and a 
defender of programs that many rural Americans depend upon, such as 
market fairness for family cattle ranchers and rural community 
development efforts.
  Jon voted for the Affordable Care Act because it was right and 
because it is a lifeline to rural hospitals, to farmers, ranchers, 
small business owners, and others who need affordable, accessible 
healthcare coverage.
  He has been a strong voice for Native Americans. Growing up, Jon 
played ``Taps'' at the funerals of World War II veterans. It taught 
him, at an early age, that many veterans continue to pay a price for 
their service for the rest of their lives.
  He gave a speech on the floor of the Senate, just a day or two ago. 
He pointed to that moment in the funeral service for former Senator Dan 
Inouye, a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, where, in 
Hawaii, Jon was called on to play ``Taps'' for Senator Inouye. He said 
it was one of his proudest moments, and I am sure that is true.
  When I think of the giants of the Senate, like Dan Inouye, I think 
about those like Jon Tester who, in his own way, showed his courage 
time and again.
  As chair of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Jon Tester has 
worked to strengthen VA healthcare and protect disability benefits for 
all veterans. He pushed the Senate to pass the historic PACT Act to 
provide healthcare for veterans who were sickened by exposure to burn 
pits and other toxins and the survivor benefits for their spouses and 
young children. As of last week, the VA has approved more than 1.3 
million claims under the PACT Act, including more than 51,000 veterans 
in my State of Illinois.
  By the way, you likely have been hearing about self-professed 
``efficiency experts'' combing through the Federal budget. Some of them 
have even called for the elimination of the Veterans Health 
Administration. They are wrong. They should listen to Jon Tester, a 
patriot, who it has been an honor to work with and count as a friend.
  And you can't close with Jon without mentioning Shar. His wife Shar 
has been his partner in life and in politics and in every step they 
have taken together. It is a wonderful, loving, caring, inspiring 
couple. I am going to miss their physical presence, but their memories 
will live on in the Senate.


                    Tribute to Robert P. Casey, Jr.

  Mr. President, it was the evening of January 28, 2017, in the early 
days of the first Trump administration. Airports in Chicago and 
throughout the Nation were filled with people protesting the 
administration's early ban on travelers from majority-Muslim nations. 
Among more than 100 protesters at the Philadelphia International 
Airport, one man stood out. Dressed in a tuxedo and tails, he had just 
attended a black-tie function when he heard about President Trump's 
decision. That man was Senator Bob Casey. He went directly to the 
airport.
  As we all know, Senator Casey isn't usually so flashy as to wear a 
tux, but his principles guide him in everything he does. Bob Casey is 
one of the most decent people I have ever served in Congress with. He 
is a bridge builder. He is committed to creating dialogue and finding 
common ground. He is the only--the only--Pennsylvania Democrat ever to 
serve three terms in the U.S. Senate.
  He has been a strong voice for working families struggling to get by. 
He has a great family himself with Terese. Poor mothers and children, 
coal miners at risk, and others finally had an advocate here standing 
up for them in the U.S. Senate.
  As chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, he has protected 
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. He helped lower seniors' cost 
for prescription drugs--a promise that was made years ago and finally 
kept, thanks to Bob Casey. He has targeted scam artists who prey on 
seniors.
  Bob's father was a popular, two-term Pennsylvania Governor. And while 
Robert Casey, Sr., may have embedded the Casey name in Pennsylvania 
political life, Robert Casey, Jr., through his decades of service, has 
added new honor to that name.