EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following
nomination, which the clerk will report.
  The senior assistant bill clerk read the nomination of Matthew A.
Schwartz, of New York, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second
Circuit.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.

                       Remembering Lindsey Graham

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, it is a sad day for all of us in the
Senate and particularly those that are very, very close to Lindsey
Graham, and that would be most Senators and, obviously, his staff. So I
would like to take a moment to honor the life of our fellow Senator
Lindsey Graham.
  We were shocked by the sad news yesterday of his untimely death.
Senator Graham was a devoted public servant, through his military
service as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, as
well as being elected to office continually since 1992.
  Senator Graham was a very forceful and quick-witted presence in every
room that he entered. His warm nature made everyone his friend, and I
feel blessed to be one of them.
  A few feet from right here is the Senate cloakroom. Frequently,
Senator Graham would hold court there, and in holding court, he was
making every Senator laugh, no matter what the challenge we were
dealing with on that particular day.
  He was infectious in the way he told a story, and, of course, there
was always a punch line.
  I was no stranger to being the butt of his jokes. Senator Graham
loved to tell people how frugal I was and that if I were ever to open
my billfold, dust and moss would come out of it. I don't know how many
times I have heard that.
  Senator Graham always brought a smile to your face and levity to the
Halls of Congress.
  Senator Graham was no stranger to my home State of Iowa, as it is
first in the Nation for Presidential elections. And in the year 2016,
when he announced he was going to run for President, I had the
privilege of showing him around a time or two during his campaign for
President. He was a fan of the good people of my State of Iowa,
identifying with our shared values of hard work, of faith, and genuine
care for one another.
  I also worked closely with Senator Graham on the Senate Budget and
Judiciary Committees, and we worked together for decades. He was a
coveted ally on legislation, and, as chairman of those Committees, he
was always fair, and he was always productive. From Supreme Court
confirmations to criminal justice reform and border security, having
Senator Graham in your corner was a great asset.
  He will be remembered for his many accomplishments as a national
figure for the Republican Party.
  Senator Graham deeply loved his country. He was a bold leader, an
impassioned national security hawk. He spoke his mind, as we all know,
and we all know that he had the capability and the desire to work
across the aisle. He was at the center of some of the most famous deal-
making groups in the past 30 years.
  He loved the Senate as an institution, and his hard-working staff was
like family to him.
  Most importantly, he dutifully served the people of South Carolina,
and his roots ran strong through him every day of his life.

  Barbara and I are praying for Senator Graham's family as we all
grapple with the loss of a great man.
  And I think we should show our appreciation for the hard work, as
just 2 days before he passed, he was in Ukraine, meeting with
Zelenskyy, and he was announcing that he was going to move forward with
some very important legislation putting additional sanctions on Russia
because of their invasion of Ukraine. And I think we can show our
gratitude and appreciation of Senator Graham by moving that legislation
forward.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                       Remembering Lindsey Graham

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I come to the floor today with a heavy
heart. I look to my right, and I see a desk which we in the Senate
refer to and know as the John Calhoun desk. It is covered by a black
shroud, and on top of that shroud is a bowl of white roses. That is
Lindsey Graham's desk.
  It is difficult to believe that Lindsey Graham is no longer here with
us, that we won't run into him at a meeting today or share a joke with
him at this afternoon's vote.
  The halls of the Senate already feel empty without him, and I know I
am not alone in that feeling. He was a friend to so many of us on both
sides of the aisle. I know that I am not the only one who finds it
difficult to imagine the Senate without Lindsey Graham.
  The events of Lindsey's life have been well-documented over the past
couple of days: his humble beginnings in South Carolina; sharing a
single room with the rest of his family, behind his family's bar; his
guardianship of his younger sister Darline after the untimely death of
their parents; his long service in the Air Force, the South Carolina
Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve; his career in politics,
first as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, then
as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where I served with
him for 6 years, and then in the Senate, where he was just completing
his fourth term.
  In the Senate, Lindsey distinguished himself as a staunch
conservative--and a fierce advocate for South Carolina--but also as
someone who was willing to work across the aisle to find common ground
and to reach solutions.
  A lawyer by trade, he served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Committee from 2019 to 2021, where he helped confirm a Supreme Court
Justice and numerous Federal judges--the kind of judges who believe in
following the law and the Constitution, instead of legislating policy
from the bench.
  Most of all, of course, Lindsey was known for his national security
and foreign policy work. There was no bigger believer in America's role
in the world. He was confident that the United States could be a force
for good, and he gave everything he had to ensuring that we would be.
  He was a friend and defender of freedom-loving peoples all over the
world. He stood with the Ukrainian people in their fight against
Russian aggression, and he died with his boots on, having just returned
from a trip to Ukraine, his 10th.
  He believed fiercely in the importance of a strong national defense--
in ensuring that our country and our military men and women were always
prepared to deter and defeat any threat.
  But while there was always a lot made of his support for American
hard power, he was also a big believer in the use of soft power:
economic, diplomatic, and political solutions to the world's problems.
  I was fortunate to travel with him all over the world, including to
Israel after Hamas' October 7 attack. And I saw firsthand the work that
he did to promote American security and the security of freedom-loving
peoples around the globe.
  And, of course, I don't need to tell anyone in this body that Lindsey
was fearless in his commitment to the causes that he espoused. It
didn't matter to him whether he would catch flack on an issue. He was
undaunted by the politics if he believed he was right on the principle.
  Senator, warrior, patriot, statesman--words that will be written
about Lindsey. But for me, most of all, he was my friend. ``Without
friends''--Aristotle said--``no one would choose to live, [although] he
had all other goods.''
  And it is difficult to count the ways in which Lindsey's friendship
made this job richer and its burdens lighter. Lindsey was as loyal as
they come and a trusted adviser. I could always rely on him for
straight-talking advice. He never minced words or pulled punches. I
could also rely on him for a steady flow of humor and encouragement. He
always could make me laugh--always.
  In the last couple of years, he came to South Dakota twice, and,
twice, we sat on the deck and watched the sun go down on Lake Oahe--a
familiar scene to me but new to him.
  And as the stars came out, you could see the Milky Way overhead, and
you could hear coyotes howling and rooster pheasants cackling down
below.
  Lindsey's wit punctuated all of it, and I will cherish those memories
for a long time to come.
  If there is any light to be found in this grief, it is this: that as
a Christian like Lindsey, I know that death is not the end. The Apostle
Paul writes: