Senator Johnny Isakson Va Regional Office Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. OSSOFF. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a giant of the great State of Georgia--which the Presiding Officer and I both have the distinct honor of serving--to recognize a true legend of the U.S. Senate, an extraordinary father, husband, and representative of our State, the late Senator Johnny Isakson.

Senator Isakson served Georgia all his life. Born in Atlanta, Senator Isakson attended the University of Georgia, then enlisted in the Georgia Air National Guard. He was a successful private businessman, growing his real estate enterprise to one of the largest in the State.

He served in both the Georgia House of Representatives and the State senate, and Governor Zell Miller, a Democrat, appointed him, a Republican, to chair the State Board of Education.

In 1999, Senator Isakson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he worked to improve American K-12 education.

And in 2004, he was elected to this body, where he would serve for almost 15 years with courtesy, dignity, and kindness, supporting and championing bipartisan efforts to better serve our Nation's veterans. And his service culminated in his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and of the Senate Ethics Committee.

As we will hear from our distinguished colleagues who served alongside Senator Isakson--like Senator Blunt--Senator Isakson, through his uncommon decency, his generosity of spirit, his commitment to integrity and service of others over service of self, won universal respect in this body; won respect in the State of Georgia that crossed party lines and earned the reputation not just nationally but around the world for statesmanship, effectiveness, and hard work.

Even more than his work as a statesman, Senator Isakson was a father and a husband. And I want to recognize Senator Isakson's extraordinary family, including his wife of more than 50 years, Dianne; his sons, John and Kevin; his daughter Julie--all of whom I have had the pleasure of speaking or corresponding with in recent months and all of whom, in their lives, carry on the Senator's legacy.

Senator Isakson had a saying that there are just two kinds of people in this world: friends and future friends. I hope we can all be inspired by that aspiration and that outlook, by his resilient desire to see the good in everyone; to see the opportunity to work with anyone; to try to find where our interests align, where we can meet eye to eye, where we can get things done together.

Senator Isakson's courtesy, collegiality, and integrity will forever serve as an example to all of us who serve in this body today and in the future. And that is why, in recognition of Senator Isakson's tremendous contributions to American veterans, to the State of Georgia, and to the United States, it has been my privilege to introduce-- alongside my distinguished Republican colleague from Missouri, Senator Blunt, and the Presiding Officer, Senator Warnock--the Senator Johnny Isakson VA Regional Office Act to rename the VA's Atlanta Regional Office after Senator Isakson as part of our Nation's ongoing recognition of his service and as an example to those who follow in his footsteps of the virtues that his representation embodied.

I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their support of this legislation. We will hear from Senator Blunt and Senator Warnock, to share their experiences working alongside and knowing Senator Isakson, in just a moment.

But now, let's get this done and take this action to demonstrate our enduring respect and admiration for this extraordinary American statesman, Johnny Isakson. 4359 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

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Mr. OSSOFF. Mr. President, I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.
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