Congressional Record, Senate, page S4130 (July 1, 2020)
Summary
Page S4130 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for July 1, 2020, made up of Senate floor statements. One says that on June 22, 36 people became American citizens in the first naturalization ceremony in Lincoln since February. Another is a tribute to Marny Xiong, chair of the St. Paul School Board. A further statement honors AMWAT, a moving and storage company run by Dean and Gloria, and a closing portion raises environmental neglect as an issue facing the country.
Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used
Cite this document
“Congressional Record, Senate, page S4130 (July 1, 2020).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-07-01-crec-2020-07-01-pt1-pgs4130-2-d1400d0d7c/
, SHA-256 e8fdfa9635ad5e78367ace1e001d06e5e37c26300701ea12748c1a8bc4e0a678.Full text
S4130 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 1, 2020
of equal justice for all first came into our State. During the Covid–19 pan- AMWAT’s high-quality work has
the world. demic that sadly took her life, she took earned awards from business groups,
I was touched to see that on June 22, on the fight against hate crimes including the Greater Tallahassee
36 people became American citizens in against Asian Americans and hateful Chamber of Commerce, the Tally
the first naturalization ceremony held rhetoric about the virus. She stood up Awards, Angie’s List, and Wheaton
in Lincoln since February. This diverse against these acts of hate that threat- World Wide Moving. Dean and Gloria
group of people renounced their loyalty ened the lives and dignity of so many are also active in the American Moving
to their former countries and took an in Minnesota. and Storage Association and the Pro-
oath of allegiance to the United States. Marny led St. Paul’s school board fessional Movers Association of Flor-
Family and friends in attendance and Asian American elected officials in ida.
brought homemade banners, red, white, condemning xenophobia and denounc- From the beginning, Dean and Gloria
and blue balloons, and other patriotic ing racism, saying: ‘‘While they brew have understood that providing dig-
displays. hate, we’re building a powerful move- nified work is crucial to personal and
These 36 people, despite being citi- ment for change.’’ Marny understood community development. Through
zens for only a few weeks, are just as that there are more students to help, training, mentorship, and teamwork,
American as you or me. And these new more teachers to respect, more com- they encourage their employees to feel
citizens chose to be Americans. They munities to support, and more justice a sense of ownership in the company
weren’t born here, but they saw Amer- to deliver. Marny wasn’t afraid or in- and take pride in their work. At
ica for what it is: a shining city upon a timidated to take on these challenges. AMWAT, the employees are the most
hill, where our institutions, though She was resolute and determined to en- valued asset.
they sometimes falter, strive to honor lighten those who engage in the poli- Locally, AMWAT is committed to ad-
Jefferson’s promise of God-given rights tics of fear and division. That is dressing poverty, upward mobility,
and equal treatment before the law for Marny’s legacy and what we have in- education, and the arts. Their signa-
all citizens. herited from her. ture charity event is the annual Sum-
We are not perfect, but neither can Marny Xiong is a role model and an
mer Fill-a-Truck Food and Fund Drive,
we forget our founding purpose. The inspiration and will be sorely missed,
which benefits the Second Harvest of
United States was the first nation in but as we mourn her loss today, tomor-
the Big Bend. They have also partnered
row we can honor Marny’s legacy by
history to set this lofty standard for with ECHO, Junior League of Tallahas-
building on the movement to which she
ourselves, and we remain its best ex- see, and LeMoyne Arts.
committed her life, a movement to see
ample. Like many other small businesses,
a better, more just, vision of our com-
This Independence Day, as our coun- AMWAT experienced a sharp decline in
munities and our country, Marny’s
try wrestles with both a pandemic and revenue due to the coronavirus pan-
movement.
national unrest in the wake of the kill- Thank you.∑ demic. When the U.S. Small Business
ing of George Floyd, I urge you to re- Administration launched the Paycheck
f
member that we remain, as President Protection Program, PPP, Gloria and
Abraham Lincoln said during the Civil RECOGNIZING AMWAT MOVING Dean quickly applied. The PPP pro-
War, ‘‘the last best hope of earth.’’ WAREHOUSING STORAGE vides forgivable loans to impacted
Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the ∑ Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, as small businesses and nonprofits who
floor and note the absence of a quorum. chairman of the Senate Committee on maintain their payroll during the
f Small Business and Entrepreneurship, COVID–19 pandemic. When their fund-
each week I recognize a small business ing was approved, Gloria and Dean used
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
that exemplifies the American entre- it to keep their 26 employees paid and
preneurial spirit at the heart of our adapt their business procedures to
REMEMBERING MARNY XIONG country. Today, it is my distinct honor meet public safety standards. For Glo-
to recognize a family-owned business ria and Dean, the PPP was a ‘‘blessing’’
∑Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President,
that not only provides excellent mov- and a ‘‘godsend,’’ providing the secu-
today I rise to honor the life of Marny
ing, warehousing, and storage services rity needed to continue serving their
Xiong, who served as chair of the St.
but also prioritizes dignified work for customers, employees, and community.
Paul school board and was a beloved
its employees. This week, it is my AMWAT Moving Warehousing Stor-
member of the community taken from
pleasure to honor AMWAT Moving age is an outstanding example of the
us too soon on June 7, 2020. As one per-
Warehousing Storage of Tallahassee, important role small businesses play in
son put it, Marny wasn’t just well- FL, as the Senate Small Business of creating dignified work in their com-
liked, she was well-loved. the Week. munities. I commend AMWAT for pro-
Those who knew Marny best de- AMWAT was founded in 1997 by col- viding excellent moving, storage, and
scribed her as someone with a joyful lege sweethearts Dean and Gloria Pugh logistical services and uplifting their
spirit who was great at making other in Tallahassee, FL. After helping sev- employees. Congratulations to Dean,
people laugh. Mayor Melvin Carter of eral friends move residences, the cou- Gloria, and the entire team at
St. Paul may have said it best when he ple realized they had the potential to AMWAT. I look forward to watching
noted that she ‘‘embodied our city’s start their own business. Initially your continued growth and success.∑
spirit, gave her heart to our students, named ‘‘A Man With A Truck,’’ the
and worked tirelessly to uplift the f
business started as a one-man oper-
voices of the unheard.’’ ation consisting of a pick-up truck and VERMONT STATE OF THE UNION
The daughter of Hmong refugees trailer operating out of Dean’s spare ESSAY CONTEST FINALISTS
whose parents fled Laos to a refugee bedroom. Soon after, A Man With a ∑ Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I ask
camp in Thailand before arriving in Truck moved into a small warehouse, to have printed in the RECORD some of
Minnesota, Marny and her eight sib- hired six employees and acquired three the finalist essays written by Vermont
lings grew up in St. Paul and attended moving trucks. High School students as part of the
St. Paul public schools, Her father In 2008, Dean and Gloria acquired the 10th annual ‘‘State of the Union’’ essay
earned a high school diploma as an largest, oldest moving company in the contest conducted by my office.
adult, opening career opportunities for Tallahassee area and rebranded as The material follows:
him and showing Marny firsthand the AMWAT Moving Warehousing Storage.
SAMUEL DOOLEY, MILTON HIGH SCHOOL,
value of education and hard work. AMWAT has grown to include 26 em-
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
SENIOR
Marny Xiong represented the best of ployees and a 13-truck fleet. They pro-
The country that we live in today is
us, driven by a simple mission to do vide long-term storage, handle shipping plagued with fundamental problems. Rang-
good and to give back. As the chair of for local businesses, and provide ship- ing from political corruption to an ineffi-
the St. Paul School Board, she de- ping services nationwide. Gloria serves cient healthcare system, yet the single most
manded equity for her students—and as president and chief executive officer important issue facing our country today is
fought for justice for all people across and Dean is the chief operating officer. nationwide environmental neglect. Without
VerDate Sep 11 2014 13:10 Jul 02, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G01JY6.084 S01JYPT1
File and source
- File
- CREC_crec-2020-07-01_crec-2020-07-01-pt1-pgs4130-2.pdf
- Size
- 235,207 bytes
- SHA-256
- e8fdfa9635ad5e78367ace1e001d06e5e37c26300701ea12748c1a8bc4e0a678
- Original
- www.govinfo.gov