Congressional Record, Senate, S7092: Guantanamo, Lonnie Stephenson, Patrick J. Leahy (December 12, 2022)
Summary
Page S7092 of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated December 12, 2022, opens with remarks urging closure of the Guantanamo detention facility, stating that 35 individuals remain there at a cost of $550 million per year, and urging that the Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act be included in the omnibus spending bill. A tribute to Lonnie Stephenson follows, noting that next month he steps down as president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Mr. Grassley then pays tribute to Patrick J. Leahy, President pro tempore of the United States Senate and its longest serving Senator, and notes that the two served together on the Agriculture Committee.
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“Congressional Record, Senate, S7092: Guantanamo, Lonnie Stephenson, Patrick J. Leahy (December 12, 2022).”
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S7092 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 12, 2022
care that cannot be safely provided on and should be included now in the om- decades of service to the labor move-
that naval base, Guantanamo. nibus spending bill. The bipartisan Jus- ment.
That endangers the lives of their pa- tice for Victims of War Crimes Act is Here is the good news: Lonnie steps
tients, when we mandate it in this bill. cosponsored by Republican Senator
I have come to this floor to advocate down knowing we have one of the most
CHUCK GRASSLEY and myself. We intro- pro-union Presidents in history car-
for the closure of Guantanamo for duced it, and several of our colleagues
years. It saddens me that for more rying on his legacy to improve the
joined us. lives of working families. Lonnie has
than two decades, the legacy of torture Most Americans would be shocked to
and indefinite detention has continued been by President Biden’s side from the
learn that the laws of the United
to betray our values as a nation and start. Their special relationship was
States of America do not allow us to
the rule of law. This detention facility evident last May in Chicago when
prosecute foreign war criminals who
was deliberately created to serve as a President Biden became the first sit-
are roaming free right here in the
legal black hole where detainees could ting President to address an IBEW na-
United States—hard to believe.
be held incommunicado, beyond the As that unspeakable atrocity con- tional convention. I was glad to be on
reach of law, and even subjected to tor- tinues in Ukraine, we must not allow the program.
ture. There is still, all of these years those who are murdering and torturing Last year, when President Biden
later, no due process for the prisoners the people of Ukraine to come and re- signed the infrastructure bill, a his-
at Guantanamo and no justice for the side in the United States with impu- toric investment, I saw a familiar face
families of the thousands of people who nity, period. We must close this gap in at the signing. Lonnie was right there
died on 9/11. our laws and ensure that foreign na- at the White House, along with 11 other
We held a hearing on Guantanamo, tionals here on our soil can be pros- IBEW members—a reflection of his
and one of the family members of the ecuted for war crimes. America must dedication to creating jobs. But it is
survivors of that terrible 9/11 occur- send a message to the Vladimir Putins not just the bipartisan infrastructure
rence came and said to us: Finally get of the world that their henchmen will law; Lonnie was a driving force on
it over with. Close this facility. Try find no safe haven here. many more pieces of historic legisla-
these individuals if you have a charge I look forward to finally getting to tion, from the CHIPS and Science Act,
against them; if not, put an end to it. this critical bill as soon as possible. to the Inflation Reduction Act, to sav-
Since that prison opened in Guanta-
TRIBUTE TO LONNIE STEPHENSON ing the pensions of millions of union
namo, hundreds of detainees have come
Madam President, next month, the members and retirees in the American
and gone. Today, there are 35 individ-
pride and joy of Rock Island, IL, and Rescue Plan.
uals at an unjustified and embarrassing
my good friend Lonnie Stephenson is These groundbreaking victories were
cost of $550 million per year to keep
stepping down from his post as presi- no guarantee. Lonnie faced some
the facility open. Quick math—we are
spending $15 million a year for each of dent of the International Brotherhood daunting challenges during his tenure
these detainees while there are ample of Electrical Workers. While Lonnie’s as president of the IBEW. The former
vacancies in our Federal prisons. Why? leadership will be missed, he leaves be-
Illinois Governor supported an agenda
The vast majority of the men who re- hind a legacy of amazing service and
of unrelenting hostility to unions.
main indefinitely detained have commitment to working families.
That Governor is gone now, but he
never—never—been charged with any Lonnie is the son of factory workers
spearheaded a litigation effort that re-
crime and have been unanimously ap- from Moline, IL. He knows as well as
anyone the challenges working fami- sulted in a Supreme Court decision
proved for transfer by defense and in- overturning 40 years of law that rigged
telligence agencies, and American tax- lies face. He saw right through the
failed practices and policies of trickle- the economy against working families.
payers pay $15 million a year for each And former President Trump made it
of them to stay at Guantanamo. They down economics, which led to a shrink-
ing middle class and crumbling infra- clear he favored special interests at the
languish at Guantanamo for no justifi- expense of many of Lonnie’s workers
able reason, contrary to any notion of structure. Only the rich got richer.
Lonnie started off as an apprentice and their families.
due process or rule of law.
I filed an amendment to this bill that wireman with the electricians, and Then Lonnie was faced with a global
I am referring to earlier this fall to even then, he knew the value of a pandemic that created an unprece-
close this prison at Guantanamo once union. He rose through the ranks of dented economic crisis that shuttered
and for all. Put it behind us. I am dis- IBEW Local 145, becoming vice presi- businesses and created massive unem-
appointed that it wasn’t taken up and dent before taking over as business ployment. For most, it would have
that the final bill doesn’t address it. manager in 1991. been hard to see a silver lining, but not
The Senate, again, did not have a All the while, he fought to make for Lonnie. He faces challenges head-
regular floor process for this bill, things better for families in his home on.
which would have allowed debate and area of the Quad Cities through safe
He stood up for working families and
amendments. That is what the Senate working conditions, fair wages and
organized thousands of new IBEW
used to do routinely. Now, it hardly benefits, and a secure retirement. He
members. He made sure that his
ever happens in this body. spent countless hours organizing and
union’s new membership was reflective
Ultimately, I will vote for this bill grew his local from 700 to more than
of the community—strong, diverse—
even with my objections I have stated, 1,100 members. He gave back to his
with an initiative to expand member-
but I want the record to be clear: The community in so many different
ship to traditionally underrepresented
Defense Authorization Act has not ways—organizing annual blood drives,
populations, like women and people of
been bogged down by ‘‘liberal non- encouraging community service among
color, and we are seeing these gains
sense,’’ as the Senate minority leader his members, supporting the Red Cross
across the country. Approval of labor
stated last week on the floor of the when historic flooding hit the Quad
unions is at its highest point in the
Senate. The reality is, this bill author- Cities.
I remember joining Lonnie for Labor last 57 years, and union election peti-
izes nearly $75 billion more for the na-
Day parades in the Quad Cities, where tions increased 53 percent last year.
tional defense compared to the last fis-
his standing in the community and re- That is no accident; it is because of the
cal year—a significant increase and
spect of his fellow union members was hard work of people like Lonnie. The
critical for our Nation’s defense and
legendary. workers are fortunate to have him on
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our troops—but I hope it will be
A good friend of mine, former Sen- their side.
matched in an omnibus by nondefense
spending to keep parity as well. ator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, who More recently, Lonnie has worked to
We must finalize and pass an omni- tragically died in a plane crash 20 years prepare IBEW members for the jobs and
bus bill without delay to keep our Fed- ago, used to say, ‘‘We all do better industries of the future. One example—
eral Government functioning. when we all do better.’’ No one has em- the bipartisan infrastructure law. Lon-
I want to note one top priority that bodied this policy more than Lonnie nie put a provision in there that in-
should have been included in this bill Stephenson throughout his nearly five cludes $7.5 billion for construction of
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December 12, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7093
national electric vehicle charging net- PAT LEAHY and I have battled to- world. He has leveraged his leadership
works built with union labor. In Illi- gether in the trenches countless times to help ban the export of anti-per-
nois, IBEW is leading work with com- over the years. He is a worthy adver- sonnel land mines and secure justice
munity colleges and high schools to sary and, countless times, a trusted for war victims.
train the next generation of workers. legislative ally. It takes grit; it takes For years, Senator LEAHY and I
Illinois and the entire Nation have grace; it takes gravitas to score vic- partnered together to strengthen the
been lucky to have had a champion of tories and stick to the courage of one’s Freedom of Information Act and also
working families like Lonnie Stephen- convictions. the very important whistleblower pro-
son. I am going to miss him working in Indeed, PAT and I have more in com- tection laws.
a formal capacity, and I feel fortunate mon than might meet the eye. He is a We have worked together to root out
to consider him a friend. Loretta and I dyed-in-the-wool liberal from New Eng- fraud and protect national security
wish him a long and joyous retirement land, with a law degree from George- with reforms to the EB–5 investor visa
with his wife Dawn and their children, town. I am a Midwestern conservative program.
Stacey, Katie, Marty, Jacob, and An- and lifelong family farmer. As Senate We share a fierce commitment to se-
drew. colleagues, we share an abiding respect curing our States’ fair shares as cham-
I yield the floor. for this institution of the Senate. We pions of small, rural States in America.
I suggest the absence of a quorum. value bipartisanship. For decades, we From broadband to infrastructure, to
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The have earned the public trust of the vot- the opioid crisis and pandemic relief,
clerk will call the roll. ers of Vermont and Iowa. That tells me Senator LEAHY and I have rolled up our
The legislative clerk proceeded to
that Vermonters and Iowans prioritize sleeves and put in the work to ensure
call the roll.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I hard work and constituent service. the people of Iowa and Vermont don’t
At his announcement last November, get short-ended.
ask unanimous consent that the order
PAT shared that he and his wife For decades, Senator LEAHY and I
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Marcelle made the decision together have served together on the Canada-
objection, it is so ordered. and that it was, to quote his words, U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group to ad-
TRIBUTE TO PATRICK J. LEAHY
‘‘time to put down the gavel.’’ vance bilateral economic and trade
First, I want to say how much Bar- issues.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Today, I come to
the floor to pay tribute to the Presi- bara and I cherish our friendships. Bar- In May of 2000, we held our annual
dent pro tempore of the United States bara and I celebrated 68 years of mar- conference on the steamboat Delta
Senate. He is the longest serving Sen- riage last August 22. Two days later, Queen along a route from Memphis to
ator currently serving in this institu- Marcelle and PAT celebrated their 60th New Orleans. I cochaired the com-
tion, and he is my friend from wedding anniversary. Barbara and mittee discussing international trade,
Vermont, Senator PAT LEAHY. Marcelle are both cancer survivors and and Senator LEAHY cochaired the panel
As many of you know, the Senator have developed a close friendship over on international affairs.
from Vermont also happens to be a tal- these many years. These wives are In May of 2011, our group met with
ented photographer. His photos have strong and resilient and use their international partners in Belgium and
been published in the New York Times, voices to advocate for early detection traveled to Russia, where Senator
USA TODAY, and elsewhere. Senator and treatment to save lives. Now, I can LEAHY gave a very important speech on
LEAHY has also appeared in front of the only speak for myself—and I believe the judiciary and the rule of law, and
camera in Batman movies. But this my friend would agree—the uncondi- then to Ireland to advance in all of
shutterbug was bitten by the political tional support of Marcelle and Barbara these places diplomacy, peace, and
bug, and he certainly made his mark in have made us better men and then bet- prosperity.
Vermont politics. ter Members of the U.S. Senate. I have enjoyed working together to
At age 34, he became the youngest As I mentioned, PAT and Marcelle ar- forge fruitful relations around the
and very first Democrat elected to the rived at their heartfelt decision—made world.
U.S. Senate from the Green Mountain in partnership—to, using his words, As I reflect on our years of service
State, and today, he is Vermont’s long- ‘‘put down the gavel.’’ As you can see together here in the U.S. Senate, some
est serving Senator, having put his here from this photograph, Chairman observers might actually suggest times
name on the ballot two dozen times LEAHY certainly knows how to wield a sure are different than when we first
during his political career. gavel. He has had plenty of practice. In came to Washington. PAT was elected
A year ago in November, my friend his nearly half century of service, PAT to the U.S. Senate in 1974, the same
and colleague announced that he would has chaired all of these committees: year that Iowans elected me to the
not seek reelection to a ninth term. At the Agriculture Committee, the Judici- U.S. House of Representatives—at that
the Vermont statehouse, he happened ary Committee, and the Appropriations time, the only Republican in the Iowa
to be there to announce his very first Committee. This photo was taken in delegation. Despite the partisanship
Senate campaign. It was at the 2015 when then-Chairman LEAHY pre- and polarization that is defining civic
Vermont statehouse that he did that, sented me with an engraved gavel as I life this year and for the last few years,
and PAT, at that time, recalled the prepared to take the helm of the Judi- I have great hope for America.
words of Edmund Burke, the Dubliner ciary Committee. By the size of this Senator LEAHY and I share an abiding
who served in the House of Commons gavel he is firmly holding in his hands, fidelity to uphold the promise of Amer-
during America’s Revolutionary War. I am awfully glad that Senator LEAHY ica. I am honored to have served these
The words that Burke imparted to the and I get along so well. Although we many years in Senator LEAHY’s com-
electors of Bristol in 1774 inspired PAT don’t always see eye to eye on politics, pany.
LEAHY’s approach to public service. we have found common ground on Vermonters placed their trust in Sen-
Burke said: issues that matter. We respect each ator LEAHY’s judgment. They counted
Your representative owes you, not his in- other’s views and values and build con- on his vote, his voice, and his leader-
dustry only, but his judgment. sensus based on mutual trust. ship to represent their values, and Sen-
Burke also said a representative We have served many years together ator LEAHY has delivered.
ought to have ‘‘the most unreserved on the Agriculture Committee. Senator Barbara and I wish PAT and Marcelle
communication with his constituents.’’ LEAHY added tens of thousands of acres joyful days ahead in each other’s com-
to the Green Mountain National Forest
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Now, in my mind, that still is the es- pany on their farm, and we wish them
sence of representative government. and is one of the few people on Earth that for many, many years to come.
Although we serve on different sides who can explain Federal milk mar- Godspeed to my friend from
of the aisle, find ourselves on opposite keting orders—and, boy, did he go to Vermont.
sides of the ideological spectrum, and bat for the Northeast dairy farmers. I yield the floor.
hail from different regions of the coun- Senator LEAHY has cultivated exper- I suggest the absence of a quorum.
try, PAT and I are called to serve our tise in Foreign Affairs that is recog- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
constituents. nized here at home and around the clerk will call the roll.
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