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Floor Speech
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Mr. LEE. Res. 164, which is at the desk; further, that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
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Mr. LEE. Mr. President, for half a century, the Heritage Foundation has worked to build a United States where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish. Their unwavering commitment to our Nation's core principles has been a guiding light for generations, and we owe them our deepest gratitude.
In 1972, the Heritage Foundation was conceived by Dr. Edwin J. Feulner and Paul Weyrich to deliver timely and persuasive research to Congress with facts, with data, and sound arguments on behalf of principles that promote freedom, opportunity, and prosperity for all Americans.
On February 16, 1973, the Heritage Foundation opened its doors for the first time and quickly grew to become one of the most influential and most broadly supported think tanks in the United States.
Over the past 50 years, the Heritage Foundation has played a critical role in many great legislative successes of our great country. They published the ``Mandate for Leadership'' in 1981, which served as a ``policy bible'' for President Ronald Reagan in his administration.
In 1982, the Heritage Foundation published the first comprehensive study outlining a missile defense system to defend the United States from nuclear missile attacks. Six months later, President Reagan made his historic speech calling for a strategic defense initiative to protect the United States.
Research by the Heritage Foundation formed the basis for welfare reform in the 1990s, resulting in more than 5 million people in the United States leaving welfare, finding work, and, ultimately, reducing African-American child poverty to historic lows.
The Heritage Foundation understands that the people of the United States are best served by a government that understands, honors, and respects self-governance. They have been a voice of reason and an advocate for our shared American values, reminding us of the power of individual liberty and the importance of limited government. Their dedication to promoting a society based on these ideals has helped shape the course of our Nation, and we are all better off for it.
As we look back on the past 50 years, we should remember the incredible impact of the Heritage Foundation on our Nation. Their legacy is one of service, and we are grateful for their unfailing commitment to our country.
I urge my colleagues to support my resolution recognizing the important contributions at the Heritage Foundation to American life over the past 50 years and acknowledging their central role in shaping our Nation's policies and values.
As we move forward, the challenges facing our country continue to grow. We need the Heritage Foundation now more than ever. Their expertise, research, and dedication to our shared values are crucial. They will continue to be a force for good in the years to come, and I am proud to stand with them to support a better, brighter, and more prosperous future for all Americans.
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Mr. LEE. Mr. President, moments ago, when I asked to pass this resolution honoring the Heritage Foundation by unanimous consent, moments before I made that motion, I was informed of this policy, a policy that I have never seen. After more than 12 years in the Senate, I haven't seen this policy.
It is a policy within the Judiciary Committee--not a rule but a policy--but a policy that is seldom employed. I have never seen it invoked. There are a couple of requirements in it. One is that a commemorative resolution, in order to be approved for clearance for passage by unanimous consent on the floor with the approval of the committee, would need to be bipartisan.
I want to be clear that while this was not bipartisan, I invited Democrats to join in this. I genuinely think they should be willing to join it in the same sense that I would be willing to join them in something honoring Brookings or some other think tank. This group has done good work, and there is nothing in the resolution that commits them to substantively embracing every policy recommendation in the Heritage Foundation's past.
So that one should be easily satisfiable. I hope to get to that point at some point. It is unfortunate that we can't get this passed today, but I would love to be able to do that.
The other one is that no measure may commemorate any entity that is political. Heritage Foundation is a 501(c)(3), and it is a charitable nonprofit entity. It is not political, and it also can't commemorate a living person. This is there to commemorate an institution, a foundation--not an individual.
So even though I wasn't aware of this policy until today, I think there is no strong reason why this should stop us from doing this. In any event, I hope we can get this passed, if not today, then on some other day soon.
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