The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTE TO MARK KIRK” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S7009 on Dec. 9, 2016.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO MARK KIRK
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to the junior Senator from Illinois, my good friend Mark Kirk. I know I speak for all of my colleagues in expressing gratitude of his service on behalf of our Nation. When he leaves us in January, we will miss him dearly.
Senator Kirk was born in Champaign, IL, in 1959 and attended Cornell University, where he graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in history. He would later earn a master's degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. His academic background in law and history prepared him for a life in public service.
Senator Kirk first came to Capitol Hill as a staffer, working for Congressman John Porter of Illinois. He quickly rose through the staff ranks to become Congressman Porter's chief of staff before leaving to take a post at the World Bank and, later, at the State Department.
While still working on Capitol Hill, Mark also pursued military service, joining the U.S. Navy Reserve in 1989 as an intelligence officer. He was an active member of the Navy Reserve for the next 24 years, retiring from the military with the rank of commander. As a Navy officer, Mark's duties took him to conflict zones across the world--
from the forests of former Yugoslavia to the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. For more than a decade, Mark continued military service while simultaneously working as a Congressman in the House of Representatives.
While in the House of Representatives, Mark distinguished himself as a prudent member of the Appropriations Committee and an expert on foreign policy issues. In 2010, he was elected to the Senate and quickly set to work the following year championing infrastructure reform that was critical to his home State of Illinois. In 2012, Mark faced perhaps his most significant challenge yet when he unexpectedly suffered a stroke that nearly took his life and left the left side of his body severely impaired. Rather than be defeated, Mark channeled all of his energies in working towards recovery, spending countless hours working with physical therapists to regain his ability to walk.
What motivated Mark most during this difficult period was the desire to continue serving the people of Illinois. Thanks to Mark's unrelenting efforts and the heartfelt prayers of family and friends--
including all of his colleagues in the Senate--Mark miraculously recovered and was able to return to his work in the Senate, where he has served out the remainder of his term with the utmost honor and distinction. Senator Kirk offers all of us an unparalleled example of courage amid hardship and grace amid suffering.
Through his decades of dedicated service to our Nation, both here in Congress and in the military, Senator Kirk represents the very best this Nation has to offer. His integrity, determination, and fortitude in the face of adversity embody the very pinnacle of American virtue. Today I would like to thank him for his courage, his commitment, and his sacrifice. I wish Mark and his family all the best, and I hope that he will continue his service to our Nation in the years to come.
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