From Arizona President, I rise today to give my maiden speech of the fourteenth senator to represent our great state of Arizona It is an honor to be serving Arizona in United States, Senate and humbling to be appointed to serve in the seat held by Senator John Mccain like most of my life. I didn't take the traditional path but I'm blessed to have been given the opportunity to make a difference for others and stand in this historic chamber. Today I love Arizona the Grand Canyon State It's people and our spirit like many Arizonans I wasn't born mayor so this is a love of choice Also like many Arizonans I first came to the state on a military assignment in the summer of 1990 to attend pilot training at Williams Air Force Base now home to a thriving industrial Park called Mesa Gateway I fell in love with Arizona right away and was fortunate to have the majestic view from the sky as a pilot What a privilege to live in a land Adventure I only read about as a kid home to one of the seven natural wonders of the world in the Grand Canyon and our diverse landscapes, mountains, canyons, lakes, rivers, sunsets and the powerful dessert lightning After an assignment away, I came back to Arizona to fly the a 10 Wart hog at Davis Month and Air Force Base I can tell you from experience. There is nothing quite like finishing a demanding training mission on the Barry Goldwater Air Force range and having a near heavenly view of On this beautiful Red sunsets it isn't only our climate and beautiful landscapes that make Arizona a great place to live and work We Arizonans are known for our fierce independence our resilience hardiness hard work, faith and diversity It's this legacy of service and patriotism that transcends generations They say the best comes last and that could be true when it comes to Arizona we were the last in the continental United States to become a state in 1912 and have a history Of attracting adventurous hardworking people searching to live out their dreams Our state motto is detox Dales or God enriches highlighting the importance of faith in God in our past and our future The original foundation of our economy is known as the five seas copper cattle, cotton, citrus and climate Today, we still have mercy mine, the largest copper producer in North America which I recently visited Arizona has made history in our own unique way We're known around the world for the famous town of Tombstone and their legendary okay coral We gave women the right to vote eight years before the whole nation and are the proud home to Sandra Day O 'connor, the first woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court, Arizona has always proudly hosted and supported our troops and remains crucial for our defense. Our vast, open land, beautiful weather in airspace makes our state a National security treasure in Arizonans have always answered the call to serve in uniform and support our vets The 20 - two federally recognized tribes and has a largest percentage of tribal geography Any state. The old Iraqi Hope Village is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the country started around a thousand 18. And to a peak is named after specialist Laurie Ann Pasta the first Native American woman to die in combat while foreign soil while serving in the US military Arizona has history punching above our weight with elected leaders Carl Hayden was our first congressman turn Senator user 50 - six years and secured funding for the Central Arizona project to support our water needs. Road. Castro is the first Latino governor of Arizona and served as the US ambassador to multiple countries and we are home Two Senate heavyweights Barry Goldwater who served five terms and John Mccain, who served six terms in this chamber I approached this opportunity to serve in a Senate the same way. I approached my 20 - six years in the air Force as a fighter pilot in my four years in the House. I lost my father at the age of 12, so my life is shaped early on to be treating each day as a gift in the hospital shortly before he died. My dad told me to make My journey to this chapter of service is not been an easy one but I learned from my dad and my mom who's left behind with five kids that hard work education and faith and a mindset of service to others are unfailing foundations for any endeavor in life When I retired from the Air Force having served both in peace and war I give a speech and I shared some principles and lessons I learned along the way that still ring true today for this new deployment here to the Senate first know your old The oath that I took on January third as a US senator is the same of the same exact wording As one I took as a military officer the oath and what it represents is what those of us who served in the military we're willing to fight for and if necessary die for during my eight year battle with the Pentagon over their policy, requiring US service women to be treated like property and where the Muslim burka like coverings over them when they were off base in Saudi Arabia I often felt alone Discouraged there was extraordinary pressure, telling the top four -star brass that they were outrageously wrong and me a lowly ranking major at every reason to believe my career would be cut short for taking on the establishment over what I believe is wrong at the most anguishing moments in that long fight, I had to ground myself in my oath and why I place service above self. We were taught as cadets and officers and moral courage means doing the right thing even if it comes at a great personal cost to you trust me, I was tested. But stay the course subsequently sued Donald Rums ville which we could all could probably agree on both sides of the aisle is not a good career move Nonetheless, I went on a one woman lobbying campaign as a regular citizen which led to legislation being passed, unanimously signed in the law and resulted in overturning this demeaning discriminatory policy It took eight years to win but by all measures it was worth it I credit that old It gave me purpose It gave me power and enabled one Opposed by the entire Department of Defense to endure as a result changeable So this is how I plan to serve Arizona in this body standing up for what's right in the same fighting spirit that comes with living up to my oath of service Next. The question is, is this a job, a career or calling a job brings a paycheck provide certainty and pays the bills a career console noble at its surface But if someone is only focused on a career path and advancement they can purposely or inadvertently step on others not be a good teammate not rock the boat to do the right thing make decisions based on Beer a career focus can foster risk version and selfish motives a calling, however is being a part of something greater than yourself and just like my time in uniform and in that message, I gave it my retirement I approach my time here in the Senate of calling for this season and this moment in time I get up every day with the focus of what can I do today to make a difference for Arizonans next Don't walk by problem It's part of our military culture if you're complaining about something. You better be willing to step up and do something about it God puts us in certain circumstances in order for us to use our energy and our talents to make a difference for others That's how I went from yelling at the television in my living room to delivering this speech and the hello chamber today as I learned from my dad on timely passing if these two years or the last two years of my life what will I do with them How can I make this time truly meaningful for those I represent The Senate was created to be the world's most delivered a body and designed to be methodical in nature but it wasn't designed for anonymous holes a partisan bickering to score cheap political points or clicks on stories I built a reputation in the House for being a pragmatic problem. Solver who understands why constituents send people to Washington to work together to increase opportunity and prosperity for everyday Americans And it take a stand when actions go against their best interest far, too often too many elected officials During my retirement ceremony I conclude with this quote from a renowned fighter pilot named John Boyd He says One day you will come to a fork in the road and you're gonna have to make a decision about which direction you want to go He raised his hand and pointed If you go that way you can be somebody you have to make compromises. You have to turn your back on friends but you'll be a member of the club and you get promoted and you'll get good assignments Ben Board races other Pointed in another direction or you can go that way and you can do something something for your country and for your air force and for yourself if you decide you wanna do something you may not get promoted you may not get the good assignments. You certainly won't be a favorite of your superiors but you won't have to compromise yourself Be true to your friends and yourself and your work might make a difference to be somebody or to do something in life It's often the roll call that's when you have to make a decision to be or to do Which way will you go That question is what should be posed to all of us who served in this chamber today It's no secret. My path is to take action and do something and I'd ask my fellow senators to join me with this pressure tight precious time we've been given I already know so many of you feel the same and are driven to serve Let's point in the direction of do You know there's only 1983 people have served as United States senators How many can you name for me? But a fraction except for a few extraordinary exceptions No one is gonna remember our names when we're no longer here we go back to being regular citizens So it's about service now not self to do something that matters Arizonans like people all over the country are tired of the gridlock they want Congress to work for I am not the other way around many people here want to protect this institution but the American people have basically lost faith in these bodies and those serving in them Our approval rating is pathetically low and is likely credited to family members and paid staff to point the direction of John Boys challenge of doing something we must commit today to stop the dysfunction break. The gridlock stop spinning stop obstructing start truly working on behalf of the American people Yes, we Divided times, but there's always more that unites us than divides us since I took this open January third my first mission in the Senate was a bit all 15 counties in Arizona to listen to my constituents, priorities and challenges It was a two ears and one mouth tour use proportionally Despite the diversity of our state that was tremendous common ground on so many major issues and priorities Arizonans want us to promote policies to ensure if they work hard they will be able to provide for Families get ahead and meet their full potential They wanna make sure our country is safe for them and their children They want a life of dignity and respect for one another They want us to give our military men and women everything they need to do their mission and take care of them and their families when they're done serving That's why I'm gonna continue to fight to protect the a 10 Wart hog at Davis Mountain and fight for the up 30 - five at Luke Air Force Base plus other amazing military installations that we have and their unique missions in Arizona and it's wise is I visited numerous veteran service organizations like us Vets where I heard real stories from veterans who struggle with homelessness and addiction who, since been helped off the Street and been able to start a new life for themselves Arizona, as well as to solve the border crisis and stop playing political games with it a crisis, all too real like cities like Huma I saw firsthand. There were over 300 migrants illegally, cross the board or due to poor infrastructure and lack of resources for agents or like Douglas No Dallas, we're outdated facilities, leave agents overwhelmed with volume and leave our country vulnerable illegal trafficking of drugs or people Arizonans want us to work together to bring down the out of pocket cost of health care and allow patients, families and doctors, not the government or insurance companies to make health care choices for them We can do this by protecting preexisting conditions and supporting initiatives like Association health plans which allow groups like the Southern Arizona Chamber of Commerce Association to partner small businesses together to access health insurance Right now, only big companies can lives will be saved for the medical innovation that's happening in my state Arizona is home to many institutions that are leading the way to find new treatments and cures for deadly diseases When I visited the Ivy Brain Tumor Center I was inspired by the story of Catherine Ivy who's husband passed away from glioblastoma the same deadly cancer that took the life of Senator Mccain instead of being consumed with her grief Catherine search All over the world for the best place to invest and partner for ground breaking innovation to conquer this disease she found it at the barrel barrel Barrel Neurological Institute right there in her own state of Arizona Doctor Deers and I and his team are doing amazing work and leading on cutting edge research and clinical trials We need more investment and less barriers for initiatives like this Arizonans want us to continue to tackle the opioid epidemic as disproportionate Impacting our rural communities during my 15 County tour I met Jason cuts the mayor of Safford who shared the senseless death of his son, Josiah whose family lost to an opioid addiction his life and all of its potential tragically ended with fentanyl laced heroin dose be more for his family and pledge to end this crisis Arizona, as well as to smartly invest in infrastructure for the long haul, not a one size, fits all approach What they need in New Jersey is not necessarily what we need in Arizona We need flexibility and partnerships with States Cities in both the West and East Valley of Maricopa County have been tasked with the daunting feet of keeping up with the fastest population growth in the country but not the resources to modernize their streets and freeways We need bipartisan solutions to modernize our infrastructure and include water infrastructure and rural broadband Want us to ensure that our freedoms and opportunities are preserved for their children and their grandchildren They want us to ensure that seniors can have retirement security after working their whole lives We can solve some of these problems in the days ahead. If we choose to if we choose to work together and do something bigger for those, we all serve at this moment in history as John Boyd said We're at a fork in the road and we have a choice Be someone or do something I choose to act for those I serve I know you do too So let's get to work for the nation as Senator Mccain once said Americans never quit we never surrender We never hide from history We make history President Ceo before