Saxby Chambliss: “I rise this morning with a very heavy heart, like all the rest of my colleagues, about the loss of our dear friend Craig…”

“I rise this morning with a very heavy heart, like all the rest of my colleagues, about the loss of our dear friend Craig Thomas. Craig was such an inspiration in such a quiet way to all of us, a guy from the true Wild West, the great State of Wyoming. He had such an easy manner about him that is so indicative of a lot of people who come from that part of the country. It was indeed a privilege and a pleasure to have the opportunity to serve with him. I had a number of interests in common with Craig. First of all, we served on the Agriculture Committee together. In the past 2 years, as chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Craig was one of those guys I called on from time to time to seek his advice and counsel because in the area of Wyoming and in the western part of the country, they grow different kinds of crops than what we grow in the Southeast. Craig was always willing to give his time to talk to me about the thoughts of farmers and ranchers in his part of the country and what we needed to do from a policy perspective on the Agriculture Committee relative to his farmers and ranchers that would also be beneficial to my farmers and ranchers.”