TRIBUTE TO CINDY McCAIN

On 2026-06-10, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) delivered a floor speech titled "TRIBUTE TO CINDY McCAIN" in the Senate.

TRIBUTE TO CINDY McCAIN

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 98 (Wednesday, June 10, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 10, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S2734] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRIBUTE TO CINDY McCAIN Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I rise today to honor my friend Cindy McCain for her incredible work as executive director of the World Food Programme. Cindy assumed leadership of the World Food Programme in 2023 and has since been a clear voice for hungry families around the world. She has done this work during a critical period of time, as hunger and food insecurity reached alarming levels. She has been an advocate for people around the world facing hunger, malnutrition, displacement, and trauma, and she has been a leader in delivering vital assistance. In recent years, we have seen global food insecurity rise around the world, primarily as a result of conflict and the ensuing displacement, continuing climate shocks and droughts that disrupt food supplies, and a world economy characterized by uneven growth and high food prices. As leader of the World Food Programme, Cindy strengthened the ability of the WFP to respond to all of these factors and worked to modernize the agency so that it could sustain and improve its work delivering food assistance. Cindy has been a clear voice for food aid in Ukraine and Gaza. She has been steadfast in her support of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and worked tirelessly to help Ukraine maintain and build its agricultural sector. She also visited Gaza in August of 2025, pointing out the deepening crisis and calling for a surge of aid to help suffering families. And as this administration worked to dramatically cut out global food assistance programs, Cindy defended them strenuously, meeting with Democrats and Republicans in Congress and urging them to hold strong in supporting global food aid. At a time when too many are walking back from decades of consensus about the value of foreign aid and hunger relief, Cindy has been a true leader, not just in delivering aid abroad, but in reminding us here of our obligations around the world. Cindy's public service, just like that of her husband before her, is a true reminder that targeted and smart foreign assistance is vital not just for hungry people, but for our national interests and American security as well. A month before he passed away, my husband John and I visited John and Cindy at their ranch in Arizona. Even while battling brain cancer, he continued to be engaged in the issues of our time, and he continued to have that signature McCain humor and that grit. My last memory of John was something that happened on that visit. He pointed to a sentence in his book and said, ``That's all that matters.'' The sentence was this: ``Nothing in life is more liberating than to fight for a cause larger than yourself.'' Cindy has been dedicated to changing and saving lives--fighting to end world hunger, with horrific conflicts and a changing climate. We are so grateful to her for her strength, inspiration, and dedication. ____________________