Mitch McConnell slows efforts to rename Senate building for Sen. John McCain

WASHINGTON — A proposal to rename the Senate's oldest office building for John McCain has received bipartisan support, but the effort appeared to slow Tuesday as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced he will form a bipartisan panel to solicit ideas on the best way to honor the late Arizona senator.

McCain "meant so much to so many of us," inside the Senate and out, McConnell said, adding: "The Senate is eager to work on concrete ways to continue this momentum and provide a lasting tribute to this American hero long after this week's observances are complete."

Besides the proposal to rename the Russell Senate Office building, lawmakers may consider naming a committee room used by the Senate Armed Services Committee after McCain, who was the panel's chairman, McConnell said. Another idea is to add McCain's portrait to a reception room right off the Senate floor, joining such giants as Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and Robert Taft. Only seven senators are honored with portraits there.

McConnell was careful not to make a specific recommendation.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer had proposed renaming the Russell Senate Office building in McCain's honor after the veteran Republican senator died Saturday from brain cancer.

The 109-year-old building is named after Sen. Richard Russell, a Georgia Democrat who, like McCain, chaired the Armed Services Committee. Russell, who died in 1971, was a segregationist and led Southern opposition to anti-lynching bills and other civil rights legislation, including the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Some Republicans are receptive to renaming the building.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who served with McCain for 31 years, said Monday he was in favor of "naming almost any building" for McCain, but added, "I'm not sure that I would make a decision on a specific building at this point."

Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who co-sponsored the measure, was cautious Monday, saying he does "not want to get out ahead" before he talks to McCain's family.

"There are a number of proposals coming forward about ways to honor John McCain. I think this would be a particularly good one, but I want to make sure the family is OK with it," Flake said.

Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee said McCain deserves "a significant memorial" in the nation's capital, adding that the office building where McCain worked and where the Armed Services Committee is housed may be where a memorial should be located.

"There's always one senator that stands out above the rest, and the last few years that's been John," Alexander said of McCain, his longtime Senate colleague. Senators have time to decide what the best memorial for McCain is, Alexander said.

Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee said that he was "all for" renaming the building in McCain's honor but that "there'll probably be some discussion about that" in both parties.

"Russell is somebody that's obviously a huge figure, but it is an era that's gone by. We're in a new era now," Corker said.

"Who would want to vote against naming a building after somebody who just passed away?" Corker asked, before answering his own question. "There may be some curmudgeon that wouldn't want to do that."

Other Republicans sounded a cautious note about the proposal.

"You know Richard Russell was ... from the South, and I'm sure not perfect like George Washington and everybody else in his days, but he was a well-respected senator," said Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama. The idea is something "we have to think about," he added.

Sen. David Perdue, a Georgia Republican, called McCain an American patriot and a cherished personal friend. He said in a statement that this week was a time to honor McCain's "remarkable life" and pay respects to his family. "Later, we will discuss ways to permanently memorialize his legacy and service to our country," Perdue said.

Russell served in the Senate from 1933 until his death and was known as a "senator's senator" because of his mastery of Senate rules. An ardent defender of the defense budget, Russell also was author of the School Lunch Act, which provides free and low-cost meals in public schools. The Senate building was named in his honor in 1972.

Schumer, who worked closely with McCain on immigration and other issues, said that "as you go through life, you meet few truly great people" and that McCain was one of them.

"His dedication to his country and the military were unsurpassed, and maybe most of all, he was a truth teller — never afraid to speak truth to power in an era where that has become all too rare," Schumer said.

The renaming proposal would not need approval from the House or from President Donald Trump, a longtime McCain nemesis.

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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.