of national parks and federal lands by using taxes on profits from oil, gas, and mineral development on federal land. senators are waiting for a vote on bringing the bill to the floor. meanwhile, they'll vote this afternoon on confirmation of general charles brown for air force chief of staff. he'd be the first african-american head of the air force. will open the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. almighty god, we need you more than human help. restore us to your favor, surrounding us with the shield of your mercy. we have been shaken by the forces that have come against us and look to you, our redeemer and friend.

lord, we're grateful that though wrong seems strong, you continue to rule. fill our lawmakers with reverence and trust in your prevailing providence. may that reverential awe keep them on the path of courage, integrity, and wisdom. lord, remind them that you have invited them to seek and discover your might. you declared in psalm 50:15 -- call me in the day of trouble, and i will deliver you.

we praise your holy name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

mr. grassley: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: one minute for morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: the house of representatives has passed a bill that's kind of like a one-size-fits-all for elections. that everything ought to be run out of washington, d.c. contrary to what we've done in this country for 240 years where we have had 50 states running the elections. so i want to refer to what happens in the state of iowa. last week, iowans voted in record numbers in our june primary. in most elections, about 40% of iowans choose to vote by

absentee ballot. this year in our primary and understandably because of the pandemic, the vast majority casts their vote by absentee ballot. a state decision, a personal decision, not something dictated by washington. now, as i have already referred to, there are those here in washington, d.c. and the congress and maybe outside of the congress saying that unless the federal government mandates states adopt a whole new centralized, nonoptional vote by mail system before november, americans will not be able to vote from home. iowa's successful primary election shows that the absentee ballot system already in place in our state, in most states,

run by iowa county auditors is up to the task. we've proved that. every iowan who wants to vote absentee in november can do so, and those who want to vote in person can also do so safely. i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. schumer: madam president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: so, madam president, as protests over the

deaths -- the death of george floyd continue, house and senate democrats came together yesterday to unveil sweeping reforms to our nation's police departments. the justice and policing act was not only a response to the recent protests but a reflection of years of failed efforts to root out injustice and racial bias in our law enforcement. the bill would ban the use of choke holds and other tactics that have left black americans dead. it would limit the transfer of military weaponry and equipment to police departments. it would change the legal standard to make it easier to hold police accountable for misconduct when they used deadly force on american citizens. and through increased data and transparency as well as important modifications to training and practices, it would help prevent police misconduct in the first place. this is a very strong bill and rightly so. i give tremendous credit to senators booker and harris and

so many others who contributed as well as the black caucus led by karen bass and chairman nadler of judiciary. they have put together a very strong bill. and the reason is simple. the moment does not call for half measures. hundreds of thousands of american protesters are not asking us to chip away around the edges. they want bold reform and meaningful changes to a system that all too often delivers unequal justice for too many black americans and that has existed that way for too, too long. well, that kind of bold reform and meaningful change is what the justice and policing act will deliver, meaningful change and democrats are going to fight very, very hard to make this proposal a reality. now, of course, in the senate it's ultimately up to leader mcconnell to decide what proposals if any come to the

senate floor. that's his prerogative as majority leader. but for two weeks leader mcconnell has refused to respond to my request for the senate to consider a police reform bill before july 4, the end of the current work period. i have heard the republican leader speak to the frustrations that swept the nation. i trust he is aware of the many abuses that have been allowed to persist unchecked in our police departments. where is leader mcconnell on actually doing something about it? and, of course, there's another crisis of the moment, the covid pandemic. according to reports in the press, leader mcconnell has told the republican caucus not to expect another relief bill until late july at the earliest. this is happening even as some states begin loosening restrictions on business and travel but even as that happens, our economy is hampered by severe depression-level unemployment. while the number of new cases is

falling on the east coast, the number of cases remains steady in much of the country and is increasing in a good number of states. and we're coming to a whole lot of cliffs. states are preparing their budgets in advance of the new fiscal year in july. if they don't get help soon, they may be forced to make severe cuts to public service, and thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions would be laid off of hardworking state and local officials who our communities depend on. and there are other cliffs as well. the moratorium, the three-month moratorium on eviction expires. unemployment expires july 31. there are so many cliffs here. and make no mistake about it, covid is related to racial justice as well. in the heroes bill, for instan

instance, hazard workers, frontline workers get extra pay, hazard pay. more than 40% of them are minorities. these are the people on our front lines. rental assistance for people who might be evicted, a large percentage of minority folks do not -- cannot afford to own a home and rent so we must act on that as well. so the kind of racial justice that we're talking about, the kind of inequality that exists, some of it, a good chunk of it would be relieved if we passed the heroes act, the covid four bill. so both of these are important to do. racial justice, civil rights, a global pandemic, an economic disaster, these are not merely issues of the month but of this moment in american history. it's truly a time of historic

challenge and leader mcconnell and the republican senate are missing in action. no commitment to consider police reform. no urgency to provide our country relief despite the upcoming cliffs that are going to be soon upon us. there are still four weeks remaining before july 4. i say to leader mcconnell, commit to a police reform bill on the senate floor. work with us on another emergency package that can come to the floor as well before july 4. we have waited too long already. for weeks we democrats have had to relentlessly pressure our republican colleagues to even hold the most routine oversight hearings. the republican majority on the homeland security committee in particular has wasted time these past few weeks trying to smear the family of the president's political opponent instead. here we have a major crisis, a major crisis on the health front, on the economic front, on

the racial justice front, and what are so many of our republican friends doing? raising back already discredited conspiracy theories, to go after the president's political opponent at a time when americans are calling for unity and coming together and doing something about our problems? it's a shame. and members of -- and the homeland security committee will finally today conduct a hearing with the people -- with a fema administrator for the first time in so long. this crisis has been raging for months. more than eight weeks ago we passed a $3 trillion bill. why has it taken so long to have any oversight at all? but finally, members of the committee will have the opportunity to press administration officials as to why in the early days of the

pandemic the distribution of p.p.e. and other critical medical supplies was marked about i so much confusion, secrecy, incompetence and delays. in fact senators warren, blumenthal and i formally requested an investigation into project airbridge, the name of the trump administration's fake medical supply chain project which by reports was a failure. why aren't we looking into why that went wrong and how we can correct it? we have lost too many americans, frontline workers, hospital and pledge pen nel to the horrible covid-19 disease. we'll never know how many we lost because we weren't better prepared with the necessary protective equipment. the trump administration's failure should be investigated so it does not make the same failure again. meanwhile, america is still waiting for the president to

even acknowledge the issue of police violence an racial justice that are driving protests across the country and across the street from the white house. the president appears to be too preoccupied trying to emulate president nixon, of all presidents. he is too occupied with his own political precariousness to try to bring the country together. as former defense secretary mattis wrote, donald trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the american people. does not even pretend to try. instead he tries to divide us. we are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. we are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. but, he said, we can unite without him. and do that, we must, as americans. and those words were not written

by some liberal democrat who they'll call names at, cast dispersions on, never discussing the argument. it was written by our great military leaders, former defense secretary general mattis. every day -- every day provides fresh evidence that this country will have to unite in spite of the president, not because of him. i yield the floor.

mr. mcconnell: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: several times now i praised the peaceful demonstrations protesting racial injustice and the killings of black americans. i'm grateful that after several harrowing days of looting and riots, law enforcement restored order and helped these peaceful protesters be heard. notwithstanding the far left calls to disban the police all together, the memory of george floyd and breonna taylor can move us to combat residual racism. i need to discuss a different pressing problem that concerns americans constitutional rights.

it's becoming clear to many americans, including many who appreciate and applaud the recent protests that our national life during this pandemic has slid toward a double standard. for weeks state and local leaders put normal american life totally on ice and asked citizens to prioritize fighting the virus. for weeks the mainstream media heaped scorn on any small citizen protest, outdoor gathering or even the suggestion that other important values might require a reappraisal of certain restrictions. well, the american people did their part. they made necessary sacrifices that clearly helped the country and they are ready continuing doing their part as our reopening carefully proceeds. but now many americans feel they've just sewn those -- seen those pass titus -- pass titus

recommendations disappear because a new cause. a month ago small protests demonstrations were condemned as reckless and selfish. now massive rallies that fill entire cities are not just praised but, in fact, are called especially brave because of the exact same health risks that brought condemnation when the cause was different. people just spent the spring watching their small businesses dissolve or canceling weddings or missing religious observances for the longest spells in their lives or missing the last days of a loved one's life and then missing the unit ral. never -- funeral. never were the american people told about any exemption for things they felt strongly about. i have no criticism for the millions of americans who peacefully demonstrated in

recent days. their cause is beyond righteous. it is the inconsistency from leaders that has been baffling. the same governor of michigan who argued that letting people carefully shop for vegetable seeds would be too dangerous during the pandemic now poses for photo graphs with groups of protesters. here in the descriskt of columbia, the mayor celebrates massive street protests. she actually joins them herself. but on her command churches and houses of worship remain shut. the largest church buildings are subject to the ten person limit the mayor deems inessential. the rights of free speech and free assembly and religion are first amendment rights. they have the same constitutional petigree.

prayer is still too dangerous. politicians are now picking and choosing within the first amendment itself. last week one county in california's bay area seriously attempted to issue guidance that allowed protests of 100 people but still -- still kept all other social gatherings at 12 people and banned outdoor religious gatherings all together. banned outdoor religious gatherings all together. figure that one out. these governments are acting like the coronavirus discriminates based on the content of the people's speech but it is the leaders who are doing that. it impossible to avoid the conclusion that local and state leaders are using their powers to encourage constitutionally protected conduct which they

personally appreciate while continuing to ban constitutionally conducted conduct which they personally feel is less important. in new york city the mayor makes no effort to hide this subject activity of. he recounted our racism and compared it to a devout religious person and said sorry that's not the same question. the american people's constitutional liberty do not turn -- do not turn on a mayor's intuitions. they do not get to play red light green light within the first amendment. the first amendment is not an a-la-cart menu ma leaders may -- that leaders may sample as they please. mass protests are continuing to be applauded but small religious

services should be banned. these prominent democrats are free to let social protests outrank religious in their own consciousness if they choose but they do not get to impose that are ranking on everyone else. that is precisely the point of freedom of conscience. that is precisely the point of the first amendment. weeks ago citizens sued the mayor of louisville, kentucky, when he tried to ban drive-in easter services. a brilliant district judge had to remind him and the whole country that in america faith can never be shoved into second class. it seems at least for a few local leaders they still need to learn that lesson. i hope they learn it soon. the american people's response to the coronavirus was courageous and patriotic.

on the advice of experts, our nation sacrificed a great deal to protect our medical system. politicians must not repay that sacrifice with constitutionally dubious double standards. now, madam president, on an entirely different matter. yesterday our colleagues voted overwhelmingly to advance the great american outdoors act thanks to the guiding leadership of colleagues like senator daines and senator gardner. we have a rare opportunity to take a huge step forward for our nation's cherished treasures. every year america's national forest, battlefields and public lands draw hundreds of millions of visits from across the country and around the world. hunters and anglers, backpackers and climbers, bird watcher rs, and road trippers, school groups, and scientists.

across hundreds of millions of acres there's room for recreation and conservation alike. and where our nation makes its natural wonders possible, local communities thrive. according to the national park service, park visitors contribute to more than $40 billion in economic output in adjacent towns from local hotels to restaurants to the outdoor industry itself they support nearly 330,000 jobs. it would be difficult to overstate the importance of our public lands and the lives of the american people. and when the senate passes legislation to secure permanent funding for keeping them safe and accessible, we'll be ushering in a bright future for american recreation and conservation. at the same time, and just as importantly, we'll be addressing the areas where decades of funding levels for routine maintenance have not kept pace, leaving some of our parks and

public lands inaccessible and potentially unsafe. this, madam president, is where the rubber meets the road. this is where all of our love for the great american outdoors needs to be backed up with some sober accounting. and senator gardner's backyard in the u.s. forest service rocky mountain region, the cost of backlog maintenance projects at nearly half a billion dollars. from the upkeep of roads, bridges and dams to wastewater and drink drinking water systems, we are talking about consequences for conservation and local economies. in kentucky we know all too well what happens when urgent maintenance is neglected. untreated sewer leaks has restricted access to the largest cave system in the world and threatened some of its nativive

species. today more than $10 million of maintenance is still outstanding at that particular park. we're still waiting on funding to rehabilitate cave trails that haven't seen major investment since the 1930's. at the forest service london district office kentucky rangers are waiting for funding for critical security and accessibility updates. public lands need regular maintenance. we shouldn't let key infrastructure language for decades and fight uphill to make up for lost time. this is a familiar problem that is felt in different ways in every corner of our nation. so the solution will need to be just as sweeping. fortunately as last night's lopsided vote demonstrates, our colleagues have a deeply bipartisan set of solutions that our country deserves. i'm proud the work led by our colleagues from montana and

colorado have received the endorsement of hundreds of national and local advocates for american recreation and conservation. i urge all senators to join the experts and support the bill. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to h.r. 1957, which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to h.r. 1957, an act to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to modernize and improve the internal revenue service and for other purposes.

mr. thune: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. thune: is the senate in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. thune: madam president, as i begin this morning, i would like to just briefly comment on the outlandish idea of dismantling police departments that have seen substantial coverage in recent days. well, there are exceptions to -- while there are exceptions, the vast majority of our nation's police officers are men and women of character who care deeply about protecting everyone in their communities, and they provide an essential service, a service, madam president, that we cannot do without. the idea that any city can exist without a police force is so absurd that it's difficult to believe anyone is seriously discussing it. we absolutely need to look at policies at the state, local, and federal levels to ensure that we are holding police officers to the highest standards, and i hope we'll be

having serious bipartisan discussions on these issues in the coming weeks. i know at least one senate republican has already introduced legislation to require law enforcement agencies to report the use of lethal force, but bipartisan discussions will not be forwarded by extreme and irresponsible proposals like abolishing the police departments that help protect our communities. and i hope, madam president, that such proposals will not gain any traction here in the united states senate. madam president, we are very busy, hard at work here in the senate. our main business on the floor this week will be the great american outdoors act, legislation crafted by senators daines and gardner and others that will help address the significant maintenance backlog at our national parks, among other things. out of the lime tight, senators will also be discussing how best to respond at the federal level to the tragedy of george floyd's

killing. and responding to the coronavirus continues to be at the top of our agenda. right now, we're focused on monitoring the implementation of the $2.4 trillion that congress has provided so that we can identify what more we need to do to fight this virus. our committees play a leading role in this, and they have kept up a steady stream of hearings, examining implementation and identifying next steps. this week, we have no fewer than eight, eight committee hearings on various aspects of the covid crisis, including unemployment insurance, a senate finance committee hearing later today that i will be participating in, reopening schools, and the federal government's procurement and distribution strategies. now, madam president, the democrat leader has spent a lot of time on the floor lately complaining about what's happening in the senate. he is apparently not happy that we are in session, and he claims we're not doing anything on the

coronavirus. well, on the first point, madam president, i'd just like to say that the majority leader brought the senate back into session because we have responsibilities that we need to fulfill. one of the issues that we have to respond to as a matter of our constitutional obligation is the issue of dealing with nominations, both to judicial and executive branches of our government, and we continue to have to do that. there are important vacancies that we need to fill, some important national security vacancies, judicial vacancies. last week, we confirmed the inspector general for the pandemic, somebody who was confirmed by a 75-15 vote. now, it's possible, madam president, that we could do those and not be here. the democratic leader has said on various occasions he doesn't know why we are here doing these types of -- these nominations. well, the reason we are here doing these type of nominations is because they insist on it.

even in cases where the nominee has broad bipartisan support, in some cases overwhelming support, we continue to have to stay here and go through the procedural roadblock that democrats throw up to getting these nominees across the finish line. in fact, madam president, if you look at any -- the historical context of nominations, we are living in unprecedented times. the democrats have filibustered now total 314 nominees that president trump has put forward. all the previous presidents combined, all the previous presidents combined in our nation's history, only on 244 occasions was cloture -- did cloture have to be invoked to shut down a filibuster on a nominee. so think about that, madam president. in the first three and a half years of president trump's term, we have now had 314 nominees, judicial or executive

filibustered, in the rest of the history of the united states senate. even if you go back and say the advent of the filibuster is only in the last half century or so, think about that. 244 times throughout all of the presidencies combined, combined in our history, this president has seen his nominees filibustered 314 times. so if the democrat leader wants to know why we are here doing nominees, that's why. we have to. it's our job. it's our constitutional responsibility. and if the minority continues to make it as difficult as they have and continues to filibuster and force the leader to file cloture on all these nominees, we have to be here to vote. that's our job, and that's why we're here. madam president, of course there is also the work, as i said, of responding to the coronavirus. there is also work that we have to do that doesn't stop just because there is a pandemic.

if you look at the paycheck protection program when it ran out of money, it took way too long to convince democrats to do something as simple as appropriate more funding for pandemic-stricken small businesses. funding our government, protecting our nation, making sure these important positions in the government, as i mentioned, are filled, we just can't skip those things because of the coronavirus, and they have made it increasingly difficult, virtually impossible for us to do any of this by unanimous consent while the senate was out of session. as for the democrats leader's charge that the senate hasn't been doing anything on coronavirus, madam president, as i pointed out, that is just a simply ridiculous charge to make. coronavirus has been at the forefront of the senate activity since we returned in may. our committees have held constrain hearings, examining the coronavirus assistance that we have already passed and looking forward to what will be needed in the future. as i mentioned, last week, we

confirmed the nomination of brian d. miller to be special inspector general for the pandemic recovery at the treasury department, a key position with responsibility for ensuring that coronavirus funding is spent properly. we also passed last week legislation to update the paycheck protection program to give additional flexibility to small businesses. madam president, clearly, clearly the senate has been making coronavirus a priority, and i would argue that much of what we have already done has -- is having the desired result. the jobs numbers that came out last week are encouraging, obviously. we have got a lot of work to do. we have to keep it in perspective. it's no time to be spiking the football, but those job numbers were encouraging. i think one of the reasons we had those strong numbers, madam president, is because we have a very resilient economy, number one, but number two, because of policies that we have put in place. tax and regulatory policies that encourage businesses to invest, consumers to spend, and the

p.p.p. program, the paycheck protection program program obviously has, i think, done a lot of good out there. it's kept literally millions of businesses in business. it has kept literally tens of millions of workers employed. and that is exactly what we wanted to see happen. and those, madam president, dollars are among the best-spent dollars, i think, of all the several trillion dollars that we put out there. my state of south dakota is a good example. we have had over 21,000 businesses that have benefited from the paycheck protection program to the tune of about $1.6 billion. and i bet if you look at the numbers in every other state around the country, you would see the same thing. and it's one of the reasons, madam president, i believe that we're seeing some encouraging economic numbers and employment numbers, and let's hope that we can continue to build on that. but i guess that the -- when the democrat leader complained that the senate hasn't been doing anything on coronavirus, what he

actually means to say is the senate hasn't passed another $3 trillion bill. the house of representatives, the democrat majority there, in a very partisan way, with zero republican support, and in fact some democrats opposing it, passed another $3 trillion. well, it's true. we haven't done that here in the senate. it's because we don't believe we should be playing fast and loose with the american people's money like that. as i pointed out, madam president, congress has already provided $2.4 trillion in funding to respond to the virus, which is a staggering amount of money, equal to roughly half of the 2020 federal budget. it was money we needed to spend, and we were glad to do it, and we will probably have to spend more before this crisis is over. but we have to make sure that we are appropriating what is really needed and not mindlessly throwing around trillions of dollars. and the way we do that is by monitoring the implementation of the funding that we have already put out there, that's already been delivered, which is exactly

what we have been doing. and, madam president, i have to say a lot of the funding that's been authorized, some of it hasn't even been put out there yet. the $175 billion that we have authorized to help health care providers, hospitals, nursing homes, those folks on the front line, only about $75 billion of that has been made available already, so less than 50% of those dollars are even out there yet. it's pretty hard to decide whether you are going to throw more money at something before you determine whether the money you have already spent is having the desired effect and whether or not there is a need for more. so we need to see where that money goes before we decide what else we need to appropriate. i've said it before and i will say it again, madam president, with every dollar that we have provided to fight the coronavirus is borrowed money. a significant addition to an already massive amount of national debt. democrats may like to pretend that we can continue to borrow more and more money forever, but

the truth is we cannot. the great greater our national debt, the greater threat it represents to the health of our economy, not to mention the future of today's younger workers. and so while we may need to borrow more money to meet our needs before the crisis is over, it's crucial that we keep that borrowing as low as possible and only spend what is absolutely necessary. madam president, so far, the democrats' major proposal for the next phase of our coronavirus response is a $3 trillion bill produced by the house of representatives that mentions the word cannabis more often than it mentions the word job, which i think tells you all you need to know about how seriously some are taking this issue. if democrats really wanted to move additional relief forward, they would be sitting down with republicans to develop reasonable legislation that actually has a chance of passing congress and being signed by the

president, but they're not. instead, they're proposing outlandish, far-left messaging bills and engaging in the kind of partisanship that has become the modus operandi during this administration. and while i'm talking about democrats' unhelpfulness, i just want to mention, madam president, the democrat leader's offensive suggestion on the floor last week that the judges that we are confirming in the senate will not protect civil rights. this is unfortunately right in line with their general attitude that the only legitimate judges are democrat judges, but it is nevertheless particularly irresponsible to be fanning the flames of division in this country right now by suggesting untruthfully that only democrats' preferred judicial candidates will show a commitment to upholding civil rights. madam president, the continued partisanship even during a national crisis has been very

pretty heartening, but i'm a hopeful guy, and i like to think that at least some democrats are more interested in actually helping americans than in far-left messaging bills, and i would invite those democrats to work with us. there is a lot more that we need to do before this pandemic is over, and republicans are committed to getting our country through this crisis and to helping americans thrive on the other side. madam president, i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. carper: i ask to vitiate the

quorum call. madam president, the bill before us today, the great american outdoor act, is a landmark legislation. it would fulfill a long-standing promise to the american people to fully fund the land and water conservation fund. the measure would make the down payment on deferred maintenance. i'm out of practice. make a down payment on deferred maintenance of our nation's beloved public lands, that includes over 400 national parks. it also includes more than 500 national wildlife refugees that is on the committee which i serve as ranking member. while i am proud to support the great american outdoors act, we would be remiss if we did not put the senate's consideration of this legislation in the context of everything else that's happening in our country

today. as we've learned in the 15 days since the death of george floyd, we also have other long-standing promises to fulfill. let me mention four of them. first, is the promise of an end to be racial violence in this country and a new beginning in pursuit of racial justice. the second would be the promise of equality. the third would be the promise of a more perfect union called for in our constitution preamble. the fourth and last would be the promise of a dream articulated nearly 57 years on the step of the lincoln memorial, not far from where we're gathered here today by the late martin luther king. our national and state parks, madam president have always been places that bring people from all backgrounds together. our national historical sites

and monuments commemorate the events that have forged and tested us as a nation as well as the sacrifice that's we have made in our quest to become that more perfect union. there are also places from which people have called on their government, our government, for change and for equality. yes, our national parks have served as places of protest, protected under the constitution that delaware was the first state to ratify on december 7, 1787. in fact, delaware's national park, one of the newest in the nation, was created in large part to celebrate that history. the recent murders of george floyd in minneapolis and breonna taylor in louisville sparked widespread civil unrest rsm from coast to coast billions of americans have come together to protest the death of unarmed black americans and call for

change, the call for justice, the call for racial equality. in washington, d.c., some of those demonstrations have taken place on -- in our national park system. lafayette square, the sight of gassing and troubling use of crowd dispersion devices last week in response to a peaceful demonstration has seen its share of protests and turmoil. in its history before the marble monuments that now contains the square served as a slave market and it housed troops during the war of 1812 when the house and the u.s. capitol, this capitol, were burned. today, and nearly every day, people are gathered in lafayette in front of the white house, they are there to call for action as we debate the bill before us. but in january and february of 1917, women -- women staged two

months of protests out of a row house located on lafayette in the pursuit of women's suffrage, the right to vote, one of our most sacred privileges. other national park sights in washington have been front and center for the call of racial justice in the last several days. the national mall, the lincoln memorial and one of our newest national sites, the memorial to dr. martin luther king who caught our taught -- taught our country about the power of peaceful protests. madam president, these places inspire us. they allow our voices to be heard. but they also give us strength. they give us solace, and they give us the opportunity to heal. the bill before us today helps us to ensure that our public lands remain places where we can

remember, where we can reflect and we can recharge. sometimes when i speak on the senate floor, i share anecdotes from my morning runs. a number of them over the years have been on the national mall as i run from the capitol to the lincoln memorial and pass the vietnam memorial etched with the names of 58,000 men and women with whom i served in southeast asia. no matter how tired i might be when i get up in the morning, when i begin those runs and pass and pause at each of those places, i feel rejuvenated and to take up our work in service, the american people who sent us here. interestingly, i heard a similar sentiment from hundreds of delawareans who asked me to support this legislation before us today. many of our parks provide visitors a place to reflect, to reconnect and to enjoy the beauties of nature.

that is in no small part because of the land and water conservation fund. many of our colleagues know that delaware has a proud history as the first state -- the first state national historic park which we worked for a decade to create not long ago tells the story of the role delaware played in the establishment of our country. our national park is unique with historical sites in all three of delaware's counties that connect our communities much like our state parks do. while you may not -- what you may not know is the first land acquisition through the state side of a land and water conservation program in this country occurred in delaware. brandywine screec state -- creek state park was established in 1965. at the time of this monumental

acquisition there was not much of a state park system in delaware, certainly not in newcastle county, our northern most county. since that time the land and water conservation fund has enabled the purchase and development of many additional state parks that are crown jewels in all three counties of the first state. i'll mention a few of them. white clay creek, fox point, bellview, killings pond, and many more. for us in delaware these spaces are places of community. people from all walks of life come to these parks for many reasons -- for many different reasons. some come to fish, others to bike, others to hike, play sports, fly kites, swim, go birding, learn, enjoy picnics, and enjoy concerts many those are just some of the reasons why

people come to our national parks. not just from delaware, not just from america, but from all over the world. some of the parks i've just mentioned might exist without the land and water conservation fund, but without it, they would not be the community cornerstones that they are today. when a park is revitalized it can become the nerve center of a community and create new opportunities -- new opportunities to bring us together. in many cases we have seen just that happen in our state. for example, bellview state park, located not far from our home, has been home to a community garden program for decades providing a place for families like my own. when our sons were young who may not have a lot of land on which to grow their own fruits and vegetables. in 2017, just three years ago, the city of wilmington was

awarded an lwcf grant to improve father tucker park, which had been in disrepair for decades. the park is vital for play, for cultural gatherings and sports activities. it is now a valuable hub of that community. further, the land and water conservation fund enabled the first public pool in kent county at the killings pond state park, 10 miles south of dover. it is now the killings pond water park and it has grown quite popular with residents across king county and its borders. so, madam president, this legislation also helps us to bring economic activity to our community, something that people might not think of at first blurb. in delaware -- blush. the land and water conservation fund has greenways and trails

that connects businesses and communities. people come from all over the country to run and to walk on them. basic investment in preservation of land investments in paths and trails is a tangible community building enterprise. people can get on their bicycle in downtown wilmington, ride through the city out into the suburbs and to fox point state park, three miles from our home. i might add there's another one too from the train station where i caught the train this morning to come down here, there is a jack markel trail that links the riverfront in will wilmington, delaware, to newcastle delaware where washington first landed and brought the deeds to pennsylvania and delaware. those paths i just mentioned

expand horizons, connect people to each other and create common ground in our communities. the delaware state parks youth conservation corps provides jobs in environmental restoration opportunities throughout our parks for young people from all backgrounds and it offers free summer concerts. it attracts different genders and diverse audiences. while the 2020 summer concert series was unfortunately canceled due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, delaware state parks have remained open. our state has waived entrance fees. as it became clear that physical location was key to preventing the spread of novel coronavirus, delawareans, especially those in your ban areas -- urban areas sought solitude in our parks.

for many it was critical for mental wellness and now making that connection is more popular than ever. one example of of that is brandywine creek state park, it has seen record visitation this year. as i mentioned earlier in my remarks i heard from hundreds of constituents in support of the american outdoors act. many of them have shared stories about their treasured moments and stayed in national parks particularly during troubled times. i want to close my remarks today by sharing one of those stories. it's from a woman friend, as it turns out, the executive director of delaware wild lands and her name is kate hackett. about a year and a half ago, kate, with her family and another family traveled to a place called big ben national park in the state of texas.

this park is on the u.s.-mexican border, as some of you know. these two families were distressed by what happens happening along our borders. they wanted to visit border towns to experience their humanity themselves. as the two families hiked along the rio grande river, kate's friend sang her favorite lullaby not in english, but in spanish the her song echoed in the canyon and when she paused, an unknown voice from across the border emerged with the next verse of the same song. these two strangers, divided by the depths of a canyon, alternated verses, savoring a shared experience regardless of borders, regardless of race, regardless of languages. i was moved at the time to hear how kate was able to use her

family's outdoor experience that day. i'm still moved today. and to hear about how that day taught her children a lesson in compassion, a lesson in humanity, and a lesson in acceptance of us all. as the soul of our nation continues to be tested, i hope the legislation before us, the great american outdoors act, might somehow provide similar opportunities for others. in fact, i challenge all of us to make sure that it does just that. and most importantly, i also sincerely hope that we will fulfill two other long-standing promises for equality and justice that are critical for the future of this country and our democracy. our public lands can be part of a greater multifaceted solution

that brings equity and opportunity to all of our communities from sea to shinning sea. in the midst of all the turmoil we face in america today, lies opportunity. it's our job to find that opportunity and to work together to move this country which we love and revere, as imperfect as we are, forward. that is our challenge and that is our opportunity. madam president, i don't know a lot of latin but i do know two words. maybe a few more. my two favorites are these carpe diem. seize the day. and this week we have the opportunity on this floor to seize the day. madam president, right over your head where you're sitting are some other latin words. e. pluribus unum. that's what this country is all about. i think this legislation, maybe

not something we would have thought of, can actually help make those words not just latin words carved in stone but a reality for many. with that i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

mr. gardner: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado is recognized. mr. gardner: i ask the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gardner: thank you, madam president. thank you to my colleagues last night for an incredibly strong vote 80-17 on the motion to proceed to this debate on the great american outdoors act. we've got a lot of work ahead of us this week. obviously a lot more debate to take place. but one thing is certain of the we have taken the first step toward a historic bill that protects our public lands, that enhances the incredible work that our national parks do, and the policies and goals and ideas that they represent around this great nation. the great american outdoors act combines two long-held values of both our national parks and the nation's crown jewel conservation program, the land and water conservation fund. the restore our parks act

establishes a fund to set aside dollars, the deferred maintenance backlog in our national parks. it sets up $1.9 billion a year fund to work on roads and visitor centers and the resources that are being loved to death at parks across the country but it's beyond just parks, of course. it also funds our forest service, our bureau of land management grounds that are actually the bureau of land management -- excuse me, now headquartered in grand junction, colorado. and our fish and wildlife service properties as well as the bureau of indian education. this act will create jobs that will create opportunities but most importantly, it will enhance the resources that when country loves for generations to come. the second part, of course, of the great american outdoors act is the land and water conservation fund. as you can see here, i have the monument of the great sand dunes national park. this one right here shows the land and water conservation fund

along the san juan byway. this is an incredible opportunity to preserve the land and water conservation fund, make it permanently authorized as we have done through the john d. dingell conservation act but also permanently funded through the great american outdoors act. this is a great opportunity for us to fully fund the land and water conservation fund. that bill that permanently authorized the land and water conservation fund passed 92-8. last night the cloture on motion to proceed passed 80-17. this is not a red or blue issue. this is not a left or right issue. this is not a republican or democrat issue. this is an american people issue. an idea that the american people instituted in this country centuries ago. in the case of our forest service, over a century ago, the opportunities to protect our public lands significant this week, historic this week. one of the greatest conservation

achieves achievements that this congress will have had in decades. i want to turn to a little bit of the work we've done in colorado with the land and water conservation fund. this is an incredibly important opportunity for us because not only will it help with our most precious places but it also helps provide access to land that we already -- we already have, owned by the american people. public lands that are already held by the american people but we have no way to access them. in fact, it's estimated that we have an area the size of rocky mountain national park. the rocky mountain national park is the third most heavily visited park in the country. we have an area of land the size of rocky mountain national park that's held by the public, owned by the public but they can't get to it. they have no access to it. so the land and water conservation fund is a tool to be used to provide access to those lands for hunting, for fishing, for hiking, for recreating. if you look at that economy, if you look at what it means to our state, it's billions and

billions of dollars in economic activity. it's hundreds of thousands of jobs in the great state of colorado. across this nation it's over five million jobs. that's the importance of having new access to places to hunt, to fish, to hike, to recreate. those opportunities. if you go back to the picture of the sand dunes here, i talked a little bit about it last night. we were able to purchase the baca national wildlife refuge which is a key part of the great sand dunes national park. it reserved an ecosystem that helps keep the sand dunes in place. it's important to recognize this isn't just about protecting the sand dunes. this isn't just about saying the sand dunes go from point a to point b and we're going to protect everything in between. because the entire ecosystem plays a role in the formation of the sand dunes. this particular area and the way the water is underground creates a charge basically that gives into the sand, the particulates and it's what holds the sand in

place. without the water underneath the sand dunes, they simply blow away because they don't have the static charge to keep them in place. we're able to use the fund to preserve areas around the sand dunes that preserve that precious water resource for the san luis valley that keeps the sand from blowing away. as a result hundreds of thousands of people visit this area of colorado. they spend money at hotels. they spend money at restaurants. they spend money at sporting goods shops and helps grow the economy. while it has been closed for a while, it's back open again. people are starting to get back out and to travel and to spend those dollars. colorado has benefited from 38lwcf projects totals $28.2 million over the last 50 years at the sand dunes, over at the gunnison, the rio grande, canyon 67 the ancient nant monument and beyond. if you look at the list of projects that have benefited our local communities, it is page after page of ball fields and

parks and water projects and recreation opportunities. in counties from corner to corner across our great state. if you dial in a little bit closer to rocky mountain national park, as i mentioned the third business yis park in the country -- busiest park in the country, it has about 84 -- $84 million -- a little over $84 million in deferred maintenance backlog. this bill will help overcome that we need to rehabilitate the alpine visitors center. it is the highest basicked road in north america is trail ridge road going through rocky national park and the alpine visitors rehab. an amazing spans of opportunity to learn and recreate. to reservice beaver meadows road, to improve the visitor safety and visitor access at several trail heads, to rehabilitate the east water system and marine park campground. to construct an emergency operations center. those are the kinds of things we

continue to work on at rocky mountain national park. not everybody has been to mesa verde national park. you think about this, it was established in 1906 so well over a hundred years to preserve and interpret the archeological heritage of the pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years. from 600 to 1300 current events. today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, 5,000 archeological sites and 600 cliff dwellings. some of the best in the united states. we have to continue our work. $76 million in backlog at mesa verde park. black canyon of the gunnison nearly $8 million in backlog. great sand dunes national park, over $8 million in backlog. we know that -- we have additional land and water conservation fund efforts that we could protect, preserve, and promote with the passage of this bill. and i'm just going -- you know

-- i know we're going to have more conversations -- with a talk about the economic benefit of this. you know, march as the first waves of coronavirus started to pose the economic impact that we're dealing with today. some of the very first places hit in terms of economic impact were the western slope areas of colorado. areas that had their ski season shut down months early. areas that had hotels empty and restaurants closed months earlier than they otherwise would have. and of course now we're into the summer season and the summer recreation season has expanded dramatically thanks to the bipartisan work that congress has done over the past several years. now those restaurants see fewer numbers in hotels, fewer numbers because it's now affecting the summer recreation season. but this bill, the great american outdoors act, comes at a time to provide new jobs to those communities who have lost jobs. in fact, it is estimated that we will create over 100,000 jobs in

just the parks part of this legislation alone. that very $1 million we spend in land and water conservation fund, outdoor recreation, we're growing to create between 16 and 30 jobs, that supports the creation between 16 and 30 jobs for every $1 million spent. at a time when america needs it most. we have a chance to pass a bill, the great american outdoors act, to create jobs, to create economic opportunity, to create the hope that we need in communities across this country who have spent the last three months not in the great outdoors but in the great indoors and they're ready to get back to life. and there is no greater life than the opportunity to get out and enjoy the blessings of god's labor. so i want to thank my colleague joe manchin of west virginia, my colleague steve daines from montana for the great work they have done to get this bill to the floor this week.

obviously senator portman and senator warner and senator alexander and king and senators heinrich and cantwell have played an incredible role. we have a lot more votes this week and i hope colleagues will continue to support opportunity to grow our economy, protect the outdoors and make this beautiful part of our country last for generations more. madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president center the senator from montana is recognized. a senator: a senator: thank you, madam president. i rise today in support of the great american outdoors act after yesterday's vote where we voted to move to debate this bill at 80-17 margin. mr. tester: it felt good. it felt good because some of us had been fighting this fight to fully fund the land and water conservation fund in particular for more than a decade. it's a program that senator udall explained yesterday that

has worked out so very, very well since his dad introduced it back in the 1960's. but the great american outdoors act does more than just permanently funds the land and water conservation fund which is a huge accomplishment in and of itself. it also puts money into our park service and areas around our parks that are so important for this country. really the park system is one of the jewels of this nation. president teddy roosevelt was truly a visionary. at a time when there were plenty of wild places in this great nation, he had the good sense to preserve some of them for future generations because he knew they wouldn't have been around -- they won't be around forever. and quite frankly, the national park system encompasses 419 parks, more than 84 million acres, including two crown jewels in montana yellowstone and glacier national park.

these are places where americans come together and experience the scale of america's natural beauty. however, i will tell you in recent years, we, congress, has not lived up to president roosevelt's legacy in our -- and our parks have been left to fall in disrepair. even as we've seen record numbers of visitors each year, the united states congress has failed to make parks a priority and even make investments in them. so the great american outdoors act will go a long ways to correcting congress' neglect. in fact, it invests $9.5 billion in deferred maintenance on public lands across our country. those are not only our national parks but the areas around our national parks, preserving the legacy of america's great outdoors for generations to come. and while this is very, very important, this investment in our national park system, the

first part of this legislation, we also need to know that we have places in this country, ecosystems in this country that will not be around for future generations if we don't preserve them today. and that is where the land and water conservation fund comes in. the lwcf is the most important conservation tool we have at the federal level. nothing else comes close to it. it was founded five decades ago and montanans have used about $540 million of this fund to increase outdoor opportunities on our public lands around our state. we have used it to preserve tens of thousands of acres of world-class elk habitat in central montana. it has been an essential driver of montana's growing $7 billion-a-year outdoor recreation economy. and it has established city

parks and open spaces in our more urban communities in montana. and the best of it all is it doesn't cost the taxpayers a dime because the land and water conservation fund, as it was set up, was to take money from offshore oil gas revenue. well, that hasn't worked out so well, so today we're just saying it's going to be funded, and it's going to be funded permanently going into the future. but the lwcf is a no-brainer. it has overwhelming benefits. for states that investments are made for pennies on the dollar will receive in jobs and quality of life, will receive the ability to go out and hunt and fish and hike on our public lands. unlike no other country in the world, we have these areas where you don't have to be a millionaire to be able to go out and enjoy the outdoors.

but these victories did not happen magically overnight. the fact is, we worked long and hard with local conservation groups and public land enthusiasts around the country to build support where it never existed before. in our years of work -- and our years of work finally broke the dam earlier in year when president trump and senator mcconnell reversed their opposition to this legislation because of overwhelming bipartisan momentum that we built on the ground. i welcome their change of heart, and i know it didn't come easy. there are so many montanans and folks around the country that i want to thank for putting in the work and bringing my colleagues from darkness to light. your work has inspired me and inspired future generations that we're going to benefit from your selfless efforts. i got a text message from one of

those folks that said thank you. thank you for yore hard work for the last 13 years on lwcf. i sent them back a text that said, i don't deserve the thank you; you do. because, quite frankly, there have been folks that have been working on this much longer than i. but now, since the vote yesterday, the clock is ticking. every day we are losing ecosystems in this country, and because of our hardiness in fully -- tardiness in fully funding the fund, we have lost 0 land. the future of our nation's wild places hang in the balance, and we have something to do about it this week. we can fix it. so i would urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote yes on the great american outdoors act so we can preserve our public lands for future generations, four our kids and our -- for our kids and our grandkids.

just as that visionary president, teddy roosevelt, did for us. madam president, i yield. mr. daines: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from montana is recognized. mr. daines: this month will forever mark an historic moment for conservation across this nation when the u.s. senate votes on one of the most important conservation bills in decades. the great american outdoors act isn't just about tomorrow, next week, or even next year. this is a bipartisan bill about the future of our children and grandchildren, about legacy, about their ability to enjoy and access our great outdoors and our public lands. standing here today, i can tell you there aren't too many issues unfortunately that bring both republicans and democrats together.

but protecting our public lands for future generations is something that brings us all here together. just yesterday we saw a major bipartisan step forward to getting this bill across the finish line, an 80-17 vote to move forward with this important bill. and today i'm joining my senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle to share how important it is that we pass the great american outdoors act as soon as possible. many may ask, well, how is it, then, we finally built enough bipartisan momentum to get this across the finish line? well, over a year and a half ago, my colleagues and i passed an historic bipartisan public lands package that permanently authorized the land and water conservation fund, a critical conservation program in montana and across the country. in fact i'm standing here, i'm looking across the chamber at the ranking member of the energy

and natural resources committee, senator joe manchin of west virginia. this is what it is all about in washington, d.c. this is what should be happening more and more. when senators who sit on opposite sides of the chamber -- republicans on one side, democrats on the other -- here we are right now. we're not fighting right now. we're talking about how we're going to come together and pass this. this is a great moment, a time when we need to come together. and once again it's public lands that are pulling us together instead of dividing us. back in february, just a few months ago, i sat down in the roosevelt room with senator gardner, leader mcconnell and president trump to see what it would take to get full mandatory funding of the land and water conservation fund and how we can fix this maintenance backlog that's plaguing our national parks and public lands across the finish line. in fact, i shared several of

montana's land and water conservation fund funded projects and shared how vital this fund something for montana and those who visit. 70% of our fishing access in montana are funded by lwcf. the president listened. i remember he sat back in his chair. he commented how beautiful the landscapes were that he saw in these pictures. he said, we need to get this across the finish line. and he said he'd sign it into law as soon as we did so. protecting and preserving our public lands plays a direct role in our montana way of life. in fact, this picture here, this is the yellowstone river. in fact, it's not far from chico. in fact, i remember as a kid back in the 1960's having church potlux at chico. i remember in 1979 i took the family griswald stationwagon, including the wood veneer on the

side of it, with several of my high school classmates. that's where we had our home coming dance in chico. i spent days hunting, fishing in the yellowstone, as shown here, enjoying all of montana's great outdoors in every corner of our state with my sweet wife cindy, our four children, and our dogs ruby and reaganen. take a look at some of these photos. these are photos i have taken on my phone of some of montana's public lands. that's ruby. and there's reagan. this is up in the bear tooth wilderness area a few years ago. in fact, i got another picture here. i got one of ruby. and we like to take our dogs along because this is wild country. this is country where there's a lot of grizzly bears, and having your dog along oftentimes can be a good deterrent, along with

some bear spray. there's ruby up in what we call the granite expires. one of the last summited high points in the lower 40 when it was -- granite peak is just around the corner. i summited that back in my college years. when i talk about public lands and protecting them and making sure we preserve that for generations to come, this is not some kind of theoretical discussion. this is something that i live and breathe personally. during the august recess, when we get to leave this town, when it's hot and humid in d.c., i get to be up in the wilderness areas of montana, where the area is crisp and clean. that's why i'm standing here today fighting to bring this vote to the floor and make the great american outdoors act a reality. many folks may not understand

the importance of the land and water conversion fund. let's go over a few important facts a much the land and water conservation fund is critical for access to public land. as a hunter, a fly fisherman, i understand the importance of our public land. this program helps connect trails. it funds over 70% of montana's fishing access, and it does much more than that. in the land and water conservation fund provides certainty to ant managers, sportsmen and conservation groups. the land and water conservation fund invests in the outdoor economy and helps create jobs in our rural and gateway communities. they're struggling right now because our national parks were closed for don't long. they need -- for too l they need this boost. the economy, tits 71,000 jobs in

montana alone. in fact, 81% of montanans participate in outdoor recreation every year. 81%. i $in fact every $1 million invested in the land an water conservation fund creates between 1 and 30 jobs. -- 16 and 30 jobs. the land and water conservation fund costs the taxpayers nothing. let me say that again. it costs the taxpayers nothing and it promotes energy development. there is the balance we need in our nation to continue to develop energy independence and global energy dominance by developing american natural resources, at the same time the revenues coming off of there are used for the land and water conservation fund. there's the balance between the two, promoting natural resource development and promoting conservation. this program is primarily funded by oil and gas revenue, and it makes conservation inextricably linked to a strong energy sector.

which means the land and water conservation fund is already paid for through the forest legacy side of the land and water conservation fund we will see the promotion of working forests to get our mills back up and running and help support and create good-paying timber jobs and do a much better job of managing our in the forests because we will thin them and reduce the risk of wildfires. and perhaps you may have heard otherwise, but this program actually helps promote better land management. the land and water conservation fund acts as an important tool for land managers and agencies to address checkerboard landownership. i decided to bring pictures of the beautiful landscapes of montana. i could have gotten a little more technical and showed the checkerboard landownership in a place like montana and why we need lwcf to provide better access to our public lands. because we've got 10.5 million acres -- 1.5 million acres of

public lands that is land-locked. montana directly benefits by the projects that help to consolidate landownership. er you'll have a checkerboard nature and by consolidating it and working with willing sellers, we can make the overall landscape management easier for agencies and private landowners and provide better access. the land and water conservation fund supports locally driven, ground-up solutions. these are slab aive solutions -- these are collaborative solutions and have local support. it is authorized at $$00 million annually but we aren't seeing nearly that much appropriated every year. only twice since it was enacted going back to 1964 have we seen funding levels at $900 million and that was the original congressional intent. let's be clear, what we are doing here passing this bill is bringing it back to what congress intended when it was first originated back in the

mid-1960's. mandatory funding for the great american outdoors act would greet certainty for land managers that the full $900 million goes towards this program every year moving forward. that's so important because some of these complex checkerboard landownership structures take many years to sort out. now we have certainty. if there's some place there is a lot of uncertainty, it is the united states congress. this removes a uncertainty going to forward. we must not forget about the other critical aspect of the great american outdoors act -- address the maintenance backlog facing our national parks, our forests and national ants. we're seeing record levels of visitation. i this about our public lands as our office of first impression. i believe they are what set us apart from the rest of the world. people come from owl over the world to see our parks. it is part of the amazing american experience.

with this increased visitation, our park infrastructure has experience add lot of wear and tear. we're frayed on a lot of the edges. while a lot of people love to enjoy our parks, we must address the maintenance backlog to ensure that folks continue to enjoy what we refer to at last best place. if you look at some of these pictures, i think you might agree with me. today there is nearly $20 million in maintenance backlogs on our public lands, forests, wildlife refuges, and parks. $12 billion of that is related to our national parks. including $700 million in glacier and yellowstone national parks and over $34 million in montana's smaller national parks. addressing this $12 billion backlog to the great american outdoors act will play a vital role in getting our national parks back on track. it's going to create jobs, support our gateway and rural communities, and enhance visitor experience and safety. the restoration of our national

parks could generate over 100,000 additional jobs at a time when our economy needs that kind of boost. well, this was an issue we have been working on for years with members on both sides of this infamous aisle, this is needed now maybe more than ever. montanans are raised to love and respect the outdoors. only once in a great while does such a historic piece of conservation legislation come along, perhaps only once every 50 years. it's essential we protect and maintain access to these lands for future generations. it is my highest honor to serve the people of montana in the united states senate. i encourage my colleagues to join us in supporting this great piece of legislation, one that's helped bring a divided government together. i believe it's a conservative principle to conserve, and i will always continue fighting for that principle. i know myself and my colleagues here today are ready to get this

done. montanans know what it takes to practice conservative principles and work to conserve their public lands. now it's time for congress to come together in a bipartisan way and support the great american outdoors act. thank you, madam president. i yield back. mr. manchin: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia is recognized. mr. manchin: first i want to thank my colleague, senator daines, from montana, and all my colleagues. everyone has been so excited about getting up and showing the pictures of their beautiful state. all of us, it's the united states of america, every one of us have something to be proud of and show off. and lwcf and restore our parks will protect each and every one of them. i have been in the senate for almost 10 years. i have not seen one piece of legislation that brought us together with more enthusiasm than this piece, the great american outdoors act, because we from it. whether it be in west virginia,

colorado, montana, wherever it be, it's something that i can enjoy. it's something that all of my colleagues can enjoy because we all can visit and enjoy the great -- the great american outdoors, if you will. the strong support for the outdoors act is a testament of importance to this legislation and what it does. we have never had a recovery, a financial recovery, economic recovery without infrastructure, investments and spending. we don't have a better piece of legislation that does this. it's a win-win all the way around. close to 150,000 jobs will be created through the parks and through the lwcf. i think every county in america, every county in america -- i have 55 counties in west virginia. every county in west virginia basically is receiving some sort of help from the lwcf.

we've all, we've all been greatly impacted by this. today i want to talk about the impact of the land and water conservation fund on my home state of west virginia. today 54 of the 55 counties have benefited, as i said, from the land and water conservation fund. it's responsible for some of our most cherished outdoor spaces in west virginia. in fact, since 1965, $243 million has been spent to enhance recreation conservation in the mountain state alone. the lwcf has supported projects at the gully river national recreation area, the new river gorge. and this is the new river gorge. this is the new river. if you are in the eastern part of the united states and you haven't floated on the new river or the gallee, you are missing a great opportunity. the scenery is unbelievable. historical value with the rapids is something special. to float through there is an

experience. i welcome and recommend everyone to come visit at least once in your life wild and wonderful west virginia on these rivers. it's also helped towns like marlinton, west virginia. mayor sam felton was able to turn a vacant lot into the discovery junction, an all-purpose community gathering space with the help of $86,000 from the lwcf. the fund is also important for our hunting community. hunting is a way of life. it's part of our culture. it's a tradition that we all cherish and value. the great american outdoors act will increase access to all federal lands for hunting, fishing all across the country. a lack of access to federal holdings is a problem, and i know it's frustrated sportsmen for years. as the congressman from montana has said, over 1.5 million acres is owned by the federal government by all of us but doesn't have access. we're able to provide access now

with the funding that it will take from this piece of legislation. another thing very important that has been mentioned. there is not one iota of federar dollars. this is all user -- this is basically coming off of the royalties of -- of our offshore oil. i want to mention also we have some of our senators that -- we try to accommodate everybody in this piece of legislation. there is a few of the senators that i want to make a public commitment to that i will work as ranking member on energy and natural resources to do everything i can to make sure that we understand the need of the coastal states. the restoration and protection of our coastal states as it is impacted by the changing environment. and my commitment to them is i will work diligently with my southern states and also my northern states, but all of my coastal states, and the senator from rhode island has my commitment to senators -- has my

estimate, the senator from louisiana has my commitment. we will work to make sure they have the needed funds to protect their coastline and all the work that they have done and all the as sets that they have contributed to our great country and the values as far as in their coastal states, and we're going to make sure that during the committee, i will do everything i can to make sure we have the proper hearings and proper attention for the changes that need to be made. we were unable to put that in this piece of legislation, but i am committed to help working through that and i will do that. the federal lands are surrounded by private lands. they can be essential and accessible. we have to make sure we have access. hunting in west virginia is a time-honored tradition. i have been a hunter every day of my entire life and look forward to opening day each year for all different types of game. i also enjoy fishing immensely. i don't think i have a better day than when i'm on the river or i'm in the river and walking the stream for the trout that we have plentiful of o something i

have handed down to my children, my son and my grandson, they all enjoy it. with this bill, we're going to be able to pass down this legacy. when you think about spending times in the united states senate, most of us have been in public life for giet some time in other aspects. i have been horned to be able to serve in the state legislature, as a member of the house, and a member of the state senate and secretary of state and governor of my great state, and now representing them in the united states senate. and you want to leave a legacy. you keep thinking what can i do that really will make an impact on future generations? i don't think there is anything that we can do that is going to be more impactful than what we are doing today, working this piece of legislation, the great american outdoors act, to be able to enjoy the great national parks that we have throughout this country, to be able to take your family and have a family outing and also the history that goes with it and who we are. if we don't know where we have come from, you don't know where you're going. and the history we have in america is pretty special.

our national parks represent that. and also to have the access to the beautiful outdoors and the wonderful nature that we have with the lwcf funding, $900 million a year. that's a legacy i'm proud of. i am proud that my children and my grandchildren and future generations would say that, hey, part of my family was involved in this. we worked this hard. we worked together. and to see democrats and republicans in the most troubling time our country has faced in many decades come together enthusiastically, enthusiastically be able to speak and enjoy being with each other and talking how we can get more of our colleagues involved and having a vote that we had last night of over 80 votes. i see the senator from tennessee who has worked so hard on our national parks and has one of the most beautiful national parks in his state, and i'm proud of it. so i just can't tell you how much i think this piece of legislation means to all of us,

100 senators in the most challenging times we are having in our country right now. west virginia has approximately $62 million in deferred maintenance just for our little national park areas alone. this includes crumbling roads, bridges, outdated waste water, electrical systems and deteriorating monuments which i know we're going to be able to start repairing. on average, 1.6 million visitors enjoy our beautiful national parks in west virginia every year, from the new river gorge national river to harpers ferry nasdaq historic park. visitors to our national parks generated $73 million for the surrounding communities. this act, the great american outdoors act, will ensure our national parks, forests, and other federal lands are well taken care of and remain accessible for everyone to enjoy. west virginians take great pride in our great outdoor playgrounds. we invite all of you, all of you to come to wild and wonderful west virginia and enjoy everything that we have to offer. so we thank you so much. i want to thank my staff and the

staff for the energy and natural resources committee, i am the ranking member, for working tirelessly through the pandemic, through the virus to make sure that we're able to have a piece of legislation that generations of americans will be able to enjoy. thank you, madam president. and i yield the floor. mr. alexander: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee is recognized. mr. alexander: while he is on the floor, i want to congratulate the senator from west virginia for his leadership. sometimes you say too many cooks spoil the pot or whatever the phrase is. there can be too many cooks, but not in this case. senator manchin has, because of his senior leadership on the energy committee, and on this bill has been really a bulwark in bringing it to this point, and i thank him for that. and he has been excellent about

including all sorts of us in th. we have an unusual assortment of united states senators, outside sportsmen groups, conservation groups, a president of the united states, all of the former secretaries of the department of interior from babbitt to zinke, someone said, going alphabetically. we all support this bill that came up last night with 80 different, 80 different votes. and among the -- among those who are -- deserve a lot of credit is another member of the united states senate who is also on the floor right now, senator warner of virginia. he became interested in this bill as soon as anyone. he may have been the first one to put his toe in the water, he and senator portman of ohio.

they form a very strong team to bring this bill forward. since then, many senators vul have joined in, and then senator manchin and senator gardner especially have added the land and water conservation fund. i thank all of them for their leadership. i would like to speak just briefly about what we call the great american outdoors bill. i think it helps first to say what we're talking about. we're talking about the chihowee campground on the edge of the great smoky mountain national park in tennessee. it was closed for three years. why? because the sewage system didn't work. so 500 families who normally would use that campground in the summer, go up there and have the majestic view of the highest mountains in the eastern united

states didn't have that possibility. the great smoky mountains has about 12 million visitors a year. that's three or four times as many as yellowstone does or any of the western parts because it's in the east. it has $224 million of deferred maintenance like that campground. its annual budget is $20 million a year. so you don't have to have gone too far in mathematics in the maryville city school system to understand that it would probably take about 15, 20, 25 years or never to be able to get rid of the deferred maintenance in the great smoky mountain national park, our most visited national park. now, that's a massive disappointment to people who consider our national parks as our greatest pressures, to go there and find a campground closed, a bathroom doesn't work, a bridge that's closed, a road with a pothole, a trail that's worn out, a visitors' center that could be dill --

dilapidated as they are in some of our centers around the country. this is what we're talking about. this is what we're talking about. we're talking about deferred maintenance. things that are broken and don't work and interfere with the ability of the american people to go outdoors. and of all the times in recent history when people would like to go outdoors is right now. and of all the times we need some extra jobs, it would be right now when we've got 14% of the pooh emin tennessee out of work -- people in tennessee out of work. some of them can go to work on the roads and bridges and trails and potholes and soothe systems and the other things that -- and sewage systems and other things that need to be fixed, if we had the motion to proceed. so that's the first thing this bill is about, is the deferred maintenance of the national porks. but not just the national parks. with president trump's enthusiastic support, we've added to the bill as its made its way through the senate other

public lands. for example, the fish and wildlife service lands, the u.s. forest service land, bureau of land management lands, bureau of korean education schools. -- indian education schools. all of those are part of this bill which is among the 800 organizations, 800 outside groups that called all of us and asked us to vote last night, among the most enthusiastic are the fishermen and sportsmen. the ducks unlimited headquartered in memphis, they're really for this bill because we want to use the public lands. we want them preserved. fishermen want access to their streams. tourists want to be able to drive up to the top of the great smoky mountains or to see the

grand canyon or visit pearl harbor or to walk on the national mall. all of these are part of our deferred maintenance problem. so there are two parts of the bill. the first is the land and water conservation fund. this is a fund that was created in 1964. it was a pretty good idea, i've always thought. you take on environmental burden, drilling offshore for oil and gas, and you create an environmental benefit, take some of the money and use it to buy treasured land. senator daines of montana points out that 80% of the access to good fishing in montana comes with funding for the land and water conservation fund. so for 64 years we've had some money come through congress for the land and water conservation fund. problem is, not all the money that congress intended, because in 1964, congress said, set aside a certain amount of money,

about $900 million for the land and water conservation fund. put it in the treasury. then spend it for this purpose. half to the states for their land acquisition, and half to the federal government for its. but congress didn't ever appropriate all that money p. we took that up in 1985-1966. the number-one recommendation for president reagan's commission on the outdoors was to permanently authorize this land and water conservation fund. we permanently authorized it in the congress, this year we'll permanently fund it. the second part is the restore our parks and our public lands. and in that case, as i just described, whether it is the national parks or the fishing or access roads or the bridges or other rundown, worn-out trails

or sewage systems, at the rate we're going it would take 15-20 years, maybe longer, maybe never, to finish all that deferred maintenance. but with this bill, we should reduce that substantially. the idea is to take about -- up to $14 billion over five years and use it to pay for deferred maintenance. now, how do we pay for that? well, we pay for it with real money. we pay for it with earnings from energy exploration on federal lands. now, this is not a new concept. as i mentioned, the land and water conservation fund put that into law in 1964. environmental burden, environmental benefit. it's also not a new concept for all the coastal states in our country, because we take money -- i think it's 27% of the money we get from drilling just off

the coastal states and we give it to those states. we also take some money from drilling in what we call an area beyond the three-mile limit for southern states, and give them 37% of that money. we also take some money from drilling, say, in wyoming and give wyoming 50% of that money or in alaska 90% of that money. the difference is we don't all of that before we give the rest to the treasury. so the idea that we're spending real money from energy drilling in a new and different way is a little bit stretching it. because we already spend a lot of money that we earn from energy exploration on federal lands by giving it to states before we give the rest of it to the treasury. the difference here is, after we give the rest of it to the treasury, we're going to take half of that for five years and

use it for deferred maintenance. senator portman calls it using real money to reduce an unpaid debt. now, it is absolutely true that the way the congressional budget office looks at that, i.t. not offset. -- it's not offset. but there's a difference of opinion here. president trump looks at it in a different way. he thinks it's real money for deferred maintenance. the office of management and budget disagrees with the congressional budget office. they approve this spending. the president's budget includes this spending. we're spending, as i said earlier, money that we already -- the same kind of money we spend we give to states before we give it to the federal government. so if i'm walking down broadway in tennessee where i'm from and i'm trying to say to them, where do this come from? we say, we use money from energy

exploration on federal lands. we're going to use it for five years in the case for everything but the land and water conservation fund for five years. and if we don't have the money, we don't spend it. if we do have the money, we do spend it. and as a result of that, we're going to be able to fix those broken bridges, those sewage systems, those dilapidated visitor centers, instead of maybe never fixing them or doing them hat a rate of 20 or 25 years, we'll be able to cut in half that deferred maintenance backlog and reduce substantially the time it takes to make these public lands the kind of lands that all of us expect when we go to visit. so i'm delighted to be in full support of this. i thank senator warner, senator portmanables all the others who have worked so hard -- senator portman, all the others who have worked so hard on it. i hope that the vote we had last night with both senators in

support of moving ahead with the bill signals that as we go through the other procedural efforts this week, that we'll have support and send is it to the house and send it to the president. president trump is fully in support of it. without him and his office of management and budget, we wouldn't have chance to do it. more than two and a half years ago secretary zinke, a big fellow from montana who was the interior secretary, came down to tennessee and asked me if i'd get involved in this because it was so important p. he said he had talked to mick mulvaney who was then at the office of management and budget and to the president and they wanted it done. so i got involved. and here we are today. so i hope we have great success with this bill. i know that the people of tennessee are looking forward to it t i would be remiss if i didn't point out -- i pointed out that with the smokies that

our backlog is about $24 million. and our annual budget is about $20 million. we'll never get the backlog fixed if we don't pass a bill like this or this bill. the same applies to other public lands in our state. the chair key national forest, which is the largest piece of public land in tennessee, will get help with their $27 million maintenance backlog to make sure their access roads and trails are kept open for three million visitors each year. that's about as many visitors as many of our most popular western parks have. and the tennessee national wildlife refuge will get help with their $it -- with their $8.4 million maintenance backlog. i thank the president. i yield the floor. mr. warner: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. virginia virginia mr. president, the time --

mr. warner: mr. president, i timing has worked out pretty good. it is great to speak on this piece of legislation after my friend, the senator from tennessee, has just completed speaking. we're hearing i think some classic legislating coming from senator alexander. he was very generous in his compliments to senator manchin, to senator me -- to senator warner, me, to senator daines, to senator gardner. but we all know that we wouldn't be here on the cusp of passing the most significant piece of environmental outdoor lands legislation if it hadn't been for the leadership of senator alexander from tennessee. so many of us who've had an opportunity to work with him and become friend with him over his years in the senate have tried

to emulate him at times, listen to him all the time. he is a senator that i wish we had more of in this senate, that says more often than not, let's not worry about who gets the credit. let's just get some things done. there were two pieces of legislation that had to come together. there was the challenge of getting the administration in. there was the challenge that we had at one point maybe too many democrats, maybe not enough republicans. it was senator alexander that kind of guided us through this the least from the park side three-year journey. and i just want to publicly acknowledge his enormous leadership on this piece of legislation, thank him for his friendship, thank him for the great work that he has done garnering as well the over 800-plus environmental groups

who have come to support this legislation, and i know that my friend, the senator from tennessee, is not going to stand for reelection. but i -- and i know he will have many, many, many legacy items from his tenure in the senate, but i believe this great american outdoors act will rank in the top three or top five of his legislative accomplishments, in that kind of quiet let's not worry about whose name is first on the bill but let's just get it done is playing out this week as we saw last night with a remarkable -- remarkable -- 84 votes. we may not end up with 84 votes on the final passage, but, again, the path to get here has been a fascinating one and one that i've learned from. so i do want to rise to join all

of the colleagues i've mentioned and others in support of the great american outdoors act. i got involved in this issue over three years ago. we in virginia have -- we're blessed with a lot of great national parks. we're blessed with a number of historic battlefielded and other historic sights. we have some of the parkland roads shall the parkways, in northern virginia, a parkway -- george washington parkway that i come up to work here in the capital every day. the blue ridge parkway, the colonial parkway. we have $1 moi 2 billion of that backlog. this legislation is so critically important. the legislation has been mentioned represents the most significant investment in our public lands in a generation and particularly at this moment in time i thinking is critically

important as well -- a job creator in our outdoor economy. the great american outdoors act will provide up to $9.5 billion over five years to address not only the deferred maintenance and backlogs at the national park service but other federal land agencies as well. the bill also -- this is where the kind of mastery of senator alexander combines the two pieces of legislation. the bill finally provides full and mandatory funding for the land and water conservation fund. it's been a long road getting to this point, but i'm thrilled that we are finally at this moment in time in this important job-creating legislation that is also preserving the legacy that god granted this country in terms of the outdoors, in terms of our history. this is really a gift to our kids, grandkids and future generations.

now, many of us have indicated how we got here, and i want to add my voice as well. years of chronic underfunding has forcesed the park service to deferred maintenance on trails, historic structures, as well as thousands of miles of roads and bridges. today the national park service faces a dwe fehred -- deferred maintenance backlog of over $12 billion. as a matter of fact, over half of all park service assets are currently in desperate need of repairs. as i mentioned virginia alone, the deferred maintenance backlog sits 59 over -- sits at over $1.1 billion. that means in virginia we only trail the district of columbia and california in terms of jurisdictions of total backlog. to address this growing problem in virginia and across the country, three years ago senator alexander, senator portman, my good friend senator angus king and i introduced the original legislation to restore our parks

act that would provide significant funds to the park service to reduce its maintenance backlog utilizing unobligated energy resources. in march our bill was combined with senator gardner and senator manchin's legislation to form the great american outdoors act. this bill on the floor today will provide, as i indicated, up to $6.65 billion over five years to restore and repair our national parks. that's enough to address more than half of the current deferred maintenance backlog and completely fund the highest priority deferred maintenance projects within the agency. this represents one of if not the largest investment in the infrastructure in our national parks in the over hundred year history of the national park service. in addition to preserving our national treasures for future generations to enjoy, this

legislation will also create tens of thousands of jobs across the country and provide a positive economic impact for those gateway communities -- the senator mentioned chilhowee in tennessee. we have a chilhowee in southwest virginia as well. those gateway communities that depend on our national parks. as a matter of fact, a recent study by the national park service indicates that the great american outdoors act will actually support over a hundred thousand jobs and contribute $17.5 billion in total economic output through this legislation. in virginia alone, that means over 10,000 jobs could be created by eliminating this maintenance backlog. let me give you a few examples on a more parochial basis on what that will mean in virginia. here in the national capital region, the george washington memorial parkway which is managed by the national park

service has over $700 million in deferred maintenance. as a matter of fact, anyone who travels on that road knows north of the t.r. bridge we actually had a sinkhole appear in the parkway within the last year, enormous safety threat as well as a huge inconvenience to the traveling public. our legislation would help rebuild this critical transportation route between virginia, washington, and maryland. again, reducing traffic and creating jobs. i mentioned in virginia we're blessed with a number of historic battlefields. the richmond national battlefield park has over $5 million in deferred maintenance and the nearby petersburg national battlefield has nearly nine million in deferred maintenance. our legislation would help preserve these important pieces of our heritage while also supporting the local economies. at the shenandoah national park, one of the crown jewels of the national park service, the

maintenance backlog sits at 90 million. our legislation will put people to work on these overdue repairs including the skyline drive and stretches of the appalachian trail which is at the heart of outdoors tour im. as you head further southwest in virginia, the blue ridge parkway has accumulated over $508 million in deferred maintenance needs. that's over $1 million per mile of the parkway. the great american outdoors act will put virginians to work on these repairs so visitors can continue to appreciate the beauty of the appalachian highlands and support again the local economy. i'll give you one final example. the colonial national historic park which is home to historic jamestown and york battlefield. it contains some of our nation's most significant sites at the beginning of our nation and birth of our nation in terms of the revolution, their deferred maintenance needs totals over

$430 million. with this legislation the weight on these repairs is over. we're going to create jobs and make sure this important part of our history is around for years to come. now, in addition to securing these funds for the park service and other public lands, the great american outdoors act also provides the full mandatory funding for the land and water conservation fund. lwcf is the most important tool the federal government and states have to conserve national -- natural areas, water resources, and cultural heritage. and to expand recreation opportunities to all communities. over the past four decades, virginia has received over $360 million in lwcf funding that has been used to prevent -- to preserve critical places in the commonwealth, like the rapahannock river valley and black bay national wildlife refuge, and the appalachian

national scenic trail. with the full funding for the lwcf we'll be able to conserve additional critical lands in the commonwealth and provide more recreational opportunities for virginians from the coal fields to the chesapeake bay and everywhere in between. in closing, i urge my colleagues to support this historic legislation that will help restore our national parks and public lands, create tens of thousands of jobs across the country and expand recreation opportunities for millions of americans. this bipartisan piece of legislation that also has the support of the administration is legislation whose time has arrived. i look forward to successful passage later this week. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. sullivan: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without

objection. mr. sullivan: i ask that if my unanimous consent that if my remarks go over the time for the recess at 12:30, that they be allowed to extend beyond that. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sullivan: mr. president, this is going to be a historic day for the u.s. senate as we come down to the floor after the recess, after lunch here to be voting on the confirmation of general charles q. brown, jr., to be the chief of staff of the united states air force. general c.q. brown. i will certainly be voting for general brown because he's the right man at the right time for this very important job. let me explain why. general brown has been an impressive -- has an impressive academic record and a sterling record of service to our great nation and, of course, to the

united states air force. he is a distinguished graduate of the air force reserve officer training corps with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from texas tech. the presiding officer might like that. as well as a master's degree in aeronautical science from embry riddle aeronautical university. currently general brown is the commanding officer, the four star general in charge of our pacific air forces, all pacific air forces. and of course, mr. president, you know that that's really important because he is literally on the front lines in implementing the national defense strategy which has a focus on great power competition, particularly china as the pacing threat to our nation for the next 50 to a hundred years. general brown is in that battle right now, front lines every day

and is -- that's really important. prior to being commander of pacific air forces, he was the deputy commander of u.s. central command for two years. so he knows all about the national security challenges that we have from that region of the world, which are still very significant, particularly violent extremist organizations like al qaeda that continue, and isis, to threaten the united states from 2015 to 2016, he served as the u.s. air force's central command's combine force component air commander where he oversaw the strategic bombing campaigns against isis and iraq and syria as well as operations against insurgent groups in afghanistan. so, with a record like that,

pretty remarkable. he understands the threats that we're currently facing. he understands the big challenges that we're seeing over the horizon with regard to china, and he is ready to lead our country -- i mean lead the air force to take on those threats as a member of the joint chiefs of staff. the secretary of the air force barbara barrett said of general brown, quote, he has unmatched strategic vision and operational expertise. his leadership will be instrumental as the air force continues to focus on the capabilities and talent we need to implement the national defense strategy. that's the secretary of the air force on general c.q. brown. and, mr. president, in my conversations with him, i certainly believe these -- these qualities, these characteristics that the secretary of the air force describes to certainly be

true. i've had many, many good conversations with him on strategy, on strategic basing, including in the asia-pacific region and i am very, very confident that again he is the right person for the right job at this moment. mr. president, i also want to mention that he will be the first african american service chief in our military's history. now, i've known general brown for some time, but i was actually surprised when i realized this. colin powell was chairman of the joint chiefs. did an amazing job. but we have not had an african american service chief in any other services in the history of the united states. so i think that's very important

right now, particularly in many ways this is a historic nomination, particularly as our country is royaling over -- roiling over the killing of george floyd and the protests that are taking place peacefully now -- which is great -- to demand justice for him and his family, and as we look at some of the challenges we have in our nation with regard to countering racism across america. in a very moving video address, general brown recently talked about what's on his mind in terms of some of these challenges. he talks about many of the things that are on his mind, many aspects of his career -- very powerful. i would recommend people who care about these issues, take a look at that very powerful speech. he said he was thinking about

the conversations his wife and his two sons sean and ross have had on these times recently, but also the immense responsibility that comes from his historic nomination, and he was thinking, of course, about how he could make our country better for others, from a national security standpoint and with regard to other issues. mr. president, think about that. that's a very weight for anyone to carry, but i firmly believe that general brown's shoulders are broad and strong enough to carry this weight. so i'm going to be voting enthusiastically yes with regard to the vote we're going to take here at 2:15 this afternoon. i would to encourage all of my colleagues to vote yes, to have a 100-0 vote for this important,

impressive nomination to be the chief of staff of the united states air force. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate the previous order, the senate >> the senate recessing for weekly party lunch meetings. when the return senators will vote on the confirmation of general charles brown for air force chief of staff. he would be the first african-american head of the air force and only black member of the current joint chiefs of staff. then senators resume work on the great american outdoors act. legislation to create a permanent source of funding for maintenance on national parks and other federal lands. live coverage when senators return here on c-span2. >> will take you live now to capitol hill for a house subcommittee hearing with