bill to expand access to va benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances. live coverage of the senate here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god, robed with honor and majesty, we praise you for the marvelous things you have done throughout our nation's history. lord, thoughts about your mighty deeds continue to fill us with joy.

you are alpha and omega, the beginning and the ending. lord, in these tumultuous times, we continue to trust you to compel evil forces to retreat. surround this nation with the shield of your divine favor, as you execute judgment from your throne. lord, continue to remind our lawmakers of their accountability to you. and, lord, bless ukraine. we pray in the name of our savior. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance. 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. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved.

the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, i know the distinguished majority leader has been delayed by a few minutes so i'm going to speak on another matter. it's hard really to know where to start. i'm here on the senate floor to talk about guns. in a world in chaos, we can't

forget about the chaos here at home. gun violence is killing our children. 19 students, two of their teachers in uvalde two weeks ago. 20 children and seven others in newtown, connecticut, nearly ten years ago. 12 students and a teacher at columbine 23 years ago. in between, las vegas, 58 day, the pulse nightclub, 49 dead, marjory stoneman douglas high school, 17 dead. all victims of gun violence. and this is just a snapshot of the epidemic of gun violence in our country. i look back at my 48 years here in the senate and i say -- when will we say enough?

enough. we haven't finished honoring and celebrating the lives of the ten victims in buffalo before the news broke of the tragedy evolving in uvalde. 19 children, two teachers massacred in their school where they learn and work where they should be safe -- safe to just be children. and this weekend at least a dozen people were killed, 60 more injured in shooting incidents across our country. when is it enough? after sandy hook, well over a decade after columbine shook the nation, the conscience of the country was stirred. now we said now we must look at our gun laws. now we must take a look at what

simply makes sense and what does not. the judiciary committee acted. i was proud to lead that, but the senate did not. there were bipartisan proposals then, proposals that i believe could muster bipartisan support again today, support that acknowledges that there is a problem and acknowledges that we can and must do something about it. the problem is not the second amendment. the problem is the view that the second amendment is itself absolute. as in vermont last week people would say to me, of course we pray for the victims but we also pray that congress will finely stand up and do something. i'm with my fellow vermonters. i'm a lifelong gun owner.

i was on the target shooting team at st. michaels college in vermont, my alma mater, earned my letter in that. millions of other americans like myself, lifelong gun owners, but they're responsible gun owners and they honor americans' rights to own firearms and they choose to own firearms to defend their families or to hunt but not to commit battlefield-style murders. to most americans firearms are valued for defensive purposes, not for murder and mayhem it there are ways we can use our common sense to use our community safe and keep guns out of the hands of people who are dangerous. let's start with background

checks, they are a quick and easy way to help accomplish that goal. there is bipartisan support to require background checks for commercial firearm sales. now, i think we should go further, but we have to start somewhere, and commercial sales background checks are a good start. background checks would have to bring common sense back into the discussion. and how about extreme risk laws, also called red flag laws? we should encourage more states to enact these laws to allow loved ones petition a court order to prevent an individual in krois cease from -- crises from accessing firearms. people who are in a crises or are a danger to themselves or others shouldn't have access to

firearms. now, that's just plain common sense. then we have the question of straw purchasers. these are people buying guns on behalf of someone else. we've seen this where criminal gangs will send into other states to make straw purchases of weapons that are then sold back to them. there's no criminal statute prohibiting straw purchasing, so lawmakers have to rely on false statements in connection of purchasing a firearm. there is bipartisan agreement that we should strengthen the penalties for straw purchasers to deter this dangerous conduct.

that's also just practical common sense. we should also add common sense and consistency to minimum age requirements to purchase guns. you have to be 21 to buy a handgun. you also have to be 21 to purchase alcohol and in many places cigarettes, but under our federal laws, just 18 to buy a shotgun or rifle, including an automatic rifle like those used on the battlefield, but also used in buffalo and uvalde, battlefield weapons killing innocent children, innocent americans. and if we can't find enough common ground to ban military style assault rifles that i

believe we should, we should at least raise the age at which they can be purchased from 18 to 21. all of these proposals are practical common sense. they should be the least that congress can do to help prevent the next mass shooting. but we have a problem. we have a problem in the united states where the leading cause of childhood death in 2020 was firearms. think of that, our children and our grandchildren and the leading cause of death is firearms. we have a problem when we cannot stand up and together to respond to the fears of our children. we have a problem when we cannot push aside the interest of the n.r.a. or the gun industry or the gun owners of america or other pressure groups that tell us that democrats are coming for your guns.

of course some of the gun industry will say that because it boosts their sales. it boosts their sales and children die. this is the united states of america. i'm a democrat, i'm a gun owner. i've been both nearly my entire life. i've also been a prosecutor and prosecuted cases and went to death scenes at 3 in the morning and seeing people shot. i'm also a parent and a grandparent. i'm a united states senator. i'm the dean of the senate, and i'm a proud vermonter. in my home state we have a long tradition dating back to our founding when we became the

14th state in the union of hunting the land. ownership of our firearms is part of that. but i've also heard from more than 1,000 vermonters since uvalde urgently telling me that something must be done. when is it enough? everywhere marcelle and i went last week in vermont, we heard when is enough enough? i spent months, or actually years, listening to my friends on the republican side in congress talk about protecting children. well, i ask them, who's going to step up now? who will step up to say enough is enough? if we are to protect our children, we must be the adults with the courage to listen to their fears and to act to alleviate them.

we are the adults who must pro toarkt our children -- must protect our children. if we do nothing, we're not protecting them. this isn't about politics. this isn't about the moneyed interests of pressure groups lobbying congress without acknowledging the tragedies in our world today. this isn't open about you or me, mr. president. this is about the thousands of people who are killed through gun violence every year. and the countless family members forced to sorrowfully move on in their absence, saying, why our family? why our loved one? why my parents? why my children? why my brother?

or why my sister? why? in this, the greatest country on earth, our horrific record of gun violence. this isn't about revoking the second amendment, but it's about applying practical commonsense safeguards to help mitigate the violence. yet again, i ask, as i have since i've been in the senate, and the american people ask, when is it enough? when is it enough? i join those who pray for the

victims, but i especially join those who pray that the congress will have the courage, democrats and republicans alike, to finally do something meaningful. mr. president, i yield the floor, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

>> and ensuring that the irs has the workforce and the technologies it needs to best . you know that the tax gap annually is estimated in $600 billion and closing that gap is critical to ensuring fiscal responsibility. we need to invest in the irs to do that. >> thank you. the american rescue plans expansion of advance premium tax credits has been certified to ensuring the safety and economic well-being of all members of the american family. millions were able to enroll in a quality plan for ten dollars or less per month and family stayed an average of about $2400 a year on their insurance premiums. absent action was the more uninsured and higher health care

premiums while congress works to develop legislation that will include deficit reduction an enormous step towards fighting inflation certainly would be if you would agree to extending those credits i've just described one of the key steps we can take to protect consumers from rising costs. >> i believe the american rescue plans expanded tax credit really made a huge difference in the lives of working families, and extending it would mean that the help they received over the last two years continue to be available. it would put more money in their pockets to address every day needs rather than health insurance. it's resulted in a large expansion and believe it should be extended. >> thank you, madam secretary. let me recognize the ranking

member kaine. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i'm very concerned, madam secretary, that in your global tax negotiation, treasury's surrendering u.s. tax base to form governments. the tax base will need in the future to find important government service. they do this on your agreement to this by targeting 60% of the revenues for redistribution income from u.s. companies. i don't understand why you signed agreement that targets boeing but not airbus. caterpillar and john deere but not the foreign competitors volvo or korematsu. so my question is, given the fact that our u.s. tax basis for our u.s. taxpayers, when you commit to walk away from any deal on pill to one or pillar two that results in lower tax revenues for the united states? >> well, on an older one which i think you were mainly referring to in your remarks, the proposal

is to subject portion of profits of all large multinational and highly profitable multinationals wherever they are based to share globally portion of those taxing rights. and the united states as a large market economy will gain the ability to tax a portion of the excess profits of foreign companies. we have not yet been able to come to provide an estimate of exactly what the net gain or losses because there are critical details -- >> madam secretary, i understand you're in those negotiations but i think you will admit the majority of those tax revenues will come from u.s. businesses

in the u.s. tax base. and secondly, i would love to see, i know we have requested several times, will you share this week with congress treasury's economic analysis of the agreement, specifically redistribution in pillar one and as i have read the pillar two design will also result in gaming over the u.s. tax code for redistribution. so could you share those economic impacts with the tax writers? >> as i said, until some final details of pillar one are negotiated, we are not possible to come up with an estimate to share with the committee. but our calculations do show that the impact is likely to be small either way positive or negative. >> thank you. i hope that's the case but i do have a final question. i know your time is so critically busy.

i do your global tax blade you propose congress give up its taxing authority to foreign governments. the oecd. accountants, financial accounting, these are not just tax provisions on humer: now, mr, today, the house oversight and reform committee heard from a witness that by all means should never, ever have come before the congress, have had to come before the congress. mia cirillo, an 11-year-old girl, who survived the shooting in uvalde, texas. our house colleagues will also hear from felix and kimberly rubio, the parents of 10-year-old lexi, killed in the shooting. you can just imagine their broken heart. they will also hear from the only pediatrician in uvalde available to treat the victims on that awful, awful, awful day. i hope every single member of the house and senate pays

attention to these proceedings. god knows many in congress need to listen to what these witnesses have to say. we need to listen, and congress needs to act, because across every neighborhood, every school, every city, every town, urban, suburban, rural, americans are wondering the same thing -- when is congress going to act to stop gun violence? now, that is presicily -- precisely what we're working on right now in the senate. it will be hard to believe, after hearing what these witnesses have to say, that the senate cannot find a way to come together and act on gun violence. over the past week and a half, my democratic colleagues, read by the -- led by the efforts of senator murphy, sinema, manchin, coons, heinrich and others, have been holding good-faith talks with republicans to see if we can arrive at an agreement on gun violence legislation. as i've said, these bipartisan

talks deserve the space they need to produce meaningful results, and so i hope my colleagues continue to make progress towards an effective agreement, hopefully by the end of the week. the overwhelming consensus of our caucus, among the going safety violence prevention advocates and among the american people is that even if we can't get everything done, that getting something real done is worth pursuing. let me repeat that. it's an overwhelming consensus in this caucus, among the broad panoply of gun groups, gun safety groups, and among the american people -- get something done. get something real done, even if it's not everything many of us would wish for. given the other side's long-held refusal to do anything meaningful on gun violence, we know how difficult this is. this is more the reason we need to explore every opportunity to

get something real done. we know we won't get everything we want. the debate for gun safety will continue after this moment. but we have a moral obligation right now to try and get something meaningful, something meaningful done for the american people in the name of those who have died. this is not a partisan issue. gun safety is overwhelmingly backed by a large majority of americans, majority of democrats, republicans, independents. it is bipartisan because all americans know the same thing. we stand alone in the developed world in the number of mass shootings that take place every year. we stand alone among the developed nations in the world in that any given -- in that on any given day, another school, another grocery store, another hospital, another concert, another neighborhood can suddenly become a side of un-- sight of unimaginable tragedy. americans, many for the first time are thinking oh, i might be shot. whether they're in a

supermarket, or their kids are in a school or anywhere else. and we stand alone in year after year in that the plague of mass shootings in this country has been met by inaction. when other countries have faced these mass shootings they have acted and they have acted well. why aren't we? the american people are tired and angry of the same thing happening again and again. they are tired of nothing getting done. they are tired of the greatest country in the world being paralyzed and not acting in a right way, mainly because people on the other side of the aisle haven't joined us. but i urge my colleagues now let's get something done. the sooner we act, the greater chance we have of preventing another senseless mass shooting in america. let's break this cycle of gun violence. and let's end the days when parent, doctors, and children have to come to the u.s. capitol

in order to beg their elected representatives to take action. now, on fox news on january 6, tomorrow evening the house select committee will hold its first public hearings on the insurrection of january 6. it will be a watershed moment for what has now been a ten montana investigation -- ten-month investigation to uncover the truth of what happened on that terrible, terrible day in our nation's history. the american people need to see january 6 for what it was, a deliberate, organized, and violent attempt to reverse a free and fair election. it was profane and grotesque as an assault upon american democracy. worst of all, it was part of a larger effort from the hard right to erode our constitutional order from within. just a couple of days ago someone was arrested who said he was in 20 feet of me and was trying to get me as we left this chamber.

these hearings will be essential viewing. they're a direct look into the dark soul of the hard right, and every single american needs to know the truth of what happened that day. every major broadcast and cable network will cover these proceedings live, every network except one that is, fox news. in one of the most cowardly journalistic decisions in modern memory, fox news, one of the main amplifiers of the big lie about january 6 and about the election has stated they will not broadcast thursday's hearing. after giving the likes of tucker carlson a blank check to spread conspiracy theories and white supremacist views night after night, it's beyond repugnant that fox news refuses to cover an investigation into the deadliest attack on our democracy in modern history. it's a disgusting and treacherous decision, one that will gravely harm our democracy,

one that deliberately will conceal the truth from a large portion of the viewing public. let me say it once again. fox' decision not to air live proceedings on january 6 is cowardly and is tantamount to hiding the truth from the american people. fox news has an obligation to report the facts of the january 6 investigation so their viewers can learn the truth, especially after fox news was one of the main promulgators of so many of the big lies. are they a real news station? they don't seem to be. i hope they reverse this awful decision. and finally on the pact act, today the senate is going to adopt the motion to proceed to honoring our pact act and my colleague from montana, chairg of our veterans committee, who has worked so hard on this will speak about that shortly in a moment. the pact act is one of the most

important veterans health care bills this chamber has considered in decades. yesterday the senate invoked cloture on the motion to proceed by a whopping 86 votes. three and a half million veterans, three and a half million have been likely exposed to toxic chemicals in the line of duty since 2001. over the years these toxic exposures have led to terrible health care complications that have cut too many lives short and burdened far too many of our nation's heroes. tragically many of our nation's veterans have been unable to access the care they need because of outdated v.a. rules that dictate eligibility for benefits. the pact act would fix that with some of the biggest reforms to the v.a. ever. mr. president, it's a no-brainer to move forward on a bill to take care of veterans who have been exposed to toxins in the line of duty. we cannot let dilatory or destructive amendments stand in the way of the need of our

veterans' dire and crucial needs. again, last night's vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan. there is no reason for us not to pass this important, vital, sensible bill asap. every one of us in this chamber has heard from a military servicemember who has struggled to afford quality health care. and this is one of the best steps the senate can take to improve the lives of those who have given their all for our country. veterans service organizations across the country are urging the senate to act. so let's get this bill passed with the same bipartisan goodwill that has characterized the negotiations to date. i yield the floor. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate

will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to h.r. 3967 which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to h.r. 3967, an act to improve health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances and for other purposes. the presiding officer: under the previous order, all postcloture time has expired. the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the bill. the clerk: calendar number 388, h.r. 3967, an act to improve health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances and for other purposes. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. tester: i call up amendment number 5051. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from montana, mr. tester, proposes an amendment numbered 5051. mr. tester: mr. president, i'd

ask to disburse with any further reading of the amendment. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: majority leader. mr. schumer: i called up 5065. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from new york, mr. schumer, proposes amendment number 5065 to amendment numbered 5051. mr. schumer: i ask to dispense with further reading of the amendment. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. tester: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. tester: thank you for the recognition, mr. president. the senate is on the verge of honoring our commitment to our country's toxic exposed veterans and their families through the sergeant first class heath robinson honoring our pact act. look, generation after generation of veterans have been expressed to -- exposed to toxic substances during their time in service dating all the way back to world war i and every conflict since then. and they've returned only to face yet another battle here at

home when they seek care and benefits because of the impact of toxic exposure on their lives. in a wo worst-case scenario fols are paying the price with their lives. veterans and heroes like sergeant first class robinson for whom this bill is named after. look, we've made some incredible advances as a country over our history when it comes to taking care of our servicemen both in theater and after they get back home. the survival on the battlefield now compared to 50 years ago has been improved amazingly. prosthetics, we've done some amazing work with prosthetics for the folks that have come back that are missing limbs. we've been working hard on mental health. wherer -- we're not where we need to be but we're making some advances. we have more stuff to do,

particularly in the area of transition and implementation of alternate forms of mental health care. but the fact is that toxic exposure we've never done a good job. this bill will put the v.a. and put this nation on the right track to addressing decades of inaction and failure by our government, by us to pay for the cost of war. so would does it do? it expands eligibility, expands eligibility for v.a. health care to more than three and a half million cop bat veterans -- combat veterans exposed to burn pits since 9/11. supporting our post-9/11 and vietnam era veterans by removing the burden of proof for 23 presumptive conditions caused by toxic exposure from cancers, to

lung diseases. it establishes a framework for the establishment of future presumptions of service connection related to toxic exposures. why is this important? you know how the senate works. oftentimes it takes a long time to get much done and it has taken an act of congress, literally an act of congress to get these presumptives approved in the past. now the v.a. is going to have a structure which they can follow the science and get these toxic exposures covered, the ones that are going to happen in the future. and unfortunately, i'm afraid that they will happen in the future so this structure is important. this bill also gives the v.a. the tools it needs to bolster its workforce, to establish more health care facilities, to improve claims processing which will better meet the immediate and future needs of every veteran at the v.a. service. i've talked about the costs. the costs are $287 billion over

ten, significant, very significant, but it is the cost of war. keep in mind this substitute because of the work that the staffs have done in a bipartisan way is $50 billion less than the house-passed toxic exposure bill. so we've done our best to make sure that this bill meets the needs of our veterans and also meets the needs of our taxp taxpayers. this is the right thing to do and it's the right thing to get done today. because right now our veterans are paying the cost. they're the only ones paying the cost. and they cannot afford to wait any longer. mr. chairman, i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: if the senator would recall the motion -- mr. tester: i would absolutely

rescind that motion. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of labor, lisa m. gomez of new jersey to be an assistant secretary. mr. tester: i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: first, just moments ago "the washington post" published an extremely disturbing report. according to the report, a man in his mid-20's was stopped near the house of a supreme court justice carrying a weapon and burglary tools. he reportedly told police he intended to murder the justice. reportedly he indicated he was angry at the decision the court may reach in an upcoming case in light of the unconscionable leak from a few weeks back. so this is where we are.

this is where we are, mr. president. if these reports are correct, an assassination attempt against a sitting justice, or something close to it, this is exactly -- exactly the kind of event that many feared that the terrible breach of the court's rules and norms could fuel. this is exactly the kind of event that many worried the unhinged, reckless apocalyptic rhetoric from prominent figures toward the court going back many months, and especially in recent weeks, could make more likely. this is exactly -- exactly why the senate passed legislation very shortly after the leak to enhance the police protection for justices and their families. this is commonsense, noncontroversial legislation that passed in this chamber --

in this chamber unanimously. but house democrats have spent weeks blocking -- blocking the measure that passed here unanimously related to security for supreme court justices. the house's democrats have refused to take it up. now, look, mr. president, that needs to change and it needs to change right now. right now. house democrats must pass this bill and they need to do it today. no more fiddling around with this. they need to pass it today. they need to stop their multiweek blockade against the supreme court security bill and pass it before the sunsets -- sun sets today. i will have more to say on the

subject as the facts continue to unfold. now, on a completely different matter. rising food prices have been one of the most relentless and painful aspects of the historic inflation unfolding on democrats' watch. one year ago president biden's white house bragged -- bragged that the cost of an independence day cookout would be 16 cents cheaper than the year before. well, in the past year food prices have jumped more than 9% so that same spread won't be cents cheaper, it will be dollars more expensive. grocery store prices have risen at their fastest rate since 1980. at full-service restaurants, prices have jumped more in the past 12 months than any year on record -- any year on record. 17 straight months of rising

food prices. so this is is not a putin -- so this is not a putin price hike. as one of my constituents in nancy, kentucky, put it, many will have to choose between eating and heating the house. democrats' failed policies made it harder to feed a family in america, but the pain isn't limited to the supermarket or to the dinner table. it's hitting food producers at every step of the supply chain. according to the owner of jot them down store, which boasts the oldest diner in lexington, this year they've been hampered by rising gas prices and inflation. in my hometown of louisville, the operator of one stand at the local farmers market elaborated, the feed to feed animals has

gone up. packaging, processing has gone up, butter has gone up three times in the last four weeks. our food producers are feeling the pinch. a soybean farmer in kentucky put it this way, i can put out two, maybe three crops in what it's costing this year. a corn grower in christian county said that growing prices are crippling families like mine. kentucky farmers are not alone. across america, farm countries have been absolutely hammered on democrats' watch. and by the biden administration's own data, farm production expenses from animal feed to diesel fuel are climbing even higher this year than last year. it's a really hard time to be in the business of feeding america, but it didn't have to be this way -- it didn't have to be this way.

washington democrats didn't have to ram through a multitrillion-dollar wish list of inflation rising food spending -- inflationary spending last free, the biden administration didn't have to declare war on american energy on day one. needless to say millions of american families sit down to dinner each day wondering why on earth they did. now, finally on one totally different matter. it's my privilege today to pay honor to an iconic kentuckian. the ncaa basketball season may only last five months, but our outgoing louisville senior associate athletic director, the game has been a four-decade odyssey. when kenny joined the program in 1983, he was the youngest sports information director at an ncaa

division i football school. some might have doubted this young tennesseans could have managed the fan base or the prickly sports reporters. kenny proved them all wrong. long after games ended, after players went back to locker rooms, after fans returned home, kenny would stay in his office well into the night. he would pore over notes and statistics to perfect his answers to journalists' questions and he would stash a cold beer in his desk for any reporter who spent the long nights with him. he was there for the team's highs, 888 wins, two ncaa titles, and he definitely managed the team's lows as well. referring to kenny's handling of the media frenzy, one person suggested kenny could run a

course in crisis management in his retirement. that kind of sterling praise from an adversarial journalist is proof of kenny's magic touch with the media. he became the face of u the -- of the team. kenny returned on campus during klein's second year on the job. and next year payne will be on the court coaching the basketball program. so students, athletes, administrators came and went, but they could only count on kenny klein's constant presence. since announcing his retirement, he received an outpouring of support including from the college sports information directors of america.

everyone from their newest students to kenny's biggest fans in the u.s. capitol. it's sad to see him leave his post. we're glad after some begging, he promised to stay at u of l in a reduced capacity. so we all wish him the best in the next chapter of his extraordinary life. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

mr. thune: is the senate in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. mr. thune: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: three weeks a federal judge blocked the biden administration from lifting covid-19 restrictions. it was a welcomed addition that will hopefully stave off illegal immigration at our border, but it is the only good bit of good news on the front. the situation on the southern border is out of control. in april customs saw 234,88 attempting to cross the border illegally. that is the highest number ever recorded. the border patrol stretched

thin. a recent article reported that around 60% of b.p. agents have been processing migrants taking them away from field work. detention facilities are overflowing and massive numbers of illegal immigrants are being released into the country, many of whom will never report to an immigration office as ordered. in short, our southern border is in chaos. if title 42 is lifted, the situation is guaranteed to become much worse. the department of homeland security estimated that as many as 18,000 migrants per day could attempt to cross our southern border if the policy is lifted. 18,000 per day. that's more than double the number we're currently experiencing. and the administration has yet to implement any plan for dealing with such a situation.

mr. president, illegal immigration, especially the kind of out-of-control immigration we're experiencing, has serious consequences. criminals, including human traffickers, drug smugglers, and gang members regularly attempt to cross our southern border. and the worse the situation at our border gets, the easier for those individuals to make their way into the united states. and that has consequences for our entire country. south dakota law enforcement officials tell me they're seizing drugs that they can trace directly back to cartels who smuggle these drugs across our borders. our country is currently in the midst of a fentanyl crisis. in fact, right now, fentanyl overdose is.leading cause, leading cause, for u.s. adults -- death in u.s. adults between the ages of 18 and 45. where is all this fentanyl coming from? most of it is being trafficked

across our southern border. when more and more of our customs and border protection aipghts have been pulled off the border to process migrants, it's pretty much a guarantee drug smugglers are having a much easier time getting their product in the country. i mention that customs and border protection encountered more than 234,000 individuals attempting to cross our southern border illegally in the month of april. but that number only reflects individuals that c.b.p. has actually apprehended. in april, homeland security secretary mayorkas testified that in addition to the 1.7 million apprehensions at the southern border in fiscal year 2021, there were more than 38 ,000 -- 389,000 got-aways, individuals the border patrol saw but was unable to apprehend. the economist recently reported, and i quote, one border expert estimates that less than 20% of

people trying to cross the border undetected are stopped, end quote. mr. president, the administration has attempted to suggest that the surge in illegal immigration we've been experiencing since president biden took office is in large part a function of conditions in other countries. but mr. president, while these factors exist, and there are legitimate asylum claims at the border, that doesn't mean there is nothing the president can do about our out-of-control border situation. better border security is well within the president's control. he's just not interested in putting it in place. his vice president has all but formally abandoned her role as border czar. in fact, since taking office, the president has invited increased illegal immigration with a policy -- with the policy decisions he's made. on his very first day in office, president biden rescinded the

declaration of a national emergency at our southern border. he halted construction of the border wall. he revoked a trump administration order that called for the government to faithfully execute our immigration laws. and his department of homeland security issued guidelines pausing deportations except under certain conditions. that was all, all on his first day in office. needless to say, the effect of all this was to declare to the world that the united states borders were effectively open. of course, the president's anti-border security efforts didn't end there. the president has significantly limited the ability of immigration and customs enforcement to enforce immigration laws. deportations dropped precipitously during fiscal year 2021, as did arrests in the interior of the country. march, the administration rescinded a 2019 rule expanding

expedited removal for individuals here illegally. and as i've mentioned, of course, the administration is attempting to remove title 42 covid-19 restrictions, with no visible plan to control the resulting surge in illegal immigration. mr. president, president biden has made it known that he wants to create, and i quote, a fair, orderly, and humane, end quote, immigration system. well, he's failing on all fronts. i don't need to tell anyone that the situation at the southern border right now is far from orderly. but it's also not humane. the president and other members of his party tend to convey an attitude that strong border security and enforcement of our nation ace immigration laws -- nation's immigration laws are somehow not compassionate or humane. they're wrong.

we're seeing effects of the anti-immigration polling sis right now, and the results are neither compassionate nor humane. encouraging individuals to make the oftentimes dangerous journey to our southern border in the hopes they'll slip across illegally is not humane. encouraging families, and at times unaccompanied children, to expose themselves to the dangers of heat and the elements and human trafficking is not compassionate. at least 557 migrants died attempting to cross the southern border during fiscal year 2021. that too is a record number. how many of them were encouraged to make the journey by the president's lax border policies? and i haven't even mentioned the lack of compassion and humanity the president displays for americans affected by the illegal immigration crisis. straining the resources of u.s. border communities by smoothing the way for illegal immigration and cross-border criminal

activity is not compassionate. make it easier for cartels to flood our nation with fentanyl is not humane. mr. president, the president of the united states, any president, has a special responsibility for our nation's security, and that includes securing our nation's border. so far, president biden has spectacularly failed to meet that responsibility. this week, the kara van of -- caravan of thousands has reportedly started working north through mexico, aligning with the summit of the americas. it's long past time for the mr. to get serious about with the border crisis that he has created, and this summit could be an opportunity for him to finally take action. i hope that he'll reverse his

current course before his administration's signature accomplishment ends up being a legacy of chaos at our southern border. mr. president, i yield the floor, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

i'm here on the senate floor to talk about guns . in a world in chaos we can't forget about the chaos right here at home. done violence is killingour children . 19 students, two of their teachers in uvalde two weeks ago. 20 children and seven others at newtown connecticut nearly 10 years ago. 12 students and a teacher at columbine 23 years ago. in between las vegas 58 dead.

paul's nightclub 49. marjorie stoneman douglas 17 dead. all victims of gunviolence . and this is just a snapshot of the epidemic of gun violence in our country. i look back at my 48 years in the senate and i say when will we say enough? enough. we didn't finish honoring and celebrating the lives of the 10 victims in buffalo before news broke of the tragedy unfolding in uvalde. 19 children, 2 teachers. massacred in their school. where they learn and work. where they should be safe. they should just be children and this weekend at least a dozen people are killed. 60 more injured inshooting incidents across our country

. when is it enough? after sandy hook, well over a decade after columbine hit the nation the conscienceof a country was stirred . now we say we must look at our gun laws. now we must think aboutwhat simply makes sense and what does not . the judiciary committee act, i was proud to lead that. but the senate did not. there are bipartisan proposals then, proposals i believe must havebipartisan support again today . support the acknowledgment that there is a problem. acknowledges that we canand must do something about it . the problem is not the second amendment. the problem is the view that the second amendment is

itself absolute. as in i was in vermont last week and people said to me of course we pray for thevictims . but we also pray thatcongress will finally stand up and do something . i'm with my fellow vermonters . i'm a lifelong gun owner. i was on the target shooting team at st. michael's college in vermont as my all the monitor. earned my letter in that. many are americans like myself who are fond gun owners but their responsible gun owners and they honor americans rights to own firearms. and they choose to own firearms to defend their families or to hunt but not to commit battlefield style murders.

to most americans firearms are carried for defensive purposes, not for murder and mayhem . there are ways we can use our common sense to keep our communities safe and keep guns out of thehands of people who are dangerous . let's establish background checks. they are a quick and easy way to help accomplish that goal. there's bipartisan support for to require background checks for commercial firearms sales. now, i think we should go further but we have to start somewhere. and commercial sales background checks a good start. background checks would bring common sense back into the discussion. and how about red flag laws? we should be encouraging more states to enact these laws to

allow love ones or law enforcement agencies to petition the court for an order that would temper and individual in crisis accessing firearms. people who are in crisis are a danger to themselves or others. they shouldn't have ready access to firearms. that's just plain common sense. then we have the question of straw purchases . these are people buying guns on behalf of someone else. we've seen this where criminal gangs will send into other states to make straw purchases and weapons. and then sell it back to them . there's no criminal statute. >>

in uniform. i have heard countless stories about the challenges that they faced struggling to get access to v.a. care and benefits that they've earned, and that's unacceptable. i believe very strongly that no one who put their life or health on the line for our nation should face hurdles getting the care or medical treatment they need as a result of that sacrifice. when they signed up to serve, we told them we'd have their backs long after their service. so if we're going to live up to our promise, then we need to pass comprehensive legislation to ensure all veterans have access to the v.a. services they deserve. simply put, we need to pass this pact act. with this bill generations of toxics exposed veterans would finally be able to get the high quality care they need and the v.a. get the resources needed to

process claims efficiently and better serve our veterans. i remember back when i was 22 years old. i interned at the seattle veterans hospital. i have visited with and met with v.a. staff in every part of washington state. the doctors, the nurses, everyone else working at our v.a. medical centers really care about this work and they care about this nation. and they care about their mission. but they need us here in congress to care just as much and fight just as hard for their patients, our veterans. that's really what this bill is about. when v.a. was considering closing or reducing services in walla walla, i fought back to make sure our veterans in rural washington were able to see a doctor without having to drive two hours or longer, sometimes through a lot of rain and snow. about one in every ten residents in washington state is a veteran, and i am privileged enough to serve on the senate veterans affairs committee. it's my job to be a voice for

washington state veterans who are in seattle or spokane or walla walla or anywhere, and that's a job i take seriously. that's why i've been continually pressing the v.a. secretary to cut red tape and make sure the v.a. caregivers program works for everyone who needs it the way we wrote it. it's why i introduced the helping heroes act to get families and kids of disabled veterans the assistance that they need. and it's why i will keep doing everything in my power to hold the v.a. accountable for its really unacceptable rollout of the electronic health records system in washington state. there's a lot we need to do to really make sure the v.a. works for veterans, but passing the pact act, getting this done is an important and meaningful process. washington state veterans deserve the very best the v.a. has to offer, and there should be absolutely nothing controversial about making sure all veterans across all

generations who are suffering from chronic illness get the care they have earned. so i'm glad to see we've got bipartisan support for this bill. let's get it done and to the:'s desk. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: mr. president, i ask the quorum call be vish rated. the presiding officer: without objection -- vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. klobuchar: i come to the floor on behalf of nine million veterans who directly benefited from very important health care credits in the american rescue plan, credits that are set to expire at the end of the year if congress doesn't act. and i don't believe enough attention has been focused on

this issue. last year in march of 2021, we came to this very chamber and passed the america rescue plan which provided a crucial lifeline for so many families. we eliminated health insurance premiums for low-wage workers making less than 150% of the federal poverty level and expanded eligibility for health insurance tax credits to middle-class families and guaranteed that health coverage would not cost more than 8.5% of a person's income. the american rescue plan also increased the size of the tax credit for all eligible income brackets putting more money in workers' pockets. as a result a.c.a. health insurance premiums were brought down by an average of $50 per person per month. and people in both new mexico and in minnesota took great advantage of that. as a result a record number of americans, 14.5 million americans are enrolled in the

affordable care act health insurance plan. that's 2.5 million more people that signed up in a single year than ever before. in my home state, that translated to a record low uninsured rate of just 4%. that means 96% of minnesotans have health insurance which is a great improvement over where it was. millions more minnesotans and americans now have the peace of mind that comes with affordable, quality health coverage. eligible households in minnesota have an annual average a.c.a. tax credit of $3,600. that's $3,600 freed up for housing, gas, and groceries while maintaining access to health care. but unless congress acts to make the enhanced family friendly tax credits currently set to expire at the end of 2022 permanent, millions of americans will have the rug pulled out from under them. like leasing a double-digit hike on their health insurance

premiums. calmness for the washington -- columnist for "the washington post" called it a ticking time bomb. if these tax credits are not made permanent, 70,000 minnesotans or 61% of minnesota families purchasing health insurance on their own could see a 35% to 41% increase in their health insurance premiums. and over 10,000 minnesotans could lose their health insurance tax credits in 2023 unless congress acts. in my state, americans between the age of 55 and 64 would be most affected, and you think about this, with cost issues and inflation and all the things people are already facing. right now a 60-year-old minnesota couple with a household income of $75,000 is saving $773 in monthly premiums. taking away those tax credits would increase their annual health spending by at least $9,000. that's like taking away multiple

paychecks, mr. president. it's no wonder that americans overwhelmingly support making these tax credits permanent. doctors and patients have called on us to protect these historic gains and affordability coverage and equity. families can't afford to go back to paying upwards of 20% or more of their responsibilitily income toward -- their monthly income toward health care premiums. it's important for patients and also important for providers. we know hearing when we're back home that many hospitals are stretched thin right now and putting millions of health care for americans in jeopardy is going to create a lot of volatility as patients are forced to disrupt their care and cancel procedures. at a time when so many families are struggling to make ends meet, we just can't sit back and let those a.c.a. tax credits expire. more americans insured is good for patients, good for families, good for communities, and good for our country. and i would note one other thing i would do when it comes to

health care. and that is making sure that we allow medicare to negotiate prices under medicare part d for pharmaceuticals. so while our communities are facing the potential of this, what "the washington post" called a ticking time bomb, we also must act when it comes to pharmaceuticals because those prices are also going up. so i have just presented two really straightforward ways that we can help families with costs when it comes to health care. one is making sure that we keep in place the tax credits that protect middle-class families in this country and the second is to make sure that we allow medicare to negotiate better prices under medicare part d. because when you look at what's happening right now, we continue to see major drug, major drugs go up, doubling, go up 200%, 300% to the point where we are already paying double what they

pay in canada for a significant number of drugs. for minnesota that is right across the border. and we must allow in my mind reimportation of less expensive drugs but the biggest game changer would be to lift the ban that the pharmaceutical companies got in place in law that says medicare representing tens of millions of seniors is not allowed to negotiate cheaper prices. and that's what the v.a. does and it's been really good for our veterans. we should allow the same help for 46 million seniors. it will be good for all americans because it will bring down the taxpayer expense and part of the payment of drugs, and it will be good for individual consumers. so let's get these two things done. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor and i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. kaine: mr. president, i ask the proceedings of the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. warner: i want to say we recognized your enormous service yesterday. we really appreciate it and so much today, the day after your 50th birthday, appreciate the fact you're presiding over this august body w. that, mr. president, i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum.

i just yield. the presiding officer: the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

mr. schumer: mr. president.

the presiding officer: the yeas are 49, the nays are 51, the nomination is not confirmed. mr. schumer: i enter a motion to reconsider. the presiding officer: the motion is entered. the clerk will report the next nomination. the clerk: the judiciary, nina morrison, of new york, to be united states district judge for the eastern district of new york. the presiding officer: the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote: vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion is reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table. and the president will immediately notified of the senate's actions. ms. stabenow: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. i ask that the senate resume consideration of executive calendar 675, the nomination of todd hearn and that upon

disposition of the harper nomination, the senate resume consideration of the loyd nomination as provided under the previous order. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, national credit union administration, todd m. harper of virginia to be a member. ms. stabenow: for the information 6 senators, fat 4:30 p.m., the senate will vote on the confirmation of the harper and loyd nominations in the order listed. mr. president, i have seven requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and the minority leaders. the presiding officer: duel floated. -- duly noted. ms. stabenow: thank you very much, mr. president. mr. president, in 1946, the national school lunch program was signed into law by preyed truman -- president truman, broadly supported in a bipartisan manner. for 76 years we have been

providing food for our children in schools so that they have every opportunity to learn and to be successful. over the years, we've added school breakfast and then summer meals and other support, and at the beginning of covid we worked together on a bipartisan basis to make sure our children still had access to healthy meals even though they weren't able to physically be in school. we've worked together to provide critical funding and flexibility until now. our kids are counting on us to do this again. in 22 days -- 22 days -- healthy meals for many american children will stop if we can't get the bipartisan support necessary to extend the flexibilities and the funding that allows schools and summer programs to keep feeding our children healthy meals.

22 days. again, critical funding will stop in 22 days. that's not very far. and summer programs need to be planning right now, and many children are already starting those summer programs. critical funding is is going to stop in 22 days, even though supply chains are still broken and costs are still rising. in july 2020, with bipartisan changes we made in the middle of the pandemic, almost six million children received summer meals, and that was double the year before, and this was a great thing for children and families across the country. and during the school year, the roughly 30 million children who participate in school meals knew that they could count on breakfast and lunch each day. they may not get supper, they may not get other food, but they could count on breakfast and

lunch. these are real kids, the same as my grandchildren and yours, and they need our continued support to be healthy and to be successful. that's what this is about. they want to spend their summers playing with their friends and their schooldays focusing on learning, not just trying to ignore a headache and a growling tummy. there's a little more in -- there's a little boy in coopersville, michigan, that got summer meals for the first time because his school district could deliver to his neighborhood. if local sites can't open or flexibility doesn't happen, if these options and at the end of the month in just 22 days, 20% of the meal providers in michigan will likely no longer be able to provide that healthy food in the summer. and kids have always been able to count on healthy meals at

school. but next year it's going to bring new challenges for children, for families, for schools. take the little girl in port huron, michigan, whose family is doing their very best to make ends meet as they recover from the pandemic. over the past two years, she's been able to get school meals without her parents and her school having to worry about lots and lots of paperwork and red tape. but when the flexibilities end, schools will be right back at it, having mounds of paperwork for too many families, too often resulting in kids who need help being missed or lefting this up degree. schools might also be forced to increase the price of meals for children, and that is going to be very difficult for many working families. and this lack of action is not

only about our children, which of course that should be enough that this is about our children, but too often when we talk about the budgets and the programs, we lose sight of the people who are doing the work to feed our children, and they have to make the hard choices on how they're going to continue to do that. for example, 357,000 students get their meals at a school in miami-dade school district, the fourth largest school district in the country serving more than 35 million meals each year to young people. but because of the uncertainty and the supply chains, miami-dade has struggled to find a single distributor to serve their school district. while this contract has since been addressed, many districts have not been owe lucky because if we go back to low reimbursements, mr. president, in the fall, they're finding they can't find vendors,

providers that will bid for those contracts. issues are popping up all over the country. in fort worth, texas, kids have increasingly limited options for food. again, supply chains have broken down, food supply chains have broken down. the school district is reporting over 400 options out of stock, things as simple as orange juice or chicken wings. in cleveland school nutrition program, they've got 67 open positions they're trying to fill, which is the other issue right now coming out of the pandemic as we look at it labor shortage. -- at a labor shortage. outside of portland, oregon, school food staff are going to grocery stores to get the food and splice they need when they're -- supplies they need when their distributor cancels their order and they're paying up to 10 times more. doing that in a retail store. starting this month, kids will have fewer options for healthy

milk and other dairy products, when the main dairy serving northern virginia schools is going out of business. there's a lot of challenges. when senator mcconnell, leader mcconnell said he didn't want to extend the funding and flexibilities because the pandemic is over, the effects of the pandemic are not over, nor is the pandemic. we are managing it better, and thank you to the president's leadership and all of our hard work to make sure we have the vaccines and therapeutic medicines and so on. but the supply chains that shut down when you shut down an entire economy -- not just an american economy, by the way, but a global economy. these are still trying to be fixed. there's so many different ways to try to get things up and going, which of course has led to the increased costs. -- in inflation.

so we're in a situation where our schools going into next year, not only this summer but next year, are going to have a very, very difficult time making sure they can provide healthy meals to our children. and there's no excuse for that to be happening if we come together and act. the fact is we are seeing shortages across the board. healthy options are hard to find, and there are delays for equipment so schools could safely store prepared food. what happens when school food staff are faced with challenges like this? kids don't eat, that's what happens. and that's not okay. nationwide, 90% of our schools and summer programs count on the funding and flexibility that's currently in place. 90% of our schools.

all of this red, 90%, over 90% count on the flexibilities, they count on the funding that we put in place during the pandemic that is still needed because of the challenges going on. this is who's counting on us to act to be able to help them feed children. starting july 1, 22 days from now, that's going to stop for many schools. i've been told that if we don't act, one-third of our schools, mr. president, will be in such dire situation they may not be able to continue the national school lunch program at all. let me repeat that. one-third of our schools may not be able to provide healthy meals to our most at-risk children through the school lunch program

at all if we don't come together and do something to help them. we know what to do. we just need the bipartisan support to do it. this is a shocking failure of our country's responsibility to provide for our children and set them up for success. throughout the pandemic, democrats and republicans have come together to make sure that schools and summer meal programs have the tools they need to feed hungry kids. we need republicans to join us again. we're working to return to normal, but we aren't there yet. it is so urgent that we pass my support kids, not red tape act right now. i am extremely grateful that we have every democratic member of the united states senate and

independent members and two of our republican colleagues, senator mur could you skip and -- murkowski and senator collins. it's a bipartisan way to make sure our kids aren't going to hungry. but time is running out, and we only need eight more republican colleagues to join us. we have 52, we need 8. we need eight more republican colleagues to join us to be able to provide support for our children and support for our schools throughout the next year as we are working our way through all of these supply chain issues, and so on, that are getting in the way. our kids are counting on us. 22 days -- 22 days -- that's what we're talking about. we've got 22 days before all of this you support, all of this funding to be able to make sure that as many children are

getting healthy food in the summer as possible, that children who need it and in the schools, that we have a school lunch program and that we're able to provide healthy meals so that kids can focus on learning, they can focus on being kids, they can focus on being successful, not just how they're going to manage their hunger through another day. 22 days, mr. president. our kids are counting on us. we need to act. i yield the floor. ms. stabenow: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: will the senator withhold. ms. stabenow: yes, i would be happy to.

the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: mr. president, i rise today in strong support for the pact legislation that we are now considering. as a former chair and longtime member of the senate veterans' committee, one of my highest priorities is to make certain that every veteran in this country, people who have put their lives on the line to defend us, get the quality health care and benefits that they have deserved. this is an important piece of legislation, and i want to congratulate senator tester, chair of the committee, and ranking member moran for their

hard work on this. this legislation will improve health care, research, and resources for veterans who are exposed to deadly toxic substances and environmental hazards, including open-air burn pits, during their military service. this legislation will finally recognize and treat toxic exposure as a cost of war for the millions of veterans congress has ignored for far too long. and we do that by adding 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions to v.a.'s list of service presumptions. and this will mean that some 3.5 million veterans will now be eligible for v.a. health care, and that is very, very important. it goes without saying that in

the wealthiest country on earth, where we spend more on defense than the next 11 nations combined, no veteran should be without the health care that they are, in my view, entitled to. and i happen to believe -- and i understand there is not the political support for this in congress right now -- but i happen to believe that nal world in which -- that in a world in which nation after nation guarantees health care to all of their people as a right -- in fact, we are the only major country on earth not to do that -- that the very least we can do is to make certain that every man and woman who's put the uniform of the united states of america on and put their lives on the line are in fact entitled to health care because they served our country. that is my view. this bill does not do that, but this bill does at least enroll

3.5 million more people for v.a. health care, and it is a step forward. in terms of this bill, clearly it is unacceptable that we have exposed our military members to toxic burn pits and other dangerous substances on the battlefield. for decades the pentagon has utilized open-air burn pits to dispose of a wide variety of waste, including medical, human, and hazardous waste. way back in 2009, when he led the u.s. central command, general david petraeus sounded the alarm, quote, about the effects of burn pits and airborne toxins on our servicemembers and civilians, end quote. despite those concerns, d.o.d. continued to expose u.s. forces to burn pits, leaving v.a. with the responsibility of dealing with the consequences of these

dangerous and deadly actions. so, bottom line is i am deeply supportive of this legislation. it is a step forward. but we can significantly improve this bill, and that is why i have, mr. president, introduced four amendments to this important bill that i hope will be supported by the senate. first, this first amendment that i've offered will expand permanent access to v.a. health care to members of the national guard and reserve who are not otherwise eligible. right now a national guardsman and women who are activated on presidential orders are eligible for v.a. health care, and that is good, but that turns out to be only a very small percentage

of people who are in the national guard and reserve. and i happen to believe that if you're in the national guard or reserve, and you could be called up at any moment to put your life on the line, i think you should be entitled to v.a. health care, and that is what that amendment does. the second amendment deals with with -- what can i say -- a pathetic and latchable bureaucrat nightmare that currently exists in the v.a., and rube goldberg would have a hard time coming up with a system like this. this is really quite amazing. and that is within the v.a. bureaucracy, which is itself difficult to overcome for many veterans, you have a system, mr. president, which now has over 3,000 income eligibility standards based on zip codes. so a veteran out there watching

this says, i would like to apply for v.a. health care. i served my country honorably. how do i do it? well, it turns out that depending on your income and depending on the zip code that you live in, you may or may not be eligible for v.a. health care. so, in other words, in vermont, you can have one veteran with an income of x living across the street from another veteran who has an income of y, $3,000 more or less. one veteran will be eligible for v.a. health care. another will not. in a large state like california, you have literally hundreds of different income eligibility standards that veterans are going to have to overcome. people go to a service officer in the v.f.w., american legion, am i eligible? it takes a lot of research to determine whether you're

eligible. look at the eligibility standard for san francisco versus los angeles, for example, many, many thousands of dollars in differential. so if you could be eligible in san francisco -- rather eligible in los angeles, not in san francisco, it really makes no sense. it is a nightmare. this amendment simplifies it. it sim polyp says that every state -- it simply says every state in the country take the highest level of income eligibility and that is the standard. you'll have 50 standards rather than 3,000 standards, and i think that will make it a lot easier for veterans to access v.a. health care. my third amendment is a pretty simple one, the v.a. should maintain a dental clinic in every state in the country to provide necessary dental services for veterans. right now there are few states that do not have a v.a. clinic. my own state of vermont is one.

my fourth amendment deals with the issue of dental care. mr. president, one of the many, many crises facing the american dysfunctional health care system is that by and large we do not recognize dental care as being health care, and the result of that in the general public is there are many, many millions of people who cannot afford the outrageously high cost of dental care. these are people, including seniors, who literally lose all of their teeth in their mouth. they can't chew their food properly. for younger people they can't get a job successly because you open your mouth, you don't have any teeth in it, it's kind of hard to get hired under those conditions. currently out of the 8.9 million veterans enrolled in v.a. health care, only 16% or 1.4 million

veterans are eligible for dental care, and that is because within the v.a. almost the only people eligible for dental care are those with service-connected problems. in other words, you have a service-connected issue with your mouth, your teeth, you're eligible for v. health care. but if you don't, if you're simply a veteran whose teeth is rotting in his or her mouth, sorry, you are not eligible. and the limitations of that approach are not only that dental care should be considered as health care in general, somebody is suffering from poorly dental care, we should take care of that person because it is health care. but there is no question that dental problems, oral problems, infections, et cetera, have an impact on our overall health. according to the v.a., there are roughly 3.9 million veterans

who have chronic diabetes and heart disease who are enrolled in the v.a. 3.9 million. most of the veterans diagnosed with diabetes or exposed to agent orange during their service in the vietnam war. the overwhelming health care consensus is that poor oral health worsens the symptoms of diabetes and heart disease. so what that means in english is that you have veterans out there who are struggling with diabetes, struggling with heart disease and their problem is exacerbated by poor dental health, poor oral health, and yet they can't get the dental care their needs, which should be an end in itself but also impacts their overall health. so, mr. president, without going

into great detail, i would say that providing dental care to veterans not only eases pain, not only addresses overall health care concerns, but it ends up being a very cost-effective approach. in a 2019 report to congress on the cost of expanding dental care, something that i asked for, v.a. stated, and i quote, the provision of dental services could result in some reduction in total health care costs. neglecting oral health can contribute to health problems including pack tearal -- bacterial know pneumonia and other diseases. if you are treating oral problems, you are treating issues to keep people healthy

and not have to deal with the health problems of those veterans of during a v.a. briefing earlier this month, v.a.'s office of dentistry said, quote, it is helpful to health care and simultaneously -- v.a.'s dental eligibility status quo. bottom line is that -- is not that complicated. dental care is health care. by ignoring dental care, we cause other health care problems and we increase expenses to the v.a. so those are the four amendments and i hope the senate will give them serious consideration. and, with that, madam president -- mr. president, i yield the floor.

mr. marshall: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. marshall: thank you, mr. president. i want to talk about one of the most disturbing human

catastrophes in the world. i recently visited the ukraine border and i've done medical mission work from haiti to hon did hon -- honduras to africa. i have seen the consequences of lack of potable water and sewage. i describe this when i say our southern border, there is a humanitarian crisis, i'm not speaking in ignorance or hyperbole and this crisis, this humanitarian nightmare has been created by our own president's policies. you see, when he was elected, he sent a loud invitation to the wholele world and -- whole world and when he said he was ending title 42, it was sending a signal, it was like a giant time square billboard telling people come to the united states, amnesty is waiting for everyone. as for the cartels, the people

traveling, they paid no mind to the court ruling. instead, they kept coming. and as we speak the largest caravan today is on its way with more than 15,000 people, bigger than my hometown of great bend. they have made an inhumane situation worse. our president is inviting people to their own peril, to their own life-threatening journey. let me share with you what you saw 16 days ago on my fourth visit to the border. upon our arrival, we found the border patrol and national guard hard at work with 30 migrants in line waiting to be pro s.ed. they had -- processed. they had turned themselves in. and within minutes that -- there were two beautiful young

sisters, ages 7 and 9, no parents, no families. i can only imagine what it would have been like to travel 1,000 miles from central america to the rio grande river without your parents or family member. i can only imagine what might have happened to them on that trek. from there we traveled to the detention center where the migrants were held. i compliment the border patrol, they provide shower, shelter, clothing, health care, and meals. but 40% of our border patrol officers are having to function there like running a restaurant or hotel while our borders are left unguarded. and the gettaways. let me tell you the story of one young lady i met. let's say she was 17 from central america, her family paid

the cartel to get her from central mexico, across the river into the united states. i don't know if we was raped or violated, but this is an all too common situation during this trek. some people in this group were asked to smuggle drugs across the borders. after crossing this treacherous river, she was abandoned by her coyote, she was malnourished and hadn't slept for days. eventually she found a refuge on a cartel stash house on the texas side of the border. the cartel has cartel members living in america along the river and all across america. next they arranged for a price for her to be smuggled via a car

to a checkpoint 60 miles away. this is also treacherous as they are placed in containers or the backs of trucks or in the backs of cars. and the drivers place their human cargo in peril. but this person wasn't done yet. about five miles short of the checkpoint, the human smugglers let her out of the car and stheen had to -- she had to walk around the checkpoint, 30 miles through the texas heat, scrub brush and rattle snakes. even now border patrol officers find the bodies of those who hadn't made the trip successfully. this journey around the checkpoint was two to three days, she was given a milk jug full of water. a couple of miles beyond the checkpoint, a new human smuggler

coordinated by the cartel to pick her up and this is where i met our young lady. we watched as she and four others packed into a small car and a fifth hopped into the trunk. after a short high-speed chase, the car pulled over and the riders fled on point. most were apprehended shortly, including the young lady in this photo. this is when i met the woman in the story for the first time. again, she hadn't had water for two days, her left knee was swollen and painful. she had multiple cuts that were infected and she was semicoma semicomatose. we were fortunate, with minor first aid, cooling her down, she's going to make it and she's going to be fine. but for many making this treacherous journey across the

southern border, this story ends differently and more tragically. i'm asking, i'm begging our president to turn off the magnet and billboards that advertise for these people to risk their lives, to stop inviting them to their peril and perhaps their death. thank you, mr. president. i yield back.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. ms. ernst: thank you, madam president. today america looks like a country governed by teenagers who grew up reading choose your own adventure books. they got som