without. wow is there for our customers, speed, reliability, and choice. it all starts with great internet. wow. >> wow supports c-span along with these other television providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> the u.s. senate is about to gavel in on this thursday morning. today lawmakers are expected to consider more of the president's judicial nominations. they could also vote on a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government funded through december 23rd, current funding runs out this friday at midnight. now, live to the floor of the u.s. 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 and ever blessed god, whose name is love, put your love in our hearts. lord, teach us to love so that our primary aim in life will be to please you. teach us to love so that our passion for you will provide the foundation of our obedience. teach us to love so that worship will not be a duty but a delight.

teach us to love so that our greatest fear will be to disappoint you. teach our lawmakers to love so that they will always be quick to help and to forgive. lord, teach all of us to love so that justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. we pray in your loving name. 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 president pro tempore: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved, morning business is closed, and under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. musetta tia johnson of virginia to be a judge of the united states court of appeals for the

armed forces.

mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

is quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. now, this morning, the biden administration announced they are taking action to counter the chinese communist party's threat to our national security. just a few moments ago, the department of commerce said they would formally add wujan-based

ymtc and 35 other chinese companies to the so-called entity list, blocking them from buying critical technology from american businesses. i'm glad this has finally arrived. i've long sound the alarm on the threats by ymtc and other companies. ymtc poses an immediate threat to our national security. so the biden administration needed to act swiftly to prevent ymtc from gaining even an inch of military or comirk vac -- or economic advantage. i'm glad they're heeding the calls and from others on the other side of the i'll. ymtc is a well-known chip supplier for huawei, one ever the biggest companies that poses a risk to u.s. security interests. any supplier of huawei is no friend to the united states, because the risks are too great

and the entanglements of these companies with the ccp and chinese military are too treacherous. this was a necessary and you prudent step by the administration. the administration's announcement also comes on the heels of my amendment with senator cornyn to the national defense authorization act, which would remove ymtc as well as smic and csmt from our federal supply chains entirely. it's a one-two punch. a one-two punch. the administration blacklists these companies from doing business, and then here in congress we will shut them out even further from u.s. supply chains. of course, this is about more than just a single group of businesses stretching their tentacles into our country. it's about holding firm against a ccp more emboldened and oppressive over the recent years. the 21st century will be largely shaped by our two giant economies. for decades, the chinese

communist party cheated their way to the top by piggybacking off american technologies and american i.p. with huge implications for our security and our edge in a.i., cybersecurity, telecom, and other major technologies. whoever masters the technologies of tomorrow will be able to reshape the world in their image this century, and if the ccp gets there first it will spell dark times for democracy, for freedom, and for american prosperity and american jobs. today's decision for the administration -- by the administration will provide one more firewall we all need to keep the ccp's authoritarian designs in check. i ahmaud the administration -- i applaud the administration for taking this important step. now, on c.r., the omni and ndaa, last night the house of representatives passed a one-week continuing resolution that will keep the government open long enough for us to pass a bipartisan yearlong omnibus.

negotiations keep trending in the right direction, but we still have a lot of work left to do and not enough time to do it. unless we extend government funding for another week. let me put it a different way, as of this morning the senate will now require consent from both parties if we want to bass a c.r. before -- if we want to bass a c.r. before funding runs out tomorrow at midnight. we should move quickly to avert a shutdown today with no unwelcome brouhaha that caused a shut down in years past. democrats are ready to move, and i hope republicans too. both will work to get the weeklong c.r. done. we should have no drama, no gridlock, and no delay on passing a weeklong c.r. just remember, those who demand something happen and risk shutting down the government almost always lose. let me say that again, no drama,

no gridlock, no delay. that's the recipe right now for avoiding a shutdown in the next 48 hours, and i'm very hopefully we'll get that done with time to spare. for the last two years, the 117th congress hasn't had a single government shutdown, not one, not even for a day. i hope we don't start now, just as we approach the finish line. recent history shows those who risk shutdowns with hopes of scoring political points ultimately lose in the end. once we pass the c.r. we can make progress towards and i omnibus. i've said it time and again that a yearlong omnibus is the best and most balanced option to fund our government. an omnibus is the best approach because it will ensure that our kids, our veterans, our small businesses and our military continue to have full access to vital services and programs they depend on. an omnibus is the most balanced approach because it would contain priorities both sides want to see. funding for ukraine, the eca,

electoral count act, and full implementation of chips and science, the pact act and more. we worked so hard together on these bills. let's now work together again to implement them fully. and mr. president, as we continue negotiating to pass a one-week c.r. and omni, both sides will keep working on an agreement to pass the national defense authorization act, hopefully today, trying to do it as soon as today. the national defense authorization act has been a consistently bipartisan effort for every year more than six decades. i do not expect this year to be any tirch, and -- any different, and i thank chairman reed and all my colleagues for their good work on this bill. i yield the floor and note 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: all year republicans have urged democrats to prioritize two basic governing duties, two tasks that are essential to keeping america safe, keeping us on track to remain the world's super power and doing right by our men and women in uniform. number one is the annual defense bill where we authorize the

investments, tools, and training that our commanders, leaders, and servicemembers need. number two is passing government funding where we back up the ndaa ambitions with the actual dollars and cents that turn plans into reality. bipartisan negotiators are still working on the second item. i hope they're able to produce text of a bipartisan government funding bill that can pass the senate before our hard deadline next thursday. otherwise i'll support pivoting next week to a short-term resolution into the new year. but i'm glad that in the very near future the senate will finally fulfill the first key duty and pass a strong ndaa named for our retiring ranking

member, senator inhofe. i've spent all week discussing ways this legislation will help our armed forces and national security professionals, safeguard our homeland and keep adversaries like russia on their back feet. today i want to focus on what most senators agree is the single greatest medium-term and long-term national security challenge that our nation faces, and that is the chinese communist party. the legislation we'll pass today includes provisions to extend our security assistance to taiwan. it steps up our investments and capabilities that are essentially crucial to operations in the indo-pacific from space sx to naval minds. it reprioritizes countering china's nuclear breakout by curving the biden administration's naive efforts to retire critical elements of

our nuclear arsenal. it tightens security on our cutting-edge research and bolsters sea launch strategic deterrent capabilities. and that's not all. this strong bipartisan bill puts new weight behind our long-term commitments to stand with both vulnerable countries in china's orbit and vulnerable people actually within its own borders. it will authorize a new joint force headquarters right there in the region and make sure that u.s. military installations are not commercial destinations for goods that have been produced with uighur slave labor in the xinjiang province. this bill will help stiffen the spine of the liberal entertainment industry that lacks the courage to cross beijing without clearer incentives. this year's ndaa will prohibit the use of u.s. military assets like ships or bases and movies

where the produces then turn around and allow chinese censors to have final signoff. if holiday wants to trample -- if hollywood wants to trample on this, they won't get to use our armed forces as props in the process. of course stepping up our competition with china and limiting the risk to america from ccp does not mean walking away from the world stage or others. quite the contrary, checking the ccp will take a coordinated effort with even stronger, deeper ties between the united states and our like-minded friends and partners. that means everything from basing access to joint exercises in operations to strengthening our own defense industrial base so that we can continue to score win-wins in both security and economic terms by selling our

partners the defensive capabilities they need. protecting america and winning the future does not entail pulling up our draw bridge, turning inward, and pretending the world will leave us alone. china is actively, actively trying to undercut american interests and partnerships everywhere from asia itself to the middle east, to africa and beyond. this ndaa will strengthen our hand. it prioritizes crucial partnerships in the indo-pacific. it adds new zealand to the national technological industrial base. it expands our ability to share cybercapabilities with operational partners. and it preserves vital security cooperation efforts in the middle east and invests in expanding partnerships in africa, south america, and

beyond. the ndaa is only a first step toward the investments, modernization and stronger strategies that we need to compete and to win against rivals who don't wish us well, but it is a crucial first step. therefore, i encourage every senator on both sides to support this important legislation. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

>> members members of thiy

important hearing that will have the ability to community on an e-mail address and a chris motions or other metros numbers might want to office part of her hearing today. if you would like to submit mentors place in them to the email address that is been distributed to your offices and we'll circulate the materials to members of staff as quickly as possible. would also ask all members to please mutual microphones when you're not speaking. this will help prevent feedback and other technical issues. you may unmute anytime you seek recognition. i now recognize myself for an opening statement. i wanted the sound to be gunfire even before we offer instructions, directions, e-mail, gunfire. and the reason is because imagine the whole litany of gunfire in america, through

weapons of war. there was no notice -- there was no information given, there were no signals and no instructions about e-mails or anything else that might assayed our children. it was gunfire. so today the subcommittee turns once again to the subject of gun violence examining this ongoing crisis by focusing on one of the most terrible tragedies our nation's history, the murder of 21 people, 19 of them children, on may 24, 2022 at the hands of an 18-year-old 18-yn ar-15 style rifle at robb elementary school in uvalde, texas. that school still stands. september representative castro and i held a hearing in uvalde were with you listen to parents of victims, citizens and a teacher

in room 111. mr. reyes told us he didn't realize what was happening until he saw the bullets braking sheet rock off the walls. you saw the shooter shadow and sparks come from the gun as he fired into his classroom hitting him and then the students. no notice. gunfire. as he lay on the floor for some 77 minutes, the shooter sat at his desk and taunted him. he poured water on him. he smeared mr. ray's own blood onto his face, and shot him in the back to make sure he was dead. fortunately, mr. reyes survived. we got a call when he got the call that morning. polio rush to the school, a a parent wealthy and other parents begged offices to rush in, you could hear shots being fired

inside. as officers began to bring children out of windows, julio help to see his daughter jacqueline emerged from one of those windows. sadly, he did not see her. instead he laid -- saw his daughter pull out of an endless other hospital. we now know the casket of fillers that led to the failure at robb elementary school. investigation by special texas house investigative committee found systemic failures and egregiously poor decision-making contributed to the loss of life. gunfire makes no appointment. gunfire like an automatic weapon a weapon of war never stops. despite the eventual presence of three and 76 law enforcement officers, not one of them confronted or engaged issued after a group of first officers on the scene tried to approach room 111 and 112 from gunfire, gunfire from ar-15 style rifle.

without an assault weapons ban more people will die. it were not going to ban them, and law-enforcement must be trained to confront these weapons of war. yes, we must train law enforcement like warriors in a battle on the combat field. gunfire from ar-15 style rifle turned those armed officers on their heels and left him paralyzed in the hallway for well over an hour. and the uvalde, texas, sherif led a litany of chaos, confusion and inaction that day. his failures covered the present of an assault rifle left every little hope, left very little hope for the children and rims 111 and 112. while the officers had information a child was on the phone with 9/11 surrounded by dead bodies, the sheriff letter office away from the immediate threat instead of ordering them to storm the room to try to save the children. that they law enforcement

failure of implementation, planning, training and duty plate paramedics ability to those who might be saved. we saw the video of parents trying to climb through windows or trying to break through doors. let me be very clear. this is not the millions of law enforcement officers are today and days gone by stand ready to serve, who are broken into places to say people, stop burglaries can stop murders, state children, jumped into water, risked their lives. some dare suggest that is a common today. don't get. but what we're saying is we have to be honest and that babies have k unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, yesterday afternoon richard shelby delivered his farewell address here in the united states senate. it's difficult to think of the senate without some of our retiring memories -- or i should

say retiring members. it's nearly impossible to think of it without richard shelby. like jim inhofe, he is a senate institution. he's served the state of alabama for six terms in the senate. that's 36 years to help make life better for the people of alabama and for the american people as a whole. he's currently the longest-serving senator? alabama -- the the he's currently the longest-serving senator in alabama history. richard has always kept his eye on getting things done for the people of alabama, whether supporting military installations or the work nasa does in his state. he is a longtime nasa advocate and as chairman and ranking member of the senate appropriations committee, he had a worked to ensure robust funding for our national security priorities. he's also been a champion of

funding to support ukraine in its fight for freedom. and he's been a supporter of scientific research at various government agencies as well as in partnership with research universities. mr. president, richard is also notable for being one of the tallest united states senators, and that's significant to me because, as a tall guy myself, i don't often run into people i can look up to. but i look up to richard, both literally and figuratively. richard's record of service and his dedication to the people of his state are an inspiration to me and many others as we carry out our work here in the united states senate. and i will miss his presence and his example as well as his sense of humor, which has lightened the mood around here on many challenging days. but if anyone has earned his retirement, it is richard shelby. and i wish him and annette, his wife of 62 years, some very

well-deserved relaxation and the very best of everything in the years ahead. mr. president, later today senator pat toomey, my longtime colleague on the senate finance committee, will deliver his farewell remarks. pat is known for, among other things, his steadfast commitment to pro-market policies, to fiscal responsibility, pro-growth tax policy, free trade, limited but efficient regulation, and, above all, for his command of these issues. he has a tremendous grasp of finance, banking, and the economy and an equally tremendous understanding of what the ins and out of the tax code means for business and entrepreneurship. he's able to break down these often byzantine subjects and explain them in plain language. that around here, mr. president, is a gift. these attributes made pat the indispensable man during tax reform five years ago. his expertise and commitment were key to passage of the wide

manufacture ranging reform of our tax code that put more money in american families' pockets and made businesses more competitive. pat has consistently fought protectionism in its many forms. he has pushed back on financial market regulations that restrict fair competition and he's fiercely advocate for initiatives that benefit pennsylvania families, workers, and businesses. he's going to be missed in the senate and on the senate finance committee in particular for his knowledge and his experience and for his practical approach toest going things done for the american people. mr. president, i admire pat for his economic expertise. but i especially admire him for his thoughtfulness, his decency and the fact that he is very principled. he stayed committed to the causes he believes in, from improving economic opportunity for american families to reducing government waste to

protecting taxpayer dollars. and while i don't know what he will do next, i am confident that whatever he does will continue his commitment to building an economy that works for the american people. mr. president, i want to wish pat and his wife, chris, the very best on his retirement. i hope they're able to enjoy some well-deserved rest in in the coming months, and i look forward to seeing all that pat will do in the future. 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 welcome to machover witnesses, our two witnesses today, doctor lott junior who is an expert on guns and crime. he served as a senior advisor for research and statistics in the office of justice programs and an office of legal policy and u.s. department of justice and is a research or teaching positions at various academic institutions including the university of chicago, yale, the wharton school at university of pennsylvania, stanford, ucla and rice. he was a chief economist of the u.s. since the commission during 1980-89th annual the phd in economics and ucla. nobel laureate, milton friedman noted john lott has few equals as a perceptive analyst of

controversial policy issues. is a prolific author for both academic popular publications published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals in britain ten books including more guns of less crying. his most recent books are dumbing down the courts and how politics keep the smartest judge, judge is off the bench. he's been one of the most productive and side economists in the world. some 69-2000 he wrote 26 worldwide -- journal toh intransitive research output. among economics business a lot professes his research is currently the 14th and most downloaded in the world. i also welcome the honorable jack brewer to be with us today. he is from fort worth, texas, grew up in grapevine, went on to the successful athletic career both in track and field, and in

professional football. beyond that though mr. breuer is, is a humanitarian. he's an ordained eventual this who was dedicate his life aligning with biblical dramas to serve the fatherless, so poor, the campus. as would his focus is over talk about today about the need for families if are going to stop violence of all kinds in particular gun violence. today his foundation is delivered over $79 in medical aid call supports over 55 orphan care centers and helped deliver sports equivalent overwintering underserved children and helps bring medical care to over 20,000 women and children around the world. delighted to welcome our two witnesses here today. one other thing that are distinguished chair women said today is we have to be honest. but despite the title othering

today, there hasn't been an honest engagement in search for bipartisan solutions to the gun violence. mostly because there's only one solution for my friends across the aisle. that is to emasculate the second amendment and remove guns from legal lawful and law-abiding citizens. for proof look at the bills that either introduce or brought to the committee and 117th congress. for example, they push legislation to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding americans such as federally mandated background checks on all firearm transfers, red flag laws, banning certain semi automatic firearms, extending -- and establishing a national firearm m call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lee: i ask unanimous consent that jonathan mckernan, a detailee on the banking committee, given floor privileges throughout the remainder of this congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lee: winston churchill

said, quote, we sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us. the men and women of the united states armed forces sign up for no small task. they join to serve their country, not for money, not for fame, not because it's glamorous in any way. they sign up because they understand that winston churchill was right, that the blessings of a free society are possible only if there are those willing to put the safety and well-being of their country ahead of their own safety and aahead of their own lives, when necessary. that solemn, sacred responsibility -- the responsibility that every member of our armed forces is committed so nobly to upholding --

deserves our utmost respect. regrettably, on august 9 of 2021, the secretary of defense issued a message to the force, indicating his intent to require covid-19 vaccination for all servicemembers. this mandate went into effect on august 24, 2021. there were a lot of promises made at the time, promises suggesting that individual needs would be taken into account, individual needs, including good-faith, sincerely held religious beliefs that might make it impossible for a servicemember to be vaccinated without violating his or her sincerely held convictions. unfortunately, it hasn't really panned out that way, as i'll explain in aempt mo.

-- in a moment. but, in a nutshell, since the implementation of this vaccine mandate, over almost the last year and a half, the united states military has dismissed 8,200 servicemembers for declining to receive the covid-19 vaccine. mr. president, that's over 8,000, more than 8,200 individuals, and it's not just the individuals themselves. many, if not most, of these individuals themselves are mothers or fathers. they've got mouths to feed, families to care for, all of whom are placed in a really unfair position as a result of this mandate. serving our country shouldn't require you to surrender your fundamental right to make

medical decisions that are right for you, no matter the reason. and yet, that's precisely what the department of defense continues to do. my office has received hundreds of accounts, from brave members of our armed forces, detailing their hardships and retaliation they've experienced for declining to receive the covid-19 vaccine. one first sergeant in the air force writes, quote, i was involuntarily separated, and pie enlistment was curtailed. i was a first sergeant with the u.s. air force reserves at the time the covid mandate was put into place. i did everything i could to be allowed to continue to serve my country. i filed my religious a.r., and when it got denied i also filed an appeal, and that got denied. she goes on, all i wanted to do

was to continue to take care of the members of my squadron and continue to serve this great country. likewise, a marine officer writes, quote, my family was forced to move on very short notice, back to the u.s. from okinawa. due to the loss of a job and the threat of travel restriction, if we remained unvaccinated, many are far worse off than me. another lieutenant colonel with the marine corps reserve was placed on inactive status, with no warning or notice that this would happen, and in the process lost the tricare health insurance his family relies on to provide expensive medical supplies for his special-needs daughter, even though his appeal for a religious exemption was, and is, remains still today, pending.

it seems in this and other circumstances the department of defense has issued something of a pocket veto. not acting on these requests for an exemption, but instead refusing to act, and therefore leaving the servicemember with few options. this person writes, quote, my entire family was without notice or warning dropped from tricare, left scrambling to find health insurance. mr. president, these brave men and women represent just a tiny fraction of the servicemembers who have reached out to my office. many are in desperation. they're pleading for someone to recognize the injustice they're experiencing. they deserve better. and we owe them more than this. so, as we consider this year's national defense authorization

act, the blueprint for the defense budget that directs policy for our military, we should adopt a simple amendment that would, one, immediately repeal the covid-19 vaccine mandate. two, prohibit the dod from replacing the current covid-19 vaccine mandate with a similar mandate, absent express congressional approval. three, provide remedies for any servicemember negatively impacted by the mandate, including the right to reinstatement, if desired, and to petition for a change in status if they receive the negative discharge based on whether or not they were vaccinated, correcting for any loss of rank, pay, or retirement benefits. and four, require the dod to make every effort to retain unvaccinated members. look, we, of course, can't take back the hardship that the

military vaccine mandate has inflicted on countless servicemembers. we can't do that. that's in the past. but there are some things we can do, and by adopting this amendment we could recognize and i injustice and take steps to restore the affected brave men and women who deserve our best. we owe them that, and we owe them so much more, and so i urge my colleagues to support this amendment and stand with those who themselves stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us. it is the right thing to do. and mr. president, while we're on the topic of actions taken by the department of defense that

don't show adequate and appropriate and necessary respect for those who stand in harm's way to protect us and defend us, i want to tell you the story of a brave young man, a u.s. navy lieutenant named ridge alconas. mr. president, ridge alconas is one of the best and the brightest that our navy has to offer, that america has to offer. a graduate of the u.s. naval academy, a decorated officer who served his country well, who goes above and beyond the call of duty by every account that i can find or that i have access to. lieutenant alconas, who is also the father of three young

children and the devoted husband to his wife, brittany, sits today languishing in a japanese prison. you may ask what has he done, what put him there. why is he in prison in japan? did he steal something? did he harm someone? no. none of the above. no, mr. president, at the end of may, may 29 of 2021, lieutenant alkonis and his wife, brittany, along with their three children decided to take a brief road trip to go see mount fuji. and while descending from mount fuji, he suffered a most unfortunate, most unforeseen, and unforeseeable medical emergency, one that caused him to lose consciousness while

driving. his young daughter, seeing that he had lost consciousness, tried to wake him up. she kicked the seat. she yelled. she did everything she could to wake him up, and he didn't wake up. you see, he wasn't asleep. he lost consciousness. he suffered from a rare medical condition that he didn't know he had. he couldn't have known that he had this medical condition. it caused him to lose consciousness at that moment. tragically, while he was unconscious, the car he was driving was involved in an accident, one that took the lives of two japanese nationals. my heart breaks for them, for the families of these individuals whose lives were lost on may 29, 2021 in japan. i know that lieutenant alkonis,

with whom i've spoken, i've visited him in prison in japan, his heart breaks for them as well. our entire country extends our thoughts, our prayers, and our well wishes to the family -- to the family members of those victims. but this was not a criminal act, mr. president. this was a medical emergency, one that resulted in a tragedy, and i'm so sad that it did, and no one is more sad about this than lieutenant alkonis and his family. you see, in japan, they have a different similarity than ours. in the united states, this wouldn't result in someone going to prison. this wouldn't result in criminal charges of any kind. this would be regarded for what it is, which is a tragedy resulting from a medical emergency, an accident that wasn't foreseen or foreseeable. we wouldn't send someone to

prison for that here in the united states. we understand that different countries have different systems of law, and we do our very best to respect the laws of other countries. now, that's why he's in prison today. my purpose in raising this today is to talk about how our country handled it, not about how japan handled it. we can talk about that perhaps on another day, but today i want to talk about how the united states military is handling this tragedy. when a u.s. military officer or enlisted person isn't able to be present for duty, he or she will stop getting paid. they'll stop getting paid if they're absent from their work.

it's not surprising. pretty much any job works that way. and, like most jobs, if you're absent from your work your employer can make a decision about whether the absence was unavoidable and should therefore be excused. an employer in the private sector might, for example, decide to continue to pay someone for a period of time, if the circumstances warrant it. they might warrant it particularly if the absence was brought about as a result of the conditions in which the person was working on the job. for example, imagine you're running a business and you had an employee who you assigned to work somewhere in a foreign country for a period of time, and something like this

happened. i would imagine many, if not most, if not all, sane employers would do everything they possibly could to take care of the family and of the -- of that particular employee, and that employee's family, if something like this happened in a country where they were present only as a result of their work assignment. and in fact, there is a statute that deals with this very thing, for employees of the department of defense. that statute is codified at 37 usc section 503. here's what it says, mr. president, quote, a member of the army, navy, air force, marine corps, space force, coast guard, or national oceanic and atmospheric administration, who is absent without leave or overt leave, forfeits all pay and

allowances for the period of that absence unless it is excused as unavoidable. unless it is excused as unavoidable. that's exactly what the department of defense should do right now, mr. president, is excuse as unavoidable lieutenant alkonis' absence. it seems to me that if ever there were an instance perfectly tailored for this statute, if ever there were an absence that needed to be excused as unavoidable, it's that of lieutenant ridge alkonis. so with that in mind, and with the needs of his wife, brittany, and their three young children

who are still in japan, lieutenant alkonis filed the paperwork for an exception to policy, with the department of defense. now, that application was filed many, many months ago, and we now find ourselves in a situation in which that application has not been granted. they filed this, i believe, back in june. it was transferred from one office to another in july. it was transferred, sent over to the office of the under secretary of the department of defense a few months later. it still hasn't been acted on formally. i've spoken with more officials

within the department of defense than i can even count at this moment. i've been on this pattern of making phone calls since just a few weeks after this was filed in june. i've spoken with officials within the office of the secretary of the navy, including the secretary himself. spoken to under secretary cisneros. i've spoken even to secretary of defense lloyd austin, and i've appreciated their willingness to take my phone calls. and they still haven't acted. they still haven't granted those. it still hasn't happened. now keep in mind this has been in the office of the secretary of defense since september 3.

we're going on three and a half months since that was forwarded, and they still haven't acted. now i finally spoke with under secretary cisneros. he was one of the last people i got through to. it took me three weeks to get through to the under secretary, three weeks of calling. i finally got through to him. and during that phone call, i appreciated the fact that he finally took it, he assured me that whatever decision was made, it would be a decision that was made by the appropriate personnel and that it would be in the best, whatever was in the best interest of the department of defense. i told him at the time i believed that what was best for the alkonis family would itself

be what was in the best interest of the department of defense. you see, mr. president, because there are a lot of problems that our department of defense has right now. recruiting is down, morale is down, threats to our national security is up, there are more demands on our military men and women than ever before. why would you want to take one of your best and your brightest, one of your smartest, one of these people -- i've talked to so many people who have worked with him in his chain of command who have described him as the kind of guy who will do something that needs to be done even before anyone else realizes it needs to be done. he'll go out on his own and proactively take steps to improve himself, to improve others around him. he's exactly what the navy, what the department of defense, and what the united states of america needs.

so why? why, when you put him in a vulnerable position, you send him to japan? i don't understand japan's laws, they're very different than our own. they're japan, it's their country, it's their laws, it's what they do. we may not within the united states government be able to solve that particular issue. i wish we could. i hope we can at some point. those are conversations for a different day. but for today we can deal with this. we can take care of this family. let's go back to november 2. i had that conversation with secretary cisneros. i told under secretary cisneros that it was imperative that this be acted upon quickly because ridge alkonis' leave was going to be running out. since he was actually put in

present in july of this year, it took between the accident that occurred, the end of may 2021, until the time the criminal charges were filed and completed, it wasn't until july that he actually reported to the president. since july, lieutenant alkonis and his wife brittany and their three children have been relying on the fact that he had accumulated leave, leave accumulated over the years that has lasted him this long. and i told undersecretary cisneros on november 2 it's really important that this be acted on quickly because the alkonis' need this. they need this right away. they need the certainty of it. they need to be able to plan their lives. i then started seeking a call with secretary austin, the secretary of defense. it took me three weeks to get that one scheduled. three weeks.

finally i spoke to him on november 29. secretary austin callously informed me that day that the request for the exception to policy would not be granted. i asked him why. he believed that it wasn't appropriate for the department to do that. it was a private conversation, so i'm not going to go into all the deals of it there. but i asked him at that moment if that's your decision, will you at least form formalize it and put it out so it's in public so we can discuss it so its relative merits can be addressed, so that we as a congress can figure out once on public notice of what the action was and why it was taken, how we can decide how best to

address it. if somehow beyond my ability to creend as a lawyer and -- comprehend as a lawyer and as a united states senator. if somehow this statutory text of 37 u.s.c., section 503, if it contains something saying you may not grant an exception to policy in this circumstance in order to that of lieutenant alkonis, we can at least be on notice of that so we as a congress could figure out how to change the law so it doesn't take that into account. i have yet to tell this story to a single member of the united states congress, democrat or republican, house or senate, who isn't moved by this story and who doesn't conclude of course this is a no-brainer. of course we should take care of him and his family. of course they should be granted an exception to policy. but to do that, mr. president, we have to be able to have the notice of what their decision is, the actual decision itself, and why it came about.

i asked him when that would be coming and he said soon. i said how soon? reminding him that we're just weeks away. in fact, mr. president, we're now, we are now less than two weeks away before lieutenant alkonis' leave runs out out and before his wife brittany and their three children, who are still in japan, will have no source of income. these are three very young children. the older kids are homeschooled by brittany alkonis. they're in japan, not a cheap place to live, and their income stream is about to run out. the casual, cal louse -- calloused observer might respond by saying she can just go back to the united states. okay, and then what? go back to the united states, you no he what that means?

that would mean that they don't ever get to see their husband and their father. in fact, because of the way the rules work in japan, they can't even talk to him on the phone. there would be no interaction with lieutenant alkonis by his wife and their three children if they just left. so leaving is a problem. it still doesn't solve the problem of income, this very young stay-at-home mom who homeschools their children, what is she supposed to do? she's got this hobson's choice, this absolutely awful dilemma. rather than the prisoners dilemma, we'll call it the prisoner's wife's dilemma. this is inexcusable. the fact that they won't excuse as unavoidable lieutenant alkonis' absence is inexcusable

and we must act. it is more difficult to act because the department of defense hasn't had the decency to issue a public announcement for this. i find this reprehensible. earlier today, in fact, just an hour or two ago mrs. brittany alkonis sent out a series of tweets, and one of them said the following. she said in 13 days our pay and benefits will be turned off. i won't be able to support our children or ridge -- that is lieutenant alkonis -- and i clearly won't be able to count on the u.s. navy to do so either. this is not a way to treat those who stand in harm's way so that we can live and be safe and be free. this isn't a way to treat

anyone. none of us would treat our employees that way. i don't know anyone who would. on top of everything else, it's not just the fact that they now say they're going to deny it, they waited so long to do so and they still haven't had the decency to say so in public. and then on top of all that, they're going to have her kicked to the curb at christmastime in a foreign land. this is just disgraceful. look, i get it. i know the department of defense is really big.

i know that the burdens faced by secretary austin, under secretary cisneros and so many others i've spoken to and those that i haven't spoken to within the department of defense, i know that they're immense. i'm grateful to them and for the service they provide to our great country. i'm grateful that they have taken time to examine this issue. they've reached the wrong conclusion and they've done it in the wrong way. fortunately, mr. president, there's still time. time is short, but there's still time for them to make right that which is wrong. they can still take care of brittany alkonis and the three children of ridge and brittany alkonis. they can still do that. i urge them to do so. if they don't do it, we will have no choice as a congress but

to act. the department of defense may or may not like whatever legislation we put in place in order to do it, but it will happen. it's hard for it to happen, perhaps impossible for it to happen until they issue their actual decision is to that we know what it is that we're correcting. they should at least have the decency to do that. but the united states must not allow this family to be treated this way. in no other circumstances that i can find has anyone, going back many, many decades, serving for the united states armed forces in japan or any other place that i'm aware of, been placed in prison as a result of

a medical emergency. so this truly is exceptional, and that's what makes the exception to policy so meritorious and so worthy. he did nothing wrong. this was not foreseeable. it was not avoidable. he was in japan only because he was assigned to serve in japan, where he has served faithfully. we must correct this wrong. and i'll be back to the senate floor as often as it takes. once we have the actual decision in hand, i'll know what legislation to push for. i'll know what office to reconfigure, what statutory language to strip out or add. they need to issue that right away. but even better, they need to issue their decision not to deny but to grant the exception to policy for lieutenant ridge alkonis. the alkonis family and the united states itself deserves

nothing less. thank you, mr. president. .

even though they had 91 of their operational lone star troops on the ground including texas rangers who stood around and talked to their supervisors over the phone. supervisors who did nothing, ordered no action. law enforcement agents said over

and over dps is coming, eps waited. be back on this floor again to talk about an issue i've talked about before, but it is a little bit different this time. i brought to this floor several times and ask for unanimous consent for a very, very simple bill called the conscientious protection act. it is a bill that would protect religious liberty for those across the country. it's not that controversial. in the church amendments years ago, decades ago, even, were put in by congress to protect the conscientious rights of individuals and entities that object to performing or assisting in an abortion or sterilization against their religious beliefs. that passed this body 92-1. 92-1, this body voted and said, of course, we want to protect the rights of individuals and not have to be compelled to

perform an abortion if it is against their normal faith. and in normal conversation everywhere else, that would be straightforward and simple. until now. here's what's happening now. a nurse that had told her employer that she did not want to perform an abortion, that she had a moral objection to that, worked in this hospital, one day the hospital was running short on staff and so they called her in, didn't tell her what the procedure was, and when she walks into the surgery area, the doctor walks in and says, don't hate me. meaning, we know full well what your belief is but we're short staffed and we need another nurse and you're going to do this. the doctor informed her you're going to lose your job if you don't do this right now when

everyone knew what her moral conviction was. now, the way the law is set up, it is setup to say that that person who has an entity to deliberately violate her moral conscience, and then the government steps in and presses against the employer and says you can't do that. that's the way it's supposed to work. in fact, that's the way it was working until javier becerra came into hhs and looked at the case and dropped it and said you get no recourse. because the administration is pro-abortion. it doesn't matter what your please is -- belief is, it's what the administration's belief is. the response to that is pretty straightforward. allow an individual that has been harmed to have what's called a private right of action, that they don't have to wait for government to intervening have seen on their

behalf -- intervene on their behalf to have a private right of action so if the government doesn't intervene on their behalf, they can intervene. i've brought it to the floor several times and i was told it's controversial, it's divisive and then this week president biden signed the respect for marriage act on the white house lawn with a special feature in it called a private right of action. so if individuals that felt in the language says, felt that they were harmed because of the disagreement of others on their same-sex marriage, it they didn't have to wait on government to be able to intervene on their behalf, they could do it. i was told this was belt and suspenders, i was told, of course the government is going to step in on their behalf, but in case they don't, they need a private right of action so that they can stand up for their own

beliefs. now, it it's fascinating to me that what i've asked for people of conscience that don't want to perform abortions, with you but are -- abortions, but were told to do so, that's a right of action are, but it was required in the respect for marriage act. in fact, i brought an amendment it to take that out to say this is going to lead to a lot of lawsuits and my colleagues said, oh, no. oh, no. and voted against that. so now i'm going to ask a very simple question. is this body going to give a private right of act to some people they philosophically believe in but for other people they philosophically don't believe in don't get the same right. are we going to discriminate today against people of faith and say you do not get this right, other people do. that's my simple question for today.

now, this is not a radical request. this is a real-life issue that is occurring right now where this administration will not intervene on behalf of individuals who have a religious long-standing moral objection to being compelled to perform an abortion. let's give them the private right of action so that employers don't feel like this administration can look at the other way and they can do whatever they want to their employees or fire them regardless of what their religious beliefs are. this used to not be a radical concept. this is -- this was 92-1. this is not intended to be a radical concept today. it's a simple statement. is is this body going to -- is this body going to discriminate

against people of faith today? that's my question. so, mr. president, as if in legislative session, i i ask unanimous consent that the health, education, labor and pensions be discharged from s. 401 and that the senate proceed to its heed immediate -- to its immediate consideration, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there an objection? the senator from washington. mrs. murray: thank you, mr. president. reserving the right to object. six months ago the supreme court ripped away the right to abortion and since then, republicans have enacted abortion bans in states across the country. the outcry against republicans' cruelty has been loud and clear and overwhelming. in every single state where abortion was on the ballot, voters backed abortion rights. they made their voices clear.

women must be able to control their own bodies. they want us to protect abortion access. they want us to stand up against the wave of extreme bans and bills and partisan attacks on abortion and on doctors from republicans, and that's exactly what this bill is, another attack on abortion that will make it harder for women to get the care that they need. if my colleague really wants to talk about protecting health care providers, let's talk about the sharp rise in threats and violence against abortion clinics and what we are doing about that. let's talk about the providers back home in my home state of washington who tell me they are worried they could be punished for providing an abortion to patients from out of state. in my state it's legal. let's talk about how republican state lawmakers have already

discussed a bill to make it a crime to provide abortion care to a resident even in another state where it is legal. and, yet, if you are one of the many, many doctors and nurses who believe they have a duty to provide abortion care, this bill does nothing to protect you for doing your job, not even if your patient's life is in danger. it is silent on the legal threats that these providers are facing from republican states, not to mention the increasing physical threats that they face. that violence, that silence speaks vol volumes -- speaks volumes about the real point of this bill. if you're a patient, the message from this bill is more clear and more out rageus. this bill says the ideology of your boss, of your health

insurance company or your pharmacist or your doctor is more important than your personal decision, your medical needs or your well-being. mr. president, that is dangerous, it is wrong and i will not stand for it. therefore, i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. mr. lankford: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. lankford: a woman has a right to control her own body unless her boss compels her to perform an abortion. then she no longer has control of her body and he can tell her, perform this abortion against her faith or i will fire you. choice seems to go one way. if you choose to perform abortions, you're accepted in our culture. if you believe a child with ten fingers and ten toes and a

beating hard and unique dna and a functioning nervous system is actually a child, then you're an outlier and your opinion doesn't count. the only thing that counts is you are compelled to take the life of more children and stand there and watch it. i think that's wrong. no, this bill doesn't get into as senator murray said it doesn't get into about speaking out the violence against abortion clinics or, quite frankly, get into the violence on pregnancy resource centers who have been fire bombed by pro-abortion folks, who have been spray painted and who have threatened and attacked people who want to give sonograms to patients who are pregnant. that is a different committee. that is in the judiciary committee. this is a very narrow bill dealing with one topic, it doesn't deal with everything on abortion, it doesn't drees abortions in america -- decrease

abortions, it is simple and straightforward. it says is this government going to compel people to violate their faith. apparently the answer today is yes from this body. we don't care what you believe. i think that's sad and i think that shows how far we've moved as a nation when it used to be 92-1 that we would say if you have a different opinion, that's okay in america. but now you can't have a different opinion. that's not right. i would hope this body would speak out and say at some point we respect all opinions in america. and would speak out for the right of conscience for people of faith. with that i yield the floor.

hello from 19 the 8 to 2017 the united states has one% of the world's share of mass public tutors and one. 8% of the mass public shooting murders. the 4.6% share, people don't take into account there are 330 million people, you can't compare to a country with 5 million or even germany with 80 million, without adjusting for the different sizes of population. many of these countries with much higher mass public shooting rates have strict gun control laws. the third fact is 94% of mass public shootings occur in places with firearms.

we heard about the last -- mass murder earlier this. if you hear his manifesto, he spent a lot of time like many of these killers do explaining, and at hacking in a weapon restricted area increasing the chance of civilian back lash. concealed carry, outlawed, prohibited may be good areas of attack. areas with strict gun control laws are also great places, i can give you, from one diary after another, the media ignores the fact, the fourth fact, the

most vulnerable in our society. if my research convinces me of anything there are two groups of people who benefit the most. one are the people most likely victims of violent crime. overwhelmingly poor blacks who live in high crime urban areas. anyone who read my academic research, police are extremely important, please understand themselves they virtually arrive on the crime scene after crimes occurred. that raises the question how people should act when they confront a criminal by themselves. research shows overwhelmingly that by far the safest course of action for people to take is to have a gun and that is particularly true for people who are relatively weaker physically, women and the elderly. you are almost always talking about a male criminal doing the attack, when a man is attacking a woman there's a larger

strength difference that exists there than when a man is attacking another man. we heard about different attacks that occurred this year. >> can you finish please? thank you. >> if you go through the list, robb elementary school was a gun free zone. tulsa, oklahoma, the hospital -- walmart mass murder in virginia was a gun free zone. i could go through others. our research shows overwhelmingly when you see these attacks they occur in schools where teachers and staff are not allowed to carry. thank you very much. >> i recognize nicole mellationo for five minutes. >> on december 14, 2012, i was a second grader at sandy hook

elementary school. i'm sitting i was sitting on the carpet with my classmates waiting for my teachers to give directions for the day when we heard what sounded like large metal pans being smashed together from the hallway. my teacher ran to the door and then pulled students into the classroom to join us in lockdown. as gunshots continue through the hallways we huddled by our cubbies, and to calm down. i knew we were in danger this point. a sense of nausea came over me, i would be close to dying of the gunmen came close to the door. we heard a knock and shake on the door handle which is terrifying because we didn't know who it was but after deciding to open the door we --

were taken to the firehouse to reunite with our families. the firehouse was chaotic, everything was so unclear. i went home that day and endure the most horrific aftermath after finding out 26 beautiful innocent souls were taken from us that day. in less than five minutes, and ar 15 fired 154 bullets killing 26 people. how do we allow this? i have grown up in a world where, the unimaginable happens over and over again. i'm here not only because of the trauma in the past, i was terrified of it happening in the future. we live in the aftermath of action from lawmakers, who voted into office to do everything to protect us. i have amazing people in this

fight, survivors and victims of gun violence, a community that has gone so far today. we are pushing for an assault weapons ban which is a crucial step to decreasing these mass shootings with unacceptable death tolls. we also need red flag laws implemented in all 50 states. ede start immediately. the presiding officer: without objection. 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: on this vote, the yeas are 76, the nays are 20, the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president

will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the clerk will report the pending business. the clerk: house message to accompany h.r. 7776, an act to provide for improvements to the rivers and harbors of the united states and so forth and for other purposes. mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i'm glad that we hopefully soon will finally pass the national defense authorization act and send this legislation to the president for his signature. obviously, this has national, even global, implications, but i'd like to spend just a moment to talk about what it means to my home state of texas. this year's ndaa sports a range of projects that will lead our military into the future, from nuclear modernization to

next-generation weapons development. it sends critical military assistance to ukraine, and makes a big investment in our national defense stockpile. it focuses appropriately on long-term strategic competition with china. and it ensures our troops will have the tools, the training, and the resources they need to succeed in any conflict. and of course, the ultimate goal is to make the united states military so strong that no country dares engage in a nirlt conflict with us -- in a military conflict with us, and thus provides needed deterrence in order to maintain the peace. the defense authorization act shapes our military missions around the world, but it also is important for reasons that hit much closer to home. the defense department is the largest employer in the united states, with 2.9 million employees, including both

servicemembers and civilians. they're stationed in more than 160 different countries around the world, and on all seven continents. on any given day, they can be found providing lifesaving medical care, maintaining aircraft, protecting communities in war zones, or carrying out various missions. texas is the proud home to 14 military installations, which directly employ more than 235,000 people can when you add in -- when you and in construction, information technology, maufacturing, and the many other workers these facilities require, texas military installations employ more than 620,000 people. the texas comptroller has estimated that military installations contribute about $114 billion to texas' economy, last year alone.

but significantly america's military is ingrained in the very fabric of our state, and texans have a profound respect for our servicemembers. my father was part of the greatest generation and served in world war ii, as did my father-in-law. my dad was a b-17 pilot, and who unfortunately was shot down over germany on a bombing mission on his 26th mission. fortunately, although he was a pow the last four months of the war, he was liberated by general patten and his army. -- general patton and his army. my father-in-law, who died recently at the age of 96, served at normandy where he landed on utah beach during part of that dramatic invasion of france, occupied, of course, by

the german military. but i lived for a while in san antonio, many years actually, and had the privilege of experiencing the incredible support for our military in that city. after all, san antonio is known as military city usa because of the strong and consistent military presence. while it is unique, based on the sheer concentration of military bases in san antonio, the strong support for our servicemembers can be seen across the state as well. whether you're in el paso or kaline or abilene or any of the areas around the military installations, it's humbling to see so many men and women who have taken an oath to defend our country, along with their families who serve as well. as members of the senate we have a responsibility to support our troops and make sure they have what they need to do the job we've asked them to do, and the

defensive authorization act is one of the most important ways we do just that. this bill provides the largest pay raise for our troops in two decades. servicemembers and their families are facing the same inflation headwinds as everybody else in the united states, but starting next mon they'll receive a greatly -- next month they'll receive a greatly needed and well deserved 4.6% pay race. this year's national defense authorization act also takes big steps to support military families. and when you have an all-volunteer military like ours, supporting military families is an important component of our support for the military. this defense authorization act will also authorize additional funding to texas school districts that serve military personnel. it will authorize the extension of reimbursement authority for spouse reliesensing to --

reliesensing to ensure nursing, teaches and other spouses whose job may require a state-specific license representative saddled with additional expense. this bill will support programs in texas independent school districts that help military-dependent children with severe disabilities. i'm glad it includes bipartisan legislation that i introduced to improve the tools military commanders will have to prevent sexual assault and domestic vns witness the department of defense. in addition to supporting our servicemembers, this legislation will authorize $315 million for military construction projects in texas alone. this includes $90 million for a dormitory for basic training recruits at joint base san antonio, $55 million for the new power train facility at the corpus christi army depot,

$31 million for power generation and microgrid operations at fort hood in kilene, $15 million for a new fire station for fort bliss in el paso. the list goes on and on. these may sound like not all that exciting investments, but they're absolutely critical to the support for our military and our military families, and to readiness, which is the ultimate goal that our military is ready for any threat that comes our way. in addition to providing needed investment at our military bases, the defense authorization bill provides $4 billion in support to improve the production rate, modernization and readiness of the f-35 fleet, built in fort worth. that is the most sophisticated airplane in our fleet, and it's

important that, that we have an adequate number of them to maintain the readiness of that fleet. this bill also authorizes $23 million in another critical defense asset that will be made in fort worth which is the future long-range assault aircraft. it authorizes $686 million in funding for f-16 fighting falcons which will be made in texas as well as $4.7 billion for b-21 raiders, many of which will be based in texas at dais air force base in abilene. these investments will support even more texas jobs and strengthen our military in the process. i'm glad this year's defense authorization bill includes legislation. strangely enough, we stick other unrelated bills into the defense authorization bill, and in this case the water resources

development act has been inserted also in the defense authorization bill, but specifically, this bill, as part of that where did a -- wrda bill will authorize the texas coastal spine project which will provide basic protections of infrastructure against future hurricanes along the texas gulf coast. in the houston area alone, we have some of the largest concentration of refining capacity in the world, and the rest of the country depends on the fact that that jet fuel, that diesel, that gasoline will be available. if another hurricane were to wipe out houston like hurricane harvey tried to do, obviously that's something that will have an impact not just locally, not just in my state, but across the nation as a whole. so this coastal spine project is very important.

texas' gulf coast is home to millions of people and industries that fuel our economy and national security. mr. president, the war in ukraine is highlighted another important aspect of energy, and that is energy security. the industries in and around the texas gulf coast are critical to our security and for those of our allies. i believe that after years of hard work that texas coastal spine project has begun the long, long road to final construction, and i'm glad this project will be fully authorized in the water resources development act. the next step is to secure the funding to begin that lengthy construction project, and i'm eager to work with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make that happen. mr. president, given the threats our country is facing around the world, whether it's

russia, iran, china, north korea, the war on terror, the national defense authorization act could not be more urgent or more important. this legislation will make sure that our military is resourced, trained, and ready for action when called upon. it provides our men and women with the resources, training equipment they need to defend our country and our way of life and our freedom. it restores our combat advantage by investing in modern aircraft, weapons, and facilities, and strengthens and builds our alliances around the world. and above all, it sends the message to the world that our country is and will remain the global military leader. there's a lot of friends and allies the united states has around the world, and they're very important, but none of them is in a position to lead like the united states of america, and all of them depend on american leadership, and

that's part of the message this bill will send about our intention to maintain that leadership role. that's why for 61 years now congress has made passing the ndaa a priority, and i'm eager to get this one done and do it for the 62nd time. i want to especially thank senators reed and inhofe, the chairman and ranking member of the senate armed services committee, for their tireless work on this legislation. as well as all of the members of the armed services committee that voted this bill out of the committee on a strong bipartisan vote last july. it's a long story for why we had to wait from july until today to vote on the bill, but the good news is we are where we are today, and we have a strong bill that will prepare our military for the threats of today and tomorrow. and i look forward to supporting this legislation as soon as we have a chance to vote on it hopefully soon, this afternoon.

mr. president, i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator for oklahoma. mr. lankford: i want to bring a date to this body to think about. today we've all -- it's a day we've all known is coming for a very long time, but there seems to be no urgency about this date. the date is december 21. if everybody is wondering what is december 21, what's the big deal about that date, i would say that's the problem. december 21 is the date that title 42 authority ends on our southern border. what's title 42 authority? everybody in this body knows this, but title 42 is a temporary pandemic-related authority at our southern border to be able to deal with individuals that are coming across the border that they could be turned around. that authority was put in by the

previous administration and has remained in this administration and has been chipped away. and as of december 21, that authority goes away. so what happens at that date? the best estimates that we got initially from dhs was it would move from about 6,000 people a day illegally crossing the border to 18,000 people a day illegally crossing the border at that time. but realistically now, they won't give us an estimate at all. so let me just put this in context where we are at our southwest border right now. because for a year and a half i have asked secretary mayorkas what happens when title 42 authority goes away, because it is temporary. what is your plan? and for two years almost i've gotten, we're working on it, we're very aware that's temporary, it will go away at some point, we have a plan. and then months ago they came

out with their six-point plan. let me read their six-point plan to you. the six-point plan of what to do at the termination of title 42 is acquire and deploy requests to handle increased volumes of migrants. number two, deliver more efficient and fair immigration processing. number three, use expedited removal to process and remove those who don't have a valid asylum claim. number four, work with other western hemisphere governments to address the root causes of migration. number five, bolster ngo capacity. that is to be able to handle the flow. and number six was target and disrupt cartels. all those are fine. my question is, are they working? mayorkas was in front of the committee just a few weeks ago. i asked him title 42 is now going away december 21. what is your plan. and he repeated this back. the problem is they've already implemented these six items,

and the flow continues to being a sell rate. again let me put this in perspective because it's hard to wrap your head around the numbers. during the obama administration, there was a massive surge in the number of people illegally crossing the border. it was the time many people in this body fully remember when there were additional detention facilities that were opened up, there was a big push to be able to increase the capacity during that time period. that massive surge on the border during the obama administration was 2014, and it was 569,000 people a year. that was a crisis level that jeh johnson came out and said this is crisis level surge. it was 569,000 people that year illegally crossed the border. to put that in context, we've had that many people illegally cross the border in the last two months. what the obama administration

called a crisis over 12 months, we've had in the last two. we have well over two million people a year that are illegally crossing the border now, and in the last two months since the nearing of title 42 is coming, that number is rapidly increasing. during the obama administration, they called it a crisis if there were 1,500 people illegally crossing the border a day. we're now approaching 9,000 people illegally crossing the border a day. and when i ask what is the plan, i get, well, we have this six-point plan. here's the problem -- when i dig a little bit deeper, and we have been digging deeper to be able to find out how this is working, currently there are no cooperative agreements with other countries to be able to turn back individuals where we don't have a relationship. i know that's on their plan to get it at some point. we don't have it and december 21

is next week. all the work to be done to increase ngo capacity and processing capacity, that's happening. how to move people into the country faster, that's actually true. in fact, newspaper reports even as recently as today have reported that i.c.e. agents are being told to release lower-level prisoners that they're currently holding to be able to allow more surge capacity for processing individuals after the 21st of december. that's today's news. so they're gearing up to expedite processing people into the country. they're just not slowing down the number of people coming into the country nor providing a deterrent, other than this one comment that was made to my staff this week when we asked point-blank on the expedited removal process, and they said, yes, we're absolutely increasing the number of people that we use for expedited removal. that sounds great until you

check the facts on it. here are the facts -- this administration in this year, the number of people that they've declared expedited removal, they've actually removed from those folks 7% of the people. seven percent that were declared expedited removal. again let me go back to the obama administration and set this in context. 2015 in the obama administration, expedited removal, they were removing 69% of the people just that one year. that's not an anomaly year. that's typical of people that were declarative clarida expedited removal they were actually removing. this administration is using the term expedited removal so people will think, they're doing something. except only 7% have actually been removed. now listen, we have a wide diversity of opinion in this body about what needs to happen

in immigration. i don't run into a lot of people that like what's happening on our southern border right now. it's chaos. i personally asked the secretary of homeland security how many people that are crossing our border right now, of the two million-plus in the past year, how many of those individuals have we done a background check on them from their home country. his answer to me in hearing was, let me get -- back to you on that. by the way. i already know the answer on that and so does he. it's zero. we do a background check on people to see if they have a criminal record in the united states or on a ter terror watch -- or on a terror watch list, but we have no idea of those crossing the border if

they are fleeing justice. we literally usher them into the country. on december 21, this problem accelerates even bigger. to this body, i say, we have four times as many people illegally crossing the border now. right now we have as many as four times as many people coming. in december 21, the problem gets worse because we cannot as a body speak into this issue and say stop. i don't know what it's going to take in our nation because this is not a partisan issue across the country. it's just not. i run into people from all parties, all backgrounds who say

i'm all in on legal immigration, i just think we should know who's coming through the door. is that so unfair? or to have some way of protesting people to be able to know. now, again, i have folks say to me, you know what, what happens to these folks. let me tell you the current process because the biden administration continues to say we're going to fight against all the push and pull factors against these individuals. can i tell you what the pull factor is. this is not hard. the pull factor is right now those who cross the border, the biden administration is processing them as fast as they can and the fastest way to process them is to give them parole. this is different from what previous presidents have done of all parties. they're processing individuals for speed to be able to give them parole. pa parole gets them across the

border quickly, hands them a document and gives them a work permit that day. that day they get a work permit and then they're told to be able to go check in at i.c.e., but the next appointment at i.c.e. right now is five years in the future. once they check in with i.c.e. five years from now, then they're put in the next line to get to a federal court to make an asylum claim. that is currently ten years out. can i explain to you what's happening? this is not hard. we are handing out american work permits at the border for people we've done no vetting for and ushering them into the country and saying we'll check your asylum claim 15 years from now. it's no mystery. we happen to live in the greatest country in the world and everybody in the world wants to come here. this is not a mystery. this is why no president has

done an asylum policy like this. this is why no president in the past has managed the border like this because we would have a massive rush at the border. in december 21, a bad situation gets worse and this body juns -- just yawns and says it's no big deal. it is. and when this blows up in our country's face, all of us are going to have to answer for it. now, to be frank, the vast majority of the people coming across our border illegally are trying to connect with family already here, also illegally present, but also connecting with them. they have a job opportunity. completely respect that. there are individuals around the world who can make ten times as much money to cross the border and come into the country. i understand the poll process.

but we have a legal process where we manage that in theory. but who cares about the legal process anymore when you can just pay a cartel and come into the country illegally. the cartels on our southern border are some of the most ruthless cartels in the world. may i remind this body what we'll all know full well. the state department does a listing for every country in the world about americans do not travel. a level one is canada, a level four is syria and yemen. don't go there. we can't get you out. we all know that ranking full well. can i remind you the states just south of our border in mexico have a level four rating from the state department warning no american to travel in that area. just south of our border. why do they have that rating from the state department? because a ruthless set of cartels runs several of those

states appear the state state department is advising all americans, do not travel there because it is not safe for you and we cannot get you out. those are the cartels that are being paid by all the trafficking coming in. and last year when i was there, i asked the border patrol, have you been able to track how much the cartels tele, immediately to the south, can you track how much that particular cartel makes on trafficking people into the country? and the response was, yes, we do interviews with folks. i asked how much. just this in this area south of mccallen, texas, they make $152 million a week trafficking people into our country. our open immigration system is enriching some of the most ruthless cartels in the world and we're currently doing nothing to stop it.

just wait until december 21 comes, then let's see what happens. with that, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico. mr. heinrich: i would ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. heinrich: mr. president, i am truly honored to join my friend, my colleague, senator lieu lujan to represent staff sergeant hershey miamura who passed away. the state of new mexico ordered

flags to be flown half-staff to honor one of our nation's greatest heros. a second-generation japanese american. he first volunteered for the u.s. army near the end of world war ii. he did so at a time when many of his fellow japanese americans, and that includes his future wife, were detained in american internment camps. he served in the storied 432nd infantry regiment, which was composed of those were japanese ancestry and one of the most decorated units. following the start of the korean war in 1950, the army rekiewld -- recalled him into active duty. the korean war is often labeled the forgotten war. it is true that far too many

americans have forgotten the incredible sacrifices made by american service members who fought alongside korean as well as united nations allies. more than 36,000 americans, -- gave their lives to defend a free and democratic south korea. and in the face of unthinkably harsh conditions, many service members demonstrated the very best of what it means to be an american. none were so than mr. miyamura. during an intense overnight firefight, then corporal miyamura ordered his men to fall back. he covered the withdrawal of his entire company from advancing

enemy forces. he killed more than 50 enemy combatants in both hand to hand combat and with his machine gun and he sustained severe wounds, and afterwards enemy forces captured corporal miyamura as a prisoner of war, but not after he had allowed all 16 of the men in his machine gun squad to safely withdraw. in later years, he was most proud of the fact that each and every one of the men who were under his charge that night survived the entire korean war and returned home to their families. after his capture, corporal miyamura marched hundreds of miles to a prisoner of war camp

where he would endure nearly two and a half years of captivity. during this time he served as a source of strength and comfort to many of his fellow prisoners of war as they endured terrible conditions. nearly a month after an armistice disagreement was kreeched, ending the who's -- reached, ending the hostilities, corporal miyamura, was turned over. during the congressional honor society, he remembered what it was like to see the american flag flying again for the very first time. he said until i saw that flag, the star spangled banner waving in the breeze did i know that i learned what it represents. that alone is what makes you feel so humble. it was also only after his

release that hiroshi learned that he had earned the congressional medal of honor. president eisenhower presented corporal miyamura the medical yacht -- medal at the white house. in addition to the service medals recognizing his service both in the korean war as well as world war ii. he achieved final ranking in the u.s. army as staff sergeant. corporal -- his lifelong dedication to his country never ceased. it continued long after his decorated military service ended. after he received his honorable discharge from the army, he opened up a service station along route 66 in his hometown

of gallup, new mexico. he remained active in his community until his dying days, advocate rg for his -- advocating for his fellow veterans on patriotism and service. it was one of the greatest honors of my public service career to work alongside him to open the community-based outpatient clinic in gallop and in 2018, i joined him at the site that is now the gallup, state veterans cemetery. he touched the lives of countless young people in gallup during visits with students at the local high school named in his honor. the miyamura high school patriots wear the colors purple

and silver in honor of his purple heart and a bronze statue of him in his army uniform and wearing his medal of honor stands at the centers of the miyamura high school. i hope none of us will ever forget the profound example of humility, patriotism that he left to each of us as his enduring legacy. he truly embodied the best of what our nation stands for. and my thoughts are with his daughter kelly, his sons pat and mike, his four grandchildren and all those in new mexico and across our great nation who are mourning his loss and honoring his memory. thank you, mr. president. mr. lujan: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico.

mr. lujan: mr. president, i am honored to be here today with senator heinrich to recognize a friend, a mentor, and a true american hero. i rise today to come and pay my respects to a great american hero and friend we recently lost. hiroshi myamura was born in gallup, new mexico. his parents left their homeland of japan to settle in new mexico in the hopes of creating a better life for their children. he never thought of himself as a serious student. mom and dad hoped he would be. as a child hershey's mind was otherwise occupied by tales of hop-along cassidy, riding on his

steed, the larger than life hero who saves the day. he later remarked in life that he always liked the good guys. on and off the big screen. this is why it did not surprise anyone when hershey's determined perseverance to join the united states army finally became a reality. the dream became possible when the federal government created a battalion of mostly japanese americans during the second world war. in a time when prejudice cords japanese americans was at an all-time high, hershey remained firm in his conviction that he would serve under the flag and country his parents worked so hard to make their home, refusing to let tolerance extinguish his desire to serve our nation at the highest level. hershey joined the army shortly before japan surrendered in

world war ii. treating as a machine gunner, a job he excelled at. he was recalled to service as a corporal he was entrusted as a squad leader in the second battalion seventh infantry regiment, third infantry regiment. even in the fog of war hershey was focused and selfless. he never lost sight of the friends he served alongside with, his fellow americans were at the heart of everything he did. fighting with the bayonet secured at the end of his rifle during a nighttime ambush while the democratic people's republic of korea, hershey ordered his quad dron back to safer grounds providing first aid treatment when he could. staying behind to cover their withdrawal, corporal miyamura for the off over 50 enemy troops

before he was badly wounded and captured. for the next 28 months he was a prison -- prisoner of war all the while his wife, terry, did not know for her husband was dead or alive. hershey suffered tremendously during this time. it's an agony that's almost impossible to imagine and the strength of hershey and terry represents the very best that we all have, the very best in each of us. on the day of his release from the prisoner of war camp, hershey would recall that date with pristine detail. the first sight of the star-spangled banner blowing in the breeze knowing that he was almost home. returning to gallup, new mexico, hershey was greeted by a beaming crowd of family and friends and military flyovers welcomed him home.

for a moment he was lost but he was never forgetten. -- forgotten. hershey would go on to be awarded the medal of honor, the highest decoration for valor by president dwight eisenhower. a revered figure hershey looked up to as a tested and admired world war ii general. after the war he worked hard in gallup as an auto mechanic and small business owner doing what he could to send his three kids off to college. he lived out the last days of his life just as he lived the first days of his life. as a source of joy and light. a soft spoken and honest man, hershey miyamura witnessed the deepest evil and yet still chose joy. he chose to be a source of light to all who knew and loved him.

hershey continued to tell and retell his story to future generations with humility and that ever present smile beaming ear to ear. i want to remark on the clarity and sharpness he had seemingly unfazed by the -- unfaced by the years that aged him. talking with him and learning about his legacy of service was like being taken back to the dirt roads of south korea alongside him. hershey's experiences never left him. as for all the western cowboys and the hollywood good guys he dreamed of as a child, i think it's fair to say hershey far surpassed them and turned himself into larger than life, a real american war hero. hershey passed away two weeks ago.

he was the second to last living korean war medal honor recipient. his legacy and impenetrable faith will live on in all of us who loved him and know him, who had the honor of continuing to share a story. i encourage everyone across america to learn this story and to lift hershey up. hershey is survived by his sons, mike and pat, his daughter kelly, his granddaughters megan, rissa and madison. his grandson ian, his five great-grandchildren, his sister, susie, and c.j. mr. president, i ask for unanimous consent to have corporal hiroshi miyamura's story entered into the record. the presiding officer: without

objection. a senator: may god watch over and bless his family. i thank you and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. menendez: mr. president, i come to the floor today to ask for unanimous consent for jay schneider, to be a member of the advisory commission on public diplomacy. american value are in direct competition with powerful autocratic regimes. from iranian protesters struggling against a misogynist theocracy in tehran to the african, latin-american nations against propaganda, to the information warfare china directs across the taiwan strait, in every case a strong, well run american public diplomacy program is often the

best tool we have to make the case for our vision of the world. a world that respects international law, that supports free speech and defends fundamental rights, and the members of the united states advisory commission on public diplomacy are essential to this effort. since 1948, the commission has worked to understand and inform foreign publics. and whether it is our people to people exchanges that introduce the world to our country or confronting the deluge of misinformation meant to undermine democracies across the globe, jay's perspectives and expertise will be critical. he has a career spanning public service, ak dame that, philanthropy, the private sector, working throughout the united states, europe, asia, and the middle east. he has served on the u.s. advisory commission on public ddiplomacy before starting in 2003. he also served as a representative to the united nations general assembly and in his home state at the new york

state commission on public authority reform. in 2009, he founded the open hands initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to public dip -- diplomacy connected young leaders across the developing world. he also serves on georgetown university's college board of advisers, the university of southern california center for public diplomacy advisory board. this is a nominee that will hit the ground running from day one. russia and china are not sitting idly by. they are throwing money and manpower at an all-out effort to convince the world that democracy doesn't work. we need to be fighting back. our nation cannot afford to wait another day without mr. snyder siewping his post to tackle these challenges. and so i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination under the privileged section of the executive calendar, p.n.2451,

jay t. snyder to be a member of the united states advisory commission on public diplomacy, that the senate vote on the nomination two intervening action or debate, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action and the senate resume legislative session. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from idaho. a senator: mr. president, reserving the right to object. first of all let my say i concur with the chairman of the committee on the remarks he's made regarding his position. it is an important position and the points he makes about countering what china is doing certainly is well taken. i completely agree with him. i am going to object for this but it's for process reasons, not because of the individual or because of the lack of the importance of the position. mr. risch: it is. in the past we have always moved these together when we have a partisan situation like this and

when we discharge him from the committee, they're discharged in pairs. now, on this particular one, we haven't done that and i know the chairman is going to say that's our fault because we haven't put a person up yet and to that i will concede. but having said that, again the processes, we've always done this in pairs in the past. i commit to the chairman i've already talked to the chairman about this that we will do this and before the end of january we will have such a person to move together with this. if he asks after that, i will not object. but at this time i have been requested to object so that we can have the opportunity to put that person up. so at this point, mr. president, i would object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. menendez: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. menendez: i thank my distinguished colleague, the ramping member on the foreign relations committee for his remarks and for the conversation we had before. i appreciate that and i look forward to making this happen in the very early part of the new

congress. but i will just simply say that the board is comprised of nominees recommended by the majority and the minority and ideally that's how they would move forward. i'm ready to be supportive of moving forward on other nominees for this position as well. but as has been said, the reality is that the minority have yet to make their recommendations despite having had more than two years to do so. two years. so in a sense it's not fair to reject those who are waiting and went through the process and did their disclosures and everything else and have been hanging out there because the minority has not chosen to make their nominations. i understand the senator is objecting on behalf of his leadership. i just hope that this draws attention to the republican leadership so they hopefully will come up with their two

names so that as we start the new session of congress, we can get this done right away. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. menendez: mr. president, i observe the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wisconsin. ms. baldwin: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. ms. baldwin: i'd ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. baldwin: mr. president, i rise today in support of

dr. laura taylor callet, the president's nominee to be assistant secretary of defense for industrial policy. as a member of the subcommittee, i know that growing and sustaining our industrial base is a critical aspect of the resilience of our national security, and it's critical also to maintaining our competitive advantage with china and other mere peer competitors. a resilient defense industrial base is also vital to the support the united states is providing to ukraine. dr. taylor collett is well suited for this role, having served in the obama-biden administration senior senator deputy assistant secretary of defense for manufacturing in the international trade administration and as the senior advisor for policy and

operations at the u.s. development finance corporation. she has significant professional experience at the intersection of business and government and has a thorough understanding of industry challenges and their impact on supply chains most crucial to our national security. her experience across government, the private sector, multilateral organizations and academia leave her well-suited to help ensure the department of defense continues to deliver secure and resilient capabilities to our forces. filling this position is important. it's vital to addressing critical vulnerabilities in industrial supply chains, to reducing reliance of foreign adversaries -- reliance on foreign adversaries and securing domestic industrial capacity, all actions that are key to u.s.

economic and national security. if we are serious about the role of the united states as a global competitor, we need a fully staffed and capable team managing the current and future needs of our military forces. dr. taylor-cale will help complete that team. and i ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the republican leader, the senate proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 1152, laura taylor-kale to be an assistant secretary of defense, and that there be ten minutes for debate equally divided in the usual form on the nomination, that upon the use or yielding back of the time, the senate vote without intervening action or

debate on the nomination, and that the senate resume legislative session. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. sullivan: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. sullivan: mr. president, reserving the right to object, i want to say a few words about the biden administration's policies on the very subject to which dr. laura taylor-kale is going to be in charge. now, i have been working with this administration probably more than most republican senators, particularly on department of defense issues. on department of defense personnel, on helping them actually get confirmed. so i don't come down here and do this lightly. heck, i introduced the secretary of defense, secretary austin, at his confirmation hearing and

then whipped votes to make sure he got confirmed. so this is not my regular course of business, even as it relates to the biden administration, but particularly as it relates to the department of defense. i've been someone who's been trying to help. but i am objecting because the biden administration's policies are completely at odds with the president's public statements, and my friend from wisconsin's statements about the need for an industrial policy and critical minerals that will help our military and help our economy. dr. taylor-kale will be in charge of this at the pentagon. industrial policy, critical minerals, rare earths, and what we're seeing, mr. president, is they talk about this but then they take actions against these

very policies that hurt us. and the number-one area where we take actions, mr. president, is my state, the great state of alaska that has more energy for america, more critical resources, more critical minerals, more rare earths for our nation, for our nation. my state has had 40 executive orders or executive actions in two years from this administration issued singularly and solely against alaska. of course, that's crushing the economy of my state. workers in my state -- but here's the broader point for this topic today. it is really undermining america's national security, critical minerals, natural resources. we all know we need them and yet one big part of america is the

target of this administration to shut it down. it's ridiculous, mr. president. as i said to my colleague, if a republican administration went to wisconsin or issued 40 executive orders and executive actions solely against wisconsin or maine and you guys came to me and said is hey, dan, help us. geez, louise, the war on alaska. help! i would help. my state is getting crushed. here's the specific issue that relateds to this -- that relates to this nominee. the president held a summit on critical minerals, a good example of what we need to do. on february 22, 2022. and he said, we need these critical minerals.

they're going to -- the demand for them is is going to increase 400% to 600% over the next several decades. quote, we can't build a future that's made in america if we ourselves are dependent on china for for the fiscal years that power the -- for the materials that power the products of today and tomorrow. that's the president of the united states on his big critical minerals summit hosted at the white house to talk about supply chains and industrial capacity and military issues. mr. president, the same day the president of the united states held that critical minerals summit, the department of interior said that they were going to reverse a seven-year eis record decision $010 million by professional staff and the federal government on what's called the ambler mining district in alaska. one of the biggest, most extensive sources of critical sources in the country, maybe even in the world.

and that same day, a project by the way that's been in permitting since the obama administration. the same day they reversed it and said, alaska, start over. nuts. crazy. so what i've done is i've put a hold on a couple of department of defense nominees who are in charge of this area. and dr. taylor-kale is one. but i've been reasonable, mr. president. i went to the secretary -- or the deputy secretary of interior, the deputy secretary of defense, we held a conference with white house officials, and and i simply said, i'm not asking to reverse your crazy decision beneficiary -- which it was crazy. i simply said, i want three simple asks. so i've been trying to work to get her nominee cleared. three simple asks from this administration -- identify an

identifiable, workable schedule with a clear, legitimate timeline for cleaning the -- completing the review of this project that's already been in almost 10 years of permitting, to do it in a timely manner. that was number one. clearly state the federal government's administration to allow the alaska entities that are trying to move this forward to continue to complete baseline scientific data, gathering and sign work such as wetland delineations, engineering reconnaissance for this road. that was number two. and allow these alaska entities that are moving this road and project forward to complete its planned geological drilling and core sampling program, which is critical to advancing the project and engineering sign. -- design. as this case is now being remanded -- that was it. that was it. three simple requests. none of these are hard. none of them are hard. i've raised this with the

secretary of defense, the national security team, of course interior, and they keep teeming me no. this is -- and they keep telling me no. if the secretary of defense came and said, senator sullivan, i saw your remarks on the floor. i agree with all three of these things, you're right, they're simple, i would lift my hold today. so the ball s&l in the administration's -- so the ball is in the administration's court. they really want dr. taylor-kale to be confirmed, they could do it tonight. meet my requests, which are quite reasonable. i did not ask them to review or reverse the crazy decision that they made in february of 2022. these are very simple requests. i've been very reasonable on this. no one on their side is being reasonable, so i will continue to hold her and some of the other dod nominees who are in charge of critical minerals and industrial capacity in the

department of defense until the simple demands that i'm asking for, that not only will help my state but will help the national security of america. they won't do it, so i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. ms. baldwin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from wisconsin. ms. baldwin: i listened carefully to my colleague from alaska, as he objected. and i just want to add a couple of comments in response. i had a chance to share with i him that there was a wisconsin conflict between the department of defense and the department of interior, something that when i was a member of the house of representatives i worked on for 14 years. cooperate get it shaken loose -- could not get it shaken loose.

finger-pointing, finger-pointing. then i had the honor of being elected to the united states senate, where we have the power to place holds on nominees. and i had the opportunity, and took advantage of that opportunity, to place a hold on a nominee who was absolutely in the position to resolve the issue. aand it's a powerful tool. in this case, the person who is being held could be doing so much to advance and grow our defense industrial base, and helping improve our national security and a resiliency. and this particular person is not in a position to, if confirmed, resolve the issue

that i heard my colleague describe. and so i'm disappointed that we cannot move ahead with this confirmation at this time. i understand the power of the hold, but it's much more powerful when the person being held is also in a position to resolve the issue. and with that, i would yield back my remaining time. mr. sullivan: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator for alaska. mr. sullivan: mr. president, i just want to say that i certainly would be willing to work with my colleague from wisconsin on this issue. i've been working on it in good faith with other members both sidon theother side of the aisl. perhaps she can help me with the three simple asks we've put forward to the department of interior. if they grow to those simple

asks, and they are simple, then i'll lift my hold. maybe the senator from wisconsin and i can work together on this. i yield the floor. ms. baldwin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from wisconsin is recognized. ms. baldwin: i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask that the chair lay before the senate the message to accompany h.r. 1437. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the c is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote: