licensed mortician, pause to think whether to sell a pine box you need to know how to embalm someone? >> and i would say a more informed consumer and robust mechanism for laws that exist, both would operate in combination to help improve the situation, i think we need to be open to innovation, but responsive to problems. >> even in death. >> we're not made to do anything alone. >> to watch this and all winning entries, visit our website at student cam.org. >> healthy democracy doesn't just look like this, it looks like this, where americans can see democrcy at work, and

students, get informed unfiltered, unbiased word for word from the nation's capitol to wherever you are, it's the opinion that matters the most is your own. this is what democracy looks like, c-span, powered by cable. >> today on capitol hill, senate lawmakers continue work on legislation reauthorizing federal grant programs for local fire department for training, equipment and staffing. votes have been set for 11:30 eastern this morning on amendments to the bill. and now live to the floor of the u.s. senate here on c-span2.

the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain dr. barry black will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. our god and king, we come in thankfulness because you have loved us through all the seasons of our lives. we find peace in the knowledge that you know and accept us as we are. thank you for enabling us to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint. lord, keep us always

in your care. bless our senators. keep them steadfast in their defense of freedom. give them knowledge, compassion, kindness, and forbearance as they interact with one another. god, bless our nation. drive back the forces of evil and release the power of goodness throughout our land. we pray in your strong name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty

and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington d.c., april 19, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable peter welch, a senator from the state of vermont, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of s. 870 which the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 28, s. 870, a bill to amend the federal fire prevention and control act of 1974 to authorize

appropriations for the united states fire administration and firefighter assistance grant programs.

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: let me begin with a quote. quote, i can't imagine anybody ever even thinking of using the debt ceiling as a negotiating wedge. these words are not mine. they're not even the words of a democrat. they come from former president donald trump. for all his terrible flaws, in this case i'd say a broken clock, twice a day. even donald trump understood what house republicans today do not. the full faith and credit of the united states must never be taken hostage. again, to quote president trump,

former president trump, i can't imagine anybody even thinking of using the debt ceiling as a negotiating wedge. time is ticking for the united states -- before the united states enters into a first ever national debt if things don't change. yesterday speaker mccarthy met with house republicans in hopes of uniting his party around a single framework of cuts, albeit one that will never become law. the meeting, from all reports, did not go well, to put it lightly. one gop member said yesterday, i'm still a no. another from florida, i think they should go further. i'm in favor of very aggressive cuts. another, from south carolina, i'm not there yet. we could go on and on with these quotes. even now, speaker mccarthy, this is months and months after he proposed making deep cuts as

a condition, as brinksmanship, as hostage-taking to just simply make sure that we avoid default. even now, he is still very short of the support he needs to pass a debt ceiling bill. because the chasm is too big between moderates and the hard-right extremists, who are glad to see the economy taken hostage in exchange for their priorities. as "the washington post" wrote this weekend, many gop lawmakers and aides admit it is not even clear whether their emerging plan can actually attract 218 votes. now, the clock is ticking. we're getting closer and closer to when we have to act to avoid default. so for all the speeches, all the letters, all the wish lists and meetings with this family or that family, the underlying facts haven't changed. at this point, speaker mccarthy does not have a plan for avoiding a catastrophic

default on the debt. i quoted one former republican president. let me quote another, ronald reagan. ronald reagan said, quote, debt ceiling brinksmanship threatens the holders of government bonds and those who rely on social security and veterans' benefits, and, quote, the united states has a special responsibility to itself and to the world, to meet its obligations. when ronald reagan and donald trump say that the republican strategy, led by speaker mccarthy, is folly, you know how far right the whole maga republican house has gone. things that were accepted a few years ago, by very conservative republican presidents, reagan, trump, now seem to be discarded in a headlong rush to make the kind of deep cuts that americans will never support and to tie it

to the debt ceiling, which could head us crashing into default. the solution to this entire mess is staring republicans right in the face -- do what we did three times under donald trump and twice under president biden, and work with democrats to avoid defaults, without brinks asianship -- without brinksmanship, or hostage-taking. if republicans drop the hostage-taking and approach democrats in good faith, it the crisis can be resolved. if speaker mccarthy does not change course, he, he will be leading america into default of not paying our debts for the first time. on fox news, yesterday fox news agreed to pay nearly $800 million to end the defamation suit brought by dominion voting systems after fox spent months lying about the 2020 election. it's one of the largest

settlements ever in a defamation case. trial or no trial, the world sees that fox news knowingly and intentionally lied to the country about the 2020 election. the amazing thing is that fox knew that these were lies, and they still put that propaganda on the air. it's not just trivial lies, lies that go to the essence of our democracy. to think that the leaders of fox news, rupert murdoch, don't go a hoot about democracy, and still will put these lies on for political or mercenary purposes is just galling, appalling, and frankly downright against what america stands for and has stood for for hundreds of years. fox commentators spread conspiracy theories and passed them off as news. they spread distrust in our democracy and claimed it was a

legitimate concern. so fox news' legacy and rupert murdoch's legacy is forever sealed as the network that sought to undermine american democracy, one primetime segment at a time. fox news' legacy is sealed as the network that has minuscule regard for the truth and will knowingly lie to achieve political and mercenary goals. even without a single witness taking the stand, what we do know about this case is shocking. under oath, rupert murdoch, the owners of fox news admitted his hosts were spreading the narrative of the big lie. we're not just throwing rhetoric around here. these are facts. here's what murdoch said -- maybe sean hannity and laura ingraham went too far. he admitted in one e-mail. that's certainly a way to put it. asked if he could have stopped the lies, mr. murdoch admitted,

i could have, but i didn't. amazing. amazing. so settlement or not, there's no question that fox news lied. sadly, too much damage has already been done. a significant segment of voters, by some measures as much as 30% of the electorate, still do not believe the 2020 election was ledge the -- legitimate. when people start doubting elections are legitimate, that's the beginning of the end of a irk dor. it's just galling -- beginning of the end of a irk do. it's just galling. this is not lying about some trivial thing. this is lying that undermines the essence of what america has been all about. and, two years after the presidential election, fox news stills lies about what happened in 2020. not two months ago, tucker carlson claimed january 6 was not an insurrection, and using

manipulated security footage provided to him exclusively by speaker mccarthy. fox news has not shown any remorse for undermining our democracy and blatantly lying. again, rupert murdoch's legacy and fox news' legacy is sealed. they ever forever be -- they will forever be remembered as the ones who tried to break american democracy by lying did it, for their own sake. even more importantly, for the sake of our great country, mr. murdoch and fox news leadership should put a halt to the spread of the big lie on their network, because when enough people believe elections are not on the level, that is the beginning death knell of a democracy. now, on the abortion issue and military holds, for the last ten months the american people have made clear they reject the hard right's war on women. after many ballot initiates, special elections, and one disastrous midterm for the gop there's no denying that the maga

obsession with attacking women's freedom of choice has been a disaster. yet, the more americans reject maga extremism, particularly on choice, the more maga republicans double down. now, through the actions of one senator, even military families have been taken hostage by the hard right. we are talking about women veterans. we are talking about women who volunteer and risk their lives oftentimes for us, and now this hard-right group is telling them they don't have the right to decide what to do when it comes to their bodies and their health care? it's outrageous. the same people on the other side, who praise our military and our soldiers, are treating women as second-class citizens. that's outrageous. it's outrageous when they do it to all women, but particularly

when they do it to women veterans. and women who serve. because, they again, are our heroes and risk their lives for us. and now, through the actions of one senator, even military families have been taken hostage by the hard right. today, the senator from alabama will push legislation that would take away reproductive care for hundreds of thousands of veterans and their families. it's the extreme kind of proposal. millions of americans strongly oppose, and one which if passed would gravely harm the health of women, particularly our veterans. senator tuberville's legislation is bad on its own, but he's made it even worse because he continues threatening our national security by blocking over 180 military promotions.

the secretary of defense himself and so many of our leading military figures, past and present, have warned us that this delay is dangerous to the security of america. and what's equally disappointing, as the senator from alabama's reckless action, it's disappointing to see that more of my colleagues on the other side have not yet called out the senator. for his reckless stunts. i thank those who indeed have raised their voice, but we need more. republicans who claim to be such supporters of our military, all of a sudden have gone mum, silent when the senator from alabama risks military security. because he believes passionately in something. every one of us could do this. no one has chosen to do it the way the senator has. it's a new chapter, a sad chapter. we hope it will end soon,

because whether publicly or privately, our republican colleagues go to him and say this is just dead wrong, no matter how passionately he feels. and why is senator tuberville doing this? because he wants to make the health care decisions for the women of our military. he wants to decide that. the military shouldn't decide it. the country shouldn't decide it. the women shouldn't decide it. he wants to make that decision. what arrogance. he's threatening to permanently inject politics into the confirmation of routine military promotions so he can push the maga hard line on blocking women's choice. this is the maga hard right in a nutshell. eliminate women's choice at all costs, even at the cost of our national defense. i urge my colleague, sincerely, passionately, as passionate as he is, maybe more so, to drop his hold, and i will certainly oppose this measure later today. i yield the floor.

continued oversight of us programs in afghanistan cannot be done in silence . by joining forces we avoid duplication of efforts, ensure policymakers receive the information they need and hold accountable bad actors targeting the us . they events that occurred during the evacuation impacted our office in a significant way. we had six colleagues, us aid

migs that were trying to evacuate with their families. i was not head of the office at that time but as head of our leadership team i was on the live group chat linking us 24 seven as they and their families tried to get to and through the abbey gate day in and day out. those exchanges will stay with me forever. i'm happy to say that our colleagues were eventually able to evacuate. i've never been prouder to work at usaid that i was during those months. the generation and kindness our employees showed as they don't this was inspiring. i want to recognize all of our afghan usaid employees over the years who were integral to our work. without them what i'm going to talk about today would not be possible. from 2001 until the evacuation in 2021 usaid invested 20 billion in

afghanistan. this required a proportionate level of oversight on usaid oig. we established a kabul office has issued 300 reports and $4.4 million. this work resulted in 800 recommendations to usaid and identified hundreds of billions in costs. our work led to criminal prosecution, major false claims pigments and disbarment with companies and individuals. in addition to the direct impact on us government is a work by a form usaid's responses to complex emergencies around the world . i reheat lessons today and monitoring of program these four complex environments, usaid must implement standards to ensure effective program oversight.

it must plan ahead to ensure continuity of projects in anticipation of death reduction. one of our products found that the 103 seven projects in afghanistan only one award used usaid's monitoring system. second, usaid must clearly define, measure and link objectives to ensure programs are actually meeting the established metrics and goals . one of our products found usaid did not have policies and procedures to verify agents for world bank trust funds were being used for their intended purpose. third in conflict zones such as afghanistan large sums of funding from outside donors attract corruption and divers in. usaid must strengthen processes to ensure prompt reporting of criminal activity and ensure accountability . especially those being implemented by you and and

multilateralorganizations in afghanistan . for afghanistan's work continues today with ongoing audit work and we continue to receive allegations. >> ..

.. barely survive as it is right now. democrats want less american energy, less production, and, of course, less reliability. republicans want more, more, and more -- more production, more independence, more affordability, and more security. the house republican majority

landmark h.r. 1 goes right at this very issue. it would be a huge shot in the arm for american energy, but here in the senate the democratic leader controls the floor, and he has declared the bill dead on arrival. dead on arrival here in the senate. it's the clearest possible contrast. republicans are fighting for cheaper and more reliable power, stronger supply chains, and a stronger america on the world stage, and democrats? they're actually fighting us. i suggest the absence of a quorum.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

it's been six months in afghanistan. i asked him what he thought was going on in afghanistan and he says it's not going in will. we should stick around and maybe we shouldn't have. but he said they hate us. guy, come before before e hearings not the ig but all the various agencies and they're all confident at all, were advancing and things are getting better and better, other government is going to hold on for years and years. i knew all along my 21-year-old guy who spent for five months of their do a lot more than high-level state department people were pressuring us everything was going well. prior to delving into the more relevant question, i will ask ms. shah and maybe the ig should know this but could you give us an opinion of where we find the state department employees that seem so coolest about what's going on in the real world? is there a way we could change

hiring practices? all the universities that train these people so totally flawed or lacking any concepts? how do they get this so wrong when just an average guy boots on the ground so to speak understood exactly what was going on? >> so thank you for your question. i don't know we have worked specific all that the issue of the we do look in the context of contract oversight and monitoring, and find that there are folks a link in in these positions that lack the technical expertise, lack the experience. and so we do at some work at the points to those issues but on the broader question i'm afraid i don't have an answer. >> i'm not worried about technical expertise. i would've a commonsense sense which seems be entirely lacking. ms. angarella, what ongoing programs are taking place in afghanistan today? >> sure thank you for your question. and fy '22 usaid appropriated or spent nine to $12 million in

afghanistan through q1 and q2 of fy '23, it's about $599 million, and is more heavily weighted toward humanitarian assistance mostly food aid and a very small portion of it about $59 billion in development in development funding but mostly humanitarian food assistance. >> well thank you. are there any and the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. lankford: is the senate currently in a quorum call. the presiding officer: yes, it is. mr. lankford: i ask that we set that aside. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lankford: mr. president, we remember at 9:02 a.m. on april 19 corks 1995, 168 people tragically murdered in the worst act of homegrown domestic violence and terrorism in our nation's history. that was in oklahoma city, the bombing of the alfred p. murrah

building in oklahoma city destroyed nine floors where they collapsed in on each other. the physical impact of the building and of the bombing itself was felt 55 miles away and the force of the blast damaged 324 surrounding buildings. the emotional impact was felt around the world, as literally the world stopped and stared at their televisions 28 years ago today. and the nation felt the pain of those who were killed, and of the survivors and the family members who remain. the victims included 19 children many who aattended the day care in the building called america's kids. a total of 219 children lost a parent that day and 30 children were orphaned that day. it is estimated that 360,000 oklahomans knew someone personally who worked in the

murrah building. the 16-day rescue and recovery effort took its toll on those who held onto hope that their loved one was still alive. the events of april 19, 1995, change the my state, changed our country forever. there are incredible stories about survivors of the bombing that helped their coworkers escape and exit the building to safety. we introduced what we now know as the oklahoma standard, the way oklahomans immediately stepped forward to offer help, show compassion to their neighbors in pain, donate blood, donate even their shoes that day to rescue workers and other individuals that needed help. out of the terrible tragedy was demonstrated tremendous love. by 3:30 p.m. on april 19, 1995, family assistance center called

the compassion center was set up, first christian church in downtown oklahoma city. the center was supported by the american red cross, hundreds of local cher gee, chaplain lanes and medical professionals. rescue workers poured in for fellow oklahomans. $14 million was donated to the oklahoma city disaster relief fund. the oklahoma legislature created the murrah fund that pulled public and private dollars assist victims with grief counseling, burials. there is a lot to be said about the aftermath of the alfred p. murrah bombing. one notable piece is the remarkable work of law enforcement that day. see, law enforcement was called in from all over to be able to assist. but one state trooper that was responding to it was actually turned around and said, stay in your area. we do need to keep coverage across the state. so this state trooper, charlie

hanger, stayed in his area way north of oklahoma city on i-35. on that day in his normal duties that he was doing, he saw a yellow mercury that had no license tag on it, and he pulled them over. just doing his job. the person that he pulled over was the person who had actually committed the murders. just a great cop doing his job. the fbi came in from all over the country to come help. u.s. attorneys came to be able to help. employees helped the fbi put together a drawing of the person when they found out the van was rented or the truck that was actually used for the bombing was rented. they helped develop this as the fbi worked, and they figured out that the person that charlie

hanger had pulled over was actually the person that they were looking for at the same time and were able to speedily make an arrest. my city and my state is very grateful to the fbi and to the work that they did that day, local law enforcement, u.s. attorneys, first responders, everyday oklahomans that literally ran towards that moment. some staying literally for weeks and months going through the debris. you can't imagine the pain and the difficulty of digging through rubble and identifying people. what those first responders did and what those individuals that stayed on the pile did will never be forgotten by our state. one resounding message from the survivors of the oklahoma city bombing is life can be forever altered in a single moment. oklahomans who lost their lives that day simply woke up, went to

work, dropped off their child at america's kids day care thinking they would all come home that night. there's a lot that we can learn from those events, but it reminds us that time with our family and loved ones is precious and should never be taken for granted. but we should also remember that the oklahoma city bombing was driven by anti-american hatred. single individuals with misguided government beliefs and hatred for people in government, literally drove a truck bomb in front of a building full of people serving their nation that day in a federal building and chose to kill them just because of their hatred for government. we can never allow our nation to rise up with that kind of anger and hatred against fellow

americans. we are a nation that has disagreements, and we solve those by talking to each other as fellow americans. the oklahoma city bombing memorial museum sits next to the memorial itself. it continues to tell the story every single day as they are today of what is means to be able to have one person talking to another person to solve our problems and to work out our differences. on the 28th anniversary of the oklahoma city bombing, we still feel the sharp pain and loss in oklahoma. while some of the nation look back at it and think that was a long time ago, we remember. we thank the first responders and the law enforcement officers for their invaluable service. we remember the lives of the victims lost, and we continue to pray for their families and for their survivors that are still gathering today together just to

check on each other as families. and most importantly, we will continue to tell the story of what happens when rage and hatred for fellow americans spills over into the destruction of life. we remember. and i would ask this body to do what we're doing in oklahoma city today. we're pausing for 168 seconds to remember the 168 victims that we lost that day. so with this body pause with me for 168 seconds.

[pausing for moment of silence] [pausing for moment of silence] [pausing for moment of silence]

[pausing for moment of silence] [pausing for moment of silence] [pausing for moment of silence]

[pausing for moment of silence] [pausing for moment of silence] mr. lankford: today we honor those who were killed, those who survived, and those who were changed forever. i yield the floor.

test: test: mr. murphy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. murphy: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: no. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. president. late on the night of november 2, 2012, theodore wafer was woken up by a lound sound. somebody was knocking on his door, pounding on his door. he looked for the phone to call the police, but he couldn't find it. instead, he picked up his shotgun. he went to the door, he saw on the other side a figure.

he thought the person maybe was trying to break into his house. so he fired a shotgun blast through the screen door. to his porch. a couple hours before that, rasheeda mcbride had gotten into a car accident. not far away from theodore's house. she was intoxicated. she was disoriented after the crash. she wandered around the neighborhood late at night looking for help. she couldn't find any, and she found herself knocking on the door of mr. wafer's home looking for assistance. the shotgun blast hit her in the face and she died. jordan davis was in jacksonville, florida, a teenager, out with his friends. they pulled into a gas station, as a lot of teenagers do. they were playing loud music. michael dunn was at the gas station as well.

he didn't like the fact that the teenagers were playing their music too loud. he asked they turn it down. there was an argument that took place. michael dunn said i'm not going to let anybody talk to me like that, and he pulled a handgun out of the glove compartment of his car and he started shooting at jordan davis and his friends. jordan davis died, as his friends sped away, trying to get away from the killing scene. michael dunn tipped to shoot at the fleeing car. his girlfriend came out of the convenience store, didn't know what had happened. michael dunn didn't tell her. they went to the hotel they were staying in, and they ordered a pizza. that happened one year before the death of renisha mcbride. this week this country is convulsed by a series of

horrific shootings, where mistakes and minor slights are being met by gunfire. you know these stories by now. ralph yarrow, 16 years old, went to pick up his siblings, went to the wrong house, and an crew lester -- andrew lester fired at him. ralph is now clinging for life right now. kaelin dwil gillis, 20 yearsd her friend, pulled into the wrong driveway. pulled into the wrong driveway, and kevin monaghan fired his gun at them, killing kaelin gillis. just this morning, we're hearing news of another stunningly similar incident in austin, texas, where a cheerleader by accident got into the wrong car

after cheerleading practice. apparently, that slight was so serious that the man in the car fired a gun at this cheerleader and her friend, one of those young women is critically injured. my friends, there is a toxic mixture in this country today, of hate, of anger, and a population that is increasingly armed to the teeth with deadly weapons, many of them with no training, many of them with criminal records. this mixture is leading to our neighborhoods becoming a killing field. minor slights and indiscretions, small arguments, even simple wrong turns are becoming potentially deadly. we are becoming a heavily armed

nation, so fearful and angry and hair-trigger anxious that gun murders are now just the way in which we work out our frustrations. this is a dystopia, and i'm here to tell you that it's a dystopia we've chosen for ourselves. before i challenge my colleagues to do better, i just want to tell you a quick, short story of how we got here, because this combination of anger and fear and guns, it's actually not new. it's worse now. our rage is bigger. the number of guns on the streets today is dizzying compared with a few decades ago. i have to be honest with you -- the underlying problem of this examining is not new. in our early years, after our founding, america wasn't a fundamentally more violent place than our european neighbors. but a few things happened about

50 years into the american story that set america on a very different course, a course that beginning in about 1840 made america an outlier of global violence, and we've never come back down to earth. i think it's interesting to talk for a minute about those three things, because they are relevant to today's discussion. first is the creation of america as a true melting pot. waves of immigrants came to america beginning in the early to mid 1800's looking for jobs and living space and partners, and the competition amongst those groups, combined with demagogues and provocateurs who would pry on this friction, it became explosive. people began to think that they needed to be suspicious of people that were different from them -- a different race or ethnicity or religion. over time, if you look at

american history, it's when these big waves of new immigration come to this country that we tend to have spikes in violence, because those demagogues and provocateurs tell us we should be fearful of each other, and all of a sudden violence increases. the second thing that happens in that period of time is the invention of the cotton gin. why is that important? america was a slave nation at our founding, but in 1800 we only had about 850,000 slaves. the cotton gin explodes the need for slaves, and in 40 years we go from 850,000 slaves to 2.4 million slaves, and the amount of violence that is necessary to keep that number of people in bondage is extraordinary, and the country, you can imagine this, just becomes anesthetized to violence. violence rates go up against all americans. not just white on black, but black on black violence, because violence is just part of how we keep our economy running.

then third, the same period of time, the early to mid 1800's, we see the invention of the modern mass-produced handgun. goton gin is a connecticut -- the cotton gin is a connecticut inc. investigation. so is the moderned handgun. others figure out the ability to slip into your coat pocket the means of lethal violence. other nations decided to regulate the access that their citizens had to this instrument, but not in the united states. so quickly, shortly after the explosion of access to the handgun, violence rates begin to increase. given this history i talked about prior, our history of racial and ethnic violence, the decision not to regulate handgun access in any meaningful form, was kind of like throwing gasoline on this raging fire. i'm saying all this because we've known for 200 years that

this combination of violence between ethnic groups, violence as a means of subjugation, all supercharged by unlimited access to guns is a uniquely american problem. throughout our history, this is the most important part, we have assiduously and purposefully as a nation tried to turn the dials of laws and norms and customs to have less hatred, to have less animosity towards each other, to have less oppression, and less access to guns, at least for people who shouldn't have them. it's not a coincidence that the rates of violence in this nation spike when we have waves of new imdprants, but then it -- immigrants, but it settles out, flattens and decreases as time goes on and we learn to live with each other, we change our norms and customs. it's also not a coincidence that the biggest drops in lethal violence in this country tend to have happen right after we make

major adjustments to our nation's firearms laws. what i'm saying is america is set up to be a place more violent than other nations. we shouldn't expect with any set of changes we're going to become as violent as european or asian countries, but it doesn't have to be like this. cheerleaders don't need to be shot when they walk into the wrong car. teenagers don't need to be murdered because their music is too loud. kids shouldn't fear for their life when they go to school or pick up their siblings from a house in the neighborhood. we can do better. we can adjust the dials in order to decide not to live in this dystopia. now, everybody here knows what i feel about american gun laws. i'm not going to litigate that question again here today. i think we can do better. i think we can just make it a little bit harder for

irresponsible people, people with criminal records, people with serious mental illness, to get their hands on deadly weapons. i want universal background checks. i want bans on the weapons designed for the military. but we also need to have a more apolitical discussion about the level of fear and hatred and mistrust in our society today that puts so many people on the edge, ready to tbier a -- to fire a gun at somebody over the smallest threat or insult. there is just a collective anxiety in this country that we need to deal with. frankly, it doesn't require us to have debates that fall on easy political or partisan lines. everybody in this body has an obligation to take steps so that today's demagogues and provocateurs, the same ones that convinced people in the 1840's

that they should be fearful of immigrants have less influence. we shouldn't elevate political leaders who lead with messages of hate and division. that's part of what is driving america to fear everybody, to fear their neighbors. but we should also pass laws that incentivize our national dialogue to just be kinder and less hateful. social media companies, they're making money off of hate and pollarrization, and we don't need to accept this. holding them accountable for the ways that they have pit us against each other, that's not an impossible task. it's frankly not one we necessarily need to fight about along partisan lines. i'll leave you with this -- we also just need to ask some deeper questions, about why people in america are just so unhappy and so alone that they would resort to violence this regularly and this casually.

a detective in bridgeport, connecticut, told me the other day he barely ever responds to fistfights any longer. everything, every beef ends up in gunfire. we have lost so many pathways in this country, to positive meaning and positive identity and fulfilling connection to each other. people have less opportunity today to build healthy, economically secure, and personally fulfilling lives. we need to talk about why this is and what government can do to spiritually jump-start this nation. it's not all about the gun laws. i think the gun laws should change. but there is also an anxiety, a fearfulness in this nation that we can have a collective conversation about. i get it. it's a big, huge, weighty conversation, but something

stinks out there right now. we shouldn't accept this shoot-first culture, at kids, at cheerleaders, at students, at people shopping at grocery stores as our new reality. it's a choice. america's always been a more violent place. that's true. but the degree of that violence, it's always about -- always been up to us. we've always had dials we can turn. we should realize this, and we should do something about it. i yield the floor.

mr. thune: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. thune: mr. president, there's been a lot of discussion lately here in congress about the national security concerns posed by tiktok whose parents company is chinese owned bytedance. chinese law requires social media and technology companies to provide information, including individually identifiable personal information to the chinese government when asked. this obviously has implications for americans' personal security and privacy, and it raises troubling questions about how the chinese communist could use tiktok for its own ends, whether that's using personal data to develop sources for espionage or manipulating content to advantage the communist party's agenda. the director of the cia, the fbi and national accidents all outlined national security concerns with tiktok. members of congress are currently addressing various

ways of addressing these concerns. in march, mark warner and i introduced the restricting of emergence of security threats that risk information and communications technology act, or the restrict act, the acronym, to address the national security concerns posed not just by tiktok, but other foreign adversary countries. i'm pleased that our bill has received a lot of attention in the media, attention that i hope will ensure our legislation receives a full hearing in the commerce committee and a vote on the senate floor. but along with the attention our bill has received has come a lot of misrepresentation about the bill's content. and i want to take just a moment today to set the record straight on some misconceptions about the restrict act. first of all, many critics of the bill seem to be unaware of the fact that the bill is closely modeled after a 2019

executive order by president trump as well as a subsequent rule by the trump commerce department. so i want to underscore that the restrict act seeks to codify a policy that was put in place by president trump, unlike some of the other tiktok bills out there, our bill is not exclusively focused on tiktok and would instead create a framework for reviewing not only tiktok but any technology from a foreign adversary nation that poses an undue national security risk. this has led some -- led to some claims, i should say, that our bill is too broad or gives the federal government too much power. but nothing could be further from the truth. our bill is in fact narrowly tailored, and it's design not to expand the federal government's power but to update authorities the federal government already has to account for the digital i am an.

both democrat and republican administrations have taken executive action to counter the threat posed by technology from foreign adversary countries, but they've been limited by the fact that current law was written before the age of the internet and is not always easily applied to digital threats. our legislation, which again codifies an executive order issued by president trump as well as a subsequent rule by the trump commerce department, would fill in the gaps in current law and ensure that it is possible to address not just risk from foreign-owned companies but the specific threats posed by foreign-owned digital technology o i imagine some claims that our bill is too broad have arisen because our bill is is not limited to tiktok. but there's a reason for that. first, there is reason to believe that legislation targeted solely at tiktok would be overturned by the courts because of the constitution's

prohibition on bills of attainedder. and, second, our bill would provide a way to address more than just tiktok because this is not the first time technology from a foreign nation has posed a serious national security concern. and it probably won't be the last. before tiktok, we had to engage in an effort to remove technology from chinese companies from our telecommunications networks after concern was raised that much of the equipment was built with back doors giving the chinese communist party access to global communications networks. and beforeway -- and before that, there was russia's zaperski, and that's just looking backward in time. looking forward, we're also confronting risky platforms like

wechat which has 19 million users in the united states. wechat is seen worse than tiktok in terms of the chinese communist party's ability. only the restrict act contains the necessary authorities for the federal government to do something about not only particular nothing but other technologies that present a potential national security risk. instead of trying to play catch-up and find a way to individually address each threat after it emerges, as has happened in the past, we need a process in place to provide for an orderly and transport -- and transparent review of technologies from foreign countries. that's what our bill would provide. understand our bill, the department of commerce in both

republican and democrat administrations would review any information of a communications technology product from a foreign country that is deemed to present a potential security threat with an emphasis on products used in critical telecommunications infrastructure or with serious national security implications. and the secretary of commerce would be required to develop a range of measures to mitigate the danger posed by these products up to and including a ban on the product in question. importantly, our bill would ensure transparency by requiring the commerce secretary to coordinate with the director of national intelligence to provide declassified information on why any measure against technology products from foreign adversary countries were taken. i mentioned that our bill is narrowly tailored. that's true about the process created by the bill, which is designed not to expand government but to fill a hole in

current law. but it's true about the committee whose technology is targeted for review by this bill. i should say by -- i'm sorry is it's true about the technologies -- about the it unwhose technology is carted by the bill. it would provide for the review of technology from just six foreign adversary countries -- china, russia, north korea, iran, venezuela, and cuba. the secretary of commerce would be allowed to add countries to this list if it became necessary but congress would have the authority to reject any addition. contrary to claims that the act would exclude judicial review, the restrict act specifically provides that any challenges to the act be considered at the u.s. court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit. mr. president, other charges that have been leveled against the restrict act are about the impact of the bill would supposedly have on individual americans. opponents of the bill would

suggested that the restrict act would somehow infringe on americans' first amendment rights or target individual americans. again, nothing could be further from the truth. the restrict act would do nothing -- nothing -- to restrict the content americans can post online. now, let me just repeat that because this is very important. the restrict act would do nothing to restrict the content americans can post online. if the restrict act becomes law, americans would be free to post exactly the same online content they're posting right now. nothing in the bill would in any way sensor would americans could -- censor what americans could put on the internet. and the bill would not give the government authority to access any individual's communications device. nor would the bill target

individual americans in any way. no individual user would be prosecuted for using something like a private vpn network to get around a ban on a entity like particular knock. this legislation -- like tiktok. this would simply provide for a ban on technologies that pose a threat. and the only entities that could possibly be subject to prosecution under this legislation would be companies who deliberately violated a prohibition on technologies that had been determined to be dangerous enough to trigger a ban. mr. president, the digital age has provided us with enormous benefits, but inevitably, it has also come with its own unique risks and threats, not least the risk of a hostile foreign government exploiting communications technologies for new england natureious purposes. knows -- nefarious purposes.

those increase substantially when we're talking about hostile nations affiliated with hostile governments. we need a process to address those threats, a nature narrow -- a narrowly targeted way to mitigate the dangers from technologies from foreign adversary countries while protecting the rights and liberties of american citizens. that's exactly what the restrict act would provide. i'm proud of the legislation that we've developed, and i look forward to, woulding with colleagues -- working with colleagues of both parties to further improve this legislation and advance it here in the united states senate. mr. president, i yield the floor. and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: will the senator withdraw his request? mr. thune: oh, sorry s i withdraw that request. ms. klobuchar: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: mr. president, i am here to talk about the fire grants and safetyage of i do appreciate the words of my

colleague. it was good to hear his concerns and i think we all share concerns about americans being spied on and their data. i also note that as we look at dealing with platforms and social media and the like, at the same time we pursue this, we must pursue the bills that have been out there for well over a year now and passed through the judiciary committee last year and will do so again, and that is bills related to monopoly power, bills related to the incredible imbalance in power with two of the platforms -- google and facebook -- when it comes to dealing with small newspapers and radio and tv when it has to do with their content, a bill that was nearly passed last year. another bill that senator grassley and and i have that speaks to the fact that other

countries in the world are now putting forth regulations and rules about self self-prefacing. and then of course other bills, some of which are in the commerce committee, on privacy and children's issues and the like. all of these bills must be considered on this floor because, as noted by my colleague, we have not passed any rules when it comes to the senate is not in order only these issues he was -- not only these issues he was addressing but also when it comes to competition tech policy since the advent of the internet. i think we know a lot more than we knew when facebook was in a garage. we know a lot more. and it is time for us to get up to speed and to actually pass some rules and stop talking about it. so, mr. president, i rise today in support of the fire grants and safety act. i'd like to thank senator peters, collins, carper, murkowski for their leadership. our communities are strongest

and safest when local fire departments have the funding that they need to hire firefighters and pay for equipment. we all know that firefighters do lifesaving work. they are there for us during house fires -- during house fires, car crashes, medical emergencies, and so much more. over the past several months, i visited fire halls across my state. i have heard from local departments in both cities and rural communities about how important the assistance for firefighters grant and the safer grant programs are to them. that's why we must pass the bipartisan fire grants and safety act to ensure that we continue providing feds funding for these critical programs. local fire departments in minnesota and across the country rely on these programs to invest in training and purchasing critically needed equipment. i've seen some of these fire trucks in small communities like this houston, minnesota, fire

trucks that are outdated, things that need to be changed. fires burn just as strong and are just as dangerous in a small rural community as they are in a big city. yet they don't have the equipment that some of the larger communities have. we also must support fire department's efforts to hire and retain trained firefighters. because of the safer grant, for instance, the minneapolis fire department was able to higher 15 a-- hire 15 additional firefighters which means an additional five firefighters on every shift. thanks to another of these grants, bloomington, minnesota be, the home of the mall of america for those listening today, which has been facing a serious shortage of staff in the fire department there, was able to add 18 full-time firefighters

and will now have fire trucks available 24 hours a day. that is one of the biggest cities in my state. as a result of assistance of a firefighters grant, the deluge department sent 40 firefighters to a training program to increase safety for firefighters. and let me tell you, in deluge, they don't just fight fires. they have people stranded on ice in the middle of lake superior. they have all kinds of disasters that maybe some of our warmer states don't experience that they must respond to each and every day, including how to get to fire hydrants when they are surrounded by six feet of snow. in the town of proctor which has a population of 3,100 because of these grants the firefighters were able to purchase 20 air packs including five with thermal imaging cameras and get

a new set of rescue tools. i know my colleagues have similar stories about how important these resources are to fire departments. one of the things that i learned in my last few years of visiting with our firefighters and chiefs is that in fact one of the major problems facing them is not always discussed, and that is similar to what so many of our veterans have faced when they were stationed next to burn pits. and that is what is happening with a number of our firefighters getting cancer and sadly perishing from cancer at very young ages. cancer is the leading cause of death among firefighters. firefighters can be exposed to hundreds of potential carcinogens when responding to fires. it is only right that we cheat cancer caused -- treat cancer caused by on the job exposure the same way we treat other injuries. one grant helps especially smaller departments that didn't have them to get up to date

washing machine and up-to-date dryers because stuff is burning in the building just as happened to our veterans, that wasn't being burned 20, 30, 50, 100 years ago. we know that is part of what the problem is. the second is to make sure we take care of them not just in our words, in flowery speeches on the ?roo but in what we -- floor, but what we do to have the backs of their families. to truly do right by our firefighters we have to look out for those who tragically get cancer as a result of their service. that's what senator kevin cramer of north dakota and i have joined forces to introduce a bill to do just that. this for me goes back to 2018 when i championed a bill to create a national firefighter rej -- registry along with senator menendez and others. senator cramer and my bill is

called celebrating our fallen heroes act and it would make sure that firefighters who become disabled or die from cancer as a result of their services get the benefits they deserve. we must make sure our firefighters have everything they need to do their jobs. it's the least we can do for our heroes who sacrifice so much to keep us safe. i'm excited to support this bill. and, mr. president, i yield the floor, and i see senator peters is here, has been such a great leader on this issue. thank you. mr. peters: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. paul: i ask unanimous consent to speak for ten minutes prior to the scheduled roll call vote on my amendment number 79.

the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. paul: firefighting and emergency medical services are some of the most important and most inherently local services that people rely on. the men and women who show up when the call for help goes out are everyday heroes in communities across america. city governments have predominantly decided to provide fire services at taxpayer expense with local taxes while in rural areas volunteer fire departments are still prevalent. many localities have decided to provide medical services as well. although hospitals still are the primary ems providers in a lot of locations, private companies are playing an increasing role in this space as well. but no matter who provides the services, government employees, volunteers, or private entities, these are local needs best met by local providers and best paid for with local taxes. for the first 225 years of our

country's history, this is just what happened. until 2000, when the federal government had its first budget surplus in almost 50 years, a surplus that disappeared the very next year, by the way, congress in the year 2000 decided to spend a bit of that surplus to create a new subsidy for local firefighters. this first year the program was authorized at a total of $110 million for government and volunteer fire departments. however, the bill before us today now authorizes $2.3 billion per year for these subsidies. that's right, in the 30 years of this program federal subsidies for these important but inherently local programs have increased 18-fold. in that same time our government has gone from an annual surplus of about $86 billion to perpetual deficits of over $1

trillion a year. the national debt has grown from less than $6 trillion to over $32 trillion. despite the reality of our fiscal condition, this bill makes no reforms. it doesn't limit the grants to departments that can't raise money on their own. it doesn't ask local governments to invest more of their own funds. and the only thing this bill accomplishes really is to increase spending by 25%. the unsustainable increases in spending with no attempt to rein in future costs are make offsetting cuts elsewhere in the budget is concerning. i'm glad to see we have an amendment, though, to pay for the bill by reallocating unspent covid funds that still are existing, have already been allocated and could be used for this program. so we will have an amendment to pay for this program. we'll see if anyone on the other side is actually interested in paying for a program. the other major problem with this bill is it rewards

governments, local governments that chose to trample on the freedom of firefighters and medics to speak their own minds and make their own medical decisions. one purpose of the grants in this bill is to increase staffing for fire departments. but over the last few years, even as these grants were awarded, firefighters around the country found themselves with a choice. submit to covid vaccine mandates or lose your livelihood. this was no idle threat. in new york, la, and seattle, mock -- among other places firefighters lost their job simply because they insisted on living according to their own conscience. one of those fighters terminated was joseph kimbell who served in yad -- arizona and has six children. his wife is a stay at home mom but this didn't stop local officials from firing him for getting a covid vaccine. it seems bizarre to increase

fire department staffing to departments that are firing people for not being vaccinated. firefighters that were chained and effective and there was no good reason to fire them particularly when we have shortages of firefighters as reported throughout the country. firefighters tend to be young and fit. they are the very people who have the least to worry about with covid-19. they also tend to be male and young males are the group most likely to suffer the vaccine-related injury of myecarditis. firefighters who chose not to be vaccinated were never a threat to anyone, never a threat to their communities. on the contrary these firefighters served their communities briefly and made their neighbors safe. many of these firefighters contracted covid and have naturally acquired immunity. what is being done to them? what was done to them through firing them for making their own medical decisions? what was done to the police and to doctors and to nurses?

what was done to first responders was shameful. and we should stand together to make sure it never happens again to that end, i offer an amendment that will restore sanity and compassion to this government program. my amendment would make grants provided for by this bill available to fire departments, unavailable to fire departments that dismiss firefighters for not getting a vaccine. this would bring some sense of justice to this program. and the fire departments would only be eligible for these grants if they reinstated the firefighters. so this amendment would actually serve to allow some of the firefighters that were unfairly dismissed to get their jobs back it turns out, and we all know this, now the vaccine didn't protect anybody from getting infected. it showed some efficacy at lowering or increasing your immunity to resist infection,

but there was never any medical reason to mandate people to be vaccinated. and no one ever offered to these firefighters you can be tested if you have covid. we know you have immunity. you don't have to be vaccinated. therefore entrepreneur -- there were never alternatives. so if you want to support firefighters, if you want to support your communities, if you want to support safety, you should support my amendment that says fire departments are eligible only if they reinstate the firefighters they unfairly dismissed. the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. paul: i call up my amendment number 79 and ask that it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from kentucky, mr. praw -- paul,

proposes an amendment numbered 79. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: mr. president, firefighters are on the front lines of safeguarding our communities, often providing emergency care and interacting with high-risk populations. firefighters themselves may also be at risk of covid-19 infections. vaccines are the safest and most effective way to ensure that an individual doesn't get severely ill or spread covid-19 to others. this amendment would interfere with state and local governments' ability to determine health policies for their own employees and how to best keep their communities safe. this amendment would also require fema to evaluate local and state government vaccination policies, something well beyond the scope and responsibility to determine eligibility for grants. i would urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment to ensure

that local communities can continue counting on these resources that these programs provide. the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. paul: there's a long-standing tradition in our country when we dispense federal money to localities to have rules. we don't let you discriminate based on your sex or race or ethnicity. we also should not let localities discriminate against people who refuse to be vaccinated, particularly people who have already had covid. there's no science behind saying you need to be vaccinated if you've already had it. in fact, the studies show this. they show that if you've had the disease, you're 57 times less likely to contract it again, where is the -- whereas the vaccine makes you about p 19 times left. infection does work and it should be part of the criteria and we should restrict funds to any agency that fires people unfairly for not getting a

vaccine. the presiding officer: the question is on the amendment. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote:

vote:

vote: vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the vote is 45 -- 45 for. 54 against. the amendment is not agreed to. a senator: i call up my amendment 72 and ask it be reported by number. the presiding officer: -- a senator: as modified and ask that it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the amendment by number. the clerk: the senator from tennessee mr. hagerty proposes an amendment numbered 72 as modified. the presiding officer: there are now two minutes of debate equally divided. mr. hagerty: thank you. the last year alone -- shelter program increased by more than five times totaling

approximately $1 billion in the past two years alone. currently hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars appropriated to this program are dolled out annually by a national board comprised with a very same organizations that receive those funds. this amendment in no way impugns the integrity of the organizations involved. rather, it helps them avoid the reputational risks that can occur when the pitcher is also the umpire. my amendment is simple and comoan sense t. will restructure the emergency food and shelter program to ensure the individuals sitting on that board do not have this obvious conflict of interest. instead the national board composition would be shifted to include qualified individuals who do not work for the organizations that seek funding from the board. at a minimum, congress must resolve this blatant conflict of interest within the emergency food and shelter program especially given its dwra mattic increase in funding in the recent years. that's what this amendment does. thank you, mr. president. i yield back. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the

senator from mitch began. mr. peters: mr. president, this amendment is intended to make changes to an entirely unrelated program that is completely outside of the sco bill. the emergency food and shelter program is an important resource that provides aid to those who are at risk of experiencing hunger and any changes certainly must be thoroughly considered, and i look forward to having an opportunity to work with the sponsor on this amendment in some other manner. however, the bill before tus extends programs that firefighters count on to purchase lifesaving equipment or receive important cancer screenings. we should not jeopardize the enactment of this incredibly important bill by putting in completely unrelated matters. i urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment. the presiding officer: time is expired.

the question is on the amendment. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote: the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 45, the nays are 54. under the previous order requiring 60 votes for the adoption of this amendment, the amendment is not agreed to. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i move to proceed to calendar 35, s.j. res. 10. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the joint resolution the clerk: calendar number 35, s.j. res. 10, joint resolution

providing for a congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, united states code of the rules submitted by the department of veterans affairs relating to reproductive health services. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the time until 4:15 will be equally divided between two leaders or their designees. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. carper: mr. president, i have nine requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of both the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. carper: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, happy earth week. i rise today along with a couple of my colleagues, one from west virginia and another, i don't see our other colleague out here but one from arkansas to speak on recycling infrastructure and successfully act 23, and the

recycling and composting accountability act, bipartisan legislation that would combiewf our nation's -- improve our composting systems. my wife and i are both avid recyclers and composters. it has happened for some time. i've long believed in environmental stewardship. that's the way my parents raised my sister and me and i suspect that's a lot of -- a lot of parents raised their sons and daughters. they raised us to leave behind a cleaner and healthier parent for future generations. that is a belief not just by elected officials in washington but across the country. i'm a strong believer that bipartisan solutions are lasting solutions. whenever possible we ought to work to find common ground and put forward bipartisan solutions that can stand the test of time. to that end, i'm pleased to have found great partners, not

just good partners but great partners in developing these bipartisan recycling bills. senator capito, ranking member on the environment and public works committee, with whom i've privileged to serve and to chair along with senator john boozman, fellow cochair of the senate recycling caucus, colleague from arkansas. all three of us recognize that we have to do our part to continue to improve our nation's recycling and composting efforts. doing so not only benefits our environment but also creates economic opportunity and jobs. a lot of jobs. the legislation we are here to discuss today would address several of the challenges that america's recycling efforts currently face and what we might do about them. one of these challenges is the availability of good data. in november of 2021 with input foreign minister stake -- input from stakeholders the agency released its first ever national

recycling strategy. when that strategy was released i was delighted to learn that many of the comments i submitted to epa on behalf of our committee had been incorporated into the final version. it was a happy day when we learned that. this document offered a transformative vision for strengthening our nation's waste management efforts, it also highlighted the need for greater standardization around data collection. to address this challenge around data collection, senator boozman and i along with our staffs developed the recycling and composting accountability act. our bill would combliewf epa's ability to geart -- gather data on the nation's recycling system. epa set a goal of increasing the u.s. recycling rate to 50% by 2030. with the current recycling rate of only 32%, it's clear we have

a long ways to go. that's why we must also focus on increasing recycling, access to recycling opportunities throughout our nation, not just in urban areas or suburban areas, but rural areas as well. many americans in disadvantaged communities want to recycle. they want to compost too but they are unable to do so because in many cases they lack curbside pick jump -- pickup, bottle return and other necessary recycling infrastructure. senator capito's accessibility act of 2023 would address this challenge by creating a pilot program to help expand recycling services in underserved areas. the recycling infrastructure and accessibility act she has written would bring many communities including those in rural areas into the recycling world while also better protecting our environment. i commend senator capito for her

work and leadership in developing this legislation. i also want to continue working with her to ensure that her bill helps to jump-start recycling in communities with the greatest need, especially disadvantaged and historically underserved communities. both of the bills that i've referred to from members of our committee, both of these bills are the result of a true collaboration and reflect a substantial amount of bipartisan effort dedicated to exploring our nation's recycling and composting challenges. our introduction of these bills this week is fitting and it is timely. saturday marks the 53rd anniversary of the very first earth day. this day is personal to me. mr. president, some 53 years ago this saturday i stood side by side with tens of thousands of people in san francisco's golden gate park.

i was a naval flight officer completing my training, about to deploy from my base in most field california -- moffett field, california to head for southeast asia and gathered with tens of thousands of people to celebrate our country's first ever earth day. that same year democrats and republicans worked together with then-president richard nixon to create a federal agency dedicated to protecting our environment. the name of that agency, the environmental protection agency. decades later i can still vividly remember -- i can, i can close my eyes and remember it now, that first earth day and the urgency we felt to save our planet. today a younger generation also shares that sense of urgency. while i believe that we ought to live every day like it's earth day, on april 22 each year i especially welcome the opportunity to reflect and give thanks for the incredible natural resources and natural

beauty that god has given us on this planet of ours. earth day is also a time for all of us to reflect on our actions individually and as a whole. think about what more we can do and should be doing to protect our planet and its inhabitants. like many people, i try to live my life by the goalen rule, always treating other people the way i want to be treated. i also believe that principle extends to the way we treat and care for our planet and those with whom we share it. a couple of years ago some of my colleagues may remember there was a visitor in the house chamber, a fellow from france, the prime minister of france, he came to address a joint session of congress that day and did a great job, was very well received from i think everybody. that day he spoke of the importance of protecting our environment from the threats of climate change, hazardous waste and toxic pollution as well. at the end of his speech he said something that i'll never forget.

here's what he said. he said, he was talking about our planet, and he said this. there is no planet b. there is no planet b. this is the only one we're going to have. and i sat there that day thinking, boy, he's got it right. there is no planet b. that means that we only have one chance to get it right when it comes to protecting and caring for this planet of ours. as i said earlier, i'm committed to leaving behind a cleaner, healthier plant for future generations and i welcome all of our colleagues to join senator capito and myself in that effort. fortunately we have made remarkable progress over the past five decades following that very first earth day. from enacting comprehensive laws to go protect our environment and support good-paying clean energy jobs to ratify the amendment to the montreal protocol in phasing down the use of super polluting chemicals which are a thousand times more

potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. there is much to be proud of. still our work is not finished. we've got a long ways to go. as robert frost used to say, miles to go before we sleep. miles to go before we sleep. so today we celebrate the opportunity to build on this progress, to leave behind a livable planet with our bipartisan recycling legislation. we also acknowledge that there is more to be done. and in the spirit of earth day, i'm ready to roll up my sleeves and keep marching forward in my effort to do the right thing by our planet and the people that call it home, just as i did some 53 years ago this saturday. i invite americans from all walks of life to join senators from west virginia, senator capito, senator boozman from arkansas, and myself in this effort. it's the right thing to do, and

it will make you feel good all over. i promise. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. mrs. capito: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mrs. capito: mr. president, it's a pleasure to be on the floor today with the chair of our epw committee and with my friend from arkansas, senator boozman. i'm going to speak again about another example of the bipartisan work of our epw committee where we've had accomplishments of real, practical, and positive results that result in good change for our country. at epaw, we have a history of working together, crafting legislation together and getting good policy going. sometimes it's not easy but we've been able to do it. the cornerstones of the infrastructure investment and jobs act which made needed investments in our nation's core infrastructure was written and passed out of epw. the water resources development act, same thing which was supported by the u.s. -- supports the work of the u.s.

army corps of engineers on projects across this country, was passed out of our epw committee unanimously and eventually became law. and today chairman carper, senator boozman, and i were reintroducing two pieces of legislation previously approved by epw and the senate, the senate unanimously, both the committee and the full senate, to tackle another issue in a bipartisan way and that's access to recycling in america. not only is recycling something that we found people really want to do, it's great for the environment and it's good for business. it supports over one million jobs and generates billions of dollars in economic output every year. but in order to grow these numbers, we need to ensure people who want to participate really can. particularly those in rural and underserved areas such as areas of my state, so that they can do so. the first bill we're reintroducing today, the recycling infrastructure and accessibility act, addresses

these challenges which states, like west virginia faced when it comes to recycling. for many smaller cities and towbs and the one i live in, we stopped and started on recycling, recycling services including curbside are not available. these rural areas share common barriers to accessibility. location and proximity to material recover facilities and the size and density of the population. is just not available. this has led to low processing yields and high costs and collection and transportation costs, making it difficult for material recovery facilities to operate at a profit. our legislation would establish a pilot recycling program to ensure places like west virginia, arkansas, wyoming, alaska, to make sure that we aren't being left behind. the pilot program would award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities for improving recycling accessibility in a community or communities within

the same geographic area. along with improving access to recycling, it's important to fix important data gaps as the chairman spoke about when it comes to recycling in america. that's the intent of the recycling and composting accountability act, the other piece of legislation we're introducing today. it would improve data collection on our nation's recycling systems and explore the potential of a national composting strategy. not only would this give us a better idea of how well states are doing through recycling and composting rates but it would also help us identify those areas that may be struggling to sustain and grow proper recycling programs. these are simple steps we can take supported by both republicans and democrats to improve and expand recycling in this country. americans in every community, rural and urban, on the coast or in the heartland, share a desire to protect our environment. these pieces of less will

help -- pieces of legislation will help make it easier for them to recycle, to contribute to a healthier planet and to create jobs along the way. with earth day coming up, it's fitting we continue our efforts to expand recycling by reintroducing these bills today alongside chairman carper and senator boozman. and i thank them both for their work. so, madam president, i informed the senator from arkansas, but i need to inform senator carper that i'm having back to back speeches so i'm going to totally change the topic here real quick before senator boozman talks about recycling. so thank you for letting me move ahead here. i rise today to talk about an issue impacting every state in our nation, an issue that has the potential to impact every community, every family and every person in the chamber today and that is the drug and substance abuse crisis. my home state of west virginia knows all too well about the scars that this crisis has created and the devastating toll that it takes.

west west virginia ultimately unfortunately continues to lead the nation in overdose deaths per capita. that's a sad statistic for us. and although these deaths have been declining, every single overdose death is one too many. in 2020 we lost 1,197 west virginians to overdoses. data from our state health department indicates that over 80% of these deaths included an opioid. our state's ems teams responded to over 9,000 suspected overdose calls. and there were 6916 emergency room visits related to overdoses. these numbers are just staggering. and clearly show the continued and urgent need to address this crisis and the many forms that it comes in. this is certainly an issue that requires immediate attention from every level of government and deserves more than just forementions in the president's

most recent budget proposal. while i feel the president's administration lacked that sense of urgency, ending the addiction crisis and taking action to serve countless lives remains one of my top priorities. each time i meet with our northern or our southern u.s. attorneys in west virginia, the drug crisis is by far the largest topic of discussion. their offices see firsthand the amount of illicit drugs that are entering our state and work around the clock to remove the threat that these substances create in our communities. like i've said in this chamber before, last october our u.s. attorney's office of the northern district of west virginia recovered approximately 75 pounds of cocaine, 19 pounds of methamphetamine, and nearly five pounds of fentanyl in wheeling, west virginia on one bust. investigators found that traffickers had these drugs shipped from the u.s.-mexican

border to ohio via tractor trailer and used cash payments to people who flew from california to pittsburgh to move the cash back and forth. the connection between the crisis at our southern border at the drug epidemic we are seeing at home does not get any clearer than that. in december of last year, the dea announced nationwide seizures of over 50.6 million fentanyl pills and more than 10,500 pounds of fentanyl powder. the dea estimates that these seizures could represent 379 potentially fatal overdoses, 379 million potential deadly overdoses of fentanyl. that is enough fentanyl to kill every single american, and these are just the drugs that they found. with the border patrol stretched unfathomably thin, there's no telling the amount of drugs that are getting through undetected.

we know that these drugs are entering our country through the southern border making their way into each and every state and wreaking havoc. if president biden would get a little more serious about stopping this, i think he has to get serious about border security. in a crisis this our jenlts, it is -- urgent, this is time to act. i've spoken with the dea administrator about the support they need and the challenges they are facing. i've introduced legislation, read letters and pushed for initiatives that inform the public of the dangers of fentanyl getting in the hands of our youth, that strengthen our investigations for fentanyl trafficking, and that prevent fentanyl and synthetic drug shipments from being smuggled into the united states through the mail. currently we're working on efforts to crack down and schedule the illicit drug zylazine which is also known as

tranq. if you didn't know by now, it's an easily accessible veterinarian traffic lieser that is being mixed with -- tranquilizer being mixed with opioids increasing the fentanyl overdoses nationwide. this crisis is ever changing which means our approach needs to be fullty facetted as well. i encourage the president, his administration, and all of our colleagues right here in the congress to stay on this effort and stop the latest modifications before it is too late. even in the midst of devastating losses in our state, i have always been inspired and encouraged and moved by the efforts of people in west virginia to end the drug crisis. and help those in our state during the times when they need it the most. west virginians continue to be responsible for the most innovative recovery solutions and prevention efforts that we have seen. the opioid crisis has made a personal targeted impact on communities all across our state, and in turn we've seen

success through these community-based solutions. i've seen in martinsburg, west virginia with a program that is a police, school, community, health, and education partnership working to prevent substance use disorders from ever happening to our youth. by building strong families and empowering the community, we build resiliency in children and families to help them overcome these horrible -- this horrible addiction. i've seen this in carniesville, west virginia where they're building a recovery village so that individuals struggling with addiction receive access to family and community they definitely need. the detailed focus is on housing and workforce development. aspects of recovery that are absolutely critical. i've seen drug court programs all across our state where west virginians are building each other up, holding each other accountable, and giving those who struggle with addiction the chance for a life of recovery. you know, west virginians take

care of west virginians and there is no other issue that requires each and every one of us to work together quite like this one. so president biden, the drug crisis has created a dire situation in communities not just across my state but across the country. we have no time to waste. every day of inaction results in turmoil and devastation for so many families and loved ones. we need to secure the southern border. we need to crack down on illicit drug trafficking and new tactics that criminals are implementing, and we need to deliver the tools our communities need to implement federal programs and develop those community-based solutions that we know work best. we must do this together. we must do it now. countless lives depend on us. and with that i yield the floor to my colleague from arkansas, my fellow recycler, senator boozman. thank you.

mr. boozman: thank you, senator capito. it's great to be here with senator carper and senator capito, two dear friends but also two leaders in the recycling effort, not only in recycling in general but the recycling caucus, to raise the visibility of the importance of recycling from an environmental standpoint as well as the important role the industry has in our economy. of the many caucuses that i'm a member of, the senate recycling caucus is one of the most active. the attention to recycling in congress is night and day compared to what it was a couple of years ago in large part because of chairman carper's leadership. so i want to thank him so much for his commitment not only in word but in deed. when china implemented its policy in 2018, that halted the

import of plastics and other materials destined for its recycling processors and as a result, we really began to see how crippled our domestic recycling abilities were. through a lot of hard work we're beginning to help the hole -- the policymakers and the public and private sectors understand how recycling is common sense. this is not a red or a blue state issue. recycling is good for the economy. it creates jobs. and helps the environment. everyone should be able to get on board with those incentives. recycling is a critical part of the united states with it being a $200 billion industry that has created over 680,000 jobs. however, with the recycling rate in the u.s. currently sitting at around 32%, there's certainly room for improvement.

it will take a team effort to get where we want to be. corporations, manufacturers, and leaders from across the spectrum all have a role to play in developing the best ways our country can be a global leader in this important industry. one of the bills we're introducing today is the recycling and composting accountability act. this is a data collection bill at its core. as it stands, there's no standardized data for our national recycling system since there are upwards of 10,000 individual recycling systems in the u.s. at local and state levels. it's hard to fix a recycling problem. it's hard to fix any problem if you don't have a baseline data point to work with. that's what this bill is all about. the other bill that we're

championing is the recycling and infrastructure accessibility act, the pilot program will award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to improve recycling accessibility in a community or communities within the same geographic area. while these bills will not completely fix our nation's recycling system, we know it's progress. if we keep building on common sense, i'm confident the u.s. can become the leader globally in recycling as it should be. i look forward to further working with senator carper and senator capito and again thank them for their leadership and their efforts to champ -- for championing the sustainable and economically beneficial policies that recycling is all about. we must continue to develop meaningful, long-term solutions that address the challenges facing the recycling industry

today. thank you, madam chair. and with that i yield back. the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. a senator: thank you, madam president. our country is in the midst of the worst border crisis in our history. since president biden took office, there's been more than five million illegal crossings at the southern border. mr. budd: mr. president, -- madam president, i've been to the border multiple times and i've seen this crisis firsthand. in fact, the last time i was there, i was touring a heavily trafficked sector with off-duty border patrol officers, and as we were driving along, the officers spotted a couple of cartel members. and one of the officers turned to me, and i apologized and he said i'm sorry, but i'm going to

have to go on duty now. and he went over and he apprehended and arrested the cartel members there right on the spot. this is just a small taste of what they have to face each and every day. we have to keep these men, these women in our prayers. we must give them all the tools that they need to keep our homeland safe. beyond the rampant lawlessness, the crime, the human trafficking, one of the worst aspects of this crisis is the devastating amount of drugs that is pouring into our country. the last annual numbers showed that over 100,000 americans died just last year from drug-related overdoses and about 90% of those was related to fentanyl. this crisis has gotten so bad that fentanyl-driven overdose deaths are now the leading cause of death for those between 18 and 45 years old.

this is perhaps the worst statistic. children under 14 years old are dying of fentanyl poisoning faster than any other age group. the drugs that come through the border cause unspeakable harm back in communities in north carolina. to many there are only one or two degrees away from a personal tragedy with a name having to do with illegal drugs. i routinely talk to sheriffs from all over the state. i recently went to all 100 counties and i talked to a lot of those sheriffs. and many of them told me that every single county in north carolina is now a border county because of president biden's policies. in fact, a recent drug bust in air dale county north of charlotte had enough fentanyl to kill 250,000 individuals. now, that's poison from just one traffic stop in north carolina.

it begs the question how do we get here and what can be done. well, we got here at precisely the moment that president biden stopped enforcing the law at the southern border. president biden stopped building the border wall on his first day in office. he's reversed policies to quickly deport criminals -- illegal aliens. he refused to get tough on sanctuary cities who don't obey federal law. he ended the remain in mexico policy. and next month he'll end title 42 with no plan on how to manage the impending surge. the story of president biden's border crisis is one of the tragedies compounding, day in and day out. if the white house won't act to stop it, then congress should. the very first bill i introduced as a u.s. senator is the build the wall now act. it requires border wall construction to restart

immediately. it removes all illegal roadblocks to construction, or all legal roadblocks to construction, and it up locks $2.1 billion in unspent funding. i've seen for myself the idle, heavy equipment sitting there, the concrete and the steel that has sat unused since january 20, 2021. my bill, simply orders the biden administration to use those supplies and finish the job. when i spoke to those border agents, they told me they really need a wall. and yeah, they need funding. what they really need is an administration that has their back, and right now they don't have that. securing the border, it used to be a bipartisan issue. so i would call on president biden to stop ignoring the border crisis, suspend any partisanship that is stopping

him from doing what we know would stop the suffering, and for the sake of our law enforcement, for our parents, for our children we need this administration to change course so that we can save lives. madam president, i yield the floor. thank you. mr. ricketts: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mr. ricketts: thank you very much, madam president. i rise today to join my colleagues, who are continuing to sound the alarm about the ongoing drug crisis that we have here in our country. i will reiterate what my colleague said with regard to the leading cause of death of americans age 18 to 45 today is fentanyl. in 2021, 106,000 americans died of drug overdose, 70,000 because

of fentanyl. now, let's think about if a terrorist attacked our country and killed 106,000 americans, we'd be up in arms, we'd be mobilizing the country. and yet, we do not see that response out of the biden administration. fentanyl is a drug that is coming to us from across the border. the precursors of it are manufactured in china, shipped to mexico where the cartels then in illegal labs create the fentanyl they ship across the border. when it comes across the border, it does not stay there. it goes all across our country. the last two years i was governor, the first two years of the biden administration, we saw an increase of the drugs the nebraska state patrol was

confiscating go up dramatically. we saw twice the amount of methamphetamine confiscated. three times the amount of fentanyl. and ten times the amount of cocaine. in 2019, nebraska law enforcement confiscated 46 pills. 46. in the first six months of 2021, that number had grown to 151,000 pills confiscated. unbelievable. it's killing people in my state, as it is across the country. i've talked on this floor before about taryn lee griffith, a 24-year-old mom of two. she was out with friends when she took a pill she thought was percocet, but it was laced with a lethal dose of fentanyl. she died that night.

now, her two little girls are going to have to learn about their mom through pictures and stories from family. this is shameful, and it must end. it's impacting people all across this country, and as i've said before on this floor, if this is not our job to fix this, i don't know what is. what more with he can do? -- what more can we do? first, we can address the southern border. i've had the opportunity to go to the southern border several times. when i talk to customs and border patrol officials they tell us they need three things. they need infrastructure, wall, build a wall. they need more technology, like better drones. and they need more personnel. this congress needs to provide the customs and border patrol

the resources they need to stop the flow of drugs coming into this country. another thing we can do, unbelievably, if you distribute fentanyl and it kills somebody, that's not a murder charge. however, i'm proud to cosign, with senator marco rubio's bill, felony murder for deadly fentanyl distribution act. that would make it a federal felony murder charge, to distribute fentanyl, then have somebody die from it. this is a very serious crime going on it needs serious consequences. we need to make this a felony murder charge. let me tell you, the families are asking for. -- the families are asking for this. one of the other things we periodically do here is we put fentanyl on the schedule 1 drug list, but it's temporary. we need to make that permanent.

we know fentanyl and the analogues are dangerous and need to be schedule 1 drugs, that have no medical purpose. so let's do that. that's why i've cosigned -- cosponsored, rather, senator johnson's stopping overdoses of fentanyl analogues act, otherwise known as sofa. this is a drug crisis. it is killing our young people in this nation. i call on my colleagues to act, to take these steps to combat this crisis. too many americans are dying because of what is going on. we need to act. with that, madam president, i yield back. thank you. mr. hagerty: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee.

mr. hagerty: in february, the biden administration argued to the u.s. supreme court that title 42 will terminate in may of 2023 with the expiration of the covid health emergency. removing one of the last tools available to border patrol agents is intolerable. congress should not stand by and refuse to address this obvious problem. title 42 authority was initially based on the pandemic. while i agree that the pandemic is over, the border crisis and the deadly drug overdose crisis that it fuels is worse than ever. whether to maintain border security policies should not depend on whether there's a pandemic. that's why i'm reintroducing the stop fentanyl border crisis act today. this legislation would preserve continued use of title 42 authority to combat drug trafficking at the border. clearly, the deadly pandemic has not ended. deadly fentanyl is flooding american communities. deadly fentanyl, produced with

the help of the chinese communist party, and smuggled by drug cartels across our southern border. more than 100,000 americans died of drug overdoses in the last 12 months, most from synthetic opioids like fentanyl. it's the number one cause of death for americans between the ages of 18 and 45. the rise in fentanyl overdoses and deaths effects every state and congressional district. it kills the young, old, rich and poor, in cities and in small towns alike. it's not a partisan issue, and finding a solution shouldn't be partisan, either. when i talked to tennessee sheriffs, they tell me that fentanyl is becoming more and more lethal. how a so-called bad batch can kill dozens of people. once this deadly substance arrives in american communities, it's too late. we've got to stop it before it crosses our borders. that's why i reintroduced this legislation to combat drug

smuggling. when i travel to the border, border patrol agents told me the cartels use human waves of illegal border crossers as cover to transport fentanyl and other deadly narcotics. while border patrol agents are diverted to manage caravans, the gap in coverage is exploited by the smugglers. in many cases, these are well-planned and carefully coordinated occurrences. the agents told me, quote, people don't stay at the board, and the drugs don't either. they also told me that title 42 is the last tool that the border patrol has left, to partially slow this ongoing tidal wave of illegal crossings. we can't afford to take away this tool in the midst of a crisis. letting title 42 end without creating a permanent new authority to replace it empowers drug cartels. it enables them to send migrants across at strategic points, bogging down agents with paperwork and processing that

takes five times longer without title 42. this drama increase in processing times, absent title 42, will significantly decrease the scarce resources available to actually patrol our southern border. cartels will then use the longer and more frequent enforcement gaps to move more fentanyl across our southern border. we cannot allow this to happen. my legislation simply adds drug smuggle as an additional basis for using title 42 authority. it would help border patrol stop drug traffickers this should not be controversial. yet, last congress, democrats blocked its passage three times on the senate floor. now that we're staring down the end of title 42, it's time to pass this bill. i hope my colleagues across the aisle will not let title 42 expire without action. we must protect the border security tools we have to stop the fentanyl flowing across our southern border before more lives are lost.

thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. lee: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. lankford: mr. lee: madam president, i'd like to talk about fentanyl. it's cheap and highly addictive, and it's deadly. it's responsible for more overdose deaths in america than any other drug, 110,000 americans died from fentanyl poisoning last year alone in america. i recently joined a u.s. delegation to mexico, focused on stopping illicit drug trafficking, curbing illegal immigration, and at the u.s.-mexico border and addressing china's role in

providing precursor chemicals for fentanyl production and laundering money for the cartels. i can say that the drug crisis spilling into our country is apparent to anyone willing to travel to the border and witness it for themselves. it's becoming more and more apparent every day. in fact, it's becoming more apparent even within mexico. during my recent visit with president lopez obrador in mexico, i heard him talk about the fact that although in many instances, with many other drugs, u.s. drug production in mexico has often been sending drugs just to the united states. at least, far more than it has to mexico. with fentanyl, we're seeing something different. we're seg that -- seeing that fentanyl is now spilling into the mexican market, and that many mexican citizens are starting to die from fentanyl

poisoning. so he too is concerned about it, is looking for ways that he can make sure that china keeps closer track of the precursor chemicals and that the government of mexico is notified when those shipments of large-scale containers of these precurrers -- precursor chemicals arrives in mexico, presumably for the production of fentanyl inside of mexico. yet, notwithstanding all these developments, and 110 americans dying in the last year alone from fentanyl, the biden administration has utterly failed to stop this massive influx of fentanyl flowing across our southern border. in fact, fentanyl is one of the only commodities to see a price decrease since biden took office. we've seen rampant inflation everywhere else. not with fentanyl. so despite this historic

inflation that we've been experiencing ever since january 21, 2021, street prices for this deadly drug have fallen, indicating supply is meeting demand without significant impediment, brug down the price. for example -- bringing down the price. for example, in arizona, users were paying $20 per pill in early 2021. but by early 2022, the price plummeted to $5. in ohio, the cost of fentanyl went from $75,000 per kill gram in 2017 to $50,000 in 2010, then to $36,000 in 2021. this, madam president, is the last of the places where we want to see the opposite of inflation. we wish our consumer products at grocery stores and everywhere else were going down. not the price of illegal fentanyl. now, to put these numbers in

perspective, we've been talking about the price per kilo. to put it in perspective, each of those kilos, just one kilo of fentanyl contains half a million lethal dose. that is to say that one kilogram could wipe out the entire city of atlanta, georgia. one kilo could essentially is wipe out the entire population of the state of the wyoming. two kilos could kill the entire state of delaware. now, the dea recent lions nod the seizure of -- recently announced the seizure of more than 10,000 pound oz of fentanyl powder just in 2022 alone. these seizures, no doubt just represent a fraction of all fentanyl that made its way into the united states without detention and seizure, 379

million lethal doses, far more than enough to kill every man, every woman, and every child in the united states. madam president, fentanyl is a killer. it's more powerful than morphine and it has a potency that's measured in micrograms. even a tiny amount can be lethal. just two kilograms can kill an adult. that's why when you measure this out, two milligrams, or 2,000 micrograms going into a kilogram that's going to get you to a half million lethal doses in one could i low. it's just unconscionable for this administration to turn a blind eye to fentanyl trafficking across the border. we need to have bold and

decisive action, not empty rhetoric. because the drug cartels really don't care about party politics. they only care about making money. and that money is coming from the pockets of our fellow americans suffering from addiction. this isn't just a problem for border states like texas and arizona. it's a threat to every community in america. it's sold on street corners in small towns and in big cities. it's killing our friends, our neighbors, and our loved ones. madam president, we must secure our borders to disrupt the drug cartels. we cannot tacitly allow fentanyl and other deadly drugs to continue to flood into our lives. they are working to seize the stuff and our law enforcement agents have seized a lot of it. but with millions of people

crossing in our border, our southern border over the last slightly over two years, millions of people pouring in, that is making it worse, especially when you consider the same people are being trafficked into the united states, earning billions of dollars at the rates they charge to smuggle human traffic into the united states. it would be folly to assume, as the secretary of homeland security recently suggested in a hearing before the senate judiciary committee, that that doesn't play a very significant role in fentanyl making its way into the united states. he insisted that nearly all the fentanyl comes in by way of vehicles, trucks and passenger vehicles at points of entry. i don't know how he could know that. because when you've got five million people coming into the united states illegally from our southern border in slightly more than two years, it would be

folly to assume that those people being trafficked by the drug traffickers wouldn't also be used to carry fentanyl. in short, madam president, every pill of fentanyl is a potential killer. every shipment of fentanyl is a ticking time bomb, if not a weapon of mass destruction. and every life lost to fentanyl is a tragedy. we owe it to ourselves, our families, and our communities to tackle this problem and to do everything in our power to stan out the scourge of this drug in american -- to stamp out the scourge of this drug in american communities. thank you, madam president.

mr. daines: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. daines: madam president, when most people talk about the fentanyl crisis giving our communities today, they talk the numbers, and the numbers are very powerful. in 2022, synthetic opioids like

fentanyl claimed thousands of lives in our country. today what i really want to tell but is one person. i want to tell you about reilly from butte, montana. reilly was born november 6, 199. we have four children -- 1997. we have four children our youngest was born in 1996. this all hits way too close to home. reilly loved his mother and his father, tom. incidentally, tom was my guest to the state of the union address earlier in year. his stepmother, his brother, his step siblings, his family, two dogs were all loved by tom. according to those who knew him

best, reilly was an avid fisherman, a sportsman. so much like most montanans, and he spent his free time enjoying the great outdoors in montana with family and friends floating the big hole, skiing discovery, camping at canyon ferry. he was also an artist. he enjoyed all these things and more until july 30 of 2022. the day reilly died taking a pill laced with fentanyl. reilly was in montana when this happened. he was just 24 years old. reilly lives on in the stories that families and friends tell about him, but that shouldn't be the case. reilly should be alive today. fentanyl overdoses quickly became the leading cause of

death for 18 to 45-year-olds in our country. it's a fast-acting poison. 50 times more powerful than heroin. 100 times more potent than morphine. and it's taking children away from their parents and spouses away from their partners. we lost over 75,000 people just last year. and i commend law enforcement in montana and across our country for doing everything in their power, many times risking their own lives, to get fentanyl off our streets. but they can't do it alone. we must stop fentanyl from flooding our streets to begin with by securing our wide-open southern border. since president biden took

office, there have been over five million illegal border crossings. montana has just over a million total residents. we've had over five million illegal border crossings since the president took office. this includes gang members, drug dealers, suspected terrorists, as well as thousands of pounds of deadly, illegally fentanyl. this is the most in the nation's history. you see, mexican cartels are using chemicals that come from china sent to mexico, and there in mexico they manufacture these illicit fentanyl, which is pressed then into counterfeit pills, smuggled across the southern border, and sold as pill and powder form in our communities. these cartels are terrorist organizations. we need to call and treat them as such.

the cartels are taking advantage of the wide-open and lawless southern border. so many of us have spent nights on the southern border, including myself, shoulder to shoulder with those brave men and women, the border patrol, trying to protect our country but vastly outnumbered. because they're not only flooding the southern border with illegals, but also flooding the southern border with poison, including our montana communities. montana is a northern border state, but we have a southern border crisis. and the consequences of this comprise are most tragic -- of these crisis are most tragic. they're human lives, human lives

like reilly's. every single one is someone's child, somebody's parent, somebody's friend. and they're people that should still be here today. when tom shrapps joined me at the state of the union address earlier in year, he said, even though talking about what happened to reilly is so painful, that if he could just save one person, one family from the pain that he's gone through, the pain would be worth it. so i'm here talking about this, urging, urging the administration and my colleagues to secure the southern border, change the policies that once were working that this president rescinded. we need to do everything to prevent more families from feeling this pain.

the scourge of fentanyl on our communities is the single greatest threat to public safety today. when you look at the violent crime that we're seeing increasing across the state of montana, you spend a little time -- doesn't take a lot of time -- a little time with law enforcement. they'll tell you it's the drugs that are caution the crime, every one of them. fentanyl will continue to fuel the worst drug crisis in american history until we take serious action to address the open border crisis at our southern border, and there are solutions right here at our fingerprints. if this administration and my completion across the aisle would -- and my colleagues across the aisle would join us, we could crack down on these mexican drug cartels and those that supply them with the chemicals to produce illicit fentanyl. thank you.

mr. young: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. mr. young: madam president, we are entering graduation season. 17- and 18-year-olds should be attending their senior prom, preparing to finish high school and looking forward to their features, as my oldest daughter is right now. they should not be in the obituaries in our local newspaper. their high school lockers should not be makeshift memorials covered in flowers. and yet all over america, they are. fentanyl is the leading cause of death for americans aged 18 to 45,ed leading cause of death.

a rapidly increasing number of the dead are teenagers, and the rate of teen overdoses since the pandemic have more than doubled compared to the decade before. between 2019 and 2021, the number of deaths caused by fentanyl among 10- to 19-year-olds increased by 182%. and this is due almost entirely to the fentanyl found in counterfeit pills, many of which are sold via social media, platforms like tiktok and snapchat. the drugs incredibly lethal, two mill low grams, the -- milligrams, the equivalent of ten grains of salt, can kill. it's exponentially more dangerous

than heroin or morphine. even the overdose rate of children 5 and under is growing. hundreds of thousands of americans are dying. so many of our kids are among them. how can we be so powerless to prevent this? to all the families who have lost loved ones to fentanyl, we grieve with you. we share your anger, and we vow, we vow not to let your loved ones' death be in vain. madam president, it's past time. we took the fight to the monsters who traffic in this poison, who profit from our loss. i know the presiding officer feels the way i do about this

issue. first, we know that the majority of fentanyl is making its way into our communities through mexico. to president biden and his administration, secure the border now. second, let's give the frontline soldiers in this fight the tools that they need to keep fentanyl off our streets. the halt act which my colleagues and i recently introduced would do this. it would permanently classify fentanyl-related drugs as schedule 1, meaning they would be deemed dangerously addictive with no medical value, and holds those who deal in this

poison liable to civil and criminal punishment. this legislation would enable our law enforcement officials to better fight the impact of this deadly drug. and lastly, we need to cut off the dealers' back channels to our children. we know that pushers prey on teenagers across social media platforms, embedding advertisements with emojis or codes. social media companies must work with the federal government to shut down these one-stop digital drug shops. shut them down. another recently introduced bill, the cooper davis act, would require social media companies to play their part in this fight and duly report drug

trafficking across their platforms. to accomplish this, our bill would create a standardized reporting system with the federal government modeled after the existing reporting system for child sexual abuse material on social media platforms. it's worked there. it will work here as well. the cooper-davis act is a bipartisan proposal reflecting the scale of devastation caused by the drug crisis across all of the 50 states. in fact, this crisis knows no region, no class, no party. no american family is immune from it. by securing the border, by passing the halt act, and by passing the cooper-davis act, we can start, we can start to rally a true national response to this crisis. we cannot let the deaths of so

many young americans be for naught. enough is enough. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor, and i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from colorado.

mr. bennet: thank you, madam president. i'd ask the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. bennet: thank you, madam president. i feel like i've been here on a weekly basis to talk about this issue, and the reason i feel that way is because i have been here on a weekly basis to talk about what's happening in the wake of the dobbs decision that stripped the american people of the first fundamental freedom, the first fundamental right that we've lost since reconstruction. this was a 50-year effort on the behalf of, on the part of certain people in this country with an ideological commitment to overturn roe v. wade, who used every single mechanism that they could of our democracy and now ultimately our judiciary to enforce a legal outcome that the vast majority of the american people have never supported and today don't support. we find ourselves on the floor

today, i dare say, facing a resolution by the senator from alabama, who i've been out here arguing with for the last six weeks, a resolution that would be decried by, i would bet nine out of ten americans. i'll be fair, eight out of ten americans. this is an effort in the wake of the dobbs decision, which stripped the american people of this fundamental freedom, this fundamental right that families have relied on for 50 years. millions of veterans now live in states where abortion is banned. i'll come to that in a second. and in an attempt to deal with the catastrophe in the wake of dobbs, the v.a. has promulgated some rules to make it allowable in the veterans administration, when a veteran or their family

member has been raped, is the victim of incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake, what the v.a. has said, because we're dealing with the overturning of roe v. wade, in those cases, those three limited cases, we're going to allow people to get access to care at the veterans administration. that has set off the senator from alabama who is now trying to get the senate to pass a resolution to ban that so that veterans and their families, who are the victims of rape, who are the victims of incest, who were the, where the life of the mother is at stake cannot get medical care at the veterans

administration in a state like his that has banned abortion. that's what's at stake this week. a month ago we were on this floor because the same senator from alabama was putting a blanket hold on every single flag officers' promotion in the united states military. think about that. that sounds impossible. that sounds like an exaggeration and the reason it sounds like that to you is, first of all, you're a reasonable person. but, second of all, it has never happened in the history of the senate before, that somebody held up the promotion of every single flag officer, put a blanket hold on. that isn't because of what the v.a. is doing, that's because of what the department of defense is doing. because the department of defense, again, in the wake of dobbs -- the dobbs decision

overturning roe v. wade, in the wake of that dod has said, if you are serving in a state where abortion is banned, we will pay for your travel from that state to another state. we will say that you don't need to lose -- use unpaid leave to get to that other state. and we've said we, dod, not me, has said if -- you know, if you want to take a little longer to talk to your commanding officer about one of the most personal decisions anyone who make, any family could make, any woman could make, we're going to give you extra time to do that. those are the three things. i'll bet 80% of the american people support those things. and i guarantee you more than 80% of the american people do not support the idea that we're going to hold up every single

flag officer who is coming here for a promotion at a moment when putin invaded ukraine and china is raddling their sabre over their view of how the world should work. i heard somebody say, you know, this veterans rule violates the hyde amendment. first of all, the hyde amendment, doesn't even apply to the v.a. and if it did, madam president, guess what. there are three exceptions to the hyde amendment. rape, incest an, and the health -- incest, and the health of the mother. they're trying to turn back hyde. that's what they're trying to do on the floor of this senate. and they're messing with the readiness of the american armed forces to do it. what brought us here? what brought us here was the

dobbs decision. what brought us here was a court packed -- packed with a wish list of people that for 50 years have been fighting for an originalist -- so-called originalist -- it's made up -- made up, but an originalist conception of constitutional law and they finally found a guy in the form of president donald trump who is willing to put these people on the court. and they gave the court the majority they needed to eviscerate roe v. wade, to strip this fundamental right, to strip this fundamental freedom, and to do it with contempt. to not wrestle with the question of what is going to happen with people serving in the armed forces of the united states if they are unlucky enough -- unlucky enough to need an abortion and they live in a state like alabama, for example, where if you are a doctor and you perform an abortion, you can

go to jail for 99 years. although admittedly -- admittedly, there is an exception in alabama for the life of the mother. this -- this end point -- i hope it's an end point. this end point of that 50-year war on freedom, war on -- war on roe v. wade, war on a set of expectations that women in particular have in this country, but that families have in this country. that war was brought to a conclusion in some sense by a majority opinion written by justice scalia that came down essentially -- read it. read it. essentially same down -- came down to this, if it wasn't a right in 1868, it's not at right

in 2023. if it wasn't a freedom in -- 1868, it's not a freedom today. forget that at that time, the 14th amendment of the constitution, black people and women didn't have the right to vote. didn't even have the right to vote. but in the 21st century when we're meant to compete with -- in a global economy, in a society that by any measure is still profoundly unequal but -- but far more equal than it was in those days where women do have the right to vote, where black people do have the right, thank god, in this country to vote. we're reading the language in 1868 and saying, was it a right or a freedom then? that's how we're going to decide whether it's one today. in the early 1990's when i was

in law school and when we knew that it was at the dawn of -- dn of originalism, it was part of the reaganism, it was making the shareholder the supreme being in the united states of america, part of that whole measure, that whole time period in the country's history, that's when some genius, and they were a genius, to come up with the word originalism that explains an ideology of what the rights are today as if they could divine the intent of the founding fathers on the rights of abortion, who, by the way, had massive disagreements among themselves. anybody who has read even -- even a signpost or a -- or a

tourist, you know -- you know, some sort of signpost on the side of independence hall in pennsylvania, and philadelphia knows how many disagreements with the founders had with themselves. the idea that somehow you're going to divine their one view of what the constitution should say, it is preposterous. yet here we are. we were told when this happened, don't worry about it. this is just a matter of the supreme court, sending this fundamental freedom -- this judgment freedom -- this freedom back to the states. that's all. madam president, since this happened. since dobbs was passed, 18 states have banned abortion.

my kids are -- i have one kid who is about the age of the pages now. two others are older than the pages now. i am telling you, i was with my daughter caroline the other day, riding through colorado, looking at the billboards, and i said, man, caroline, if you told me 20 years ago that in 2023 we would be living in a country that was legalizing marijuana and banning abortion, i would not have believed it. i would not have believed it. she doesn't believe it either. as my friend jon tester says, my friend, the farmer from montana says, his daughter is having to fight for rights that her mother never had to fight for because her grandmother won these rights. and now we're rolling it all back because the supreme court

majority that donald trump made possible after all of these years, after all of this effort to strip the american people of this freedom has decided if it's not a right in 1868, it's not at right today. so 18 states have banned abortion. nine have no exceptions for rape or incest. there have been now restrictions on freedom to travel, madam president, texas famously has put $10,000 bounties, it's like the wild west all of a sudden. where if you are a friend or a neighbor who is driving somebody to -- to access abortion services, you can -- you can get charged -- and you catch them, somebody catches you, says you shouldn't have been doing it, you can get a $10,000 bounty.

in florida, in the sunshine state, i think florida is the third largest state in the country. you know, one of them. third largest state in the country. in broad daylight, actually to be honest with you, it was at 11:00 o'clock at night, the governor has now signed a six-week ban on abortion. one in three women don't even know whether -- that they're pregnant. a third of women don't even know they're pregnant at six weeks. i don't know whether the governor of florida knows that or doesn't know that, but it's an interesting question. which would be worse, him knowing it or not knowing it? and now all of a sudden nine

million veterans and their families, including two million female veterans live in states that have banned abortion or restrict it in ways that would have been unimaginable, to my daughter caroline, to families all over the country. and, as i said, in some limited way of dealing with it, the v.a. announce it had these rules. but -- announced these rules. but these narrow rules, they'ret enough for the senator from alabama. today he is forcing a vote to strip away the v.a. policy and impose a position on every veteran in america that is more extreme than his own state. hyde doesn't apply to the v.a., and even if it did, there are exceptions for rape, for incest,

for the life of the moyer. that's not -- for the life of the mother. that's not extreme enough for them. his resolution would ensure that veterans who have been raped, who have victims of incest, whose life is at risk can't seek an abortion at the v.a., along with their spouses and their defendants. even in alabama there's an exception for the life of the mother. and they have one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. i'm going to come to an end because my colleague is here from -- from nevada. but i've got two colleagues here from nevada so i'm confused and i said i'm going to finish, but i will take a couple of minutes and then finish. i'm saying this is a tragic that we have to have this vote in 2023. it is. it is a tragedy. it is a spectacle.

it is an embarrassment, but at least people will have the opportunity to know where every member of the senate stands. and they're going to understand what a 50-year political effort to strip america of this freedom looks like. you know, madam president, there was a survey in a poll last month in florida, and my colleagues, you know, won't be surprised to know this. 75% of florida opposes a six-week ban. 61% of the gop in florida oppose a six-week ban. let that sink in. maybe that's -- i don't know. i'm not a great politician, unlike some people, but maybe that's why he was signing it at 11:00 o'clock at night. maybe that's why when the governor of florida signed it, he sent out a tweet that didn't

say he signed a six-week ban on abortion in florida because 75% of the people there oppose it. just like the majority of americans. and so i think we should defeat this resolution. i think the american people should take note of every single vote that's cast here by these senators. but really as important as that, we need to understand what's happened to our politics, what's happened to our supreme court through this 50-year war on american freedom and this 50-year war on a woman's right to choose. and we need to come together as a country and codify a woman's right to choose so the next generation of americans has the benefit that the last 50 years of americans have had.

and with that, madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from nevada. ms. cortez masto: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the following senators be permitted to complete their remarks prior to the scheduled recess. senator rosen, myself, senator klobuchar, and senator smith. the presiding officer: without objection.

the presiding officer: the junior senator from nevada. ms. rosen: thank you. since the supreme court overturned long-standing protections for the fundamental right to access abortion care nearly a year ago, we have seen countless attacks on women's reproductive rights from antichoice states across our nation. states that are banning abortions without exceptions for rape or incest, states that are risking the lives of women who have miscarried. and i've been doing everything i can to stand up and to defend a woman's fundamental right to make health care choices for her own body without interference from antichoice politicians. and this includes making sure we protect our veterans' rights. and that includes the right for those veterans to make decisions over their own bodies.

our veterans and their families, they risked so much to protect our nation, to protect our rights, and we owe it to them to defend their fundamental right to access reproductive care regardless of where they live. they put themselves in harm's way. we must protect them. that's why last year i urged the department of veterans affairs to make it clear that they will provide access to abortion care to veterans and their families and i'm glad they listened. but today, today antichoice republicans in washington want to overturn that restriction, and they want to restrict our veterans' access to reproductive care. and that's what today's debate is about. if they get their way and they roll back this rule, the v.a.

health care system would no longer be allowed to provide abortion counseling or any kind of care to servicemembers and veterans -- and listen to this -- even in the cases of rape. even when the mother's life is at risk. i'm not going to let that happen. my state of nevada is honored to be the home of hundreds of thousands of veterans, and we are a proud pro-choice state. when nevadans sent me to the senate, they sent me here to fight for therapy rights. and that's what i will always do. so, madam president, i urge my colleagues to join me in fighting back against this ideological attempt to restrict reproductive rights for veterans by opposing this resolution. for our veterans, for our women in nevada, for women everywhere in the united states, i urge a

no vote. thank you. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from nevada. ms. cortez masto: madam president, i join my colleagues today to continue to speak out against the far-right republicans' harmful and frankly insulting resolution to prevent women veterans from accessing essential health care in this country. you know, our veterans stepped up to serve our country putting their lives on the line to protect our freedoms and keep our families saifs. we -- owe families safe. we owe them a debt of gratitude. that's why i'm working to ensure we protect vince' rights to -- veterans' rights to essential health care. we trust these women to make decisions in the line of duty to protect our national security, so why don't extremists on the right trust them to make decisions about their own

bodies? the purpose of the v.a. is to protect veterans' health and lives. since the supreme court struck down roe v. wade, my colleagues and i pushed the administration, including the v.a., to take action to protect women veterans across the country and their access to abortion care. at our urging, the v.a. created a rule to provide abortion counseling to pregnant veterans as well as abortion services in the limited cases of rape, incest, or the life or health of the mother. this is critical for women veterans, especially those who live in states with strict abortion bans and no access to care in their communities. but we knew that after the supreme court overturned roe v. wade, antitrust policymakers wouldn't stop trying to take away a woman's right to choose. and now they're going after the health and well-being of the women who fought for our country. there are 550,000 women veterans

who get their health care through the v.a. 300,000 of those women veterans are at a point in their lives at which they need reproductive care. that's 300,000 women who have sacrificed for our country and who according to extreme republicans don't deserve to make their own health care decisions. some of these women veterans live in states where they can access reproductive care outside the v.a. but over 155,000 of them live in states with harsh abortion restrictions on the books. now, i'm leading legislation to ensure our veterans and all women maintain their right to travel to pro-choice states to get the care they need. unfortunately, for many of these women, the v.a. is their only option for accessing abortion care. that's why the v.a.'s new rule is so critical to protecting veterans' health and why extremist republicans attacks on reproductive care are so

dangerous. women veterans put their lives on the line to fight for our freedoms, including control of our own bodies, our lives, and our futures. and now the far right wants to take these freedoms away. madam president, we cannot let that happen. we have to ensure that this resolution does not pass because we should be looking out and protecting the rights of women across this country, not taking away those rights and freedoms. madam president, i yield the floor.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator ■fromminnesota. ms. smith: thank you, madam president. madam president, i rise today in strong opposition to the resolution before us today. this resolution would overturn the v.a.'s rule protecting veterans' access to abortion counseling and care in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of a woman or her health is in danger. unfortunately, it is just the latest attack on women's freedom to make their own health care decisions without enter feerns -- interference from politicians. today veterans, their spouses, independents are protected and have the freedom to receive essential health care in the most devastating of

circumstances. by voting yes today, the senate would take that freedom away. so let's be clear about what this means. a yes vote means that you would be saying to women who are entrusted to protect our national security, that they can't be trusted to make their own medical decisions. you would be saying that a person who has been raped or the victim of incest should not have the freedom to get an abortion. you are saying in effect sitting in this chamber that those of you sitting in this chamber should have the power to decide what health care a veteran can receive as she faces a serious or even life threatening health risk if she continues a pregnancy. so if you are considering a yes vote, i ask you, what makes you think that you know better? what makes you think that you should have the power over another person and their body? this is an insult to the dignity of people, to veterans, and to their families. these are people who have given so much and yet this body would

deprive them of their rights to freedom and self-determination, the very rights that they sacrificed and fought to defend. colleagues, i understand that people have differing views on abortion, and i respect that. but i cannot understand why anyone would think that they should have the power to impose their own views on others in such extreme ways. because this resolution is extreme. and everyone who votes for it is saying that when it comes to our nation's veterans who get their health care through the v.a., that there should be no exceptions for abortion, even if that veteran has been the victim of raich or incest. -- of rape and incest, even when continuing the pregnancy would endanger the veteran's life or health. that is not just extreme, that is cruel. madam president, here in this chamber, some are also going after current servicemembers. there is currently an unprecedented and reckless

campaign in this chamber to hold up the promotions of career military personnel in order to force the department of defense to deprive servicemembers of their legal rights to seek abortion care. let that sink in. they are willing to compromise our national security and leave 187 important military leadership posts vacant in order to enact their dangerous and unpopular antiabortion agenda. they're not doing this because it's what americans want. it's the opposite in fact. according to a pew research center poll, over 60% of americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. madam president, before i was in the senate, i worked at planned parent hood, and i saw there firsthand the capacity of people to make good decisions, moral decisions for themselves and their families about how and when or if to start a family.

so i ask my republican colleagues to reject this extreme proposal. ask yourself, why do you think that you know better than niece women, these veterans whose lives and stories, whose health and family situations you will never know, and i can tell you for women, this is personal. they don't want any of us making these decisions about their bodies and their health and their families for them. they are perfectly capable of making these decisions for themselves. so i urge my colleagues to stand with our veterans and vote to protect their rights after they fought so hard to defend ours. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands in recess until 4:00 p.m. >> ukrainian prosecutor

general andrea kostis testifies on war crime allegations against russia. boston c-span2, from now on my c-span.org.