retired louisiana schoolteacher impacted by gpo. she cried in my office, not understanding why she was getting less in social security spousal benefits than if she had never worked at all. think about this. she had her quarters. she had worked, say, 20 years in the private sector. she was getting less from spousal benefits than if she had never worked at all. she felt like she was being punished for educating generations of louisiana children, and she was being punished. there is no excuse to treat our public servants this way. so to my colleagues who are concerned about the price tag, i hear you. the good news, i have a plan that helps address these concerns. i have a comprehensive social security plan that addresses both the inl solvency in nine yoers, and including paying for this repeal of wep and gpo. if you want to talk about it, i've p been promoting this for four years. it does not increase the full

retirement age. people can still retire at the age at which they plan to retire. by the way, it checks boxes that president trump during his campaign speech, campaigning, said that he would look to do in order to benefit social, to benefit our nation. it checks that box too. if you're concerned about the price tag, please talk to me about how we can afford to do right by the public, by the public servants being penalized by wep and gpo but help our nation financially. we can do both if we have the courage to do both. we can keep a promise to make social security fair again. i want to thank all the advocates for their work in getting here, including louisiana sheriffs association, louisiana chiefs of police association, louisiana state employees retirement system, the louisiana police jury association, the louisiana municipal association, the international association of

firefighters, the national fraternal order of police, and all others who have contributed so much to this effort. i also want to thank president trump, who has publicly announced his support for this bill. it is a sacred trust between the american people and our government. president trump, president-elect trump, soon to be president trump, recognizes this. as long as i am here, i will fight to keep the promises that we make to the american people that, i yield to my good friend, senator brown. mr. brown: thank you, senator cassidy. i want to thank senator cassidy and his incredible staff for the work that they've done. with the cleveland connection. i just appreciate so much, as i leave the senate, the work senator cassidy and i have done with a host of bills. i say the same about my work with senator collins. i've been at this bill for a long time. she's been at this bill now more than two decades. i know from our pension bill, i know from the child tax credit, i know from the pact act

amendment a whole lot of issues this stuff takes time, but 21 years is ridiculous, and we need to move forward on this. i so appreciate she kept this alive. madam president, i ask unanimous consent that following my remarks senator schumer be permitted to speak for two minutes prior to the scheduled vote. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: thank you. i will be brief. social security is a bulwark, bedrock of our middle class. it's retirement security that americans pay into and earn over a lifetime. you pay in for 40 quarters, you pay in for essentially ten years, you've earned it, it should be there when you retire. these restrictions right now, though, prevent some three million americans, nearly 250,000 people in my state alone, many of whom are law enforcement, first responders, teachers, school bus drivers, school cafeteria workers, public servants, it means that many will not get their full social security benefit. it makes no sense. these workers serve the public,

protect our communities and teach our kids, they pay into social security just like everyone else. i think about what we did a few months ago in a fire station in columbus, i met barbara ward. she drives a special needs bus for fairland local schools in, i believe in galley county, on the ohio river. she drives 200 miles a day, has done this 40 years, she's in her 70's. her mom was the first female bus driver in that district. he had husband served our country in the navy. paying into social security with every paycheck. after he passed away, ten years ago, barb started receiving social security survivor's benefits, until barb retired with her school pension. when her social security benefit dropped from 2100 a month to 500 a month, again, he earned this. this wasn't charity. this isn't a giveaway. he earned that social security benefit, and she should have it. in our hearing, she said it's just not fair.

my husband worked for that. we worked for that. they earned that social security. they paid into it. over and over, these americans like that bus driver have watched corporations get tax cuts and wall street gets bailouts. all these workers are asking for is what they have earned. it's an issue that has a huge impact on a worker's life, but it doesn't get enough attention in washington. again, i thank senator collins for keeping this alive for so long. the people it affects aren't powerful corporate interests. they're cops, sheriff deputy, firefighters, teachers, they work in parks and libraries, they pick up our trash and plow our roads. they make our lives liveable and better. we must get this done. the hours passed it with 327 votes. they don't agree on much in the house, period, but members of both parties came together and agreed. i believe every ohio member of congress voted for this. we need to restore those workers' social security. yesterday, in front of about 50 of my colleagues, i gave what some called my last speech on

this senate floor. i ended by saying it would not be the last time you heard from me. of course it wouldn't be. i'm back today fighting for the dignity of work. that's the way i began my career in the senate. it's what i will continue to do, whether in the senate or not. whether it's restoring workers' social security or saving pensions or fighting for overtime pay or supporting unions, so much of what i fought for in the senate has one thing in common, it's about hard work paying off, it's about what workers earn and honoring the dignity of work. if you love this country, you fight for the people who make it work. i urge all my colleagues on both sides to join us. restore the social security that people who protect us and serve us have earned over a lifetime of work. senator schumer? mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: now, madam president, in just a few moments, the senate will hold a vote to take up the social security fairness act, a bill that ensures no retiree or spouse is wrongly denied their well-earned benefits simply because they chose at some point in their careers to work in

public service. time is short, but i'm hopeful the senate can take up and pass this bill and send it to the president's desk very quickly. passing this social security fix right before christmas would be a great gift for our retired firefighters, police officers, postal workers, teachers, and others, who for years have contributed to social security but are now being penalized because of their time of public service. that is unfair. it's deeply unfair. it goes against the american ideal of working hard, chipping in, and enjoying a well-earned retirement. our bill would finally repeal the outdated and unfair wep and gpo programs which have reaked havoc on the -- wreaked havoc on retirees and spouses. it's been going on too long, people working for decades -- people have worked for decades to pass legislation to fix this issue. we now have that opportunity. the house has already passed this bill by an overwhelming

margin. democrats and republicans, 33-27, 75, we democrats are ready to stand with public service retirees and finally fix this problem. the american people will see today which senators are ready to deliver on these social security benefits and who will block this golden opportunity that could help millions. i thank senator brown and others for their hard work, yield the floor the floor and ask for the -- no, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to proceed to calendar number 693, h.r. 82, an act to amend title 2 of the social security act to repeal the government pension offset windfall elimination provision signed by 18 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the

motion to proceed to h.r. 82, an act to amend title 2 of the social security act to repeal the government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote: the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd.

ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto.

mr. cotton. mr. cramer. >> closing at my time in congress and i'm reminded of the gravity of this place. the storied history of the senate one in which we're all honored to contribute and the guard rails that serve as the foundation of this body and our democracy. those guardrails the constitution our oath of office the rules of the senate e norms of collegiality integrity and respect. these are the pillars that have ensure our democracy could endure. to cultivate relationships so we can move history forward, to temper the excesses of greed and to curb the hunger for power. as our country has become more and more divided as our politics a constant series of all or nothing battles we find ourselves bumping into these guardrails with more

frequency. in recent history both parties have wrestled with the importance of norms and rules and both parties have use of these norms and rules as outdated, , constraining or simy obstacles to their short-term victories. many now blame these guardrails for blocking critical progress here instead of recognizing it is us, our actions, our words, our incivility and ultimately our unwillingness to compromise that prevent reasonable solutions from advancing. when holding political power and fielding the hunger and pressure for an immediate partisan when it is easy to view the legislative filibuster as a weapon of obstruction. it is tempting to prefer a limitation of the filibuster to compromise. it feels faster easier and more satisfying at least in the short

term that is. there are dangers to soothing short-term victories over the heart and necessary work of building. to give into the temptation of the short-term victory means getting into the chaos, cause for the constant ricocheting. or a a major labor of an illun that life a limiting the filibuster you making political power for ever. effectively ending our two-party system. that's the fallacy, and worse it's scary. one party rule is not democracy. that's autocracy. that's not the system our forefathers envisioned and it's not what our country deserves. the dod of america is in the push in the poll. our democracy ensures no one person, no one party has too much control. the checks and balances built into our government protect us all. when we work together, listen,

compromise and forge moderate movement forward we're doing exactly what our forefathers intended. we are crafting solutions with broad support to protect against those wild ricochets of policy changes and the whiplash that could come from the overreach of a temporary partisan majority. over the past six years i've had the honor of serving with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who chose to do the hard work and who took the time to build relationships and build that consensus. together we accomplish real results for the constituents we serve across this great country. and i am so grateful for the colleagues who took those risks with me. not many are willing to step out of their comfort zones and risk political capital for the sake of a deal that may not pay off immediately. but to those who did thank you.

and to their staffs, thank you for your dedication and your service, and for answering random calls with senator even those little and orthodox when i was just looking to get a deal done you solve the problem. beginning with my good friendst and are for mccauley senator rob portman and the other members of our bipartisan group of ten including the wonder women of the senate, senator susan collins, lisa murkowski, jeanne shaheen and our guys, senator mitt romney, senator jon tester, bill cassidy, mark warner and joe manchin. we painstakingly crafted a a historic infrastructure law delivering americans better broadband, new roads and bridges, cleaner air and water, and more job opportunities. later working with senator britt bromley, susan collins, thom

tillis come with us respect for marriage act giving americans of all backgrounds peace of mind protecting their marriage for religious reasons. we saved at some partisan collapse and now america and arizona can lead the way in semiconductor manufacturing and our country is safer and more secure. drinking senator john cornyn, chris murphy and thom tillis together to tackle the intractable issues of gun violence, we not only saved lives, we improved our country's mental health. everyone involved in each of those deals know, the results were not easy. it was a product of months of hard conversations, many tough decisions, many trade-offs, constant ,

constant back-and-forth that pushed us towards those solutions. while those are the highlights we also witnessed what happens here in this chamber when we get into the temptation of taking the easy way out and abandoning those guardrails. in 2013, judicial nominees were not confirmed at a fast pace for the majority, the one party lowered the 60 vote threshold to a simple majority. while one political party started it, the other finished it and not all federal judges including supreme court nominees are confirmed with just 51 votes. just nine short years after that half the country was shocked and disappointed when the supreme court overturned roe v. wade. but it was no surprise at all. it was a foreseeable, predictable result of eliminating the senate standard that requires broad bipartisan support for judicial nominees. no longer is majority party required to nominate mainstream

judges aren't support from across the political spectrum. now it is a way to get your guys into the slot so you have power. and yet someone to wipe public question judiciary at all-time low. even still with the consequences of the short sighted decisions the clamor to destroy the senate process, process. i am not the only one to see the absurd and in all of this. the political winds have shifted and yet the filibuster insurers, to ensure that the tyranny of the majority does not overrule the rights of the minority, regardless of who sits in the seat of power. now as we approach the 118th congress republicans will control the presidency of the senate and the house. sadly i'm hearing rumors of a

hunger to subvert these norms. indeed the use reconciliation as a tool to circumvent the filibuster. the end result of the shortsighted action will be the same. as history has shown, abusing or eliminating one tool for short-term gain means the other party will do the same when it regains political power. it's a devolution. i can't think of anything more dangerous to our dear democracy and the unwillingness to question our own preconceived ideas, to examine our own biases or to learn from those who think differently from ourselves. but i try to demonstrate in the six years is you don't have to burn down the rules and the norms to achieve what you want. just do the hard work because the ship build relationships. you can focus on consensus not

division. you could be an independent thinker, put your constituents and your country ahead of party leaders and activists. because you can get it done. over my time innocent i partner with more than a few unlikely allies from the very most progressive to the very most conservative to break through gridlock and find some solution. while i can't detail each and every one of those unique relationships here today i will highlight a few. mike lee, i know were bit of an odd couple but we, got a lot de together. my dear friend james lankford where had the honor of sharing the border subcommittee last year threat my last secures innocent and whom i spent many, many hours working on a solution that while it is not lost today, perhaps will become law someday. senator rand paul, the list goes

on and on. at the very, very dear list of damaging their careers, chris murphy, brian chasse, patty murray. i i hope i haven't ruined your careers. it's been an honor to work with so many incredible people in the senate over these last six years. one thing i learned early on in my very first days, senator jim risch taught me this, , we don't have to agree on everything. you just have to agree on some things. it's not worth getting angry about the things with which you disagree. it's better to focus on those areas where you can agree. over these last six years i've been grateful to embrace diversity of opinions in this body, to find solutions that reflect the complexity of our country and our democracy, and to deliver meaningful and measurable results, to bridge

divides between federal stakeholders, to designate like to strengthen question oh safeguard arizona families and making sure all of us throughout this country can grow and thrive for generations to come. we have work together and e way for historic settlements, land transfer deals, water deals, economic certainty, all by listening to one another, not to debate or to rebut, but to understand. it's this very marketplace of the diversity of ideas that makes our country great. the knowledge that with dialogue and competition you are driven to be more thoughtful and more creative. that is why despite the challenges facing our country i remain hopeful. america is still the freest most creative and innovative place in

the world. we are the birthplace of emerging technologies and medicine, artificial intelligence, energy, robotics, all revolutionizing our global economy. the opportunities created by american ingenuity, and we must not -- america still the shining city on the hill and it is up to each of us to protect it and to strengthen it. we cannot afford to let political differences stand in the way of what tomorrow may bring. we must hope, holter those cargoes, our shared commitment to the principles that our forefathers gratis bill pascrell catch up on and building and willingness to see the decency in each other, our fellow citizens. we must choose a better angels of our nature. speaking of the better angels,

over the past 12 years i've had honor of working with some incredible people and both the house and the senate and it don't mean the senators and members of course i served alongside, although that has been an incredible privilege. i have the deepest respect and gratitude for my current and former colleagues but but ik now of our staff here and minority and majority staff to the cloak room, sergeant at arms, the café workers, the parliamentary, the police officers, , the elevator operas, the architect of the capitol employees who never, never fail to give a kind word in the basement of his building. you all are the unsung heroes of the capital. you are here long before we arrived today, and and and g after we had home for tonight so thank you. and to my own staff, many of whom are here today and my very first days in the house to my very last days here in the senate, thank you. you are the backbone of

>> unfortunately it's going to take a lot of resources which it wouldn't have taken if the border have never been opened. it would've taken it when donald trump and and i came up yous ago if the democrats had funded what donald trump wanted on the border. but now it does. what do we need? we need money for more border patrol agents, more money for ice ages to do the deportations. when you get money for the wall, money for vessels, technology, things that as an example what is biden to it by selling off steel that we could use? slap in the face of the american public. so that's number one. we've got to get that done. we talked to senator graham who's going to run, you'll be

the chair of the budget committee. he is committed to having a porterville done quickly. so donald trump can site and get the border secure. the second bill there will be a lot of things well want to get accomplished the number what we've got to extend the trump tax cuts and probably a lot of things we can do to improve the tax policy of this country to do what we should be doing. our tax policy to be doing, how to mix with foreign government in a we create jobs is to destroy jobs for this opportunity. i know senator johnson and senator lee both involved in a process a few years ago. and our letter we say we ought to look at how these two have cleaned out with the saving program is the number out to be bigger than that. let's think about the number 2% increase of population the last five years, 53% increase in funding. joe biden has been present 1.6% of the history of this country.

he's responsible for 23% of the entire federal debt. i picked up your secures, , we'e doubled the federal debt of 18 to $36 trillion. this is this is a problem. inflation not go away, interest rates will come down. we need to figure how to start saving money. on the house side the house budget committee has significant opportunity for savings and i know all of us are going to work diligently to find every dollar in savings again to actually take care of the american public. let me turn over to the chairman of the freedom caucus. >> thank you very much, senator scott. the president won a mandate on november 5 and the mandate was to live on the economy in on the border. the bottom line is what congress need to show the american people we are 100% behind the president spent it and the president's policy, and the letter indicates how we think it needs to be done. we do know extend the tax cuts

is important but will require our decisions be made on spending reductions in order to control the deficit. the first thing when you do out-of-the-box, we need to pass an emergency order bill that has been passed august because we don't expect any help from her democratic colleagues while they're spending their time selling off border wall we're going to have to pass a bill that makes us buyback border wall or by new portable because it's sold-out condition all the things senator scott said. we need to go head on on a bicameral basis republicans did to show we are going this, deliver on a porterville essence we can't because american people expect and then turn our attention to improving the economy by making sure the average american does not get a tax increase to deliver on some of -- [inaudible] and we control the growth of -- control the growth of the federal budget and, therefore, decrease the federal deficit. so give this would be a

bicameral effort. we are fully supportive what the president agenda is and indicate what we think congress ought to proceed. with that i turn it over to senator mike lee. >> in returning president trump to estimate the people have been more clear. they want operational control of the border. they want our country to not be under invitation anymore. they want border security. our reconciliation proposal today seeks to promise a made for america. we are going to deliver real border security right up front. no more kicking the can down the road. the final part of that but its ocean package will include border security. we've got a fantastic weight bench and way of for come offsetting them through an appropriate mechanism that is tied to a lack of border security. my legislation that would be used as part of a pay for is

called the america first act. what the america first act does is to stop come get the photo to stop subsidizing illegal immigration. stop giving the federal welfare benefits and other advantages that are supposed to go to u.s. citizens. we can keep them out of the hands and save an enormous amount of money. we're talking about $100 billion possibly a significantly more than that depending on exactly how the score turns out. look, for years we as americans have been told that we don't need to worry about one thing in particular when there's illegal immigration happen. don't worry they are not getting welfare benefits. they are not eligible. there are some problems with the one of the many problems under this administration is that there are millions who have come

in here and have been papered over as if they were legal when, in fact, they are not. among other things to illegal unlawful use of a technique to immigration parole. emigration parole is there to be used for humanitarian or very specific public use purposes. on an individualized basis, person by person. never categorical and yet what did this administration to? and use the law illegally. trying to paper over people who do administration invited and brought into the country unlawfully using immigration parole. in july of the congressional budget office looked at this trying to assess the overall cost of the open border policy of this administration. those who have just come in the last two years. by failure, his adamant refusal, defiantly in his refusal to enforce the border, adding a cost american taxpayers of about

$300 billion over the next ten years. of that amount the cdao identified most of this was coming in the form of refundable tax credits and medicaid but there are other significant sums that also factored into it including staff, child nutrition programs, supplemental security income, social security, medicare and assistance for higher education. all of which i count for some of this additional amount. look, in order to help president trump fulfill his promise of restoring operational control of the border and to stop illegal immigration, any part of package that we sent to president trump's desk has to include a prohibition on these government benefits going to people who are here unlawfully, who were never supposed to be here to begin with. send out all the money in the world for portable without a

serious effort to stop encouraging more people to immigrate illegally, and without official incentives we're moving the official insisted keeping people here then were going to continue to have a problem. that's why this budget reconciliation bill is a big deal and why it's going to make a big difference for and to look for to getting it done and getting these sums paid for an offset in the reconciliation bill. we are now going to turn to my friend and colleague from the state where i was born, andy biggs. >> thank you, senator lee, and senator scott for organizing this and chairman pearce. let me tell you what a difference it makes when you have a president who is committed to border security and the world knows it and takes him seriously. i was recent of the border, $5000 per person was the going rate to come across. now it's in excess of $10,000

per why is at? because we are going to secure the border. why is it the philippine ambassador to the united states has warned filipino illegal aliens to repatriate to the philippines? because he knows we are serious. that's what were talking about and where going through this process, it's a byzantine process, this budget reconciliation process. but the first thing we have to do which is consistent with president trump's mandate from the american people because it's our mandate as well is to make sure we do secure the border. when we talk about the same choice cities that mean? it means they need to come on board. because if their law enforcement is arresting someone who's a criminal illegal alien, that alien is safer in the jail. that community is safer and the

ice ages or the federal police agents are safer. if a century city doesn't want to participate, , then it's congresses duty to ensure that they are not benefited by the federal taxpayers subsidizing their program. when we come to the first reconciliation bill and considering what we need to do, we up here have agreed you have to make sure that you put the policies necessary and the resources necessary to implement border security. we saw president trump was more than capable of doing that i know give you one statistical data point there. the yuma sector, the last year under president trump about 8500 people encountered for the whole year, whole fiscal year. do you know what it was under

this administration? they had weekends, they have days with more than 8500 people encountered. this administration has brought in record numbers of illegal aliens. the american people sent in november on november 5 they said no more. we have colleagues across the aisle who don't live. we have colleagues at her own party who don't believe that's the mandate but it is a mandate and we will do all we can to facilitate adhering to the mandate and that's the message that i leave. without i turn the microphone over to my friend from wisconsin, senator ron johnson. >> thank you, andy. first of all i want to thank my colleagues here on bicameral basis pertaining to the press covers. this group of individuals are leaders, there are others but these are leaders in congress who realized it is immoral to

mortgage our children's future. we want to stop that. we also fully realize biden's open border policy reps is a clear and present danger to america but this is also people who oftentimes afford to get scored because we generally vote no because we are a bicameral group of people who want to be part of the solution, who vote no most of the time but we want to vote yes. i don't think starbucks cup or this group has been given near enough credit for personal senator scott holding a weekly dinner where we talked about the debt ceiling. none of us had ever vote for increase in the debt ceiling. we talked week after week after week finally realized only way we're going to get something for increasing the depth ceiling is if we support something. the freedom caucus had the bill and then very reasonable

negotiation with other house mers to propose something that unfortunately speaker mccarthy frittered away that proposal. but anyway we are here about solutions and that is why we want to be very public that we support the two reconciliation built solution starting out with a very rapid passage of something that provides president trump the resources he needs to honor the promise he made to americans that the americans support overwhelming margins to secure our border. but also being the account of his group i provide a chart. senator scott talked about the fact our population since 2019 has increased 2%. spending is up over 50%. this chart represents that but what's notable about this i put a baseline. if we would have grown our spending by reasonable baseline population growth even with high biden inflation, we would've

gone from about $4.4 trillion in spending in 2019 and a steady spending almost $7 trillion this last fiscal year we would've been spending about 5.7. the difference of spending above that reasonable baseline and get how could anybody dispute it would be reasonable to grow population growth plus inflation. 35, 36 trying dollars in debt. the net has been over that baselineay represents $8.8 trillion we furthermore get our children's future. one final note. one of the techniques of the unit party in increasing spending is a transfer discretionary spending into mandatory. again it's off budget, we don't appropriate. it's just spending that occurs automatically. most people think of social security. they think of medicare or even medicaid.

the reality is because of the absence of the unit party since 2019 with increase of the mandatory spending, not salsas. and medicaid and medicare by about the same amounts we increase those programs have increased about 709, other mandatory spending has increased by $680 billion per year. again off the books, can't touch it other than reconciliation. when senator scott talks about 2.5 showed as being a a minimm level we need to cut spending in a reconciliation package, i'm saying we have about $6.8 trillion pool of tenure money that we should be evaluating for dramatically reducing the size and scope of government because when government grows, our freedoms necessary reseed. that's the of the value we hold. we think government is should be to guard our freedom, not cause and exacerbate more problems and

mortgage our children's future. i'm happy to get over to ralph norman. >> thanks, senator johnson. i want to thank all the patriots behind me. these are people who are willing to put their vote on the line for all the public to see and to solve the problem the american people voted on on november 5 which is to seal the border. to stop the insanity that was deliberately done by joe biden. he did it to get a power base in his mind that would solidify him and his party. guess what. it didn't work. it's not going to work now. we agree 100% senator lee, the pay-fors we've got to have. i wish we had them in our continuing resolution that we're voting on today, just insanity at best. senator scott you mention to trillion not near enough. we have a math problem. if we owe 36 trillion, how does cutting to trillion really make

a dent? it that your drop in the ocean. it's going to take some serious cuts, serious readjustments, some serious votes that everybody behind me is willing to take. we are so excited about this new administration, so excited about the first tranche hopefully in a reconciliation of border patrol agents, funding for, putting tom holman and position which there could not be a better man to enforce what he says about deportation and getting this border circuit. i'm excited, excited that tax cuts hope to the second tranche will extend what president trump did that was so successful. it's a great day in america but is going to take some courage that everyone of these people behind the have and we've got a plan that we will put up hopefully the work of people with siebel were doing and have an up or down vote. thanks for covering this and i would like to call a good friend clay higgins.

>> thank you, sir. appreciate my colleagues for organizing this for the house freedom caucus is my colleagues the most conservative in the house. proud to stand with the senators who find themselves alone on the front line in this chamber. so stand before you today the most conservative members of the house and the senate, and we are together to support a two-step process strategy. america must present a reconciliation of the process is unique opportunity to avoid the senate filibuster during the annual budget congressional budget process. this is our opportunity to reset our spending, to change the trajectory of spending come to

reflect the priorities of the american people and to advance conservative policy wins. president trump was resoundingly elected by the american people. the incoming administration must be provided with the proper resources to accomplish real change beginning in january. the american people clearly demand we stop the arterial bleed at our border and finally told the wall and develop the assets necessary, funding the necessary manpower to enforce the laws that we only have on the books. we understand that necessary simplification and form will come later to ensure that the cost of living for working families is reduced. promises made, promises kept was a constant and admired thing of the first trump administration.

with this plan we will set up president trump to do it again from day one in his next term. i thank the senders and my colleagues in the house for allowing me to speak today, and i'm honored to introduce the next scott -- where -- their use. there there's my general ri. >> thanks. ladies and gentlemen, first of all credit goes to rick, mike, ron, the senators the stand on the frontline and, of course, our chairman freedom caucus andy harris. this is a a show you any american people that republicans have a plan, a plan to realize and to make sure not only president trump's mandate but america's wishes are fulfilled and that they can be fulfilled quickly and completely. and so we are set on getting the border stuff done almost immediately and is going to be paid for correctly and then we move on to the problem or

complicated issue of making sure the people don't have to pay more in tax initiative don't have to pay more for the goods and services they currently can't afford under a biden administration. the point is this plan is been put together with a great people upon the stage and others but mostly led by senator scott in andy harris and republicans have a plan to make sure president trump's mandate and america's wishes are fulfilled. thank you all. >> any of us can answer any questions anybody has. >> this year was brought updy a few times. even senators are posting saying they should not pick up this bill. the house sounds like it will vote on it today. you all user don't vote for crs so what is your message to speaker johnson and why you think -- [inaudible] >> over 1500 pages, right? the bills that never seemed light of day none of us knew what was in them. people are expected to vote on them very quickly.

more regulation, just wasteful spending. no pay-fors. makes no sense. we won the election. this has got to change. people act like you can't balance the budget. i balance the budget. you do it by looking at every thing you spend money on, look at every single like all the regulation you can cut 20% of relation. i'm appreciative of what elon musk and the background solid because we can do it. it's all doable. you want to probably talk about. >> let me common. gimmick if you don't send their reps to washington to -- taken a page the lesson twit for our assessment 100 simply don't scope at $113 billion without the opportunity to offer an amendment to pass this bill. the process is broken. i think the background song and elon musk recognize if they are empowered to some out reduce

government spending and reduce our deficit because as elon musk says, deficit equals inflation. that's the bottom line. when we do deficit spending where where patty murray, causing inflation. how are we going to change that if one of the actions we take after november 5 is to take a vote on a bill that $110 billion direct addition to doves and forget without even a vote on a pay for course we have to change the way business is done in washington. look, unfortunately i does look like we were probably vote on this today. they are whipping the votes over the house to see if that votes to pass this. most americans would be this is exactly what they think is wrong with washington. [inaudible question] >> i don't know. i'm only one vote out of 220. look i think the speaker could handle this diwali. i'm still support of the speaker but i will tell you voice of

both inside the house freedom caucus and outside the house freedom caucus have an effect is it was happen this week. [inaudible question] like chairman said, not going through, , not letting us vote individually. can't see what's in there and it's delivered. pay raises, how does that square? what return investment have given the people of america other than 37 trillion in debt? it makes no sense. and have no pay-fors? how does it work? no family or business would do that. no family of business as has been mentioned how do you, a a speed reader can't read 5047 pages in less than 24 hours. it's insanity. the next question is what you going to do? friday at 12:00 the budget. that's when the shutdown. look, it is what it is and we have to face it rather than saddled saddle each one of you young people with more and more debt, it's insanity and that's, it's,

it flies in the face of the doge commission. makes no sense. >> we need to realize since november fifth, since we got this mandate for president trump, the house if we pass this bill with $110 billion come we will the past were then $300 billion in additional spending since november 5. that's the trajectory that we've got to stop. thank you. >> democrats found out how hard it was to do immigration policy change because of the byrd rule. how are you guys going to get around or is there a way to get around objections to immigration policies that would be taken up? >> first off a little lower talk about what type of spending and having pay-fors. that's what were talking about

doing. we're not doing what the democrats are trying to is change immigration policy in this country. it's not, i don't know if anybody else to add anything? >> i just want to put a finer point on this. -- the prerequisite that you need in order to vote for the trump tax-cut? >> i don't think that's what you look at it. these are examples but everybody probably expects to get more. >> keep in mind this is not that bill. we are taught different reconciliation bill. from the beginning of the year. >> let me also add, the way you want to look at what could happen in 26 is an massive automatic tax increase. most republicans will do everything we can to avoid a

massive $4 trillion plus tax increase. from a standpoint standpoint and we do that somebody else mentioned supplication. i'd like to rationalize the tax code. that will take a longer time. there are some people arguing you have to combine border security with that and get the past. there's a great deal of pressure preventing that massive tax increase on american economy. that would be counterproductive. it would increase deficits because we do so at economic harm. again avoiding a tax increase. that's our top yorty once we get past securing the border. >> senator crapo i suggested maybe the tax part of the reconciliation -- [inaudible] rather than a couple of a son. how does that fit into objective?

>> i think it's two to make different ages. one issue is as senator johnson says we've got to stop this massive tax increases and using policy is a logical way doing that. there's opportunities to simplify the tax code but on top of that everyone we expect significant reductions in cost the government. we don't have a choice. if you look out economy with $28 trillion gdp. we have to refinance a pause trillion dollars in treasury as your post really $2 trillion a year. we've got to get a balanced budget or article to get them when you're? i could. i did as governor. every eye was governor, everybody appear could probably do that. we have to work with our colleagues to get there. >> i have to chime in, sorry. >> what we do is spending policy that ends is we extend that policy based on current policy. it's only tax policy that ends

test everything in the way our rules are written favors increasing spending, and this favors tax cuts. we're going to equalize that treatment. if we treat spending policies that and and extend is based on current policy so there's no score, no score to doing that, there shouldn't be a score when we continue current tax policy in preventing massive tax increases. trying to equalize that treatment. it's a totally within the jurisdiction budget committee. i serve on that. chairman graham be supportive of that as well. makes common sense. >> thanks, everyone. [inaudible conversations] the clerk: mr. vance, aye.

the clerk: mr. markey, aye.

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: mr. scott of florida, aye. the clerk: mr. hawley, aye.

vote:

to your broader question about any personal this time we don't have personnel and domestics at the moment and were continuing the situation and when be appropriate to go into syria beyond our concentrated presence in the northeast. >> there's been reports today of fighting in the north near syria with the syrian kurdish fighters are no not mention the extension of the one truth how do you think in turkey.

>> that's exactly right. i will echo what matt said yesterday the fire has been extended in its holding number close to monitoring the situation around combining in the situation is fluent were not seen large-scale encouraging and inadequate to get a private diplomatic discussions but were working hard to avoid escalation especially in northern syria most important to us is continuing to work with the local partners to carry out the shared d isis vision is a priority for them initiation making a pretty clear and has been the case before the asad regime, bradley i don't want to operate in hypothetical, word and continue to monitor what is happening in the region and take it from there.

i will double check on that, answer the question on the call as i mentioned talking about peace and stability across the region and making sure that there's nothing happen that we would view as escalatory for a priority for partners in the region and more specifics of the call beyond that. senator rubio is here secretary bhagat had an opportunity to sit down with senator rubio it was a good and substantive conversation. as we said initially when they first had the opportunity to speak on the phone that we expected them to have an engagement at some point this is consistent with that and as we

said we continue to stand ready to help support a seamless transition from january the presiding officer: have all senators voted? does any senator wish fo change his or her vote? if not, on this volt the yeas are 73, the nays are 27. three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in the affirmative, the motion is agreed to. the presiding officer: the junior senator from maryland. mr. van hollen: thank you, madam president. you know, we all have state p and local governments that have control over their own judicial

systems. for example, in my state of maryland, we have the maryland court of appeals, lower courts in the state of maryland. then of course we have the federal court systems. what i'm talking about today has nothing to do with the federal court system. what i'm talking about today has to do with judges appointed to the district of columbia. and because of current law, this congress oversees those judicial actions. and p i think we would all agree that if we are here in the united states senate blocking decisions, nominations made for judges back in our states or our local jurisdictions, that would be kind of a bizarre thing to do. so i want to make it clear that today we're not talking about the supreme court of the united states or the u.s. court of appeals or federal district

court judges. we're talking about the local judges for the people of the district of columbia. and in that local court system, they have a commission that determines who the nominees are, that the president nominates the local judges because of the statutes governing the district of columbia within the united states congress. p and i've heard p on the floor of the senate many times legitimate concerns expressed about a crime in the district of columbia and a backlogged court system in the district of columbia. yet, some until today -- and i hope today will be different -- have blocked consideration of votes on the judges for the people of the district of columbia.

and because of that, washington, d.c.'s court system has been plagued by vacancies for years. they currently have 11 vacancies, 9 on superior court that handles civil, criminal, and small claims cases; and 2 on the court of appeals. and because of these vacancies, fewer judges are having to take on significantly more cases leading to long delays. in some cases these proceedings take years. judges in the civil division are handling things like landlord and p tenant disputes, medical malpractice and discrimination. and they're handling double the casework that they used to, an average of 473 cases a year. without the the appointment of a new judge -- in other words, dweent allow the appointment of a new judge here -- there will

be only one judge handling all of the criminal, domestic, violence, misdemeanors. 30 to 60 cases per day. i want to say that again. unless we take this action, you're going to only have one judge overseeing criminal, domestic, violence, misdemeanors, 30 to 60 cases a day with long waits for litigants and significant delays in resolving domestic violence cases. judges are double and triple booking trial dates. 100 to 200 cases every year are delayed in the court of appeals. again, not the u.s. court of appeals. i want to make it clear, this is the district of columbia system and their court of appeals. the judges before us today are all nonpartisan. in fact, two of them were previously nominated by president trump.

it gives you an idea how long they have been waiting. they are not interpreting federal law. they're overseeing local, criminal, and civil cases, just like judges in our state and local courts, as i said. so i just want to be really cl clear, our colleagues are going to delay these judges, they are going to make it even more difficult for the people of d.c. to deal with criminal justice issues and with their civil litigation. so i really hope given the fact that we're not talking about federal judges, we will be able to proceed with these nominations and support them. and with that, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that as if in executive session, the

senate proceed to consideration of the following nomination -- ken kenechukwu onyemaechi okocha to be an associate judge of the superior court of the district of columbia. that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening, that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the record, that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. marshall: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. van hollen: p madam president, would it be in order if i ask what the basis of the objection is given the fact

that these are nonpartisan judges for the district of columbia. would that question be in order if i were to yield to the gentlemen? he the the presiding officer: the senator may ask questions through the chair. mr. van hollen: i'm wondering if my colleague, my colleague from kansas would like to explain the basis for objecting to a judge, this particular judge in the d.c. court system. the presiding officer: the senator should continue. mr. van hollen: i gather not. okay. so i ask that it be -- i ask that it be in order to make the same request with respect to calendar number 767, sherri

malloy beatty-arthur to be an associate judge for the super court of the district of columbia -- superior court of the district of columbia. the presiding officer: is there objection? p mr. marshall: madam president, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. van hollen: madam president, i ask that it be in order to make the same request with respect to calendar 768, erin camille johnston to be an associate judge of the superior court of the doevenlth the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. marshall: madam president, i object. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. marshall: i object, madam president. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. van hollen: madam president, i ask that it be made in order to make the same request with respect to 769, ray d. mckenzie to be an associate judge of superior court of the doevenlth the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. marshall: madam president, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. van hollen: i ask that it be made in order to make the same

request with respect to calendar number p # 770, rahkel bouchet, to be associate judge of the superior court of the district of columbia. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. marshall: objection is heard. mr. van hollen: madam president, i ask that it be made in order to make the same request with respect to calendar number 771, john cuong truong to be an associate judge of the superior court of the district of columbia. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. marshall: madam president, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. van hollen: madam president, i ask that it be made in order to make the same request with respect to calendar number 838, james graham lake to be an associate be judge of the superior court of the district of columbia. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. marshall: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. van hollen: i ask that it be

in order to make the same request with respect to calendar number 839, nicholas george miranda to be an associate judge of the superior court of the district of columbia. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. marshall: madam president, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. van hollen: madam president, i ask that it be made in order to make the same request with respect to calendar number 774, carmen g. iguina gonzalez to be an associate judge of the district of columbia court of appeals. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. marshall: madam president, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. van hollen: madam president, i'm going to try one more time. i ask that it be in order to make the same request with respect to calendar number 2775 -- 775, joseph russell palmore to be an associate judge of the district of columbia court of appeals. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. marshall: madam president, i object. the presiding officer: objection

is heard. mr. van hollen: madam president, i would just say that based on what i said in my earlier remarks, i have not heard, and the body has not heard, of any good reason to be blocking these judges for the district of col columbia. not heard one substantive objection to any of these individuals. have not heard any other rationale for why we're not going to act on these judges right away. and as i indicated, the result of inaction and blocking these judges is just to back up the entire court system of the district of columbia. criminal cases, civil cases -- it makes no sense. and if someone was looking on on the senate right now, they would see this as one of the many

examples of complete dysfunction because of the kind of obstruction, based on who knows what rationale for doing the right thing for the district of col columbia. this is just one reason why many of us support statehood for the feel of the district of columbia. they shouldn't have to have the united states senate sign off on their judicial nominations, just as we don't sign off on judicial nominations for state courts, whether it be the state of wisconsin or my state of maryland. we don't sign off on nominations for local courts in our states. but we do have that power for now, and responsibility for now, in the united states senate, and this is just an example of total failure to live up to our respon responsibility, to make sure that there's a functioning court

system in the district of columbia. so, it's another bad day as we come to the close of this congress, another unnecessary obstruction that just makes it more difficult for people to get justice in civil cases or in criminal cases, and for people to be held accountable in criminal cases, including, as i mentioned, the many domestic violence cases. so, with that, madam president,

we are waiting for senator to come to the floor they passed the annual defense program and policy bill known as the nda

that totals $884 billion in funding for the pentagon and includes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted personnel and improved housing for military service members. in addition it prohibits military healthcare covering children under 18 for gender affirming hormone therapy, the bill goes to the president's desk for his signature in the upper chamber is waiting on the house to send over a major funding the federal government until march 14 of next year, that bill includes $100 billion for victims of natural disasters. current government funding runs out at midnight on friday. you are watching live coverage of the senate on c-span2.

sean did want to kick us off. >> should we start with syria. secretary had a call with the board minister the czech republic in protecting power. was there any discussion of activity update of the u.s. personnel. >> we will have the secretaries call go out and do time and get ahead of the process much of the secretaries engagements over the past many as it's related to the situation and involve collaborating and talking with interlocutors. we are not alone and we want to see stability across the region and nothing we see is consistent with escalation but beyond that with the call come out to your broader question any personnel i do not have anything to announce at this time we don't have any

in damascus at the moment were continue to assess the situation and consider when might be the appropriate time for personnel to going to syria beyond our concentrated presence in the northeast. >> let me get to one more there have been reports. and with your working staff in the extension and there are couple of things. that's exactly right all echo what he said this has been extended and were closely monitoring the situation around company bonnie and wallace fluent were not seen large-scale fighting or incursions and inequity get into diplomatic

discussions but were working hard to avoid escalation especially in northern syria most important it is continuing to work with the local partners to carry out the shared di position that is a top policy and has been the case before the asad regime and to continue to monitor. >> and the secretary call we will have a former readout today. i will double check on that. instability across the region.

in making sure there's nothing that will happen that you will be in control and priority for partners in the region but i will not get into more specifics. >> let's switch topics. >> the secretary of lincoln had an opportunity to sit down with senator rubio and conversations. as we said initially when they first had the opportunity to speak on the phone to have an engagement this is consistent with that. >> i will not be offering any more adjectives in the private

meeting. we'll leave it at that. i'm just not going to get into that detail. >> is not three minutes it was a good chunk of time. at that. >> i'm not going to give the little of sub inches of medics into similar case. it will be given corporately or at c-span spinnaker there anymore meetings. >> i don't have any more meetings.

>> another secretary has been having this meeting and i will let the trump transition team speak to any details as it relates to the planning but the state department and other foreign policy priorities. >> thank you. iraq he officials are saying the u.s. demanded iraq to dismantle arms groups backed by iran and their countries and observing to fulfill this demand if the iraq he government does not act. >> we have long said what it comes for people personnel and service members in harm's way from the line groups that are operating within iraq we will take appropriate measures to

protect her personnel and her people but beyond that we also believe there is a responsibility on the iraq he government to do everything possible to bring bad actors to justices is nothing new and nothing different than what we said previously. >> on the sanctions that was announced today my question is this how do the sanctions in general in the past four years with the biden administration do they change it either behavior whether they were against the oil industry, uab and we can see with uab today is sending this to russia. >> a few things, first it's because of this administration continues sanctions and implementation that this department has an assessment that the regime seem only a fraction of the market price for the oil and able to sell and as a result of the sanctions iran's government has failed with the

budget projection again this year and rial is the lowest it's ever been. the other broad point or designation in important actions and efforts all of these disrupt iran access to funds, goods and services and technology and its ability to perpetuate destabilization and action across the region and we will be steadfast in our efforts to expose and cut off iran's ability to generate revenue, this is an ongoing priority not to the united states but for others as well including allies and partners as well as a g7. >> thank you in ukraine and north korea and china, ukraine president zelenskyy with the most careers in the little older

than the north korean soldier in the human rights violation. >> the human rights in the dtrk for the human rights concerns are related that's been a concern of ours as it relates for some time now is why we continue to be incredibly concerned

in the basement in the family and it wouldn't speak to something like this and were aware of these reports and were aware and things that will be consistent esident, thank you. i rise today for the final time as a united states senator with a heart full of gratitude. when i was growing up in scranton, pennsylvania, my mother, ellen harding casey, would often say to my brothers, sisters, and me, quote, count your blessings. count your blessings. she would say that over and over again. so today i seek to do that on the floor of the united states senate. i begin with an expression of a deep abinding attitude to the people of pennsylvania, who i

have served for in three state executive offices. first as auditor general, then as state treasurer and for the last 18 years as a united states senator. it has been a privilege to have served our commonwealth, to have served the people of our commonwealth. now for 39 and a half years, i've been blessed by the unconditional love and unfailing support of my wife teres, the oldest daughter of john fapiano. every day that i've been a public official, teresa has been the fouvendation of our -- foundation of our family. her love for me and our daughters has been boundless and constant. i want to thank each of our four daughters who are with us today. and for me just saying their

names is like a prayer of thanksgiving, elise, caroline, julia and marina, they, like terese sacrificed so much while i was in public office. i'm so proud of the accomplished young women they have become. elise and her husband michael gave us max, age 4 and aiden, a 2-year-old. both of whom bring so much joy to our lives. i'm so grateful that my brothers and sisters, their spouses and teresa's sisters and their spouses and so many of my nieces and nephews are with us today, and so many friends from all across our commonwealth. i remembered today my late

parents, bob and ellen casey to gave me and my siblings life and love as well as their shining exams of meeting every person with respect. my father was a testament to the inscription on the finance building in harrisburg where he once worked and i worked as well. this inscription guided my work all these years. it says, all public service is a trust given in faith and accepted in honor. the senate is a place where senators are accorded most of the attention, not breaking news there. today i want to thank, of course, the men and women who don't get the head alliance, the -- headlines. the men and women who work behind-the-scenes every day, the staff of the senate sergeant at arms and door keepers who keep

the senate running smoothly, delta, lacy, roketa and neil, just go out of their way to make everybody feel like a vip. and the staff who cater our special dinners. the men and women of the architect of the capitol and senate superintendent who clean up the capitol buildings and keep the facilities ee mack late every day -- eye mack late every day, and, of course, the capitol police officers. how can we even begin to thank them for their service? police officers keep us and our complex safe every day. many of you will never get the commendation or credit that you deserve. but the work you do is vital and

is a great service to our nation. of course i'll miss working with senators on both sides of the aisle, many of whom are here with us today. i'm grateful for lasting friendships like senator brown on my right, senator klobuchar on my left. we have a lot of stories, which i won't share today but i'm so grateful for their friendship, and all of my 2006 classmates and so many others in different classes that came in after us and before us. so many senators who served with distinction. i've been honored to serve these past two years with my friend and pennsylvania colleague, senator fetterman. i'm honored he is with us again today. majority leader schumer and the late senator harry reid, i want to thank them for encouraging me to run back in 2005. i want to thank chuck for his leadership and our friendship.

i've been blessed to served by an exceptional staff. from my former chief of staff jim brown and former legislative director dick spiegelman and kristen gentile and derek miller, who is right between the, i am grateful to have had help in the state. teresa dennis has served with me every year i've been a public official. these last few years were especially challenging for our office and i know many others with the pandemic and so much else. we had the pandemic and then not too long after that were in a long, difficult election cycle. i was blessed to have kristen gentile, my chief of staff whose leadership and hard work guided

our staff through difficult and demanding times. she led with grace, grit, and humor and i'm grateful for her public service here in the senate. but i want to thank each and every single person who served on my senate staff from january 7 -- january 3, 2007 to today. they worked tirelessly every day to help the people of pennsylvania. so i want to thank our staff who are on both corners of the room here, the left and the right, both present and past, and i know some others in the galleries. so grateful for their work. without objection, madam president, i ask consent to enter the names of all my past and current staff both in my office and on the aging committee into the record so they can be recognized for their hard work and exemplary public service for the people of pennsylvania and our nation. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. casey: thank you. i'm proud of the work we've done

together on behalf of the people of pennsylvania to fight or our children, our seniors, people with disabilities, our veterans and our workers. in my 18 years in the senate, i worked to pass many laws focused on improving the lives of every day americans. allow me to give some examples. one of my proudest accomplishments is the steven beck junior achieving a better life experience act, so-called able act which turned 10 years old this month. before able, people with disabilities could not save more than $2,000 without risking access to their benefits, forcing many into a permanent state of poverty. i worked with senator richard burr to pass this legislation so people with disabilities can save for their futures. there are almost 190,000 able account holders across the

nation who have already saved over $2 billion. brenda dare is one of those, an able account holder from allegheny county, pennsylvania, she said able, quote, gives us a way to be fully functional citizens who are able to save and prepare for their futures. her able account allows brenda to serve -- to own her own home and to raise her if these full time. and building on the success of the program, starting in 2026, people who acquire their disability before the age of 46 will be able to open able accounts, expanding eligibility a to 6 million more americans, including more than a million veterans. in 2013, i passed the campus save act to put greater responsibility on colleges and universities to prevent sexual assault on college campuses. this was important legislation to make sure students understoot their rights -- understood their

rights and protections on campus. it has made college campuses safer in the decades since its passage. the pregnant workers' fairness act passed two years ago this month provides pregnant women with, quote, reasonable accommodations, unquote, to work and to maintain a healthy pregnancy as they continue to do their work. senator bill cassidy worked with me to pass this bill and i'm grateful for his help. modeled after -- simple things like a stool to sit on or a water bottle or a bathroom break and other accommodations, just as people with disabilities have been able to ask for accommodations of other kinds for the past three decades in their workplaces. a number of years ago as a member of the senate agriculture committee, i was proud to author

a law that has dramatically improved our schools and our children's nutrition. that provision, modeled after a philadelphia pilot program, allowed high-poverty schools to offer school lunch and breakfast free of charge. nearly 68% of american school districts now offer free meals under this option, and 20 million children attend schools offering universal free meals. that's ten times the number of children as in 2010. captain victor ceracini was a bucks county resident killed in the terrorist attacks of 9/11. his wife ellen ceracini turned her unimaginable grief into action and she fought to pass legislation to make airline cockpits safer. i was honored to work along

ellen to make sure that new airplanes are built with a second barrier to the cockpit and to retrofit older planes. she is laws will help prevent future terrorist attacks. we all know the global food ink security around the world not only leaves millions of children starving and malnourished, but it also creates political instability. i worked with my republican colleagues to authorize and then to reauthorize more than once the global food security act to combat food insecurity and create economic opportunity and promote international stability. i also fought to keep our servicemembers safe in afghanistan by working to reduce the number of ied's, those awful explosives devices. in the 200's -- in the 2000's ied's were killing and wounding people at an awful rate. by pushing the pentagon, by

2012, deaths by ied's had dropped significantly. but passing legislation isn't the only measure of success in the senate. i am an extraordinarily proud senator of the work that was done by my constituent services team currently led by lindsey martin, all of whom have some of the hardest jobs here in government, anywhere in the capitol, in our states as well. over the course of my three terms in the senate, they have closed almost 200,000 constituent cases. let me give you just four examples. first, the number represents pennsylvanians we helped get social security benefits that they were due but were not receiving. second, a 94-year-old world war ii veteran from philadelphia for whom we secured updated discharge papers and back pay

reflecting a promotion he had been denied because he was a black soldier. the first responder from erie, we helped secure money from the 9/11 victims' compensation fund. and finally a mother whose son was denied care from the insurance company for two months until our office reached out on their behalf. and so many more constituents across the state. finally, i fought to deliver federal funding for pennsylvania families and communities in all 68 counties. i worked to provide investments to lift up families during the pandemic, support public safety by delivering funding for police and fire departments, improve water and sewer systems, roads and bridges and support local nonprofits that protect the most vulnerable among us. in southwestern pennsylvania, that economy of that corner of the state relies upon our waterway system. the port of pittsburgh and the region's locks and damns move

essential commodities. those waterways create jobs and promote economic development. without our waterways, the region's entire economy would come to a standstill, threatening some 200,000 jobs. thanks to the infrastructure law and persistent work over many years to highlight just how vital these waterways are, i was able to secure nearly a billion dollars to row place the montgomery locks and damn in beaver county, pennsylvania, and invest in the broader waterway system. in 2016, during a phone call with county commissioners in southwestern pennsylvania, one of the commissioners just started to scream into the phone. he said, senator, kids can't do their homework! and he made a point to me that i'll never forget. so i went to work, as we all did on high-speed internet. i was able to deliver significant investments to expand high-speed internet to

rural communities across our commonwealth. without high-speed internet, not only are schoolchildren adve adversely impacted, small businesses can't connect with their customers, farmers can't fix their equipment when it breaks down in the field. but that's changing. just last week i was in washington county in the southwestern corner of our state to highlight the expansion of high-speed internet for 9,000 residents and small businesses in rural communities. made possible by a public-private partnership that folks at the local level started, but it included $25 million from the american rescue plan legislation. washington county is not alone. high-speed internet is being deployed all across the commonwealth. as many of you know, pennsylvania has a rich history of energy production. our coal miners risked their health and their safety appeared many lost their lives over generations to power the nation.

pennsylvania's energy workers, i would argue, are the best in the world, and they're also well-equipped to lead us into the energy economy of the future. as the senate worked to pass the inflation reduction act, as many know, a bill to spur a new energy manufacturing renaissance, i made sure that pennsylvania energy companies were first in line. in the bill, i secured an energy communities tax credit for investment in clean energy facilities in communities whose economies have relied upon coal, oil, or natural gas. these incentives are spurring investment all across pennsylvania, from the mineral basin solar plant on an abandoned minelands in clear field county to the expanded demand for hydro production in york county. mr. president, i want to wrap up with just some thoughts about what's ahead for the next congress and the next number of

congresses probably with some of these challenges. i want to highlight some of the challenges that lie ahead for our nation. there are so many priorities we could talk about today, like combating climate change and gun violence and the opioid crisis, lowering costs for families, providing home and community-based services for seniors and people with disabilities, and there are so many more that i didn't mention. as many of you know, and you see it in your own communities, your own families, your own states, it's much more difficult to raise a family and provide long-term stabilitieds than it -- stabilities than it used to be. pennsylvanians used to be able to work one job, often without a college degree, and provide for their families for decades. there is a big moment in 2025, a tax bill -- i won't be here for it -- but a this tax bill -- but that tax bill will be a critical moment for american families. congress will decide whether to help middle-class and low-income

families or to continue what i would argue is a 40-year trend to provide substantial tax benefits to the largest corporations on the planet earth and the wealthiest americans. i hope that the senate will act to help the middle class and those striving to get to the middle class. i urge as well the senate to make the child tax credit -- something that senator brown and senator bennet long ago introduced legislation on -- to make that child tax credit -- two words -- fully refundable. rather than provide more corporate and high-income tax breaks. when that tax credit was made fully refundable in 2021, that one action changed the lives of so many children. reduced childhood poverty by 40 -- 40%. i've long warned, as a united states senator, that china is not just a competitor, it is an

economic adversary. and that we must continue to confront china head on. i've often said that when china cheats, pennsylvania loses jobs. i've worked for years to crack down on china's trade cheating and to limit the rick of sending -- the risk of sending our national intelligence security and know-how to china. senator cornyn and i have been worked for years to pass legislation to crack down on u.s. investments in china so that it would undermine our national security and later this week congress will pass a version of that legislation in the continuing resolution to fund the government. we all know that a key to global competitiveness lies here at home. in order to compete globally, we must invest in our children. inspired by franklin roosevelt's four freedoms, i introduced in he recally 2020 a -- in early 2020 a set of ideas where i proposed five, five freedoms for

america's children -- the freedom to be healthy, the freedom to learn, the freedom to have economic security, the freedom to be safe from harm, and the freedom from hunger. if every american child, every american child, was able to benefit from these five freedoms, they would have the opportunity to succeed in life. there are so many benefits to our nation as well -- a higher-skilled workforce -- if we invest in our kids. a greatest gdp, a stronger national security. a healthier society, if -- if -- we invest in our children. finally, madam president, the senate and the american people have to make a choice in the years ahead between dictators and democracy. we must continue to support not just in the senate and the house but as americans, continue to

support the people of ukraine in their consequential war with a murderous dictator, vladimir putin. our nation has generously supported the ukrainian military. we cannot stop. abandoning them now undermines freedom-loving people all over the world. so, madam president, you and others have been a patient audience, but i'd like to conclude with just some final thoughts. i want to go back to my mother. inspired by my mother, i have been granted today the privilege of counting my blessings on the floor of the united states senate. one of the greatest blessings in my life, and i know for so many people here, has been the blessing of public service. as the scriptures tell us, it is in giving that we receive. dr. martin luther king jr. said it another way. he said, and i quote, everyone

can be great because everyone can serve, unquote. king taught us in that simple statement that the word great in this context isn't about fame or acclaim or notoriety or riches. great is about something much more valuable, much more valuable -- the opportunity to help others. i will continue to do my part to serve as a citizen and as a pennsylvanian. and serving in the united states senate has been an honor of a lifetime. thank you and god bless you. i yield the floor. [applause,)

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today members as annual defense program policies, that totals nearly $884 billion in funding and includes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted personnel and military service members. in addition it prohibits military healthcare government and children under 18 are gender

affirming hormone, the bill goes to the president's desk members waiting on the house to send over a measure funding the federal government until march next year that includes $100 billion for natural disasters, current government funding runs out at midnight on friday. watching live coverage of the senate on c-span2. mr. fetterman: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from pennsylvania. mr. fetterman: thank you. this is not a speech that i ever expected to give and definitely never wanted to give. discussing this has been

difficult. anyone that was with us last night at that dinner would confirm that. but today on the floor of the senate, and for the record i will confirm that bob casey is pennsylvania's best senator. and now it's difficult to follow bob casey right now, but also without him i really can't imagine it. for 18 years, bob showed up. he put his head down, he worked, and he delivered for pennsylvania. it's been a supreme honor to call bob a colleague, a friend, and a mentor. during my campaign, bob was by my side. when i had a stroke, he lent me

his voice when i was learning how to speak again. i never forgot that. and when i got to the senate two years ago, he became a mentor to me at a very difficult time in my life, he stuck by me. because that's who bob is -- a friend and an amazing senator. every day for 18 years he fought for working pennsylvanians. he fought for our rural communities. he fought for seniors and for people with disabilities, including myself. he fought for all of us. after 18 years, bob casey's legacy is a better pennsylvania. thank you, bob casey.

thank you, madam president. i yield to the floor. [applause] mr. brown:i've enjoyed watching senator casey and mentoring. marcus aware ril why yous ss said -- marcus aurilius said humility is the foundation. hugh mill ty encompasses bob casey every single day. we work with his staff more than any other office.

i feel that what he brings to this, that uncommon humility, uncommon kindness in his personal relationships with his friends in the back row here and uncommon kindness to the people of pennsylvania, and in uncommon kindness with his own staff. i love watching that. little tests, little staff turnover, the energy they bring, kindness they bring. one of the things that brought that home to me is he concentrated on constituent service. bob casey understands that to do this job, the real building blocks of this job is you help people individually. tens of thousands of people he's helped in his offices, and i guess philadelphia and pittsburgh -- all these inferior to ohio cities in pennsylvania. what he's brought to his offices

in reaching out to people is the building blocks of public service. he has been a public servant extraordinary in the way he does his work, until the way he does his job. as i said, he brings that uncommon kindness, that uncommon humility and it infuses his work. it infuses it in constituent service. it infuses his work in fighting for economic justice. he didn't talk that much in his speech about wheeze done with children -- what he's done with children and four children. i saw his children and terese downstairs before his speech and got a chance to talk to them. i've watched them grow up. terese was already grown up. i watched the daughters grow up in 18 years, and the energy and commitment to service i've seen in them has been a delight to watch. but he didn't talk all that much about what he's done for children. nobody in this body focused their work on children as much as bob casey.

it's the child tax credit for sure, but it's so many other things. for disabled kids, giving kids from e ri e to sharon to philly. when i think about bob casey, i think about standing up for the little guy. i heard him talk about trips to the grocery store and how some people in this body p blame inflation on government spending which of course doesn't hold economic water. but bob has really focused on helping me come to discuss inflation. connie and i go to church, whaend we go to church -- and when we go to church on sunday we often stop at a nearby grocery store and talk to people at the checkout the counter or meat aisles talking about how much things cost. bob has this understanding. he calls it shrink-fla ti on.

who he taught me -- what he taught me to say you're paying higher prices by stock buy backs and exorbitant profits. bob understood that and always fought for the little guy. i so appreciate the friendship, first of all. i appreciate the gentleness of spirit in his uncommon empathy and understanding. he always understood in part because he goes home and listens. he doesn't go home and makes a lot of speeches. he have goes home and listens to people and understands their concerns. he brought them here. he made such a difference for pennsylvania as he made such a difference for ohioans and people in the other 48 states. and i will be eternally grateful for bob casey for that friendship, for the humility that he has shown towards his job and towards the world around him and just for being a really, really good man.

[applause] ms. klobuchar: madam president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: madam president, i rise from the back row with some of my best friends back here to honor, like everyone gathered here today, bob casey, who served the commonwealth of pennsylvania for 17 years here with honor, dignity, and, yes, joy. served before he got here, as he noted. always a public servant, and will serve after he leaves here. that we know for sure. so, yes, we were this great class of freshman senators together. and i do remember when bob first led the senate in the pledge of allegiance -- is this not correct -- the day after we got sworn in. there was someone who was partic particularly rural bound that worked -- rule bound that worked h here at the time.

bob finished, thought he had done his job. he comes back to his seat, and she says to him, you know what, senator. in the united states senate when we say the pledge of allegiance, we put our hand over our heart. he said that's what i did. she goes no. you were doing it as if you were getting sworn in again. it is a true story, thank you, one of my virtues. i remember our first day of clas briefings. we had no idea what we were doing. h they go you go right at the statute, left at this thing. the two of us were wandering through the halls of the senate, got completely lost. all of a sudden we saw a group of minnesotans coming over and they go look, it's amy, and she has a guard. so not missing a beat, your senator, bob casey, goes all full secret service on us and plays the part.

we have been friends ever since. i think so many people here see bob as their friend. so many people in pennsylvania see him that way. terese and bob were over with us last night, and i got to watch the video of his post election day and one of his neighbors, just man on the street, interviewed who said i've always been a republican, but bob is such a good neighbor, so i voted for him. i think that's a lot about bob. in 1977, minnesota's happy warrior vice president, hubert humphrey -- and this is the ultimate compliment for minnesotans -- he said this -- the moral test of government is how the government treats those who are in the dawn of life, treats those who are in the twilight of life, and treats those who are in the shadows of life. from the moment bob casey got to this place, he saw that as his

job. always look liking out for people -- always looking out for people who didn't have a voice. always looking out for people who couldn't afford to hire a lobbyist. always looking out for people when no one else was listening. he did that. he looked out for seniors and people with disabilities with the able act. i have been with him when people have come up and told him that because of bob casey and his leadership on that bill, when no one else was caring about it in the u.s. senate, they have a savings and they have a future life. he headed up the aging committee, looking out for people in the invite of their life. he -- in the l twilight of their life. fought to bring down prescription drug costs, stood up for kids on child care when no one else was doing it. looking oult for people in the dawn of their life. he made adoption easier for americans looking to start families. and that is barely scratching the surface. we have worked on 150 pieces of legislation together, but who's

counting, and we're still friends. what made bob a truly good friend is you can still trust him, an environment where you tell people things and tell them don't tell anyone, and the next day it's either in the news or a colleague down the hallway is saying i heard about this. not bob. he keeps your trust. and that way he's been to me like a brother i never had. his friends trust him, his family trusts him, the people of pennsylvania trust him. and i will add maybe that is something to do with this incredible family of his. seven brothers and sisters, four daughters. that must have been a time growing up. and of course terese. when you put all those names in the record, i thought it was going to be your entire family and it was going to take up the day's record. so we want to thank you, bob, for everything you've done. we can't wait to hear what you do next. thank you for your public service. thank you for being a true public servant.

thank you. you had the presiding officer: the senior senator from new jersey. mr. booker: thank you very much, madam president. soech niceness -- so much niceness for this guy. i want to clear the record and have a beef to settle with the good senator from pennsylvania. ively tell you this, i -- i will tell you this. i consider myself a person of faith. i think that senator bob casey has done something very irreligious, if i must say. i know he grew up as a catholic. i grew up in a baptist church. we're both christians, very different religious faiths. but i have an issue with bob casey because an are organizing bible verse that i used to tell people that was how i motivated my life, i come here, and you l completely eviscerate my

allegiance to this bible verse. and so i'm using this -- forgive me, i might be rule 19 by somebody for maligning a colleague, but i'm upset you have made me lose my religion a little bit. i'll give you an example. if you know, point of order? no. will the senator yield? no, i will not. matthew 25 is one of the bible verses for so much of my life motivated me. the lord said, as hungry and you fed thee, and it ends with this in verse 40, and then you shall answer and say to them, insomuch you have done to the least of these, my brethren, you have done to me.

the least of these, i thought that was my calling, my faith. for 10 years, 11 years i've been in the senate, you have undermined doing unto the least of these. bob, if i may call you that, sir. i came into the senate thinking that was our job, but i've watched you for 11 years never see anyone as least. you have this way of looking at everybody and seeing their grandeur. you see people not as they are -- as they are in a lower station in any way, but you have a way of seeing people as if they are a reflection of the divine themselves. i had a very humbling experience in the past seven days with good

senator from iowa and we were down in the basement of dirksen when people from the disability community from pennsylvania and from all around america came to give you tribute. and as i sat there welling up at the tributes to you from their extraordinary americans, every person that spoke and that i spoke to afterwards told me that you saw them, that you were a person that recognized their humanity, that recognized their strength, that saw their character, capabilities, and that you were not doing to any least but that you were elevating everyone, and this nation in the process. you pointed out when you remarked about the little lobbyists and how powerful they were in saving health care for all americans. and so i want to tell you in my

farewell to you after your speech that when i was coming out of college, my greatest hero in america was not a senator or a politician, it was marion wright edelman. i thought that should be the calling of this country to focus on children. i loved what was said, so much of america's tragic and costly failures to care for all of its children tends from our tendency to distinguish between our children and other people's children as if justice were divisible. i see this framing that has made humanity suffer for thousands of years of those who frame humanity in us versus them.

you have this superpower to only see just us. it's not your family and my family, we are family to try not to sound like a famous song. somehow, my friend, you make real. the words of one of my favorite poets, who simply say, we are each other's hardest, we are each other's business, we are each other's magnitude and bond. i look up to you, bob. i see in you, if you ask me what's the difference between a hollywood heartthrob and what does bob casey have in common with a hollywood heartthrob, i would say nothing at all. you are not sexy, you are, you

know, not black russ. my church -- not glamorous, you had people in the pulpit giving great speeches, you must have gone to a very boring church, but somehow you made me aspire to know in the senate a difference between celebrity and signi significance, a difference between a show horse and workhorse, that you are reaching out and reaching down for others, to reach down before god's kreegsz. i end with this, marion elliott inspired me at the beginning of my career and the way -- and you

have inspired me now. i still am inspired by people who care about kids. that's why you have been one of my hoarse. to -- heros. from the words of chris coons i would like to end with some s swa -- swahili words. they are the -- they defend those who are powerful in their fierce fighting capabilities and fight for those who are powerless. when they are out and about they have a greeting that they say to each other, and the greeting, if i'm pronouncing it right is -- and that translates, this is the greeting, two warriors when they see each other, they greet each

other and what it means and the -- it means one warrior says to the other, how are the children, and the response of two warriors is the children are well. this is the indicator for the people of what the strongest, the most powerful and fearsome fighters are most focused on is the children. you, my friend, are one of the greatest warriors i have ever served with. i know your heart, i know your moral come pass, i know how you -- compass, i know how you live every day, and i have two words to say, asante sana.

thank you, very much. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from delaware. mr. coons: i rise in defense of my colleague from the commonwealth of pennsylvania. bob casey is sexy. being fully bald is not the sole indicator of celebrity or sexiness. even though an inspiring quote was delivered by my friend from new jersey, that was not s swahili. i will just briefly say of my

dear friend and colleague, of my neighbor, traveling companion, partner and source of inspiration that long before i imagined i could ever be a senator, i served in local government in delaware and knew that there was to our north a son of scranton who was someone who was deeply grounded in his family, in his faith, and in a sense of justice. some mistake senator casey for not only not being sexy but for not being a fighter. one of the things i have held most closely to as i have tried to conduct myself in this chamber and in this work of being a senator with humility and dignity and kindness, is that it is possible, in fact, daily demonstrated that someone like senator casey, who is humble and unassuming, who is

generous and kind, who sees everyone, who treats all of us with respect to still be fierce and to still be determined and to still be a fire the and to -- fighter and still to be someone who sees righteousness and refuses to yield. there was attributed to st. francis an important saying, i think, preach the gosple at all times. senator casey's walk through life, along with his incredible blessing, terese, along side the am amazing blessing of elise, julian, caroline, has been a walk of dignity and fierceness. to fight for the five freedoms

for children, to coauthor the global food security act, to be someone who crafts legislation that touches people all over our country and the world is to deliver on the promise and the call of the gospel. from your time as a jesuit volunteer, from your days at a dance at holy cross, from the days that you have spent here and crisscrossing the commonwealth, you have shown with a heart like a lion that you are every bit a fighter, that those on twitter and tv, that you are every bit as fierce. we have had the blessing of traveling with you, my wife annie and i with terese and bob, and what you said about fighting

for ukraine and ukrainians and seen everyone and caring for everyone, we saw the joy that you brought for delivering relief for ukrainian children refugees. this place will not be the same without my colleague from pennsylvania. i have never campaigned harder for a colleague. i've never been more disappointed at an outcome, and it has never seemed more unjust to me than the days we must face ahead without this son of scranton who has not just counted his blessings before us today but who has been a blessing to us every single day. with that, madam president, i yield the floor.

mr. durbin: madam president. the presiding officer: the democratic whip. mr. durbin: i want to add a few years to the tribute to you, bob. i've been fortunate enough to join you in campaign in your home state. i remember your first campaign and the trip that i took to try and help and it ended with a party at the end of the day, and if i'm not mistaken, it was a bank that had been converted into some meeting hall -- mr. casey: a bar. mr. durbin: more appropriate. and i recall standing there with your friends and family having a drink and a good time. i thought to myself, i could back up a big truck to the front door here, ask everyone to take their drinks, walk on, take them to the beverly section of chicago, open the door and they could continue conversation without interruption. it was an irish-catholic chargee

democratic group, they would have been just as comfortable in the chicago and many other places in this country. what i remember is how many members of your family was there, i think you filled the place with family members, and it told me an awful lot about the casey name in pennsylvania. it wasn't just a legend, it was more than that. it made a difference in the lives of so many different people and it inspired you into public service. i think that was probably the beginning of your commitment to what you reached in your career, family, faith, and a sense of fairness. i went back on a bus trip on another one of your campaigns, and that's when i met lieutenant governor john fetterman. i've seen you in chicago, you looked just as much at home as you would in the state of pennsylvania. i think it speaks to what i understand in politics. family, faith, and fairness can

take you a long way and you made a career out of it. what you've been able to do is reach out and help people who otherwise wouldn't have had a fighting chance, and that in my mind and yours too is why we're here today. i want to close on this brief remark and just make note of a mutual friend of ours that we talk about all the time. he's a fellow in philadelphia that i turn to, 1992, to be my political advisor, a fellow named shoal shore, and i know he loves you as a politician and a friend and dedicated so much of his life's work to your success and i know that your defeat hurt him as much as it does all of us. but you'll be rerld here and inspire others. -- remembered here and inspire others, people will stand up for what bob casey stood for.

thanks, bob for being a great friend and senator. a senator: thank you, madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from minnesota. ms. smith: northern minnesota is home to some of the most beautiful and valuable forest lands in the nation. as a minnesota senator, my job is to make sure that northern minnesota communities are treated fairly when it comes to taxes. and that's what this bill is about that i'm here to speak about today. it is in a very particular minnesota issue that doesn't affect any other state, but it is extremely important to us. for decades the bipartisan tie

act has ensured that lake county, cook county and st. louis counties in minnesota receive a vital source of revenue in exchange for hosting federal wilderness lands. it's unique from other similar laws around the country if that the federal government makes payments to counties depending on appraisals that are conducted every ten years by the u.s. forest service. and for decades everything has worked just great. but then in 2018 because of unusual circumstances, the regular appraisal led to almost a 50% cut in the payments to the counties. and this created a big hardship for the residents in these small population rural counties that do not have a big tax base because so much of their land is tied up in national forest land and wilderness areas. many of my colleagues on this floor represent counties like this and understand the challenges of providing essential services like road maintenance and public safety in these communities. so without the action in my bill today, communities in northern minnesota would face a serious

budget crunch. since 2018, i went to work with senator klobuchar and republican congressman pete stobbar from minnesota's eighth district to figure out how to fix this problem. we worked with the biden and trump administrations to find effects. while everyone agrees the problem needs to be fixed, no one could figure out how to do this administratively. that's why we need this bill, a technical fix that will go a long way towards helping rural minnesota counties. this bill would make sure that future thye-blatnik payments don't go down because of the appraisals no one has control over. it's a simple bill, not controversial, it's bipartisan. as i said it doesn't affect any other state or county in the country. but of course these three counties in minnesota, that's a real lifeline. so without action, this vital source of revenue which supports services like emergency management and road maintenance will decrease. i'm asking for congress to get this done. and so i ask unanimous consent

that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of my bill to amend the thye-blatnik act at the desk and be considered read three times and passed and the motion be considered made and laid upon the table. i ask unanimous consent, madam president -- pardon me -- that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. 5595 which was introduced earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 5595, a bill to amend the act of june 22, 1948. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed. ms. smith: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read three times and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. smith: thank you, madam

president. i now rise in support of my friend, patrice kunesh who was nominated to serve as chair of the national indian gaming commission. patrice is a deseen dent -- descendant and commissioner of the administration for native americans at the department of health and human services and distinguished and highly qualified public servant. her current role at administration for native americans is just the latest role in her lifetime of service to indian country. in addition to federal service at the departments of the interior, agriculture, justice, and the minneapolis federal reserve, she has worked for the native american rights fund, in house for the tribe and academia. the last time she was nominated for a senate-concerned position, she received strong bipartisan support. madam president, i've been hearing from tribal leaders in minnesota and around the country about the importance of confirming patrice kunesh to be the nigc chair. to them her confirmation isn't a

partisan issue and nor should it be. it's been securing strong leadership and body created to advance tribe sovereignty and self-determination. nigc is responsible for regulating tribal gaming and it has been without a chair since february. patrice is eminently qualified, experienced and ready to serve indian country. and so therefore, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that as if in executive session, the senate consider the following nomination, calendar 841, patrice kunesh to be chair of the national indian gaming commission, that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from oklahoma. a senator: i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: thank you, madam president. madam president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc.

mr. barrasso: madam president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: thank you, madam president. i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc. calendar 595, s. 3123, calendar 644, s. 5125. calendar 306, s. 2018. calendar 649, which is h.r. 5443. make that -- 5443. calendar number 301, s. 961. and calendar number 613, which is s. 4209. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed en bloc. mr. barrasso: i ask unanimous consent that the

committee-reported amendments where applicable be considered and agreed to and that the bills be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. barrasso: madam president, i rise today to pass important legislation for the state of wyoming. this bill has only to do with wyoming, no other state. it's h.r. 3415, the power plant conveyance act. it allows the united states bureau of reclamation to owners facility to stakeholders in my home state of wyoming. the pilot power plant is owned by the federal government but has not been in service since 2008. it closed when it became too costly to operate. so it's been sitting idle there in wyoming in a small area of two and a half acres for the

past 15 years. it's owned by the united states bureau of reclamation and they are planning to demolish it. to be clear, we are talking about a mothballed hydroelectric structure. talking about two acres of bureau of reclamation land. this is essentially one and a half football fields in size. that's how small of a footprint this is. well, the midvale require gags district reached out to the wyoming congressional delegation, all three members of the delegation, saying that they were willing to take ownership of this power plant that has been sitting idle for 15 years and ready to be demolished. midvale irrigation proposed this transfer as a solution to provide energy to local users. the local people right there came to us. they said that they will make

the needed repairs to bring this power station back into operation. if enacted, the bill will enable the facility to be revived after years and years of neglect and sitting idle. communities in my home state of wyoming will once again be able to get electricity from this local source of hydropower. this transfer is the only option to save the facility for future use. without this bill, the bureau of reclamation plans to demolish the facility. as a result it's going to cost the american taxpayers over $7 million to destroy this property. this bill that i've introduced sponsored by the entire wyoming delegation, is a win-win. the american people will no longer own a mothballed facility that's going to cost $7 million to demolish. and the people of wyoming will

be able to put the hydropower plant back into use. there's been a lot of conversation about the consultations and discussions that i have had with community members and stakeholders. i have met directly with both the eastern and northern arapahoe tribes regarding this specific bill and the hydropower plant. since february, february of this year, my office has been actively engaged in discussions with all parties involved. this summer my staff visited the facility and met with all of the stakeholders. everyone wants to see the facility operating again. and i'm confident that the people of wyoming will properly manage this facility in a way that benefits everyone in the local community. the house of representatives passed this legislation unanimously back in february. it has the support of the entire

wyoming delegation. and so, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h.r. 3415 which was received from the house. further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from minnesota. ms. smith: reserving the right to object. i want to say that i understand that senator heinrich from human has concerns about the pilot power plant conveyance act. and i share his concerns. the eastern shoshone any and northern arapahoe tribes are rightfully concerned about the lack of official government and tribal on this which would impact the reservation. i know one of our most fundamental responsibilities as a body is to honor our trust and treaty obligations to tribal nations and uphold that government-to-government relationship. i want to say that i appreciate

senator barrasso's work with my colleagues on these land bills, and i'm not objecting to any others of them. however, i urge that we have the tribal consultation that should be appropriately conducted on this bill. and therefore i object to the passage of h.r. 3415. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. mr. barrasso: madam president this two and a half acre piece of land owned by the bureau of reclamation -- not owned by the tribes, not owned by butte row of indian affairs. this is owned by the bureau of reclamation. and it is a title transfer to create an energy source for local state holders. this is all about my home state of wyoming. we're talking two and a half acres. and i understand the senator from minnesota is making thissing objection on her -- this objection on her behalf of as well as the behalf of the

senator from new mexico. let me assure the senators from minnesota and new mexico that i will be vigilant in watching out for bills of at least two and a half acres in their home states. the senator from new mexico has a bill, cera de le hoya. that bill established 12 thousand acres of wilderness in new mexico. this bill in my home state, not new mexico, not minnesota, bureau of reclamation land, two and a half acres. as i've said, i will be vigilant in watching out for bills that impact at least two and a half acres in their home states. and i consider their bills now dead until the pilot butte issue is resolved. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor.

mr. barrasso: madam president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: thank you. can i clarify for the chair, calendar number 304 was mis-reed as 301. it is 304, s. 961. thank you, madam president. the presiding officer: duly noted.

the presiding officer: the senior senator from nevada. he ms. cortez masto: madam president, i rise today to thank senator barrasso and my colleagues. today we were able to pass h.r. 5443, celebrating appraisal and conservation act. i'm appreciative for that support today. this is going to make a difference for working families in this country. we know every parcel of land the federal government transfers or sells has to be apraised but right now we have a backlog of transfers waiting on approval because of a shortage of appraisers. that's delaying affordable

housing construction, conservation efforts that we need in nevada. i thank my colleagues in joining me in dluth this government red tape. this act was authored by me here in the senate but also my colleague, congresswoman susie lee in the house. it would give private appraisers the same flexibility as the government to be part of this process. in my home state of nevada where over 80% of the land is owned by the federal government, that's a big deal. this is commonsense, bipartisan solution, and i am so grateful we were able to pass it today. thank you. i yield the floor.

personal and when might be time. >> there are reports that fighters. housing standout?

>> he has been not seeing large amount going to get discussion. the priority for the administration. the sovereignty. probably, i want to operate hypotheticals.

>> sorry, i was on the phone we will have a readout today. i will double check that but answering the call and escalatory. >> switch topics. >> secretary blinken have the opportunity. a good conversation. it is an opportunity and support

a seamless transition. mr. wicker: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc -- calendar 588, s. res. 2620, chesapeake national recreation area act. and calendar 636, s. res. 4994, vicksburg national military park

boundary modification. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measures en bloc? without objection, the senate will proceed en bloc. mr. wicker: now, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment where applicable be agreed to, the bills as amended where applicable be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. wicker: thank you very much. i thank my colleagues. i will yield for a moment to my friend from maryland, and then i may say a word after that. mr. van hollen: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from maryland. mr. van hollen: i will start by thanking my friend and

colleague, the senator from mississippi, for working on these two important pieces of legislation, one which the senator from mississippi will talk about in a moment in greater depth, the vices national military -- the vicksburg national military park boundary modification act. coupled with that is the chesapeake national recreation act as amended and unanimously passed by the senate on energy and natural resources just last month. madam president, i introduced the chesapeake national recreation area act in july of 2023 after years of engagement with communities around the chesapeake bay and with the support of senators cardin, senator warner, senator kaine, and it has also been introduced in the house on a bipartisan basis by congressman sarbanes and congressman whitman. the idea for a chesapeake

national recreation area was born four decades ago. so this has been a long time coming, and i'm glad we've arrived at this moment. it was motivated by the desire to formally recognize the chesapeake bay as the national treasure that it is and to provide all americans with a greater opportunity to experience it. the chesapeake national recreation act would unite voluntarily contributed sites and iconic chesapeake bay properties under the operation of the national park service in what we call a string of pearls that will help to tie together key areas of the bay. the establishment of the chesapeake national recreation area would improve public access to the bay, allowing visitors to experience it firsthand, strengthening the culture of environmental stewardship and providing visitors with an

opportunity to learn about the region's rich history and culture. the chesapeake national recreation area would also create jobs and support economic growth throughout the region, promoting responsible tourism and boosting the outdoor recreation and tourist economies. this bipartisan initiative has been driven by local leaders since the beginning and it was developed through exhausted public outreach and meaningful collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders. i want just in a moment to describe to my colleagues the outreach effort that brought us to this moment because it included the formation of a working group composed of a bicameral group of lawmakers, state government representatives and more than 30 regional organizations to help develop the legislation. it included a public comment period which we used to gather input and compiled over 1,300 comments which we integrated the

feedback into the bill. when we introduced the bill, it was accompanied by over 70 letters of support and 100 endorsements from local elected officials, environmental and historical preservation organizations, seafood and outdoor recreation businesses, and many more. we also worked closely with the national park service on technical assistance to guide the bill. so, madam president, it's been with great pleasure to work with senator wicker on his national military park boundary modification act as we also work on this chesapeake national recreation area act. this is collaboration for the public good, for people in both of our states and people throughout the united states of america. and i yield back to my friend. mr. wicker: i simply would say that i appreciate the cooperation of the senator from

maryland, and i tank the senate for giving unanimous consent to these two measures. the s. 4994, the vicksburg military park modification act will modify -- simply modify the boundary of the vicksburg national park in my state of mississippi. this transfer will convey a small parcel of federal land to the state government, and to the friends of vicksburg military park, an organization that will assist with restoration efforts at the park. these efforts include a new state-of-the-art interactive center which will guide tourists through the park and teach them the history and importance of vicksburg, mississippi, during the civil war. to execute these plans, the park will need to perform it land transfer. the state will then be responsible for building and maintaining the connector road as well as the bridge to the new

center relieving the national park service from that burden. so i'm glad to see that our local partners as well as friends of vicksburg are working together to establish a modern interactive center that will tell the story of the siege and battle of vicksburg for many generations to come. and so i thank the chair and i thank my colleague and i thank the senate for giving unanimous consent to these two measures. and i yield. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. blumenthal: thank you so much, madam president. i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc, calendar number 276, senate 1088. calendar 297, senate 1059. calendar 301, senate 432, calendar 303, senate 608. calendar 611, senate 4129.

and calendar 645, senate 5136. the presiding officer: is there an objection to proceeding to the measures en bloc? without objection, the senate will proceed en bloc. mr. blumenthal: i ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment where applicable be agreed to, the blumenthal substitute amendment to senate 5136 which is at the desk be considered and agreed to, the bills as amended if amended be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blumenthal: thank you, madam president. i'm going to say a few words and then others who have supported these bills, such as senator

cornyn, senator hoeven, senator welch will speak to, others as well. the bill that i am very gratified and grateful that this body has now approved is senate 5136, plum island preservation study act with the amendment that we just approved as well. very simply, i've been working on this issue for a long time. plum island has been there for a long time. indigenous people treasure plum island, 800 acres with plant and animal species, thriving seal population, species that now are endangered, like the piping plover and the rosette turn. and over the years, two significant locations for terry and the plum island lighthouse.

it was a treasure then. it's a treasure now. i haven't been working on it for as long as obviously it has been regarded as a treasure. but over the years that i have worked on it now, more than a decade with majority leader schumer, senator gillibrand, and senator murphy as well as state and local stakeholders and countless advocates, we've come to the realization that we need to preserve plum island. those 800 acres are in the midst of one of the most densely populated areas in the united states. and plum island is a home to those really valuable species of wildlife and habitat, an ecosystem that -- ecosystem that supports wildlife up and down the east coast, for example, when populations of birds come there to rest and nest.

we're not going to make 500 acres, let alone 800 acres of important ecological habitat in the middle of long island sound if it is lost. and it has been threatened with loss because it has served as a site for a research facility, biological research, classified mostly. i have visited it. and that research facility is going to be to kansas. the question has been what happens now to plum island. the possibility of commercial development or residential buildings has been there from time to time. and the requirement existed that plum island be sold when the research facility moved. in 2020 congress successfully repealed the requirement to sell

plum island and prevented a private developer from coming to develop it and destroy the really enormous ecological and environmental values that it provides. but stopping the sale was not enough. i've continued to push for a permanent preservation outcome for plum island ensuring take the island is -- that the island is protected for generations to kochlt earlier this year -- to come. earlier this year i was proud to present a pair of bills that would require agencies to work internally and help determine the future of the island. both of these bills passed out of committee with bipartisan support. and there is bipartisan support for this measure as there should be because it is about our environmental future and the preservation of open space and a

rare resource for the nation. passage of today's legislation marks a monumental stride toward conserving plum island. this measure will require the united states department of interior to determine how to designate plum island as a unit of the department of interior and how to preserve it for the use of people generations to come and protect it from development, to conserve it for people to use recreationally, to make sure that it's available for wildlife that can be studied and observed and enjoyed by the people of connecticut, new york, and all around the country. i've worked closely with the department of interior on how this study should be done, and i

want to thank the department for its input on the language in this legislation. the study is crucial as a first step, but obviously equally more important, in fact, is the outcome. and it needs to be done before the end of this decade. it must be completed before plum island's transition is done. i want to thank my colleagues again, senator schumer who has been totally dedicated to this cause, senator gillibrand and senator murphy for their cosponsorship of this bill. it will have a lasting and historic effect because it enables plum island to become part of our federal resource protection ecosystem through the department of interior. and i urge that this study be

conducted quickly, expeditiously, thoroughly, and within less than five years. certainly it's doable in a couple of years. and i would urge that the department of interior address it right away. and i urge my colleagues or i thank my colleagues for joining me in support of this bill. and i yield to the senior senator from texas. mr. cornyn: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: madam president, i think my colleague from connecticut for offering the unanimous consent request by which we passed these various bills. i just want to discuss the big ben national park boundary act. texas is home to a very diverse terrain, which includes vibrant wildlife and big, wide, open spaces. big ben national park is no

exception. this legislation that we just passed by unanimous consent here in the senate expands and preserves the park's heritage, its natural resources, and it's jaw-dropping scenery. while also safeguarding private property rights. this bill authorizes the national park service to acquire approximately 6,100 acres of land adjacent to takeling ga -- taligga park. it says the national park service may only acquire land through donation, purchased from property own others are exchange. it explicitly prohibits the use of eminent domain or condemnation thereby protecting property rights. this legislation is important helping texans and all americans enjoy our big, beautiful national parks and i'm pleased that the senate has adopted this legislation today by unanimous consent.

i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. blumenthal: i had hoped that we would be joined by senator hoeven, but i just want to commend him for another of the measures that we have just approved by unanimous consent. i am a cosponsor with:of the theodore roosevelt presidential library, museum artifacts act. this measure is enormously important to preserve the artifacts and other memorabilia of one of our president, one of our great president, theodore roosevelt. i've been to that part of the country, the badlands and visited that part of the country. and i think this measure will be

a fitting educational resource. it will be a destination. now, i think that a lot of people might wonder why there. well, theodore roosevelt's connection to the badlands and the dakotas is well known. and making it a destination will draw more americans to appreciate that part of our great nation, which is so beautiful. i want to commend the private contri contributors. this library/museum will be the result of many private donations and contributions led by a team of one of my constituents, charlie melcher. and it will be a real tribute not only to theodore roosevelt but to america's commitment to its history, its living history, and making it living history for

so many young people, families, and others who will appreciate theodore roosevelt's legacy to this nation. i see we have been joined by my colleague from vermont, and i am happy to yield to him. mr. welch: thank you, senator. i'm fully supportive of the work that you have done. you know, is there anything that gives us more pleasure than being able to do something that has general -- that is generated by our local citizens, the people that we represent, that reflects the dedication, the reverence, the appreciation they have for the natural world in your state of connecticut or now in my state of vermont. i mean, what a privilege it is for both of us to be here advocating on above of these aspirations of the people we

represent. madam president, i know that is true for you as well, all the work that you've done. today i rise in support of s. 432, the river and wild stream study act. the bill would initiate the process of designating the nulhegan river and paul stream in essex county, vermont which is way up in the northeast corner of vermont that senator george aiken named the northeast kingdom, a place that we love and some day when you are so lucky that you can come to the mull he began river, you'll love too. i was proud to work with my colleague, senator sanders and representative balance hasn'ts in -- ballant in introducing this legislation. it was my first act as a united states senator. these two rivers run through vermont's northeast kingdom, as i mentioned, home to some of our state's most scenic parts of the

scenic state. it's very close to the ann nulhegan. moose festival. i know you will enjoy it when i get you up there. but the nulhegan passes through the national wildlife renl refugee as the -- refugee as the only refugee there. he was a congressman from western massachusetts, and he did so much, republican, to preserve the watershed of the connecticut river. the nulhegan river winds through the valleys between hills and in the fall is framed by really striking foliage, largely undisturbed by outside visitors, they don't know about it, but now they will. in the spring the river's white

water provides a unique and challenging place for daring fishermen and paddlers. healthy rivers, i know we all agree, are exceptional to all -- essential to all states ecosystem. it is no surprise these two rivers protect the flee flowing rivers. when you have the citizens living there and seeing how precious this resource is and wanting to do everything we can to help protect that resource, that's a good day in the united states senate. so i urge my colleagues to support s. 432, to preserve these two rivers, enhance vermont's renowned recreational resources and conserve these vital habitats. i yield back to the senator.

mr. blumenthal: madam president. thank you for giving us this opportunity, and, again, i thank my colleagues for approving all of these unanimous consents on behalf of land and resources that has such great value, like plum island, a national treasure. and i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

closing on my time in congress and reminded of the gravity of this place a storied history the senate one in which we are all honored in the guardrails that served as the foundation of his body and our democracy. those guardrails, the constitution, our oath of office, the rules of the senate and the norms of collegiality, integrity and respect. these are the pillars that have assured our democracy could work. they exist for a reason, to cultivate relationships so we can move history forward, to the, the greed and to curb the hunger for power. as her country has become more and more divided as our politics have evolved into a constant series of all or nothing battles we find ourselves thumping into these guardrails with more

frequency but in recent history both parties have wrestled with the importance of norms and rules and both parties have viewed these norms and rules is updated or simply obstacles to their short-term victory. many now blame these guardrails are blocking critical carveouts instead of recognizing it's us, our actions, our words, our instability and ultimately our unwillingness to compromise that prevents reasonable solutions from advancing. when holding political power and feeling the hunger and pressure for an immediate partisan wind is easy to view the legislative filibuster is a weapon of obstruction. it is tempting to prefer elimination of the filibuster to compromise. it certainly feels faster, easier and more satisfying at least in the short term that is that there are dangers to

choosing short-term victories over the hard and necessary work of building consensus. to give into the temptation of the short-term victory means giving into the chaos, caused by the constant ricocheting or to waiver under an illusion by eliminating the filibuster you'll maintain political power forever. effectively ending our two-party system. that's a fallacy and worse it's scary. one-party rule is not democracy. that's autocracy. that's not the system our forefathers envisioned and that's not what our country deserves. the beauty of america is in the push in the poll. our democracy ensures that no one person, no one-party has too much control. the checks and balances built into our government to protect us all. when we work together listen,

compromise and forge moderate movement forward. we are doing exactly what our forefathers intended. we are crafting solutions with broad support to protect against those wild ricochets of policy changes and the whiplash could be caused by the overreach of the temporary partisan majority. over the past six years i've had the honor of serving with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who chose to do the hard work and he took the time to build relationships and build that consensus. together we have accomplished real results for the constituents we serve for this great country and i'm so grateful for the colleagues who took those risks with me. our willingness to step out of our comfort zone and risks political capital for the sake of the deal that may not pay off in the end but to those who did thank you.

and to their staff, thank you for your dedication and your service and for answering random calls even though the little unorthodox when i was just looking to get a deal done and solve a problem or two. beginning with my good friend and our former colleague senator rob portman and the other members of our bipartisan group of 10 including a wonder women of the senate senator susan collins murkowski jeanne shaheen and our guys mitt romney senator johnny test their bill city mark warner and joe manchin. we painstakingly crafted and distort infrastructure law delivering americans better broadband, new roads and bridges, cleaner air and water and more job opportunities. later working with senators mitt romney tammy baldwin susan collins thom tillis we passed the respect for marriage act

giving americans of all backgrounds peace of mind protecting marriage and religious freedom. in teaming up with senator todd young we saved the chips and science law spearheaded by senators john cornyn maria cantwell rodger whicker. the saved her from partisan collapse and now america in arizona can lead the way in semi-conductor manufacturing and our country is safer and more secure. bringing senators john cornyn chris murphy and thom tillis together to tackle the intractable issues of gun violence would not only save lives we improved our country's mental health care. and if everyone involved in each of those deals no the results are -- yes. mrs. blackburn: there has been a lot of talk and optimism about president trump's department of government efficiency, or doge,

and the plans to eliminate government waste, fraud, and abuse. and there is a reason for this. i think we have pretty much hit a tipping point with the american people. they've looked at this big, bloated government. they've looked at this $36 trillion in debt, which is growing every day, and they truly see this as a threat to our nation's stability, to our children's futures, and for us to be able to protect ourselves from our enemies. and what they have noticed is that as this debt grows, then more of their taxpayer dollars are being spent to pay the interest on the debt. that is money that is not going to national security.

it is money that is not going to disaster relief, it is going to the debt. and here's a great example of that. in just the first half of fiscal year 2024, our country spent, get this, $440 billion to service the debt. now, interestingly enough, that was more than what we spent on our military in the same time. so the american people are smart, they're seeing this, and they're saying it is a problem and this has got to be brought under control. now, i think it's important for us to look at how we've gotten to where we were, and, madam president, i went back and looked at where we were when george w. bush left office and

president obama came into office. as george w. bush left, our debt was at $10.6 trillion. and we all remember that. we remember 2008, 2009. that is not that long ago, but think about that number, $10.6 trillion. now, i will remind everybody that was after the gulf war, that was after that period of time, 9/11, when our economy shut down for a full quarter, and the total debt at that point was $10.6 trillion. now, when obama left office after eight years in office, that debt had nearly doubled.

it was just shy of $20 trillion. think about that. now, president trump came into office, four years later he leaves, and our debt was north of $26 trillion with all the covid spending that was done in 2020. and instead of restoring spending to stable levels and going back to those pre-covid levels, what did president biden do? conti. since his inauguration, he had piled more than $8 trillion on our debt, and the deficit for this year alone -- fiscal 2024 alone -- is at $1.8 trillion.

these are the numbers. anyone that wants to look at this can go to any number of government websites. you can pull up these numbers through omb, through treasury. but what the american people have seen is a recklessness and a disregard for them, the taxpayer. since this nation's founding, people have believed we are a government of, by, and for the people. and, quite frankly, madam president, i think that this year the people decided to be we the people. and what they've seen is over the last four years during the biden-harris administration, there has been a government that

wasn't really accountable to anybody. if they wanted to do something, they just did it. and they have watched this wasteful, out-of-control spending. they have seen a growing bureaucracy with people that don't even show up to work. less than 10% of the federal workforce is showing up five days a week in person. this is why the people have said, we the people are going to take charge of this. speaking of that workforce, the federal government today is employing 2.2 million bureaucrats. just to put context on this, that's a number larger than the population of 15 of our states. and you have people, less than 10%, showing up every day in

person to do their job. and when you look at the amount of office space that is being used, only 12% of our federal office space is occupied. now, to make matters worse, for most federal employees, pay increases and promotions are completely disconnected from their job performance. they're paid the longer they stay on the job. they get oughtmatic pay increases that are -- oughtmatic pay -- automatic pay increases that are tied to the time they spend with the federal government, not how they are doing their jobs. i think as you look at this, this is why the american people have said, we support the department of government efficiency. and it is why they are excited

about this and why mr. musk and mr. ramaswamy are going to have the american people standing with them. -- to make these cuts. now, last week i introduced the doge act. and it is a package of bills that will hold the government accountability for how they manage and use the taxpayer dollars. among the measures the doge act will address out-of-control spending with 1%, 2% and 5% across-the-board cuts to discretionary spending absoluting homeland security and veterans affairs. in addition to the spending cuts, this legislation will freeze salaries for federal bureaucrats and order agency heads to shrink their workforce by 5% over three years, to drain

the swamp, the legislation will establish a commission to study how the incoming administration can relocate agencies from washington, d.c., to states across the country. who can seriously claim that it is good for beltway bureaucrats to be siloed away from most of the american people? if anything, they should be closer to the people that are suffering from their burdensome rules and regulations. to ensure that federal bureaucrats are actually working while living on the taxpayer dime, the doge act would require government employees to return to their office by ending pandemic-era telework policies and to reward merit, they would implement a pilot program for agencies to pay employees based

on productivity, not seniority. in just a few short weeks, republicans here in congress and the trump administration will work together to put our country back on track, including right-sizing the federal government. and we look forward to pushing forward our doge acts and helping make that happen.

mr. manchin: madam president, i rise to congratulate all of my colleagues for passing a piece of legislation that's going to make the whole country happy, a beautiful place. the senate passed a bill that i sponsored with my friend, senator capito, to name a 2,700-acre parcel of land after mrs. patsy critz. i want to express my appellate court for completing a land sale to put this land in the hands a of the forest service and preserve it for the public in perpetuity. earlier this year the forest service reached an agreement with john krietz and his family to purchase this spectacular land along the blackwater river, which we call the blackwater connian. this is what we call lindsey point. the foliage is just burst alive. it's just gorgeous.

it is one of the most beautiful pieces of property in the country. you can see in one glimpse behind me, a popular area for outdoors men, and below we have the blackwater river. the purchase of this will be a huge win for the mountain state and the nation ensuring that people are able to enjoy more of wild west virginia as well as supporting our booming west virginia economy. this land was privately owned by john krietz and his wife patsy. the entire family has been incredible stewards is of this land and i can think of mo better way to honor their work than to honor the tract after patsy who truly loved the outdoors and this remarkable canyon in particular.

unfortunately, patsy passed away in 2018, but she was an incredible west virginian and represents some of the best qualities of our mountain state. patsy and john were leaders in responsible forestry and hardwood production in our state for more than 50 years. unbelievable contribution to the state of west virginia. her business acumen, however, never came along with a hard heart. everyone who ever met patsy or new patsy knew her as gentle, warms, and extraordinarily loving person. senator capito, the forest t service and i think this should be named the patsy crites national forest. once again, i want to thank my colleagues for agreeing to pass this bill and i urge the thousands follow our lead. i want to especially thank the

crites family for making sure that generations to come will be able to visit the patsy crites forest and enjoy it just as she did. thank you, madam president. and i yield back my time. mr. hoeven: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota. mr. hoeven: i am going to make some comments with regard to the energy policy for the united states. but first i would like to make just a couple comments starting with commenting in regard to my good friend and colleague from west virginia, senator manchin. senator manchin is the current chair of the energy committee, and i'm on that energy committee, and i'm going to reference two pieces of legislation, two bills which passed the senate. and i'm going to start by thanking him as chairman of the energy committee because without his help -- and he supported both of these bills. but without his help in agreeing to bring to the committee, to

get them passed through the committee and we could pass them on the floor, it wouldn't have happened. so, mr. chairman, chairman manchin, thank you once again for your support. and i would further note for the record that senator manchin and i actually were governors together for -- i don't know -- two terms at least. six years -- yeah, that sounds right. we crossed over six years and worked together and joe developed as governor a reputation as somebody who would work with anybody and did and was always cheerful about it and fun to work with and was really good bringing people together from both sides, frivolous lawsuit representtration to -- brought that reputation to the senate. worked together here on a whole number of things, including in 2013 passing senate bill 1, which was the keystone x.l.

pipeline. i know that he's leaving the senate at the end of this year and all of us will very much miss both joe and gayle. they are just incredibly good people. i know there are a lot of folks that have and and will continue to say a lot of nice things about the manchins, all well-deserved and about his acumen at passings legislation, working across the aisle, all of those things and more. i just want to make sure that the record reflects that he is a great guy. so thank you, mr. chairman. appreciate it. the two bills that i want to reference that we just passed are the north dakota trustlands completion act. then also the theodore roosevelt presidential library act. and just a few brief comments on each. the north dakota trustlands completion act actually will help my home state better develop its land and minerals to support education and also to provide tribal nations -- we

have five reservations in north dakota -- but it will also help provide those tribal nations greater ownership over the lands within their reservation boundaries. senator cramer, my colleague from north dakota, joined me in introducing this important legislation and also kelly armstrong, who is actually current governor on the house side, worked on it as well. currently north dakota holds more than 130,000 acres of minerals and over 31,000 surface acres that are located within tribal reservations, and so they're not developed because they're located -- they're state-owned but they're within the boundaries of the reservation, so they're not being developed. so this is a bill -- is absolutely a win-win by helping our state generate revenue for education and other priorities while allowing the tribes to regain the traingmented lands -- the fragmented lands.

we're trading land from outside the reservation for ownership within the reservation, which is going to help development both on the reservation and off. so it truly is a win-win. it is a win for the tribes and a win for our state as well. and it's supported by the state of north dakota, by the tribal nations, all the tribes within our state, all of the western counties and the grazing associations that are involved in our state. we have multiple-use throughout the federalland lands and -- federal lands, blm lands, national grasslands. but this is a great example of how we all work together and accomplish a win-win. so i want to thank my cochair -- my cosponsor on the bill, ben ray lou hangars the senator from -- senator ben ray lujan,

as we like to call him, senator rayban -- and senator john cornyn, who were help today in getting this completed. the other bill is the theodore roosevelt presidential library act. president teddy l roosevelt first traveled to dakota territory in 1883 to hunt bison. it is bison by the way. some people say bison, but it is bison, and it is our national mammal. at least that's how we say it. president roosevelt called the dakota territory home for three years while enjoying the vast beauty that the badlands have to have. as president roosevelt proudly claimed, he would have not ascended to the presidency had

it not been for his formative years in north dakota. the theodore roosevelt presidential library will be adjacent to another important national treasure named in his honor, and that's the purpose here. the theodore roosevelt national park is in north dakota. now his library will be as well. and i think we already, we've already exceeded a -- more than $250 million, over a quarter billion dollars raised for this library. broken ground, had a beam laying cerp money -- ceremony. it's going to be unbelievable. this bill will help support construction the of this important initiative to honor our nation's 26th president and ensure future generations of americans can access the rich history and enduring impact of

theodore, president theodore roosevelt. again, i want to thank my bipartisan colead on the legislation, senator blumenthal along with the other cosponsors, senator cramer, senator heinrich, and senator mitt romney. with that, madam president, i'd like to turn to some remarks regarding our national energy policy, specifically clean coal. if you saw president-elect trump's interview recently, he talked about clean coal and the amazing technology that we are bringing to bear to utilize this baseload power source that is so vitally, vitally important to our nation not just in terms of energy independence, but really energy dominance for our country. so during his press conference, i was pleased to see president trump highlight our shared commitment to restore america's energy dominance and that clean

coal is going to be a vitally important part of it. he emphasized that, and i appreciate it very much. he talked about how it is reliable, affordable, and incredibly abundant, an energy source that is going to be available for many, many, many years. north dakota alone has over 700 years of coal supply, and our coal-fired electric industry works to ensure that homes and businesses have access to affordable and reliable power on a 24-hours-a day, seven days a week baseload regardless of weather condition, hottest day, coldest days, whether the wind is blowing or it's not, whether the sun is out or not, 24/7 that baseload is available. incredibly important for our grid. that is what provides grid stability for intermittent sources of energy.

and the fact remains that our nation needs more energy, not only more electricity, more bas baseload electricity. north dakota is fortunate to have the most advanced -- and this is where the clean coal technology really comes in. north dakota really is in position and is leading the way on this. we are fofrnt most advanced coal-fired power plants in the world while also leading the way in reducing emissions like sox, nox, and mercury, reducing those emissions. we've led the way in that. to meet this growing demand for more energy we've been p working to crack the code on carbon capture, utilization and storage and enable the next generation of clean coal-fired electric power. we've worked over the past 15 years to put the legal tax and regulatory environment in place to establish north dakota's

leadership in advancing carbon capture. north dakota became the first state to be granted regulatory primacy for class 4, to assure co2 is safely and securely stored below the surface. we secured a multimillion-dollar demonstration grant from the department of energy to advance project tundra which will enable the coal-fired, conventional coal-fired conventional plant to capture and store 4 million metric tons of co2 per year. and at the same time we have worked hard to put into operation the largest coal-powered carbon capture energy project in the world. basin interests dakota gasification synfuels plant is in operation and will capture up to 2.25 million metric tons of co2 per year.

let me repeat that. 2.25 million metric tons of co2 per year, largest in the world. i look forward to working with president trump to take the handcuffs p off our energy producers and empower them to develop the latest, greate est produce more energy with better environmental stewardship. this is about enleashing our nation's vast coal reserves and one of our country's most important strategic assets. unlocking clean coal's full potential, we'll be able to increase the supply of affordable, reliable electricity and bring down the prices for american families and businesses that are struggling with the impact of inflation. north dakota is leading the way in clean coal technologies, and this will be an important part of our efforts working with the trump administration to make america not only energy secure, but energy dominant.

thank you, madam president, and i yield the floor. p many

madam president thank you. i rise today for the final time as the united states senator with a heart full of gratitude. when i was growing up in scranton, pennsylvania my mother allan harding pc would say to my brothers and sisters and me, quote count your blessings. count your blessings. she would say it over and over again. so today i seek to do so here on the floor of the united states senate. i begin with an expression of deep abiding gratitude to the people of pennsylvania who conferred upon me the honor of serving in three statewide

public offices for 28 consecutive years. first as auditor general than a state treasure and for the last 18 years a united states senator. it's been a privilege to have served our commonwealth and to serve the people of our commonwealth. now for 39 and a half years i've been blessed by the unconditional love and unfailing support of my wife theresa. the oldest daughter of john and nancy puppy amount. every day, every day that i've been a public official theresa has been a foundation of our family. your love for me and our daughters has been boundless and constant. i want to thank each of our four daughters who are with us today. for me just saying their names is like a of thanksgiving.

a lease, caroline, julia and marina. they like to reason sacrifice so much while i was in public office and i'm so proud of the accomplished young women they have become. elise and her son-in-law michael got it -- brought us the different grandson max, age four and hayden a 2-year-old. both at home, each of whom bring so much joy to our lives and i'm so grateful that my brothers and sisters, their spouses and theresa sisters and their spouses and so many of my nieces and nephews are with us today and so many friends from all across our commonwealth. i remember today my late parents bob and ellen casey who gave me and my siblings life and love as

well as their shining examples of treating every person that we meet with respect. my father's work as a public official was a testament to the inscription on the finance building in harrisburg where he once worked and i worked as well. this inscription has guided my work all these years. here's what it says quote all public service is a trust given in faith and accepted in honor. the senate is a place where senators are accorded most of the attention. consent to enter a colloquy with my friend senator cruz from texas proichlt without objection. mr. manchin: i rise on behalf of west virginians who rely on social security benefits. a majority of our seniors in every state relies on social security benefits and we know that we're in trouble.

the senate is considering the social security fairness act which would repeal the windfall eliminations provision and government pension offset from the social security benefit calculation, providing relief for many public employees who have been adversely impacted. make no mistake, we have a problem. we all agree the status quo is unfair and it penalizes millions of hardworking americans whether teachers, firefighters, police officers, among others. but we also have an obligation to honor our promises to ensure that social security is going to be there for the people who have paid into it and have earned it and also those generations who come after. we can fix this problem without blowing a hole in the social security trust fund. this is a $200 billion price tag. we can fix that without having any, any effect on our budget, but it's just unbelievable and no one seems to be really concerned about what we have in the debt we're facing.