mr. chipman as ted of a.t.f. the law enforcement agency tasked with enforcing our nation's firearms laws. they just wouldn't. let me talk a little bit about his background. i respect mr. chipman's 25 years as an a.t.f. agent, but when he left government, he spent his time working as a gun control advocate and is well known for his extreme views on restricting the second amendment. for instance, in an online site in 2019, he said the following, which is remarkable, quote, while at a.t.f. i conducted studies involving people who failed background checks to determine how many later committed crimes with a gun. many did. i'm still quoting him. this is a perfect opportunity to arrest people before committing crimes rather than responding after the fact. let that one sink in. anyone here seen the movie "minority report" with tom cruise. let's arrest people before they commit a crime. he's actually advocated arresting people who failed background checks. this is extreme to say the least. and it's apparently not only the

mr. chipman to define what an assault weapon is. mr. chipman said an assault weapon would be whatever congress defines it as. senator cotton went on to ask mr. chipman for his own definition of an assault weapon. he said any semiautomatic rifle capable of accepting a detachable magazine above a22. well, as senator cotton rightly pointed out, this would ban most sporting rifles in america. if david chipman made other -- made our gun laws, most sporting rifles would be banned. states could ban handguns. private gun sales would be illegal. these views are completely out of touch with the views of more than a hundred million americans who are law-abiding gun owners. worst of all, david chipman does not have the character and integrate to lead the a.t.f. he's repeatedly mocked gun owners and impugned people's motives for owning a gun. david chipman said gun ownership is a way you can get patriotic without having to serve in the military. he said i compare gun ownership to the same reason americans might want a muscle car. that's not why peopl

mr. chipman had granted an interview to a propaganda network overseen by the chinese government. a new letter to the senate signed by seven former career a.t.f. agents summed it up this way. mr. chipman's views and record would, quote, create serious and long lasting problems for the bureau and the effective execution of its law enforcement mission. and the senate has spent quite enough time flirting with this profoundly misguided nomination. the american people deserve a trustworthy steward leading the a.t.f. with a record of respecting their rights and respecting his or her colleagues. it is long past time the biden administration revisits this decision and sends us somebody who fits that description. the presiding officer: morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of h.r. 3684, which the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 100, h.r. 3684, an act to authorize funds for federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes. mrs. capito: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senat