mr. thune: madam president, let get two things straight about the abortion legislation on the floor before us today.

mr. thune: mr. president, is the senate in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. mr. une: i would ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, it is national small business week, a week that's set aside to honor the contributions that small businesses make to this nation. small businesses are an essential part of our economy. 99% -- 99% -- of south dakota's businesses are small businesses, and almost 60% of south dakota employees work for small businesses. nationally, small businesses make up most of the businesses in this country and are responsible for 62% of net new job creation. and small businesses are not only an essential part of our economy, they're also an essential part of our communities, doing everything from creating gathering spaces for community members to supporting local charities and sponsoring local sports teams. mr. president, during national small business week, i'd like to be able to report that small businesses around the country are thriving, but the truth is, while som

mr. thune: mr. president, for more than seven days now, the ukrainian people have endured. and more than endured. they have fought back. they stood up to their invaders. and have achieved amazing things against a interior force, -- superior force, superior at least on paper. many fear would russia would crush ukraine in days. instead ukraine has not only withstood russian aggression but has inflicted humiliating defeats on russia. 12, 12 russian generals have reportedly been killed. russia's lost thousands of its troops as well as hundreds of tanks and scores of aircraft. one estimate from british intelligence suggests that russia may have lost more than a quarter of its ground combat strength. ukrainians successfully push russia out of the kiev suburbs, have retaken territory outside of kiev, and still, still maintain a defiant hold on the steel plant in mariupol despite being encircled by russian troops. but at the same time we recognize ukraine's successes and the fierce determination that has made them possible. it's also important to remember the devastation this war h

mr. thune: mr. opinion in the dobbs supreme court case was an unprecedented and deeply disturbing breach of the confidentiality of supreme court deliberations. it is difficult to think this is anything other than -- from court-packing threats to the threats from the democrat leader himself that were directed to specific justices attempting to intimidate the supreme court has become par for the course for liberals. but monday's leak represents a new low. almost as disturbing of the leak has been the reaction from my democratic colleagues. their historical comments have been focused on the prospect of them getting an outcome they don't want in the dobbs case. i've seen almost no concern about how the leak will affect the integrity of the supreme court as an institution. and their activist base has gone out of its way to praise the leaker. more than one democrat has actually called for undermining the integrity of the supreme court by packing the court with additional justices. yes, that's the result o

mr. thune: thank you. mr. president, this saturday will be be armed forces day, a day set aside to honor the members of the united states military. i first came to know the military through my dad, harold, a fighter pilot who flu hellcats. from him i learned the patriotism and humility that characterized the greatest generation and that continue to characterize our military members today. as a member of congress, i've come to know our military through the men and women of the south dakota army and air national guard and through the airmen of ellsworth air force base. as i've said before, i may be biased, but i'm convinced that south dakota has the most outstanding guard troops in the entire nation. as usual, they've been busy over the past year. on saturday, the national guard welcomed home guards men from a deployment to djibouti and honored guard members who were headed to deployment in europe. guard members helped with the response to last week's severe storms in south dakota. they deployed to the border to

mr. chair. >> senator thune as chair i'm not her question so i can recognize myself. it's good to have you here with us and thank you for the work you are doing in appreciate your testimony here today. last week along with 11 of my senate colleagues including members of this committee i read to you about the need to develop a federal framework to facilitate the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles here in the united states. i have questions related to that so you know the subcommittee is interested in this topicic and i know you've only had the letter for six days so i certainly don't expect the complete answer for that here today. i appreciate your attention. i do want to have a conversation about autonomous vehicles. the fact of the matter is one day i think we all know that cars will be electric and they will be autonomous as well. there are really two open questions in first will those cars be made here in america with good-paying jobs including good paying union jobs and second will we enact policies to achieve the best outcomes for the economy and s

mr. thune: madam president, let get two things straight about the abortion legislation on the floor before us today. one, this legislation does not represent the views of a majority of the american people. and two, this legislation is some of the most extreme abortion legislation in the world. madam president, it's a little hard to believe we're having a vote on this bill again, mere weeks after it was defeated in the senate. but i guess when the abortion lobby calls, our democratic colleagues come running. madam president, the bill before us today, the so-called women's health protection act, would prop up the abortion industry and make abortion on demand at any time, for essentially any reason, the law of the land. my democratic colleagues would like to convey the impression that this legislation, with this legislation they're merely attempting to codify a widely held belief, from which no reasonable person i did sense -- dissents. that, madam president, is bloab bloab -- is baloney. the amer

quorum call: mr. thune: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. thune: i had ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, farming and ramping are industries that are subject to the whims of the weather. just one storm can wipe out an entire herd or crop, sometimes in a matter of minutes. last thursday several storms struck eastern south dakota and farmers were hit hard. fortunately, it was too early in the season to wipe out any crops but farmers lost essential equipment and resources, feed, grain bins, out-buildings and more. my office will be doing everything it can to make sure these affected get the assistance they need to recover, and know many are already planning to rebuild. mr. president, whether it is a natural disaster or an ordinary day, farmers and ranchers are always at the top of my mind here in the senate. agriculture is the lifeblood of our south dakota economy, and i am committed to doing everything i can to ensure that our farmers and ranchers have the re

quorum call: mr. thune: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, as i mentioned earlier today on the floor, president biden has apparently decided that covid is over at our southern border but not -- not apparently for american toddlers. while a court injunction has barred enforcement in a number of states, the department of health and human services has still not repealed its mask and vaccine mandate for head start programs. a mandate that requires children as young as two years old to wear masks indoors and, incredibly, outside. mr. president, the scientific evidence for masking toddlers is shaky at best. the world health organization does not recommend masking for children under five. and the concerns about the effect on speech and children's development are real. but none of that seems to matter to the administration. despite the low danger of serious illness in children, apparently the biden administration b

mr. thune: madam president. the presiding officer: the minority whip is recognized. mr. thune: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: madam president, let get two things straight about the abortion legislation on the floor before us today. one, this legislation does not represent the views of a majority of the american people. and two, this legislation is some of the most extreme abortion legislation in the world. madam president, it's a little hard to believe we're having a vote on this bill again, mere weeks after it was defeated in the senate. but i guess when the abortion lobby calls, our democratic colleagues come running. madam president, the bill before us today, the so-called women's health protection act, would prop up the abortion industry and make abortion on demand at any time, for essentially any reason, the law of the land. my democratic colleagues would like to convey the impression that this legislation, wi

quorum call: mr. thune: madam president. the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. thune: madam president, is the senate in a quorum call? the presiding officer: it is. mr. thune: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: thank you, madam president. madam president, before i begin, i want to mention the severe storms that hit eastern south dakota last thursday. i visited castlewood on saturday, which is among the communities hardest hit, to get a look at the damage. and it is extensive. homes and a school have been damaged, and destroyed, many of our farmers were hit hard and lost critical equipment, buildings. i just want our thoughts and prayers to go out to those south dakotans affected, and in particular the family and friends of the two women who were killed in the storm. my office will be doing everything possible to help those affected get the assistance that they need to recover. madam president, this week is national police week, a time set aside to honor the service of our nation's law enforcemen

mr. thune: thank you, madam president. madam president, if democrats made one thing clear over the past 16 months they think the federal government or maybe it's democrats knows best. it's evident in just about everything they do. and it's prut much no end to the things they think the federal government should be in charge of. health care, child care, education, elections, and the list goes on. the current debate over abortion, one thing democrats are clearly terrified of is putting this issue in the hands of the american people. overturning roe v. wade would return the issue of abortion to the people and their elected representatives. democrats are keen to make sure that doesn't happen, probably because they know the american people are not in agreement with democrats' extreme abortion agenda. so the news that the supreme court might overturn roe and return the issue of abortion to the people has been met with hiss tear ya from democrats. more than one has responded by calling for packing the supreme court so democrats ca

mr. thune: mr. president, before i begin, i want to is express my sorrow at the terrible shooting in texas on tuesday that claimed the lives of two teachers and 19 schoolchildren. like a lot of americans, i cannot imagine the anguish these children's parents are facing right now as they grieve for sons and daughters whom they will never again drive to school or welcome home at the end of the day. i pray that the lord will be with them in their suffering and that they will receive the comfort and the strength that they need. my prayers are with the entire uvalde community, the families of those killed, the injured, the teachers and students who suffered such terror, the medical and law enforcement personnel who responded and all those reeling from this terrible attack. mr. president, this past weekend i headed to myrtle, south dakota, a small town of around 500 people where i grew up. needless to say any trip to murdo brings back a lot of memories. first and foremost are those memories of my parents,