ms. ernst: mr. president, we recently marked the 20th anniversary of september 11, a day that forever changed our nation. this direct assault on our country sparked the global war on terrorism, a war that came at great personal cost to our men and women serving in the armed forces. as a combat veteran, as the mother of a future soldier, even simply as an american, the events in afghanistan have been extremely disheartening to watch. i've heard from so many veterans and service members who served during this war, many of whom are distraught and disappointed at the haphazard way the war in afghanistan came to a close. i've also heard from too many gold star families who lost so much during this conflict -- their spouses, their fathers, their mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. recent events have left them questioning themselves and whether their family member's sacrifice was worth it. while we can't put the genie back in the battle when it comes do what happened in afghanistan last month,

quorum call: ms. ernst: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: mr. president, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: yes, we are. ms. ernst: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. ernst: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, democrats in washington are playing a high-stakes game with our nation's finances. congress just keeps passing bill after bill that adds trillions of dollars in spending to washington's credit card. first, there was the $1.9 trillion bideno nics that paid people not to work and then there was the $1.2 trillion so-called infrastructure bill that was supposed to be entirely paid for but wasn't. and now the $3.5 trillion budget blueprint that paves the way for passing a wish list of progressive priorities, like the green new deal and other pricey partisan pet projects. you might think the reckless spending spree would have come to a stop after reaching the nation's debt limit in july. wrong. democrats are now plotting to suspend the debt limit in order to pass

ms. ernst: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: mr. president, words can't describe the emotions i felt watching the ruthless taliban once again seize control of afghanistan, the very same country from where terrorists plotted the attacks on america two decades earlier. the world watched hopelessly as tens of thousands of people, including american citizens and our afghan allies, desperately attempted to escape the terror and bleak future certain to return under the rule of the taliban. through the chaos and the panic, the brave men and women of the united states armed forces, who once freed the nation from the terrorist regime, stood as protectors at the kabul airport for those who were desperately seeking a way out. then on august 26, a terrorist attack at the airport claimed the lives of 13 of these brave service members who were assisting with the evacuation, macing one of the deadliest -- marking one of the deadliest days for u.s. forces during the 20-year conflict. marine corporal daegan william-tyeler page was one of those kille

ms. ernst: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: madam president, the time is now. we need a memorial to the fallen heroes of the global war on terror and the memorial should be in its rightful place on the national hall in washington, d.c. the on tuesday i spoke with a group of nearly 30 gold star families who lost their loved ones during our nation's longest war. their stories of heart ache and sacrifice inspire me to continue fighting for this important memorial. the overwhelming theme on that call was this. the time is now to get the global war on terrorism memorial built on our thangs mall. -- on our national mall. and it's with that in mind, madam president, that i come to the floor again to ask the senate to join me in honoring our veterans, our gold star families, and fallen heroes by supporting my bipartisan legislation, the global war on terrorism memorial location act. i believe our nation has a responsibility to properly honor and pay tribute to our veterans, including those that have served in the longest conflict