[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 96 (Thursday, May 21, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S2576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



               Nomination of Major General Scott Spellmon

  Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, first of all, I just want to associate 
myself with the words of my colleague Senator Blunt. I couldn't say it 
as eloquently. I certainly couldn't improve upon it. I am just going to 
say I completely agree. Thank you.
  The real purpose for my coming to the floor today is to demonstrate 
my support for MG Scott Spellmon of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  General Spellmon is up for a promotion to Lieutenant General and has 
been nominated to become the Chief of Engineers and Commanding General 
to replace General Semonite as he retires.
  Since coming to the Senate, General Semonite and I have become well 
acquainted with each other. While we haven't always agreed, I do 
appreciate his service, his very hard work, and his accessibility, 
especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.
  His retirement is well earned, and I thank him for his service and 
wish him well.
  As a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Environment and 
Public Works Committee, I serve on two of the Army Corps committees of 
jurisdiction. As many of my colleagues can attest, it is a rare 
occasion that I compliment the Corps. It is an agency that is the 
epitome in many cases of cumbersome bureaucracy.
  I am not unique in my frustration. During our last EPW hearing with 
the Corps, criticism was both bipartisan and tangible. From Rhode 
Island to North Dakota to Oregon, each of us expressed frustration with 
a seemingly tone-deaf bureaucracy, which either doesn't do what it is 
supposed to do or does what it is not supposed to do.
  That frustration brings me here today: Major General Spellmon's 
pending nomination and promotion. Throughout this process, I have 
worked closely with General Spellmon on numerous issues important to 
North Dakota and other Western States.
  Early on, I spoke with him regarding the Spring Creek embankment in 
Central North Dakota. Due to the poor maintenance of relief wells, the 
Corps was going to move forward with a water control plan that could 
potentially devastate water supply and irrigation needs in eastern 
parts of my State.
  As per usual, the Corps' decision matrix was overly complicated and 
did not adequately reflect the needs and realities of rural America. 
When I brought the issue to General Spellmon, he promised to take a 
fresh look and reassess the economic impacts of the project. He then 
worked with me to craft legislation supporting these efforts, which was 
added to the water infrastructure legislation we unanimously passed out 
of the EPW not too long ago. He listened to the problem and is working 
with me to help solve it.
  I also challenged General Spellmon on Western State water rights--a 
problem that has plagued Western States that operate under the prior 
appropriation doctrine. On a bipartisan basis, Democrats and 
Republicans from Western States have been frustrated by an Army Corps 
that either ignores States and Tribes or needlessly inserts extra 
bureaucracy into decisions that are really not theirs to make. Once 
again, General Spellmon listened intently to the concern and provided 
thorough, honest responses to be used as a guidepost for Corps policy 
moving forward.
  Of equal importance, he acknowledged the flaws within his own 
organization. In my time in Congress, honesty sometimes seems to be 
missing but not with General Spellmon. He has proven he is willing to 
listen and be responsive in a forthright manner, and I thank him for 
that.
  I am confident General Spellmon will continue to listen to Western 
States and provide the necessary deference to them pursuant to 
congressional intent and to our Nation's Constitution. I have 
appreciated getting to know the general, and while my oversight and 
questions may not have always been the most enjoyable to him, he has 
proven to be up to the task of replacing General Semonite. I support 
his nomination and promotion, and I hope his exemplary service will be 
replicated by the rest of the bureaucracy he is going to lead.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon