[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 162 (Monday, September 20, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6546-S6548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Tribute to Jake Oken-Berg

  Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to bid farewell 
to an individual who has not only served as a longtime staff member but 
a highly respected member of our close-knit team, Jake Oken-Berg. 
Serving for the last 10 years as my business liaison, Jake has been my 
ambassador to Oregon's business community and its leaders. Frankly, 
when you consider some of my positions, Jake has undoubtedly developed 
the diplomatic skills necessary to actually be an ambassador.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S6546, September 20, 2021, the following appears: Mr. 
WYDEN. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table and the President be 
immediately notified of the Senate's action. The PRESIDING 
OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The Senator from 
Oregon. TRIBUTE TO JAKE OKEN-BERG Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I come 
to the floor today to bid farewell to an individual who has not 
only served as a longtime staff member but a highly respected 
member of our close-knit team, Jake Oken-Berg.
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: Mr. MERKLEY. I ask 
unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made 
and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified 
of the Senate's action. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, 
it is so ordered. The Senator from Oregon. TRIBUTE TO JAKE OKEN-
BERG Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to bid 
farewell to an individual who has not only served as a longtime 
staff member but a highly respected member of our close-knit team, 
Jake Oken-Berg.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  Jake has always approached his work with enthusiasm and a positive 
attitude, with steadfast determination to help me build and maintain 
critical partnerships with the business community throughout the State 
and to provide their feedback on how we can write better legislation.
  His creative pursuit of my partnership with the business community 
was on full display when he organized our office's ``Made in Oregon'' 
manufacturing tour. That tour comprised many trips across the State 
over several years, with business leaders, owners, and managers. Some 
of the most interesting gatherings I have ever been at were part of 
that ``Made in Oregon'' tour. It highlighted the contributions that 
Oregon's businesses, manufacturers, and workers are making to our State 
and to the country, and it shined a light on policies that are needed 
to ensure American companies and American workers stay competitive in 
the 21st century.
  Over the past decade, Jake has helped develop policies and strategies 
relevant to many sectors of Oregon's growing economy.
  One such strategy has been to make Oregon a global leader in mass 
timber, including the production of cross-laminated timber and mass 
plywood and the research on charring and stress loads necessary to 
rewrite building codes.
  Another strategy has been to make Oregon a national leader in the 
production of hemp for CBD, building on Oregon's legal cannabis 
industry.
  Yet another strategy has been building up Oregon's sustainable energy 
industry, accelerating the development of wind and solar and wave 
energy and supporting measures to increase the efficiency of the 
manufacturing process to use less energy.
  It is pretty staggering to think of all the balls Jake had to juggle 
at the same time over those 10 years, but he did it, and he did it 
making it look easy.
  Our team and our State saw the fruits of Jake's decade of partnership 
pay off over this last year and a half as businesses throughout Oregon 
faced extremely difficult, dark days amid the pandemic and the economic 
recession.
  As businesses ground to a halt and workers quarantined at home, 
owners and managers were grappling with issues of how to continue to 
pay employees or whether they had to let them go, paying rents and 
leases, paying subcontractors and suppliers under the threat of going 
out of business.
  So many owners and managers reached out to my office seeking 
assistance to access the economic injury disaster loans and the 
Paycheck Protection Program to keep their businesses and their 
employees afloat. Jake coordinated our response, communicating not only 
with the business leaders but with the local elected officials and the 
leaders of our business chambers. He produced guidance. He organized 
roundtables. He led discussions. He served as a hotline for every 
question. He helped owners figure out how to address unique challenges 
as they arose.
  When business owners were getting turned away from their own banks, 
for instance, Jake took the lead in developing alternative approaches 
so they could get the help they needed. And when specific sectors, like 
the live entertainment sector, which is such a staple of life and 
culture in our State of Oregon, was left out of the list of businesses 
that could receive emergency aid, Jake made it his business to get that 
changed. I can't even begin to guess how many Oregon businesses and 
workers were able to weather those dark and difficult days because of 
Jake's all-out efforts.
  I suspect that if he was here right now and we asked him what, after 
a decade of service, his greatest accomplishment has been, he would say 
it was simply to help make Oregon a better place for businesses and for 
workers, and then he might pause and, being the huge soccer fan that he 
is, say that a high point was when he made a connection so that I could 
spend a day with the owner of our Portland Timbers.
  So, Jake, thank you for giving so much to the team and to the people 
of Oregon over these last 10 years. It goes without saying that it is 
going to be a monumental undertaking trying to fill your shoes, and you 
are going to be missed by every member of our team. We wish you the 
best. We look forward to continuing to follow the great things that you 
will do in your next chapter for our State and for the country. We know 
that in whatever form it takes, you will never stop working to build a 
better world.
  Well done, Jake Oken-Berg, and thank you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.


                   Unanimous Consent Request--S. 535

  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.

[[Page S6547]]

  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 have heard from so many veterans and 
servicemembers 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 have 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 bottle when it comes to what 
happened in Afghanistan last month, we can properly memorialize the 
service of the brave men and women who fought and died to protect and 
defend the United States since the beginning of the Global War on 
Terror.
  I stand before you today to ask that the Senate join with me in 
honoring our Global War on Terrorism veterans and the sacrifices they 
made by supporting and passing my bipartisan bill, the Global War on 
Terrorism Memorial Location Act.
  In August of 2017, Congress passed and President Trump signed into 
law our bill authorizing the creation of a memorial commemorating the 
sacrifices of all those wonderful Americans who fought in the Global 
War on Terrorism.
  This memorial will be 100 percent privately funded and will not use a 
single dime of taxpayer money. Most importantly, it will pay tribute to 
our fallen servicemembers across the country, including the 13 who 
perished in Afghanistan on August 26. Among the 13 was Iowa native, Cpl 
Daegan William-Tyeler Page, who bravely gave the greatest sacrifice of 
all.
  This memorial is going to be built. It has already become law. It is 
ready to go. So let's get it built on the National Mall in Washington, 
DC, where it belongs. It is the least we in Congress can do for the men 
and women who have given so much.
  We have the opportunity to unite around a common cause, while 
providing a central location for our many veterans and their families 
affected by the Global War on Terror to reunite and reflect on their 
loved ones' sacrifices.
  This isn't a partisan idea. Earlier this month, the six surviving 
Secretaries of Defense, spanning Democratic and Republican 
administrations--Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Ash Carter, 
Jim Mattis, and Mark Esper--they all wrote an op-ed in the Washington 
Post in support of placing the Global War on Terror Memorial on our 
National Mall.
  While nothing will ever restore the lives that we have lost, this 
memorial would serve as a tribute to those brave men and women and 
their loved ones who have sacrificed in defense of our freedom.
  For more than 20 years, I had the privilege of serving my State and 
country in uniform. As a veteran of the Global War on Terror, I know 
firsthand the sacrifices the millions of brave men and women of our 
Armed Forces made in this fight against radical extremists.
  Like many others, I have risen my right hand and taken that oath 
voluntarily and without reservation. That is why the effort to build 
this memorial in its rightful place is a personal one, not just to me 
but to every servicemember, veteran, surviving family member, and 
civilian who has been impacted by this fight.
  This national memorial will provide all Americans a permanent place 
of reflection in the heart of our Nation's Capital. It will serve as a 
permanent commitment to the mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, 
and children who lost their whole world that this country is forever 
grateful and in their debt. It will serve as a place of healing for the 
thousands of veterans still carrying the wounds of war, both seen and 
unseen.
  The National Mall is currently home to the memorials honoring World 
War II, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war. How could we put the 
memorial for our Nation's longest war anywhere else?
  Mr. President, as in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent 
that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged from 
further consideration of S. 535 and the Senate proceed to its immediate 
consideration. I ask unanimous consent 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?
  Mr. MANCHIN. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, 4 years ago, I was proud to join Senator 
Ernst in sponsoring legislation to authorize construction on the 
National Global War on Terrorism Memorial to commemorate and honor the 
members of the Armed Forces' Global War on Terror.
  That bill passed the House and Senate on a voice vote and was signed 
into law August 2017.
  A memorial honoring the men and women of the Armed Forces who served 
our Nation in the Global War on Terror--our country's longest military 
conflict--is the least that we can do to recognize their service and 
sacrifice and especially those who gave their lives in the service of 
our Nation.
  In 2017, I said that it was incredibly important to honor these men 
and women, and it remains incredibly important today. I want the 
memorial to be built as quickly as possible. In fact, I think it should 
be the National Park Service's highest priority for approving new 
memorials, but it should be built following the same process that 
applies to all other memorials and commemorative works.
  Since 2003, the Commemorative Works Act has prohibited new memorials 
in an area called the Reserve, which is essentially the National Mall. 
Since that time, there have been several proposals to waive the 
prohibition for new memorials or museums in that area on the Mall, 
including the World War I Memorial and the Desert Storm and Desert 
Shield Memorial.

  Ultimately, these were located in other high-profile areas in 
compliance with the Commemorative Works Act. This legislation would 
override this provision in law to allow the Global War on Terrorism 
Memorial to be sited on the Reserve.
  As chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I believe 
this precedent would reopen the fight to locate other memorials on the 
National Mall and create more controversy that will ultimately delay 
the construction of this memorial which is much needed.
  While I am a strong supporter of the Global War on Terrorism 
Memorial, this would be creating an exception to the law for one 
memorial where others have been turned away and doing so without full 
committee process.
  Our Subcommittee on National Parks, which is chaired by Senator King 
from Maine, held a hearing on Senator Ernst's bill on June 23. At that 
hearing, the Department of Interior testified in opposition to S. 535 
as currently drafted.
  I would respectfully ask my friend Senator Ernst to withdraw her 
unanimous consent request to discharge her bill from committee and 
would commit to holding a markup of the bill so we can consider the 
options, the impact, and a path forward for this most important 
memorial.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does the Senator withdraw her request?
  Ms. ERNST. Respectfully, I do not.
  Mr. MANCHIN. I respectfully object to the Senator's request but 
maintain my commitment to working with my friend from Iowa and the 
families who, rightfully, want to memorialize their loved ones to find 
a path forward for this important memorial.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  The Senator from Iowa.
  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I will continue on this path. We, again, 
passed this bill. It was signed into law in 2017, creating the 
foundation to establish the Global War on Terrorism Memorial. So that 
was the first step in a process that has now culminated after 4 years 
of discussion and work. And I am very hopeful that the committee will 
go through regular process.
  I would encourage the chair to move forward on a markup of the bill 
and a vote on the bill. If we can receive that markup and vote, then I 
will stop my

[[Page S6548]]

live UCs. But until that point, I think it is imperative that we 
continue pushing for that regular order.
  I feel committed, obviously, to those whom I have served with, the 
others who have served in the Global War on Terror, their families, the 
affected communities, our Gold Star families, and others.
  This is our Nation's longest running war. It is a war that has 
affected more than just those servicemembers who set foot in the Middle 
East. My commitment to those families, those communities, and our 
country is that we will continue to proceed to make sure that this 
memorial is placed in prominence on our National Mall.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. MANCHIN. In response to my friend from Iowa, you have my 
commitment. We will do this markup and get it scheduled as quickly as 
we possibly can, and we will work through that. We encourage you to be 
at the markup, if you would like, and speak on it at that time. We will 
have the park people there and go through this in a very diligent way 
and hopefully get a result as soon as possible.
  Ms. ERNST. Thank you.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. MANCHIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________