[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 8, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2845-S2846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Tribute to Kenny Klein

  Mr. President, now finally, on one totally different matter, it is my 
privilege today to pay honor to an iconic Kentuckian.
  The NCAA basketball season may only last 5 months, but for our 
outgoing University of Louisville media relations manager and Senior 
Associate Athletic Director Kenny Klein, the game has been a four-
decade odyssey.
  When Kenny joined the U of L program in 1983, he was the youngest 
Sports Information Director at an NCAA Division I football school. Now 
some might have doubted this young Tennessean could manage U of L's 
impassioned fan base or Louisville's prickly sports reporters, but he 
proved them all wrong. Long after games ended, after players went back 
to the locker rooms, after fans returned home, Kenny would stay in his 
office well into the night. He would pore over notes and statistics to 
perfect his answers to journalists' questions, and he would stash a 
cold beer in his desk for any reporter who spent the long nights with 
him.
  He was there for the team's highs--888 wins, two NCAA titles--and he 
deftly managed the team's lows as well. Referring to Kenny's flawless 
handling of media frenzies, one former Courier-Journal sports 
journalist suggested Kenny could run a course in crisis management in 
his retirement. That kind of sterling praise from an adversarial 
journalist, no less, is proof of Kenny's magic touch with the media.
  Over the course of his long career, he became the face U of L 
basketball to fans spanning generations. As an example, the star player 
of the 1986 championship squad Kenny Payne arrived on campus during 
Klein's second year on the job. And next year, Payne will be on the 
court coaching the school's basketball program. So students, athletes, 
and administrators came and went, but they could always count on Kenny 
Klein's constant presence.
  Since announcing his retirement, Kenny has received an outpouring of 
support from across the country, including a Lifetime Achievement Award 
from the College Sports Information Directors of America.
  Everyone, from Louisville's newest students to Kenny's biggest fan in 
the U.S. Capitol, is sad to see him leave his post. And we are glad 
that, after some begging, he has promised to stay at U of L in a 
reduced capacity.
  So we all wish him the best in the next chapter of his extraordinary 
life.
  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. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                                Title 42

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, 3 weeks ago, a Federal judge blocked the 
Biden Administration from lifting title 42 COVID restrictions. It was a 
welcome decision that will hopefully stave off an additional flood of 
illegal immigration on our southern border. But it has been pretty much 
the only bit of good news on this front, because the situation at our 
southern border is out of control.
  In April, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered 234,088 
individuals attempting to cross our border illegally--234,088. That is 
the highest number ever recorded.
  The Border Patrol is stretched thin. A recent article reported that 
``around 60 percent of CBP agents have been assigned to process 
migrants, taking them away from field work.'' Sixty percent. Detention 
facilities are overflowing and massive numbers of illegal immigrants 
are being released into the country, many of whom will never report to 
an immigration office as ordered.
  In short, our southern border is in chaos, and if title 42 is lifted, 
the situation is almost guaranteed to become much worse.
  The Department of Homeland Security has estimated that as many as 
18,000 migrants per day could attempt to cross our southern border if 
the policy is lifted. Eighteen thousand per day--that is more than 
double the number we are currently experiencing, and the administration 
has yet to implement any plan for dealing with such a situation.

  Illegal immigration, especially the kind of out-of-control illegal 
immigration we are now experiencing, has serious consequences. 
Criminals, including human traffickers, drug smugglers, and gang 
members, regularly attempt to cross our southern border. The worse the 
situation at our border gets, the easier it is for those individuals to 
make their way into the United States, and that has consequences for 
our entire country.
  South Dakota law enforcement officials tell me that they are seizing 
drugs that they can trace directly back to the cartels who smuggle 
these drugs across our border. Our country is currently in the midst of 
a fentanyl crisis. In fact, right now, fentanyl overdose is the leading 
cause of death for U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 45. And where 
is all this fentanyl coming from? Most of it is being trafficked across 
our southern border; and when more and more of our Customs and Border 
Protection agents have been pulled off the border to process migrants, 
it is pretty much a guarantee that drug smugglers are having a much 
easier time in getting their product into the country.
  I mentioned that Customs and Border Protection encountered more than 
234,000 individuals who were attempting to cross our southern border 
illegally in the month of April, but that number only reflects 
individuals the CBP has actually apprehended. In April, Homeland 
Security Secretary Mayorkas testified that, in addition to the 1.7 
million apprehensions at the southern border in fiscal year 2021, there 
were more than 389,000 ``got-aways''--individuals the Border Patrol saw 
but was unable to apprehend.
  The Economist recently reported:

       One border expert estimates that less than 20 percent of 
     people trying to cross the border undetected are stopped.

  The administration has attempted to suggest that the surge in illegal 
immigration that we have been experiencing since President Biden took 
office is, in large part, a function of conditions in other countries; 
but while these factors exist--and there are legitimate asylum claims 
at the border--that doesn't mean there is nothing the President can do 
about our out-of-control border situation. Better border security is 
well within the President's control. He is just not interested in 
putting it in place, and his Vice President has all but formally 
abandoned her role as border czar.
  In fact, since taking office, the President has invited increased 
illegal immigration with the policy decisions that he has made. On his 
very first day in office, President Biden rescinded the declaration of 
a national emergency at our southern border; he halted construction of 
the border wall; he revoked a Trump administration order that called 
for the government to faithfully execute our immigration laws; and his 
Department of Homeland Security issued guidelines pausing deportations 
except under certain conditions. That was all--all--on his first day in 
office.
  Needless to say, the effect of all of this was to declare to the 
world that the U.S. borders were effectively open. And, of course, the 
President's anti-border security efforts didn't end there.
  The President has significantly limited the ability of Immigration 
and Customs Enforcement to enforce immigration laws. Deportations 
dropped precipitously during fiscal year 2021, as did arrests in the 
interior of the country. In March, the administration rescinded a 2019 
rule expanding the expedited removal for individuals here illegally; 
and as I have mentioned, of course, the administration is attempting to 
remove title 42 COVID-19 restrictions with no visible plan to control 
the resulting surge in illegal immigration.

[[Page S2846]]

  President Biden has made it known that he wants to create a ``fair, 
orderly, and humane'' immigration system. Well, he is failing on all 
fronts. I don't need to tell anyone that the situation at the southern 
border, right now, is far from orderly, but it is also not humane. The 
President and other members of his party tend to convey an attitude 
that strong border security and the enforcement of our Nation's 
immigration laws are somehow not compassionate or humane. Well, they 
are wrong. We are seeing the effects of the President's anti-border 
security policies at our southern border right now, and the results are 
neither compassionate nor humane.
  Encouraging individuals to make the oftentimes dangerous journey to 
our southern border in the hopes they will be able to slip across 
illegally is not humane. Encouraging families and, at times, 
unaccompanied children to expose themselves to the dangers of heat and 
the elements and human trafficking is not compassionate. At least 557 
migrants died while attempting to cross the southern border during 
fiscal year 2021. That, too, was a record number. How many of them were 
encouraged to make the journey by the President's lax border policies?
  And I haven't even mentioned the lack of compassion and humanity the 
President displays for Americans affected by the illegal immigration 
crisis. Straining the resources of U.S. border communities by smoothing 
the way for illegal immigration and cross-border criminal activity is 
not compassionate. Making it easier for cartels to flood our Nation 
with fentanyl is not humane.
  The President of the United States--any President--has a special 
responsibility for our Nation's security, and that includes securing 
our Nation's border. So far, President Biden has spectacularly failed 
to meet that responsibility. This week, a caravan of thousands has 
reportedly started working its way north, through Mexico, aligning with 
the Summits of the Americas.
  It is long past time for the President to get serious about the 
border crisis that he has created, and this summit could be an 
opportunity for him to finally take action. I hope that he will reverse 
his current course before his administration's signature accomplishment 
ends up being a legacy of chaos at our southern border.
  I yield the floor.
  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.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as if in 
morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                     Honoring Our PACT Act of 2021

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, every Senator here has a serious 
responsibility to make sure that our veterans get the support and help 
they are promised after their service to our country, and that includes 
making sure that those who have been harmed by toxic exposures during 
their service get the service and care they deserve. It seems pretty 
simple, but I hope we can hold up our end of the bargain today.
  My dad was a World War II veteran--he was a Purple Heart recipient--
and when he got really sick with multiple sclerosis, help from the VA 
made a huge difference for my family. So I want to really thank 
Senators Tester and Moran for their persistent work on this bill. I am 
glad we have come to a bipartisan agreement on the PACT Act because it 
does matter, it will help people, and it will save lives.
  Right now, the reality is that too many veterans are living with 
chronic illness and respiratory diseases as a result of toxic exposures 
from their time serving our country in uniform. I have heard countless 
stories about the challenges they have faced struggling to get access 
to VA care and benefits they have earned, and that is unacceptable.
  I believe very strongly that no one who put their life or health on 
the line for our Nation should face hurdles getting the care or medical 
treatment they need as a result of that sacrifice. When they signed up 
to serve, we told them we would have their backs long after their 
service, so if we are going to live up to our promise, then we need to 
pass comprehensive legislation to ensure all veterans have access to 
the VA services they deserve. Simply put, we need to pass this PACT 
Act.
  With this bill, generations of toxic-exposed veterans would finally 
be able to get the high-quality care they need, and the VA will get the 
resources needed to process claims efficiently and better serve our 
veterans.
  I remember, back when I was 22 years old, I interned at the Seattle 
veterans hospital. I have visited with and met with VA staff in every 
part of Washington State. The doctors, the nurses, and everyone else 
working at our VA medical centers really care about this work, they 
care about this Nation, and they care about their mission, but they 
need us here in Congress to care just as much and fight just as hard 
for their patients, our veterans. That is really what this bill is 
about.
  When VA was considering closing or reducing services in Walla Walla, 
I fought back to make sure that our veterans in rural Washington were 
able to see a doctor without having to drive 2 hours or longer, 
sometimes through a lot of rain and snow.
  About 1 in every 10 residents in Washington State is a veteran, and I 
am privileged enough to serve on the Senate Veterans' Affairs 
Committee. It is my job to be a voice for Washington State veterans who 
are in Seattle or Spokane or Walla Walla or anywhere, and that is a job 
I take seriously. That is why I have been continually pressing the VA 
Secretary to cut redtape and make sure the VA caregivers program works 
for everyone who needs it, the way we wrote it. It is why I introduced 
the Helping Heroes Act to get families and kids of disabled veterans 
the assistance they need. It is why I will keep doing everything in my 
power to hold the VA accountable for its really unacceptable rollout of 
the electronic health record system in Washington State.
  There is a lot we need to do to really make sure the VA works for 
veterans, but passing the PACT Act, getting this done, is an important 
and meaningful process.
  Washington State veterans deserve the very best the VA has to offer, 
and there should be absolutely nothing controversial about making sure 
all veterans across all generations who are suffering from chronic 
illness get the care they have earned.
  I am glad to see we have bipartisan support for this bill. Let's get 
it done and to the President's desk.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.