[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 103 (Thursday, June 16, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2983-S2991]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

   HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021--
                                Resumed

  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
resume consideration of H.R. 3967, which the clerk will report.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 3967) to improve health care and benefits for 
     veterans exposed to toxic substances, and for other purposes.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Baldwin). The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. LEAHY. 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. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Smith). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.


                   Recognition of the Majority Leader

  The majority leader is recognized.


                               H.R. 3967

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, today is a historic, long-awaited day 
for our Nation's veterans. In a few moments, the Senate is finally 
going to pass the PACT Act--the most significant expansion of 
healthcare benefits for our veterans in generations. It is officially 
called the SFC Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act because Heath 
Robinson was one of the many who succumbed to the poisons of toxins 
that he was exposed to fighting for America.
  For too long, our Nation's veterans have faced an absurd indignity: 
They enlisted to serve our country, went abroad in good health, and 
came back, only to get sick from toxic exposure endured while in the 
line of duty.
  As many as 3\1/2\ million veterans have been affected by burn pits 
since 9/11. Yet approximately 80 percent of all disability claims 
connected to burn pits have been rejected by the VA. So many of our 
veterans have been fought by the VA after they fought for us, as they 
try to get healthcare benefits. Many of them had to hire lawyers just 
to prove their illnesses and then do a complicated legal dance to show 
what everyone knew: that toxic exposure from burn pits caused all kinds 
of cancers and other diseases. That was so, so wrong. Indignity. The 
callousness of forcing veterans who got sick as they were fighting for 
us because of exposure to these toxins, to have to fight for years in 
the VA to get the benefits they deserved--well, that will soon be over, 
praise God.
  To these American heroes who have carried on without the benefits 
they deserve, I have one thing to say: No more. Today, the Senate 
finally takes action to right this profound wrong.
  The PACT Act will finally change outdated rules at the VA that have 
been in effect for far too long that prevent our veterans from getting 
the care they need to treat health complications caused by burn pits. 
It will expand eligibility for VA medical care to make sure veterans 
get the help they need.
  There is even more good news in the PACT Act. It is not just about 
burn pits, as important as they are. The PACT Act will expand coverage 
of health issues exacerbated by Agent Orange, which, over the years, I 
have strongly pushed for in this Chamber.
  I want to give deep thanks to Senators Tester and Moran, who worked 
for months to push this bill over the finish line. Their leadership on 
this issue has been extraordinary.
  I want to thank my colleagues. This is another bipartisan action that 
is accomplishing something very significant, and I want to thank my 
colleagues from both sides of the aisle who supported the bill through 
its consideration.

[[Page S2984]]

  Most importantly, I want to thank the many veterans, the veterans 
service organizations, advocates like Jon Stewart and John Feal, who 
never gave up on making this change happen. Because of their advocacy, 
our veterans will finally get the dignity and care they rightfully 
deserve.
  If you want to take the measure of any nation, look no further than 
the way it treats those who sacrificed everything in the line of duty. 
Today, the Senate is making sure we treat our heroes the way our heroes 
deserve to be treated--with dignity, with gratitude for everything they 
have done to protect our way of life. Gone are the days when veterans 
will have to struggle to prove and fight to get benefits they deserve.
  I thank my colleagues for their work, and I urge all of us to vote 
yes on this long-overdue legislation.


                   Nomination of Steven M. Dettelbach

  Madam President, now let me talk about something that just happened 
in the Judiciary Committee.
  As we await the completion of the gun safety bill, there is another 
step the Senate will take today to protect our communities from gun 
violence. We can move to confirm Steven Dettelbach as the Director of 
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
  I want to thank Senator Durbin and the Judiciary Committee for moving 
this nomination expeditiously.
  Later today, I will move to discharge the nomination of Mr. 
Dettelbach from the Judiciary Committee after his nomination resulted 
in a tie vote. Based on his record and qualifications, Dettelbach 
unquestionably deserves bipartisan support, but either way, he is going 
to move forward.
  The ATF has not had a permanent Director since 2015, so confirming 
Mr. Dettelbach is one of my top priorities before the end of June. We 
need a fully functional, fully staffed ATF in order for that Agency to 
fulfill its mission of keeping our communities safe from gun violence.
  Obviously, the legislation we are talking about that is being 
negotiated is very important, but so is having a fully functioning ATF. 
It is critical we have a fully functioning, fully staffed ATF for the 
Agency to carry out its mission of protecting our communities from gun 
violence, and what they do is very, very important. Sometimes it is 
quiet. Sometimes it is not noticed. But their ability to deal with gun 
traffickers and so many others who poison our streets with illegal guns 
that take the lives of our children--the ATF is essential in stopping 
that, curtailing it, and having a strong, qualified nominee like Mr. 
Dettelbach will certainly help reduce the scourge of gun violence in 
this country, particularly because the ATF has not had anyone at the 
helm since 2015. So I am going to make sure his nomination moves as 
quickly and speedily through this Chamber as possible.


                               Gun Safety

  Madam President, now on the other issue, the debate on gun safety, 
this week, the Senate is making progress on a subject that has 
frustrated this Chamber for decades: meaningful gun safety legislation.
  Last night, I spoke with Senator Murphy on the latest round of 
bipartisan negotiations. Both sides met well into the evening and will 
be meeting again this afternoon. The work is not finished. No one will 
pretend that has been easy, but both parties are still working towards 
a final product. I urge both sides to keep going at it. This is so 
important to the American people. I am hopeful they will come to an 
agreement on bill text soon.
  Once we have the language for a gun safety bill, I am prepared to 
make it the next legislative matter considered on the Senate floor. We 
want to move quickly and decisively to make sure we don't let this 
opportunity slip away.
  Just a month ago, very few could have predicted that this Chamber 
would make as much progress as we have on a gun safety compromise. 
Given our recent history, it is hard to blame Americans who feel 
hopeless that change can happen on this issue. But that is why you 
never give up--never give up--even after facing so many 
disappointments. No matter how many times gridlock has taken hold in 
the past, survivors of gun violence, gun safety activists, people who 
have lost loved ones, children, have fought and fought and fought. They 
have visited our office every year, many times. Because of them, we are 
closer to making real progress than we have been in a long, long time.
  The work is not done, but I remain hopeful that we are going to get 
it done, and I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle 
for continuing their work towards a compromise.


                           January 6 Hearings

  Madam President, now on the Big Lie, today, the House will continue 
its public hearings on the Capitol attack of January 6. I urge all 
Americans to tune in and listen to the strong case our House colleagues 
are presenting.
  The dangers of the Big Lie transcend the Capitol attack. This week, 
many hard-right candidates, who deny the 2020 elections and have little 
faith in the fidelity of our elections, who may well move to undermine 
them, have won primaries and will be on the ballot in November.
  If you want to know what our country could turn into if they win, 
look at what is happening right now in New Mexico. Right now, a county 
commissioner in that State is refusing to certify the results of his 
county's primary elections because of debunked conspiracy theories 
involving Dominion voting machines. The votes of over 7,000 people are 
now in jeopardy, and the State supreme court has been compelled to step 
in. This is the result of the Big Lie spread by Donald Trump. He cannot 
accept the fact that he lost. His ego is so huge and infantile that he 
is undermining American democracy, and too many, often out of fear of 
Trump and the primary voter acolytes that Trump has, go along with 
this.
  It is happening in too many States. It is a real danger to our 
democracy. In Nevada, for instance, secretary of state candidate Jim 
Marchant has said that if he had been in office in 2020, he wouldn't 
have certified Joe Biden's victory.
  That is dangerous stuff. Do my colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle who go along with this realize that? This undermines the 
democracy, sacred to all of us--Democrat, Republican, Independent.
  America needs to be watching what is happening in States like New 
Mexico and Nevada because if we are not careful, it will be a preview 
of greater horrors to come. It is not a partisan argument; it is simply 
about democracy versus authoritarianism. Many of the things said by 
some of these officeholders were said by people who then led their 
country to authoritarian regimes.
  It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican or an 
Independent; democracy is at risk if we elevate individuals who don't 
believe in the sanctity of elections.
  I urge the American people, regardless of party, to reject these 
radicals in November because our democracy is literally--literally--on 
the line.


                       Ocean Shipping Reform Act

  Madam President, finally, on the ocean shipping bill, today is an 
important day. President Biden will sign the Ocean Shipping Reform Act 
into law.
  Shipping reform is exactly the kind of bill that can make a 
difference to the American people. It fights inflation. It relieves our 
supply chains. It will help small businesses and consumers alike.
  Our ports need help. The cost of sending a container across the 
Pacific Ocean is up 1,000 percent. Who pays that? The consumer and the 
American exporter. Our ports need help. Our supply chains need relief. 
With today's signing, we can now say help is on the way.
  I thank President Biden for signing this bill quickly. I thank my 
colleagues, Senators Klobuchar, Thune, and Cantwell, for their 
leadership in the Senate. I thank Speaker Pelosi and my House 
colleagues for approving the bill earlier this week.
  I would say to our friends in the media: No, this has been 
bipartisan. There hasn't been conflict, but it is important. Please pay 
some attention to it. Things are getting done to deal with the scourge 
of inflation.
  I yield the floor.


                   Recognition of the Minority Leader

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The minority leader is recognized.


                               Inflation

  Mr. McCONNELL. Before Democrats dumped $2 trillion on the economy 
last

[[Page S2985]]

year, experts warned that such reckless spending would not just raise 
prices for working families, but could also trigger a full-on 
recession.
  In February of 2021, for example, a prominent economist testified 
right here on Capitol Hill and said Democrats' runaway spending might 
back the Federal Reserve into a corner. It might leave the Fed no 
choice but to sharply raise interest rates. And that would not just 
slow down our economic recovery, but potentially actually shift it into 
reverse.
  Sound familiar? That is exactly what has happened right before our 
eyes.
  Yesterday, a few days after the far-worse-than-expected inflation 
report for the month of May, the Fed announced the biggest interest 
rate hike in 28 years--the biggest interest rate hike in 28 years. And 
they signal more increases may be on the deck soon. The Fed acted too 
slowly on the incorrect presumption that inflation would fade away. Now 
that it hasn't happened, they have to make up for lost time.
  The stock markets that carry Americans' retirement savings have been 
in free fall. The S&P 500 has lost a full one-fifth of its value in 
just 6 months. Americans' consumer confidence just nose-dived to its 
lowest point ever recorded--worse than at any point during the 2008 
recession, worse than the early panic over COVID.
  The percentage of small businessowners who say they are optimistic 
about the near future has never been this low in the entire 48-year 
history of that survey. And signs suggest this may be just the 
beginning of the pain for the American people.
  Just 3 months ago, the Fed predicted we would not have to see rising 
unemployment until 2024. Yesterday, however, they announced they now 
see unemployment increasing this year, next year, and--and the year 
after that.
  Just between March and May, their official estimate for our country's 
economic growth in 2022 plummeted--listen to this--by 40 percent. It 
looks increasingly like Democrats may have driven America toward a 
full-on recession. They have driven our country toward a full-on 
recession.
  The term ``stagflation'' was invented to describe the most painful 
economic conditions for workers and families. It means the worst of 
three worlds at once: High inflation, slow growth, and rising 
unemployment. Unless something changes--we all hope it does--this 
appears to be exactly the trajectory on which Democrats' policies have 
put our country.
  The last time we had a unified Republican government, our policies 
created low inflation, robust growth, and record-low unemployment. Sole 
Democratic Party control has produced something quite different.
  But, unbelievably, the same Washington Democrats who dug this hole 
seem unwilling to put away their shovels. They want to keep digging. 
With our economy trending toward a possible recession, some of our 
colleagues are trying to restart discussions about massive trillion-
dollar-plus tax hikes.
  It really beggars belief. Democrats spent 2021 trying to respond to 
inflation with even more--even more--reckless spending, and now they 
are spending 2022 trying to respond to a looming recession with 
gigantic tax hikes.
  This is utter nonsense. It's unbelievable.
  Democrats have quite likely inflated their way into a recession, and 
now they want to pile on historic tax hikes and make it worse.
  In every poll, in every survey, the American people make their views 
of the Democratic economic policies crystal clear. For the sake of the 
country, let's hope our colleagues remember the first rule of holes, 
and stop digging.


                                 Energy

  Madam President, on a related matter, tomorrow President Biden will 
host the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate. Meanwhile, 
working Americans will continue to face the consequences of his 
disastrous energy and climate policies. While President Biden and his 
team have declared a holy war on America's domestic production, average 
gas prices have soared over $5. By August, they are projected to hit 
$6.20.
  Diesel, which literally drives our economy, is now at an all-time 
high. Natural gas is up 30.2 percent; fuel oil is up 106.7 percent; 
groceries, which overwhelmingly rely on diesel semis to get to 
supermarket shelves, are up nearly 12 percent compared to last year.
  These eye-popping numbers are the predictable results of Democrats' 
inflationary policies and specifically their war on affordable American 
energy.
  Well, the American people continue to tell Democrats they are not 
interested in buying fantastical green boondoggles when they can barely 
afford the essentials today. According to one recent poll, more than 
half of Americans are very or extremely concerned about how grocery 
prices are affecting their household's financial situation. Nearly two-
thirds feel that same way about gas prices.

  But Washington Democrats are still in staggering disarray over how 
and even whether to clean up the mess they have made.
  Some, like the administration's climate czar, John Kerry, are still 
in denial. He said recently: ``We absolutely don't''--John Kerry--``We 
absolutely don't'' need to ramp up oil and gas production. Instead, he 
insisted:

       We have to transition to electric vehicles about 20 times 
     faster than we are now.

  Americans continue to report that just affording gas has become a 
daily hardship, but the former Senator from Massachusetts says to folks 
in places like Kentucky: The solution is just buy an expensive electric 
car.
  Now, some administration officials are willing to acknowledge the 
problem, just not its source. The American people continue to hear 
about a so-called ``Putin price hike'' even though gas was already up 
nearly 50 percent--50 percent--since President Biden took office at the 
time Russia launched the war. Some Members of the President's party 
seem more clear-eyed. Yesterday, one House Democrat said:

       I'm calling on the President to sit down with domestic oil 
     and gas companies and find a way to lower prices. . . . The 
     President needs to bring everyone together.

  That was a Democrat in the House.
  But, unfortunately, the Biden administration still appears to be jaw-
droppingly naive about the consequences of its war on affordable 
domestic energy. As energy prices continued to skyrocket earlier this 
year, the White House reportedly insisted the production could just be 
turned back on with the flip of a switch.
  According to one analyst:

       They thought shale oil production could grow sharply in the 
     near term--like in a matter of months or quarters . . . They 
     were shocked to learn that that's like asking for blood from 
     a stone.

  Of course, Democrats' misunderstanding hasn't stopped them from 
trying to use American energy producers as a scapegoat. Yesterday, the 
White House press secretary insisted: ``We have done our part . . . `' 
she said. ``We need [oil companies] to act.''
  Really? That doesn't pass the laugh test.
  In a letter yesterday, one of America's biggest domestic producers 
asked the Biden administration for three things: ``Clear and consistent 
policy that supports U.S. resource development'', ``regular and 
predictable lease sales'', and ``support for infrastructure such as 
pipelines.''
  Notice that this is precisely a summary of what President Biden 
hasn't--has not been doing since he took office.
  Since day one, the Biden administration has been outright hostile to 
U.S. resource development, frozen certain new development leases, and 
canceled a pipeline project that would have expanded efficient energy 
transport and created American jobs.
  The American people are bracing for a very pricey summer, from the 
gas pump to the grocery store. And they know exactly who to blame.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I recently read an article published by 
a woman who is very credible on the issue of energy, which I would like 
to share after the statements recently made by the Republican leader.
  The question is whether or not our production of crude oil during 
President Biden's Presidency was higher or lower than the Trump 
administration. I quote Heather Cox Richardson:

       To encourage production, Biden's officials have issued more 
     permits on federal lands than were issued in the Trump 
     administration's first three years, at a pace that approaches 
     [that of] George W. Bush's administration. Only 10% of all 
     U.S. drilling takes place on federal land, but the Bureau of 
     Land

[[Page S2986]]

     Management confirms that more than 9,000 drilling permits on 
     public land are currently approved. Not all would be 
     productive if they were developed, and none of them could 
     start producing immediately, but this undercuts the argument 
     that gas prices are high because the Biden administration has 
     choked off permits.

  She goes on to say:

       What appears to be driving U.S. gas prices is the pressure 
     investors are putting on oil companies, whose officers answer 
     to their investors. Limited production creates higher prices 
     that are driving record profits. In a March 2022 survey of 
     141 U.S. oil producers asking them why they were holding back 
     production, 59 percent said they were under investor 
     pressure. Only 6 percent blamed ``government regulations'' 
     for their lack of increased production.

  Oil companies are seeing huge profits and are using the money for 
stock buybacks to raise stock prices. BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, 
TotalEnergies, Eni, and Equinor will give between $38 and $41 billion 
to shareholders through buyback programs this year.
  That is a little different picture than was just painted by the 
Republican leader.
  There is some culpability here when it comes to the oil companies, 
and blaming President Biden is ignoring the fact that he has, on 
Federal lands, which, as written, account for a percentage of our 
production in this country, expanded permits beyond the levels offered 
by the previous administration. This is certainly a more complex issue 
than was suggested by the Senator from Kentucky.


                            Gun Legislation

  Mr. President, on another topic, I would say that we have learned a 
lot from COVID-19. We have learned that this particular pandemic 
targeted, more than ever, those among us who were up in years, the 
seniors. They were the most vulnerable to the attack of COVID-19, and 
many folks in their senior years were threatened by and some succumbed 
to this terrible pandemic. We knew that it was a problem for senior 
citizens and still do.
  Yesterday, we had a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee that 
called to mind the real question before us: What if this pandemic had 
targeted our children and babies? What if we knew that the next 
pandemic was going to make them particularly vulnerable? Well, I will 
tell you, I believe this country--rightly so--would rally behind an 
effort to do everything we could to protect our children from this 
looming, potential, cause of death.
  Mine is only a hypothetical when it comes to pandemics, but it is not 
a hypothetical when it comes to the No. 1 cause of death among children 
and teenagers in America. The CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, just announced within the last 2 weeks that the No. 1 cause 
of death is not a pandemic but guns, firearms, gun violence, and gun 
deaths.
  Yesterday, we held a hearing in the Judiciary Committee on the 
leading cause of death for children in America--guns. In 2020--the most 
recent year's statistics that are available--more than 4,300 American 
babies, children, and teens died from gunfire. During the hearing, we 
heard from a chorus of witnesses: healthcare witnesses, law 
enforcement, community violence prevention. They agreed on one basic 
thing: that gun violence is traumatizing an entire generation of 
American youth. Lawmakers in Congress have a responsibility to stem 
this tide of violence.
  One of the witnesses was a young college student from Northeastern 
University in Boston. He actually grew up on the West Side of Chicago. 
His name is Ernest Willingham. He isn't 20 years old yet, but his 
testimony sounded like the testimony of a person who was wise in years. 
He has already experienced one gun-related tragedy after another.
  Mr. Willingham told the members of our committee:

       I have seen my brother, my father, my cousin and my best 
     friend become victims of gun violence. . . . This is 
     something that young people should never have to prepare 
     themselves for, yet it remains the lived experience of so 
     many children and youth around our nation.

  He continued:

       We are better than this as a country, and we can solve this 
     crisis.

  Then he made reference to one basic fact. He said:

       Most kids who grew up with me spent more time attending 
     funerals than weddings.

  That is a sobering statement, and it puts into perspective not only 
the threat of gun violence and the toll that it has taken but also the 
trauma that is visited on so many who are affected by this gun 
violence. We think instantly of the families of the victims, but trauma 
goes far beyond that; it extends to families of witnesses and to so 
many others whose lives are affected.
  Two weeks ago, in Chicago, Lurie Children's Hospital convened a group 
of young people from gun-infested neighborhoods. They agreed to meet 
with me on a private, off-the-record basis. We closed the door, and I 
looked at their 20 or 30 faces and said:

       Tell me what I need to know as a U.S. Senator about what it 
     means to grow up in your neighborhood.

  I can tell you that there was an outpouring of statements from every 
one of them, talking about how guns have become such a sad and tragic 
part of their lives and how many of them had either been shot or had 
lost a family member or a loved one or a friend to gun violence. And 
they talked about the basics.
  One young man said:

       Senator, we need home training.

  I said:

       What do you mean by ``home training''?

  He said:

       We need parents to tell us what is right and wrong, to tell 
     us what to do. There are no rules. The only rules I find are 
     the rules of the gang's on the street. I know what their 
     rules are, but I don't know what the rules are in terms of my 
     own life.

  I think back on my childhood. Rules? Oh, I had plenty of rules, and 
most kids do: Clean your plate. Clean your room. Do your homework. Take 
out the trash. Walk the dog.
  The rules were coming at me all the time. Then I went and attended 
Catholic grade schools, and, believe me, they had even more rules to 
play by.
  The statements by many of these young people were that their lives 
were adrift in the earliest stages. Some of it reflects parents who are 
facing poverty, who are struggling to make ends meet. Some are working 
two jobs just to get enough money to keep food on the table. They can't 
be at home and nurturing and guiding these young people as much as they 
should because they are struggling from paycheck to paycheck. That is a 
reality of poverty in these neighborhoods.
  Some families aren't that ``lucky''--and I use that in quotes. Some 
are dysfunctional. They have one parent who is a drug addict and 
another parent who is inclined toward violence or alcohol, and the 
child suffers as a result of it.
  The point I am getting to is this: That hearing yesterday on gun 
violence highlighted the reality of what life is like for too many kids 
in places around America, and it highlighted the importance of doing 
something.
  We had a doctor there who was the chairman of the American Academy of 
Pediatrics. She said that she sent out an email, in preparation for her 
testimony, to a number of pediatricians and said:

       Can you share with me any personal experiences with kids 
     who are victims of gun violence?

  She received 300 replies, which we put in the record of the Senate 
Judiciary Committee's. They were sobering statements by doctors of what 
they faced with kids who had either been victims of gun violence or who 
had witnessed it and were trauma victims as a result. That was the 
reality.
  Ernest Willingham, whom I mentioned earlier, talked about what it 
meant to have this as an integral part of his life while growing up. He 
was one of the lucky ones. He was able to break free from this terrible 
experience and really start down the path toward a college education.
  We had the chief of police from Phoenix, AZ, Chief Williams, who came 
in. She is a 23-year veteran of the police force and is the chief in a 
major city. She talked about guns and kids and what they face in her 
city, where she just recently had a number of her policemen who were 
injured in the line of duty.
  She spoke to that and said:

       Last night, there was a shooting, and luckily they survived 
     or I wouldn't be here today.

  That is the reality of guns in America.
  We focused with her on the guns like AR-15s that are showing up at 
these

[[Page S2987]]

shootouts and massacres. The AR-15 is a ``semiautomatic'' weapon, which 
means it fires ammunition every time you pull the trigger, but it can 
be converted into an automatic weapon, whereby you can hold the 
trigger, and it just sprays ammunition at people who are victims.
  How many of these exist in the United States today, these AR-15 
assault weapons that we are seeing in so many of these massacres and 
shootings? We are not sure. It is somewhere between 10 and 20 million--
10 and 20 million.
  I asked the pediatrician what kind of damage is done by these guns, 
and she told us: It is devastating.
  Some of the stories that are coming back from these mass shootings 
now are horrific. I just even hesitate to repeat them, but they have 
been reported widely in the news--the damage that is done to these poor 
little bodies in the classrooms when these weapons are turned on them.
  Now, there is no earthly purpose for such a weapon other than their 
use in the military--it isn't used for sport; it isn't used for 
hunting; it can't be used for self-defense very effectively--but so 
many, millions, are being sold across America.
  From my point of view, we should be dealing with that issue directly, 
as well as high-capacity magazines that allow these to happen, but, 
unfortunately, we can't at this moment. We don't have the political 
will to do it in the U.S. Senate--50-50 divided. We do have the will to 
take up the framework, which is being worked on at this very moment. It 
isn't what I want to see, and it isn't what many of us want to see, but 
it is a step forward.
  I commend the Senators--the Democrat Chris Murphy and the Republican 
John Cornyn--for assembling a group of some 20 Senators, Democrats and 
Republicans, who are working on this legislation. It is critically 
important that they are successful. I know they are having drafting 
challenges--that is common around here--but we have plenty of talented 
people, and if the Members, in good will, sit down, they can work out 
their differences. I urge them to do so.
  Senator Schumer and Senator McConnell publicly support this 
undertaking. It is one of the rare bipartisan events in the U.S. 
Senate, and it is on the critical issue of gun safety. I hope that by 
next week, we can consider this on the floor.


                   Nomination of Steven M. Dettelbach

  Mr. President, there is another matter that will come before us as 
soon as today, and it was a matter that was raised in the Judiciary 
Committee this morning.
  Today, we can start by discharging from the committee a proven, 
battle-tested leader to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms 
and Explosives. His name is Steve Dettelbach. The Presiding Officer 
knows him well as he served as a member of his staff as a detailee. He 
has an exceptional record.
  You see, it has been 7 years since there has been a Senate-confirmed 
Director at ATF, and at a moment when guns are killing our kids at a 
devastating rate, this office cannot remain vacant any longer--7 years.
  How many times have you heard the statement: ``We don't need any gun 
laws. We just need to enforce the laws that are already on the books''? 
Well, one of the Agencies that have major jurisdiction is Alcohol, 
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
  It is no coincidence since it has been 7 years since there has been a 
person in charge of that Agency. You need someone to guide the Agency 
to enforce the laws to keep our streets safe. That is very basic.
  Well, we made a gesture toward that this morning in the Senate 
Judiciary Committee. Today, we voted for discharge. The Senate will 
take a critical step toward confirming Mr. Dettelbach. He is the kind 
of leader our Nation needs to get a handle on the crisis of gun 
violence. Later today, we will have a vote on the floor here. I hope we 
can get bipartisan support for Mr. Dettelbach.
  Members of law enforcement, mayors across America, and former Federal 
prosecutors all agree that it is time that this man, Steve Dettelbach, 
become the Director of the ATF. More than 140 former Justice Department 
officials, including multiple Trump administration appointees, have 
stepped forward to voice their support for Mr. Dettelbach's nomination. 
The Judiciary Committee has also received letters of support from 
multiple former Directors and Acting Directors of the ATF.

       It is no surprise. As a career prosecutor, Mr. Dettelbach 
     has devoted decades of his life to working alongside law 
     enforcement, including ATF agents, to combat gang violence, 
     gun crimes, and hate crimes. In every role he has held, Mr. 
     Dettelbach has been squarely focused on protecting the lives 
     of law enforcement officers and the families they serve.

  In his own words:

       Politics can play no role in law enforcement.

  He has earned the trust of an amazing list of law enforcement 
organizations. Listen to the groups that support his taking on this 
job: The National Sheriffs' Association, the International Association 
of Chiefs of Police, the Major County Sheriffs of America, the National 
Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the Federal Law 
Enforcement Officers Association, Women in Federal Law Enforcement, the 
Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association, and many, many 
more.
  When a mass shooter tears apart a community like Buffalo, NY, or 
Uvalde, TX, ATF agents are among the first Federal officers to respond. 
Let us not wait a minute longer in providing these heroic agents the 
leader they deserve. Yes, let's enforce the laws that are on the books. 
Let's put together the leadership of the ATF to make certain that is 
done.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for Steve Dettelbach's 
confirmation on the floor of the Senate today. It is timely, it is 
important, and it is long overdue.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. 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 (Mr. Booker). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted 
to speak for up to 15 minutes, Senator Moran for up to 7 minutes, and 
Senator Tester for up to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled rollcall 
votes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                               U.S. Army

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, before I begin, I would like to take a 
brief moment to wish the U.S. Army a happy 247th birthday.
  I had the special honor this morning to ``fall in'' with Secretary of 
the Army Wormuth, Army Chief of Staff McConville, Sergeant Major of the 
Army Grinston, many other Army leaders, and hundreds of soldiers for 
some morning PT.
  I appreciated the opportunity to join in the Army tradition of a 
birthday formation run, and it was especially humbling to run through 
the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.
  Any time you are in Arlington--or any national cemetery in the 
States, like the Black Hills National Cemetery in South Dakota, or 
overseas, like the Normandy American Cemetery--you are reminded of the 
sacrifice and legacy of our Nation's warfighters. Every name and pair 
of dates on a headstone tells a unique story of selfless service to our 
Nation.
  In running over the hills and around the turns this morning, you get 
a better sense of the magnitude of the more than 400,000 Americans who 
are honored at Arlington and the collective sacrifice of all of 
America's heroes.
  Today, the U.S. Army proudly carries on the heritage and legacy 
established on June 14, 1775. Our soldiers and all our men and women in 
uniform stand guard around the world to protect our freedoms, and they 
make any adversary think twice about threatening them, as the U.S. Army 
has done for the past 247 years.
  Thank you for all of your service to our country, your 
professionalism, and determination, and thank you for including me 
today. Happy birthday to the U.S. Army.


                            Rural Broadband

  Mr. President, as a longtime member and former chairman of the Senate

[[Page S2988]]

Commerce Committee and as a resident of a rural State, I have long been 
focused on expanding rural broadband access and ensuring that the 
benefits of the next wave of mobile broadband, 5G, are fully realized 
in rural communities.
  Expanding rule broadband access has been embraced by Members on both 
sides of the aisle, and Congress has appropriated billions of dollars 
in recent years to ensure that rural communities are able to access 
fixed broadband. It is encouraging to see Members on both sides of the 
aisle supporting this goal, but there are problems. While, as I said, 
Congress has appropriated billions of dollars toward this goal, the 
Federal Government lacks an overarching broadband strategy.
  As a recent Government Accountability Office report highlighted, 
rural broadband funding is spread out over 15 separate Agencies and 
more than 130 separate programs in our government. That doesn't exactly 
make for outstanding efficiency or coordination. What it does make for 
is wasted taxpayer dollars and slower progress in ensuring that our 
rural communities have access to broadband.
  Last week, the Senate Commerce Committee's Communications 
Subcommittee, of which I serve as ranking member, held an oversight 
hearing on one of the leading Agencies charged with expanding rural 
broadband access and promoting wireless access, the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, or the acronym is 
NTIA. I appreciated Assistant Secretary Davidson coming to testify 
before the committee.
  Last year, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 
Act, which provided billions of dollars to NTIA to deploy broadband 
services to unserved areas throughout the United States. At the time 
the bill was debated, I raised a number of concerns about NTIA's 
ability to effectively and efficiently manage such substantial funding, 
given NTIA's past history on expanding rural broadband services. The 
last time Congress provided NTIA with broadband funding--a fraction, I 
might add, of the funding it is now responsible for--the Agency 
struggled with implementation and ended up overbuilding existing 
broadband networks, resulting in billions of taxpayer dollars being 
spent with little to show. And I have to say, I have not seen a lot to 
convince me that NTIA will do a better job this time around.
  Last month, NTIA released its Notice of Funding Opportunity for the 
Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment--or BEAD--Program. The notice 
contains a number of troubling components. To begin with, I am 
concerned that NTIA is planning to base its funding allocations on maps 
that don't accurately reflect which areas of the country are unserved. 
This creates a substantial risk of misallocating the funding Congress 
appropriated and, once again, overbuilding existing networks at the 
taxpayers' expense.
  NTIA's notice also makes clear that when it comes to expanding 
networks, they are planning to favor certain applicants; specifically, 
government-run networks and nontraditional broadband providers--
entities with no proven track record in deploying broadband networks.
  What NTIA should be doing is taking a neutral approach that allows 
equal participation from all types of broadband providers, as long as 
they meet the technical, financial, and operational standards to deploy 
networks.
  Finally, especially at a time of record high inflation, the last 
thing any Agency should be doing is pursuing extraneous political goals 
that will ultimately increase the cost for providers who are deploying 
networks. I am disappointed that NTIA, like other Federal Agencies 
under this administration, is seeking to score political points with 
certain constituencies--in this case, by leaning into net neutrality 
requirements, promoting burdensome labor standards, and focusing upon 
climate change initiatives.

  NTIA's focus on requiring broadband providers to use a unionized 
workforce or project labor agreement not only puts providers that do 
not use union workforces at a disadvantage, but it is unworkable--
unworkable--for providers in rural communities like those in South 
Dakota that simply don't have access to a unionized workforce.
  Earlier this month, I heard firsthand from the folks who are building 
out networks in my home State of South Dakota about the challenges they 
face with respect to supply chain shortages and increased construction 
costs, and including unnecessary requirements in broadband contracts 
will only exacerbate that problem.
  I will continue to urge NTIA to work with States to reduce, rather 
than increase, regulatory burdens so that the funding Congress provided 
could be used to provide broadband access to as many Americans as 
possible.
  I also continue to work on other measures to expand broadband access 
in rural communities, including the Reforming Broadband Connectivity 
Act, which I joined colleagues from both parties to introduce last 
year.
  This legislation will help guarantee a stable funding stream for the 
Federal Communication Commission's Universal Service Fund, which 
promotes universal access to broadband and other telecommunications 
services. And I am hoping--I am hoping--we can get this legislation 
enacted into law this year.
  Having reliable rural fixed broadband services is also key in 
ensuring that rural communities are able to access the next wave of 
mobile broadband internet, 5G, and I am committed to smoothing the path 
for 5G services.
  Mr. President, 5G offers tremendous potential for rural communities, 
whether it is better access to telehealth or the opportunity to 
implement precision agriculture. And we need to ensure that we build 
out 5G networks not just in cities and in suburbs but in rural 
communities across the United States.
  I have introduced a number of bills to help keep the United States at 
the forefront of the 5G revolution and ensure that 5G technology makes 
its way to rural communities.
  My STREAMLINE Act, for example, would expedite the deployment of the 
small cells that are needed for 5G installation, while respecting the 
role of State and local governments in making deployment decisions. 
And, importantly, it would make it more affordable to bring 5G to rural 
areas by addressing the costs of small cell deployment.
  On the spectrum side of the equation, this year, I introduced the 
Spectrum Innovation Act, along with the Communications Subcommittee 
chair, Senator Lujan, to free up additional midband spectrum for 5G 
deployment, an action that will simultaneously improve 5G coverage and 
bring in revenue for deficit reduction.
  Since freeing up additional spectrum requires proper coordination 
between NTIA, the FCC, and other Federal Agencies, I joined Senators 
Wicker, Blackburn, and Lujan to introduce the Improving Spectrum 
Coordination Act to ensure that our Federal partners are effectively 
managing our Nation's airwaves.
  On the workforce side of things, my Telecommunications Skilled 
Workforce Act, which was enacted into law last year, is designed to 
help increase the number of workers enrolled in 5G training programs 
and identifying ways to grow the telecommunications workforce to meet 
the demands of 5G.
  I will continue to work to support every part of the 5G equation--
from physical technology to spectrum, to a 5G workforce--so that the 
United States can stay at the forefront of this internet revolution. I 
will also continue to make fixed broadband and 5G access in rural 
communities a priority.
  Too often, rural areas, like those in my home State of South Dakota, 
have lagged behind when it comes to getting the most modern internet 
technology, and I am committed to ensuring that the full benefits of 
next-generation technologies make their way to rural communities.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.


                               H.R. 3967

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, thank you for that emphatic recognition.
  In the next few minutes, the Senate will vote on the Sergeant First 
Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive 
Toxics Act of 2022.
  This is a significant--I would say historic--moment. This bipartisan 
legislation, not only is it significant and important because of the 
content, but it is also significant and perhaps historic because of the 
cooperation that has

[[Page S2989]]

been garnered to put this act together and presumably pass it and send 
it to the President of the United States.
  This bipartisan legislation is the most comprehensive toxic exposure 
package the Senate has ever delivered to veterans in our country's 
history.
  Generation after generation, Americans, one by one, have answered the 
call of duty with the promise that we--the United States of America, 
the citizens of this country--would take care of them and their 
families after their time in uniform. Yet generation after generation, 
veteran after veteran, these servicemembers returned home only to be 
met with a piecemeal process as they work to cobble together the care 
that they earned and the benefits they deserved from the Department of 
Veterans Affairs.
  Veterans have spent years fighting bureaucracy to get the care they 
need, and, sadly, there are those who have been fighting, up to this 
point, who are no longer living, to receive the benefits that this 
legislation will provide.
  Chairman Tester, the Senator from Montana, and I made a commitment to 
get to this point today. I am proud that we are doing so together in a 
bipartisan way. And, most importantly, this bill will deliver 
healthcare and benefits to thousands of veterans who are ill due to 
their exposure to burn pits and other toxic exposures.
  There is no doubt that the cost of taking care of our veterans is 
high, but the truth is freedom is not free. We say that. This is 
evidence that we believe that, upon the passage of this legislation.
  There is always, always a cost to war. It is always high. It is 
always dramatic. It is always something that costs people their lives. 
But we make a decision when we send those service men and women to war 
that we are going to do what we said we are going to do and care for 
them. The decision is made when we send someone to war about whether we 
are going to spend money to care for them when they return. The cost of 
war is not fully paid when the war is over.
  We are now on the verge of honoring that commitment to America's 
veterans and their families. Back home in Kansas, MG Lee Tafanelli said 
this legislation ``will have a great impact in the lives of our 
veterans long after their service. The knowledge that the obstacles 
formerly in their way have now been streamlined will provide peace of 
mind as our veterans move on with their lives.''
  I spoke on Memorial Day at a cemetery in Kansas, and a Navy veteran 
came up to me after my remarks and said: I served in the Navy. My dad 
served in the Navy. We both encountered toxic substances, and we are 
fortunate we have no symptoms that cause any problems in our lives, but 
that doesn't mean we don't think about it every day; that what happens 
if we do have those consequences in the future and there is nothing 
there for us and, more importantly, for our families.
  This legislation helps provide some level of certainty. I am sure 
every member of our service, when they serve our Nation, recognizes 
they run risks, but I doubt that any of them believe that they are 
creating risks for their spouses or their children. They carry the 
burden for themselves, but there is also the necessity of caring for 
their families, particularly if they get to a point at which they 
cannot do so.
  Not only will this legislation provide long-overdue healthcare and 
benefits to the 3.5 million post-9/11 veterans who were exposed to burn 
pits, but this legislation will deliver care for all generations of 
veterans, including Vietnam veterans suffering from exposure to Agent 
Orange.
  I am at an age at which it would seem like the Vietnam war was a long 
time ago and we would have taken care of those who served, but we have 
those who served in Vietnam who are still waiting for their benefits.
  The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson PACT Act would not be on the 
floor today without the hard work of numerous veterans service 
organizations, veteran families, survivors, advocates, and the veterans 
themselves who came to Washington to meet with Senator Tester and with 
me and with every Member of the U.S. Senate, to have a conversation, to 
tell their story. And they are the most effective advocates there could 
be. And many of them, and others, testified before our Senate Veterans' 
Affairs Committee.
  This legislation is not just a product of Senator Tester's and mine; 
it is a product of so many. It is so much more. And perhaps--no offense 
to Senator Tester, but perhaps our role is really insignificant when 
you look at the people who have encountered these challenges but used 
those challenges as an opportunity to fight not just for themselves 
but, in most instances, probably more likely to fight for other 
veterans in similar circumstances.
  I thank them for their service. I thank them for their work in 
helping us deliver long-lasting solutions and comprehensive reforms for 
those who served. And I especially want to thank Heath Robinson's 
family, who turned their own loss and heartache into action. This bill 
will help many veterans like Heath face the challenges that he faced 
that ultimately ended his life.
  I thank Senator Tester, the chairman of the Senate Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs. And for all the members of our committees, 
Republicans and Democrats, I remind my colleagues and I remind the 
American people that the original version of this bill passed the 
Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee unanimously, with every Republican 
and every Democrat voting yes.
  After the passage of that legislation, we worked further to find 
consensus but, more importantly, to find better solutions and a path 
forward that would allow us to be to the point we are today. Secretary 
McDonough deserves our gratitude as well, and I thank him for his 
input, his testimony, and the numerous, numerous telephone and personal 
conversations. I appreciate his advice, and it made this bill better 
for veterans.
  Once we pass this legislation, the real work of implementing it will 
fall to the Department of Veterans Affairs. But we as a committee and 
we as Senators need to make certain that we do the appropriate 
oversight, that we make certain that these are not just words on paper 
but that the results that we are looking for are finally delivered.
  Too often, I think, the moment of glory comes on the passage of a 
bill or the press release announcing the passage of a bill, the signing 
of a bill, but whether or not it works still remains the most important 
aspect of our work. A lot of work remains, and the VA has significant 
challenges as it moves forward to help these veterans. The real work is 
still ahead of us, and I stand ready to do all I can to make certain 
that we are able to deliver the intended results contemplated by this 
legislation.
  A long list of thank-yous to my colleagues, certainly to my 
colleagues on the committee, my colleagues in the Senate, but 
especially to folks in the VA community, the VSO community: Shane 
Liermann, Lawrence Montreuil--Shane is with the DAV; Lawrence is with 
the American Legion--Pat Murray with the VFW; Kristina Keenan, VFW; 
Cory Titus, MOAA; Aleks Morosky, WWP; Candace Wheeler, TAPS; Bob Carey, 
Independence Fund; Tom Porter, IAVA; Kaitlynne Hetrick, IAVA; Jennifer 
Burch, IAVA; Rosie Torres, Burn Pits 360; Jon Stewart; and Jon Feal.
  And I thank the Kansas leaders who, over a long period of time--I 
don't know what year it was, but the Vietnam Veterans of America held a 
conference in Wichita, KS, which I attended, at which the topic was 
toxic exposure. And it has to be at least 10, 12 years ago. And I thank 
them for, at that point in time, sticking in my mind that there is work 
to be done.
  And I appreciate other Kansans: Lee Hursey, who is the commander of 
the Kansas VFW; Jeremy Ehart of the Kansas American Legion; William 
Turner; Eric Owens; Lee Tafanelli; David Dennis; GEN Mike Dodson; Pat 
Proctor; Paul Chapa; COL Timothy Marlar; and COL John Buckley, all of 
whom are Kansans who are working on behalf of other veterans in our 
State to see that we get this right.
  And nothing in this body gets done because Senators do all the work. 
Senators have ideas and occasionally a few words here and there, but we 
are surrounded by people who every day make those words and those 
thoughts come to life on a piece of paper called a bill. And my staff 
on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and in my office have been 
unending in their efforts to

[[Page S2990]]

get this right and to work to find an agreement that could become law. 
Lindsay Dearing leads that list; Asher Allman; Michele Payne; Tiffanii 
Woolfolk; Emily Blair Rubright; Kelsey Baron; Brian Newbold; Mark 
Crowley; Emily Brady; Brian Mann; David Shearman; and our leader, Jon 
Towers; and Tom Brandt; Angela Lingg; and Miranda Moore. And as to 
Senator Tester, Tony McClain, his chief; and Simon Coon.

  I appreciate the opportunity to be on the Senate floor at this moment 
for what I hope will be a resounding victory not for Senator Tester, 
not for Jerry Moran but for the veterans of America who served our 
Nation admirably, did what they were asked to do, and encountered 
things they should not have encountered, the consequences of which have 
lasted throughout their lives. We are here to fulfill a commitment and 
a promise, and we begin that, we move forward on that today.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana.
  Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Moran for his 
comments. I didn't hear everything he had to say, but when I came in, 
one of the things he said was we may not be the most important people 
in this process. And he is 100 percent correct. We are simply the 
conduit that was utilized to get this bill put into law.
  There are way, way too many people to thank on this legislation, and 
I am going to get to that. And I will forget a bunch of folks, and I 
apologize right now.
  But the truth is, we today, the U.S. Senate today, has the 
opportunity to make history by passing the Sergeant First Class Heath 
Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics--PACT--
Act.
  This is not a new issue. Generations after generations of Americans 
have gone to war backed by a promise that we made to them when they 
signed up that we would care for them when they got home. 
Unfortunately, that didn't happen in the case of toxic exposure. We 
failed them.
  This bill is about righting a wrong that has been ignored for just 
way too damn long. It is about Will Thompson. It is about SFC Heath 
Robinson. It is about every American who has lost their lives through 
toxic exposures because of the duty that they have performed for this 
country.
  Sadly, it is too late to do right by Will and Heath and so many 
others, but today, this body has a chance to do the right thing by 
their families and future generations of our All-Volunteer military by 
passing the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act.
  The days of ignoring the wounds from toxic exposure, wounds not seen 
until years after those days are gone--conditions like hypertension and 
MGUS found in veterans like Robert Hunter, a proud Montanan who served 
in the Army as an engineering officer during the Vietnam war. Robert 
was exposed to Agent Orange during his service and contracted MGUS 
years later. He is one of the 66,000 veterans in Montana who would 
become eligible for relief under this bill--not to mention every post-
9/11 veteran in this country who would automatically receive VA 
healthcare. This includes more than 3.5 million post-9/11 combat 
veterans exposed to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  This bill would also remove the burden of proof for 23 presumptive 
conditions caused by military toxic exposures, from cancers to lung 
disease, and it would codify a more transparent framework to establish 
future presumptions of service connections to ensure future generations 
of veterans are treated more fairly than the last. And probably, most 
importantly, it will allow the VA to make the decisions on toxic 
exposures instead of an act of Congress.
  In short, the PACT Act will allow hundreds of thousands of veterans 
across the country to access the VA care that they have been denied and 
give them the benefits that they have earned. Make no mistake, the VA 
will be given the tools it needs to hire more medical professionals and 
claims processors, establish more healthcare facilities and improve 
claims processing, ensuring we are meeting the needs of our veterans 
today, tomorrow, and in the future.
  The bottom line is this country is very capable of recognizing the 
physical, obvious wounds of war--a lost limb, a chemical burn--and we 
are taking the steps to recognize the mental wounds of war, but we 
haven't been recognizing the toxic wounds of war, and that will end 
today with the passage of this bill.
  As chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee--and I have 
said this many times to the veterans service organizations--I take my 
cues from them, the veterans they represent. When I first introduced 
the COST of War Act last year, together we set out with a clear goal, a 
goal to right the wrongs of decades of inactions and failure--by us, by 
our government--to provide all areas of toxic-exposed veterans the VA 
care and benefits they need and that they have earned.
  We knew this was the only way to do this--was to put forth a package 
that took care of our past, present, and future veterans. I am 
grateful--and I mean this because folks always talk about good friends 
on the Senate floor. Sometimes, they mean it; sometimes, they don't. I 
mean it. Thank you to my good friend Ranking Member Jerry Moran for 
working with me, with the committee, for creating an environment so our 
staffs could work together to create this new, bipartisan toxic 
exposure strategy.
  And for my colleagues on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, 
particularly my friends like Senator John Boozman and Senator Sherrod 
Brown, thank you.
  I am thankful for the leadership of President Biden and VA Secretary 
Denis McDonough, along with House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman 
Takano, and so many, many others who are here today.
  This bill is the legislation we envisioned when we set out to right 
the wrongs of our toxic-exposed vets.
  This bill recognizes the cost of war. It is the bill our veterans and 
our families deserve and are counting on and cannot wait any longer 
for. Veterans and veterans service organizations and advocates have 
understood this for a long time. And they have been incredible partners 
since the beginning, and I look forward to thanking each and every one 
of them in the days and the weeks to come.
  I want to speak directly to them now: I am grateful for your efforts. 
I am grateful for your voices--for never taking your foot off the gas--
and continuing to push Members of Congress to simply do the right 
thing.
  I also want to acknowledge the countless hours put in by the staffs 
from both sides of the aisle--and Senator Moran is exactly correct, we 
take credit for their good work; and they do good work--staff from my 
office, like staff director Tony McClain, as well as this guy right 
here to my left, Simon Coon, Dahlia Melendrez, James Cho, Janko Mitric, 
Tess Wrzesinski, Shauna Rust, Olya Voytovich, and Liz Timmons but also 
folks across the aisle, like Lindsay Dearing, Jon Towers, Asher Allman, 
Tom Brandt, Pat McGuigan, Michelle Dominguez, Dili Sundaramoorthy, and 
Mike Jones.
  Look, by sitting down in a bipartisan way to get this bill crafted, 
we were able to have success and get the job done, and that is what the 
folks who sent us here expect us to do. America's veterans and their 
loved ones will be better off as a result of this work today, and the 
result of that will make this country a better place.
  There is always a cost of war, and that cost is never fully repaid 
when the war ends. So I have got one question: Are we willing to show 
these millions of veterans that we have their back, that the U.S. 
Government has their back? Are we willing to admit that we didn't live 
up to the promise of veterans like Will Thompson and Heath Robinson?
  But the fact is, I believe today will show that we can put party 
politics aside and honor America's bravest. We can honor the plea of 
Heath's 8-year-old daughter Brielle to ``Fight for the heroes who 
fought for our country and pass my dad's bill, the Sergeant First Class 
Heath Robinson PACT Act.'' And we can begin settling our debts to 
millions of other veterans and their families today.
  The last thing is, what I am going to close with, that the work is 
not over with, assuming this bill passes today.

[[Page S2991]]

The ranking member is 100 percent correct: We are going to have a lot 
of oversight to do to make sure that the veterans get the healthcare 
and the benefits that they have earned and that they deserve. That is 
the congressional intent that we have with this bill. So oversight will 
be critically important.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, this is the greatest advance in veterans' 
healthcare in decades. It wouldn't have happened without Jerry Moran 
and the amazing work of Chairman Jon Tester who persisted through so 
many different turns and twists and difficulties. Every veteran in 
America, every American, should give tremendous thanks to Senator 
Tester and Senator Moran.
  I yield the floor and urge a vote.


                           Vote on H.R. 3967

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, all postcloture time 
is expired.
  The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill to be read a 
third time.
  The bill was read the third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the 
question is, Shall the bill, as amended, pass?
  Mr. SCHUMER. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Montana (Mr. Daines) and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. 
Wicker).
  The result was announced--yeas 84, nays 14, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 230 Leg.]

                                YEAS--84

     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Bennet
     Blackburn
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Braun
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Coons
     Cornyn
     Cortez Masto
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Cruz
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Ernst
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagerty
     Hassan
     Hawley
     Heinrich
     Hickenlooper
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Inhofe
     Johnson
     Kaine
     Kelly
     Kennedy
     King
     Klobuchar
     Leahy
     Lujan
     Manchin
     Markey
     Marshall
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Ossoff
     Padilla
     Peters
     Portman
     Reed
     Rosen
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Sasse
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott (FL)
     Scott (SC)
     Shaheen
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warnock
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden
     Young

                                NAYS--14

     Burr
     Crapo
     Lankford
     Lee
     Lummis
     Paul
     Risch
     Romney
     Rounds
     Shelby
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey
     Tuberville

                             NOT VOTING--2

     Daines
     Wicker
       
  The bill (H.R. 3967) as amended, was passed.


                     Honoring Our PACT Act of 2021

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the passage of the Sergeant First Class 
Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act 
of 2022, or PACT Act, is an example of what can happen when the 
Congress puts aside partisanship and comes together for the good of the 
country and, importantly, our veterans.
  Each of us, in every State and in every congressional district across 
the country, has a friend, a neighbor, or a constituent, a veteran, or 
an Active-Duty servicemember, who has become sick or died from exposure 
to toxics while serving in the military. And for too many of those 
people, recognition of the connection between their illnesses and toxic 
exposures came too late.
  Early in my time in the Senate, I heard from Vietnam veterans who 
were sickened by exposure to herbicides such as Agent Orange. Too many 
of these veterans died before Congress pushed the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to recognize and treat their illnesses or compensate 
them for the disability caused by our own government's use of such a 
toxic substance throughout Vietnam and in other parts of Southeast 
Asia.
  I hoped we would have learned from our mistakes there. I hoped we 
would learn from the veterans and civilians who suffered from radiation 
exposure when we tested the atomic bomb. I hoped we would learn from 
the veterans who came home from the first Gulf War with unexplained 
illnesses.
  But just a few years ago, I watched my dear friend, BG Mike Heston, 
ravaged by pancreatic cancer, fight for the VA and the Department of 
Defense to acknowledge that his cancer was caused by exposure to the 
burn pits that had been used during his tours in Afghanistan.
  Mike served as a Vermont State trooper for 26 years and for 33 years 
in the military, including in the Marine Corps Reserve and the Vermont 
National Guard. He served his State and his country without question. 
When he got sick, he should not have had to spend his precious 
remaining time fighting for the government to acknowledge what caused 
his illness.
  But Mike did fight. Mike fought to ensure that his family, his two 
wonderful children, Kelsey and Keegan, would be cared for if he 
succumbed to his illness. He and his wife June also fought to make sure 
that other veterans would not have to endure what they did, that they 
might get an earlier diagnosis, that they might not have to spend any 
of their precious moments fighting for the benefits they earned.
  After Mike passed away in 2018, June continued and expanded the 
fight. Joining her in Vermont were Staff Sergeant Wesley Black, who 
died last year of colon cancer at the age of 36, leaving behind his 
wife Laura and son Ronan; Pat Cram, widow of Sergeant Major Mike Cram, 
who died of prostate cancer at the age of 47; and many others who 
through their experience with friends or loved ones were determined to 
make sure that things would be better for those who followed.
  As we stand here today prepared to enact one of the most sweeping 
packages of veterans benefits and healthcare measures in modern 
history, I am thinking of Mike and June, of Kelsey and Keegan, of Mike 
and Pat, and of Wesley and Laura and Ronan. And I know that each 
Senator voting yes today is thinking of people in their States and 
districts who are sick or who have died as a result of exposure to 
toxics while serving our country.
  Their stories are meaningful, and they, themselves, ensured that 
their sacrifice is meaningful, too. And I hope that this time we will 
learn from our experiences with toxic substances and hold the 
Department of Defense to a higher standard in the future.

                          ____________________