[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 13, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4556-S4558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Government Funding
Mrs. FISCHER. Madam President, agriculture is a critical part of
Nebraska's economy. It accounts for, roughly, $25.7 billion of
Nebraska's gross State product. That is a little less than a quarter of
our State's overall GDP. Nearly one in four jobs in the State is tied
to agriculture.
That economic output is important because, thanks to States like
Nebraska, hard-working family farmers and ranchers produce a wide
variety of products that keep our grocery stores stocked and help to
feed the world. But our Nation's agricultural bounty doesn't do anyone
much good if it can't get to market, and that is where our complex
transportation and infrastructure system comes into play.
The railroad industry, in particular, has a big role in bringing
agricultural products to locations across the United States. That
includes ports, where they can then be shipped to locations around the
world. Whether it is grain or soybeans, railroads provide the means to
affordably move thousands of tons of goods where they need to go. It is
estimated that rail delivers 1.6 million carloads of agricultural
products a year. That is why I am deeply concerned about the potential
for a rail shutdown later this week.
I think it is very important that people understand what kind of
economic impact such as a shutdown would have and how it would upend
our Nation's agricultural sector. The consequences would be
devastating. When agricultural products can't be transported, there
will be price hikes, and there will be shortages. Our international
exports of commodities like corn, soy, wheat, of which a large share
moves by rail, will fall dramatically.
Fertilizer prices--an already expensive input due to inflation--will
further skyrocket. The mere prospect of a shutdown on Friday means
fertilizer and other hazardous materials have already started being
removed from the rail networks on September 12. Biofuel plants could be
forced to scale down operations or completely shut down.
I would also point out that we have harvest coming up in Nebraska.
Family farmers in my State, many of whom are grappling with rapidly
rising input costs, need a good harvest season. And if rail service
isn't feasible, that possibility could go out the window.
Grain elevators, for example, could run out of storage and be unable
to accept additional commodities. Family farmers and ranchers will lose
critical revenue streams.
The bottom line is, if rail shuts down, our entire agricultural
system shuts down. It is that simple.
All of this economic chaos would come on top of extreme inflation.
Today's numbers put grocery prices up 13.5 percent over last year.
Think about the toll this out-of-control inflation is taking on our
working-class families.
Then there is the international turmoil. Russia's horrific invasion
of Ukraine has dramatically curtailed the flow of grain, which, in
turn, has exasperated food insecurity in Africa and the Middle East.
And the war has also further strained the fertilizer supply chain. All
of this is to say that the stakes of these rail negotiations couldn't
be higher.
Nine of the twelve labor unions in the rail sector have been able to
utilize the Presidential Emergency Board recommendations to come to an
agreement. I note that the Board is composed of neutral, impartial
individuals appointed by President Biden. Their recommendations are
widely seen as benefiting all parties. It is critical that the
remaining labor unions and the rail industry use those recommendations
to reach an agreement as soon as possible.
Our entire agricultural system is at stake here, the economic welfare
of the American people is at stake here, and the global food security
is also at stake here.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, there are a lot of important things that
we do here in the U.S. Senate, hopefully, every day; certainly, every
week, month, and over the year. But there are a couple of pieces of
legislation which are literally must-pass pieces of legislation. They
deserve an even higher priority than our day-to-day work here. These
must-pass pieces of legislation are critical to the function of our
government.
First, for example, government funding is critical so we can keep the
lights on and keep the government working on behalf of the American
people. If Congress fails to pass an appropriations bill, the
government will literally shut down and millions of government workers
will be left without a paycheck and the American people will be left
without the services that those government employees would otherwise
provide.
The good news is, at this moment, there appears to be little appetite
for a funding fiasco at the end of this fiscal year at the end of this
month. In a couple of weeks, I expect we will vote on a stopgap funding
bill to keep the lights on and the trains moving until the end of the
year.
Continuing resolutions like this, leading up to an end-of-the-year
omnibus appropriations bill, are never my first choice. My hope would
be that we would take up and pass each of the individual appropriations
bills on a timely basis and then bring them across the floor of the
U.S. Senate, pass them, and get them to the President for his
signature. But, unfortunately, that hasn't happened under the current
management.
There are other bills that receive the ``must-pass'' label. These
could be anything from farm bills to disaster relief. Each of these are
important. But, in my view, the ultimate must-pass piece of legislation
is the National Defense Authorization Act.
Each year, this is how we make sure that our men and women in uniform
have the support and the tools and the training they need and the pay
to compensate them for their service as well as the support their
families deserve, which is particularly important in an All-Volunteer
military. This is how we maintain our military bases, modernize our
weapons systems, and invest in the next generation of weapons.
It is how we take stock of the global threat landscape, which always
seems
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like it is getting more and more ominous, and we make sure that our
country is prepared to counter even our most aggressive adversaries.
That is why Congress has passed a consolidated defense authorization
bill for each of the past 61 years. For 61 years in a row, we passed a
national defense authorization bill. But, apparently, the majority
leader, Senator Schumer, is contemplating not doing that this year.
A strong and ontime defense authorization act has always been
crucial, but this particular moment in history demands even greater
attention.
As we know, on February 24--nearly 7 months ago--Russia launched an
unprovoked war against Ukraine. Thankfully, the civilized world has
rallied around Ukraine, supplying it with the tools and weapons they
need not only to fight but to win this war.
At the same time, we know thousands of miles away, the Chinese
Communist Party and the People's Republic of China have become
increasingly hostile to the West and desperate to project its military
power. It continues, at the same time, to commit genocide against the
Uighurs and other ethnic minorities, and it is likely preparing an
invasion of Taiwan.
North Korea has declared itself to be a nuclear weapons state. Iran
is pursuing its own nuclear ambitions and a breakout for those nuclear
weapons, which is the point when they actually acquire one. It is
getting closer every day.
We know after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan that the
Taliban, which once gave nurture to al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden,
attacked the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
And, of course, the political instability from the disastrous means
or method by which we withdrew from Afghanistan, literally turning over
billions of dollars to the Taliban and weapons that they never would
have otherwise been able to acquire, has created a tremendous amount of
instability in the region, where already Pakistan and India warily eye
each other, both of whom are nuclear powers.
So given the walk around the globe and the identification of these
multitude of threats, you would think that passing a defense
authorization act would be the highest priority for the U.S. Congress
and particularly the Senate.
If you think about it, all of the freedoms and the standard of
living, the quality of life we enjoy in this country, our prosperity,
are all directly related to our ability to keep our country safe and
keep the American people safe. That should be our No. 1 priority.
But the truth is, we can't match these stakes. We can't rise to this
demand and this need with continuing resolutions and past-due
authorizations.
Our men and women in uniform need to prepare and train every day, 365
days a year. And if we don't pass a defense authorization act now, we
will be stealing time that we already don't have.
General MacArthur, who became famous in the Korean war, said the
history of failure in war can be summed up in two words: ``too late''--
too late.
Now, our colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee, on a
bipartisan basis, under the leadership of Senator Reed, a Democrat, and
Senator Inhofe, a Republican, have compiled a strong bill that would
strengthen and modernize our national defense. But the Senate Armed
Services Committee completed its work on July 18. Here we are,
September 13.
Senator Schumer, the one who sets the agenda for the U.S. Senate, has
yet to bring that bill to the floor. Of all of the must-pass bills that
I hear discussed in the media and among our colleagues, rarely are
people talking about the Defense authorization bill.
The Presiding Officer succeeded John McCain in the U.S. Senate. John
McCain was, of course, not only a war hero; he was a proud patriot. And
he was a bear of a man to deal with. But I dare say, if John McCain
were alive today, we would be on a defense authorization bill before we
break for the midterm elections because he would not let anyone rest if
we broke or threatened to break that 61-year consistent threat of
meeting that No. 1 priority obligation.
I was hoping that the Senate would consider the Defense authorization
bill this month and give our planners at the Pentagon and our
commanders the predictability they need, as well as our military
families the support that they deserve and need, not to mention our men
and women who are on the frontlines fighting to protect our country,
the tools and the training they need in order to do their job. I was
optimistic that given the clear and present danger of the situation we
are living through now, the threat landscape, and the desire to show
our bipartisan support for our military, that we would, naturally, make
this the 62nd year consecutively to pass the Defense authorization
bill.
The only other must-pass item on the Senate's to-do list this month
is to keep the government funded, and the Democratic majority has
already committed to the short-term extension until the middle of
December. So there is just no excuse for putting off the annual Defense
bill. But for some reason, to this point, Senator Schumer, the Senate
majority leader who sets the agenda in the Senate, does not seem to
agree that is an urgent, must-pass piece of legislation.
I know there is bipartisan support to encourage him to bring this
bill up, but so far he hasn't been swayed. The Defense authorization
bill seems to be at the bottom of his priority list, below judicial
nominations and a bill to codify a right to marry that is not even in
jeopardy.
Given everything that is going on in the world, there is simply no
reason to delay consideration of the Defense authorization bill. In
fact, there is every reason to do it on time and for the 62nd
consecutive year.
We all know that American strength and leadership are vital to global
security and equally vital to protecting our homeland. The Senate
simply should not ignore its responsibility when it comes to our
readiness.
Now, one of the things that concerns me the most, because he is not
talking about this being a priority, is that he will try to stick this
Defense authorization bill on an appropriations bill at the end of the
year, sort of as a cleanup, but if he does that, he will effectively
deny Senators floor time to offer debate and to actually have votes on
the bill and how to improve it.
One amendment I intend to offer if given the opportunity is a bill I
introduced with Senator Shaheen from New Hampshire which would help
replenish our defense stockpiles.
As we all know by now, the United States has provided Ukraine
unprecedented defense aid--Stingers, Javelins, grenade launchers, small
arms, ammunition, and so much more. This assistance is not a handout.
This is not a charity project. As much as we want to see Ukraine
prevail, our material support for Ukraine is not entirely altruistic.
The United States isn't just investing in a Ukrainian victory; we are
also putting our resources toward a Russian defeat. We are trying to
help snuff out the fire before it spreads even further west. We know
what Mr. Putin's aspirations are; it is to restore the great Russian
Empire that existed when the Soviet Union existed.
We know that there is a delicate balance to strike here. Our support
for Ukraine cannot come, should not come at the cost of our own
military readiness. And we have requirements way beyond just Ukraine,
as I mentioned earlier--the People's Republic of China, North Korea,
Iran.
The United States is a global power, and we have to be ready whenever
and wherever the threat arises. We have to be able to replenish our
weapons stockpiles quickly so we are ready whatever may come our way.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of bureaucratic hurdles in the way.
I was shocked when I saw that the Pentagon is not in a position to
replace the Javelins and Stinger missiles that we provided Ukraine
because they don't have an operating production line, and they said it
may take a couple of years. I know that our friends and allies in
Europe that are providing weapons to the Ukrainians have every
expectation that the United States will replenish those stockpiles of
weapons so that they can defend their country and meet their NATO
obligations.
So the level of unreadiness at the Pentagon to meet the current need
is shocking. The Defense Department can't place an order for more
Javelins and then have them show up at the Pentagon 5 to 7 business
days later. It
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simply doesn't work like that. The process of purchasing,
manufacturing, and deploying this lethal aid takes a lot of time,
which, to be frank, we do not have.
Senator Shaheen and I have recently introduced a bipartisan bill
called the Securing American ARMS Act to remove some of the hurdles and
the bureaucratic delay in replenishing those stockpiles. It will give
the Department of Defense the ability to fast-track the procurement
process. That includes times like these when the United States is
providing defense articles to an ally or a partner that is under armed
attack by a U.S. adversary.
Our bill would also give the Defense Department the ability to
expedite the delivery of defense articles to our allies and partners in
need. This will allow us to continue to provide critical support to
Ukraine--but not just limited to Ukraine--all without compromising our
national defense or our ability to meet other obligations around the
world.
I appreciate Senator Shaheen working with me on this bill, which now
has more than a dozen bipartisan cosponsors.
When the Senate finally begins consideration of the Defense
Authorization Act, I hope this legislation will be a part of it. At the
same time, as a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
I am hopeful we can also reauthorize the U.S. intelligence community,
which usually takes a ride on the Defense Authorization Act.
The hard-working men and women of the intelligence community carry
out missions day in and day out that inform key policy decisions and
the work of the U.S. military. Of course, being intelligence operators,
their work is not acknowledged necessarily like a member of our
uniformed services, but their service is vital to our missions and our
interests around the world.
One great example of the role the intelligence community played in
the runup to Russia's invasion of Ukraine was that our intelligence
community was able to provide skeptical allies with irrefutable proof
of Russia's intentions and showed exactly what Russia was planning
before February 24. I have no doubt that this intelligence contributed
to the unified response in the days and weeks following. And we engaged
in enhanced information and intelligence sharing on a real-time basis
that I think has helped facilitate Ukraine's strong national defense
and now counteroffensive that they are currently engaged in, trying to
recapture some of their territory that Russia has previously occupied.
I want to particularly recognize the chairman and the ranking member
of the Senate Intelligence Committee--Senator Warner, a Democrat from
Virginia, and Senator Rubio, a Republican from Florida--for their
leadership in helping us pass the Intelligence Authorization Act
unanimously in July. Like other authorization bills, this outlines
funding levels for the intelligence community, but it also contains
legislative oversight of America's intelligence apparatus.
Strong oversight is crucial to ensuring accountability, while
enabling our intelligence professionals to accomplish the complex and
difficult missions the American people demand of them. With the ongoing
war in Ukraine and threats from China continuing to grow, we need
intelligence at the speed of relevance. This is how we help assure
everyone, from our policymakers to our warfighters, that we will have
the tools to maintain America's preeminent global position and ensure
the defense of our homeland.
I appreciate the hard work of Senator Rubio and Senator Warner to
advance this reauthorization, and again, I hope, when we take up the
Defense Authorization Act at some point, that it will be included.
So, Madam President, let me just conclude where I started. The
National Defense Authorization Act is a must-pass piece of legislation.
We have passed it for 61 years in a row. Yet, when I hear Senator
Schumer, the majority leader, talk about things we need to do before
the midterm elections, I don't hear a peep out of him on his intention
to move that Defense Authorization Act.
Providing for the common defense is one of Congress's most basic
responsibilities. If we can't keep the American people and our
democracy safe, we will have failed in our first and most urgent duty.
There is far too much at stake to let the NDAA linger on the Senate
calendar for more months. So my hope is that the majority leader will
bring this bill to the floor this month and provide Senators who are
not on the Armed Services Committee an opportunity to participate in
the process by debating and offering amendments like the one I
described earlier so we can strengthen our national defense at this
critical moment in our Nation's history.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.