[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 125 (Thursday, July 20, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3444-S3451]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
______
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024--RESUMED
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
resume legislative session for the consideration of S. 2226, which the
clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 2226) to authorize appropriations for fiscal
year 2024 for military activities of the Department of
Defense, for military construction, and for defense
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other
purposes.
Pending:
Schumer (for Reed/Wicker) Amendment No. 935, in the nature
of a substitute.
Schumer Amendment No. 936 (to Amendment No. 935), to add an
effective date.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for up to 6 minutes
of debate prior to the rollcall vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Amendment No. 926
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 926 and ask that
it be reported by number.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Texas [Mr. Cruz], for himself and others,
proposes an amendment numbered 926.
The amendment is as follows:
(Purpose: To prohibit the export or sale of petroleum products from the
Strategic Petrleum Reserve to certain entities)
At the appropriate place in subtitle D of title XXXI,
insert the following:
SEC. 31____. PROHIBITION ON SALES OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS FROM
THE STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE TO CERTAIN
COUNTRIES.
(a) Prohibitions.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, unless a waiver has been issued under subsection (b),
the Secretary of Energy shall not draw down and sell
petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve--
(1) to any entity that is under the ownership or control of
the Chinese Communist Party, the People's Republic of China,
the Russian Federation, the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, or the Islamic Republic of Iran; or
(2) except on the condition that such petroleum products
will not be exported to the People's Republic of China, the
Russian Federation, the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, or the Islamic Republic of Iran.
(b) Waiver.--
(1) In general.--On application by a bidder, the Secretary
of Energy may waive, prior to the date of the applicable
auction, the prohibitions described in subsection (a) with
respect to the sale of crude oil to that bidder at that
auction.
(2) Requirement.--The Secretary of Energy may issue a
waiver under this subsection only if the Secretary determines
that the waiver is in the interest of the national security
of the United States.
(3) Applications.--A bidder seeking a waiver under this
subsection shall submit to the Secretary of Energy an
application by such date, in such form, and containing such
information as the Secretary of Energy may require.
(4) Notice to congress.--Not later than 15 days after
issuing a waiver under this subsection, the Secretary of
Energy shall provide a copy of the waiver to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee
on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I want to say a few words in support of this
bipartisan bill. This is a Cruz-Manchin-Ernst-Fetterman bill, which
demonstrates the breadth of agreement we can have in this body.
This amendment would prevent the sale of our Nation's emergency crude
oil stockpile, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, to four countries that
are unequivocally U.S. adversaries.
We know that China has been amassing the largest stockpile of crude
in the world. At the same time, our own reserves have fallen to only
347 million barrels--the lowest since 1983.
Last year, the United States sold off part of our reserves to China.
One would think that existing law would prevent this, but that isn't
yet the case.
For some time now, Senator Manchin and I have been working together
to try to fix this issue. Our amendment prevents the Federal Government
from selling oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China, to
Russia, to Iran, or to North Korea and their related entities, while
giving the Department of Energy flexibility to waive these restrictions
in the event doing so serves our national security interests.
I want to thank Senator Manchin for working closely with me on this
amendment and also Senators Ernst and Fetterman.
I also want to note briefly--I know there are some Members of this
body who believe we should ban all oil sales overseas. I would note
that doing so would be spectacularly harmful not only to U.S.
interests, but it would also hurt our friends and allies. It would hurt
Ukraine, it would hurt Europe, and it would benefit our enemies,
including Russia, to force our friends to have to purchase oil from
Russia.
I urge adoption of the amendment.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, I rise to oppose this amendment, and I
want to tell my colleagues why.
This amendment creates the illusion of solving our problem, while
having very little political impact and likely doing more harm than
good.
It is a legitimate worry to consider the amount of U.S. oil under our
lands that goes and is shipped to China because in 2022, the United
States did export over 83 million barrels of oil to China. That was a
new record. It was a new record in part because 10 years ago, we didn't
ship any oil overseas because we had a national security policy to keep
U.S. oil here. But lobbying by the oil industry changed that policy,
and so today, we are sending 83 million barrels of oil a year to China.
This amendment doesn't really change that because--do you want to
know how much of that comes from the SPR? Less than 2 million barrels,
1 to 2 percent. So you are still going to have 80 million-plus barrels
of oil from the private sector being sent to China every year.
[[Page S3445]]
ExxonMobil alone made $60 billion in profits last year, much of that
off sales of oil to China. This amendment allows for the oil industry
to keep making those billions off of selling oil to China, only
stripping out sales from the SPR. That is a great deal for the oil
industry, but it gets better.
When President Biden sold oil from the SPR last year, it helped cut
the cost of a gallon of gasoline by up to 30 cents. That hurt oil
industry profits. So, of course, the oil industry wants policies that
restrict the sale of oil from the SPR, while letting them sell oil to
whomever they want, including China.
This amendment claims to solve a problem while mainly having the
result of padding and protecting oil industry profits, and I would urge
opposition.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise in support of the bipartisan
amendment sponsored by my friends and colleagues, Senators Cruz,
Fetterman, Ernst, and myself.
Let me just say about this--this is something that we own. The people
of America own the SPR. It is ours. We don't own the oil from the
private sector, unless we want to nationalize everything. I don't think
we do.
With that being said, I appreciate my good friend and colleague from
Connecticut, and I am happy to work on all of the things that we are
talking about here.
What we have in front of us right now is the ability to finally say
that the strategic oil reserves that the people of the United States
own will not be compromised, especially by people who don't have our
same values and would use it against us. We have seen the horrible
effects of the Ukraine war when Putin basically weaponized energy. He
weaponized oil. We can't allow that to happen.
Here is the other thing about it: Following Putin's invasion of
Ukraine, the United States ramped up production and exports to help
meet global demand that had been devastating to the world. China, on
the other hand, stockpiled oil and held back refinery production. While
China was stockpiling, one of its state-owned companies purchased over
1.4 million barrels from the United States of America, the people of
our great country, from our own stock reserves. That is what we are
trying to stop.
I am happy to work on all the other things. Don't let the perfect be
the enemy of the good. We have something in front of us right now that
can stop this outrageous, basically raiding of our own stock supplies.
So I really, really urge the adoption of this amendment.
I will tell you this: This amendment has tremendous and bipartisan
support in Congress. We have over 20 bipartisan Senators who support
us. In the House, it passed unanimously--unanimously--Democrats and
Republicans. So please don't mess up our bipartisan record right now.
Please vote to support this amendment.
Vote on Amendment No. 926
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment.
Mr. CRUZ. 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 Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso).
The result was announced--yeas 85, nays 14, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 194 Leg.]
YEAS--85
Bennet
Blackburn
Boozman
Braun
Britt
Brown
Budd
Cantwell
Capito
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Collins
Coons
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Duckworth
Ernst
Fetterman
Fischer
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hagerty
Hassan
Hawley
Heinrich
Hickenlooper
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Johnson
Kaine
Kelly
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Lankford
Lee
Lujan
Lummis
Manchin
Marshall
McConnell
Menendez
Merkley
Moran
Mullin
Murkowski
Murray
Ossoff
Padilla
Paul
Peters
Reed
Ricketts
Risch
Romney
Rosen
Rounds
Rubio
Schmitt
Schumer
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Tuberville
Vance
Warner
Warnock
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young
NAYS--14
Baldwin
Blumenthal
Booker
Cardin
Durbin
Feinstein
Hirono
Markey
Murphy
Sanders
Schatz
Van Hollen
Warren
Welch
NOT VOTING--1
Barrasso
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Schatz). On this vote, the yeas are 85,
the nays are 14. Under the previous order requiring 60 votes for
adoption of this amendment, the amendment is agreed to.
The amendment (No. 936) was agreed to.
The Senator from Minnesota.
Afghan Adjustment Act
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I rise to state my intention to include
the Afghan Adjustment Act as an amendment to the National Defense
Authorization Act.
This involved years of work. This bipartisan legislation is led with
Senator Graham, along with Senators Coons, Moran, Blumenthal,
Murkowski, Shaheen, Wicker, Durbin, Tillis, and Mullin. Those are just
the people who are cosponsoring this bill; and there are many others
who are supporting it on both sides of the aisle.
What is this about? Well, it is about our national security. It is
about a covenant--a covenant--that we have made and we must keep to
those who stand with us on the battlefield. This bill does right by
Afghans who worked alongside our troops and shows the world that the
United States of America, when we make a promise, we keep it.
Nearly 80,000 Afghans who sought refuge in our country are currently
in limbo. In just the last few weeks, one of them who was a translator
for our military, who was working two jobs to support his family, who
was living in legal limbo, was murdered--murdered--in the middle of the
night working as a Lyft driver.
Is that keeping our covenant? Is that keeping our promise?
Many of these people are those who risked their own lives and their
family's safety to protect our servicemembers. That is why this bill is
so strongly supported by the American Legion, by the VFW; and that is
why it has gotten support from people on both sides of the aisle.
These are people who are in our country right now. They are in our
country right now. What this bill does is it simply says that they will
be vetted but that we will also keep our promise to those who stood by
our military. Among them are translators and humanitarian workers, as
well as courageous members of the Afghan military who stood shoulder to
shoulder with our troops. They cannot go back. They would be killed. We
were right to help these people flee the Taliban and come to the United
States, and it now falls on us to help provide them with the stability
and the security they need to rebuild their lives here. So many of them
want to move on with their lives here in the United States of America,
a country that they stood with.
We have seen this before. We saw it with the Hmong and the Vietnamese
when they came to our country. And many of them now, who are they? They
are police officers, they are doctors, they are firefighters, they are
people who teach our kids. That is how this has worked in the past and
it has been successful and it will be successful now. The bipartisan
Afghan Adjustment Act creates a more efficient system for our Afghan
allies to apply for permanent legal status. It is provisional permanent
legal status.
The legislation makes the process more thorough, as I noted, by
requiring applicants to go through vetting that is just as rigorous as
the vetting they would have gone through if they came to the United
States as refugees, including an in-person interview, a standard that
eight--eight--eight former Donald Trump and George W. Bush
Administration national security officials called the ``gold standard''
of vetting. The gold standard of vetting.
Senator Graham and I worked closely with many Republicans--including
Senator Moran who has been so helpful
[[Page S3446]]
as ranking member of the Veterans' committee on this bill; including
Senator Wicker who is on this bill, the ranking member of Armed
Services--and the Department of Defense to strengthen the bill's
vetting provisions and to add language that responds to concerns. In
addition, the legislation updates a special immigrant Visa program to
include groups that should never have been excluded from the program in
the first place, including the female tactical teams of Afghanistan,
which did so much to support our troops. The entire purpose of the
Special Immigrant Visa program is to provide permanent residency to
those who have supported the United States abroad. And it is clear to
me that these brave women should also qualify.
The bill also requires the administration to implement a strategy for
supporting Afghans outside of the United States who are eligible for
SIV status and ensures that these applicants have a way to get
answers--answers--from the State Department about their applications.
The Afghan Adjustment Act, as I noted, is sponsored by a bipartisan
group of 11 cosponsors--with many more who are going to vote for it--
and has earned the backing of more than 60 organizations, including the
Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, as well as some of
our Nation's most revered military leaders, including Admirals Mike
Mullen, William McRaven, and James Stavridis; Generals Richard Myers of
the U.S. Air Force, Joseph Dunford from the U.S. Marine Corps, and Stan
McChrystal, from the U.S. Army.
Part of the reason we were able to build such a broad coalition for
our bill is because it is modeled after other bipartisan legislation
that Congress passed after previous armed conflicts. After the Vietnam
War, Congress passed a law, as I noted, that allowed thousands of
people to resettle in the U.S., including many Hmong refugees who now
call Minnesota home.
As I noted, they are such success stories. They are in the
legislature. They are farmers and bakers. They are builders and
inventors. They started families. Congress also acted similarly
following the Cuban revolution and the Iraq war to protect allies and
friends. In each instance, our country welcomed these immigrants and we
have benefited immeasurably from their contributions.
If we act to help our Afghan allies, just as we helped other allies,
we will continue this tradition of not leaving people behind--of
keeping our covenant.
Think of these stories.
A few months ago, I had a meeting with a group of Afghan women who
served in the Afghan National Army Female Tactical Platoon, including
one of the group's commanders, Mahnaz. Our troops heavily relied on the
platoon during the war. As our soldiers pursued missions hunting down
ISIS combatants on unforgiving terrain and freeing prisoners from the
grips of the Taliban, these women had their backs. The platoon worked
especially closely with our military's support team and facilitated
conversations between our soldiers and the Afghan women that they
crossed paths with in the field.
Mahnaz is now living in limbo. But some of her biggest advocates
fighting for her and her platoon to secure residency are the American
soldiers they served with. I know every one of my colleagues has heard
from American soldiers about these brave Afghans that served with our
soldiers.
In U.S. Army Captain Mary Kolars' words:
Mahnaz might as well be my sister. They've sacrificed for
their country and for ours. The bond between our two units is
pretty inseparable.
The deep respect is mutual. Mahnaz knows what her sacrifice cost her.
She is more than 6,000 miles from the place she once called home with
little hope of ever returning. She separated from so many of the people
she once shared her life with. But even knowing the cost of her
sacrifice, she says she would do it all again.
I am in absolute awe of her grit and her patriotism and the many
stories. I will be telling these stories every day throughout this
week, and I hope that we will come together and make sure that she and
so many other of these brave Afghans have a path in this country. It is
example after example of these stories.
Ahmad spent 4 years training to serve in the Afghan military. He was
selected for Afghanistan's elite aviation unit, which worked closely
with America's military in our fight against the Taliban. Reflecting on
his experience, he said:
In the face of danger, we were united, we were relentless,
we were resilient.
His helicopter was shot down--not once, but twice--but that didn't
diminish his resolve.
But his experience since the evacuation has been shattering. He now
lives in Alabama, thousands and thousands of miles away from his
family. He works two jobs to make ends meet and sends what he can back
to the loved ones he left behind. He knows full well that the
foundation he is building here in America could dissolve in a second if
he doesn't get some kind of provisional status, which this Congress can
grant, just as it did with the Vietnamese and the Hmong and after the
Iraq war and after the Cuban revolution. He was there for us in time of
need, and we must be there.
Another man--I am not going to reveal his name, and he asked that it
not be revealed because of his family back in Afghanistan--while he and
his wife and children were able to evacuate to the United States, he
lives in fear of the Taliban retaliating against his other loved ones
back in Afghanistan.
He served in the Afghan National Army for years and worked as a
liaison with our forces. He even trained in the United States,
graduating from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort
Leavenworth, but Afghanistan was his home, and he always believed that
that was where he would remain. That changed when the Taliban seized
control. Fearing for his safety, he and his family rushed to the
airport in Kabul, weaving through countless Taliban checkpoints,
knowing that any wrong move would be their last.
Today, he is in Kansas, but he has anxiety for the people at home and
in not knowing if he, too, will be sent back.
Another story is of a man named Tashmorad. He is afraid the Taliban
will target his family if his name becomes public. That is why this
isn't really his name but is a name he asked to be used.
Back in his home country, he flew missions with the Afghan Air Force.
To use his words, his job was to ``capture the bad guys like al-Qaida
and Taliban.'' He had dreamt of flying since he first saw an Afghan
pilot make an emergency landing in his village when he was about 10
years old. When he found out that he would have to learn English to
fly, he started trying to teach himself from a book that he bought at a
local shop. He went on to earn a degree in language and culture, with a
focus on aviation, and then took part in flight training from our
military, from the U.S. military.
He then spent 10 years as a military pilot, where he flew as high as
25,000 feet, helping American soldiers identify Taliban positions in
the mountains of Afghanistan. He was stationed about 300 miles from his
family when the withdrawal began. His squadron leader ordered him to
fly back to support the evacuation. Even though it was getting dark, he
turned his airplane lights off to avoid being detected and shot down.
Because of his tact and his skill, he landed safely. His commanders
advised him not to leave the airport, but he knew he needed to see his
family. He made a brief trip home to his pregnant wife and kids and
said goodbye before he returned to join the airlift operation. That was
almost 2 years ago, and he hasn't seen his family since.
Today, he lives in Roanoke, VA. He delivers food to make extra money.
He works as a water technician. Every extra cent that he makes, he
sends back to his family. He still dreams of flying, but more than
that, he dreams of reuniting with his wife and kids. He dreams of
buying a two-bedroom house for his family, and he dreams of having a
safe and stable life in the country that he risked everything for.
There are more stories of two Afghan Air Force pilots and friends.
Their paths to become women pilots were hardly straightforward, but
through sheer persistence and skill, they both made it happen. The two
women were at aviation training in Dubai when the withdrawal began. In
an instant, their lives were turned upside down.
[[Page S3447]]
I ask you to imagine how you would feel if you were in a foreign
country, and you realized that you couldn't safely, all of a sudden,
return home. They knew that their careers put their loved ones at risk,
so they called their families and told them to round up their uniforms,
their pilot IDs, and their diplomas and burn them.
Hasina watched over a video call as her mom destroyed the evidence of
the life she had worked so hard to build. ``All my dreams were on
fire,'' she once reflected, ``and I was just watching.''
She arrived in the United States, she and her friend, with one
suitcase each. They began waiting tables at a strip mall in Fort Myers,
FL, hoping, one day, to return to the skies.
Those are just a few of the examples.
My colleagues, there are 80,000 of those stories--80,000 of those
stories--and we have a covenant to keep. You talk to any soldier who
served over in Afghanistan, and they will have stories to tell. It is
our job to uphold the promises that were made to those who served with
us, because if we don't uphold those promises, what do you think is
going to happen the next time we ask others to serve with our own
military?
I am so proud that we have such strong bipartisan support for this
amendment, that we have those in the Senate who have worked on these
issues for so long in supporting this. I am convinced that when we have
the vote on this amendment, we will finally be able to put our heads up
proudly and say our covenant has been kept.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I am honored to follow Senator
Klobuchar in advocating for the Afghan Adjustment Act, which we
strongly hope and believe will be an amendment to the National Defense
Authorization Act.
I just want to begin where she finished in talking about the American
troops who depended on these Afghan allies who now are at risk.
I know firsthand about the translators and guards and others who
served, putting their lives on the line, because like many of my
colleagues, I visited Afghanistan. I saw them at work. Now, in
Connecticut, I have had the privilege of calling many of them my
friends, and their families--dear friends. I also know firsthand
because my son Matthew, who was a Marine Corps infantry officer in
Afghanistan, had a translator whom he succeeded in bringing back to
this country but only because he was a lawyer, and he knew how to
navigate the intricate and challenging rules that applied. It took him
2 years--2 years--to bring back the man who helped him survive his time
in combat there.
Senator Klobuchar is absolutely right. It is a promise. Great nations
keep their promises. These individuals are among our most loyal
friends. The test is that they put targets on their backs from the
Taliban. They knew they and their families would be at risk if the
Taliban ever took over. Now the Taliban has done it, and they cannot
return nor can their families.
So I want to thank all of my colleagues--the bipartisan group--who
strongly support this amendment; but I also want to thank our veterans
who literally camped out in the swamp, outside the Capitol, for days,
weeks, hoping at the end of the last session that we would adopt this
measure. Our veterans are standing strong behind our allies--Afghan
allies--who they know put their lives on the line for them, who they
know put their families at risk for them.
I am grateful to our veterans' groups, the USOs, the kinds of allies
that we have individually and all around the country, who have said
they are going to make it a priority to make sure we treat fairly these
Afghan allies.
We should give them permanent status--a path to permanent status--in
this country rather than the temporary, uncertain status that they have
right now.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Michigan.
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, first, I want to thank Senator
Blumenthal for his comments.
I thank Senator Klobuchar, who has been dogged on this issue of
Afghan refugees, and I thank her for her leadership on this.
I want to thank Senator Lee, who is allowing me to take a moment in
the middle of a very important issue that we are still discussing
today. I thank him for his courtesy in allowing me to take a moment of
personal privilege to speak about someone who has been with me for a
long time but who is moving on to other opportunities; and I appreciate
his family and friends in the Galleries who want to have an opportunity
to salute him.
Tribute to Matthew Williams
Mr. President, I have a phenomenal member of my staff who has been a
critical part of my team for a long time, Matthew Williams. We are
excited for his new opportunities, but we are still not sure we are
going to let him go because he has been so incredibly important to my
success over a lot of years.
All the way back to 2006, as a recent graduate of the University of
Michigan, he joined my Senate campaign as a press assistant. Matthew
Williams did such a great job that I hired him as a staff assistant in
my East Lansing office. Over the next 17 years, Matt took on so many
different roles and did each one of them so successfully--from press
assistant to press secretary to my regional manager in Detroit to
deputy communications director to now my staff director of the Senate
Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. He is the best
communications director on Capitol Hill, for sure. He has been a part
of my team for so long that the last time, I think, Matt quit a job was
when he was in college--at Joe's Crab Shack.
His time with me has taken him from Michigan to DC, back to Michigan,
and now back to DC. Along the way, he married Amber, his wonderful
wife, and they have since added two wonderful boys to their family, Max
and Ben. I think Max is with us today. When Matt is not in the office,
there is a pretty good chance he is at a school event or at a Little
League game.
Over the years, he has spoken with a lot of reporters, has planned a
lot of press conferences, has taken a lot of my calls, and has never
passed up the opportunity to remind me which Michigan university he
thinks is better. He is wrong, of course. I think the Presiding Officer
actually would agree with Matt on this, but he is wrong. Yet he has
been right on so many things over the years that I have been able to
overlook his love for all things Wolverine.
One of the first things you will notice about Matt is his positivity,
his good-natured smile, and his wonderful sense of humor. It is partly
what makes him such a great leader. He is also a great team player who
is unfailingly levelheaded and reasonable. It takes a lot to get Matt
Williams flustered. He is also incredibly knowledgeable about our State
and the people who live there, about our 10 media markets and, if we
are going to be honest, about the best places to golf.
Matt has also done a wonderful job as the staff director of the
Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Committee for our caucus.
All of us are very, very grateful.
Under his leadership, we have modernized the committee services,
including launching the first-ever DPCC FloorWatch app, and we have
strengthened the ``C'' in DPCC by working with the caucus to amplify
our accomplishments and to highlight policy differences between the two
parties.
Matt is from Flint. So, to him, I know the Flint water crisis was
personal. He fought by my side to do everything we could to make things
right for the people of Flint--the families and the community.
Some of my fondest memories with Matt are from our bipartisan 2019
codel to South Korea and Vietnam, organized by Senator Leahy. I will
never forget standing at the DMZ with Matt and taking pictures with
North Korean soldiers while they were taking pictures of us. Matt was a
wonderful travel partner, and I was really honored to be with him as he
experienced the country where he was born.
Matt, thank you so much for your 17 years of hard work, your
wonderful talent, and your dedication to Michigan and our country. We
are all going to miss your optimism and your smiling face around the
office, and I know that folks are going to miss your candy
[[Page S3448]]
bowl. You will always be a part of Team Stabenow and a part of my
extended family, for sure. I wish you and Amber and the boys every
happiness and success always.
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.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Order of Business
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in
order to call up the following amendments to S. 2226: Lee, No. 376;
Scott, No. 510; Romney, No. 823; Sinema, No. 315; Grassley, No. 273;
Blackburn, No. 224; Moran, No. 949; Baldwin, No. 685; Cornyn, No. 931;
Rounds, No. 813; and Warnock, No. 199; further, that with respect to
the amendments listed above, at a time to be determined by the majority
leader in consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate vote on
amendments in the order listed, with no further amendments or motions
in order and with 60 affirmative votes required for adoption, with the
exception of Lee, No. 376, and that there be 2 minutes equally divided
prior to each vote, with 4 minutes equally divided for debate on the
Lee amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. SCHUMER. For the information of Senators, I expect one more
rollcall vote today, which will be on the Lee amendment.
Mr. President, I am glad we are taking another step towards final
passage today, and we will keep going when we return next week.
Providing for our national defense is always one of our highest
responsibilities in Congress and something that should always be
bipartisan, and today, we are seeing that play out in the Senate.
I want to thank my colleagues. For both sides, this has been a lot of
bipartisan cooperation and back-and-forth, and I want to thank my
colleagues on both sides for their good work.
I also want to thank Chairman Menendez and Senator Scott for agreeing
to work on their differences with respect to the Scott amendment, to
work out their differences in the conference committee. I have given
both of them my assurance that I will work with them to find an
amicable solution.
I yield floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
Amendment No. 376
Mr. LEE. Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 376 and ask that
it be reported by number.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Utah [Mr. Lee] proposes an amendment
numbered 376.
The amendment is as follows:
(Purpose: To limit the availability of funds for the support of
Ukraine)
At the end of subtitle C of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 1240A. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR SUPPORT
TO UKRAINE.
Of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or
otherwise made available for fiscal year 2024 for the
Department of Defense for the support of Ukraine, not more
than two percent may be obligated or expended until the date
on which all member countries of North Atlantic Treaty
Organization that do not spend two percent or more of their
gross domestic product on defense meet or exceed such
threshold.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
Mr. LEE. My amendment, Lee No. 376, is a measure that drives
accountability and fairness in supporting Ukraine. My amendment
creatively incentivizes our NATO allied nations to shoulder their fair
share of the security burden in securing Europe.
This isn't about withholding funds from Ukraine; it is about
encouraging allies to meet their 2 percent of GDP spending thresholds
with regard to their national security.
Within Congress, we respond to the call of duty by urging NATO allies
to step up and to meet their obligations--obligations that they have
made and obligations that, when they go unmet, result in the United
States of America shouldering a disproportionate, unfair share of the
burden. We have been doing this for years, just as we have provided and
held a disproportionate share of the burden specifically with regard to
Ukraine.
Let me be very clear. My amendment ensures that funds for Ukraine
remain untouched while allies contribute their fair share.
Europe's security is indeed a collective endeavor, and Lee No. 376
motivates our allies to meet or exceed the 2 percent pledge. But for it
to be a collective endeavor, they have to pay their way. They haven't
been. This would incentivize them to do so.
I urge its passage.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, this amendment is, I think, reckless. It
would essentially halt 98 percent of the aid that we would authorize
and appropriate to go to Ukraine, which would be good news in Moscow
but very bad news in Kyiv.
This amendment is trying to incentivize our NATO partners to increase
their efforts to 2 percent of GDP, and that is a goal that has been
agreed to, but the practical, immediate effect would be to undermine
the military posture of Ukraine at a time when they are desperately
fighting for their survival. But more importantly, they are fighting
our fight also, because if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, we will lose, as
well as Ukrainians. It will incentivize the kind of autocratic behavior
that is determined--at least in the case of Putin--to destroy
democracies and destroy the international legal order.
We have already expressed our not only desire but strong, strong
imperative that NATO reach the 2 percent goal, but this is punishing
the Ukrainians for the sins of others, and that would be terrible.
I would urge that this position be rejected.
Vote on Amendment No. 376
Mr. LEE. I call for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment.
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. SCHUMER. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet),
the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons), the Senator from Illinois (Mr.
Durbin), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), the Senator from
New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Warnock)
are necessarily absent.-
Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator
from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso), the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs.
Blackburn), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn), the Senator from North
Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), the
Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran),
the Senator from Utah (Mr. Romney), the Senator from Missouri (Mr.
Schmitt), and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).
The result was announced--yeas 13, nays 71, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 195 Leg.]
YEAS--13
Braun
Britt
Daines
Hagerty
Hawley
Hyde-Smith
Johnson
Lee
Marshall
Paul
Scott (FL)
Tuberville
Vance
NAYS--71
Baldwin
Blumenthal
Booker
Boozman
Brown
Budd
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Collins
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Crapo
Cruz
Duckworth
Ernst
Feinstein
Fetterman
Fischer
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hassan
Heinrich
Hickenlooper
Hirono
Hoeven
Kaine
Kelly
King
Klobuchar
Lankford
Lujan
Markey
McConnell
Merkley
Mullin
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Ossoff
Padilla
Peters
Reed
Ricketts
Risch
Rosen
Rounds
Rubio
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Shaheen
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Van Hollen
Warner
Warren
Welch
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young
NOT VOTING--16
Barrasso
Bennet
Blackburn
Coons
Cornyn
Cramer
[[Page S3449]]
Durbin
Kennedy
Lummis
Manchin
Menendez
Moran
Romney
Schmitt
Scott (SC)
Warnock
The amendment (No. 376) was rejected.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Fetterman). The Senator from Rhode Island.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 60
affirmative-vote threshold for the following amendments be vitiated:
Scott, No. 510; Romney, No. 823; Sinema, No. 315; Grassley, No. 273;
Blackburn, No. 224; Moran, No. 949; and Baldwin, No. 685; further, that
the amendments be called up and the Senate vote on the adoption of the
amendments, all en bloc.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there an objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Amendment Nos. 510, 823, 315, 273, 224, 949, and 685
The clerk will report the amendments en bloc.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Rhode Island [Mr. Reed], for other
Senators, proposes the following amendments numbered 510,
823, 315, 273, 224, 949, and 685.
The amendments are as follows:
Amendment No. 510
(Purpose: To provide for drone security.)
(The amendment is printed in the Record of July 13, 2023, under
``Text of Amendments.'')
AMENDMENT NO. 823
(Purpose: To end the treatment of the People's Republic of China as a
developing nation)
At the appropriate place in title XII, insert the
following:
SEC. 12__. ENDING CHINA'S DEVELOPING NATION STATUS.
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Ending
China's Developing Nation Status Act''.
(b) Finding; Statement of Policy.--
(1) Finding.--Congress finds that the People's Republic of
China is still classified as a developing nation under
multiple treaties and international organization structures,
even though China has grown to be the second largest economy
in the world.
(2) Statement of policy.--It is the policy of the United
States--
(A) to oppose the labeling or treatment of the People's
Republic of China as a developing nation in current and
future treaty negotiations and in each international
organization of which the United States and the People's
Republic of China are both current members;
(B) to pursue the labeling or treatment of the People's
Republic of China as a developed nation in each international
organization of which the United States and the People's
Republic of China are both current members; and
(C) to work with allies and partners of the United States
to implement the policies described in paragraphs (1) and
(2).
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives with respect to--
(i) reports produced by the Secretary of State; and
(ii) a waiver exercised pursuant to subsection (f)(2),
except with respect to any international organization for
which the United States Trade Representative is the chief
representative of the United States; and
(B) the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the
Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives
with respect to--
(i) reports produced by the United States Trade
Representative; and
(ii) a waiver exercised pursuant to subsection (f)(2) with
respect to any international organization for which the
United States Trade Representative is the chief
representative of the United States.
(2) Secretary.--
(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B),
the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of State.
(B) Exception.--The term ``Secretary'' shall mean the
United States Trade Representative with respect to any
international organization for which the United States Trade
Representative is the chief representative of the United
States.
(d) Report on Development Status in Current Treaty
Negotiations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to
the appropriate committees of Congress that--
(1) identifies all current treaty negotiations in which--
(A) the proposed treaty would provide for different
treatment or standards for enforcement of the treaty based on
respective development status of the states that are party to
the treaty; and
(B) the People's Republic of China is actively
participating in the negotiations, or it is reasonably
foreseeable that the People's Republic of China would seek to
become a party to the treaty; and
(2) for each treaty negotiation identified pursuant to
paragraph (1), describes how the treaty under negotiation
would provide different treatment or standards for
enforcement of the treaty based on development status of the
states parties.
(e) Report on Development Status in Existing Organizations
and Treaties.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to
the appropriate committees of Congress that--
(1) identifies all international organizations or treaties,
of which the United States is a member, that provide
different treatment or standards for enforcement based on the
respective development status of the member states or states
parties;
(2) describes the mechanisms for changing the country
designation for each relevant treaty or organization; and
(3) for each of the organizations or treaties identified
pursuant to paragraph (1)--
(A) includes a list of countries that--
(i) are labeled as developing nations or receive the
benefits of a developing nation under the terms of the
organization or treaty; and
(ii) meet the World Bank classification for upper middle
income or high-income countries; and
(B) describes how the organization or treaty provides
different treatment or standards for enforcement based on
development status of the member states or states parties.
(f) Mechanisms for Changing Development Status.--
(1) In general.--In any international organization of which
the United States and the People's Republic of China are both
current members, the Secretary, in consultation with allies
and partners of the United States, shall pursue--
(A) changing the status of the People's Republic of China
from developing nation to developed nation if a mechanism
exists in such organization to make such status change; or
(B) proposing the development of a mechanism described in
paragraph (1) to change the status of the People's Republic
of China in such organization from developing nation to
developed nation.
(2) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of
subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) with respect to any
international organization if the President notifies the
appropriate committees of Congress that such a waiver is in
the national interests of the United States.
amendment no. 315
(Purpose: To provide for the assumption of full ownership and control
of the International Outfall Interceptor in Nogales, Arizona, by the
International Boundary and Water Commission)
At the approriate place in subtitle G of title X, insert
the following:
SEC. 10__. NOGALES WASTEWATER IMPROVEMENT.
(a) Amendment to the Act of July 27, 1953.--The first
section of the Act of July 27, 1953 (67 Stat. 195, chapter
242; 22 U.S.C. 277d-10), is amended by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``: Provided further, That the
equitable portion of the Nogales sanitation project for the
city of Nogales, Arizona, shall be limited to the costs
directly associated with the treatment and conveyance of the
wastewater of the city and, to the extent practicable, shall
not include any costs directly associated with the quality or
quantity of wastewater originating in Mexico.''.
(b) Nogales Sanitation Project.--
(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) City.--The term ``City'' means the City of Nogales,
Arizona.
(B) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the United
States Section of the International Boundary and Water
Commission.
(C) International outfall interceptor.--The term
``International Outfall Interceptor'' means the pipeline that
conveys wastewater from the United States-Mexico border to
the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant.
(D) Nogales international wastewater treatment plant.--The
term ``Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant''
means the wastewater treatment plant that--
(i) is operated by the Commission;
(ii) is located in Rio Rico, Santa Cruz County, Arizona,
after manhole 99; and
(iii) treats sewage and wastewater originating from--
(I) Nogales, Sonora, Mexico; and
(II) Nogales, Arizona.
(2) Ownership and control.--
(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B) and in
accordance with authority under the Act of July 27, 1953 (67
Stat. 195, chapter 242; 22 U.S.C. 277d-10 et seq.), on
transfer by donation from the City of the current stake of
the City in the International Outfall Interceptor to the
Commission, the Commission shall enter into such agreements
as are necessary to assume full ownership and control over
the International Outfall Interceptor.
(B) Agreements required.--The Commission shall assume full
ownership and control over the International Outfall
Interceptor under subparagraph (A) after all applicable
governing bodies in the State of Arizona, including the City,
have--
(i) signed memoranda of understanding granting to the
Commission access to existing easements for a right of entry
to the International Outfall Interceptor for the life of the
International Outfall Interceptor;
[[Page S3450]]
(ii) entered into an agreement with respect to the flows
entering the International Outfall Interceptor that are
controlled by the City; and
(iii) agreed to work in good faith to expeditiously enter
into such other agreements as are necessary for the
Commission to operate and maintain the International Outfall
Interceptor.
(3) Operations and maintenance.--
(A) In general.--Beginning on the date on which the
Commission assumes full ownership and control of the
International Outfall Interceptor under paragraph (2)(A), but
subject to paragraph (5), the Commission shall be responsible
for the operations and maintenance of the International
Outfall Interceptor.
(B) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to the Commission to carry out this
paragraph, to remain available until expended--
(i) $6,500,000 for fiscal year 2025; and
(ii) not less than $2,500,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each
fiscal year thereafter.
(4) Debris screen.--
(A) Debris screen required.--
(i) In general.--The Commission shall construct, operate,
and maintain a debris screen at Manhole One of the
International Outfall Interceptor for intercepting debris and
drug bundles coming to the United States from Nogales,
Sonora, Mexico.
(ii) Requirement.--In constructing and operating the debris
screen under clause (i), the Commission and the Commissioner
of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall coordinate--
(I) the removal of drug bundles and other illicit goods
caught in the debris screen; and
(II) other operations at the International Outfall
Interceptor that require coordination.
(B) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to the Commission, to remain available
until expended--
(i) for fiscal year 2025--
(I) $8,000,000 for construction of the debris screen
described in subparagraph (A)(i); and
(II) not less than $1,000,000 for the operations and
maintenance of the debris screen described in subparagraph
(A)(i); and
(ii) not less than $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each
fiscal year thereafter for the operations and maintenance of
the debris screen described in subparagraph (A)(i).
(5) Limitation of claims.--Chapter 171 and section 1346(b)
of title 28, United States Code (commonly known as the
``Federal Tort Claims Act''), shall not apply to any claim
arising from the activities of the Commission in carrying out
this subsection, including any claim arising from damages
that result from overflow of the International Outfall
Interceptor due to excess inflow to the International Outfall
Interceptor originating from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
(c) Effective Date.--This section (including the amendments
made by this section) takes effect on October 1, 2024.
AMENDMENT NO. 273
(Purpose: To improve a provision relating to a report on progress on a
multi-year strategy and plan for the Baltic Security Initiative)
Strike section 1237 and insert the following:
SEC. 1237. REPORT ON PROGRESS ON MULTI-YEAR STRATEGY AND PLAN
FOR THE BALTIC SECURITY INITIATIVE.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in
consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the
congressional defense committees a report on the progress
made in the implementation of the multi-year strategy and
spending plan set forth in the June 2021 report of the
Department of Defense entitled ``Report to Congress on the
Baltic Security Initiative''.
(b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall
include the following:
(1) An identification of any significant change to the
goals, objectives, and milestones identified in the June 2021
report described in subsection (a), in light of the radically
changed security environment in the Baltic region after the
full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation on
February 24, 2022, and with consideration to enhancing the
deterrence and defense posture of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization in the Baltic region, including through the
implementation of the regional defense plans of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization.
(2) An update on the Department of Defense funding
allocated for such strategy and spending plan for fiscal
years 2022 and 2023 and projected funding requirements for
fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026 for each goal identified in
such report.
(3) An update on the host country funding allocated and
planned for each such goal.
(4) An assessment of the progress made in the
implementation of the recommendations set forth in the fiscal
year 2020 Baltic Defense Assessment, and reaffirmed in the
June 2021 report described in subsection (a), that each
Baltic country should--
(A) increase its defense budget;
(B) focus on and budget for sustainment of capabilities in
defense planning; and
(C) consider combined units for expensive capabilities such
as air defense, rocket artillery, and engineer assets.
amendment no. 224
(Purpose: To provide funding for women's health to support initiatives
for mobile mammography services for women veterans)
At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1083. AUTHORIZATION OF AMOUNTS TO SUPPORT INITIATIVES
FOR MOBILE MAMMOGRAPHY SERVICES FOR VETERANS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs $10,000,000 for the Office of Women's Health
of the Department of Veterans Affairs under section 7310 of
title 38, United States Code, to be used by the Secretary to
expand access of women veterans to--
(1) mobile mammography initiatives;
(2) advanced mammography equipment; and
(3) outreach activities to publicize those initiatives and
equipment.
Amendment no. 949
(Purpose: To ensure access to commissary and exchange privileges for
remarried spouses of members of the Armed Forces)
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. ___. ACCESS TO COMMISSARY AND EXCHANGE PRIVILEGES FOR
REMARRIED SPOUSES.
(a) Benefits.--Section 1062 of title 10, United States
Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``The Secretary of Defense'' and inserting
the following:
``(a) Certain Unremarried Former Spouses.--The Secretary of
Defense'';
(2) by striking ``commissary and exchange privileges'' and
inserting ``use commissary stores and MWR retail
facilities'';
(3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(b) Certain Remarried Surviving Spouses.--The Secretary
of Defense shall prescribe such regulations as may be
necessary to provide that a surviving spouse of a deceased
member of the armed forces, regardless of the marital status
of the surviving spouse, is entitled to use commissary stores
and MWR retail facilities to the same extent and on the same
basis as an unremarried surviving spouse of a member of the
uniformed services.''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(c) MWR Retail Facilities Defined.--In this section, the
term `MWR retail facilities' has the meaning given that term
in section 1063(e) of this title.''.
(b) Clerical Amendments.--
(1) Section heading.--The heading of section 1062 of title
10, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 1062. Certain former spouses and surviving spouses''.
(2) Table of sections.--The table of sections at the
beginning of chapter 54 of title 10, United States Code, is
amended by striking the item relating to section 1062 and
inserting the following new item:
``1062. Certain former spouses and surviving spouses.''.
(c) Regulations.--The Secretary of Defense shall publish
the regulations required under section 1062(b) of title 10,
United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(3), by not
later than October 1, 2025.
amendment to. 685
(Purpose: To provide for an enhanced domestic content requirement for
navy shipbuilding programs)
At the appropriate place in title VIII, insert the
following:
SEC. __. ENHANCED DOMESTIC CONTENT REQUIREMENT FOR NAVY
SHIPBUILDING PROGRAMS.
(a) Enhanced Domestic Content Requirement.--
(1) Contracting requirements.--Except as provided in
paragraph (2), for purposes of chapter 83 of title 41, United
States Code, manufactured articles, materials, or supplies
procured as part of a Navy shipbuilding program are
manufactured substantially all from articles, materials, or
supplies mined, produced, or manufactured in the United
States if the cost of such component articles, materials, or
supplies--
(A) supplied during the period beginning January 1, 2026,
and ending December 31, 2027, exceeds 65 percent of the cost
of the manufactured articles, materials, or supplies;
(B) supplied during the period beginning January 1, 2028,
and ending December 31, 2032, exceeds 75 percent of the cost
of the manufactured articles, materials, or supplies; and
(C) supplied on or after January 1, 2033, equals 100
percent of the cost of the manufactured articles, materials,
or supplies.
(2) Applicability to research, development, test, and
evaluation activities.--Contracts related to shipbuilding
programs entered into under paragraph (1) to carry out
research, development, test, and evaluation activities shall
require that these activities and the components specified
during these activities must meet the domestic content
requirements delineated under paragraph (1).
(3) Exclusion for certain manufactured articles.--Paragraph
(1) shall not apply to manufactured articles that consist
wholly or predominantly of iron, steel, or a combination of
iron and steel.
(4) Waiver.--The Secretary of Defense may request a waiver
from the requirements under paragraph (1) in order to expand
sourcing to members of the national technical industrial base
(as that term is defined in section 4801 of title 10, United
States
[[Page S3451]]
Code). Any such waiver shall be subject to the approval of
the Director of the Made in America Office and may only be
requested if it is determined that any of the following
apply:
(A) Application of the limitation would increase the cost
of the overall acquisition by more than 25 percent or cause
unreasonable delays to be incurred.
(B) Satisfactory quality items manufactured by a domestic
entity are not available or domestic production of such items
cannot be initiated without significantly delaying the
project for which the item is to be acquired.
(C) It is inconsistent with the public interest.
(5) Rulemaking.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in
concurrence with the Director of the Made in America Office,
shall issue rules to determine the treatment of the lowest
price offered for a foreign end product for which 55 percent
or more of the component articles, materials, or supplies of
such foreign end product are manufactured substantially all
from articles, materials, or supplies mined, produced, or
manufactured in the United States if--
(A) the application of paragraph (1) results in an
unreasonable cost; or
(B) no offers are submitted to supply manufactured
articles, materials, or supplies manufactured substantially
all from articles, materials, or supplies mined, produced, or
manufactured in the United States.
(6) Applicability.--The requirements of this subsection
shall apply to contracts entered into on or after January 1,
2026.
(b) Reporting on Country of Origin Manufacturing.--Not
later than one year after the date of the enactment of this
Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall
submit to Congress a report on country of origin tracking and
reporting as it relates to manufactured content procured as
part of Navy shipbuilding programs, including through primary
contracts and subcontracts at the second and third tiers. The
report shall describe measures taken to ensure that the
country of origin information pertaining to such content is
reported accurately in terms of the location of manufacture
and not determined by the location of sale.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendments
en bloc.
The amendments (Nos. 510, 823, 315, 273, 224, 949, and 685) were
agreed to en bloc.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
50th Anniversary of Hip Hop
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, first, I am happy to talk about the 50th
anniversary of hip hop, a great artistic creation in America, and we
have a resolution celebrating that 50th anniversary. I am proud that my
resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip hop will pass the
Senate. The resolution again designates August 11 as Hip Hop
Celebration Day, the month of August as Hip Hop Recognition Month, and
the month of November as Hip Hop History Month.
I would like to thank Senator Cassidy, as well as Congressman Bowman
in the House, for their work on this resolution, and I also want to
thank my dear friend LeRoy McCarthy, the historian of hip hop, who
proposed to me the idea of honoring hip hop. He deserves credit today,
as do all my colleagues who made this happen.
Hip hop was born in my hometown of New York at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue
in the Bronx. Years ago, I worked with DJ Kool Herc, KRS-One, and the
residents of 1520 to save the birthplace of hip hop when the owner
wanted to sell the building to another developer and remove its
affordable housing units to make a profit. They were going to destroy
the rec room where hip hop was first created by DJ Kool Herc.
We were able to prevent so many people from being displaced and, at
the same time, make sure that this historic landmark would forever be
honored properly. And over the decades, hip hop has transcended
language, race, age, and both geographic and socioeconomic barriers.
Many people can attest to the fact that hip hop actually changed
their lives for the better, gave them purpose and meaning. I know many
of them myself, many of whom are New York City and Bronx residents.
So hip hop is great. It is a uniquely American art form that quickly
blossomed into a global movement. And we are proud--proud, proud,
proud--today that this resolution honoring the 50th anniversary of hip
hop will pass.
____________________