[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 158 (Thursday, September 28, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4741-S4748]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                          LEGISLATIVE SESSION

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate will now resume legislative 
session.
  The Senator from Utah.


                   Unanimous Consent Request--S. 2972

  Mr. LEE. Mr. President, when the government shuts its doors, public 
attention often falls on our national parks. This should be surprising 
to no one. Year after year, whenever anyone does a survey, they 
discover the most popular and least popular parks of the Federal 
government. The answers tend to be the same.
  As I recall, the least popular parks often focus on the IRS, for 
understandable reasons. For similarly understandable reasons, the most 
popular parks involve our National Park System. When the government 
shuts down, a lot of attention turns to them, as it should. The stark 
``closed'' sign that barricades the entrance to our cherished parks is 
more than just a sign of circumstances where it arises during a 
shutdown. It is a palpable consequence of a government bereft of funds 
and a dysfunctional process in Congress that leads to that moment.
  This issue is close to the hearts of a lot of people in a lot of 
parts of the country, but it is especially close to the hearts of 
people in my home State of Utah. Every State in this great Union, 
especially every State that is fortunate enough to be home to one or 
more of our Nation's national parks, has to deal with some of these 
issues in one way another.
  To be clear, I abhor the notion of government shutdowns. They are 
neither my wish nor my aspiration. However, as the close of fiscal year 
2023 approaches, a government shutdown looms very large on our horizon.
  Utah, like many States, finds its identity intertwined with its 
magnificent landscapes and national parks. Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, 
Canyonlands, Capitol Reef--these are not just names on a map; they are 
proud symbols of our State, and local communities in many parts of Utah 
depend on them and depend on the traffic that comes in and out of those 
national parks. Visiting these parks isn't just about tourism; it is 
about livelihoods, our families, and our economic lifeblood.
  The grim reality is that our communities will bear the brunt if these 
parks, in fact, close their gates due to a shutdown with no means to 
recuperate the loss. With 2 days left, my frustration mounts knowing 
the Department of the Interior has not updated its shutdown contingency 
plan for national parks since 2017. How can the Biden administration 
expect our communities to prepare without a blueprint for such 
eventualities?
  In my recent communication with Secretary Haaland, I emphasized that 
numerous tools lie at her disposal to keep our parks functioning even 
during a shutdown. Using the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, 
or FLREA, as it is known, to harness nonappropriated fee revenues for 
essential park operations is a clear path and one that should be 
pursued here. After all, these very same funds ensure many parks 
remained open during the December 2018 to January 2019 shutdown. The 
Department of the Interior should also designate as ``essential'' as 
many park and land management employees as possible.
  Yet it seems Interior would, instead, echo past mistakes, like those 
made in 2013 under the Obama administration, bending to radical 
environmental pressures and closing our parks under the pretense of 
``resource conservation.''
  This is not just unfortunate; it is inexcusable. In fact, it is 
deplorable, and it is completely avoidable. Because of such actions, 
several States, including Utah, were forced to dig into their own 
pockets to ensure their parks remained open in 2013, but when the 
shutdown concluded, there was no repayment. States like Utah, New York, 
Tennessee, South Dakota, Colorado, and Arizona were left holding the 
bill.
  Utah alone spent $1.6 million to keep our parks operational for just 
about a week. Now, look, $1.6 million might seem like a drop in the 
bucket in the vast sea of overall Federal spending, but for States like 
Utah with a lot less money running through the State government than 
runs through our government every single year and where elected 
officials value prudent financial management to help keep their own 
citizens in a good position, every single dollar matters.
  So this is not something we should foist upon the States.
  We know at the outset that people are going to continue to visit 
national parks. There is no legitimate reason, knowing that they are 
the single most popular feature of the Federal Government, arbitrarily 
to decide at the outset that we are going to close those. In many 
instances, they had to erect barriers to keep people out--sort of the 
opposite of what you would expect to occur during a shutdown. So let's 
keep them open.
  We know, in any event, that any furloughed staff within the Park 
Service will be repaid, along with the rest of the government workers, 
once the shutdown ends. Knowing that, as we do, and knowing that these 
States and their communities are so dependent, as they are, on revenue 
related to visitors going to national parks and that those States, 
being that dependent, are going to cover the tab, the Federal 
Government shouldn't be in the position of riding on these States' 
generosity, on their dependence on the national parks, simply by 
saying: Yes, you know what, we are going to furlough these workers, 
allow them to shut down, allow the States to run the parks at great 
expense to those States, and then not pay them back.
  No, this is unacceptable.
  This is a pretty unique circumstance in which the risk of a free-
rider action calls out for precautionary action on our part.
  So my bill on this subject is very simple. It just mandates that the 
Secretary of the Interior must repay States that spend their own funds 
to maintain national parks in the event of a shutdown. It is about 
responsibility, accountability, and most importantly, doing what is 
right.
  Our national parks must remain open, not just for the enjoyment of 
our citizens but for the survival of the communities that are near them 
and whose economies revolve around them.
  To that end, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of S. 2972, which is at the desk; further, that 
the bill be considered read a third time and passed; and that the 
motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Washington.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I share my 
colleague's concern about making sure our national parks stay open. In 
fact, I don't want any Federal facilities to close their doors, any 
Federal workers to miss a paycheck, or any programs families rely on be 
undermined by a completely unnecessary shutdown, which is why I am 
working around the clock to make sure we do pass this bipartisan CR 
package, which we released yesterday.
  So I hope the senior Senator from Utah will reconsider his recent 
vote against moving forward on that CR and start working with us to get 
this straightforward CR across the finish line so we can avoid this 
shutdown and get back to passing our 12 bipartisan appropriations bills 
because that is the only serious solution here. That is the best way to 
make sure families are able to keep enjoying our national parks and 
park rangers and all of our public servants can do the work the 
American people are counting on and get the paycheck they deserve.
  There are a lot of programs that we all care about that will be hurt 
by a shutdown, so we are not going to solve this problem one by one, 
carve-out by carve-out. As I said earlier, you don't stop a flood one 
drop at a time; you build a dam.
  We have a straightforward, bipartisan CR package to avoid a shutdown 
and keep our national parks open. Let's get our jobs done and get that 
passed.
  So I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  The Senator from Utah.
  Mr. LEE. Mr. President, I am disappointed that we weren't able to get 
this done today. It is hard for me to conceive of a legitimate reason 
sounding in public policy why we wouldn't want to make sure that we 
hold harmless those States bold enough, brave

[[Page S4742]]

enough, conscientious enough to protect their own citizenry and 
accessibility to national parks within their boundaries.
  There are a lot of blessings that come from having these mighty five 
national parks in the State of Utah. I love each and every one of them. 
I can tell you, there are things about every one that are unique and 
that I love. We are always told how lucky we are--and we, indeed, are--
to have these beautiful features in our State and to have national 
parks.
  It is insulting to the citizens of a State when the Federal 
Government owns two-thirds of the land mass in our State. Most of that 
land mass is, of course, not national parkland. Most of it doesn't even 
look like national parkland. Most of it is not terribly remarkable one 
way or another. When you add up all that land--and it is 67 percent of 
the State of Utah--that means we can't tax that land; that means we 
can't access that land except with a massive ``Mother may I?'' from the 
Federal Government, which is very often far too difficult to get.
  Because we can't collect property taxes on that land because of its 
Federal ownership, that impoverishes our schools, impairing our ability 
to fund everything from first responders, search and rescue, ambulance 
services, schools--you name it, it is hard for us to fund. There are 
counties in the State of Utah where the Federal Government owns 90-plus 
percent of the land, which makes it almost impossible for us to 
operate.
  To add to all of this by saying, ``Oh, by the way, during a 
government shutdown, we are going to shut down the single most popular 
feature of the Federal Government, the only part the American people 
really like right now, just because we can, and then we are going to 
pay our own employees to not work for however many days or weeks the 
government remains shut down--and, sure, we will let you run all of 
that, States, if you are concerned about it, if your economy and your 
people depend on it. But even though we will pay back our own 
employees, we are not going to pay you back.''

  This is wrong, and if this is how they are going to treat us, we need 
to have a really long, hard, overdue discussion about the question, how 
much land should the Federal Government own in any particular State?
  At the time of statehood, there was an understanding made at least 
implicitly, if not explicitly, in Utah's Enabling Act consistent with 
language inserted into the enabling acts of nearly every State added 
into the Union since the Louisiana Purchase. It was our understanding 
that we, too, would have this opportunity to have unincorporated 
Federal land within our State boundaries eventually sold. Most of it 
would be sold if it were not dedicated to another Federal purpose. With 
the sale of that land would come a percentage that would flow into a 
trust fund dedicated for the benefit of the State's public education 
system.
  That language inserted into the enabling legislation of nearly every 
State added since the Louisiana Purchase has been honored. It was 
honored throughout the Southeast, throughout the Midwest. But they 
stopped honoring it when they got to the Rocky Mountains. I am not sure 
exactly why, but this is exactly the kind of reason why we need to have 
this discussion.
  We are told that we can't tax that land that impoverishes us, that 
causes all kinds of other problems. They try to offset that through a 
program called PILT, payment in lieu of taxes. They give the counties, 
the taxing jurisdictions, pennies on every dollar for what they would 
otherwise get.
  But the lost tax revenue is just the beginning of the problem if we 
are looking at property taxes. It is not just the lost tax revenue from 
what they would get for taxing that land at the lowest greenbelt rate; 
it is the lost economic activity that could and would otherwise apply 
there if they didn't own so much land.
  Look, think about this for a minute. If any private employer, 
individual, or corporation owned more than--I don't know--5 or 10 
percent of the land mass in your State, people would get nervous, and 
understandably, justifiably so. We understandably fear the excessive 
accumulation of power, whether it is economic or political, in the 
hands of a few. Somebody who owns that much of any State's land has the 
ability to determine that State's destiny.
  It gets even worse if that landowner is not a corporation or a 
nonprofit or an individual or a family but, instead, a sovereign 
government that declares itself exempt from taxation and disallows the 
people from doing anything on that land without its permission, growing 
more penurious by the day in whom they allow onto the land and to do 
what.
  This conversation is long overdue, and it is situations like this 
where the Senator from Washington tragically was unable, unwilling even 
to allow these tiny crumbs to drop from the table of the large Federal 
trough. This is wrong. Her arguments are indefensible, suggesting that 
somehow anyone who doesn't vote for this continuing resolution, 
negotiated in secret by exactly two Senators, that she knows darn well 
can't pass--otherwise, they would be passing it right away. It can't 
pass because it has deep flaws in it.
  For her to blame those few of us who voted against it because of 
those serious problems and the way it was written and the fact that we 
are now being told that the leader is filling the tree, which means 
that we are not going to have any effective opportunity even to amend 
the bill--this is the same bill that was released to us about 30 
minutes before we were called to vote on it, about 80 pages of dense 
reading material that includes countless cross-references; takes at 
least, I don't know, 48 hours even with trained staff, who are trained 
to look through these things, to really understand what is in them.
  Shame on all of us if we think this is a legitimate process, and 
shame on this institution if it thinks it is OK to treat Western 
States, where most of the land is Federal, this badly.
  I will be back.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.


                            Border Security

  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to address the 
crisis on our southern border and to say that we have a good 
opportunity with the Senate-approved National Defense Authorization 
Act. It is a remarkable opportunity for this body to strengthen 
homeland security by increasing border security.
  Bad actors continue to exploit our porous southern border and to 
funnel criminals, fentanyl, and even suspected terrorists into our 
country.
  Just this week, Customs and Border Patrol released staggering 
figures. In this fiscal year, Border Patrol has handled nearly 3 
million border encounters--nearly 3 million border encounters.
  Of urgent concern is the fact that more and more of those who cross 
our borders are terror threats. In this fiscal year, 160 migrants were 
found to be on the terror watch list, up from 100 in 2022. A smuggler 
with ties to ISIS shepherded a dozen migrants from Uzbekistan across 
the border. This alarming incident raises questions about terrorists 
gaining access to our country. It also highlights the increasing number 
of asylum seekers from Central Asia.
  The situation is clearly out of control.
  The Senate Armed Services Committee has received testimony suggesting 
that our adversaries see our broken border as a strategic advantage. 
Russia certainly does. The former Northern Command chief reports that 
there are more Kremlin agents in Mexico than in any other country. They 
are there because of the open border policies of this administration. 
The Chinese Communist Party is also aware of this vulnerability, 
constantly looking the other way as Chinese criminal elements sell 
fentanyl components to cartels, helping fuel our national drug crisis.
  President Biden refuses to act, but Congress will. The good news is 
that we have already taken steps to do so. This summer, the Senate 
passed our version of the NDAA. We did so on an overwhelmingly 
bipartisan basis. In my role as the ranking member of the Senate Armed 
Services Committee, I led my colleagues as we crafted a defense bill 
that aligns with our current national defense needs.
  The bill supports our troops and enhances our warfighting 
capabilities. The bill also recognizes the border crisis as the 
national security challenge it

[[Page S4743]]

is, and I note that more and more people in the mainstream media on 
network news on television--not just the cable shows--our newscasters 
are calling this what it is, a border crisis.
  In an impressive display of bipartisanship earlier this year, we 
passed our legislation with an overwhelming margin of 86 to 11. This 
sweeping endorsement puts the Senate in a strong negotiating position 
as the House and Senate reconcile the two Defense bills in conference. 
I certainly hope we can do that and get that to the President soon.
  As we move through the conference process, we must retain the border 
provisions we fought so hard to include. One such measure is the FINISH 
IT Act. When we say ``finish it,'' I mean the border wall. The 
legislation which I authored and which is in the bill would continue 
construction of the border wall.
  The previous administration purchased high-quality steel wall panels, 
but when President Biden took office, he chose to spend $130,000 per 
day to store these materials rather than using them to secure the 
border. High-quality steel panels are there. Our President is spending 
money to store them rather than using them for the intended purpose. 
Taxpayers already paid for them. That amounts to tens of millions of 
dollars spent to do absolutely nothing all the while cartels continue 
to traffic drugs to people from across our southwest border.
  The fact that we are spending taxpayer money to store these sections 
of the border wall rather than erect them is uncontested. That is 
admitted, and it is a fact. And it is one of the reasons Senators visit 
the border, to find out things like this.
  We on the Armed Services Committee inquired about this waste. We 
found the administration to be hastily auctioning off panels and doing 
so for pennies on the dollar. This is quite obviously an effort to 
circumvent congressional intent. The administration sees this 
legislation coming; they see the overwhelming 86-to-11 vote; and they 
want to get as many of these sections of the wall auctioned off as 
government surplus before the legislation takes effect.
  In one instance, the government sold $4.4 million worth of materials 
for a mere $156,000--$4.4 million worth of border wall segments sold 
for a mere $156,000. Again, this is uncontested. This is a fact that no 
one disputes. The administration is still unable to account for $255 
million worth of materials.
  The FINISH IT Act, which is in the NDAA, passed by the Senate, would 
compel the Biden administration either to use the existing border 
panels or sell them to States capable of building the wall themselves. 
Border states grasp the severity of this crisis in ways that the 
President somehow ignores.
  Senate Republicans successfully shepherded this provision through the 
Democrat-led committee and secured wide bipartisan support from the 
Senate. Again, the bill passed by a final vote of 86 to 11.
  It is not difficult to discern why, under this administration, really 
every State is a border State. Just ask the mayor of New York City, 
which used to like to be called a sanctuary city. The mayor of New York 
suddenly sounds almost as concerned about the border crisis as the 
Governor of Texas.
  The FINISH IT Act represents just the first of several border 
security provisions in this year's defense legislation. Other measures 
address the threat posed by cartels. These criminal gangs bribe law 
enforcement officials and terrorize the innocent. These cartels have 
military-grade tools, and they use them. Our bill unlocks resources 
that empower the Department of Defense to take the fight to these 
dangerous organizations. We passed a provision which would help 
strengthen Mexican security forces. It would establish a pilot program 
designed to provide top-tier U.S. military training to law enforcement 
in Mexico. This would enhance bilateral cooperation against threats, 
including cartels.
  Another provision helps confront cartels in cyberspace, and another 
improves coordination between defense, intelligence, and Homeland 
Security officials. These proposals harness the full array of U.S. 
technological and logistical capabilities to target work we can do from 
our side of the border.
  The border crisis shows no sign of abatement. Illegal crossings 
continue to surge and fentanyl's devastating effects reach into more 
and more American neighborhoods and into every State. What affects the 
border, affects us all.
  I am sure there will be strong discussion as the House and Senate 
move to a conference. There will, of course, be disagreements, and yet 
I remain hopeful that the integrity of our borders can be an area of 
agreement. We must take this opportunity to protect the homeland. We 
must pass this year's National Defense Authorization Act with these 
hard-won border security measures.
  Mr. President, before I yield the floor, on a personal note, let me 
say that the Presiding Officer is looking particularly good this 
afternoon, and I appreciate his courtesy.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.


                        Remembering Erick Silva

  Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize an 
anniversary. Typically, people think of anniversaries as a happy time. 
Unfortunately, this is one of those anniversaries that we in Las Vegas 
and Nevada and many across this country and around the world look at as 
one of the worst tragedies that we have experienced in this country.
  Six years ago, my hometown of Las Vegas experienced the worst mass 
shooting in modern American history. One gunman took the lives of 58 
people that night; 2 more died later from their injuries; and thousands 
of families will never be the same.
  On October 1, 2017, at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las 
Vegas, tens of thousands of people were listening to music; they were 
dancing; and they were enjoying the festivities.
  That was until the gunfire started. In a matter of minutes, the 
gunman fired over 1,000 bullets into the crowd, leaving 58 dead and 
hundreds wounded. Two more concertgoers died from their injuries in the 
aftermath. The shock, the horror, the pain all come flooding back even 
now.
  I will never forget sitting with families at the reunification center 
in Las Vegas that day after, praying that, along with the families, 
they would hear good news for their lost loved ones. But not all of 
them did. Too many lives were taken that night and far too soon.
  If not for the heroes of that day who put their lives on the line to 
save others, even more lives would have been lost.
  One of those heroes was Erick Silva.
  Erick was from Las Vegas. He attended Las Vegas High School--by the 
way, the same high school that my parents attended--and after he 
graduated, he planned to become a police officer. In August 2017, he 
celebrated his 21st birthday. He would never celebrate another. Less 
than 2 months later, on October 1, Erick was working as a security 
guard at the festival. When the gunfire started, Erick ran into the 
crowd. He did not run away. He ran into the crowd to help, boosting 
concert-goers over barricades so they could exit the rain of bullets 
that was coming down. And in that effort to save lives, Erick lost his. 
He gave his life while saving others.
  I remember speaking with Erick's mother, Angelica, at his funeral. Of 
course, her whole world had been turned upside down, but she knew that 
her son had died a hero. Erick would have been 27 this year, and, every 
year, Angelica celebrates her son's birthday with friends and family to 
remember Erick's life and honor his memory. His mother is making sure 
that her son and his heroism are never forgotten, and I can promise you 
we will never forget.
  We will never forget Erick and the 59 others who lost their lives to 
senseless gun violence that night and in this country. We will never 
forget all of those people who put other people's lives, really, over 
their own that day. We will never forget the hundreds of concert-goers 
who are still dealing with those injuries and the thousands who are 
still coping with the trauma from the terror they witnessed that night.
  We will never forget the first responders, the healthcare workers, 
and the everyday Nevadans who dropped everything to help save lives in 
the

[[Page S4744]]

aftermath because, even in our darkest hour, we are Vegas Strong; we 
are resilient; and together we will work to make sure this kind of 
tragedy never happens again.
  In Nevada, we have taken action to do that by passing comprehensive 
background checks and red flag laws as well as banning the bump stocks 
used in the Route 91 shooting. Now, that is at the State level. We can 
do more. We can do that for the country as a whole if Congress is 
willing to work together. We can pass our bipartisan bill to outlaw 
bump stocks that turn guns into high-capacity killing machines. These 
devices aren't used for recreation. They are only used to commit mass 
violence. Let's get rid of them.
  In working together in Congress, we can pass comprehensive background 
checks to make sure the criminals can't exploit loopholes to buy 
dangerous weapons. The vast majority of Americans supports this. I am 
proud of the work that we have done to pass the Bipartisan Safer 
Communities Act last year. That was historic legislation to curb gun 
violence and fund mental health programs. We did that working together 
across the aisle.
  So we can and we must do more. We owe it to Erick, to his family, to 
the families of the fallen, and to Americans across the country. So 
let's come together in a bipartisan way and put action behind those 
words ``never forget.'' Until we do, we are at risk of history 
repeating itself.
  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. RICKETTS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                         Continuing Resolution

  Mr. RICKETTS. Mr. President, I am hearing a lot from Nebraskans about 
the chaos this week that is going on around here as we debate the 
legislation to continue funding our government.
  We should be debating the reckless Big Government spending that has 
left us with a national debt of $33 trillion. That is $251,000 for 
every American household. That is about the average price of a house in 
Nebraska. It is like having another mortgage in national debt.
  The consequences of this crippling debt mean that consumers see 
higher costs in interest rates. It slows the economy, and it stifles 
opportunities for American families.
  With stubbornly high inflation, families across this Nation--
including those on fixed incomes--are tightening their belts to stretch 
their budgets farther. This past week, I heard from many angry 
Nebraskans that the Congress refuses to do the same.
  We need to fund our national defense, to secure our national 
security; and that includes closing our open border. We need to provide 
essential government services that Americans expect and deserve. What 
we don't need is to throw more money at partisan projects or wasteful 
and unnecessary government spending.
  The time to have these important conversations about how we do all of 
that is right now, as we discuss these funding bills.
  There is a process to do that without coming to the brink of a 
government shutdown. It starts with the President giving his budget by 
February 6. However, this year, President Biden gave us his budget over 
a month late.
  Then Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills by September 30 to 
avoid a government shutdown.
  The Senate Appropriations Committee passed two appropriations bills 
on June 22 and the other 10 in July. That means for nearly 2 months, 
the majority leader could have brought up these bills to the Senate 
floor. We could have had the votes right here on them. We could have 
debated them. We could have amended them. Ultimately, we could have 
passed final versions of them. However, the majority leader chose not 
to do that. Instead, he has played games and created the shutdown face-
off.
  He has squeezed the calendar to force his and President Biden's plan 
to spend trillions of dollars we don't have.
  For example, this week, Senators were given only 40 minutes--just 40 
minutes--to read and analyze a 79-page bill to continue the funding of 
government.
  Unlike Nancy Pelosi, I am not going to vote to pass something so I 
can find out what is in it. Nebraskans deserve better. Americans 
deserve better.
  The bill the Senate is now considering ultimately does nothing to 
address President Biden's wasteful and unnecessary spending. It does 
nothing to secure our border, which is being overrun by cartels 
trafficking migrants and drugs--dangerous drugs like fentanyl that is 
killing Americans every day. We should have an open government and a 
closed border.
  The bill we are considering right now keeps Federal Government 
spending at its inflated postpandemic levels.
  Federal Government spending is up 40 percent in just the last 4 
years--40 percent in just 4 years. That is unacceptable.
  The majority leader is forcing a vote with a false choice between a 
bloated and wasteful omnibus bill or a government shutdown. It is 
manipulative. It is wrong, and I won't stand for it.
  We cannot keep giving President Biden and the majority leader a blank 
check to spend American taxpayer dollars however they want.
  A broken process will always result in a broken product. We have to 
do better.
  During my time as Governor, we kept the size and scope of government 
small. It wasn't always easy. Sometimes it required tough 
conversations. But our State was better off for it.
  We ran the government more like a business. We improved the level of 
services for families in need. We invested in infrastructure, like 
roads and broadband. And we were able to deliver $12.7 billion in tax 
cuts.
  In Nebraska, we kept the growth of government to just 2.8 percent a 
year. Again, contrast that to the 40 percent government spending is up 
at the Federal level in just 4 years--40 percent in just 4 years.
  Here is the crazy part: President Biden is actually going to declare 
some Federal employees nonessential. If there is a shutdown, he is 
going to send them home, and then he is going to bring them back and 
pay them backpay. If they are essential workers, they should continue 
to stay at their jobs during a shutdown. And if they are unessential, 
why do we have them?
  Our Federal Government must be more effective and efficient, not 
bigger and worse.
  In Nebraska, we proved it possible. Bringing that success to 
Washington is one of the reasons why I want to be a Senator. I will 
continue fighting to get our fiscal house in order, to make sure we 
continue to provide essential services that Americans deserve and 
expect.
  My colleagues and I will continue to have serious conversations about 
how to do that. I hope President Biden and the majority leader will do 
the same.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.


                            Nagorno-Karabakh

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about the humanitarian 
crisis happening right now in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in South 
Caucasus. It is a tragedy unfolding before our eyes, with reports from 
the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees stating that over 65,000 ethnic 
Armenians fled to Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh since September 23. I 
expect the number of refugees will continue to rise rapidly in the 
coming days. They need immediate humanitarian aid: food, water, 
shelter, and clothing. Sadly, this is not the first time in history 
that the Armenian people have faced this kind of violence, aggression, 
and worse.
  The Nagorno-Karabakh region has a long and complicated history. 
Armenia and Azerbaijan were both a part of the Soviet Union. As the 
USSR collapsed, conflict broke out and Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a 
bloody war in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It left tens of thousands 
of people dead, millions of civilians displaced, and the legal status 
of Nagorno-Karabakh in flux but under the rule of a de facto Government 
of the Republic of Artsakh. Violence largely stopped in 1994. However, 
deep tensions remain.
  I may be one of the few Members of this body or either Chamber of 
Congress who visited the region following the first Nagorno-Karabakh 
war. During my visit in 1997, I met with local

[[Page S4745]]

leaders and civilians impacted by the conflict and saw firsthand the 
impact of the fighting.
  Today, we are witnessing a new tragic chapter for the people of this 
region as the Government of Azerbaijan is moving to not only control 
the territory but to drive out the ethnic Armenian population from the 
region in the process. I have serious concerns that this may not be the 
end; that the aggressors may once again subject this region to a 
campaign of ethnic cleansing and cultural genocide on the ethnic 
Armenians who remain in Nagorno-Karabakh or decide they have future 
territorial aspirations in the region.
  After years of uneasy peace, the Government of Azerbaijan began a 44-
day war in 2020, seizing much of the territory around Nagorno-Karabakh. 
This left Nagorno-Karabakh further isolated. Russian peacekeepers, 
under the terms of an agreement they helped broker, were supposed to 
secure the Lachin corridor, which is the only humanitarian supply line 
between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
  The Azeris asserted control over the corridor in December 2022, set 
up a military checkpoint, stopped the flow of commercial goods, food, 
and medicine, and ultimately prevented the flow of humanitarian aid to 
the region, setting the stage for the final set of hostilities that we 
saw on September 19 and the complete defeat and surrender of local 
security forces of Nagorno-Karabakh.
  I say this because it is important to recognize the actions of the 
Azerbaijan Government were deliberate and calculated and I believe 
meant to achieve the outcome we are seeing today: tens of thousands of 
ethnic Armenians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh for their lives.
  I know the Azeris have very different feelings of the conflict and 
the outcome, but the United States cannot sit by and tolerate 
atrocities by either side in armed conflict. That cannot be the way to 
move forward because it does nothing to resolve differences and will 
never allow people and families to have any sort of reconciliation and 
closure after decades of conflict.
  In light of Azerbaijan's renewed aggression, the U.S. Government must 
respond. I was relieved to see the State Department and USAID announce 
$11.5 million for the humanitarian response that is needed in Armenia. 
I fear, however, this is only a small portion of the actual need so I 
urge additional funds be readied to support the refugees quickly.
  We need to do more. It is very clear the Azeris have not met the 
conditions for waiver of section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. 
Therefore, I have called for the immediate cessation of all U.S. 
security assistance to Azerbaijan.
  My colleague Senator Whitehouse and I have pressed the State 
Department and the Treasury Department to use its existing authority to 
issue Global Magnitsky Sanctions on those responsible for the human 
rights abuses against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
  Given the change in the situation on the ground, I believe that the 
administration needs to exert more pressure and, indeed, take a more 
active role in ensuring that the government of Azerbaijan understands 
that there are consequences for its actions and that the United States 
is watching.
  The region is at an inflection point. After decades of conflict, I 
understand the skepticism of both sides grounded in centuries of 
mistrust, but the process for a durable peace has to begin somewhere. 
The governments in Baku and Yerevan must take this window seriously and 
avoid divisive and hateful rhetoric that only fans the flames of 
mistrust and conflict. Without it, I worry only future bloodshed will 
follow.
  I will continue my longstanding support for the Armenian people from 
Nagorno-Karabakh, and I call on my Senate colleagues to urge the 
administration to do the same.
  We cannot sit idly by while a nation defines the world, claims 
territory that is in dispute, and has a systematic policy which appears 
to be emerging of ethnic cleansing.
  We must stand up against this, and I urge all my colleagues to urge 
the administration to take a strong and vigorous stand against what is, 
I think, deplorable, despicable conduct by the government of 
Azerbaijan.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kaine). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                    Remembering Brother Michael Reis

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today joined by my colleague Senator 
Whitehouse to honor the life and legacy of Brother Michael Reis, a man 
who made it his mission in life to never, ever give up on any kid. 
Brother Michael found his vocation joining the De La Salle Christian 
Brothers in the 1970s, and I was privileged to be a product of a 
Christian Brothers High School.
  Like the founder of his order Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Brother 
Michael dedicated his life to educating and lifting up children at risk 
of being consigned to the margins of society in life.
  He began his career in New York as a math teacher but was soon drawn 
into the world of social work. He moved from the classroom to a 
residential facility for justice-involved youth. Fortunately, his 
journey brought him to Rhode Island, where he first worked as a 
chaplain at the Adult Correctional Institute.
  In 1974, he cofounded Ocean Tides, a residential program that 
provides a challenging, safe, and healthy learning environment for 
young men who have experienced severe educational difficulties in 
regular school settings and, indeed, have had other complicated social 
problems.
  Over the years, I have met many students who have been transformed by 
their experiences at Ocean Tides. I have had the privilege of hosting 
them in my Senate office and here at the Capitol. Their poise, 
leadership, and thoughtfulness gave me confidence in our shared future 
and also exemplified the remarkable contribution that Brother Michael 
made to our community and to these young men.
  He literally transformed their lives, lives that were, in many cases, 
headed to a very difficult, dangerous, and destructive end and now are 
lives that are poised for success, for contributions to the community, 
for a vindication of his faith in all men and women.
  In 1983, Brother Michael expanded his focus to support at-risk youth 
and their families by founding Tides Family Services, which promotes 
family preservation and keeping youth within their communities through 
individual, family, and group counseling, home visitations, educational 
and court advocacy, as well as the networking of social services.
  With a mere startup fund of $15,000, Brother Michael built an 
organization that employs over 140 dedicated staff and serves 500 
youths a day. And when I say ``serve,'' I mean it. I have talked to 
these counselors. They will literally pick up young men from their 
homes and drive them to school so they get there and then get them 
back. They will counsel them. They will encourage them. They will 
support them. They will give them confidence in themselves so that they 
can succeed.
  It is a remarkable organization reflecting the spirit of Brother 
Michael, the dedication of Brother Michael, and his commitment to 
making sure that no child, as they say, is left behind.
  I was proud to secure Federal resources to support the work that 
Tides is doing and the families it serves. Strong families are the 
foundation for everything else--economic security, educational 
attainment, civic participation, and healthy communities. These are 
investments that change lives and strengthen our society.
  Brother Michael lived the mission of the De La Salle Christian 
Brothers. For over 40 years, he worked across systems, finding 
innovative ways to reach and support our most challenged youth and 
bring along partners to support this cause. His vision, tenacity, and 
great love of our community built two organizations that to this day 
are places of hope and healing for struggling youth and families. We 
are forever in his debt.
  Brother Michael left us on Sunday, September 24, 2023, but his work 
lives on in the lives he changed, in the institutions he built, and 
most importantly, in the example he left for all of us.

[[Page S4746]]

  With that, Mr. President, I would like to yield to my colleague from 
Rhode Island, Senator Whitehouse.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you, Chairman 
Reed.
  We are joined on the Senate floor today in sorrow for a person who 
meant a lot to both of us.
  One of life's profound joys is when you encounter people who are 
unforgettable, and in the case of Brother Michael, he was unforgettably 
kind.
  He started out as a schoolteacher, always was interested in kids. He 
went to work in an incarcerative in-house juvenile facility and I think 
there developed his love for kids who were on the margins, kids who 
were involved with the justice system, kids who were facing 
difficulties in their lives, to try to make sure that he could help 
turn them to a more constructive path.
  It was with that spirit that he came to the ACI, the Adult 
Correctional Institute, in Rhode Island, a formidable building in 
which--this is when I first met him--in which he was a figure of unique 
kindliness. There was really almost nothing that you could do that 
could cause Brother Michael to turn his back on you, and that came 
through to people so well.
  When he started Ocean Tides, he went to the kids whom he could find 
who often didn't even have a home to go to, but they knew they were 
welcome at Ocean Tides. They could come through the door at any hour of 
the night. It was open. He would find them. He would look out for them. 
If they had needs, he would take care of them. If they needed a meal, 
he would give them a meal. If they needed a bed, he would give them a 
bed. If they needed counseling, he would connect with them.
  His motto was exactly the one that Senator Reed used: Never, never 
give up on a kid. That was the simple motto of his life. Child after 
child after child came through Ocean Tides, and, faced with that 
relentless love, that completely open and forgiving approach--he could 
be firm in discussing behavior with a kid, but it was always, always, 
always clear that he was never going to give up, he was never going to 
turn his back, and he was never going to stop loving that--in most 
cases, that boy.

  As he developed his skills and his expertise and as people began to 
flock to him and as Ocean Tides grew, he came to recognize that caring 
for the child was vitally important, but making sure that the child 
could reunite with the family, that the family as a unit could succeed 
and could love and could receive love and give love, became his 
passion, and with that, Tides Family Services was born.
  There are so many people around Rhode Island right now, including 
people who are very successful, who can look back in their lives to 
where Brother Michael's endless patience, endless kindness, and endless 
compassion gave them a pathway to work through whatever problems were 
clouding and bedeviling their lives and move on and then become 
successful.
  I had the privilege, with then-Chairman Grassley on the Judiciary 
Committee, of rewriting the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 
Act back in 2018. Actually, we did a lot of work first. We finally got 
it passed in 2018. I remember going all around Rhode Island to make 
sure the people who were engaged with kids in the juvenile justice 
system were--that I heard what their input was, that I heard what they 
needed.
  No one--no one--was more important to that process; no one had more 
fingerprints on the 2018 reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention Act of the United States of America than Brother 
Michael Reis. The policies that it provided were consistent with his 
advice and his judgment, which were consistent with his life of 
service.
  You know, it is just endlessly difficult, I think, to deal with a 
child whose life has gone off rails somehow. It is agonizing work. 
Brother Michael never had enough, never said ``I am done,'' never 
seemed exhausted, always had a smile, always had a kindly hug, and 
always was available and present and forgiving.
  So, you know, what he accomplished is a wonderful thing, but what I 
can't get out of my mind as I think about him is just who he was and 
how your own heart would soar, your own face would smile, just in the 
encounter with him because he was that kind of a person.
  At one point, he said to me, ``We need to take particular care for 
the last, the least, and the lost.'' And still to this day, on my 
computer screen in my office, I have a faded sticker that has ``last,'' 
``least,'' and ``lost'' written on it that I wrote down way back 
whenever it was when he said it, and it stuck in my mind.
  So, as Senator Reed said, we lost Brother Michael, but in addition to 
the institutions and the lives he changed, he also leaves a very 
powerful legacy in the law through the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention Act and in the hearts of so many people who were changed by 
being able to be near such a wonderful person.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                               Tim's Act

  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I am glad to be here tonight with the 
Presiding Officer, a Member of this body who probably, more than most, 
understands the consequences of this government shutdown. Of the, 
maybe, 100 people in this body and of the 435 people in the House of 
Representatives, I would be surprised if there were somebody among us 
who would be less likely to close the government down over politics 
than the Presiding Officer from the Commonwealth of Virginia, because 
he knows how important it is, among other people, to the dedicated 
public servants who live in his State and work for the Federal 
Government.
  Tonight, I wanted to come to the floor to talk about a group of men 
and women who most people serving in this Chamber know very little 
about--or they may know nothing about. They are men and women whose 
livelihoods are at stake and are being held hostage by a small band of 
extremists dead set on shutting down the government for their own 
political purposes. And these are America's Federal wildland 
firefighters.
  This is a photo of Federal wildland firefighters who are responding 
to the Pine Gulch Fire in Colorado. The picture, in many ways, sort of 
says it all. One of the things it says is neither you nor I nor anybody 
on this floor really could fully imagine or describe what it must be 
like to do this work.
  I can't imagine parachuting through yellow skies that can't allow you 
to see where the ground is and dropping down in the total wilderness. I 
would be very surprised if anybody in this Chamber could comprehend 
what it must be like to hear nothing but the roar of chain saws and 
crackling brush all around you while tankers and helicopters overhead 
on top of you dump blood-red retardant and water to suppress the flames 
or what it is like to carry enough food to sustain you for days at a 
time.
  There is nobody who is going to come feed you, and you have axes and 
water and a sleeping bag all on your back, in a pack that is just made 
heavier by unrelenting smoke and unrelenting fire. You are doing the 
heartbreaking work of slashing away at brush and small trees. I am 
sorry--the backbreaking work. It is probably heartbreaking sometimes. 
You are doing the backbreaking work of slashing away at brush and small 
trees; using gasoline for a roaring wildfire; and making a fire line 
until you get to mineral soil. I don't know about any of that.
  I can't imagine the flood of relief, after 16 hours of grueling work, 
getting back to the ``black.'' That is the area that has already been 
burned, and that is a sign that, finally, after those 16 hours--or 
however many hours those are--you are in a safe spot. And for all of 
that effort, you are making $15 an hour--less than somebody could make 
at Subway or at another fast-food restaurant.
  I never have lived in my car as a price of doing the job that I was 
asked to do, sleeping cramped in the back seat after a 16-hour day 
because you can't afford a place to live--or the

[[Page S4747]]

loneliness of being without your wife and kids for months and months at 
a time while working on a fire. I don't know how it must feel to work 
1,000 hours of overtime every year for your country and know that your 
family is still on food stamps because, no matter how hard you work, 
you can't make enough money to put food on the table for your family. I 
don't know what that feels like, but that is the reality for America's 
wildland firefighters.
  Helicopter rappellers and engine operators and handcrews and hotshots 
and smokejumpers make up wildland firefighting crews. These men and 
women parachute into fire. They walk into fire. They drive into fire.
  There is a picture of a smokejumper parachuting through smoke. You 
can probably barely see it, but it gives you the sense of the danger of 
it. These are highly trained experts in their field. Believe it. Take 
it from me that they are in peak physical condition.
  In the last few decades, the wildfire season has extended and 
extended and extended by over 70 days. It is common for politicians to 
say we don't have a wildfire season anymore; it is all year round. But 
the reality for these workers is that they are having to work those 
fires all year round. And the fires have become increasingly intense. 
If you talk to people who have had to fight them on the ground, there 
are people who have been doing this--believe it or not--for 25 years, 
for 30 years. They have seen what it used to look like and what it 
looks like now. They can tell you the intensity has changed because of 
climate change and because of the historic drought that we face.
  By the way, it is important for this body to understand that this is 
not just in the West. We have, obviously, been beset by fires and by 
drought in the West; but right now, while we are here, there are 
wildfires in Louisiana. We have seen the total destruction--the 
tragedy--of Maui. Even New Jersey this year has seen wildfires. They 
have been ravaged by them in that State.

  I heard a firefighter say to me the other day that the wildland 
firefighters are like the Swiss Army knives of first responders because 
in the off season, they support hurricane relief efforts in the South. 
They administered vaccines at the peak of the COVID epidemic. They even 
helped with the space shuttle recovery.
  Two years ago during the infrastructure bill, as part of a 
recognition that the drought was creating a huge problem for us in the 
West, we made things a little better for our wildland firefighters. The 
bipartisan infrastructure law provided over 20,000 wildland 
firefighters a temporary pay raise, and that has been a godsend for 
them. By the way, it is only bringing them up to--I mean, it is barely 
what they should make, but, at least, you can make it on what we are 
paying them now. But that money is fast expiring, and this lifeline is 
almost gone. You know, for them, it meant that skilled firefighters 
were able to remain in the profession who might have otherwise quit.
  By the way, when you ask them about that, the reason they have stayed 
is because they have such a sense of mission. That is part of it. They 
also know that they don't know who would replace them. Who would take 
their job? Who would walk in their shoes who is, you know, making the 
kind of money that they are making? But they finally had a sense that 
maybe the Nation was recognizing their work and that they could, at 
least, provide for their families.
  On Friday, I met with a group of wildland firefighters in Grand 
Junction, CO, who shared their stories with me. I would encourage every 
Member of this body to do the same. They described being so 
disconnected from their families and friends during fire season that 
they feared they would lose them. They feared slipping into deep 
depression because of the grueling nature of the work and the months 
spent away from home. We talked about riding a bike back and forth to 
work because they couldn't afford to maintain a car; the feelings of 
having your passion for your job--remember, these are people who are, 
in theory, you know, inspired by the sunset--having your passion for 
your job exploited by the Federal Government which knows you will show 
up because you love the job even without getting the pay you deserve 
year after year, fire after fire after fire; grappling with the trauma 
of seeing other people's homes burn to the ground and losing crew 
members in the line of duty.
  One crew leader in Colorado told me she had lost three firefighters 
to suicide. Another just lost a friend to cancer likely due to smoke 
inhalation. Wildland firefighters are 10 to 20 times more likely to 
commit suicide than the average American, and they face a 43-percent 
increased risk for developing cancer.
  A firefighter told me: None of us wants to be millionaires. We just 
want to do good work, the work that we love.
  These are the men and women saving lives. These are the men and women 
saving homes and defending the 640 million acres--thank God--of 
America's public lands.
  The failure of Congress to act has forced talented firefighters to 
leave the profession, which is the last thing they want to do. It is 
going to cost us the next generation of wildland firefighters who are 
needed more than ever because of climate change and what it is doing to 
the West and fire seasons all across this country.
  Really importantly, the continuing resolution that you support and 
that I support--that we have passed miraculously with almost 80 votes 
in the Senate, showing the broad bipartisan support there is all across 
this country for keeping our government open--will extend their pay by 
a couple of paychecks. That is really important. But I am here to say 
that our wildland firefighters need a permanent raise.
  Something we could do today is to pass the Wildland Firefighter 
Paycheck Protection Act to permanently extend the pay increase in the 
bipartisan infrastructure law. Believe me, that is the least we could 
do for these men and women. We owe our wildland firefighters so much 
more than just fair pay. They deserve paid leave, housing benefits, and 
mental health care. That is why I have introduced Tim's Act with 
Congressman Neguse, who is also my colleague from Colorado, which would 
provide all of that and ensure that every wildland firefighter makes at 
least $20 an hour. That doesn't seem unreasonable. Our bill is named 
for Tim Hart, a smokejumper who lost his life after parachuting into a 
wildland fire in New Mexico.
  This is a photo of Tim Hart.
  I have been fortunate--more fortunate than you can imagine--to meet 
Michelle, Tim's wife, who is upholding his legacy through her 
relentless support of what she calls ``Tim's fire family.'' And that is 
what I meant the other day, was a family. That is what anybody here--if 
you had been here or had been in Grand Junction--would have thought. 
And Michelle has been kind enough to share a bit about Tim with me.
  Tim was a practical joker. He loved a glass of rye whiskey neat, and 
he loved Halloween. But mostly, he loved his calling. He loved his 
passion, being a wildland firefighter.
  Every year he would consider it all worth it: the bad pay, sleeping 
out of his truck, leaving Michelle to put his life at risk. And every 
year, the answer was yes. Every year, the answer was, yes, it is worth 
it.
  He answered yes for his country, his brothers and sisters in fire, 
and for his love of our Nation's landscape.
  These firefighters are much more than the blazes that they battle, 
and the least we could do is pay them a living wage.
  As I mentioned, there is a saying among wildland firefighters, which 
is, ``They pay us in sunsets.'' I am here today to tell you that is not 
enough. It is not enough.
  It is this country's duty to support these men and women, our 
Nation's duty to support these firefighters who are defending us. There 
is nobody else who is going to step into the breach if we lose them. 
Someday, there will be somebody who is coming to this floor, standing 
here from the State of Colorado or maybe the Commonwealth of Virginia 
who is going to say: If only we had done it differently back then.
  We need to keep this government open. The Nation depends on it. We 
need to permanently raise wildland firefighter pay. And after we do 
that, I hope we will come together to pass Tim's Act to give our 
wildland firefighters just a little bit of what they finally deserve.

[[Page S4748]]

  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.


                               H.R. 3935

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, as we get closer and closer to an 
unnecessary and totally avoidable government shutdown, one thing 
remains clear: The only way forward is bipartisan cooperation. That is 
what we have been pursuing here in the Senate.
  I want to salute not only Patty Murray but Susan Collins, Leader 
McConnell, and our Republican colleagues as we work to pass this CR. 
But that work is not yet done.


                           Order of Business

  Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, we will convene 
tomorrow at 10 a.m. to continue consideration of the CR so we can avoid 
an unnecessary and devastating government shutdown.
  Members are also advised that we will hold two rollcall votes 
beginning at noon on U.S. attorneys for the Southern District of 
California and the Southern District of Mississippi.
  I hope that we can come to an agreement to pass the bipartisan CR 
quickly. A government shutdown, as we all know, would be a terrible 
outcome for the American people. It would gravely impact pay for our 
troops, our border, TSA, nutrition programs, food inspections, and so 
much more.
  If no agreement is reached tomorrow, Members should plan on voting 
Saturday morning on cloture.
  I thank my colleagues for their good work.

                          ____________________