[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 41 (Thursday, March 7, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2256-S2265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
______
RADIATION EXPOSURE COMPENSATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
resume legislative session and proceed to the consideration of S. 3853,
which the clerk will report.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 3853) to extend the period for filing claims
under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and to provide
for compensation under such Act for claims relating to
Manhattan Project waste, and to improve compensation for
workers involved in uranium mining.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
Biden Administration
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I rise today in the hours before
President Biden's State of the Union address to discuss the reality of
the past 3 years and the current circumstances of our Nation. Together,
my colleagues and I are here to speak on behalf of the American people
who have been forgotten and left behind by President Biden, those who
know the true consequences of his administration's policies and who are
really feeling the pain by the continued failures that have defined
President Biden's time in the White House.
Throughout my time in Congress, I have been guided by my eternal
optimism. I feel like I can see beyond the gloom and push toward a
brighter future. However, it is clear that this is not the perspective
that is felt in communities across our country, as Americans realize
that the state of our Nation is not as strong as it should and could
be. They continue to battle economic challenges that are making the
American dream unaffordable.
There is a continued assault on American energy, which started by
canceling the Keystone XL pipeline and now, just several weeks ago, the
disastrous halting of the construction of the LNG export terminals.
They see the unmitigated flow of illegal crossings at our southern
border, and they face the threat of rising crime, and they see the
weakened state of Americans standing on the global stage.
President Biden remains the common denominator across each of these
issues, and he continues to prove--and this is harsh--that he is just
not up to the task of leading our country in a time when it is needed
most.
Perhaps the most consistent issue that has defined President Biden's
tenure in the White House--and one that I hear constantly about back
home--is the state of our economy and the persistence of high interest
rates and inflation. Despite President Biden's claims, inflation has
not cooled and price hikes have worn down consumers over the past 3
years, making necessities like food and housing nearly unaffordable.
The price of food at the grocery store--anybody who is listening to
this that has been to the grocery store knows this better than anybody.
The price of food at grocery stores and in our restaurants increased
2.6 percent just in the last year, but this is on top of the staggering
10 percent that food prices rose over the last year. So what used to be
$100 worth of groceries in 2019 now costs $125. And just last week, it
was revealed that food costs, compared to income, have hit a 33-year
high with American consumers spending over 11 percent of their disposal
income on food. That means that the last time Americans paid this much
for food ``Terminator 2'' was in the movies, Michael Jordan had just
won his second MVP award, and HP had introduced the first color
scanner. That is how long ago this was.
Adding to this, U.S. home prices are at an alltime high. Housing
costs have now become unaffordable for a record number of U.S. renters,
and that is according to a recent Harvard study.
Make no mistake, this is the economy that President Biden campaigned
on, and it is the economy that his policies of reckless spending and
high taxes were destined to create.
The President has gone even as far as establishing a strike force--I
don't know if we are going to hear about it tonight--a strike force on
unfair and illegal pricing, which is nothing more than a cover so he
can blame others for the effects of his policies.
Another issue that will forever define President Biden's tenure is
the historic crisis we have seen at the southern border--something we
have all addressed on the floor repeatedly--and the devastating
consequences it has created. The most recent data shows over 176,000
crossings along the southern border this past January. This marks the
worst January on record and the sixth consecutive month where a record
was being set. That brings us to a total of 9 million--9 million--
illegal border crossings under President Biden's watch. Additionally,
there were another 7,000-plus migrant encounters at the southern border
on Monday, marking the fourth day in a row of over 7,000 encounters.
While the White House remains committed to their message of no
Executive action can alleviate this crisis, they fail to mention the
Executive actions that they took literally hours after President Biden
was sworn in. These Executive Orders on day one of Biden's
administration dismantled the effective immigration policies of
President Trump.
The truth is, President Biden can take basic steps and end this
chaos, but in some situations--and far too many of them--it may already
be too late. The barbaric murder of Laken Riley is a national tragedy
and was completely avoidable.
The catch-and-release policies of President Biden and Secretary
Mayorkas have allowed the catastrophe at our southern border to impact
every community in our country and every State.
Crime is all too familiar to this administration, especially right
here in the President's backyard. While the administration is touting a
drop in crime across other cities, violent crime right here in
Washington, DC, is up a staggering 39 percent. Multiple members of
Congress have been recent victims of crime in this city, as have
multiple members of my own staff.
We must remember that President Biden owns this issue more than he
would like to admit. Last May, he vetoed bipartisan legislation to
overturn police reforms right here in Washington, DC.
Speaking of ownership, another issue that President Biden owns is the
recent weakness that America has displayed on the international stage.
We are living in a time where our Nation faces the most dangerous
global threats that we have seen in decades. Yet President Biden has
proven to be a President of
[[Page S2257]]
weakness, while our adversaries are watching how the United States
reacts to the challenges of our time. This display of weakness started
with the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which signaled
unreliability to our allies and weakness to those who want to do us
harm. Then President Biden did not establish a strong deterrent for
Putin, suggesting that NATO and the United States might not take any
action if Russia undertook a minor incursion. Next, the Biden
administration engaged with Iran on fruitless nuclear talks while the
regime built up their nuclear capabilities and their militias attacked
our own U.S. troops. Now there have been over 170 attacks on
servicemembers with minimal responses taken. This has also culminated
most recently in the loss of three of our Army Reserve soldiers.
During the State of the Union tonight, President Biden will draw a
proverbial line in the sand and will ask the American people: Which
side are you on? I encourage my fellow Americans not to fall for this
attempt to separate us or label us as enemies of one another; but
rather, we should join together in realizing that it doesn't have to be
this way and that the American people truly deserve better.
This leads to, perhaps, the biggest broken promise from the
President; that was his pledge to unite our Nation. We are fractured;
there is no doubt about it. In this administration, anyone who
disagrees with their policies is an extremist and a threat to our
freedoms.
I know the people of our country deserve better from the White House,
and the state of our union has become weaker over the past 3 years. So
I hope the President addresses these issues tonight in a meaningful way
that doesn't finger point, doesn't blame, but that takes the issues and
unites the country and finds solutions.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
Border Security
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, as my colleague from West Virginia has
noted, and as the Nation knows--the world knows--President Biden will
deliver his third, perhaps final, State of the Union address tonight.
Obviously, the border is a major issue confronting the Nation, and I
have to say that, coming from Texas with the 1,200 mile common border
with Mexico, Washington has just recently acknowledged--the President
has just recently acknowledged something that we have known has been a
problem for a long, long time without really any help to deal with this
flood of humanity and drugs across our southwestern border.
I expect that President Biden will do as he always does--blame
somebody else for this problem, even though he has had the same tools
that President Trump has had with which to deal with it from the day he
stepped into the Oval Office.
The American people are pretty smart and they are pretty perceptive
and they understand that the crisis at our border is a man-made crisis,
and that man is President Biden. He has opted, rather than secure the
border, to issue dozens of Executive orders dismantling piece by piece
the border security protections that President Trump had put in place,
things like the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy where people who would
otherwise be released into the interior of the United States would have
to remain in Mexico while their asylum claims have been determined.
Under President Biden, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has
encountered nearly 7 million migrants. I have heard numbers as high as
9 million. The truth is we don't really have an accurate number because
it is virtually uncontrolled, but we know that it is more than the past
two administrations combined. In 3 years, President Biden has allowed
more illegal migrant encounters across the border than in 12 years of
President Obama's term and President Trump's.
Well, you would think, with President Biden knowing he has a huge
political liability, that he would seek advice from the experts. But
former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said that President Biden
and Vice President Harris never even spoke to him during his time in
office. This is the man, the expert, who is in charge of the border for
the U.S. Government, and the President and the Vice President didn't
even speak to him.
Well, because of the welcome mat that has been laid out by the Biden
administration, border officials are preparing for yet another spike in
the record levels of migration.
The Biden administration is under fire for reports that it flew
320,000 migrants from foreign countries directly into the United States
without vetting them first.
Words fail to describe the unprecedented nature of this crisis. It is
so bad, I keep asking myself: What is it going to take before the
President wakes up? Mr. President, 7 to 9 million illegal entries into
the country; 300,000 children placed with sponsors in the interior of
the country and, as the New York Times noted, many of them forced into
involuntary labor. And then when wellness checks were made to see where
these children are after they are placed with these sponsors, in the
case of the New York Times, they said that ``85,000 of those sponsors
didn't even answer the phone or the door.'' So we don't know what
happened to those children, those 300,000 children.
And then there are the drugs that flow across the border when the
Border Patrol is overwhelmed with mass numbers of migrants.
Well, here is another problem. Those who are old enough to remember
September 11, 2001, when 19 Saudi nationals flew two planes into the
World Trade Center and crashed another one at the Pentagon--19. Four
nationals killed 3,000 Americans that day.
So far this year, the Border Patrol has apprehended--apprehended--169
individuals who were on the Terror Watchlist. So far this fiscal year,
they have apprehended 49. But here is what should keep all of us awake
at night: approximately 1.7 million ``got-aways.''
In other words, a large number of these migrants turn themselves in
knowing they are going to be released, and that is the easiest way to
make it into the United States and probably end up staying for the rest
of your life. But 1.7 million people who came across the border evaded
law enforcement. They call those ``got-aways,'' people caught on
cameras or some sensor.
How many more people on the Terror Watchlist were among those 1.7
million ``got-aways''? It should alarm all of us to think about those
who made it into this country who have not yet been caught.
Then there are the drugs. Last year, 108,000 Americans died of drug
overdoses, 71,000 of those from fentanyl poisoning. Last week, the
Border Patrol seized 2,800 pounds of meth, fentanyl, and heroin. That
is great, but how many more of those drugs have made their way into the
United States undetected? That is $12 million worth of narcotics in
just 1 week.
Of course, who is reaping the benefits of the current border
policies? It is the drug cartels. It is the smuggling networks. They
continue to get richer and richer and more powerful.
Over the weekend, Border Patrol arrested six sexual predators who
were illegally crossing the border. Again, we don't know how many more
were among the ``got-aways'' I mentioned earlier. This follows a
nationwide law enforcement effort last month where U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement apprehended 275 known sex offenders who had entered
the country illegally.
All this while the country continues to mourn the death of 22-year-
old nursing student Laken Riley. As we all know by now, she was killed
while jogging in broad daylight on the campus of the University of
Georgia. Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuela national who
entered the United States illegally and was released by the Biden
administration, has been charged with her murder.
This week, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked
if President Biden plans to address Laken's death during his State of
the Union speech. She said she had nothing to share on that topic.
If the Biden administration had not abused the parole system--that
means the catch-and-release by which individuals like Mr. Ibarra were
simply released into the interior of the United States--Laken's death
might have been prevented. But President Biden has no plans to even
acknowledge her death, let alone take responsibility for it.
In the last 3 years, I have spoken on the floor of the Senate about
these
[[Page S2258]]
issues more times than I can count because Texas is on the frontline
but with precious little assistance from the Federal Government. That
is why Governor Greg Abbott has used the National Guard and the
Department of Public Safety to do what the Federal Government should
have already been doing, and that is to provide security for our
border.
This is one of the most urgent catastrophes of our time, and it is a
huge political liability for the President and his party because they
have been watching this catastrophe get worse and worse and worse and
done next to nothing about it.
We reached a breaking point a long time ago, and now every State is
paying the price for President Biden's failed policies, from Texas all
the way to New York.
As long as the President refuses to do his job and enforce the laws
already on the books, deadly drugs will continue to flow into our
communities, dangerous criminals will threaten our citizenry, and many
more lives will be lost.
I hope the President accepts responsibility for what has happened the
last 3 years, and I hope his remarks reflect the urgency of this crisis
that he created, but the truth is, I won't be holding my breath.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Peters). The Senator from Tennessee.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I appreciate my colleagues and their
comments, and I know that Senator Hyde-Smith is also going to speak on
this issue.
As we have heard, the President later today is going to talk about
his record, and he is going to try to sell that record to the American
people.
As we have heard, many of his policies are failures. This record is a
broken record, and much of it, just as my colleague from Texas was
saying, is a record that has failed the people of our States.
For 3 years, the American people have truly suffered immensely during
this record of failure and broken promises. Some of the actions that
President Biden has taken beginning on day one is he issued Executive
order after Executive order.
Let's talk about day one as we set the framework for what he will
talk about tonight as his 3-year record.
On day one, President Biden took actions pertaining to the border and
illegal immigration, and here is what he did: He paused deportations--
paused them. That means he put up a ``halt'' sign and said: You cannot
deport people who have illegally entered the country. He limited which
illegal aliens could be arrested. Now, that was an action that he took.
He said: Well, you can't go arrest certain groups of illegal aliens--
even though they have broken the law coming into this country. So he
put those protections in place for people who had broken the law
entering the country illegally. He halted construction of the border
wall, and he ended the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy.
Now, during his first 100 days, he took a total of 94 Executive
actions that made the border less secure and weakened legal immigration
and encouraged illegal immigration and tried to make illegal
immigration legal. Because of that, since he took the oath of office, 9
million--9 million--illegal immigrants have entered this country. That
is more than the population of 38 States.
Those are the actions he has taken.
In addition to the 9 million illegal immigrants, you have known and
unknown ``got-aways.'' These unknown ``got-aways'' are untold numbers
of drug traffickers, human traffickers, smugglers. That is what is
coming into our country because of this porous border--in addition,
tens of thousands of people from countries of interest; in addition,
terrorists who have been apprehended at our southern border trying to
enter illegally. Those are the ones we know about.
Americans are indeed--Tennesseans certainly are--enduring the
consequences of this open border agenda. Over the past few weeks, we
have seen countless illegal aliens who should have never been allowed
to set foot in this country be arrested for sexual assault, rape, and
murder.
One of the victims, Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in
Georgia, was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant who was paroled
into this country by the Biden administration.
Now, paroling someone into the country grants special privileges.
They can get a work permit. They can get benefits. If you look at
President Obama's record, he paroled about 5,600 people a year into the
country and the same for President Trump. But President Biden has gone
more than 200 times this every year. In 2022, he paroled 800,000 people
into the country, and in 2023, 1.2 million people. One of these
parolees is the alleged killer of Laken Riley. There are others who
have committed rape against children, who have bludgeoned our citizens.
President Biden's policies are directly responsible for these crimes.
Now, there is also a bucket of economic failures that I want to touch
on. We all know that when President Biden came into office, inflation
was 1.4 percent. Since then, we have seen inflation skyrocket, and we
have seen Federal spending skyrocket. We know that trillions of dollars
have been added to the debt. Much of this comes because of his agenda.
A lot of it is his attack on energy and his push for the Green New
Deal.
Now, President Biden had claimed that his agenda would--and I am
going to quote him--that it would ``grow the economy from the middle
out and the bottom up.'' Instead, what it has done is caused the worst
inflation in four decades.
Since Inauguration Day for Joe Biden, prices have been on the uptick.
When you talk to Tennesseans, they can tell you how much the cost of
food is up. It is up at least about 20 percent; rent, housing is up
over 20 percent; and then you look at the cost of energy, whether you
are filling up the tank or whether you are paying the electric bill or
the gas bill for heating and cooling the house. That is what this
economy has done.
As we look at the issues, we know that the economy--we know that this
has such a negative impact on the amount of money that people have in
their pockets each month. In Tennessee, this means that in 2023 alone,
an average family had to spend over $10,000 more just to tread water,
just to stay even.
So as we look at this, as we know the President is going to stand and
insist that the state of the Nation is strong, we know that there are
going to be millions of Americans who say: No. It is frayed. It is
fractious. It is hurting.
People are broke. Our border is broken. Crime is up in our
communities. All of this is directly related to the policies of
President Biden and his agenda.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.
Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I also rise to discuss the Biden
administration's failure to contain the crisis at our southern border
and how that is having extreme consequences and endangering our very
own citizens.
Time and time again, Republicans have warned about the damage being
done to our country by open border policies launched on President
Biden's first day in office.
For more than 3 years, we have witnessed this President and his
administration tell us over and over that there is not a border crisis
and that the border is secure. I, like most Americans, know that is
absolutely not true.
President Biden will deliver his State of the Union Address tonight,
and I hope the American people will listen with some level of
skepticism should he discuss his recent election-year plans to address
illegal crossings at the border. The American people deserve for him to
be forthcoming about the border crisis, a crisis that is manifesting
itself more and more in serious and violent crimes committed by illegal
migrants allowed to stay in our country.
The American people deserve to know why or how Executive action would
be better than simply enforcing the law--the laws that are currently
already on the books. Yes, Executive orders have the force of law, but
they are based on existing statutes. Simply put, this administration
needs to enforce the law. Americans are taking the brunt of Joe Biden's
policies as crime runs rampant at the hands of illegal immigrants.
Last year, Border Patrol agents encountered thousands of illegal
aliens
[[Page S2259]]
with prior criminal convictions, including assault, rape, and murder.
Make no mistake, it is thanks to Joe Biden's policies and his refusal
to enforce the law that has allowed such criminals into our country,
and now Americans are becoming victims of their crimes all across the
country. Over just 2 weeks this January, law enforcement arrested more
than 100 illegal immigrants in 25 different U.S. cities. Over half of
the illegal aliens arrested had convictions or pending charges for
assault against children, including sexual assault against children.
A month ago, just outside of Minneapolis, a man who was previously
detained, dressed as a delivery driver, snuck into a home and murdered
three people while two small children witnessed this crime.
Just a few weeks ago in New York, several migrants were arrested for
assaulting a pair of police officers. Of course, they were almost
immediately released when the Manhattan District Attorney's Office did
not seek bail. They were seen smirking and using obscene gestures for
the media, showing no remorse for their actions. From the same mob
assault, one of the migrants allegedly involved was arrested again just
days later--this time, for robbing a Macy's in Queens.
Now, just the other week, a University of Georgia nursing student,
with her whole future ahead of her, went running on a popular trail in
broad daylight only to be brutally murdered. The man charged with her
murder entered our country illegally.
These crimes, combined with the liberal district attorneys and mayors
across the country--those who advocate for sanctuary cities and other
soft-on-crime policies--have created a nightmare for everyone who wants
to live peacefully and safely in their homes and communities without
violence.
Where is President Biden's compassion for American families and
communities experiencing these horrible acts? During his brief and
sanitized visit to Brownsville last week, why did the President dodge
questions about the murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley at UGA? Why is
his administration reluctant to prioritize their safety?
I pray that the perpetrators receive justice, and I pray the families
of these victims receive God's comfort.
Sadly, my home State of Mississippi has also felt the consequences of
Joe Biden's policies with the many instances of human trafficking.
Last year, four illegal immigrants were discovered with a 7-year-old
migrant child after being pulled over and detained for driving without
a license. After Homeland Security Investigations was contacted, the
driver attempted to flee on foot and was captured. HSI determined the
child was not related to anyone in the vehicle.
In another situation, a Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper identified
an illegal migrant driving on I-10, in Jackson County, with no ID. A
passenger--also an illegal immigrant--revealed that they were on their
way to Houston, TX, to pick up another man or woman and three or four
children. After a legal search of the vehicle, items consistent with
human trafficking were discovered in the vehicle.
Instances like these are, unfortunately, happening across the
country, and our communities are in danger. If you think this isn't
happening in your backyard, then think again. Because of the state of
our country, there is growing concern and fear among Americans, who are
wondering if they or someone they love will be the next target.
In fiscal year 2023, there were over 15,000 criminal noncitizen
arrests. There were over 2,000 criminal illegal drug possessions and
trafficking convictions. Additionally, there were almost 9,000 driving
under the influence convictions. There have been nearly 200 murders
committed by illegal immigrants since Joe Biden took office--200 lives
lost under President Biden's watch. This is not how the greatest
country in the world should operate.
Robberies, sexual assault, crimes against children, human
trafficking, and murder are just some examples of the crimes these
illegal migrants are willing to commit in our country. We have to stand
against this.
President Biden claims he needs more authority to get control of the
border. This is blatantly false. The previous administration
successfully enforced border laws to get crossings to record lows. The
Biden administration repeatedly refuses to acknowledge the border
crisis for what it is--a crisis. He opened the border, and he can close
it.
As the President prepares his State of the Union speech, I call on
the Biden administration and the Democrats, who simply need to enforce
the law. Let's just start with that. We must make this a priority.
Americans deserve nothing less.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
Spending and Inflation
Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues to
discuss the Biden administration's failed policies and their impact not
only on my State of North Dakota but on all Americans.
As we prepare to listen to the President give his State of the Union
Address, I want to share my perspective about the past 3 years and
where we are today. But it is not just my perspective; it is what my
constituents are seeing on a day-to-day basis. They see a country that
is less secure, a dollar that doesn't stretch as far as it used to, and
policies from this administration that are making things worse.
The reckless tax-and-spend policies of this administration have led
to increases in inflation levels that we haven't seen in decades. To
this day, inflation remains persistently high, and the deficit spending
continues as our debt now totals more than $34 trillion. Last month,
the Congressional Budget Office published its 10-year Budget and
Economic Outlook, which revealed that, this year, the interest payments
on our national debt will exceed the spending on national defense.
In addition to rising interest payments that will crowd out our
ability to fund our priorities in the future, this deficit spending has
led to inflation that has made everything more expensive for all
Americans. The Biden administration's tax, spend, and regulate policies
have led to this inflation. In my State of North Dakota, according to
the Consumer Price Index data, families have experienced a cumulative
price increase of about 18 percent--18 percent--since President Biden
took office. That means paying more for everything from groceries to
housing to transportation and energy.
North Dakota is actually among the youngest States in the Nation,
with the median age of just over 35 years of age. Many of our young
North Dakotans are looking to buy homes and start families, but this
administration's failed economic policies have caused the inflation
that has simply put homeownership out of reach. According to Freddie
Mac, a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage continues to hover at about 7
percent. Before Biden took office, it was less than 4 percent.
The bottom line is that the policies of this administration that the
President calls Bidenomics gets you less--not more for less but less
for more.
Mr. President, at the same time, President Biden is putting his Green
New Deal agenda over our economic and national security interests.
The average price for a gallon of gas was about $2.40 on January 20,
2021, when President Biden took office. This week, gasoline prices are
42 percent higher--$1 higher. So, instead, of $2.40, now you pay on
average $3.40 for every gallon. It is simple economics--energy prices
remain high because demand exceeds supply. Because the cost of energy
is built into every good and service that we consume, we need to
increase the supply of energy to help bring down inflation. Yet instead
of unleashing--unleashing--the full potential of our Nation's vast
energy reserves, the Biden administration's regulatory onslaught will
only favor foreign adversaries at the expense of our own domestic
energy industry.
The Biden administration is imposing new costs and regulatory burdens
on Federal energy leases, for example, while reducing what is available
for new leasing. Maximizing access to new leasing today is directly
tied to growing production and supply for the long term.
Further, the Biden administration unilaterally has now banned U.S.
LNG export approvals, forcing our allies in Europe and Asia to increase
their reliance on imports from Russia, Iran, and Qatar. According to
the U.S. Energy
[[Page S2260]]
Information Administration, global energy demand is expected to grow
across all sectors of the economy through 2050.
Our Nation is fortunate to have abundant energy reserves and the
capacity to ramp up production and counter adversarial foreign
producers from countries like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, but the
Biden administration continues to handcuff our producers with
burdensome regulation after regulation. That is why President Biden
needs to take the handcuffs off our energy producers and work with us
to boost American energy independence instead of passing regulation
after regulation that shuts our energy industry down.
Producing more energy here at home is the ultimate solution to not
only lowering energy costs but to strengthening our national security
and our geopolitical standing in the world.
Mr. President, in addition to those issues in regard to Bidenomics, I
want to talk about his failure on the border.
The year 2023 was a record year for President Biden's border policy.
It was recordbreaking. By the end of the year 2023, the United States
saw the most ever annual encounters at the southern border--almost 2.5
million. It is mind-boggling--2.5 million in 2023. President Biden's
border policies broke records again as over 300,000 illegal encounters
took place in December--just in December, 1 month--300,000 in 1 month
in December 2023, which is the most encounters in any single month
during his administration.
The cause of this crisis is clear: President Biden's failure to
secure the border--simply put, his failure to enforce the law. The duty
of a President is to enforce the law. He is not doing it.
The American people suffer the consequences because the Biden
administration refuses to enforce policies that protect our southern
border, including reinstating the migrant protection protocols or the
``Remain in Mexico'' policy, enforcing Safe Third Country agreements,
and resuming the construction of the border wall. The President's
failed border policies have led to increased instances of human and
drug trafficking at the southern border. It is not just human
trafficking; it is the fentanyl. It is all of the problems that go with
an open border.
The Biden administration must address the border crisis. The Biden
administration must enforce the laws that kept monthly encounters to
vastly, vastly lower numbers under the Trump administration, and they
need to do it now because border security truly is national security.
In conclusion, we can reverse all of these metrics, but it is going
to take the President embracing the realities facing American families.
Given his track record these past 3 years, I am not optimistic that we
will hear him signal a reversal of these policies tonight, but he needs
to for the good of the country.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.
Mr. BUDD. Mr. President, President Abraham Lincoln once said that
``no Administration by any extreme of wickedness or folly can . . .
seriously injure the Government in the short space of [only] four
years.'' That statement might need to be revised if Lincoln had
witnessed the first 3 years of President Joe Biden.
Our country has been through a prolonged period of failure and crisis
brought on by a weak leader who bows to his far-left base and pursues
policies that hurt the very people he claims to help.
There is no better example of this than at the southern border, where
President Biden has presided over the worst border crisis in U.S.
history--millions of illegal crossings, hundreds of individuals on the
Terrorist Watchlist, tens of thousands of pounds of deadly fentanyl,
nearly 2 million known ``got-aways,'' and millions more unknown ``got-
aways,'' including terrorists, human traffickers, and other bad actors.
The crisis at the border is a crisis of President Biden's own making.
Starting on his very first day in office, President Biden has unleashed
dozens of Executive actions that telegraphed that his administration
was no longer interested in enforcing the law when it comes to illegal
immigration. Here are some of the most devastating examples:
He halted construction of the border wall, leaving the physical
defense of our Nation's border to scattered areas of old, rusty
barbwire. I have seen it with my own eyes.
He ended the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy that ensured that illegal
aliens were turned back before they even arrived at the doorstep of our
country. The result? Well, not only are untold millions being
encountered right at the border, but when they are caught, the Biden
administration releases about 75 percent of them into the interior of
the United States, some with taxpayer-funded escorts and travel.
The Biden administration also halted deportation of those who
illegally entered our country. In fact, just last year, Immigration and
Customs Enforcement only deported 5 percent of the millions they
encountered at the border.
Taken together, what is the message this President has sent to a
would-be illegal immigrant? Well, for one, the United States won't
construct physical barriers to stop you. We won't even lock the door to
our own house, it seems. If you are caught, the United States will
release you and resettle you with money out of our own taxpayers'
pockets. And don't worry--per the Biden administration, the United
States will never deport you.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why this crisis
persists, but it doesn't have to be this way. Just 4 years ago, illegal
immigration was at a record low. Make no mistake, President Biden
already has the power to fix this. It was his Executive actions that on
day one caused this mess, and he can clean it up by undoing those very
same orders on day 1,142--today.
We are witnessing in real time a national decline, but the good news
is, that decline is a choice, and our time for choosing is coming. It
is not too late. Despite all of the things that are broken right now,
we can still be a strong nation as long as we have a leader with the
strength and the willingness to get the job done.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
Remembering Pat O'Toole
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life of an
agricultural icon, Pat O'Toole. I am here in a bipartisan way with both
Senators from Wyoming and both Senators from Colorado to talk about
this remarkable man, who is a true cowboy and a dear friend.
Pat passed away from complications following his stroke, on February
25. He was surrounded by his family, including his loving wife Sharon.
Pat and Sharon met when they were students together at Colorado State
University. They have three wonderful children and six grandchildren.
We are honored to be joined today in the Senate Gallery by Pat's wife
Sharon, along with their daughter, Bridget, and their granddaughter,
Siobhan.
Pat and Sharon own and operate Ladder Ranch. It is located outside
Savery, WY, along the Little Snake River. The ranch straddles the State
lines of Wyoming and Colorado, which is why all four Senators are here
today on the floor to pay honor, tribute, and recognition to this
remarkable man. It is a large-scale cattle and sheep operation. It has
been in Sharon's family since 1881. That is 9 years before Wyoming
became a State. We are talking about a long history.
Pat and Sharon liked to tell people--they did when they came to
Washington, and Pat would when he testified here on Capitol Hill--that
they raised ``cattle, sheep, horses, dogs, and children.'' They did it
and do it very well.
I deeply admire Pat for his passionate work on conservation, on
water, and on agriculture. I saw the difference that he made, that Pat
personally made, by partnering with others regardless of whether they
were Republicans or Democrats. Pat didn't care at all about party
affiliations. He was famous for working with anyone, anywhere who was
genuinely interested in making life better for our Western agriculture
communities.
Pat also served Wyoming in the State legislature for 6 years--three
full terms.
In 2005, Pat was elected president of the Family Farm Alliance. He
brought this experience and expertise right here
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to Congress. He testified many times before the committees in the U.S.
House and Senate, and here is a point when he was testifying in a
committee in which I was involved. Members in both Chambers quickly
learned a valuable lesson. The lesson was this: Pat O'Toole was as
reliable in a committee's witness seat as he was in a horse's saddle.
As ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources and former chairman of the Environment and Public Works
Committee, I had the privilege of calling on Pat to testify numerous
times before the Senate in both committees.
Most recently, he testified at an Energy Committee hearing on extreme
drought and on wildfires in the West. Pat's firsthand experience with
active forest management as a tool to prevent wildfires provided the
committee with a very much needed western perspective, as well as
offering solutions.
Pat O'Toole leaves behind a legacy driven by his passion for
conservation and his love of the land, especially in the Little Snake
River Valley.
It was such a privilege to help induct Pat and Sharon both into the
Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2002, recognized statewide for
their long history of service to the people in the State of Wyoming.
Pat truly represented the best of Wyoming and the best of western
interests, and he did it with dedication and distinction. It was a
great joy to know him and a great joy to work with him.
I would like now to yield the floor to my colleague from Wyoming,
Senator Cynthia Lummis.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
Ms. LUMMIS. Mr. President, today, I rise also to pay tribute to a
Cowboy State giant, colleague, and friend, Pat O'Toole.
Pat was not born in Wyoming, but you never would have guessed that.
There was no one more dedicated to Carbon County or the Cowboy State
than Pat.
When Pat met his wife Sharon, he fell in love not just with her but,
as Senator Barrasso said, his adopted home of Wyoming. Together, they
raised cattle, sheep, horses, dogs, and children. My own daughter,
Annaliese, was born the same month that Eamon O'Toole was born. Sharon
and I enjoyed the fact that our children would get to grow up together.
He often joked that he was raising a menagerie with Sharon.
His commitment to ranching stretched far beyond his property, as he
would ultimately dedicate his life to serving the agriculture and
conservation communities.
I had the privilege of meeting Pat when we served together in the
Wyoming Legislature. His stories and infectious smile loomed large. He
quickly earned a reputation for finding common ground with anyone. We
always looked forward to hearing his stories about nearly getting
arrested in Tierra del Fuego, being accosted by a machine-gun-wielding
police officer in Argentina during a revolution, or hitchhiking from
Maine to Florida with a buddy in college. Pat O'Toole lived a very
interesting and large life.
He was also larger than life in the best way, and he cared deeply for
the people he served. Following his service in the Wyoming Legislature,
Pat was appointed by President Clinton to the Western Water Policy
Commission, and he focused on the future of water in the West. He was
instrumental in providing very carefully thought-out testimony
regarding the future of the Colorado River. We all benefit now, as
Senator Hickenlooper, Senator Bennet, and I continue to work on
Colorado River issues together.
The position he held on the Western Water Policy Commission deepened
his love for conservation efforts and led him to serve on many advocacy
groups to fight for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities until he
died.
As much as Pat dedicated his life to protecting western landscapes,
he would be the first to tell you that his family was his greatest
achievement.
Please join me in keeping his family in your prayers as we come
together to celebrate his life and the indelible impact he had on his
beloved Wyoming.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.
Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I want to say what a great privilege it is
to be out here today with my colleagues from Wyoming and my colleague
Senator Hickenlooper from Colorado to celebrate Pat O'Toole's life.
Pat O'Toole was a rancher, as you have heard, a conservationist whose
family's six-generation operation, the Ladder Ranch, straddles the
Colorado and Wyoming border, as my colleague from Wyoming said.
The proud son of Irish immigrants, Pat was born in Pittsburgh, but
like many of us, he felt a calling to the West. He attended Colorado
State University, where he met his beloved wife Sharon, who is here
today.
After graduation, they were both accepted into law school, but
instead they pooled their savings to buy some old ewes and take over
Sharon's family ranch. For 8 years, they lived in a cabin on Ladder
Ranch without electricity or running water. That might sound like a
hardship to a lot of people here, but knowing the two of them, I bet it
wasn't. And they were in one of the most beautiful places on this
planet. In the summer, they camped while herding sheep, and bit by bit,
they built their herd.
Pat was a fervent advocate for the West. He cared deeply about all
the wildlife in the West, the Colorado River, and protecting American
agriculture.
Pat lived a life of service. He served as president, as you have
heard, of the Family Farm Alliance for nearly 20 years. He sat on the
boards of the Intermountain West Joint Ventures and Solutions from the
Land and was, with Senator Lummis, a member of the Wyoming House of
Representatives.
When I came to the Senate in 2009, Pat was kind enough to recognize
my failings and my lack of background and lack of experience in the
things he cared most about, and he was kind enough to bring me up to
speed on Colorado and western agriculture. I am still trying to catch
up.
This is a photo I wanted to bring today. This is a photo of Pat
telling me what I need to know about western agriculture on his ranch.
You can tell I am listening more intently than I often do, certainly on
this floor, but there was not a word you wanted to miss from Pat. There
was nobody better to be the guide of people in this place so far from
the ranch where he and Sharon raised their family. And we needed to
listen because ranching touches every major western issue: water,
immigration, Tribal rights, conservation, and even access to
healthcare. Pat cared about all those things.
Those who were lucky enough to know Pat know he had a lot of big
ideas and he had the drive to get those big ideas done. He was a doer.
And he also had an amazing Rolodex.
Most recently, Pat brought together a broad coalition with the goal
of restoring the stressed landscapes of the Routt and Medicine Bow
National Forests and the contiguous Yampa and Little Snake watershed.
My staff and I were honored to be included in that coalition.
I should say that was one of the amazing things about Pat. He could
not have cared less what your title was or whether you were a Senator
or not. His interactions with the staff were just as significant, I
think, and just as meaningful for getting something done as they were
with elected officials.
And I hope and believe that that coalition will work to carry on
Pat's legacy of conservation and tireless work to improve watershed
health.
In 2018, I had the pleasure to visit Pat's ranch, nestled in the
Little Snake River Valley, and saw firsthand the conservation practices
that he and Sharon have put in place to restore fish habitat and
improve the resilience of the operation. There are a lot of people who
could learn from what they have done.
After touring the ranch, Pat brought together people from all over
the West, Republicans and Democrats--as Senator Barrasso said, it
didn't matter; he never talked about what party anybody was in--to join
us on their porch for a big cookout while we talked about the new
generation of ranchers in the West and how we can leave our kids and
our grandkids a better future.
He actually knew that while the State line between Colorado and
Wyoming technically divided the ranch, that a political boundary like
that was not the important boundary. What he
[[Page S2262]]
would tell you is that the watershed is what actually matters, and that
is why it is not surprising that he brought together people--a rare
occasion, really, for an elected official from Colorado to meet with
people from the Wyoming Legislature who were there that day to hear
what Pat had to say.
And we covered topics on that day that ranged from conservation
throughout the West to how we could work together to protect our water
and leave a viable future for the next generation of farmers and
ranchers. There were always young people around Pat; there were that
day and when he brought people to Washington as well.
And even though, as I mentioned, Pat and Sharon's house was in
Wyoming, they made sure my staff and I had the farmhouse across the
street on the Colorado side of the road where we could spend the night
under our own stars, in our own State.
The next morning, at the end of our visit, Pat showed me around the
barns and shared with me a branding iron from the Ladder Ranch, which I
still have in my office in Denver; although, come to think of it, it
could be of more use here in Washington, DC.
Anyone who knew Pat knew about his love for his family, and he
proudly brought his children and grandchildren into every aspect of the
ranch. It is an amazing testament, I think, to the way he approached
that world and that business and that enterprise because each of us
today is reminding people here today that he cherished the idea that
their ranch raised ``cattle, sheep, horses, dogs, and children.'' I am
sure not in that order. And he managed the ranch with these kids and
these grandkids in mind.
I want to recognize Pat's wife Sharon, daughter Bridget, and
granddaughter Siobhan, who are here in the Gallery. They are carrying
on Pat's legacy and the legacy of Ladder Ranch.
When I was flying back last weekend from Ukraine, that is when I got
a message that said that Pat had had a stroke and was in Grand Junction
at the hospital. And I landed at the airport in Ireland--I suppose
there is something in that--and was able to have a conversation with
Sharon. And the first thing she wanted to tell me--she was by Pat's
side in Grand Junction. The first thing she wanted to tell me was that
Siobhan was coming back here to carry on Pat's legacy, to advocate as
part of the Intermountain Joint Venture fly-in. Pat was on the board of
that.
And they are all here today, and I want to thank them for traveling
here to be here today. Our thoughts are with you and the entire Pat
O'Toole family, but, really, they are for all of us in the West who
have lost his presence but not his example.
Pat's life is evidence that division is not the way to make progress
in our country and it is not the way to make progress in American
agriculture when it comes to water. Pat showed us what it takes to make
headway on some of the thorniest issues that we confront. We would do
well to remember that example every day.
He demonstrated the importance of finding common ground to build,
little by little, toward something greater for the next generation. At
least with me, he showed infinite patience. I hope that is something
that we can all carry on in his absence. He was larger than life, and
we will miss him dearly.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lujan). The Senator from Colorado.
Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I am not sure I can add too much
more beyond what has already been said.
I come to the floor today to remember and add to the remembrances of
the incredible life and the impactful legacy of Pat O'Toole. Senators
Barrasso and Lummis and my fellow Colorado Senator Mr. Bennet have been
very eloquent. But I think sometimes, really, it has to be said by
everyone if everything has already been said.
As was mentioned, he lived in the Little Snake River Valley that
winds back and forth along the border of Colorado and Wyoming, and he
did make a very big impression on both States. He may have legally
resided in Wyoming, but both States claim him.
More than anything else, he was a westerner and, in many ways, a
consummate westerner. Pat understood western water and agriculture. He
understood conservation. And just as the West was built by barn
raisings more than shootouts, he harnessed the power of collaboration
to really get to the heart of the complex discussions on managing our
water and our natural resources.
He was not only a graduate of Colorado State University; he was a
longtime supporter. Obviously, he fell in love, met his wife, defined
his future at CSU before he went off to South America for a little
touring. He went on to serve as the longtime president of Family Farm
Alliance, which stood up for irrigators all over the West and
recognized the importance of food to the future of the country.
And he touched many different groups at that intersection between
agriculture and the environment. His public service and engagement
spanned decades, including service as a State legislator in Wyoming and
as an appointee on President Clinton's Western Water Policy Commission.
But Pat's impact wasn't just limited to the West. He was well-known
here on Capitol Hill. As each of the other Senators have said, he
testified many times--more than 20 times--here in Congress. And this
was not because he liked doing it or he enjoyed it, but he recognized
he had a responsibility to share his expertise and to engage on
legislation. He did it not because he found coming to Washington
pleasurable but because he believed in the West and in his
responsibility to make sure that decisions affecting the West were made
wisely. And he really pushed to make sure that we had advancements in
western water management. As Western States continue to wrestle with
the extreme droughts caused by climate change, Pat's wisdom is going to
direct us to good solutions, and his attention to process is going to
inform us.
I think it is important to remember that, no matter how many hats he
wore, he was always a rancher at heart, raising ``cattle, sheep, dogs,
and children'' on his family ranch. He was deeply committed to
preserving the farming and ranching character that is so essential to
the West, and he recognized the importance of conservation in
protecting and maintaining that heritage. Pat's enduring love of the
land was an example to all of us.
I understand and recognize the great loss to the family and
appreciate that Sharon and Bridget and Siobhan are here. But, really,
it is all of our loss, and he will be sorely missed by our entire
country.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following
Senators be permitted to speak prior to the scheduled vote: Senator
Peters for up to 5 minutes, Senator Lujan for up to 5 minutes, Senator
Schmitt for up to 5 minutes, and Senator Hawley for up to 15 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Nomination of Adrienne Jennings Noti
Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise now in support of Adrienne Noti's
nomination to be an associate judge on the Superior Court of the
District of Columbia.
The DC Superior Court is the local trial court here in the Nation's
Capital. It handles some of the highest caseloads in the entire
country. It decides matters that impact the freedom, the livelihood,
and the safety of families all across the District of Columbia.
Unfortunately, the superior court has struggled with high judicial
vacancy rates in recent years. Mr. President, 12 of the 62 seats on the
court are now vacant, and two more will open up in the coming months.
This places serious burdens on current judges and delays resolutions
for the parties before the court.
The District of Columbia deserves to have these seats filled by
dedicated, qualified judges. Adrienne Noti is more than up for the job.
She has spent the last 10 years as a magistrate judge on the DC
Superior Court, and in that role she has worked across every division,
from domestic violence to family law to landlord-tenant issues to
criminal cases. She has proven herself to be fair and effective and has
shown a deep commitment to the local community here in the District of
Columbia.
Before she joined the DC Superior Court, Judge Noti spent a decade in
family law, representing underserved
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clients and teaching as a clinical law professor. She has spent her
career fighting for equal justice and teaching others in the legal
community how to do the same.
Judge Noti is highly qualified to serve as an associate judge on the
DC Superior Court, and it is past time that we confirm her nomination.
While I am glad we will soon fill one vacancy on the superior court,
we must take additional action to confirm the six other nominees that
my committee has advanced this Congress, many with strong, strong
bipartisan support.
These are not controversial nominations. And I hope that my
colleagues will join me in working together to quickly confirm the
other nominees and ease the vacancy crisis facing the superior court.
Today's vote is a critical step in that work. And I urge my
colleagues to join me in confirming Judge Adrienne Noti to be an
associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Butler). The Senator from New Mexico.
S. 3853
Mr. LUJAN. Madam President, 78 years ago, 4-year-old Anastacio was
living in Tularosa, NM, a city 40 miles away from the Trinity test
detonation site.
Now, little Anastacio didn't know it at the time--none of the
families there did--but the world they were living in was contaminated
in radioactive particles from the first nuclear test.
And Anastacio grew to be a big family man, hunting and growing on the
land enriched by a ditch system, an acequia system, that provided ample
water and nourishment--great-grandparents, grandparents, mom and dads,
children, and babies all eating and drinking contaminated food and
water sources.
Later in life, Anastacio Cordova developed prostate cancer and tongue
cancer. The cancer metastasized to his neck and throat before becoming
inoperable and consuming his body.
His daughter Tina recalls him being only 125 pounds at the time of
his death in 2013.
Today, March 7--11 years ago on this day--Anastacio left us. For
Anastacio's family, this was just one heartbreak from a long list of
family members who have died or became seriously ill from radiation
exposure.
Tina Cordova--Anastacio's daughter--made it her life's mission to
fight for justice and compensation for her family and the thousands of
victims of our Nation's nuclear weapons program.
This is Tina. Rosalie is holding her. Tina is with us today. Bernice
Gutierrez is here with us as well. This is Henry Herrera, from
Tularosa, NM, and Beatrice Gutierrez and her friends at a very young
age.
Now, Tina will be my guest tonight at this year's State of the Union,
and I am honored to have her by my side in this cause.
Let me change that. I am honored that she allowed me on this journey
with her to help other people.
Now, she was with me in Belen, NM, when the President of the United
States, Joe Biden, was visiting to talk about some of the incredible
opportunities that have been created for economic growth. When I was
speaking before the President, I saw Tina in the audience. And I spoke
momentarily about the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and about
her, only to be surprised that when the President of the United States
followed me, he looked at Tina and looked at everyone in the room and
the cameras and said: You have my support to get this done.
Yesterday, the President of the United States issued a statement, a
SAP, showing support for the passage of this legislation--the Radiation
Exposure Compensation Act amendments--in addition to language that
Senator Josh Hawley has included in bringing attention to families who
need help and need to be seen and heard and deserve compensation based
on storage flaws and exposure to each and every one of them.
This is truly a bipartisan piece of legislation, an effort reaching
out to colleagues in both Chambers, every one of our friends, asking
them to take a hard look at this. Please give us a chance. Let us earn
your support.
Not long ago, when Senator Hawley had an amendment with this language
in it, ``Oppenheimer'' was hitting theaters across America, and
everyone was talking about it, a film that was made in New Mexico.
Some people may recognize this from that film. Sixty-two U.S.
Senators that day stood up and raised their hand and said: Yes, the
United States needs to move forward, take responsibility, give
recognition to all of these families across America. Unfortunately, it
was not included in the National Defense Authorization Act.
Well, on Sunday, there is something happening in America called the
Oscars. And there are a lot of incredible actors and actresses who will
be recognized because of the story they told with ``Oppenheimer.'' That
story left out an important part, the families we are fighting for
today.
While many of them will receive Oscars, no doubt, I hope that none of
those actors and actresses who are up giving their remarks when they
receive an Oscar for telling the story of Dr. Oppenheimer forget about
these families, that they think about them. And the same advocacy that
I have heard from many of these incredible artists, I hope one of them
is willing to say something. But if not, I hope they reflect on it.
Now, I will close by saying this. This particular legislation is not
just about New Mexico or Missouri. This legislation will help our
brothers and sisters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,
across New Mexico, Utah, and Guam. It will provide more support to
uranium mineworkers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah,
Colorado, Arizona, Texas, North Dakota, and South Dakota, reaching out
to our brothers and sisters in Missouri and Tennessee and Alaska and in
Kentucky. We have to get this done.
Now, I want to add that since this bill has been scheduled for a
vote, I have heard from more colleagues about their communities that
have been harmed by our Nation's complicated nuclear legacy.
Specifically, people in Pike and Scioto out in Ohio; Armstrong County,
PA; and communities near the Hanford site in Washington have been
exposed to radiation, and they deserve justice too.
Senator Brown, Senator Casey, Senator Murray, and Senator Cantwell,
you have my commitment that as this effort moves through the
legislative process, I will work with you to also deliver justice for
your constituents so we can work as a family.
As I close, I ask all my colleagues to please--please--take a look at
this. Please reflect. Sixty-two votes on the first vote. I hope we can
send a message to all of those advocates and families across America
that they are heard and seen and that we will see a stronger showing
this afternoon.
Generations of families wiped out by lung, stomach, prostate,
thyroid, skin, breast, and tongue cancer didn't get the glossy
Hollywood treatment. And the U.S. Congress has not made any significant
progress in correcting these injustices since 2000. Shame on us.
A lot of us have been praying about this and reflecting on it. And I
certainly hope that we have a resounding vote in just a few short
minutes to show our American brothers and sisters that we love them
too.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.
Mr. HAWLEY. Madam President, in March of 1865, President Lincoln said
this:
Let us strive on to finish the work . . . to bind up the
nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the
battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.
That is why we are here today. We are here today to continue to work,
to finish the work, to honor the lives of those who have borne this
Nation's battles, who have rallied to this Nation's flag in every hour
of danger, the people who won World War II, who won the Cold War, who
helped rebuild Europe and Japan and our allies, the people who have
built this country and are now waiting for us to help them. That is
what we are about today.
There is a reason that we succeeded over the last half century. It is
because of the working people of this country in Missouri and in New
Mexico and in Nevada and Colorado and Idaho and Texas and Wyoming and
everywhere else from coast to coast. It is because the working people
of this country went to the uranium mines for our nuclear program, went
to the processing
[[Page S2264]]
sites to make our weapons, volunteered for our Army, went overseas to
fight, or just raised their families with dignity and honor.
That is why we have a United States of America. That is why we are
the United States of America. But we have not done right by those good
people. We have turned our back on them because so many of them were
poisoned by their own government, by nuclear waste and radiation, by
nuclear tests that were done without their knowledge, by the nuclear
material and the mines that they weren't told about. The government
exposed them over a period of decades to nuclear radiation waste and,
in almost every case, did nothing about it. In many cases, they lied to
them about it. This isn't right. This isn't just.
That is why we are here today. It is the pride of this Nation that
when we won the Second World War, when we won the Cold War, we rebuilt
the land of our former enemies. I am as proud of that as I ever have
been.
But now it is time to rebuild these communities. It is time to finish
the work in the United States of America. It is time to turn to the men
and women who have borne the brunt of the battle, the men and women who
gave their health and, in many cases, their lives for their Nation.
That is what we are here for today on the floor. This isn't about a
handout. This isn't about some kind of welfare program. This is about
doing basic justice for the working people of this Nation whom their
own government has poisoned.
This is the day when we break the cycle of lies from the government;
when we break the cycle of passing the buck and irresponsibility from
the government; when we say to the people of America: We will honor
you; when we say to the working people of this country: We are here for
you; when we acknowledge to these Americans: You built this country. We
will honor you. That is why we are here today.
The Senate has a chance today to make right what has been wrong, to
right 50 years of wrongs, 50 and 60 years of Americans ignored,
exploited, and lied to. Today, we can begin to right those wrongs. That
is why we are here.
I want to recognize now my friend, my colleague from the great State
of Missouri, a man who grew up in the St. Louis region right by one of
these nuclear processing facilities and the landfill where the
government dumped the waste and then lied about it, a man I am proud to
have in this fight, Senator Eric Schmitt.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.
Mr. SCHMITT. I rise today with my friends from New Mexico and my
colleague who has shown great leadership in this to defend and support
the people who have been impacted--who, quite literally, have been
poisoned by their own government.
As was mentioned, I grew up in Bridgeton, MO. Bridgeton is ground
zero, the epicenter of some of the waste that was dumped--the
hazardous, the toxic, the radioactive waste that was dumped there.
Just to take a step back. After World War II, St. Louis, the city
itself, was the main population center. St. Louis County, which lies to
the west of St. Louis City, had a lot of open land, a lot of
opportunity. And the folks coming back from World War II who wanted to
start a better life found that American dream in St. Louis County,
where I grew up.
As they traveled west to places like Bridgeton and other ZIP Codes
that are now included in this bill, something else was following them.
Something else was headed west, and it was this radioactive waste that
they had no idea was in their water, below their feet, affecting them,
poisoning them, and killing them.
I just think back--my parents still live there, by the way. I think
back to those friends and those neighbors I had, and, as Senator Hawley
mentioned, these are folks--these are the waitresses; these are the
truck drivers; these are the hairstylists--these are people who go to
work every single day, and they just want a better life for their kids.
They might teach in that local school. They were creating these
communities that were new.
But, again, their government had dumped toxic materials that were
poisoning them. What they wanted, again, was to live the American
dream. By no fault of their own, they happened to live in an area--
whether they were downwind or whether it was in their water--that has
impacted, not just their lives but their families and generations of
their families.
This legislation won't make them whole, but it is some measure of
compensation, some measure of justice.
I know some people have talked about costs. Look, we do a lot of
things here. We spend a lot of money, and we can debate on whether or
not that is worth it or not, or whether these are our priorities. But I
think, if we took off the red jerseys and took off the blue jerseys and
really focused on what we should really be doing here in a government
that is supposed to have limited powers, one of the things that we
should be doing is protecting our own citizens.
That is what this vote is about. It is living up to the promise that
we made to the people when we got elected, which was that we were going
to fight for them. And this is an opportunity to go do that. It is the
ability, in a number of ZIP Codes and in States across this country,
for people who worked there who helped--Senator Hawley mentioned--who
helped build America back up or were working to save civilization, in
many ways, in the middle of the last century. It is for us to make sure
we are doing everything we can to see that some measure of justice is
served.
I would just ask my fellow colleagues to look within their hearts or
imagine looking in the eyes of some of the people who are here today
who have been impacted, because these folks don't have powerful
lobbyists. The people who come to our offices asking about something
that is in some bill--the people who have been affected--they don't
have those powerful forces in play.
This is something that bubbled up in a bipartisan way, again, to
support the people we represent who have been impacted. I am proudly a
supporter of this and will do everything I can to help get this passed
so these folks get the justice that they deserve.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.
Mr. HAWLEY. When I have come to this floor in weeks and months past
to talk about this cause--because it is more than an issue. It is a
cause. It is a cause of justice. It is a cause of doing right by other
fellow Americans. When I have come in weeks past, I have often shown
the pictures and told the stories of people who have given their health
or given their lives for their country. Today, I don't have any
pictures with me because today, in the Gallery, we have Missourians
themselves and New Mexicans themselves and Arizonans themselves and
members of the Navajo Nation themselves. They are here right now,
sitting right there, traveling great distances, and I just want to call
out a few of their names.
Mary Dickson is here from Utah. Sherrie Hanna is here from Arizona.
Laura Greenwood is here from Texas. Phil Harrison is here, and Leslie
Begay and Rose Harrison and Tina Cordova, all from New Mexico. And
Linda Perez has come all the way from Guam--all the way from Guam. Tona
Henderson has come from Idaho and Paula Terry also. And from the great
State of Missouri, Dawn Chapman, who will be my guest tonight at the
State of the Union. And Karen Nickel and Ashley and Christen and
Chantelle and Tricia Byrnes are all here. And from the Navajo Nation,
Justin and Kyle. And there are more in the Gallery, as well, from all
over this country, representing every segment of this country,
representing the great heritage of this country, representing the great
communities of this country.
I think of the Navajo Nation. Fifty percent of the uranium that was
mined in this country for our nuclear program--half of it--came from
the Navajo Nation--workers from the Navajo Nation who, if I am not
mistaken, also volunteered for this Nation's armed services at a
percentage higher than any other community in America.
These folks represent here today the best of our Nation. They are
America. They are here. They are here for us to honor them.
You know, as Americans, we make a commitment to each other. It is
what it means to be an American. We promise that we will live by the
ideals that we hold together and by the things
[[Page S2265]]
that we love together, and we promise to stand by one another. This is
about standing by one another. This is about seeking that justice that
President Lincoln spoke about so many Marches ago. And now, on this
March day in the year 2024, the U.S. Senate has the opportunity to do
its part--its small part--to continue to make this Nation what it could
be, what we promised it will be, and to put right things that have been
wrong.
I will end with this, Madam President. As we speak, the government is
testing under the homes in St. Louis--under people's basements in St.
Louis--for radioactive contamination. After saying for decades there
was no contamination to be concerned about, there was nothing we should
worry about, now they are testing in our homes. They have already shut
down schools. The water in the creeks is contaminated. Landfills are
contaminated. The soil has been contaminated. Today, we say: Enough.
Today, we turn the page. Today, we begin something new.
For those folks who are watching now from Missouri, whether from
their living rooms while their homes are being tested or high schools
while hoping for something better, let's see the U.S. Senate at work.
Let's see what we can do to keep the promises we have made to each
other as Americans.
I yield the floor.
Vote on S. 3853
The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read
the third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill, having been read the third time, the
question is, Shall the bill pass?
Mr. HAWLEY. 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 senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Alabama (Mrs. Britt).
The result was announced--yeas 69, nays 30, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 75 Leg.]
YEAS--69
Baldwin
Bennet
Blackburn
Blumenthal
Booker
Boozman
Braun
Brown
Butler
Cantwell
Cardin
Casey
Coons
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Duckworth
Durbin
Fetterman
Gillibrand
Graham
Hagerty
Hassan
Hawley
Heinrich
Hickenlooper
Hirono
Kaine
Kelly
King
Klobuchar
Lujan
Markey
Marshall
McConnell
Menendez
Merkley
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Ossoff
Padilla
Peters
Reed
Risch
Rosen
Rounds
Rubio
Sanders
Schatz
Schmitt
Schumer
Shaheen
Sinema
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Van Hollen
Vance
Warner
Warnock
Warren
Welch
Whitehouse
Wyden
NAYS--30
Barrasso
Budd
Capito
Carper
Cassidy
Collins
Cornyn
Cramer
Ernst
Fischer
Grassley
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Johnson
Kennedy
Lankford
Lee
Lummis
Manchin
Mullin
Paul
Ricketts
Romney
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Thune
Tillis
Tuberville
Wicker
Young
NOT VOTING--1
Britt
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Booker). On this vote, the yeas are 69,
the nays are 30.
Under the previous order, the 60-vote threshold having been achieved,
the bill is passed.
The bill (S. 3853) was passed.
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