[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 141 (Wednesday, September 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5961-S5964]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           August Work Period

  Madam President, I rise today to talk about another topic--or a few 
topics, for that matter, which are of the many issues that I heard from 
my constituents back home during my visits across West Virginia--from 
Weirton to Morgantown to Parsons to Ranson to Huntington and all other 
points in between in West Virginia. As the Presiding Officer and many 
of our colleagues did, I spent the last 5 weeks traveling every corner 
of my State--touring businesses, celebrating wins for our State, and 
meeting with local leaders, business owners and constituents.
  Most importantly, this was a time for me to hear about the issues 
that are directly impacting them, the solutions that are working for 
them, and also the challenges that they face. I heard a lot, but there 
were common

[[Page S5962]]

themes I heard over and over again: No. 1, inflation; the border 
crisis; crime across our country; the chaos that we are witnessing 
abroad and our country's weakness on the world stage; workforce 
shortages--I heard that everywhere I went; the inadequacy of permitting 
as we are an energy state; and of the concerns--many concerns--in our 
agricultural communities. Many West Virginians I spoke with feel that 
the current administration's agenda is just not working for them, and I 
can see why. So let's take a look at this.
  Well, we can start with what is top of mind for folks all across the 
country, and that is the rising costs of goods and services.
  Every day, men and women go to work and take their kids to school, 
expecting the predictability that filling up their cars will cost a 
certain amount, that their trip to the grocery store will be in the 
same range. But what do they find? Well, thanks to inflation fueled, in 
part, by excessive government spending to the tune of trillions of 
dollars because of this administration, Americans are paying higher 
prices for many things that they cannot do without. West Virginians are 
spending an average of $880 more a month on food, shelter, and energy 
prices than they were before the Biden-Harris administration began.
  Over the past year, consumer prices have risen 3 percent. Oh, that is 
not so much. But since 2021, they have increased over 20 percent 
between the time President Biden and Vice President Harris came into 
office. So, if you are saving up now to buy a new or a used car and you 
keep saving, you have got to keep saving because it just costs more.
  Headed out to the grocery store? Prepare to see a larger number at 
the bottom of your receipt thanks to this administration. West 
Virginians are spending an average of $103 more per month on food.
  Making your monthly rent payment or your mortgage payment? If it 
seems to be higher than it was last year, that is because it is. The 
national median rent is up 22 percent since President Biden and Vice 
President Harris took office. To add to that, mortgage rates have 
skyrocketed. Overall, a 30-year fixed rate mortgage is at an average of 
almost 6.5 percent. In my State, the average is 6.6 percent. They were 
in the upper twos and early threes just a year ago.
  Small businesses are suffering. For example, the construction 
industry is very busy in West Virginia. More companies and people want 
to come to our State. The high cost of operating businesses already--
with already slim margins--is much, much higher. Contractors working 
under the constraints of already very slim margins are acutely feeling 
these failed economic policies. They are paying for more goods and 
services. They are putting more gas into their tanks. They are having 
to wait longer and longer because the supply chain is disrupted. The 
numbers just don't lie.
  I heard it frequently all around the State that the savings many 
people have worked so hard for whether they want to save up for a 
vacation, save up for a bigger and better place to live, or to afford 
to send their children to college--that the savings that they worked 
hard for, that they sacrificed to accumulate, are dwindling right in 
front of their eyes due to the skyrocketing costs of living during the 
last 3\1/2\ years.

  Another issue I heard about is the workforce shortage. When I 
attended the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce business summit, this 
topic came up again and again and again but also, particularly, from 
one of my manufacturers in the southern part of my State. Specifically, 
this manufacturer was trying to set up an apprenticeship program so 
they could have a pipeline of a workforce. They would start with high 
school seniors, put them in the apprenticeship program, and then they 
would come and work at the manufacturer. Specifically, they have been 
trying to set this up, but the U.S. Department of Labor under this 
Biden-Harris administration threw a wrench in their plans and slowed 
the process down. The bureaucracy that the company has faced during the 
process hindered their ability to follow through with this 
apprenticeship program.
  A 21st century economy requires innovative approaches to workforce 
development and education, and apprenticeships are one way to do that, 
but you have to do it the way the administration wants. You can't 
tailor it for your own--not just business but also where you live would 
demand different kinds of apprenticeship opportunities. Businesses can 
help advance job training and employment opportunities or--something 
that I think I would be very supportive of--to try to keep that 
workforce busy--and not just busy but also increasing their 
capabilities. There are policies to employ and regulations to cut that 
would improve our economic standing, but, instead, the economic 
policies of the Biden-Harris administration have severely jeopardized 
the American dream for millions of Americans.
  The border crisis is another issue that came up repeatedly during my 
visits back home. You might ask yourself: Well, West Virginia isn't a 
border State, so why do West Virginians really care about the crisis at 
the southern border? West Virginians care about this because it impacts 
directly into our State and beyond other border States. Under the 
Biden-Harris administration, every State is a border State.
  So let's take the opioid crisis as an example. Deadly drugs, fentanyl 
in particular, continue to flow across our southern border, making 
their way into our communities. The overdose crisis has taken thousands 
of lives--of sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. As someone who 
represents a State that is one of the hardest hit States, I have 
begged--begged--the Biden-Harris administration to do something 
different or, better yet, just to do something to stop this, but they 
have proven from day one that they have no genuine interest in closing 
our southern border or closing down the trafficking of all of the 
drugs. When you have all of these people, you have to devote your 
manpower to the people who are coming across, and the drugs slip in.
  Crime is another topic that came up frequently during our travels. 
West Virginians can see what is happening across our country, and it is 
no wonder they are alarmed. Democrats have championed a soft-on-crime 
agenda that has contributed to some soaring crime rates. According to 
the Major Cities Chiefs Association, when compared to midyear 2019--
prepandemic levels--homicides are up nearly 26 percent and aggravated 
assaults are up 23 percent in the United States. This is not just 
unacceptable; it is terrifying. We see it here on the city streets of 
Washington.
  Repeated calls from the Democrats to defund the police, for open 
borders, to defund ICE, and for reduced sentencing or bail requirements 
has led to a crime increase so overwhelming that Americans' fear 
regarding crime in their communities is at an alltime 50-year high. 
They are afraid. We are afraid.
  Though President Biden and Vice President Harris bear the 
responsibility here in many ways, they are following the direction of 
their party. We have seen a lack of leadership from the White House, an 
overly politicized Department of Justice, and district attorneys who 
refuse to prosecute crimes. The Biden administration has insisted on 
nominating radical, soft-on-crime advocates to our Federal judgeships. 
While this utter disregard for law and order is concerning, it is just 
another trend for this administration.
  Then there is the chaos unfolding around the world. A constituent 
recently told me: It is now obvious on the world stage, especially to 
our enemies, that we have an extremely weak Commander in Chief for the 
first time in my life--and I am 74 years old. I don't go to bed feeling 
that I will be safe when I wake up in the morning.
  The indecision and ill-advised policies of the Biden-Harris 
administration have signaled unreliability to our allies and weakness 
to those who would do us harm. We are living in a time when our Nation 
faces the most dangerous global threats that we have in decades, but 
there has been wavering support during these tumultuous times from this 
administration, whether it is the display of weakness on our withdrawal 
from Afghanistan or how the Biden-Harris administration has basically 
slow-walked the ability for Ukraine to actually maximize the help that 
we have given them and other nations have given them to be able to

[[Page S5963]]

stop the Russians or whether Iran is giving its militias weapons to 
attack our troops, resulting in the deaths of three Army soldiers in 
Jordan and injuries to dozens more.
  The response? The administration is so afraid of ``escalation'' that 
they only authorize minimal responses. And, in the Middle East, that 
doesn't work.
  Now we see what is going on in Israel and that the administration is 
acting as if Israel is the problem. They forget about October 7. We 
have been absolutely clear-eyed that there is no moral equivalency 
between Hamas and Israel in this war, and it shouldn't be hard to say.
  Another issue that I heard about--and I mentioned it in the 
beginning--is agriculture. We are very concerned--our agriculture 
communities are very concerned--about our inability to pass a farm 
bill. Why is the leadership in this majority here in the Senate not 
helping our farmers get the relief they need?
  West Virginia farmers depend on the farm bill, as do farmers all over 
the country, and the stability of a 5-year reauthorization. We did one 
1-year extension. It looks like we are going to do another one, and 
this just really sends the wrong signal to a huge sector but also the 
food security sector for our country.
  Senator Boozman from Arkansas has been traveling the country, 
listening to farmers all over and the ag community all over the 
country. I am glad he came to West Virginia to hear what our farmers 
are worried about: dumping of products from other countries and their 
ability, as smaller farms, to be able to exist.
  So we did have some positives that went on over the last several 
months and in August. I traveled and met with the mayors in Charles 
Town and Harpers Ferry about some of their funding needs and 
wastewater, dedicated the new Heritage Center in Wheeling, and received 
updates on a major water system in Weirton. These are just a few 
examples of where I listened to their needs and was able to help them 
through congressional-directed spending to solve some of their 
problems.
  There are certainly concerns on folks' minds. But exciting things are 
happening in our State, and the spirit was powerfully felt at the 
business summit.
  I was very pleased to bring the Canadian Ambassador as my guest to 
talk about the over $2 billion of West Virginia products that Canada 
buys and how trade is so very important.
  I went to see where we are going to complete Corridor H, hopefully, 
and fix that Market Street Bridge in the Northern Panhandle.
  But I was really pleased to go to Marshall University and see their 
cyber security program. They are bringing up an Institute for Cyber 
Security for critical infrastructure, and I was honored to bring the 
CISA Director, Jen Easterly, to Huntington to see the potential for not 
just our security but also for the workforce this is going to be 
providing to cyber security.
  So I had productive visits in our State. It is always great to be out 
and be around and talk with folks.
  I talked at length about the people individually or as a group. 
Regardless, Americans want us to do our jobs. They don't want us to do 
show votes. They don't want us to sit around and nominate people. They 
want us to get our government spending done, our national defense 
authorization, our farm bill--all of these things on our plate. Yet we 
are sitting around wasting time, doing votes that really don't have as 
big an impact on individuals as many of the things that we should be 
doing.
  It doesn't have to be this way. Americans shouldn't be forced to 
choose between paying rent, paying for food, or filling up their gas 
tank. They shouldn't turn on the TV and see our southern border in 
chaos and our cities flooded with crime. And they shouldn't have to 
harbor such doubt about our international standing. We can do this 
better. We can do this better, and we should.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
  Mr. HOEVEN. Madam President, I rise to join my colleague from West 
Virginia, talking about some of the important issues that we worked on 
over the past month. I am really pleased that she talked about the 
importance of getting a farm bill. It is just incredibly important.
  In my State of North Dakota, we are No. 1 as an ag powerhouse and 
then also an energy powerhouse. In the energy realm, we produced more 
than 1.2 million barrels of oil a day. That is as much as some of the 
OPEC countries for the whole country. And then we supply electricity to 
coal-fired and other sources of electricity that are probably in each 
region. So we are really an energy powerhouse, and that is a big part 
of our economy.
  But ag is still No. 1 for us. We produce probably more than 40 
different crops, as diverse as--we are the No. 1 State for producing 
honey, and we produce a lot of sugar. But then we have got all the row 
crops--corn and soybeans and all those kinds of things. We have got 
wheat. We have got the pulse crops. We actually have more cattle than 
people--millions of head of cattle. So we are very diversified in the 
ag world.

  Needless to say, a farm bill is incredibly important to us, and it is 
incredibly important to our country. When I talk about farmers and 
ranchers and the farm bill, I like to start by saying that every single 
American benefits every single day from our farmers and ranchers, who 
produce the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. So 
when we talk about good farm policy, we are talking about something 
that benefits every single American every single day.
  Americans spend less of their budget on food. They have the best 
food. They have the best choice, the best quality. And we spend less of 
our budget on food than virtually any other developed country. All that 
is brought to us every single day by our farmers and ranchers.
  I want to take a few minutes today to talk about how important it is 
that we get a farm bill done. It is not just important for our farmers 
and ranchers but, as I say, for every single American.
  During the recent work period, I was out, and I, of course, visited 
with farmers and ranchers across our State and continued to get their 
input. But, also, they really are seeing challenges out there in farm 
country.
  They don't control the weather, obviously. They don't control trade, 
and they don't control the price. But they have to deal with all three 
every year. So what we are seeing right now is a decline in commodity 
prices, which is putting real pressure on farmers and ranchers across 
this country.
  As part of my efforts, I also convened a field hearing of the Senate 
Ag Appropriations Subcommittee near, actually, Fargo, ND, to discuss 
the future of ag research and also ag development.
  We are one of the leaders in precision agriculture. The technology in 
farming and ranching now is unbelievable. At North Dakota State 
University, combined with our world-class farmers and ranchers, we are 
really leading that effort forward with a new concept called Grand 
Farm, where we are displaying, on a national basis, the incredible 
advancements in technology that are an important part of precision 
agriculture there.
  I was pleased to be joined by colleagues on a bipartisan basis. 
Senator Boozman was there, as well as Senator Klobuchar and Senator 
Smith--so bipartisan, all members of the Ag Committee with me. We had a 
very robust and substantive discussion about precision agriculture.
  But while we focused on the future of agriculture research and all 
those kinds of things, we also heard from witnesses on the need to pass 
a farm bill and what needs to be in that farm bill in order to make 
sure that it works. That means a strong commodity title. That called 
for updating crop insurance and making sure we update the reference 
prices, meaning we update the countercyclical safety net. Those two 
tools--our crop insurance and the countercyclical safety net--that is 
how our farmers manage risk in a world where they don't control prices, 
they don't control weather, and they don't control trade.
  We produce fuel and fiber not just for this country but for the 
world, and the farmers don't have any control over those things, which 
is why it is so important that we have the right kind of farm policy. 
That is reinforced this week by more than 300 commodity groups--farmers 
and ranchers--coming from across the country, who are here

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this week in support of getting this farm bill done.
  We are already operating under a 1-year extension. So we are already 
1 year past due getting a new 5-year farm bill in place.
  As I say, farmers and ranchers from across the country are here 
talking to policymakers about the need to get this done rather than 
facing yet another yearlong extension.
  Again, the message is very, very clear: We need to update the 
countercyclical safety net and crop insurance. That is the heart and 
soul. That is how our farmers manage risk. That is the key to getting a 
farm bill done.
  As I mentioned, economic conditions in farm country continue to 
worsen. Last week, the farm income forecast from the USDA came out and 
indicated that lower commodity prices, high input costs, and elevated 
interest rates continue to create a real challenge for our producers.
  For 2024, USDA is projecting net farm income, which is a broad 
measure of farm income, at $140 billion, which is a decrease of $6.5 
billion from 2023.
  Adjusted for inflation, the 2024 net cash farm income projections for 
crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat--important not only to my State 
but throughout the Midwest and beyond--represent the worst numbers that 
we have seen since the USDA began collecting this data for the past 15 
years.
  We have the opportunity to address that through the farm bill, and we 
need to do it. We need to get it done.
  Senator Boozman, who, as I mentioned, joined me in North Dakota 
several weeks ago, has put forward a framework for that farm bill. I 
think it does exactly what it needs to do: It provides that support 
that farmers and ranchers need.
  Also in the House, the House Ag Committee chairman, GT Thompson, also 
has moved through their full Ag Committee a bill that I think works as 
well. So the framework in the Senate is there. The bill that has come 
out of committee in the House is there. The bill in the House needs 
some tweaks, but it is going in the right direction.
  The reality is that we are in position to get it done, but we need to 
come together on a bipartisan basis and address updates to the 
reference prices in the countercyclical safety net, as well as the 
updates for the crop insurance we need, which I have put in a marker 
bill that lays out very clearly what needs to happen. We need to come 
to agreement on it. We need to get this farm bill done.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.
  Mrs. FISCHER. Madam President, my home of Nebraska is home to an 
array of people, places, and pursuits. It is home to Husker football 
and the College World Series, our beautiful State capitol building in 
Lincoln, and our world-famous zoo in Omaha. Nebraska is home to plains 
and prairies and cities and small towns and to the breathtaking natural 
beauty of the Nebraska Sandhills.
  That unique beauty of the Nebraska Sandhills, where we raised our 
three sons, is where I began my travels last month during the August 
State work period. In total, I visited over 35 communities with over 
100 stops, from Kimball to Blair and Red Cloud to Norfolk.
  One visit especially near and dear to me was the Valentine Community 
Schools. Years ago, I served on the Valentine School Board, where I saw 
these schools up close and advocated for their improvements. The 
Valentine Community Schools are still doing great, educating bright 
kids who will go on to lead our State.
  Farther west, I toured the Scottsbluff and Bridgeport schools. The 
Scottsbluff school system follows a career academy-focused curriculum, 
and I was impressed to see the creativity and innovation that educators 
are applying to that work. It is a testament to Nebraskans' dedication 
to progress in our local communities.

  Along with the schools and educators across the State, I visited 
healthcare facilities and the doctors and nurses and medical 
professionals who keep them going.
  When I toured CHI Health Good Samaritan in Kearney, NB, I heard about 
their incredible life flight capabilities. Rural Americans--well, they 
often live hours away from the nearest hospital, and in emergencies, 
that can be deadly. Good Samaritan is responding to those risks by 
life-flighting patients all across Nebraska and even into South Dakota 
at times.
  While in Central Nebraska, I visited Kearney Police Department and 
the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department. These two departments share a 
really unique setup in the same building where they can collaborate and 
use a larger range of resources. By linking together Kearney and 
Buffalo County law enforcement, they are more efficient, and they do an 
excellent job in protecting their communities.
  The August work period every year brings me fresh motivation and 
gratitude. I saw the ways that Federal legislation is creating real 
change in my home State. I saw progress all across Nebraska--in 
education, in healthcare, in law enforcement, in manufacturing, in 
agriculture, in economic development, and countless other sectors.
  Most of all, I saw Nebraskans in their local communities dedicating 
their lives and dedicating their careers to investing in the people 
around them. Those are the people whom I represent here in the U.S. 
Senate. And just as they are dedicated to investing in Nebraska, I am 
dedicated to advocating for Nebraskans.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator 
from Missouri, Senator Schmitt, and I each be permitted to speak for up 
to 5 minutes prior to the scheduled rollcall vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


          23rd Anniversary of the September 11, 2001, Attacks

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, today is the 23rd anniversary of the 
tragic deaths of about 3,000 Americans at the World Trade Center and at 
the Pentagon, as well as in Shanksville, PA. It is a sobering and 
solemn day. And 9/11 is one of those occasions that you remember during 
your life because you remember where you were and what you were doing 
when the terrible tragedy came on the news. I remember I was on the 
telephone talking to my Governor, and my wife said: You need to see 
this. And I turned to watch the TV as the second plane hit the World 
Trade Center. We had no idea what was going on.
  As I have often said, this day is a dividing line in our history. 
There is before 9/11, and then there is after 9/11. It is a reminder of 
our commitment as a country to carry out the promise that we made in 
the wake of the attack to never forget.
  So, today, we remember the first responders who ran toward the 
danger, the families who lost loved ones, and the commitment of the 
U.S. Armed Forces to combat terrorism around the globe each and every 
day.