[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 141 (Wednesday, September 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5965-S5966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           August Work Period

  Madam President, this August, I made a point to meet with and hear 
from Missourians across the State. These conversations are always 
valuable in my work here in Washington. They certainly influence the 
decisions and the votes cast right here on the Senate floor.
  I was proud to host a roundtable with industry leaders in geospatial 
technologies and unveil my plan to attract more talent to St. Louis and 
transform the gateway city into the defense tech capital of the United 
States. Our roundtable included representatives from a wide array of 
companies, universities, geospatial agencies--among them, NGA, TGI, 
Scale AI, and many others.
  Geospatial technologies are critical to so many different industries, 
both civilian and military. Their application to defense technologies 
and GPS mapping cannot be overstated.
  St. Louis is already home to the National Geospatial-Intelligence 
Agency, which is building a new campus and working to revitalize North 
St. Louis, private investment through the Taylor Geospatial Institute, 
and other private and public geospatial and artificial intelligence 
assets. There is no reason St. Louis can't become the defense tech hub 
of our country, and that is why I am working to continue accomplishing 
that exact goal.
  I was in Jefferson City to hear directly from advocates of those 
living with disabilities--stakeholders including the Missouri 
Developmental Disabilities Council, Special Olympics Missouri, and many 
other groups and individuals--on how we as lawmakers can better 
advocate for those with disabilities here in Washington.
  This community has played an important role in my life over the 
years. I ran for office to help people like my son, Stephen, who has 
special needs. I earned political office to improve the lives of 
Missourians in our State, and that especially includes our most 
vulnerable citizens, whom I will never stop fighting for here in the 
U.S. Senate.
  I also visited and toured Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital and 
their state-of-the-art facility, discussing all the advancements they 
were making in care services for children in the broader St. Louis 
community. This incredible facility is accomplishing great things for 
children and their families as they make the transition from the 
hospital to their homes.
  I also spoke with the Sustainable Ozarks Partnership in Waynesville, 
MO, on the incredible work they do at Fort Leonard Wood and the 
surrounding community and not just for Missouri in that regard but for 
our country. Home to over 5,000 Active military members, many of whom 
collectively train nearly 80,000 servicemembers and civilians each 
year, Fort Leonard Wood is a proud military community that is 
absolutely vital to our Nation's military training, architecture, and 
our national security.
  It is because of these great warriors that we remain a bright, 
shining beacon to the world of freedom and we can live and thrive in 
the greatest country there ever was. Places like Fort Leonard Wood has 
served as a critical role of training the next generation of American 
soldiers as they confront newer threats and never-ending threats 
abroad, among those, the Chinese Communist Party, North Korea, and 
Iran, because without strong leadership here at home, these hostile 
regimes will

[[Page S5966]]

continue to undermine and test America's limits, making all of us less 
safe.
  It is incumbent upon those here today that we continue the important 
work of ensuring that our soldiers have the support and resources 
necessary to continue keeping America safe.
  Summer wouldn't be the same without the Missouri State Fair, a great 
opportunity to meet with and listen to Missourians from across our 
State. There was truly a lot of fun and food in Sedalia. I get asked 
that question: What is your favorite thing about the State fair? It has 
got to be the food, from the Cattlemen's Beef House to the Pork Palace 
and everywhere in between that has things like fried Oreos and 
everything else you can imagine that is fried. We were also proud to 
host our inaugural ``Pork Steaks and Policy'' at the State fair.
  Safe to say, it was a success. A lot of food was eaten. But more 
importantly, we had a lot of great conversations, hearing directly from 
farmers and ranchers across Missouri on how I can continue to advocate 
for them here in the Senate.
  Of course, there were also some fun moments from August, including 
visiting with Coach Eli Drinkwitz, the head football coach at Mizzou, 
the No. 6-ranked Mizzou Tigers, and the campus's new athletic director, 
Laird Veatch, and touring their new facilities.
  Lastly, I was proud to join a group of bipartisan Senators on a 
congressional delegation to Asia, particularly Japan and South Korea, 
to better understand how the United States could continue to work with 
our partners in the Indo-Pacific, particularly as China continues to 
become an increasing threat to those countries and our country.
  Meeting with leaders in Japan and South Korea gave us all a frontline 
view of what is needed in the region and how the United States, and 
especially Missouri, can continue to be a strong ally in the Indo-
Pacific.
  When I asked Missourians for their vote not even 2 years ago, I 
promised that I would fight for them. The most important part of my job 
will always be serving the people of my State. It was great to be back 
home in August, and I look forward to taking those conversations I had 
with Missourians and addressing their concerns right here in 
Washington.
  I yield the floor.

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