[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 188 (Wednesday, December 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7156-S7162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PLUM ISLAND PRESERVATION STUDY ACT
The bill (S. 5136) to require the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct a study of Plum Island, which had been reported from the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
The amendment (No. 3344), in the nature of a substitute, was agreed
to, as follows:
(Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Plum Island Preservation
Study Act''.
SEC. 2. PLUM ISLAND PRESERVATION STUDY.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(2) Study area.--The term ``study area'' means the
consolidated Federal asset commonly known as ``Plum Island''
in the State of New York and all improvements on and to the
Federal asset, including--
(A) the Orient Point facility; and
(B) all real and personal property, all transportation
assets, and all associated infrastructure that support--
(i) Plum Island operations; and
(ii) access to Plum Island.
(b) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a study to
determine the appropriateness of--
(A) designating all or a portion of the study area as a
unit of the National Park System or a unit of the National
Wildlife Refuge System; or
(B) providing protection for the resources of the study
area by other means.
(2) Contents.--In conducting the study under paragraph (1),
the Secretary shall--
(A) evaluate the national significance of the study area;
(B) consult with interested Federal agencies, State or
local governmental entities, private and nonprofit
organizations, or any other interested individuals; and
(C) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition,
development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance
associated with the alternatives considered.
(3) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which
funds are first made available to carry out the study under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee
on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report
that describes--
(A) the findings and conclusions of the study; and
(B) any recommendations of the Secretary.
The bill (S. 5136), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.
Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, I am going to say a few words, and
then others who have supported these bills, such as Senator Cornyn,
Senator Hoeven, and Senator Welch, will speak to others as well.
The bill that I am very gratified and grateful that this body has now
approved is S. 5136, the Plum Island Preservation Study Act, with the
amendment that we just approved as well.
Very simply, I have been working on this issue for a long time. Plum
Island has been there for a long time. Indigenous people treasure Plum
Island; 800 acres with plant and animal species; thriving seal
populations; species that now are endangered, like the piping plover
and the roseate tern; and over the years, two significant locations:
Fort Terry and the Plum Island Lighthouse.
It was a treasure then, and it is a treasure now. I haven't been
working on it for as long as, obviously, it has been regarded as a
treasure, but over the years that I have worked on it now--more than a
decade--with Majority Leader Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Senator
Murphy, as well as State and local stakeholders and countless
advocates, we have come to the realization that we need to preserve
Plum Island.
Those 800 acres are in the midst of one of the most densely populated
areas in the United States, and Plum Island is a home to those really
valuable species of wildlife and habitat, an ecosystem that really
supports wildlife up and down the east coast, for example, when
populations of birds come there to rest and nest.
We are not going to make 500 acres--let alone 800 acres--of important
ecological habitat in the middle of Long Island Sound if it is lost,
and it has been threatened with loss because it had served as a site
for a research facility, biological research, classified mostly--I have
visited it--and that research facility is going to be moved to Kansas.
The question has been, What happens now to Plum Island? The possibility
of commercial development or residential buildings has been there from
time to time.
[[Page S7157]]
The requirement existed that Plum Island be sold when the research
facility moved. In 2020, Congress successfully repealed the requirement
to sell Plum Island and prevented a private developer from coming to
develop it and destroy the really enormous ecological and environmental
value that it provides. But stopping this sale was not enough. I have
continued to push for a permanent preservation outcome for Plum Island,
ensuring that the island is protected for generations to come.
Earlier this year, I was proud to introduce a pair of bills that
would require our Federal Agencies to work internally and help
determine the future of the island. Both of these bills passed out of
committee with bipartisan support, and there is bipartisan support for
this measure, as there should be, because it is about our environmental
future and the preservation of open space and a rare resource for the
Nation.
Passage of today's legislation marks a monumental stride towards
conserving Plum Island. This measure will require the U.S. Department
of the Interior to determine how to designate Plum Island as a unit of
the Department of the Interior and how to preserve it for the use of
people for generations to come and protect it from development, to
conserve it for people to use recreationally, to make sure that it is
available for wildlife that can be studied and observed and enjoyed by
the people of Connecticut, New York, and all around the country.
I have worked closely with the Department of the Interior on how this
study should be done, and I want to thank the Department for its input
on the language in this legislation.
The study is crucial as a first step, but, obviously, equally more
important, in fact, is the outcome, and it needs to be done before the
end of this decade. It must be completed before Plum Island's
transition is done.
I want to thank my colleagues again--Senator Schumer, who has been
totally dedicated to this cause, Senator Gillibrand, and Senator
Murphy--for their cosponsorship for this bill. It will have a lasting
and historic effect because it enables Plum Island to become part of
our Federal resource protection ecosystem through the Department of the
Interior. I urge that this study be conducted quickly, expeditiously,
thoroughly, and within less than 5 years. Certainly, it is doable in a
couple of years, and I would urge that the Department of the Interior
address it right away.
I thank my colleagues for joining me in support of this bill.
I yield to the senior Senator from Texas.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I thank my colleague from Connecticut
for offering the unanimous consent request by which we passed these
various bills. I just want to discuss the Big Bend National Park
Boundary Act.
Texas is home to very diverse terrain, which includes vibrant
wildlife and big, wide-open spaces, and Big Bend National Park is no
exception.
This legislation that we just passed by unanimous consent here in the
Senate expands and preserves the park's heritage, its natural
resources, and its jaw-dropping scenery, while also safeguarding
private property rights. This bill authorizes the National Park Service
to acquire approximately 6,100 acres of land adjacent to Terlingua
Creek, along the western boundary of the park. It clarifies that the
National Park Service may only acquire lands through donation, purchase
from willing property owners, or exchange, and it explicitly prohibits
the use of eminent domain or condemnation, thereby protecting private
property rights.
This legislation is important for helping Texans and all Americans
enjoy our big, beautiful national parks, and I am pleased that the
Senate has adopted this legislation today by unanimous consent.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, I had hoped we would be joined by
Senator Hoeven, but I just want to commend him for another of the
measures we have just approved by unanimous consent.
I am a cosponsor with him of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential
Library Museum Artifacts Act. This measure is enormously important to
preserve the artifacts and other memorabilia of one of our Presidents--
one of our great Presidents--Theodore Roosevelt.
I have been to that part of the country--the Badlands--and visited
that part of the country, and I think this measure will be a fitting,
educational resource. It will be a destination.
Now, I think that a lot of people may wonder, why there? Well,
Theodore Roosevelt's connection to the Badlands and the Dakotas is well
known, and making it a destination will draw more Americans to
appreciate that part of our great Nation, which is so beautiful.
I want to commend the private contributors. This library museum will
be the result of many private donations and contributions led by a team
of one of my constituents Charlie Melcher, and it will be a real
tribute not only to Theodore Roosevelt but to America's commitment to
its history, its living history, and making it living history for so
many young people, families, and others, who will appreciate Theodore
Roosevelt's legacy to this Nation.
I see we have been joined by my colleague from Vermont, and I am
happy to yield to him.
Mr. WELCH. Thank you, Senator, I am fully supportive of the work that
you have done. Is there anything that gives more pleasure than being
able to do something that is generated by our local citizens, the
people we represent, that reflects the dedication, the reverence, the
appreciation they have for the natural world in your State of
Connecticut or now in my State of Vermont? I mean, what a privilege it
is for both of us to be here advocating on behalf of these aspirations
of the people we represent.
I know that is true for the Presiding Officer as well, all the work
that you have done.
Today, I rise in support of S. 432, the Nulhegan River and Paul
Stream Wild and Scenic River Study Act. The bill will initiate the
process of designating the Nulhegan River and Paul Stream in Essex
County, VT, which is way up in the northeast corner of Vermont that
Senator George Aiken named the ``Northeast Kingdom,'' a place that we
love and that someday, when you are so lucky that you can come to the
Nulhegan River, you will love, too.
I was proud to work with my colleagues Senator Sanders and
Representative Balint in introducing this legislation, and it was my
first act as a U.S. Senator.
These two rivers run through Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, as I
mentioned, home to some of our State's most scenic parts of a scenic
State.
It is very close to the annual Moose Festival that I know, Senator,
you will enjoy when I finally get you up there to Canaan, VT.
But the Nulhegan, for example, passes through the Silvio O. Conte
National Wildlife Refuge. It is the only watershed-based refuge in the
United States.
And by the way, Silvio Conte, as you know, was a Congressman from
Western Massachusetts. That is where I grew up, and he did so much--
Republican--to preserve the watershed of the Connecticut River.
The Nulhegan, the river, winds through the valleys between hills and,
in the fall, is framed by really striking foliage, largely undisturbed
by outside visitors. They don't know about it, but now they will.
In the spring, the rivers' whitewater provides a unique and
challenging place for daring fisherman and paddlers.
Healthy rivers, I know we all agree, are really essential to our
State's ecosystems, and they play an important role in Vermont's
outdoor recreation economy. It is no surprise that the communities
neighboring these two rivers support protecting their free-flowing
nature too.
And that is the point I was making at the beginning. When you have
the citizens who are living there and seeing how precious this resource
is and wanting to do everything they can to protect that resource and
we can help them, that is a good day in the U.S. Senate.
S. 432 will preserve these two rivers, enhance Vermont's renowned
recreational resources, and conserve these vital habitats.
[[Page S7158]]
I yield the floor.
Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, thank you for giving us this
opportunity, and, again, I thank my colleagues for approving all of
these unanimous consents on behalf of land and resources that have such
great value, like Plum Island, a national treasure.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The Senator from Tennessee.
Department of Government Efficiency
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, in recent weeks, there has been a
lot of talk and a lot of optimism about President Trump's Department of
Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and, of course, Elon Musk and Vivek
Ramaswamy's plan to eliminate government waste, fraud, and abuse, and
there is a reason for this. I think we have pretty much hit a tipping
point with the American people. They have looked at this big, bloated
government. They have looked at this $36 trillion in debt--which is
growing every day--and they truly see this as a threat to our Nation's
stability, to our children's futures, and for us to be able to protect
ourselves from our enemies.
And what they have noticed is that, as this debt grows, then more of
their taxpayer dollars are being spent to pay the interest on the debt.
That is money that is not going to national security. It is money that
is not going to disaster relief. It is going to the debt.
And here is a great example of that. In just the first half of fiscal
year 2024, our country spent--get this--$440 billion to service the
debt. Now, interestingly enough, that was more than what we spent on
our military in the same time.
So the American people are smart. They are seeing this and they are
saying it is a problem and this has got to be brought under control.
Now, I think it is important for us to look at how we have gotten to
where we were, and I went back and looked at where we were when George
W. Bush left office and President Obama came into office. As George W.
Bush left, our debt was at $10.6 trillion, and we all remember that. We
remember 2008, 2009. That is not that long ago. But think about that
number, $10.6 trillion. Now, I will remind everybody that was after the
Gulf war; that was after that period of time, 9/11, when our economy
shut down for a full quarter. And the total debt at that point was
$10.6 trillion.
Now, when Obama left office, after 8 years in office, that debt had
nearly doubled. It was just shy of $20 trillion. Think about that.
Now, President Trump came into office. 4 years later, he leaves, and
our debt was north of $27 trillion with all the COVID spending that was
done in 2020.
And instead of restoring spending to stable levels and going back to
those pre-COVID levels, what did President Biden do?
Since his inauguration, he has piled more than $8 trillion on our
debt. And the deficit for this year alone--fiscal 2024 alone--is at
$1.8 trillion.
And these are the numbers. Anyone who wants to look at this can go to
any number of government websites. You can pull up these numbers
through OMB, through Treasury. But what the American people have seen
is a recklessness and a disregard for them, the taxpayer.
Since this Nation's founding, people have believed we are a
government of, by, and for the people. And, quite frankly, I think that
this year the people decided to be ``We the people.''
And what they have seen is, over the last 4 years, during the Biden-
Harris administration, there has been a government that wasn't really
accountable to anybody. If they wanted to do something, they just did
it. And they have watched this wasteful, out-of-control spending. They
have seen a growing bureaucracy with people who don't even show up to
work. Less than 10 percent of the Federal workforce is showing up 5
days a week in person. This is why the people have said: We the people
are going to take charge of this.
Speaking of that workforce, the Federal Government today is employing
2.2 million bureaucrats. Just to put context on this, that is a number
larger than the population of 15 of our States. And you have people,
less than 10 percent, showing up every day in person to do their job.
And when you look at the amount of office space that is being used,
only 12 percent of our Federal office space is occupied.
Now, to make matters worse, for most Federal employees, pay increases
and promotions are completely disconnected from their job performance.
They are paid the longer they stay on the job. They get automatic pay
increases that are tied to the amount of time they spend employed by
the Federal Government, not how well they are doing their jobs.
I think that, as you look at this, this is why the American people
have said: We support the Department of Government Efficiency. And it
is why they are excited about this and why Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy
are going to have the American people standing with them to make these
cuts.
Now, last week, I introduced the DOGE Acts, and it is a package of
bills that will hold the government accountable for how they manage and
use taxpayer dollars. Among the measures, the DOGE Acts will address
out-of-control spending with 1, 2, and 5 percent across-the-board cuts
to discretionary spending, excluding Defense, Homeland Security, and
Veterans Affairs.
In addition to the spending cuts, this legislation will freeze
salaries for Federal bureaucrats and order Agency heads to shrink their
workforce by 5 percent over 3 years.
To drain the swamp, the legislation will establish a commission to
study how the incoming administration can relocate Agencies from
Washington, DC, to States across the country.
Who can seriously claim that it is good for beltway bureaucrats to be
siloed away from most of the American people? If anything, they should
be closer to the people who are suffering from their burdensome rules
and regulations.
To ensure that Federal bureaucrats are actually working while living
on the taxpayer dime, the DOGE Acts would require government employees
to return to their office by ending pandemic-era telework policies.
And to reward merit, they would implement a pilot program for
Agencies to pay employees based on productivity, not seniority.
In just a few short weeks, Republicans here in Congress and the Trump
administration will work together to put our country back on track,
including rightsizing the Federal Government, and we look forward to
pushing forward our DOGE Acts and helping make that happen.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
Blackwater Canyon
Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I rise to congratulate all of my
colleagues for passing a piece of legislation that is going to make the
whole country happy and a beautiful place.
The Senate passed a bill that I sponsored with my friend Senator
Capito to name a 2,700-acre parcel of land in the Monongahela National
Forest after Mrs. Patsye Crites.
I want to thank my colleagues here in the Senate for agreeing to this
bill, as well as express my support for the completing of a land sale
to put this land in the hands of the Forest Service and preserve it for
the public in perpetuity.
Earlier this year, the Forest Service reached an agreement with John
Crites and his family to purchase this spectacular land along the
Blackwater River, which we call the Blackwater Canyon.
This is what we call Lindy Point, and it is unbelievable. And the
foliage just bursts alive, like a kaleidoscope of colors. It is just
gorgeous.
It is one of the most beautiful pieces of property, I think, anywhere
in the country. Of course, I am a little personal on that. You can see,
just one glimpse behind me, within an already popular area, hikers and
outdoorsmen from across the country. And down in the valley, there is
Blackwater River, which has great fishing, as far as trout fishing. We
enjoy that very much.
The purchase agreement for this property will be a huge win for the
Mountain State and the Nation by ensuring that people are able to enjoy
more of wild and wonderful West Virginia, as well as support our
booming tourism economy.
[[Page S7159]]
Let me take a moment to describe how this agreement and the naming
came together.
This land was privately owned by John Crites and his family and his
wonderful wife of 54 years, Patsye. The entire Crites family have been
incredible stewards of this land, and I can think of no better way to
honor their work than to name the track after Patsye, who truly loved
the outdoors and this remarkable canyon, in particular.
Unfortunately, Patsye passed away in 2018. But she was an
incredible--an incredible--West Virginian and represents some of the
best qualities in our Mountain State of the great people we have and
what they have to offer.
Patsye and John were leaders in responsible forestry and hardwood
production in our State for more than 50 years--unbelievable
contributions to the State of West Virginia. Her business acumen,
however, never came along with a hard heart. Everyone who ever met
Patsye or knew Patsye knew her as gentle, warm, and an extraordinary
loving person.
Senator Capito and I, the Forest Service, and the local community all
agree that this parcel should be named the Patsye Crites Forest.
I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to this exemplary West
Virginian.
Once again, I want to thank my colleagues for agreeing to pass this
bill, and I urge the House to follow our lead.
I want to especially thank the Crites family--John and his children
and his grandchildren--for making sure that generations to come will be
able to visit the Patsye Crites Forest and enjoy it just as she did.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
Mr. HOEVEN. Madam President, I am going to make some comments in
regard to the energy policy for the United States. But, first, I would
like to make a couple of comments, starting with commenting in regard
to my good friend and colleague from West Virginia Senator Manchin.
Senator Manchin is the current chair of the Energy Committee, and I
am on that Energy Committee. And I am going to reference two pieces of
legislation--two bills--which just passed the Senate. I am going to
start by thanking him as chairman of the Energy Committee because,
without his help--and he supported both of these bills--but without his
help and agreeing to bring them to the committee to get them passed
through the committee so that they could be on the floor here and we
could pass them on the floor, which we just said, it wouldn't have
happened.
So, Mr. Chairman--Chairman Manchin--thank you, once again, for your
support.
And I would further note for the record that Senator Manchin and I
actually were Governors together for--I don't know--two terms, at
least--6 years. That sounds right. We crossed over 6 years, and we
worked together. And Joe developed a reputation as somebody who would
work with anybody--and did--and he was always cheerful about it and fun
to work with and was really good at bringing people together from both
sides of the aisle.
He certainly developed that reputation as Governor and brought it to
the Senate. He and I worked together here for 14 years on a whole
number of things, including, in 2013, passing S. 1, which was the
Keystone XL Pipeline. And that is just one example.
I know that he is leaving the Senate at the end of this year. And all
of us will very much miss both Joe and Gayle. They are just incredibly
good people. I know there are a lot of folks who have and will continue
to say a lot of nice things about the Manchins, all well-deserved,
about his acumen at passing legislation, working across the aisle--all
of those things and more. I just want to make sure that the Record
reflects that he is a great guy.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it.
North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Acts
Madam President, the two bills that I want to reference that we just
passed are the North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act and then, also,
the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Act, and just a few brief
comments on each.
The North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act, actually, will help my
home State better develop its land and minerals to support education
and also to provide Tribal nations--we have five reservations in North
Dakota. But it will also help provide those Tribal nations greater
ownership over the lands within their reservation boundaries.
Senator Cramer, my colleague from North Dakota, joined me in
introducing this important legislation, and, also, Kelly Armstrong, who
is actually the current Governor, on the House side, worked on it as
well.
Currently, North Dakota holds more than 130,000 acres of minerals and
over 31,000 surface acres that are located within Tribal reservations.
They are not developed because they are located--they are State-owned,
but they are within the boundaries of the reservation. So they are not
being developed.
So this bill is absolutely a win-win by helping our State generate
revenue for education and other priorities, while allowing the Tribes
to regain the fragmented lands and minerals located within their
boundaries, because we are trading. We are trading land for outside the
reservation for ownership within the reservation, which is going to
help development both on the reservation and off. So it truly is a win-
win. It is a win for the Tribes and a win for our State as well.
And it is supported by the State of North Dakota, by the Tribal
nations, all of the Tribes within our State, and all of the western
counties and the grazing associations that are involved in our State.
We have multiple use throughout the Federal lands and the other
lands--private lands, Federal lands, BLM lands, national grasslands--
but this is a great example of how we all worked together and
accomplished a win-win.
So I want to thank my cosponsor on the bill, Ben Ray Lujan, the
Senator from New Mexico--or as we like to affectionately call him,
``Ray-Ban''--and, also, Richard Blumenthal, Peter Welch, and Senator
John Cornyn, who were helpful today in getting this completed.
Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Act
Madam President, the other bill is the Theodore Roosevelt
Presidential Library Act. Teddy Roosevelt first traveled to the Dakota
Territory in 1838 to hunt bison. It is bison, by the way. Some people
say ``bi-son''; but it is ``bi-zon,'' and it is our national mammal--at
least that is how we say it. Anyway, he went there to hunt bison and
returned in 1884 while mourning the passing of both his wife and his
mother.
President Roosevelt called the Dakota Territory home for 3 years
while he enjoyed the vast beauty that the Badlands have to offer. As
President Roosevelt proudly claimed, he would not have ascended to the
Presidency had it not been for his formative years in North Dakota.
Fittingly, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will be
located adjacent to another important national treasure named in his
honor--and that is the purpose here. The Theodore Roosevelt National
Park is in North Dakota, and now his library will be as well. I think
we have already exceeded more than $250 million--already over a quarter
billion dollars--being raised for this library. We have broken ground,
and we had a beam-laying ceremony. It is going to be just unbelievable,
just unbelievable.
This S. 4129 will help support the construction of this important
initiative to honor our Nation's 26th President and ensure that future
generations of Americans can access the rich history and enduring
impact of President Theodore Roosevelt.
Again, I want to thank my bipartisan colead on the legislation,
Senator Blumenthal, along with cosponsors Senator Cramer, Senator
Heinrich, and Senator Mitt Romney.
Clean Coal
Madam President, I would like to turn to some remarks regarding our
national energy policy, specifically clean coal.
If you saw President-elect Trump's interview recently, he talked
about clean coal and the amazing technology that we are bringing to
bear to utilize this baseload power source that is so vitally, vitally
important to our Nation, not just in terms of energy independence but,
really, energy dominance for our country. During his press
[[Page S7160]]
conference, I was pleased to hear President Trump highlight our shared
commitment to restore America's energy dominance and that clean coal is
going to be a vitally important part of it. He emphasized that, and I
appreciate it very much.
He talked about how it is reliable, affordable, and incredibly
abundant--an energy source that is going to be available for many,
many, many years. North Dakota alone has over 700 years of coal supply,
and our coal-fired electric industry works to ensure that homes and
businesses have access to affordable and reliable power on a 24-hours-
a-day, 7-days-a-week basis--baseload. Regardless of weather
conditions--on the hottest day, on the coldest day, whether the wind is
blowing or whether it is not; whether the Sun is out or whether it is
not--24/7, that baseload is available and is incredibly important for
our grid. That is what provides grid stability for intermittent sources
of energy. The fact remains that our Nation needs more energy, not only
more electricity but more baseload electricity, as I say, so that it is
available 24/7 and so that our grid can operate in a reliable fashion.
North Dakota is fortunate to have the most advanced--and this is
where the clean-coal technology really comes in. North Dakota really is
in a position and is leading the way on this. We are fortunate to have
the most advanced coal-fired power plants in the world while also
leading the way in reducing emissions like SOX,
NOX, and mercury--so, SO2, nitrogen oxides, and
mercury. We are reducing those emissions. We have led the way on that.
To meet this growing demand for more energy, we have been working to
crack the code on carbon capture, utilization, and storage, or CCUS,
and enable the next generation of clean, coal-fired electric power. We
have worked over the past 15 years to put the legal, tax, and
regulatory environment in place to establish North Dakota's leadership
in advancing carbon capture.
North Dakota became the first State to be granted regulatory primacy
for class VI wells to ensure CO2 is safely and securely
stored below the surface. We recently secured a multihundred-million-
dollar demonstration grant from the Department of Energy to advance
Project Tundra, which will enable the coal-fired Milton R. Young power
plant to capture and store 4 million metric tons of CO2 per
year.
At the same time, we have worked hard to put into operation the
largest coal-powered carbon capture energy project in the world.
Basin's Dakota Gasification synfuels plant is currently in operation
and will capture up to 2.25 million metric tons of CO2 per
year. Let me repeat that: 2.25 million metric tons of CO2
per year--the largest in the world.
I look forward to working with President Trump to take the handcuffs
off of our energy producers and empower them to develop the latest,
greatest technologies to produce more energy with better environmental
stewardship.
This really is about unleashing our Nation's vast coal reserves and
one of our country's most important strategic assets. By leveraging
technology and unlocking clean coal's full potential, we will be able
to increase the supply of affordable, reliable electricity and bring
down the prices for American families and businesses that are
struggling with the impact of inflation.
North Dakota is leading the way in clean coal technologies, and this
will be an important part of our efforts, in working with the Trump
administration, to make America not only energy secure but energy
dominant.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to enter into a
colloquy with my friend, Senator Cruz from Texas.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ossoff). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
H.R. 82
Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise today on behalf of the 476,000
West Virginians who rely on Social Security benefits. Majorities of our
seniors in every State rely on Social Security benefits, and we know
that we are in trouble.
The Senate is considering the Social Security Fairness Act, which
would repeal the windfall elimination provision and government pension
offset from the Social Security benefit calculation, providing relief
for many public employees who have been adversely impacted.
Now, make no mistake: We have a problem. We all agree. The status quo
is unfair, and it penalizes millions of hard-working Americans--whether
it is teachers, firefighters, police officers, among others. But we
also have an obligation to honor our promises to ensure that Social
Security is going to be there for the people who have paid into it and
have earned it and also for those generations who come afterward.
We can fix this problem without blowing a hole in the Social Security
trust fund. This is a $200 billion pricetag, and we can fix that
without having any--any--effect on our budget; but it is just
unbelievable that no one seems really concerned about what we have in
the debt we are facing.
One of my first meetings here and hearings I had gone to--and this
was in early 2011--was for the Armed Services Committee.
I asked Admiral Mike Mullen--I said: Chairman Mullen--the Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff--what is the greatest threat facing America?
And I am thinking I am going to hear about the military powers from
around the world. He never hesitated one second.
He said: The debt of the Nation will bring us down first.
The debt of our nations has brought down every--every--major society
in history, and that is exactly what we are on track to do.
We have a fiscal crisis in this country right now, and no one is
talking about it. On either side of the aisle, we are not talking about
it. In fiscal year 2013, our Federal spending was less than $3.5
trillion. In fiscal year 2023--10 years later--it is $6.1 trillion.
That is a 75-percent increase. No one can withstand that. Last year's
total revenues were $4.4 trillion, which left us with a deficit of $1.7
trillion--the largest deficit in U.S. history since the pandemic.
We have been spending more than we bring in every year for the last
22 years, and the debt that has resulted from it is absolutely
crippling. Most Americans couldn't even last 22 paychecks, let alone 22
years of spending more than they have brought in. Years of fiscal
irresponsibility have brought us to the crisis we are in today, which
is more than $36 trillion of national debt. That breaks down to
$104,000 for every man, woman, and child in this great country of
ours--a $104,000 liability on every human citizen in the United States
of America.
It is terrifying to think that at the end of the fiscal year, we are
going to spend more on paying just the interest--just the interest--on
our debt than we do to defend our country. This is the crisis we are
facing, and we are going into this blindly.
It passed overwhelmingly, with cloture, 72 votes. It is unbelievable
that no one is even thinking about what we can do and how we can do it
better. There is a problem, and we can fix the problem.
The government makes tough choices. I don't need to tell you all
that. But, however, as matters stand, we are now choosing to ignore the
fiscal crisis again. If this thing hits the wall, that means it
increases 6 months. It advances the insolvency of Social Security 6
more months.
We are trying to figure out how we can save Social Security, and we
are not doing a thing for the people and fixing the problem we have
that is within our means to do so.
Our amendment would replace the WEP-GPO with a proportional benefit
formula, ensuring the public workers receive their appropriate
benefits, which we recognize has been denied. We recognize that.
The Social Security trust fund is currently projected to become
insolvent in 2033--2033, less than 10 years. We lead the country with
the highest percentage of our population receiving Social Security
benefits. There are a tremendous amount of people in Texas depending on
it the same as my State of West Virginia. We need to make sure retirees
are receiving their fair share, and we cannot do it at the expense of
all beneficiaries and future generations.
I urge my colleagues to listen to my colleague here, my friend, the
Senator from Texas, and how he has come
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about putting this together, working together, knowing that it is
something that can be done. It is a heck of a fix. We would hope that
you would all support this amendment and be able to basically make a
responsible--fiscally responsible--fix to a very serious problem that
we have: keeping the solvency of Social Security for generations to
come and taking care of the generation that now is basically depending
upon it.
With that, I yield the floor to my friend.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I thank my friend the Senator from West
Virginia who is standing here--we are standing here together--with a
bipartisan plea to the Senate to act in a reasonable, fiscally
responsible way.
Senator Manchin and I are also, in a bipartisan way, asking the
Senate: Don't sell seniors down the river.
Look, we all know the U.S. Congress spends like drunken sailors. And,
frankly, that is not fair to the sailors because at least they are
spending their own money. But even in that context, what we saw earlier
today was tragic.
The vote earlier today was designed to solve a real problem: the
windfall elimination provision, the WEP provision. It was enacted in an
effort to ensure Social Security benefits are paid fairly, and they
recognized the amount that is actually paid into Social Security.
However, when the WEP was enacted, it got the formula wrong, and the
result is, for thousands upon thousands of retired police officers and
retired firefighters and retired teachers, they got shortchanged. A
very significant number of those cops and firefighters and teachers are
in my home State of Texas. I have heard from countless firefighters and
cops and teachers who have raised that issue.
Since 2017, I have been fighting to fix the WEP problem. In 2017, I
introduced legislation to fix the inequity and to treat our retired
cops and firefighters and teachers fairly.
My legislation I have worked on very closely with Kevin Brady, a
Republican in the House, then the chairman of the House Ways and Means
Committee. He initially had an agreement with the Democrat ranking
member on the House Ways and Means Committee to get this resolved, but,
unfortunately, House Democrats backed out of that agreement. So we
didn't fix the WEP in 2017. We didn't fix it in 2018. We didn't fix it
in 2019, or 2020, or 2021, or 2022, or 2023.
And now, just days before Christmas, we step in with this bill
designed to fix the inequities for retired police officers,
firefighters, and teachers.
So what is the problem? The problem is this current bill simply
repeals the WEP across board, which is a massive cost to Social
Security. This bill imposes a cost on the Social Security Trust Fund of
$190 billion--nearly $200 billion.
What else does this bill do that we just voted on? It accelerates the
insolvency of Social Security by 6 months. The Social Security system
right now is scheduled to be insolvent within 9 years--by 2033. As a
result of this vote, if the same 73 Senators who just voted for this
provision stick with it, Social Security goes broke 6 months earlier.
What does that mean? When Social Security--if Social Security goes
insolvent, there is an automatic benefits cut of over 20 percent that
goes into effect automatically by operation of law.
So what did 73 Senators vote to do today? To throw Granny over the
cliff, to hurt Social Security for every senior citizen in America.
Now, if that was our only choice, if our only choice was to treat the
cops and firefighters and retired teachers fairly or do harm to Social
Security and to seniors, I could understand people making that
tradeoff. It is an ugly tradeoff, but I could understand it because we
absolutely need to treat retired cops and firefighters and teachers
fairly.
But there is another choice. The legislation that I introduced in
2017 and have been fighting to pass ever since, it is bipartisan
legislation that I have introduced. I have it as an amendment to this
bill right now. Senator Manchin, who is a Democrat, is a cosponsor.
What does my amendment do? It fixes the WEP problem--it fixes the
windfall elimination problem--which means it corrects the unfairness
for retired cops, for retired firefighters, and for retired teachers.
But it does so at a much, much more affordable pricetag.
The Cruz-Manchin amendment would cost $25 billion over the next 10
years--$25 billion compared to $190 billion. And, critically, the Cruz-
Manchin amendment has been scored that over 75 years--which when you
are dealing with Social Security, you typically look at the longer
window--over 75 years, the scoring shows it has a negligible impact. It
doesn't speed up the insolvency of Social Security by a single day.
The Senate has an option right in front of it: Take care of the cops.
Take care of the firefighters. Take care of teachers. But at the same
time, don't hurt the seniors.
I am confident that every Member of this body goes home to our
States, and we tell senior citizens we are going to protect Social
Security. Well, do you know what? If 73 Senators in this body continue
charging ahead to blow a $200 billion hole in the Social Security trust
fund, every Senator who votes that way is breaking their promise to the
seniors in their State.
Every Senator who votes to impose $200 billion of costs on the Social
Security trust fund, you are choosing to sacrifice the interests of
seniors who paid into Social Security, who have earned those benefits,
and who deserve to have them protected.
What is so frustrating is this should be easy, and this should be
simple.
I could tell you, in the Republican conference, I urged my
colleagues, I said: Listen, let's take this up and finally pass it
early next year in the brand new conference. John Thune, the incoming
majority leader, committed, if the Senate did not proceed on this bill
today, to take up my amendment on the floor within the first 3 months
of next year.
Listen, I understand the frustration of the people who have been
fighting to get this problem fixed because they have been fighting and
fighting and fighting, and it has never gotten there. So people
are understandably frustrated by being treated unfairly. But we have a
way to fix this problem, to put more money in the pockets of retired
cops and retired firefighters and retired teachers but do so in a way
that is fiscally responsible and that doesn't hurt every senior in
America.
It saddens me that only 27 of us were willing to stand up and say we
are going to keep our promise to protect Social Security. We are going
to keep our promise to protect the seniors in West Virginia and Texas.
We are not going to sell Granny down the river.
There is still a chance for this Senate to reconsider. It would be
very simple to take this up. It would be very simple to schedule a
hearing in the Finance Committee early next year. The incoming chairman
of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Mike Crapo, committed to
having a hearing on this legislation early next year. We could fix this
problem without blowing a $200 billion hole in the Social Security
trust fund.
Mr. MANCHIN. Would the Senator yield?
Mr. CRUZ. I would happily yield to my friend from West Virginia.
Mr. MANCHIN. Let me just say that I think what happened is we have a
bill that is hard to vote against. It really is. And I understand why
there were 73 Senators who voted for it.
Senator Cruz has had this and worked diligently for many years on
this, to fix the WEP. The bottom line is, it never came to committee
here. It came out of the House and came right to the floor.
Now, whether they thought it was a feel-good vote or whatever, the
only thing I am saying is, it is not a responsible position for us to
take with the debt that we are carrying now and complicating it by
adding more and more on.
We all talk about the fiscal responsibilities. Every one of us have
fiscal responsibilities in our home--every one of our family members,
every one of our constituents. We seem to have no constraint here
whatsoever. And we saw that $200 billion pricetag on this.
Is there a better way? You can be against something if you don't have
a better way of fixing it. We basically have posed this piece of
legislation because we can fix the inequities done.
[[Page S7162]]
That can be done and taking care of the people who got left behind and
got shortchanged. We identify it. The bottom line is, we have a fix for
it. Let us fix it.
If you wanted to fix it and have a good bill, you should have put it
in committee. If it is not, it is going to be done next year with a
commitment from the majority party. Let it be fixed, but don't throw
another $180 billion on top of it as debt--it is just irresponsible--
and then tell your grandparents or your aunts and uncles who are
depending on that Social Security check, like almost 500,000 West
Virginians, that, you know, sorry, in 2032 now--maybe almost 6 months
to a year earlier--you are going to have a 20-percent cut in your
Social Security payment.
So if they are getting a thousand dollars a month, they are going to
get $800 in the next check. Why did it happen? How come? How can you
let this happen?
We can fix that. We really can. All we are asking for is a
consideration of this body to fix it and fix it right, take care of the
inequities, take care of the people who have been shortchanged, but
also take care of the people who are depending on this Social Security
to be solvent.
Mr. CRUZ. I thank my friend from West Virginia, and I urge the body
to listen to the very reasonable words from the Senator from West
Virginia.
I will say, the Senator from West Virginia is retiring in just a few
days. We are going to miss Joe Manchin in this body. We are going to
miss a voice of reason on both sides of the aisle.
We have in front of this body a bipartisan amendment that fixes the
WEP problem, that treats retired cops and firefighters and teachers
fairly, but it does so while being responsible and not blowing a hole
in the Social Security trust fund.
You know, my dad is 85 years old. My mom is 90 years old. Both of
them rely on Social Security.
We have a solemn obligation to honor the promises we made to seniors.
There is not a Senator in this body who hasn't promised seniors: I am
going to protect Social Security.
Well, if the Senate goes forward and passes this bill, 73 Senators
will be breaking their word. I ask my colleagues on both sides of the
aisle: Do the right thing. Do the responsible thing. Keep your word to
the seniors in your State.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.
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