[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 101 (Thursday, June 12, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S3359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the following 
nomination, which the clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read the nomination of William Long, of 
Missouri, to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the remainder of 
the term expiring November 12, 2027.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.


              250th Anniversary of the United States Army

  Mr. GRASSLEY. On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress passed a 
resolution creating what we know today as the United States Army. Since 
its establishment 250 years ago, tens of millions of American patriots 
have put their lives on the line to protect national security, defend 
our allies, and fight tyranny and terror from distant shores.
  Today, the Army is comprised of roughly 450,000 Active-Duty 
servicemen, 325,000 National Guardsmen, and 176,000 members of the 
Reserve, making the U.S. Army the largest branch of the military.
  I want to thank our brave men and women in uniform for their 
sacrifices to our country. Their dedication and their selflessness have 
made our Nation safer, and the first priority of the Federal Government 
ought to be our own national security.
  Now, we have to think back to President George Washington's first 
annual address to Congress, where he said: To be prepared for war is 
one of the most effectual means of preserving the peace in the world.
  That includes a nonnegotiable tenet of America's national security, 
which is ``peace through strength.''
  I have said before and I want to reiterate, we must be prepared at 
all times to stamp out aggression because weakness is provocative. An 
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and a strong and capable 
military is the best way to do that.
  In a few short weeks, we will celebrate Independence Day. I encourage 
all Americans to recognize and appreciate the freedoms that the Army 
has defended for 250 years, and I will continue to defend that in the 
future. And I want to thank President Trump for bringing attention to 
the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army with the festivities that are going 
on this weekend in Washington, DC.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.