To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1535 East Los Ebanos Boulevard in Brownsville, Texas, as the "1st Lieutenant Andres Zermeno Post Office Building".

Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk of the House, reported and found truly enrolled bills of the House of the following titles, which were thereupon signed by the Speaker pro tempore, Mr. McHenry, on Friday, December 20, 2024:

H.R. 663. An act to amend the Indian Child Protection and

Family Violence Prevention Act.

H.R. 1607. An act to clarify jurisdiction with respect to

certain Bureau of Reclamation pumped storage development, and

for other purposes.

H.R. 1727. An act to amend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Development Act to extend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

National Historical Park Commission.

H.R. 2468. An act to require the Secretary of the Interior

to convey to the State of Utah certain Federal land under the

administrative jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management

within the boundaries of Camp Williams, Utah, and for other

purposes.

H.R. 3324. An act to extend the authority to collect

Shasta-Trinity Marina fees through fiscal year 2029.

H.R. 4094. An act to amend the Central Utah Project

Completion Act to authorize expenditures for the conduct of

certain water conservation measures in the Great Salt Lake

basin, and for other purposes.

H.R. 4385. An act to extend authorization of the

Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991.

H.R. 4467. An act to direct the Under Secretary for

Management of the Department of Homeland Security to assess

contracts for covered services performed by contractor

personnel along the United States land border with Mexico,

and for other purposes.

H.R. 5646. An act to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965

to require institutions of higher education to disclose

hazing incidents, and for other purposes.

H.R. 5770. An act to reauthorize certain United States

Geological Survey water data enhancement programs.

H.R. 6826. An act to designate the visitor and education

center at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

as the Paul S. Sarbanes Visitor and Education Center.

H.R. 6843. An act to expand the boundaries of the

Atchafalaya National Heritage Area to include Lafourche

Parish, Louisiana.

H.R. 7177. An act to amend title 28, United States Code, to

consolidate certain divisions in the Northern District of

Alabama.

H.R. 7213. An act to amend the Public Health Service Act to

enhance and reauthorize activities and programs relating to

autism spectrum disorder, and for other purposes.

H.R. 7332. An Act to require the Secretary of the Interior

and the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain Federal

land to the State of Utah for inclusion in certain State

parks, and for other purposes.

H.R. 7524. An act to amend title 40, United States Code, to

require the submission of reports on certain information

technology services funds to Congress before expenditures may

be made, and for other purposes.

H.R. 8219. An act to require the Secretary of the Interior

to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility

of designating certain land as the Lahaina National Heritage

Area, and for other purposes.

H.R. 8413. An act to provide for the conveyance of certain

Federal land at Swanson Reservoir and Hugh Butler Reservoir

in the State of Nebraska, and for other purposes.

H.R. 8663. An act to require the Science and Technology

Directorate in the Department of Homeland Security to develop

greater capacity to detect and identify illicit substances in

very low concentrations.

H.R. 9566. An act to require governmentwide source code

sharing, and for other purposes.

Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk of the House, further reported and found truly an enrolled bill of the House of the following title, which was thereupon signed by the Speaker on Saturday, December 21, 2024:

H.R. 10545. An act making further continuing appropriations

for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, and for other

purposes.

Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk of the House, further reported and found truly enrolled bills of the House of the following titles, which were thereupon signed by the Speaker pro tempore, Mr. McHENRY:

H.R. 82. An act to amend title II of the Social Security

Act to repeal the Government pension offset and windfall

elimination provisions.

H.R. 670. An act to direct the Secretary of Health and

Human Services to establish a website to promote awareness of

available resources for individuals with disabilities, and

for other purposes.

H.R. 1318. An act to authorize the location of a monument

on the National Mall to commemorate and honor the women's

suffrage movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment to

the Constitution, and for other purposes.

H.R. 1555. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 2300 Sylvan Avenue in

Modesto, California, as the ``Corporal Michael D. Anderson

Jr. Post Office Building''.

H.R. 1823. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 207 East Fort Dade Avenue in

Brooksville, Florida, as the ``Specialist Justin Dean Coleman

Memorial Post Office Building''.

H.R. 2997. An act to direct the Secretary of the Interior

to convey to Mesa County, Colorado, certain Federal land in

Colorado, and for other purposes.

H.R. 3354. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 220 North Hatcher Avenue in

Purcellville, Virginia, as the ``Secretary of State Madeleine

Albright Post Office Building''.

H.R. 3391. An act to extend the Gabriella Miller Kids First

Pediatric Research Program at the National Institutes of

Health, and for other purposes.

H.R. 4136. An act to name the Department of Veterans

Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Plano, Texas, as

the ``U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic''.

H.R. 4955. An act to name the community-based outpatient

clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Monroeville,

Pennsylvania, as the ``Henry Parham VA Clinic''.

H.R. 4984. An act to direct the Secretary of the Interior

to transfer administrative jurisdiction over the Robert F.

Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus to the District of Columbia

so that the District may use the Campus for purposes

including residential and commercial development, and for

other purposes.

H.R. 5103. An act to require the Director of the Office of

Management and Budget to approve or deny spend plans within a

certain amount of time, and for other purposes.

H.R. 5443. An act to establish a policy regarding appraisal

and valuation services for real property for a transaction

over which the Secretary of the Interior has jurisdiction,

and for other purposes.

H.R. 5867. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 109 Live Oaks Boulevard in

Casselberry, Florida, as the ``Colonel Joseph William

Kittinger II Post Office Building''.

H.R. 5887. An act to amend chapter 3 of title 5, United

States Code, to improve Government service delivery, and

build related capacity for the Federal Government, and for

other purposes.

H.R. 6062. An act to restore the ability of the people of

American Samoa to approve amendments to the territorial

constitution based on majority rule in a democratic act of

self-determination, as authorized pursuant to an Act of

Congress delegating administration of Federal territorial law

in the territory to the President, and to the Secretary of

the Interior under Executive Order 10264, dated June 29,

1951, under which the Constitution of American Samoa was

approved and may be amended without requirement for further

congressional action, subject to the authority of Congress

under the Territorial Clause in article IV, section 3, clause

2 of the United States Constitution.

H.R. 6116. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 14280 South Military Trail

in Delray Beach, Florida, as the ``Benjamin Berell Ferencz

Post Office Building''.

H.R. 6162. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 379 North Oates Street in

Dothan, Alabama, as the ``LaBruce `Bruce' Tidwell Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 6188. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 420 Highway 17 North in

Surfside Beach, South Carolina, as the ``Nancy Yount Childs

Post Office Building''.

H.R. 6244. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 1535 East Los Ebanos

Boulevard in Brownsville, Texas, as the ``1st Lieutenant

Andres Zermeno Post Office Building''.

H.R. 6395. An act to amend the Energy Act of 2020 to

require the Secretary of the Interior to include the

Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultations

regarding designations of critical minerals, elements,

substances, and materials.

H.R. 6492. An act to improve recreation opportunities on,

and facilitate greater access to, Federal public land, and

for other purposes.

H.R. 6633. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 9355 113th Street in

Seminole, Florida, as the ``Army SSG Ryan Christian Knauss

Memorial Post Office Building''.

H.R. 6750. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 501 Mercer Street Southwest

in Wilson, North Carolina, as the ``Milton F. Fitch, Sr. Post

Office Building''.

H.R. 6810. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 518 North Ridgewood Drive in

Sebring, Florida, as the ``U.S. Army Air Corps Major Thomas

B. McGuire Post Office Building''.

H.R. 6852. An act to designate Holcombe Rucker Park, in

Harlem, New York, as a National Commemorative Site, and for

other purposes.

H.R. 6983. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 15 South Valdosta Road in

Lakeland, Georgia, as the ``Nell Patten Roquemore Post

Office''.

H.R. 7158. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 201 East Battles Road in

Santa Maria, California, as the ``Larry Lavagnino Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 7180. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 80 1st Street in Kingsland,

Arkansas, as the Kingsland `Johnny Cash' Post Office''.

H.R. 7365. To provide PreCheck to certain severely injured

or disabled veterans, and for other purposes.

H.R. 7385. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 29 Franklin Street in

Petersburg, Virginia, as the ``John Mercer Langston Post

Office Building''.

H.R. 74l7. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 135 West Spring Street in

Titusville, Pennsylvania, as the ``Edwin L. Drake Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 7507. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 203 East 6th Street in

Lexington, Nebraska, as the ``William E. and Elsie L. Barrett

Post Office Building''.

H.R. 7508. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 1285 Emancipation Highway in

Fredericksburg, Virginia, as the ``Gladys P. Todd Post

Office''.

H.R. 7606. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 1087 Route 47 South in Rio

Grande, New Jersey, as the ``Carlton H. Hand Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 7607. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at Block 1025, Lots 18 & 19,

Northeast Corner of US Route 9 South and Main Street in the

Township of Middle County of Cape May, New Jersey, as the

``George Henry White Post Office Building''.

H.R. 7893. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 306 Pickens Street in

Marion, Alabama, as the ``Albert Turner, Sr. Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 7938. An act to amend the Klamath Basin Water Supply

Enhancement Act of 2000 to provide the Secretary of the

Interior with certain authorities with respect to projects

affecting the Klamath Basin watershed, and for other

purposes.

H.R. 8012. An act to establish the Jackie Robinson Ballpark

National Commemorative Site in the State of Florida, and for

other purposes.

H.R. 8057. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 9317 Bolsa Avenue in

Westminster, California, as the ``Little Saigon Vietnam War

Veterans Memorial Post Office''.

H.R. 8641. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 401 Main Street in Brawley,

California, as the ``Walter Francis Ulloa Memorial Post

Office Building''.

H.R. 8666. An act to amend title 28, United States Code, to

authorize holding court for the Central Division of Utah in

Moab and Monticello.

H.R. 8667. An act to rename the community-based outpatient

clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Cadillac,

Michigan, as the ``Duane E. Dewey VA Clinic''.

H.R. 8717. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 20 West Main Street in

SantaQuin, Utah, as the ``SGT Bill Hooser Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 8841. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 114 Center Street East in

Roseau, Minnesota, as the ``Floyd B. Olson Post Office''.

H.R. 8868. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located 609 Portsmouth Avenue in

Greenland, New Hampshire, as the ``Chief Michael Maloney Post

Office Building''.

H.R. 8909. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 82-6110 Mamalahoa Highway in

Captain Cook, Hawaii, as the ``Army 1st Lt. John Kuulei

Kauhaihao Post Office Building''.

H.R. 8919. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 151 Highway 74 South in

Peachtree City, Georgia, as the ``SFC Shawn McCloskey Post

Office''.

H.R. 8976. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 20 West White Street in

Millstadt, Illinois, as the ``Corporal Matthew A. Wyatt Post

Office''.

H.R. 9076. An act to reauthorize child welfare programs

under part B of title IV of the Social Security Act and

strengthen the State and tribal child support enforcement

program under part D of such title, and for other purposes.

H.R. 9124. An act to name the Department of Veterans

Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Auburn,

California, as the ``Louis A. Conter VA Clinic''.

H.R. 9285. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 39l3 Leland Avenue Northwest

in Comstock Park, Michigan, as the ``Captain Miguel Justin

Nava Post Office''.

H.R. 9322. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 675 Wolf Ledges Parkway in

Akron, Ohio, as the ``Judge James R. Williams Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 9421. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 108 North Main Street in

Bucoda, Washington, as the ``Mayor Rob Gordon Post Office''.

H.R. 9487. An act to amend the Legislative Reorganization

Act of 1970 to authorize the Legislative Counsel of the House

of Representatives to designate more than one of the

attorneys of the Office of the Legislative Counsel as a

Deputy Legislative Counsel, and for other purposes.

H.R. 9544. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 340 South Loudon Avenue in

Baltimore, Maryland, as the ``United States Representative

Elijah E. Cummings Post Office Building''.

H.R. 9549. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 125 South 1st Avenue in

Hillsboro, Oregon, as the ``Elizabeth Furse Post Office

Building''.

H.R. 9580. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 2777 Brentwood Road in

Raleigh, North Carolina, as the ``Millie Dunn Veasey Post

Office''.

H.R. 9592. An act to amend title 44, United States Code, to

modernize the Federal Register, and for other purposes.

H.R. 9600. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 119 Main Street in Plains,

Georgia, as the ``Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Post Office''.

H.R. 9775. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 119 North Anderson Street in

Elwood, Indiana, as the ``Officer Noah Jacob Shahnavaz Post

Office Building''.

H.R. 10065. An act to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service located at 802 North Tancahua Street in

Corpus Christi, Texas, as the ``Captain Robert E. `Bob'

Batterson Post Office''.

Madam President, I have served on the House and now Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee since I came to Congress, so about 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and about 15 years in the U.S. Senate. It has been a privilege to serve as a member and, from time to time, a leader of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and, preceding that, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

For the last 4, almost 5 years, Senator Jon Tester and I have led the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Not only did Jon and I both raise daughters and grow up in rural America, but we both share the same sentiment that there is no one we hold in higher regard than our Nation's veterans. This shared sentiment has allowed us to work together for those we respect so much.

I will certainly miss the starting of our hearings in which Senator Tester always said, ``Hello, Jerry.'' And you could hear that from time to time as we met going down the Senate halls.

I have worked with Jon on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs since 2013, and we have introduced and sponsored and cosponsored many, many pieces of legislation together. His leadership on the committee in recent years has resulted in major pieces of legislation that have now become law, that provide support and opportunities for veterans, their loved ones, and their caregivers.

Some of those landmark and historic pieces of legislation include, in the 115th Congress, VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018--a lot of words that really boil down to what we call the MISSION Act--designed to help make certain that services for veterans, wherever they live and whatever kind of services they need from the VA, are available to them.

In later Congresses, the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020; Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019, implemented and designed to make certain that we

reduce and eliminate the number of veterans who commit suicide; Fairness for Korean DMZ Veterans Act of 2019; a COVID fix for GI bill benefits to make sure our veterans, during COVID, were able to maintain their educational benefits while their schools were shut down.

Later in the 117th, the Joseph Maxwell Cleland and Robert Joseph Dole Memorial Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement Act; the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022--what we refer to as the PACT Act-- designed to make sure those who encounter toxic substances in Southeast Asia and in Iraq and Afghanistan were eligible for benefits and healthcare; the Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act of 2021.

Just within the last few days--in fact, within the last week--the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, an additional veterans' benefits improvement act.

I rise today here at my seat on the Senate floor to express my gratitude for the time that Jon has spent in his career in improving the lives of veterans and reforming the VA system that millions of veterans rely upon.

Jon Tester has made a lasting impact on thousands of individuals, their families, and their caregivers, those who serve veterans, and those who are veterans, and their family members. He has made a lasting impact upon their lives and well-being and helped us keep our commitment to our promises that have been made to those who serve in our military.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize Senator Tester's team for their extraordinary work. We all know in the Senate the importance of having a strong staff that researches well, that is intentional with our constituents and values what we do.

I would like to thank: Tony McClain, who is from Salina, KS, and who has led this committee for many years; Dahlia Melendrez; Carlos Fuentes; Elizabeth Mackenzie; Janko Mitric; Faye Fernandes; Bill Van Saun; Tess Wrzesinski; Abby Roubal; Weston Haycock; Liz Timmons; Cameron Kroetz; Katie Adams; and Jackson Haney.

Your work--each of you--your work on this committee didn't go unnoticed. Thank you for your kindness that you extended to me while you were serving the chairman of the committee. Thank you for your kindness to me when I was the chairman of the committee and you were serving the ranking member. We know that without your help, without your willingness to work with our staff and our team, we would not have been able to provide the benefits and critical resources that our veterans deserve and earned.

Finally, Jon Tester, certainly I say this on my behalf, but I say it also on behalf of the other Members of the Senate, certainly the other members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and especially on behalf of our Nation's veterans, thank you. Thank you for your leadership, your friendship, and your dedication. Thank you for serving, as you did so well, our Nation's heroes.

Kansas Aviation

Madam President, last month, we celebrated National Aviation History Month. We celebrated that across America, and I want to make certain that we recognize the air capital of the world and the State of Kansas and their contributions to the aviation industry both historically and still today.

My home State of Kansas is an aviation hub. It has a rich history in aviation manufacturing. This tradition dates back to a gentleman named Albin Longren, who developed Kansas's first aircraft, the Longren Flyer, which was fully designed, produced, and successfully tested in Topeka in 1911, less than a decade after the Wright Brothers' first historic flight.

Clyde Cessna went on to develop his pioneering aircraft, the Silverwing, in 1911, which was designed and built in Kingman County, KS. Clyde Cessna, Lloyd Stearman, and Walter Beech partnered to found the Travel Air Manufacturing Company, which would later be spun off into three companies with global recognition--the Cessna Aircraft Company, Stearman Aircraft, and the Beech Aircraft Company, all of Wichita, where they were headquartered.

Cessna, Stearman, Beech, and over a dozen other aviation entrepreneurs in Wichita produced 120 airplanes each week at the outset of Wichita's aviation dominance in the late twenties. It was then that Wichita earned its title as ``Air Capital of the World.''

During World War II, tens of thousands of Kansans contributed to the war effort by working in aircraft plants, making nearly 26,000 planes, including over 1,600 B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers.

Following the war, the Boeing Company started testing midflight refueling using the B-29 Superfortress and eventually delivered the KC- 135 Stratotanker to the U.S. Air Force in the fifties--still one of the premier midflight refueling aircraft for the U.S. Armed Forces. Many of these tankers are stationed at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita and some at Forbes Field in Topeka.

Other than agriculture, the aviation and aerospace industries in Kansas support more jobs than any other sector, including more than 65,000 aerospace and defense jobs across more than 450 world-class suppliers.

Kansas is the global leader in general aviation, producing 35 percent of all general aviation aircraft in America and supplying 75 percent of all general aviation aircraft since the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903.

If you fly on a private plane, you are flying on a plane that was either built in Kansas or the parts were manufactured in Kansas.

At the end of November, Bombardier, which has its defense headquarters in Wichita, KS, delivered its first Global 6500 to the U.S. Army in support of its next generation of intelligences surveillance, and reconnaissance, the ISR platform. One week later, Wichita State University's National Institute for Aviation Research received a Boeing 747-8i as part of a strategic partnership with Sierra Nevada Corporation on the Air Force's ``doomsday'' program. I would also like to highlight that NIAR, the National Institute for Aviation Research, a component headquartered on the campus of Wichita State University, was recently ranked by the National Science Foundation as the number one research and development expenditure university in the country for aerospace engineering.

Our State is also diversifying its aviation and aerospace work with companies like General Atomics and now has 17 Kansas manufacturers working on NASA's Artemis program.

We are also developing essential components for commercial space providers such as SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Sierra Space, Rocket Lab, and Blue Origin.

Additionally, Kansas is home to Crew-9 astronaut Nick Hague of Hoxie, who is currently stationed at the International Space Station.

Museums across our State highlight our history, highlight our future. They include the Kansas Aviation Museum in Wichita, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison. I also should highlight the importance of Amelia Earhart being one of the Kansans who is a significant component of our aviation history and whose statue now resides here in the U.S. Capitol. There is a B-29 Museum in Pratt; the Mid-America Museum in Liberal; and the Cosmosphere--world renown.

Incidentally, when I talked to the Artemis astronauts, they brought up the topic and said: ``Do you know that you have the best space museum in the world in Kansas?'' And they were talking about the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. It showcases the rich aviation history. They point to the continued legacy of excellence in aviation and aerospace in Kansas and represents a bright spot for our entire nation.

I wouldn't want to talk about aviation without talking about Kansas. Kansas has played a key role in cultivating America's leadership in aviation and is home to thousands of engineers and manufacturers who have supported America's aviation heritage now for more than a century. We are, and we will continue to be, air capital of the world not only because we build airplanes, but because we have leaders and students driving the industry forward with innovation, ingenuity, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

We will continue to be the air capital of the world because we have the educational institutions across our State

to train and educate engineers, flight mechanics, the whole array of the people necessary for the industries that are located in our State and that will soon locate in our State to have a highly trained, educated, motivated workforce for aviation today and in the future.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today with deep disappointment and frustration at the House of Representatives' failure to take up my bipartisan, bicameral legislation with Senator Bill Cassidy--the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, COPPA 2.0.

Just a few months ago, the Senate passed COPPA 2.0 by a resounding vote of 91 to 3 as part of the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act. It was a remarkable moment for a Chamber that has too often succumbed to partisanship on key technology issues. Young people and families across the country finally had a moment to celebrate that their government was actually coming to their aid on a critical issue and that lawmakers from across the aisle could hold hands and recognize that the youth mental health crisis was raging in red and blue States alike.

This crisis demanded action, and the U.S. Senate was meeting the need and the moment with a popular children's and teens' privacy bill. Help, it seemed, was finally on the way. It was long overdue. For more than a decade, I have been fighting to strengthen online protections for our young people. In fact, if COPPA 2.0 were a person, it would have just turned 13 and would have aged out of our current privacy protections for children, which I first authored 26 years ago.

Over those 26 years, that law--the original Children's Online Privacy Protection Act--has been critical to protecting children online, but when I wrote COPPA, only birds tweeted, and ``TikTok'' was a sound that a clock made. Today, our children and teens confront a far more complicated and privacy-invasive online world--one that, according to medical experts and the Surgeon General, is contributing to a youth mental health crisis.

The stats are devastating. The stats are overwhelming. Listen to these stats. Listen to the problem we have in our country: More than one in four high school girls in the United States seriously considered suicide in 2023--one in four teenaged girls--and at least one in eight high school girls attempted suicide in 2023. Let me repeat it again. One in eight teenaged high school girls attempted suicide in 2023. Amongst LGBTQ+ youth, the number is more like one in five attempted suicide in 2023.

COPPA 2.0 cuts to the heart of the emergency. COPPA 2.0 bans targeted advertising to young people, ensuring that teenage girls stop being targeted with weight loss pills and other harmful ads.

It empowers parents and teens by giving them an eraser button to delete an ill-advised post, and it prevents companies from burying their heads in the sand and ignoring the children and teens on their platforms.

These policies specifically target Big Tech's financial incentives-- profitable targeted ads--that keep kids and teens clicking, swiping, and scrolling on social media, even to their ill health. In fact, in 2022, the major Big Tech platforms earned nearly $11 billion from U.S. users under the age of 18--$11 billion--and those are 11 billion reasons to oppose any opposition to COPPA 2.0. But the tech companies-- they want to monetize the young people in our country, and we know they are doing so at the expense of their mental health.

Who said it? The Surgeon General of the United States. Who said it? The pediatricians of the United States who are the experts on children and teenagers in our country--a mental health crisis largely created by online social media.

So this is an incredible moment for us because, with that $11 billion which the media companies and the big tech companies make, there are 11 billion reasons to turn their lobbying power on the House Republican leadership and concoct farfetched theories for why a bill that passed 91 to 3 on the floor of the U.S. Senate should not even receive a vote--at the height of a mental health crisis for young people in our country--on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Unfortunately, House Republican leadership capitulated to the pressure of Big Tech, with grave consequences for young people. The House had a rare opportunity to show families across the country that it cared about their children, about their teenagers; that money in politics didn't drive their decision making; and that our youngest and our most vulnerable came first and not Big Tech. House Republican leadership--they failed that test. They sat for months on the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and then refused to even consider it for passage at the end of the year. They want to wait until next year and next year. We brought this bill out for three Congresses in a row.

This is not a new issue. It is a crisis. Everyone knows it is a crisis. Everyone knows that teenagers are getting addicted because of deliberate strategies by Big Tech to absolutely harm them. We know that, right now, if a teenaged girl has bulimia and she goes online to get information about it because she has only told her mother and father, that girl can be bombarded with ads from companies and from others because that information is now out there that she Google- searched.

Well, the impact on her psyche is dramatic if that happens, and it is happening every single day because Big Tech monetizes that girl's bulimia or anorexia problem. This is the bill that says you can't do that. If the parents want all of that information erased or they don't want the girl to be targeted with ads, you can't do it--91 to 3 on the Senate floor, no vote in the House for three Congresses in a row.

They always want to wait until next year for a Republican Congress or for a Republican President, yes, but what about right now? And are they actually going to do it next year? And while they wait, our young people will continue to suffer. Every day that this does not pass is another day where platforms can serve dangerous, targeted ads to children and teens. Every day that it does not pass is another day when parents and teens don't have the tools they need to protect themselves online.

Every day that COPPA 2.0 does not pass is another day when children and teens are suffering from suicide, from anxiety, from depression. This is the heart of the issue. This is the sinister side of cyberspace. This is the harmful side of it.

Are we going to do anything about it? Is it the Keynesian quality to the internet? It is the best of technologies and the worst of technologies simultaneously. It can enable. It can ennoble. It can degrade. It can debase.

Yes, these companies tout all the wonderful things that they are going to do, and they actually want to put it on steroids: AI. They are going to find a cure for cancer. They are going to do all these other wonderful things. We will see.

But at the same time, we don't have the safeguards built around the harm they are doing right now--the mental health harm to teenagers and children in our country. And it is only going to get worse--much worse--as AI injects itself into the system more and more: more suicide, more anxiety, more depression.

So it is a sad day for an institution that had a historic opportunity. And I commend the Senate leadership for making a decision in prioritizing the mental health of kids and teens. But I am deeply disappointed in the House of Representatives, where I proudly served for 36 years.

For decades, the House has lamented that the Senate's rules have prevented us from taking action on important issues. And I have made those arguments myself as a House Member years ago. But when the Senate did act on an issue critical to families and to parents across the country and when it acted decisively, House Republican leadership decided to play politics with the lives of teenage children in our country.

So to the kids and the parents and the advocates who have fought courageously for stronger online privacy rights for children and for teens, thank you. Don't go away. Keep your energy up. If you are knocked down, you are hurting, just come right back. Come back the same way the abolitionists came back, the same way the suffragettes came back, the same way the anti-Vietnam movement came back, the same way the same-sex marriage movement came back. Just get up again. We are right; they are wrong. We have to get this passed.

So I have been honored to be with you. It is a very disheartening moment--very disheartening. This is an ongoing, preventable crisis in our country. And if we don't act and act soon, we are going to have teenagers and children 20 years from now writing books about what their Congressmen, their Senators--an older generation--inflicted upon them, with no protections whatsoever. They will be talking about it. They will be writing about it.

Let me finish, again, by giving you the numbers. These are, without question, some of the most staggering numbers I have ever seen attached to one single preventable issue. One in four high school girls in the United States seriously considered suicide in 2023. Let me just say that. One in four seriously considered it. One in eight high school girls in the United States in 2023 actually attempted suicide--one in eight. And one in five LGBTQ attempted suicide in 2023. And the Surgeon General, the pediatricians of our country implicate--point the finger at--social media, the self-image of these kids, as one of the leading causes. And we are not going to pass this legislation.

And the actions of the House and now from Elon Musk and others who are preventing this whole institution from working are going to ultimately expose all of these young people to images, ideas, that are, in fact, avoidable.

I thank you for giving me the time. And to all of those who worked so hard on this legislation over the last 2 years, please get up and get ready to come back again next year because this is a crisis in our country. This is something that these young people do not deserve, and their privacy cannot be monetized. It is just absolutely wrong and preventable.

With that, I yield back the floor.

Madam President, the holiday season is upon us and should be a time filled with family, friends, and joy. But this year, it is filled with financial anxiety for many Americans. They are struggling to pay for their groceries, to heat their homes, struggling with property and casualty insurance.

But I am here to speak to those who are struggling to afford flood insurance. For over 50 years, Americans have relied on the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP, to be a safety net in case of disaster. The program covers 4.7 million homes, but the program has become unaffordable, unaccountable, and unsustainable. And without congressional approval, FEMA worsened this by implementing a new risk assessment program called Risk Rating 2.0.

This program dramatically increased premiums, even for those who had never flooded, and the skyrocketing prices brought on by Risk Rating 2.0 has left many Louisiana families and families in other States struggling with a financial burden.

This financial strain has caused 52,000 Louisianans to drop their coverage in just 1 year, leaving them with no way to protect their homes. About half a million Americans nationwide have dropped their coverage. And this was anticipated by this Risk Rating 2.0. When the National Flood Insurance Program put it in place, they, again, anticipated that up to 20 percent of the people would drop their coverage.

Now, during this holiday season, the financial burden of this program will only increase as Mom tries to give her kids a wonderful Christmas. That is why this month I introduced the Flood Insurance Affordability Tax Credit Act to give relief to Americans enrolled in NFIP. This legislation gives low- and middle-income households a real-time 33- percent refundable tax credit to combat the out-of-control flood insurance premium. It is not a permanent solution. We need serious reform. But cutting flood insurance bills by a third is a good place to start.

I am working on a comprehensive NFIP program that protects families from excessive premium hikes, strengthens flood mitigation efforts, simplifies the claims process by cutting redtape. While we work to fix the broken system--and believe me to say I am working hard to do this-- this tax credit provides relief for current policy holders, and it provides a path for Americans who have been forced to drop their coverage due to unaffordable premiums to reenroll at an affordable price.

It directs the Treasury Secretary to establish a program where premiums can be paid in advance. This benefits families when they need it the most, like now during the holiday season after a period of years of financial distress.

Parents shouldn't have to pick between putting food on the table, wrapping presents under the Christmas tree, or paying for flood insurance. And with a tax credit taking a third off of her flood insurance bill, the mother trying to keep this together won't have to make these sacrifices. She will be able to give her kids the merry Christmas that they deserve and protect the home they sleep in.

By the way, I am from Louisiana, but this isn't just true for families living in my State. It is true for families across the Nation. This year's hurricane season showed us flooding is possible in areas that don't typically make you think of flooding. Just think of the homes devastated by flooding in North Carolina.

Americans need relief from Risk Rating 2.0. That is not the question. And America needs to pass massive reform. However, perhaps most importantly, Americans expect us to guarantee that the National Flood Insurance Program will still be here come the new year. If nothing happens, this program expires at the end of this week.

I should correct that. For those who think that the government shutdown does not affect them, if the Government shuts down, the NFIP program will have a lapse. During that period, the program cannot sell or renew flood insurance policies or borrow from the Treasury to pay claims for existing policies. So my hope is that we can find this debt deal. I support Speaker Johnson in his attempts to do so, not the least of which is it preserves the National Flood Insurance Program for anyone that may call upon it during this intervening period.

So just frankly speaking, letting the program lapse, temporarily or long-term, should not be an option. It is often the only flood insurance option for many communities. And without it, we leave millions vulnerable. That is why I am working with the entire Louisiana delegation on legislation to reauthorize the program.

Today, I urge colleagues to support this reauthorization, giving their constituents peace of mind and protection this holiday season.

Finally, I urge colleagues to look to the future. Passing the flood insurance affordability tax credit would give relief to policyholders and reauthorizing the program are only the first steps, but they are critical steps this body must take. And unless we want to do a disservice to the American people and NFIP, we should not stop here.

When we come back in the new year, we should commit to reforming the program to make flood insurance affordable again.

Every single one of my colleagues have constituents who rely upon the NFIP. If you look to this chart, every State in the union is shaded representing the number of NFIP claims each State has. Those in dark yellow have been hit hardest and have relied on NFIP the most. They all have at least $1 billion in NFIP claims since 1978; and 44 States have had over $50 million in claims over this time period.

It is clear Americans rely on the program. But if we continue down this path, the program goes bankrupt.

So my message to my colleagues representing States that rely on the National Flood Insurance Program--which is, frankly, all of us--let's find a way forward. My team has worked on a bipartisan permanent solution that rolls back Risk Rating 2.0, makes flood insurance affordable and accountable again. I encourage my colleagues to join me in the new year to get this done.

In the meantime, let our Christmas gift to Americans enrolled in NFIP be a lower flood insurance bill and peace of mind by reauthorizing the program.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to confirm a bipartisan group of four nominees--two Republicans and two Democrats--to serve on the United States Postal Service Board of Governors.

The Board of Governors is an independent, bipartisan body that provides leadership, strategic vision, and oversight of the U.S. Postal Service.

Confirming these four nominees--Val Demings, Gordon Hartogensis, Bill Zollars, and Anton Hajjar--will give the board a full complement of nine Senate-confirmed governors.

The bipartisan board is most effective when fully staffed with individuals who bring a diverse range of perspective and experiences and all who understand the critical mission of the Postal Service.

These individuals each have strong leadership and management experience, and they have demonstrated their commitment to the Postal Service as workers and its customers.

As we know all too well in my State of Nevada, the Postal Service has been considering operational changes that will have severe impacts on service to communities not just in Nevada but across this Nation.

I was proud to lead the charge against Postmaster DeJoy's misguided effort to send Nevadans' letter mail out of State to be processed. But without sufficient oversight from a full Board of Governors, the Postmaster General will be able to pursue his agenda for the whole country unchecked.

I want to repeat that. Without a full Board of Governors, the Postmaster

General will be able to pursue his agenda for the whole country without oversight.

So it is more important than ever that we have a Board of Governors that is committed to ensuring reliable, timely mail delivery and that it will provide the necessary oversight of Postal Service leadership. That is why I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to confirm these four highly qualified nominees to the Postal Board of Governors.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that, as in executive session, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged from further consideration of PN2289 and that the Senate proceed to the consideration of this nomination and Calendar Nos. 836, 837, and 840; that the Senate vote on the nominations in the order listed; that if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table without intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to the nominations; that any related statements be printed in the Record; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, may I just say to the Senator from Kentucky that these nominees are bipartisan--two Democrat and two Republican. I believe it is far past the time that we allow our Postal Board of Governors to be filled.

I yield the floor.